Chapter 240 Confiscation of Household

But the refreshments he had prepared were of no use, for Her Royal Highness the Princess was too busy to go in person.

The Minister of the Central Secretariat was invited to the Ministry of Revenue.

In the room, the sound of abacus clacking could be heard one after another, accompanied by the sound of flipping through accounts.

In addition to the original officials of the Ministry of Revenue, such as Bei Huan, all the students who were good at accounting in the Hongwenguan were captured by Bei Jingchu and brought over.

Xu Lanqi's biological son Xu Chengzhan was also among them.

There are also those who have passed the imperial examinations but are unable to rest at home because their official positions do not allow them enough time to work.

She brought over some capable accountants from the Tan family, with the goal of making the best use of them.

Even Bei Jingchu herself would count it twice when she had free time.

The originally spacious Ministry of Revenue was now crowded with people. When Xu Lanqi came over and saw this scene, he knew that it was all over.

But it's not him who is going to be finished, but some people who are lucky enough that Princess Tianzhen can't find out the accounts.

Look at the account book the man in front of him is flipping through. It must be from ten years ago.

The place was crowded at that time, and Bei Jingchu could only take Xu Lanqi to a very remote room so that they could talk alone for a while.

He apologized: "I know that this is not a decent thing to do."

"But when the water is thick, those who are too proud and unyielding cannot survive."

"The people in the court are united in attacking those who are dissidents. If I don't accept bribes, I can't resist the slander of others in front of Your Majesty."

"I just want to know, this time, is it a sign of self-repentance, or is it just bait for your Majesty to fish?"

Bei Jing knew that he was confused by the authorities. In order to let him be the first person to repay the debt, she also gave him a reassurance: "You also know that the law does not punish everyone. We will only punish those who are stubborn and rebellious."

With the Minister of the Central Secretariat as the first person, people who wanted to take bribes followed in droves.

Looking at the gradually filling treasury, the princess was surprised but also very disgusted.

How much money did these people embezzle?

Of course, there are still people who are either disdainful or complacent, and insist that they are not greedy.

Looking at the list of names that didn't match, Bei Jingchu did nothing.

Because they haven't finished their investigation yet.

Everyone is waiting for the punishment results in three days.

However, three days later, there was no movement in the capital.

Those who paid the money saw their colleagues who kept their money secret still living the same extravagant life as before.

Compared to how they tightened their belts to pay back the money, they couldn't help but feel regretful.

If I had known this earlier, I would not have listened to Princess Tianzhen’s threats and would have refused to admit it even if I were beaten to death.

It turned out that he really fooled them and took their money.

For example, the home of Minister Guo.

The neighboring mansion is the residence of Minister Qi.

Their family did not repay the debt on time and insisted on being honest and upright.

But in reality, whether there was any handout or not, they were neighbors and colleagues, how could they not see the clues?

Although the family next door seems to be more frugal, compared to their real frugality, they are still extravagant.

Minister Guo was so upset that he got angry when he looked at his son: "It's all your fault. You insisted on telling me to pay off my debts. Now not only is my savings reduced, but I've also been fined!"

"The people next door are doing so well. You've really lost your mind."

Guo Yang was speechless after being scolded. He poured a cup of tea and handed it to his father: "You are probably upset because of the hot weather."

"Father also knows that if we let him off this time, will your majesty still maintain his dignity?"

"There will definitely be a bloody action afterwards. Rather than betting on whether I will be the one who slips through the net, it is better to admit my mistakes directly and get a lighter punishment."

Minister Guo was disturbed by the hard times and disagreed with him: "It is too late for me to stop now."

"Even if we check, it will be difficult to find out."

“Most of it is impossible to find out.”

He clapped his hands in regret and sighed, "I should have known I shouldn't have listened to you, a boy who has never experienced the world."

“It’s easy to be scared.”

"So what if you graduated from Botang?"

"You are young, but you have too little experience. You are not as experienced as us old men in the officialdom."

Listening to his regretful complaints, the unfilial son boldly said: "It is true that the family's expenses have been a little short recently, but it is also the retribution for your corruption, isn't it?"

"If it hadn't been uncovered this time, I would never have thought that my father was actually a corrupt official."

Minister Guo blew his beard and glared: "You little bastard, what do you mean by this?"

"Do you think your father has embarrassed you?"

Guo Yang: “Yeah.”

"......"

Minister Guo regained his confidence: "Who am I doing this for? It's for you and this family!"

"If I hadn't been guilty of this, would you brothers and sisters be living such a comfortable life?"

Guo Yangsi was not afraid at all: "So now her life is just as hard. You asked for my sister's dowry back for emergency use, so she can't even hold her head up in her husband's family."

"......"

Minister Guo, who was beaten to a pulp, roared, "Get lost!"

Guo Yang: “Okay.”

Minister Guo regretted.

As a result, in the evening, the Qi family, for whom he praised the other party's wisdom, was surrounded.

Princess Tianzhen sat at the gate of the Qi family, and the officials beside her read out the stolen money that the Qi family had embezzled over the years.

Minister Qi and all his family members were tied up and forced to kneel at the door.

Box after box of treasures were rummaged through and carried out.

It turned out to be a house raid.

The Minister of Qi, who looked so handsome yesterday, kowtowed and begged the child to spare his family.

The masked girl couldn't tell whether she was happy or angry, but there was no joy in her voice: "Look at how much money you have plundered from the people."

"Aren't those who died as a result someone else's family?"

"I didn't give you a chance. What were you doing during the three days of repayment?"

"Now we can only recruit according to the law."

A young man suddenly shouted at her, "Your Highness, Your Highness, please have mercy on me and let me go."

"We are from the same school."

“I was once a student at Hongbunkan as well.”

Bei Jingchu was sure that she had never met this person. With her memory, it was impossible for her to forget her classmate.

"You are probably not old enough to graduate from school at this time, and it is unlikely that there is a person like you in the court."

"What's going on?"

The young man hesitated, "Your Highness, I am indeed a student of Hongwenguan, and I am best friends with Zhou Jiancheng."

"It was just that I couldn't get along with my classmates at Hongwenguan, so I went home to recuperate and missed the opportunity to study with His Highness."

Bei Jingchu seemed to remember something: "What's your name?"

"My name is Qi Yun."

Okay, she remembered.

Not a good thing.

"Jiujiu mentioned you to me."

The young man's face turned pale all of a sudden.

Bei Jingchu continued, "No matter who you are, at this moment, the law is merciless."

"Even your father spent his entire life working hard to become a close minister to the emperor."

"But if you don't return the stolen goods, your property will be confiscated anyway."

Minister Qi begged her to spare his children.

But Bei Jingchu only felt that it was a moral kidnapping and was very annoying.

Then he ordered, "If anyone makes trouble again, shut his mouth."

The people around gathered around to watch the excitement.

"What's going on? Oh, how pitiful! Look, there are children among the kidnapped people, right?"

"I heard that he was a corrupt official and his house was confiscated."

"Oh, that's all right."

"But why is it a child who brought people here?"

"The mask on the little girl's face is made of gold, isn't it? How rich she is."

The most informed people proudly share gossip with those around them: "You don't know, do you?"

"The little girl who brought people here is a princess."

"Her Royal Highness the Princess has come to eliminate corrupt officials for us common people."

Bei Jingchu ignored the crowd, she just needed to establish her authority.

Otherwise, someone like Minister Qi would really think she was joking.

In the following days, there was a constant stream of executions and exiles.

Many official positions in the capital were vacant.