xymnovel Chapter 1101 - 937: The Reckoning Begins
Chapter 1101 - 937: The Reckoning Begins
It seems that Peng Yuhao has given Xia Qing quite a few benefits, considering Jiangnan is still Xia Family’s territory.The Xia Family is deeply rooted in Jiangnan; do these officials dare not show face to Chief Minister Xia?
Qian Hui Chun, who committed suicide out of guilt, probably couldn’t win favor fast enough and wouldn’t dare be stingy with his gratitude.
Xia Qing narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling extreme disgust toward Qian Licao.
Qian Licao is a confidant of the Crown Prince, always making comments during meetings to show how much the Crown Prince values him.
This time with the consolidation of the river embankments, he indeed received quite a lot of silver, but it was all the subordinates’ gifts, so how could he be blamed?
The Crown Prince’s face was as calm as water. Previously, several officials from the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Revenue had been imprisoned by the Emperor. Because no evidence had been found at the time, the matter was delayed.
A few days ago, Gu Chengyu had already detailed the situation of the Changtian Prefecture river embankments in a letter, but did not elaborate on the officials involved.
However, many officials were mentioned, with Qian Hui Chun being the most prominent. But the floodwaters had submerged more than half of the government office in Changtian Prefecture, making it hard to find evidence.
And since Qian Hui Chun had already committed suicide, the clue was essentially cut off.
Actually, the matter was already quite clear. Now, it only required the Dali Temple to interrogate those officials. It is believed that, under harsh torture, few could withstand it.
Peng Yuhao’s face stiffened; this time for the Jiangnan dike reinforcement, he approved and oversaw all the flow of silver coins.
The official documents submitted to the court bore his seal; even if he wanted to deny it, it was absolutely impossible.
In fact, he hadn’t benefitted much; those benefits were given as gifts to Xia Qing. As much as twenty thousand taels of silver went to Xia Qing, and he only kept five thousand taels himself.
"Your Highness! I was also deceived by those greedy officials; I definitely didn’t extend a hand for the silver taels meant for the river embankment reinforcement."
Peng Yuhao, anxious in his heart, quickly stepped forward to clear himself.
"Hmph! But were the materials requiring silver taels approved by you? What about the Ministry of Revenue officials? Did they complete the audit? I have already instructed the Ministry of Industry to bring out the files and accounts from the beginning of the year about the river embankment reinforcement. The total for the Changtian Prefecture is stated as twelve thousand taels. And I’ve had the Ministry of Revenue officials recheck the accounts, finding several suspicious points."
The Crown Prince’s expression was extremely stern at this moment, drastically different from his usual simple and honest image, even possessing the majesty of an Emperor.
The face of Minister of Revenue Shen Shikang turned somewhat gloomy when the Crown Prince included their Ministry of Revenue in his words just now.
And this matter of the dike reinforcement at the beginning of the year was handled by Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Deng Wenshang; if there was an issue with the accounts, then Deng Wenshang must have siphoned quite a lot of silver.
Deng Wenshang is an official he trusts, already having aligned himself with the Crown Prince. But now, in cahoots with Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry Peng Yuhao, and finally exposed, do they expect the Crown Prince to clean up the mess for them?
Since the Crown Prince took over the Eastern Palace, the officials loyal to his line have become willful and unruly, having abandoned their previous caution and prudence, it seems they require a good warning.
Moreover, Deng Wenshang has recently seemed quite close to Xia Qing, and the Crown Prince hinted at this twice before him.
However, to have people not know, they must not do it themselves, and the court is full of shrewd people; who among them doesn’t have a hidden guard in other officials’ residences?
This time it’s Deng Wenshang’s unlucky turn. The Emperor had just entrusted the Crown Prince with supervising the disaster relief, and to make an impression, the Crown Prince naturally wouldn’t spare the corrupt officials.
Deng Wenshang has run into the knife’s edge and will surely serve as the chicken to be killed to warn the monkey.
"Vice Minister Deng, you were in charge of the dike reinforcement at the start of the year, how do you explain that?"
Shen Shikang was the first to attack Deng Wenshang, understanding the unspoken meaning. As the Crown Prince’s uncle, he must remain tied to the Crown Prince for life, naturally following his lead.
The Crown Prince’s gaze fell on Deng Wenshang, the coldness in his eyes sending a shiver through Deng Wenshang’s heart.
"Your Highness! How could I dare do such a thing? In the matter of reinforcing the river embankments this time, perhaps I was a bit negligent, but I would never embezzle silver taels. Please, Your Highness, investigate thoroughly!"
Beads of sweat were already forming on Deng Wenshang’s forehead. Unlike Peng Yuhao, he still had some insight.
The Crown Prince’s words and demeanor just now clearly indicated he intended to establish his authority by making an example. Although Deng was an official aligned with the Crown Prince’s faction, the Crown Prince might still cast him out to avoid suspicion.
The most crucial point is his collusion with Xia Qing. He now suspects the Crown Prince already has evidence of their collusion, otherwise, the Crown Prince and Shen Shikang would not be so ruthless.
"After the investigation, whether you are innocent or truly guilty, a conclusion will be reached." The Crown Prince slightly closed his eyes, showing no leniency towards Deng Wenshang.
"Guards, take Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Deng Wenshang and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry Peng Yuhao to Dali Temple, have their residences surrounded, and await the investigation’s conclusion before proceeding."
The Crown Prince called outside, and several guards immediately entered.
"Your Highness! You have no evidence to link me to this embezzlement case, I protest!" Deng Wenshang, seeing the Crown Prince was serious, immediately panicked.
Peng Yuhao could not understand why the Crown Prince, having just brought this up, was now arresting people.
He only realized now, quickly arguing, "Your Highness! Arbitrarily detaining court officials without evidence is unreasonable."
The Crown Prince responded with a cold laugh, "Unreasonable? Do you think I can’t find evidence? You know in your hearts how much silver you’ve embezzled. To tell you the truth, I’ve already found proof of your embezzlement, and I’m now verifying the amounts. After I report to the Emperor, you’ll surely pay the price."
The Crown Prince’s face was stern, and his anger emerged. These idle officials who did nothing were already bad enough!
Daring to embezzle the court-disbursed silver taels for the river dike reinforcement? Are their hearts truly so black?
How many commoners died in the flood this time? Changtian Prefecture was more than half submerged, and how much silver is required for post-disaster reconstruction?
The court had also issued fifty thousand taels for disaster relief, all losses.
Not having these officials cut to pieces would hardly quell his anger.
Disregarding their wails, the guards immediately dragged both of them away.
The Crown Prince suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, as if having difficulty breathing. He slowly sat down, calming himself a bit. After a moment, he felt somewhat better than before.
Assuming it was an old injury not yet healed, coupled with annoyance, he didn’t pay much attention.
"Where is Minister of the Ministry of Justice Kuang Zhao Ying?" Regaining composure, the Crown Prince called to the officials below.
"Here I am!" Kuang Zhao Ying stepped forward, knowing there would be another major purge in the court this time.
"Arrest all the officials on this list and send them to Dali Temple; once the investigation is complete, proceed with their punishment!" The Crown Prince handed the list in his hand to the eunuch standing by.