The junior official, who had just entered, stood frozen in place, staring at the shattered gate before him.
But he quickly realized what was happening and immediately shouted angrily.
"Who dares to attack the Ministry of Revenue!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Mu Zian stepped out of the smoke and dust.
The minor official was so startled by Mu Zian's sudden appearance that he collapsed to the ground.
Mu Zian ignored the minor official and walked directly towards the back hall of the Ministry of Revenue.
Holding the accounts in his arms, Tian Zhi stared wide-eyed, as if what he was seeing was not real.
This is the Ministry of Revenue! Who in the court would dare to offend the Ministry of Revenue? And today, Mu Zi'an actually kicked the main gate down!
Tian Zhi stood there stunned until Mu Zi'an's figure was about to disappear before he hurriedly followed.
As he passed the stunned clerk on his way, he quickly bowed and greeted him with a face full of apology.
Only after Mu Zian and Tian Zhi's figures disappeared did the crowd outside the door seem to wake up from a dream.
A middle-aged official swallowed hard and asked.
"I think the one who went in just now was the Duke of Zhenguo."
"That's right, it's the Duke of Zhenguo!"
"Didn't the Duke of Zhenguo go to the Ministry of Works? Why is he at the Ministry of Revenue today?"
"Judging from his temper today, the Duke of Zhenguo seems to be in quite a rage! When did the Ministry of Revenue offend him?"
"I don't know!"
The people at the door looked at each other, completely bewildered.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd spoke up.
"This Ministry of Revenue is used to being arrogant and domineering! Today they've really bitten off more than they can chew!"
"I want to see if these people in the Ministry of Revenue are all bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong!"
His words immediately resonated with everyone present.
In order to secure funding, all officials in the imperial court had to be mindful of the Ministry of Revenue's wishes.
Now that they finally have a chance to see the Ministry of Revenue make a fool of itself, who could refuse?
"Let's go in and take a look!"
As soon as a voice rang out, a group of people rushed into the Ministry of Revenue.
The minor official, who had been paralyzed with fear by Mu Zi'an, had now come to his senses.
Seeing these people walking inside with their heads down, he immediately stopped them.
"Hey, hey, hey! Today it's our Ministry of Revenue!"
"Screw you!"
Before the official could finish speaking, he was swallowed up by the crowd.
Meanwhile, a group of officials from the Ministry of Revenue gathered in the backyard of the Ministry of Revenue.
Steam rose from the table, and the finest Biluochun tea in the teacup bobbed up and down as hot water was poured over it.
At this moment, surrounded by these Ministry of Revenue officials, was a young man dressed in a four-clawed dragon robe.
This person is none other than the current fifth prince, Prince Jin, Xiao Qing.
Xiao Qing's mother is Consort Shu, one of the nine concubines in the imperial harem, whose status is second only to Consort Zhou, the mother of the second prince Xiao Zi.
After the Third Prince Xiao Mei was eliminated, in terms of seniority, Xiao Qing was second only to Xiao Zi, who was enfeoffed as the Prince of Qi.
Therefore, Xiao Qing is also a strong contender for the future Crown Prince.
This is why Xiao Qing was able to take a position in the Ministry of Revenue, the second most powerful of the Six Ministries.
However, princes like Xiao Zi and Xiao Qing, when serving in the Six Ministries, did not need to clock in and out on time.
All they need to do is achieve political success within their respective departments.
Even when officials engaged in some outrageous behavior, the Censorate, responsible for monitoring them, would simply turn a blind eye.
Since Xiao Qing entered the Ministry of Revenue, he has made no attempt to hide his ambition.
He went to great lengths to win over officials of all ranks in the Ministry of Revenue, showering them with gold, silver, brocade, silk, and banquets.
Although he did not win over many confidants in a short period of time, he maintained good relationships with officials of all ranks in the Ministry of Revenue.
The officials of the Ministry of Revenue did their best to curry favor with this generous prince.
At this moment, Xiao Qing held a teacup in his hand and gently blew away the rising steam, then smiled.
"I heard that Vice Minister Liu took a new concubine yesterday? Why didn't he share this with me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, an elderly man in his fifties with a full head of white hair quickly stood up.
This man was none other than Liu Kun, who had been promoted to Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue just two and a half years prior.
Liu Kun bowed and said.
"It is a trivial matter at my home; how could I possibly trouble Your Highness Prince Jin?"
Xiao Qing laughed heartily upon hearing this.
"Since we both work within the Ministry of Revenue, we are colleagues."
"Since it's a colleague's wedding, how can this be a trivial matter?"
As he spoke, Xiao Qing took out a handful of gold coins from his sleeve and handed them to Vice Minister Liu without making a sound.
"I came in a hurry today and did not bring any congratulatory gifts for Minister Liu."
"These gold beans are a small token of my appreciation."
Vice Minister Liu quickly replied.
"How dare I? How dare I?"
Xiao Qing grabbed Liu Langzhong's hand and laughed.
"Since I am on duty in the Ministry of Revenue, I will inevitably have to trouble you all. This small token of my appreciation is nothing to mention."
The surrounding officials from the Ministry of Revenue also chimed in.
"Since this is His Highness Prince Jin's gift, you may accept it."
"Indeed, it is a blessing for us to work with the Prince of Jin."
Upon hearing this, Vice Minister Liu's lips curled into a smile.
He weighed the handful of gold beans in his hand and found it to be at least several tens of taels, enough to be equivalent to two or three months' salary.
Just as Doctor Liu was about to accept the gold beans, he suddenly heard a loud noise outside the door.
This startled the officials of the Ministry of Revenue who were enjoying a peaceful time in the room.
Li Ping, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who was smiling and drinking tea, suddenly stood up and asked a question.
What happened?
Before Li Ping could finish speaking, a commotion was heard coming from the back hall.
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