Li Chenjiao didn't think too much about it. She ate two skewers of candied hawthorn and some pastries.
The Fourth Prince stood to the side, reading a book—this time not a storybook, but a history book.
Seeing that it was almost lunchtime, Li Chenjiao had already ordered her food when Su Peisheng came in.
It was said that the Ministry of Revenue had important business to attend to, and the Minister of Revenue invited the Fourth Prince to the Ministry of Revenue.
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master raised an eyebrow and glanced at Li Chenjiao: "Take good rest. I'll come to see you when I have time."
Li Chenjiao obediently agreed and saw Fourth Master off.
Watching Fourth Master's departing figure, Li Chenjiao shook her head slightly: "Fourth Master is really busy. I guess he'll be even busier in the future."
Qiu Ci chimed in, "Even when he's busy, Fourth Master still comes to see the Princess whenever he has a spare moment." She then smiled.
Li Chenjiao, unusually, didn't deny it and smiled twice.
...
Once outside the manor, the Fourth Prince asked in a deep voice, "Did you tell me what it was about?"
Su Peisheng replied cautiously, "I did say that it wasn't a big deal at first. Half a month ago, an urgent report came from Huguang that continuous heavy rains had caused river dikes to burst, leaving disaster victims homeless. His Majesty sent people to provide disaster relief, but the relief funds that reached the local governor were less than two or three tenths of the original amount. The disaster victims protested in the capital, and His Majesty was furious. Now he has ordered a thorough investigation into this matter."
The Fourth Prince frowned: "Isn't the river supposed to be inspected every year? How is the local government handling this? How did the disaster victims end up causing trouble in the capital? Who is the Governor of Huguang?"
Su Peisheng wiped the sweat from his brow: "Yu Yangzhi was originally the Governor of Sichuan, but was transferred to Huguang." (There was such a person, the Governor of Sichuan, who committed a crime in the thirty-seventh year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, but was punished earlier than expected.)
Fourth Master frowned, unable to recall such a person for a moment: "What does that have to do with the Ministry of Revenue?"
Su Peisheng replied, "The problem lies with the disaster relief funds. No one in the Ministry of Revenue dares to embezzle them, but these funds are being skimmed off at every level. His Majesty has ordered the Ministry of Revenue to allocate more funds for disaster relief, but the Ministry of Revenue..."
The Fourth Prince immediately understood. Although he hadn't been in the Ministry of Revenue for long, there was one thing he knew very well.
The national treasury is empty!
The disaster relief funds were probably all scraped together by the Ministry of Revenue. Now that another disaster relief fund is needed, where will the Ministry of Revenue get the money?
"Has Your Majesty investigated? Since the disaster relief funds have been embezzled, why not just make them return them?"
Su Peisheng replied, "What you say is true, but there are too many things involved. Moving one thing can affect the whole situation. His Majesty has not yet made a decision."
Fourth Master paused, turned to look at Su Peisheng: "What do you mean?"
Su Peisheng glanced around, quietly moved his lips, and uttered a few names.
Fourth Master's expression changed instantly, his gaze sharp as he stared at Su Peisheng: "Is that really so?"
"I've ordered a secret investigation several times, but this matter... is difficult to handle." Once you get involved, there's no way out.
The Fourth Prince frowned and tightened his grip: "Never mind, let's go to the Ministry of Revenue first."
Upon arriving at the Ministry of Revenue, the Fourth Prince already had a plan in mind, and he directly explained it to the Minister of Revenue.
"Does Fourth Master mean to divert the money intended for repairing the Rehe Imperial Palace first, and then negotiate with the Imperial Household Department for more money? This..." The method is good, but it's risky.
The Fourth Prince said coldly, "If the disaster relief funds are not released, this matter will only escalate. The Minister doesn't want the Ministry of Revenue to get involved, does he?"
The Minister of Revenue, being well-connected, naturally understood the gravity of the situation. After careful consideration, he decided to take the risk and agree.
