Chapter 144 Provocation
"Grain account book?"
Emperor An's eyes darkened, and the young eunuch guarding the palace hurried forward, took the account book from Qian Baokun and handed it to Emperor An.
Emperor An looked through the account for a while, but he didn't quite understand it. He looked up at the people kneeling below. Qian Baokun seemed to have known that the emperor was not good at this, and before Emperor An could ask, he took the initiative to explain:
"At first glance, there's nothing wrong with this account book. The transactions are recorded in detail. However, I'm in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, so I know a little about the prices of money, grain, and other commodities in various places."
"Before last year's flood, the price of rice in Jiangnan was 15 wen per dou. After the flood in July, the price of grain skyrocketed to 200 wen. However, according to the account book, at the beginning of the year, it was already over 1,000 wen per dan. Luo calculated that it was nearly 100 wen per dou. The average strong man consumes two liters a day, or six dou a month, but the official records show that it is dozens of times higher..."
Qian Baokun talked about the unreasonable parts in the account book. Although he only took a quick look at it, his years of accounting experience made him familiar with the problems in the account book.
Emperor An, who originally didn't quite understand, also realized that something was wrong with the account book as he said.
Qian Baokun said, "Your Majesty, just look at the largest rice transactions. The prices are all above market price, and the amount of grain stored does not match the amount of money paid."
"These are the methods most used by those people below to manipulate the accounts. Just based on this half of the account book, the shortage of silver and money from the exchange of money and grain is enough to reach hundreds of thousands, not to mention the shortage in the rest of the account book. Who knows how much more is lost..."
Qian Baokun told the story about the problems in the account book, and Emperor An's expression kept changing.
"My son Qingran was originally returning to the capital on business. When he stumbled upon this account book on the way, he felt a thorn in his side. He was also afraid that someone wanted to use my Qian family to frame Secretary Lu and others, so he planned to investigate secretly and report the results to Your Majesty. However, who knew that today, the third son of the Lu family bullied my daughter, and he let it slip in anger, and I just learned of this matter."
Qian Baokun knelt on the ground and whispered the words he had prepared earlier:
"I, your humble servant, am grateful for Your Majesty's grace in appointing me to the Ministry of Revenue. I also fully understand the gravity of the grain tax issue, so I approached Governor Xiao. Upon learning that I possessed this account book, Governor Xiao suspected the Lu family had hidden the missing second half. Therefore, he took advantage of my son's mischief and broke into the Lu family's residence, alleging that the Lu family's son had harassed the Princess of Yiyang and my daughter."
"I know this is a rash move and will likely draw criticism, but if I miss this opportunity, it will be extremely difficult to enter the Lu family again. If they learn about the account book and destroy the evidence, it will be even more troublesome. That's why I agreed to go with Governor Xiao."
Having said that, Qian Baokun kowtowed heavily:
"I have acted presumptuously and have caused Your Majesty great difficulty. I accept the blame and ask Your Majesty to punish me."
He has always been a very cautious person and has never caused any trouble.
Emperor An's attitude had actually softened when he saw the account book. Later, when he heard that it was he who had taken the initiative to seek out Xiao Yan, and that they were searching for evidence of the grain tax, his already limited anger dissipated even more. "So, did you gain anything this time?"
"Some."
Qian Baokun took out some more things, but this time the "evidence" was not given to him by Xiao Yan: "These are all related to the Lu family and are related to the court. Your Majesty, please take a look."
Emperor An looked at the things presented to him, lowered his head to read them, and after he saw clearly what was written on them, his eyes froze slightly and his face instantly became cold.
“These things are real.”
"I dare not deceive you, my Lord."
Emperor An's eyes grew darker as he looked at the string of bloody names that had been crossed out, and he felt horrified.
Most of these names are people in the court, with varying levels of official positions, but without exception, they are all people who have encountered various accidents in the past five years.
Some died, some were demoted, and some left the court for various reasons...
Emperor An still remembered a few of these names; they were people demoted for being involved in a treason case. He had long known that the Lu family was not a clean family in the court, and that excluding dissidents was commonplace, but he had never imagined it would reach this point...
Emperor An suddenly felt a surge of crisis. Is this court really still his court?
If the aristocratic family is not eliminated, will he end up like this one day?
"Your Majesty, Governor Xiao requests an audience."
Suddenly someone came to report from outside.
An Di's tone was tinged with urgency: "Let him in."
…
Outside the main hall of the palace, Lu Chongyuan and others knelt on the steps. At the beginning, they were full of energy to denounce Xiao Yan, but later they were so sunburned that they could hardly kneel down.
As May approached, the sun began to burn brightly, and those old ministers were already old.
They originally thought that if they joined forces and begged, they would soon be able to force Emperor An to show up, but who knew that Emperor An not only did not summon them for a long time, he didn't even send anyone out to persuade them to stand up.
