Chapter 146

The imperial road to Daming Gate was flanked by Thousand-Step Corridors, with continuous eaves and ridges. Beyond them rose the vermilion palace walls. The palace walls were divided into east and west. The Ministry of Works was located within the Thousand-Step Corridor outside the east wall, along with five of the Six Ministries, the Imperial Clan Court, and the Imperial Observatory. Beyond the west wall lay the military offices of the Five Military Commanderies, the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Supreme Court. Luo Shenyuan's quarters were located in a courtyard just beyond the Thousand-Step Corridor, in a south-facing wing. Beyond lay the watchman's quarters, the windows propped open. Inside, a stove was burning, heating wine.

Gu Jingming drank some hot wine here.

Luo Shenyuan was reviewing official documents while calculating on an abacus with his other hand. His fingers were long and slender, and the sound of the abacus was crisp and sparse.

The aroma of wine wafted in waves, already scalding hot. Gu Jingming poured two cups and asked him, "Lord Luo, would you like a drink?"

Luo Shenyuan said without even looking up, "What kind of wine is there to drink in the government office? If you want to drink, go out and drink."

Luo Shenyuan's attitude towards official business was rigorous and serious, his focus undivided. Even so, it was tiring. Gu Jingming had been sitting here for half an hour without even noticing a moment's pause. How could a young minister not be under pressure? Furthermore, the Minister of Works was old and frail, and the other Minister of Works' position was temporarily vacant. There were two piles of paperwork on his desk, and he had no idea when he'd be able to finish reading them all.

After finishing one, he finally had some free time. He asked Gu Jingming, "What's the matter? Are you hiding here?"

Gu Jingming had originally held an idle position and spent his days idle. Especially after Lin Mao went to Shandong, he had even less to do.

Gu Jingming said, "My mother moved my grandfather to the capital and arranged a marriage for me. As soon as he arrived, all his disciples in the capital came to visit him, and the emperor even asked about it several times. I didn't want to stay home, but luckily he's going to have tea with Lord Xie tomorrow, so I have a day off."

Luo Shenyuan took another book and continued to comment, saying, "It was thanks to his guidance back then. I will pay him a visit someday. Please prepare some wine."

At this point, he remembered that he still had to take Yi Ning to visit Xu Wei. Xu Wei was his mentor, and his current position was thanks to Xu Wei's help, although he had used him. However, Luo Shenyuan always felt that as long as it was beneficial to him, it didn't matter if he used him. Besides, Xu Wei was a very humorous and kind person.

Gu Jingming thought he was boring. "It's only been a few days since you got married to my cousin, and you don't feel any joy from your marriage? I see you still have a cold face all day long. Doesn't my cousin dislike you?"

"I've been watching Yining since she was little, so what's the point of newlywed joy?" Luo Shenyuan said calmly, raising an eyebrow. He then called in his subordinates, threw a few documents at them, and said, "Call these people over for questioning."

Gu Jingming clearly noticed that Luo Shenyuan was wearing two different pairs of shoes and socks today, one with a dark bamboo leaf pattern, the other with a white auspicious pattern. He didn't know what had happened at home, but the self-disciplined Lord Luo was wearing two different pairs of shoes and socks.

Only after several doctors from the Ministry of Works came over did Gu Jingming retreat, thinking that he should not tell him and let him stand out.

Luo Shenyuan was an elite officer trained at the Dali Temple. He had personally checked the calculations for the construction of granaries or the opening of mines by several people in the Ministry of Works. He leaned back in his armchair, took a sip of tea, and let the people take a look. The doctors didn't care at first until Luo Shenyuan put down his teacup and said, "The stone and wood used in the granary construction in Wanping were imported from Shanxi, and they spent a lot of money for nothing. The mining of the mines was originally a collaboration between the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Revenue, using corvée or prisoners, but it was outsourced to a businessman named Jia in the capital. I think this is inappropriate. What do you think?"

"Of course, we'll follow the Minister's orders." One of them smiled and bowed, "We don't have any objections. Whatever the Minister thinks is fine."

This is just taking advantage of troubled waters. You can't do anything to him anyway. He is young, has no experience and no authority.

Luo Shenyuan smiled and said, "In that case, please go back first. I will make the decision."

A few of them bowed politely and left.

Luo Shenyuan summoned the Minister of Works and handed him the documents. "Go and report to the Emperor that these individuals are corrupt and abuse their power, and I request that they be dismissed and investigated."

The Ministry of Works' Imperial Secretary was startled and asked cautiously, "Lord Luo, is this... too harsh a punishment? If the Emperor blames me..."

"The Emperor won't blame you, he'll reward you instead," Luo Shenyuan said, his fingers tapping the edge of the table. He smiled again, "If you need evidence of corruption, come back to me."

The Emperor had long been troubled by the Ministry of Works' lack of leadership and the officials' idleness, so he overcame public opinion and promoted him to the position of Vice Minister of Works, putting him in charge. Now, just after his arrival, someone was disobeying him, which was a disgrace to his reputation, and the punishment would be harsh. Moreover, he held the valuables of many officials in the Ministry of Works, all of whom came from wealthy families, so he could easily defeat them.

The Imperial Censor saw his face, a faint smile etched in the autumn haze. He suddenly remembered the rumor that Lord Luo was a master at torture, his methods brutal and inhumane. Once, Lord Xu Wei asked him to join in an interrogation, originally just to record a confession. The prisoner was being rude and cunning, and the others were unable to get any information out of him. So, Lord Xu Wei put down his pen and, taking a dagger, cooked food with his ear. This nearly drove the prisoner insane, causing him to vomit out all the details, including how many people he had killed and where they had been killed.

Judging only by appearance, this Lord Luo could be described as extremely handsome and elegant. The Imperial Secretary suddenly felt a little hesitant to look at him, and nodded his head.

Luo Shenyuan stood up and put on his cloak. Someone had already prepared a sedan chair outside the door. When they saw him coming out, they lowered the sedan door and waited respectfully for him to enter.

Luo Shenyuan had always known what he wanted. Sometimes he even wondered if this was truly what his deceased mother had left him. Old Mrs. Luo was right: a dragon begets a dragon, a phoenix begets a phoenix, and a mouse's son will dig holes. He simply resembled his mother, a bloodline, ruthless and vicious.

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