For the Qin Dynasty, this would likely be an earthquake.
"Reporting to the Prime Minister, Han Meng, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, is waiting outside the gate and requests to see the Prime Minister."
"Oh? The Junior Steward has arrived? Quickly, Xia Jie, let him in!"
"promise!"
Xiang Yu cupped his hands in greeting and immediately walked out of the mansion, bringing in the skinny Han Meng.
He then closed the door and left respectfully.
[This Xiang Yu is indeed a man who understands etiquette. If he can truly be used by me, then so be it. If he truly cannot be used by me, then I will try my best to maintain a good relationship with him, so that even if the inertia of history is too strong and the Qin Dynasty still perishes, I will have a way out.]
"This humble servant, Han Meng, greets Prime Minister Li!"
On the surface, Han Meng looks like a skinny, weak scholar. Many people are deceived by his appearance and think he is just a scholar, so they are not wary of him at all.
But unexpectedly, it was people like him who were the most dangerous to be wary of.
"Young Master Han, what brings you to my residence today?"
"Prime Minister Li, you are a smart man, so I will not beat around the bush and will get straight to the point. Regarding the matter of the Qin treasury, I advise you to turn a blind eye, otherwise, if the mess is exposed, neither of us will be able to save face."
"Oh? Han Shaofu, why are you so certain that I will choose to turn a blind eye?"
"Prime Minister Li, although you are young, you are already very mature in governing the country and are a very intelligent man. Since you are an intelligent man, I'm afraid I don't need to explain this simple principle to you, do I?"
"Hahaha, I cannot accept such high praise from Prefect Han. I ask you, why are there inconsistencies and errors in the national treasury expenditures recorded in your ledgers over the past thirty years? A large number of expenditures seem to be somewhat wrong. What is the reason for this?"
"Lord Li, there are some things that everyone knows, why do I have to say them out loud?"
A few beads of sweat soon appeared on Han Meng's forehead.
A flicker of panic crossed his eyes.
Although he quickly calmed down, Li Lin still noticed his panicked state just now.
[Hmph, it seems I was right. There's a traitor in the national treasury. Just look at the hundreds of bamboo scrolls that have been manipulated for accounting—there are already numerous discrepancies in the accounts. What about the original, genuine ledgers? Someone must have embezzled a considerable amount; otherwise, there wouldn't be such a huge deficit!]
"Speak! Who sent you? You have no right to discuss any terms with me. Send the person behind you, and I'll talk to him!"
"Lord Li, Lord Li, please be lenient with me."
"Hahaha, leniency? Do you think my Prime Minister's office can be leniently accommodated? It costs money. Tell me, do you have the right to decide such things? Do you have the authority? Are you worthy to say these things to me? You are just a figurehead. Tell the people behind the scenes that if they want to settle privately and embezzle money from the national treasury, they will have to split it with me 70/30. I get 70%, and they get 30%, understand?"
"ah?"
Han Meng's expression suddenly changed drastically. His wide eyes, like two duck eggs, stared in shock at the aloof Li Lin, who sat upright in his seat.
That righteous and awe-inspiring appearance.
To his utter surprise, Li Lin, with his thick eyebrows and righteous appearance, was actually planning to double-cross him.
And you have to eat the big head!
Damn it, I've only managed to make a little money off those old men over the years, and I've just gotten a little better off. How did I end up messing with this double-crosser?
Aren't you the Prime Minister of the Great Qin Dynasty?
Shouldn't you be impartial and incorruptible?
Why do you need money too?
"What? You're still standing here? Let me tell you, my patience is limited. I can ignore the accounts, but don't even think about seeing the tens of millions of dollars I managed to get into the national treasury. It's better for me to set up my own Great Qin State Bank and be its president than to hand it over to the national treasury and end up in the pockets of you parasites!"
Li Lin was not afraid of any retaliation these people might take against him.
Because his idea was never to properly manage the national treasury.
The national treasury?
How much money does it only cost in a year?
How much money can you collect from poor farmers?
Now we live in the Qin Dynasty, a time of low social productivity. Instead of cutting the withered leeks in the fields, we don't need to look up and stare at those wealthy merchants.
Salt and iron are not now state-owned.
Wealthy merchants in various places are rolling in money.
The First Emperor adopted Legalist policies, so he didn't impose many restrictions on wealthy merchants. In other words, wealthy merchants were untapped territory, and Li Lin wouldn't make a move at this time.
When will we wait any longer?
"this......"
Han Meng was dumbfounded; he had never seen such an arrogant person before.
The previous prime minister, Li Lin, the prime minister before that, Wang Wan, and the prime minister before that, Lü Buwei, were all not this arrogant!
Behind him is a vested interest group that has profited from embezzlement of the national treasury.
Its power and influence can be traced back to the later years of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, and it has been established by three generations of Qin kings.
Even a powerful minister like Lü Buwei was very wary of him.
Li Lin is young and still wet behind the ears.
What gives him the right to be so arrogant?
"Xia Jie, Xia Jie, quickly see the guest out! Throw Han Shaofu out for me. Also, deliver my visiting card to Lord Zongzheng. I'm going to the Zongzheng's residence later to pay my respects to this old Zongzheng!"
"promise!"
"Ah, Lord Li, Lord Li, you must think it over! You must think it over..."
"This is so annoying, Xia Jie! Slap that bastard across the face and throw him out! I don't want to see him!"
"promise!"
Xiang Yu would naturally obey Li Lin's orders.
Especially orders like these to beat people.
How could he miss it?
Just as Han Meng was tugging at his clothes and threatening Li Lin,
He slapped her hard across the face, sending her flying. She then fell to the ground with a thud, lying flat on her back with her legs straight, and passed out.
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