Lu Chongyuan had previously fainted and vomited blood, and now his face was pale and his vision was dark due to the sun.
The elderly Grand Tutor Liang also had sweat on his forehead, and when his body was shaking, he even wanted to retreat for a moment, but he saw that everyone around him was kneeling, and he also knew that if he retreated this time, the aristocratic family would probably become a huge joke, so he gritted his teeth and persevered.
"Master Xiao, His Majesty is waiting for you in the inner room."
Just at this moment, someone's voice was heard behind me.
The court officials on the steps turned around and saw the eunuch they had denounced walking calmly towards the White Jade Platform.
When he saw them, the bastard raised his eyebrows condescendingly: "What are you gentlemen doing kneeling here, basking in the sun?"
"Xiao Yan!" Someone with an impatient temper suddenly became furious: "How dare you enter the palace?!"
Xiao Yan tilted his head and asked, "Why doesn't this governor dare to enter the palace?"
"How dare you say that!" the man glared at him. "You brought people to trespass into the Lu family, humiliated the Minister of the Central Secretariat, and acted recklessly, ignoring the laws of the court. Today, we must seek justice from His Majesty and prevent you, a scoundrel, from causing chaos in the court again!"
Xiao Yan was not annoyed at all when he heard this. Instead, he chuckled softly, "Envoy Lin, you're talking as if I've intruded upon your Lin family. Although I know the Lin family has been in trouble in recent years and most of their descendants are useless, back when the Duke of Anguo was alive, the Lin family was in such a precarious position that even Secretary Lu's father had to bow down to him. But now..."
He tutted softly.
"The Lin family seems to have become the Lu family's dogs, doing their best to impress this governor."
"you!!"
The court official from the Lin family suddenly became so angry that his face turned pale.
Xiao Yan ignored his irritable look and just glanced at the other families:
"The Lu family has a prince who needs support. They have always been the head of the aristocratic family and claim to stand by you all. However, I have only seen you constantly cleaning up the mess for the Lu family. Even Secretary Lu can fool you into standing up for him without even offering a single profit. I truly admire your generosity."
He looked at the oldest Grand Tutor, Liang, and said, "Grand Tutor, you are almost seventy this year. The Liang family only has you as the pillar of the sea. If you kneel down in this palace, what will happen to the Liang family?"
"Aristocratic families are like the weak prey of the strong. The Liang family must not follow in the footsteps of the He family."
Grand Tutor Liang's expression instantly darkened: "Don't try to provoke me!"
"I'm just telling the truth, how can I be provocative? Grand Tutor Liang has devoted all his efforts to the Lu family, and he only wants Lu Zhongshu to inherit your position as Grand Tutor so that he can protect the Liang family's descendants after you die. Are you sure he really remembers your kindness?"
Xiao Yan's voice was slightly cold. "Just one mistake, and he's willing to sacrifice his once most cherished grandson to protect the Lu family's future. If one day we really encounter a crisis, do you think the Liang family will be protected by the Lu family, or will they become his vanguard to protect the Lu family..."
"Xiao Yan!"
Seeing that Grand Tutor Liang's face changed, Lu Chongyuan shouted angrily.
Seeing his fury, Xiao Yan laughed, "Grand Master Liang, you'd better think about this carefully. Don't waste all your energy and end up raising a wolf that will devour you. This will waste the Liang family's century-old foundation on someone else and serve as a stepping stone for the Lu family to ascend to the throne."
After Xiao Yan finished speaking, he said, brushing his sleeves, "This Governor still has to go in to see His Majesty. Everyone, please kneel slowly. The rest of you, go and provide shade and fan for Grand Tutor Liang, so he doesn't get hurt."
After saying that, he turned around and said, "Song Dalangjun, let's go."
Song Jinxiu walked forward in silence.
Lu Chongyuan and the others were all shocked when they heard the word "Song". They then realized that the person following Xiao Yan looked familiar. Upon closer inspection, they found that it was the eldest son of the Duke of Song who had been thrown into prison before.
He had become much thinner and paler, and his face no longer had any of its former warmth, but instead had a hint of indifference and gloom.
Song Jinxiu followed Xiao Yan with his eyes slightly lowered, not caring at all about the gazes from all around. His green robe hung somewhat empty on his body. He did not stop at all when walking past the crowd. The backs of the two of them walking straight into the hall made Lu Chongyuan's heart skip a beat.
"Shouldn't Song Jinxiu be in the imperial prison? Why did Xiao Yan bring him into the palace?" the courtier from the Lin family immediately asked.
Another person nearby also said anxiously, "Lord Lu, the Song family used to be the closest to your Lu family, and the eldest son of the Song family is also close to the third son of your family. I'm afraid Xiao Yan has no good intentions in bringing him into the palace now..."
Lu Chongyuan instantly thought of the "evidence" that Xiao Yan had brought people to search for Lu Zhinian. His face darkened and a sense of uneasiness arose in his heart.
