Chapter 238 Military Officers Can't Win an Argument with Civil Officials

"You know how to demand fairness, but I have given fairness to your students. Who will the millions of students in the world demand fairness from? What use is this kind of pillar of the nation who relies on theft?"

Jiang Huai felt like crying but had no tears. This was why he didn't want to climb the ranks. It would have been so much better to be a minor tutor at the Imperial Academy. Without desires, he wouldn't be resented.

He cried out, "I am innocent!"

Just then, the Imperial Guards also found the silver that Wang Qing had mentioned in the Jiang residence.

"Your Majesty, I have found out."

"Bring it up." The Emperor thought to himself, there really is stolen silver; now there's no way to deny it.

Then, Commander Shang took several unopened packages and placed them one by one in the center of the main hall.

The Emperor asked, "What are these?"

"These are the stolen money that I seized from the Jiang family's treasury. Please take a look, Your Majesty." Commander Shang personally opened a box, and there it was indeed filled with gold and silver, neatly arranged.

The emperor was also bewildered.

Xie Shang was also speechless. Could this be the false evidence that Ruan Ruan was talking about, waiting for others to produce it as evidence? This was real gold and silver that had been searched from the Jiang residence!

That's conclusive evidence, isn't it? How is Grand Tutor Jiang going to prove his innocence?

Jiang Fenghua was also hiding behind the curtains behind the dragon throne, quietly watching this scene.

She had anticipated this step; Su Xuan would definitely plant stolen silver in the Jiang residence. It wasn't until she saw the packaged gift for Jiang Jinyan being taken by Commander Shang and placed in the center of the main hall that she seemed to understand how Su Xuan had managed to get the silver into the Jiang residence.

Yesterday, Hongxiu came back and told her that the gifts had been delivered, and Steward Cheng had also given a gift to the eldest son. Only then did she realize that the silver had been personally delivered to the Jiang residence by Hongxiu and Steward Cheng's son yesterday.

She believed that Butler Cheng would not conspire with Su Xuan, after all, the Cheng family and the Su family were sworn enemies, so it could only be that the congratulatory gift that Butler Cheng prepared for Jiang Jinyan had been switched.

The Jiang family steward knew that Hongxiu had personally delivered it, but he didn't check it and put it directly into the storeroom without opening it.

So, is there a traitor among Butler Cheng's men? Who is it?

Meanwhile, the packages also attracted the attention of court officials, who all stood on tiptoe to investigate. They discussed among themselves, "The evidence has been presented, and he still won't admit it? With so much silver, Grand Tutor Jiang shouldn't be able to save up this much with his meager salary!"

"It must be the silver that Wang Qing bribed Jiang Huai with. So much gold, he's really greedy!"

"Let's open that red gift box and see what's inside."

Commander Shang opened the box, took out the contents, and examined them before saying, "Your Majesty, this is a chess manual with secrets about chess written on it. It seems to be the third incomplete version of 'Dream of Divine Strategy,' specifically the 'Secrets of Chess.'"

Commander Shang suddenly became very excited, because he was also a chess enthusiast and liked to play a game with someone in his spare time. "Someone even gave me an ancient chess manual like the one given to Grand Tutor Jiang. This is a priceless treasure for deciphering chess games."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor said, "Bring it here so I can see it." Jiang Huai was actually keeping it a secret; he had such a good thing hidden at home but didn't give it to me first.

The emperor also enjoyed playing chess to pass the time, and after examining it, he discovered that it was an authentic piece.

The Emperor roared, "Jiang Huai, what is your crime?"

Upon seeing this, Jiang Huai said, "Your Majesty, I have never seen these boxes before. I also do not know why this silver is in the Jiang residence."

He looked at Jiang Jinyan, wondering if it was him who had taken it back.

Jiang Jinyan also shook his head, "Father doesn't know, and neither does your son know where this money came from or how it ended up in the Jiang family's storeroom."

Although Jiang Jinyan does business outside, he never brings money home. He and Ruan Ruan have a secret base that is hidden far away and impossible for anyone to know about.

Then Jiang Huai honestly added, "But I know whose chess manual this is."

Commander Shang said, "Wasn't it the students who bribed Grand Tutor Jiang?"

“This is the chess manual of my third daughter, Jiang Fenghua. How could it be a gift from a scholar? Where did Commander Shang get it? My daughter Ruan Ruan treasures this chess manual very much. She took it with her in her dowry when she got married. How could it be in the Jiang family’s storeroom, and in such a gift box?”

The emperor was engrossed in studying the chess manual, muttering to himself, "No wonder her chess skills are so good; even I am no match for her. So that's why."

Everyone was also full of questions, because judging from Jiang Huai's expression, he didn't seem to be lying.

"Grand Tutor Jiang, stop changing the subject. There's nothing wrong with finding silver in your residence!" Su Dehai, standing among the ministers, finally spoke up. "I never imagined that a civil official would dare to accept so much silver in bribes. If every student gave some to their teacher, Grand Tutor Jiang would be rich without even needing a salary!"

Just then, Jiang Huai suddenly came to his senses and said, "Commander Shang, when you went to the Jiang residence to search for these things, did you find anything else? Was my wife there?"

Commander Shang said, "Your wife is in the manor. What happened? It was your wife who asked me to go in and investigate. I searched the Grand Tutor's study and finally found these things in the Jiang family's storeroom."

The Jiang family's storeroom was also filled with books, showing that Grand Tutor Jiang was an honest and upright official. The two gifts were also casually placed and not deliberately hidden. At that time, he checked the largest box and saw that it contained silver, so he took all the gift boxes.

"I hid a gift in the storeroom, a birthday present for my wife. Did you bring that too?" Jiang Huai could no longer kneel down. He crawled into the pile of gifts and began searching through them, finally finding it.

Jiang Huai held the gift box in his arms and knelt before the Emperor again, saying, "Your Majesty, I can refuse all this silver, but I cannot take the gift I gave to the Lady."

The emperor was still engrossed in the game of chess and did not hear Jiang Huai's words at all.

Xie Shang found it strange that Commander Shang was collecting things from the Jiang family, and what gifts that Grand Tutor Jiang had given to his mother-in-law that made him treasure them so much. Gifts should be valuable, and every gift he gave to Jiang Fenghua was priceless.

Before he could speak, Su Dehai spoke up again, "They're all stolen goods. Grand Tutor Jiang, don't try to mislead us. Open that box and see what's inside."

Jiang Huai was stubborn and directly retorted to Su Dehai, "The Emperor has not yet spoken, General Su, there is no need to rush to convict me. If there are students cheating, please ask the officials of the Ministry of Rites and Grand Tutor Pan to investigate thoroughly. There is no need for a military general like General Su to interfere. I will not admit to anything I did not do."

"You keep talking about stolen goods, General Su. Have you seen someone accepting bribes from me? Every penny spent by the Jiang family is clean and honest. You should speak with evidence, not just for the sake of talking. Without evidence, it will become a false accusation." He said this to Su Dehai.

Su Dehai never expected that he, a great general who had made great contributions to the Great Zhou Dynasty, would be angrily rebuked by a civil official who was powerless to even kill a chicken.