"Your Majesty." Fang Ruotang was not a formal official and had not received any pre-job training. When she had something to say, she greeted people lightly and waved her hand with a small arc. "Don't choose the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. He is not a good person. He is a spy from Northern Liang."
"Guards, seize him!" The Emperor gave the order without the slightest hesitation.
Fang Ruotang followed the procedure hesitantly, saying, "I know a little about face reading and fortune telling. He doesn't look like a good person at all."
The Emperor glanced at Fang Ruotang out of the corner of his eye, which improved his mood slightly, but when he saw Lord Fu, his face darkened again.
A humiliating disgrace.
For a spy from an enemy state to rise to the position of Assistant Minister of Revenue is not just a slap in the face to the emperor, but a humiliation to the entire Yong Dynasty.
Of course, the Great Yong also had spies in the other two countries, similarly infiltrating all walks of life, and some even infiltrated the imperial court, but none of that mattered.
The important question is how many spies the Northern Liang sent, who they were, and whether the Western Zhou had also infiltrated the area besides the Northern Liang.
"This matter will be handled jointly by the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Court of Judicial Review. I will give you three days to thoroughly eradicate the forces behind them." The Emperor was furious, but he also knew that these spies were well hidden and not so easy to uncover.
He glanced sideways and asked Fang Ruotang.
"The Imperial Preceptor is skilled in physiognomy and fortune telling. We hope that he can provide some assistance in this matter."
“Okay.” Fang Ruotang nodded readily.
As a member of the Dayong people, she naturally had to uphold the rights of Dayong.
Natural disasters are uncontrollable and beyond the reach of ordinary people, but man-made disasters can be avoided.
The first step, naturally, was to purge the court.
This is a good thing for the people of Dayong and for her as well, and Fang Ruotang has no choice but to do it.
[Could you please check if the officials His Majesty just appointed to oversee the distribution of grain are up to the task?]
[Not very good; there isn't a single honest official among them.]
The little mirror spoke so directly that Fang Ruotang glanced at the Emperor with suspicion.
What kind of taste is that? They didn't even pick someone who can get things done.
"Ahem!" The Emperor coughed lightly, seemingly uncomfortably, to remind the Grand Preceptor not to look too directly at him. Didn't he, as the Emperor, have any dignity?
Fang Ruotang pursed her lips, but did not look away. She continued to read aloud the evidence against the officials.
The emperor's face was dark and gloomy; today was going to be unbearable.
He always felt that under his rule, the Great Yong Dynasty, if not the Jiankang Golden Age, was better than his father's.
Ah, looking at it now.
The court is rife with corrupt officials.
"Drag them all away and investigate their crimes thoroughly. Don't let any of them get away with it." The emperor felt he had lost face and spoke in a very violent tone.
"This time, when we go down to the prefectures and states to distribute the new grain, has anyone volunteered?" The emperor no longer dared to actively select people. His gaze swept over the ministers below him with the same critical eye he would use to inspect pork.
The ministers huddled together like quails, including Prime Minister Fang.
Sigh, every family has one or two good-for-nothing members.
Things that weren't important before might suddenly become dangerous and cause problems later.
If I get implicated, I'll have nowhere to turn for help.
Prime Minister Fang thought about his own family and his face tightened. He couldn't guarantee that his good granddaughter wouldn't be muttering nonsense in her heart.
The Fang family is also a prominent clan. Just now, his granddaughter pointed out that a certain minister's family had annexed land and encroached on fertile fields. This is actually a social phenomenon in today's society.
The Emperor was aware of this, but he couldn't change the situation because he didn't want to. He simply turned a blind eye to many things unless they became public.
As far as he knew, the Fang family did not directly seize the people's fertile land, but they did annex land and take in many hidden households who depended on the Fang family for survival.
Therefore, even the Prime Minister Fang, his own grandfather, dared not show his face at this time, let alone anyone else. For a moment, the entire court was silent.
They all lowered their heads, afraid of being noticed by the Emperor and then having their crimes, which could lead to confiscation of property and execution, exposed by the Imperial Advisor.
"Hmph!" The emperor snorted coldly, his disgust written all over his face, making the ministers feel uncomfortable.
The ministers were also suffering. Not to mention those from aristocratic families, even those from humble backgrounds who had passed the imperial examinations, who would remain poor after serving as an official for eight or ten years and climbing to a high position?
Such officials do exist, but they are extremely rare.
"Father, why not appoint Minister Ye of the Ministry of Revenue to be in charge of this mission? Minister Ye is an upright and honest man, and I believe that with him handling this matter, the new grain will surely be distributed smoothly to all the counties and villages," the Crown Prince suddenly suggested.
Vice Minister Ye didn't move, not even lifting his eyelids.
"No! Absolutely not!" the little mirror cried out sharply.
Fang Ruotang glanced in the direction of Vice Minister Ye, somewhat surprised. She had assumed that the men Xiao Jingzi had chosen for her were all exceptionally outstanding.
But that's not entirely true!
Wasn't he a good official too?
Fang Ruotang's voice carried a disappointment she herself was unaware of. She didn't notice it, but the Crown Prince and Minister Ye, who heard her thoughts, did.
The Crown Prince, in particular, suddenly looked up at her with a probing gaze.
Fang Ruotang had never spoken to Ye Wuxia, so where did her expectations for him come from? Could it be that, as the little mirror said, she would eventually marry him?
The crown prince was deep in thought, unconsciously turning the ring on his finger, a sense of unease rising in his heart.
He's certainly a good official, but he can't go; he'll be gone for two or three months. How can you get him to do tasks and earn points?
Fang Ruotang: ...
Who taught you to talk like that?
[Besides him, there are plenty of people who could perfectly handle this task, such as the youngest son of Lord Gu, the young master of the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion, and the second young master of the General of Zhonglie's mansion...]
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
