Chapter 450: Not Enough to Plan
After hearing this huge number, Song Mo could no longer listen to anything Zhang Xian said.
Xie Zhan had earned nearly 20 million taels of silver in Shujun and Gusu? Yet, he only gave himself 6 million taels!
Zuo Anmin knew something was wrong when he heard it, but before he could think of what to say, Zhang Xian attacked again.
"Twenty million taels! Lord Lu didn't wrongly accuse him. As a provincial governor, what does he want to do by amassing so much wealth?"
The ministers could almost imagine how Lü Desheng was shouting at the top of his lungs when he wrote this memorial.
Yes, what did Xie Zhan want to do? When Song Mo came back to his senses, his face was a little ferocious.
What was Xie Zhan trying to do by stealing so much silver from Shujun and Gusu? Was he forming a clique for personal gain? Or was he trying to win people's hearts?
"Your Majesty, you must not listen to slanderous words and chill the hearts of your loyal ministers."
"Zuo Anmin, the question that Lu Desheng asked is also what I want to ask. What does Xie Zhan want to do?" Song Mo's address has changed from Zuo Aiqing to Zuo Anmin, which shows that he is in a bad mood.
"Your Majesty, thank you for your loyalty. Heaven and earth can bear witness to this. There must be a misunderstanding." Zuo Anmin was sure of this point.
"Xie Zhan took so much silver because he was disloyal. Now I finally understand why he didn't come back to Chang'an to be a close minister to the emperor after he had made great contributions, but chose to be the top leader in the local area." Zhang Xian muttered.
Hearing this, Song Mo's face darkened. Why did he like to call Zhang Xian? He could provide him with multiple perspectives.
Zuo Anmin glared at him, "Speaking of competing with the people for profit and amassing wealth, isn't Lu Desheng also one of those people? The Liaodong Chamber of Commerce has made a lot of money, but I haven't seen him pay a cent to the emperor."
Zhang Xian said coldly, "Lord Zuo, be careful with your words. It's true that the Liaodong County government, where Lord Lu previously worked, supported the Liaodong Chamber of Commerce, but the Liaodong Chamber of Commerce isn't his, and they've also paid taxes."
"Lord Lu uses the taxes paid to help disaster victims, encourage household division, and encourage agriculture. You know all of this helps increase tax revenue, don't you? These taxes actually go to the court."
Zuo Anmin had nothing to say about this.
Zhang Xian had a lot to say. "Look, they're both provincial governors and high-ranking officials, but they're really different. Lord Lu is so loyal, unlike Xie Zhan."
The ministers could hardly bear to listen any more. This Lu Desheng, besides impeaching others, did not forget to brag about himself. He was so shameless!
Zhang Xian knew how to translate, and he fully expressed the contents of Lu Desheng's memorial.
That's how it is.
Zhang Xian concluded, "Your Majesty, I believe Lord Lu is right. Lord Xie must be severely punished for forming a clique and amassing wealth, whether for the sake of preventing future trouble or simply for the sake of caution."
Zuo Anmin hurriedly said, "You can't convict Lord Xie based on Lu Desheng's one-sided words. If you kill a pillar of society, wouldn't that be a loss for the Emperor and the court?"
Song Mo said coldly, "Let's discuss this later!"
Song Mo had calmed down by then. He was reluctant to deal with Xie Zhan, as he was still a very useful knife. But the premise of all this depended on what Xie Zhan did.
Zuo Anmin breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhang Xian was quite regretful, but he also knew that there was no way to reach a conclusion on this matter immediately. However, he had already applied the necessary eye drops, and it was certain that Xie Zhan would pay the price for this incident.
When the emperor asked all the ministers to disperse, they all moved away from Zhang Xian.
There was no one within three feet in front, behind, or on either side of Zhang Xian.
Zhang Xian: ...
Xie Zhan had clearly performed a great deed this time, and the six million taels of silver would have been a reward from the Emperor at any time. But now, with Lü Desheng and Zhang Xian messing around, there was no reward for him, and he might even be punished.
In the past, Lu Desheng was not to be provoked, but now it seems that Zhang Xian is also not to be provoked.
Zuo Anmin hurried home and immediately wrote a letter and released a carrier pigeon. Fortunately, it was not winter, otherwise it would be difficult to use pigeons to deliver letters.
Xie Zhan received a message from Chang'an via carrier pigeon. Before he even read it, he felt something was wrong. He thought Chang'an might have had an accident.
He took the letter back to his study, opened it, and his face changed immediately.
The Lu family actually accused him of rebelling!
Is Lu Desheng crazy? And Lu Songli didn't stop him?
Xie Zhan has always thought that he and Lu Songli have a tacit understanding.
He knew very well that the time had not come yet, and she should have known it as well.
Xie Zhan never expected that she would choose to overturn the table first.
This really caught him off guard.
The current good situation in the South has been destroyed by the Lu father and daughter!
Xie Zhan's eyes darkened. Lu Songli had actually overturned the table. Don't blame him for turning hostile. Pulling in the Qin and Lu families to help him share the firepower! Pingzhou is under the control of the Xianbei minions and is much more dangerous than the southern land!
Having made the decision, Xie Zhan gradually calmed down his fluctuating emotions. He lowered his head and continued to read the letter.
After Zuo Anmin informed the emperor of the matter, he wrote at the end: The emperor is waiting for his performance, be careful.
Xie Zhan snorted coldly, "You are such a brat, you are not worth having a say in!"
He pursed his lips, casually placed the letter in his hand on the oil lamp beside him, and let the flames devour it.
If he were to ask himself, the six million taels he gave Song Mo was really not a small amount.
He didn't earn much, so the manpower, material resources and energy spent on the layout, aren't these costs?
Moreover, he teamed up with other people to set up the scheme. They took the capital and took the risk to work with him. Shouldn't they share the profits?
Of course, he has his own selfish motives, but that's the logic, right?
"Come here, send another one million taels of silver to Chang'an!" and attached a memorial explaining the expenditure.
Xie Zhan said angrily in his heart, if Song Mo is still not satisfied, then punish him!
He knew very well that no matter how much silver he gave, Song Mo would not be satisfied. There was no difference between one million taels and four million taels. Even if he gave him four million taels, he would still feel that he had a lot of money.
To be honest, he didn't even want to give the 1 million taels. But the emperor's face had to be maintained, and the 1 million taels and the memorial were just a stepping stone.
He gave the step, but Song Moai couldn't get down!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
