Qiao'er asked worriedly
"Your Majesty, if people find out that these things came from Shannan County, those ministers..."
Chen Qingwan waved her hand, interrupting her.
"It's alright, just do it. I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong. I want to see what tricks they can pull."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Just then, a eunuch rushed in, knelt on the ground, and reported:
"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister requests an audience."
Chen Qingwan frowned, inwardly cursing him as an old fox.
That old man, nothing good ever comes of his visits.
"Let him in."
Chen Qingwan said calmly.
The eunuch accepted the order and left.
A short while later, an elderly man with white hair, dressed in official robes, walked in.
He was none other than Liu An, the current prime minister.
"This old minister greets Your Majesty." Liu An bowed in greeting.
"Your Excellency, no need for formalities," Chen Qingwan said calmly.
"I wonder what brings Your Excellency, the Prime Minister, to visit so late at night?"
Liu An raised his head and said with a serious expression:
"Your Majesty, I have heard that Your Majesty recently visited Shannan County?"
Chen Qingwan felt a chill run down her spine; this old man was certainly well-informed.
"So what if it is?" Chen Qingwan retorted calmly.
"Your Majesty, Lu Yan, the magistrate of Shannan County, has disregarded the law, arbitrarily reformed the government, and disrupted the order of the court. This old minister humbly requests Your Majesty to dismiss him from his post and investigate him!"
Liu Anyi said in a righteous and righteous tone.
Chen Qingwan sneered, looking at Liu An with amusement, as if she were watching a clown.
"Your Excellency, Shannan County under Lu Yan's rule is now thriving, and the people live in peace and contentment."
"Just a few days ago, he quelled the barbarian rebellion for me. How did that become 'disregarding the law and disrupting the court' in your mouth?"
"Does Your Excellency the Prime Minister perhaps think that my judgment... is inferior to yours?"
That old fox! I haven't even figured out how to deal with Lu Yan yet, and he's already jumping out to give orders.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Liu An's forehead. He hadn't expected Chen Qingwan to defend Lu Yan so much.
But he still insisted:
"Your Majesty, the matter of the barbarians is merely a minor concern. Lu Yan's unauthorized reforms, which have shaken the foundations of the nation, are the true threat!"
"Your Majesty, I implore you to be discerning and not be deceived by treacherous people!"
"A villain?" Chen Qingwan's tone turned icy.
"Your Excellency, are you saying that I have been deceived by treacherous people?"
Liu An's heart trembled, and he immediately knelt down and kowtowed:
"This old minister wouldn't dare! This old minister is only worried that Your Majesty will be deceived by Lu Yan's sweet words..."
"Alright," Chen Qingwan waved her hand impatiently.
"Qingzhou is currently suffering from drought. You should be thinking about disaster relief instead of gossiping with me. Do we have enough food?"
Liu An was taken aback, not expecting Chen Qingwan to suddenly change the subject, and stammered:
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue's granaries... should... be sufficient for disaster relief."
"Should?" Chen Qingwan raised an eyebrow.
"Your Excellency, what do you mean by 'should'?"
"What I need is a definite answer, not this ambiguous response."
Liu An's forehead was covered in even more beads of sweat.
"This old minister...this old minister will go and verify it immediately."
“No need,” Chen Qingwan stood up, her tone icy.
"I will go and see for myself."
Liu An's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition surged into his mind.
Soon, Chen Qingwan, along with Qiao'er and a group of guards, headed to the Ministry of Revenue's granary in a grand procession.
This completely terrified the officials in the Ministry of Revenue.
The Minister of Revenue scrambled out to greet him, his face plastered with a fawning smile.
"Your humble servant pays his respects to Your Majesty. I was unaware of Your Majesty's arrival and have failed to greet you properly..."
Chen Qingwan didn't even glance at him, and walked straight towards the granary.
Upon seeing this, the Minister of Revenue quickly followed, smiling obsequiously as he went:
"Your Majesty, this granary is a restricted area; unauthorized personnel are not permitted to enter..."
"Am I some nobody?"
Chen Qingwan stopped and looked at him with a half-smile.
The Minister of Revenue was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost knelt down. He hurriedly explained:
"Your Majesty, I dare not! What I mean is... there's a lot of dust in this granary, and I'm afraid it might soil Your Majesty's body..."
"Stop talking nonsense," Chen Qingwan pushed him aside and strode into the granary.
Inside the granary, the air was filled with a musty smell.
Chen Qingwan looked around and saw that the grain sacks that should have been piled up like mountains were now gone.
Now, however, they are scattered, with only a few piles remaining.
"Is this what you mean by 'enough for disaster relief'?"
Chen Qingwan turned around, her gaze sharp as a knife as she stared at the Minister of Revenue.
Liu An's face turned deathly pale, and he stammered as he explained:
"This...this...perhaps...perhaps the subordinates have misremembered..."
"You remembered it wrong?" Chen Qingwan sneered.
"I think you've embezzled funds!"
"Your Majesty, you have been wronged!" The Minister of Revenue knelt down with a thud.
"Your Majesty, I am utterly loyal and would never dare to harbor even the slightest greed..."
"Loyal and devoted?" Chen Qingwan pointed to the empty granary.
"Is this your loyalty to me?"
"You embezzled all the disaster relief grain; how are the people supposed to survive the drought?"
"What is your crime?"
The Minister of Revenue trembled with fear and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! This humble subject knows his mistake..."
Enraged, Chen Qingwan kicked him to the ground.
"Guards, drag this corrupt official out and execute him on the spot!"
The Minister of Revenue was terrified and struggled desperately, crying out:
"Your Majesty, spare me! Spare me..."
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