He turned around and wanted to tell Grand Tutor Liang to send someone to implore His Majesty again, but he saw Grand Tutor Liang staring at the door of the Imperial Palace with a calm look, wondering what he was thinking.
"Mr. Liang," Lu Chongyuan whispered, "you wouldn't really believe Xiao Yan's provocative words..."
"Of course I won't." Grand Tutor Liang's eyes flashed slightly.
He knew that Xiao Yan's words were meant to sow discord between the aristocratic families and divide his relationship with the Lu family, but those words still took root in his heart like seeds.
He did his best to support Lu Zhinian, even arranging a marriage between the Lu and Liang families, so that the Liang family and the Lu family would be tied together. Was this right?
The Lu family has been in trouble recently. Lu Qin's leg was broken, and the third son of the Lu family, who he had originally been optimistic about, has also fallen into such a state. Now his whereabouts are unknown. He risked his life to help the Lu family. If something really happened to him, then the Liang family...
Grand Tutor Liang said that he had never listened to Xiao Yan's instigation and comforted Lu Chongyuan, but he did not refuse the eunuch who came forward to fan him to provide shade.
After seeing this, Lu Chongyuan's face darkened and he pursed his lips tightly, hating Xiao Yan very much.
That bastard actually caused a rift between him and the old man from the Liang family...
…
When Xiao Yan brought Song Jinxiu to meet Emperor An, Emperor An had a small pile of things given to him by Qian Baokun in his hand.
Qian Baokun had been pardoned and stood up waiting on the side. When he saw that Xiao Yan had brought Song Jinxiu with him, he couldn't help but show surprise on his face.
Emperor An originally wanted to reprimand Xiao Yan, but when he saw Song Jinxiu, he frowned: "Why is he here?"
Xiao Yan said, "I originally wanted to go to the palace to plead guilty, but on the way I received a message from the Imperial Prison saying that Lord Xiao Song had an important matter and wanted to see Your Majesty, so I brought him to the palace."
Upon hearing this, Emperor An glanced at him and asked, "Do you still know that you are guilty?"
Xiao Yan said respectfully, "Breaking into the Minister of the Central Secretariat's residence is a serious offense. I, a humble servant, took the initiative to search the Lu family without the emperor's order, and even implicated Minister Qian and the three young men in his household. Your Majesty, although you are magnanimous, you cannot allow people to talk about your partiality for my sake. I will go to the Ministry of Justice to accept my punishment later."
Emperor An looked sullenly and asked, "Do you know what crime you committed today?"
"The punishment for committing an offense against a superior is eighty strokes of the cane and six years' imprisonment."
Xiao Yan spoke as if he was not the one to be blamed, and was extremely calm:
"While my actions today were excusable, I have violated the Central Secretariat and acted presumptuously, and I must be punished. If Your Majesty wishes to retain me on this mission, I will personally go to the Ministry of Justice and receive eighty strokes of the cane as a warning to others. This will also allow Your Majesty to appease the officials of the aristocratic families and give them an explanation."
Emperor An's expression turned cold upon hearing this: "How outrageous!!"
He wasn't that angry originally, but Xiao Yan's words were like a poke in his trachea, and his anger immediately rolled up. He grabbed the teacup and threw it at Xiao Yan in a bad mood: "You bastard, I'm the emperor, what do I have to say to them?"
Those people were just ministers. Even if they were from aristocratic families, what could they do? Why should he, the emperor, bow down to them and compromise?!
The teacup smashed half a step in front of Xiao Yan, shattering into pieces. Emperor An's face was filled with frost. "They colluded with the Southern Province government to embezzle grain funds, causing floods, countless casualties, and riots in the South. The Lu family even assassinated court officials and eliminated dissidents. How can you be guilty of investigating the Lu family for me?!"
Xiao Yan was stunned for a moment: "Assassinating court officials?"
He subconsciously glanced at Qian Baokun, who was not far away. Qian Baokun winked at him and said, "Lord Xiao, when we went to the Lu family earlier, we found some things. I have just handed them all over to His Majesty, including the account book that my son found."
Xiao Yan opened his mouth and said, "Minister Qian, that account book..."
"Although my son found the account book, it would have been difficult to find the evidence if Governor Xiao hadn't led his men to search the Lu family."
Qian Baokun was afraid that Xiao Yan might let the cat out of the bag, so he quickly interrupted him. "Your Majesty knows that you brought the Black Armored Guards to the Lu family because of my invitation and to purge the court of corrupt officials. Your Majesty is wise and will certainly not blame Governor Xiao for this."
Xiao Yan frowned and moved his lips as if he wanted to say something. After being stopped by Qian Baokun, guilt appeared in his eyes.
Qian Baokun felt more and more that Xiao Yan was not as despicable as the rumors said. It was true that one could only know a person's true nature after getting to know him. He had indeed not helped the wrong person.
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