"However... I would appreciate it if Fourth Master could explain this to His Majesty, as misappropriating funds intended for the repair of the imperial palace is no small matter."
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince cupped his hands in response: "I understand. There are still matters to attend to in the palace, and I need you to take care of things at the Ministry of Revenue."
The Minister of Revenue was a sensible man: "Alright, Fourth Master, rest assured, we'll see you off."
The Fourth Prince emerged from the Ministry of Revenue, feeling slightly relieved: "How is things in the palace?"
Su Peisheng lowered his head: "His Majesty is furious again. Both Prime Minister Ming and Prime Minister Suo have already entered the palace."
Nalan Mingzhu has always supported the faction of Prince Zhi, and Consort Hui in the palace is from the Nalan clan.
Hesheli Suo'etu supported the crown prince, whose birth mother, Empress Hesheli, came from the Hesheli clan.
While Mingxiang and Suoxiang may not have directly intervened in the corruption, their protégés might have used their positions to line their own pockets.
"Have you found out who Yu Yangzhi is working for?" Fourth Master asked.
"We've got some leads; it seems the Crown Prince is behind it all..." Su Peisheng replied respectfully, while pondering the matter in his mind.
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince was taken aback: "The Crown Prince's man? He's the one who reported this?"
"yes!"
Oh.
This shows how serious the consequences are if those below are not restrained. Yu Yangzhi probably didn't know that the Crown Prince was involved in embezzling disaster relief funds, otherwise, wouldn't reporting it like this be a slap in the face to the Crown Prince?
It's obvious that some of those who support the Crown Prince are taking advantage of the situation and engaging in shady dealings; Yu Yangzhi, on the other hand, is quite honest about this.
"Fine, let's go to the palace first."
As they entered the palace gates, it started to rain. Su Peisheng was always well-prepared, and rain gear was kept in the carriage.
The Fourth Prince originally intended to go to the Qianqing Palace, but he stopped before he even reached the entrance.
It seems that even after visiting the Qianqing Palace and seeing his father, he didn't know what to say. After all, this matter involved too many people, including the three families in Jiangnan.
In Jiangnan, there is the Cao family, whom the Emperor favors. Their annual tributes go into the national treasury; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they are the Emperor's money bag. Yet, they still covet the disaster relief funds.
Su Peisheng stopped abruptly. The rain was getting heavier, and Su Peisheng raised his voice to ask, "Master?"
The Fourth Prince stood there for a while: "Never mind, it's been a while since I visited the Crown Prince."
Su Peisheng followed.
In the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Kangxi learned about the Fourth Prince's visit to the palace from Liang Jiugong. He didn't react much, only giving a faint smile after reviewing the memorials.
"Fourth brother, you're still too young. There are some things you don't see clearly enough."
Liang Jiugong bowed: "Oh dear, this servant didn't know any of this."
Emperor Kangxi glanced at Liang Jiugong and chuckled, though the smile didn't reach his eyes: "Yu Yangzhi is a good man; transfer him back to Sichuan. As for Huguang, I remember there's a Shaanxi Provincial Commander named Li Linsheng? He's quite capable; transfer him to Huguang." (This is a historical fact, and while we've tried to be as historically accurate as possible, there are still some inaccuracies.)
Liang Jiugong lowered his head and agreed, suppressing his thoughts.
Li Linsheng, this is His Majesty's man.
Yu Yangzhi was transferred back to Sichuan, but other positions in Huguang were about to be loosened. In recent years, Huguang had been very eager to curry favor with Prince Zhi, which is why His Majesty specially sent Yu Yangzhi to Huguang.
This man was upright and honest. When the floods struck Huguang, he allocated silver for disaster relief and dealt with the officials in Huguang. His Majesty was well aware of all the cases he handled.
As for who Yu Yangzhi actually works for, well…
The weather is nice today.
The Fourth Prince, unaware of all this, went straight to Yuqing Palace. Standing outside, he frowned. It had only been half a year since he last visited, so why was Yuqing Palace so desolate?
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