Chapter 318 319. Sleepless Night
The imperial palace tonight was destined to be a sleepless night. Ever since the palace gates were locked, boxes of account books had all been carried to the side hall. The entire Internal Affairs Department, whether the director of internal affairs or the eunuchs and palace maids, were all driven to a courtyard and detained by General Liu Chang and his men.
This time, Hua Shunming did not mobilize the six ministries, but instead ordered his trusted aides to conduct the interrogation and search the property overnight. By daybreak, carts filled with confiscated items were already lined up at the palace gate.
The ministers who came to attend the court could only walk into the palace from a distance. By the time they arrived at the main hall, they still hadn't figured out the situation.
"The emperor has ordered that all of you please move to the side hall." Le San waited for them to stand there for a long time before coming out to announce the order.
"Eunuch Le, why doesn't the emperor attend the court?" Chen Zishu glanced at the historian standing nearby, as if to remind Le San to be careful that today's events would be recorded again.
Le San made a gesture of invitation, "My lords, you will know after a moment.
This side hall has something you all want to know, please move on!"
After saying that, Le San did not stay for long, as the emperor was still waiting for him to serve him.
"This?" Chen Zishu turned to look at the adults, "How about we go to the side hall first to take a look?"
"Go ahead," you can't disobey the order, right?
After pushing open the door of the side hall, I found that there were rows of people sitting inside. They were holding abacus in their hands and calculating with it.
"Could it be that His Majesty wants us to watch these people do the accounting?" Cao Xiangqian walked forward and flipped through the account book, only to feel dizzy.
Many of the words on it recognized him, but he didn't recognize the other party.
"Do you understand?" Xu Zhiwen has been in a bad mood and has a harsh tone recently because his grandson Xu Zhongren just won the title of Jinshi and was sent to the Eastern Province to serve as a small county magistrate.
Cao Xiangqian would not give in like other officials, and he directly retorted, "I don't understand, but it's much better than some people pretending to understand. It is said that the higher you stand, the harder you fall. Lord Xu should understand this well."
"You..." Xu Zhiwen glared at him, "It's better than you not even having a chance to understand."
Cao Xiangqian snorted and ignored him. Since he had the account book in his hand anyway, he might as well flip through it.
Although he didn't quite understand it, everyone else did. Even if they didn't care about the daily necessities of life, they still knew about the expenses in Beijing. In an instant, their eyes widened.
Zhou Shicong, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, quietly came to the side of the minister of punishment and said, "Sir Huang, how could you make such a big noise without making any noise?"
Huang Jin was confused. "Our Execution Department really doesn't know. Besides, shouldn't your Ministry of Revenue be responsible for so many account books?"
Zhou Shicong shook his head instantly, "Our Ministry of Revenue has no control over the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It's just that so much money is allocated every year, and it turns out that this is how it is wasted. Now the world is going to change."
Huang Jin looked at him suspiciously, "You are so calm now, are you sure you won't be dragged into this?"
You know, even for the Imperial Household Department, all the silver comes from the Ministry of Revenue, so this thing can't be explained.
Zhou Shicong's face froze. He knew that what Huang Jin said made sense. Although he could do it with a clear conscience, would others think so?
At this moment, all the civil and military officials stood by and watched these people quietly as they used the abacus. The clacking sound made them feel a little frightened.
Gong Zhengping and Bai Jinglie also experienced this kind of torment.
They have been waiting in the upper study since they entered the palace yesterday.
Although they all found a corner to rest for a while, they couldn't sleep well at all.
Looking at Gu Wenheng sitting at the desk, flipping through the pages one by one, the two of them once again admired his composure. Even though he was involved in this matter, he was calmer than anyone else.
In fact, they were all wrong. Gu Wenheng was also very worried, wondering if his wife and children at home had slept poorly because he had not returned home all night.
"Wenheng, it's already bright in the day, why hasn't the emperor gone to court yet?" Bai Jinglie looked at Hua Shunming, who was sitting at the desk with a gloomy face, and quietly ran to Gu Wenheng and asked in a low voice.
Gu Wenheng, "Now we are waiting. Once everything is revealed and all the fish are caught in the net, this matter can begin."
Gu Wenheng guessed that Hua Shunmin was now thinking about more things, and even became suspicious of everyone around him.
"Whether you have acquaintances in there or not, you can't talk about this." Gu Wenheng kindly gave this reminder because they were familiar with each other and Bai Jinglie had helped him earn so much money.
"Am I that stupid?" Bai Jinglie looked at Gu Wenheng worriedly, "I guess you're going to be a target soon. You need to be mentally prepared."
Gu Wenheng raised his head and glanced at him. His suggestion was equivalent to catching all the fish in one net. If there were really any fish caught in the net, they would have to lie down and would not dare to show their heads.
"Do you think everyone will be staring at me? Don't forget, I'm not the only one in the study room from yesterday till now."
Bai Jinglie had millions of horses running in his mind and he almost couldn't help but swear, so he was dragged into the water.
Gong Zhengping sighed. Never mind. He had no idea how many enemies he had made over the years. One more or one less wouldn’t make much. So let it be.
Compared to the three of them who were more open-minded, Hua Shunming felt that the anger in his heart was about to explode. He was just waiting for the interrogation to see how many other people were involved.
Gu Wenheng also sorted out all the assets that were seized during the overnight house search. Fortunately, these officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs usually lived in the palace, so there was no big commotion. Even so, a lot of things were transported back from the villas outside.
Looking at these piles of accounts, Gu Wenheng felt that he was still too poor. He and Jin Qianqian had worked hard over the past few years, but they were still no match for this huge rat.
At this time, he was still looking forward to the show, and he held the account book in front of Hua Shunming's desk, "Your Majesty, everything has been sorted out."
Hua Shunming looked up at him, then turned to the last page. Looking at the shocking numbers, he shouted "OK" several times.
"I always thought I was rich, but I didn't expect that I was busy for these people." Hua Shunmin slammed the table and stood up, "Le San, go and urge Liu Chang. If he doesn't explain clearly, I will punish him severely, regardless of life or death."
Although Bai Jinglie and Gong Zhengping were also curious about how much these people had embezzled, they did not dare to show their heads at this time. They could only shrink in the corner and try to reduce their presence as much as possible.
Gu Wenheng also wisely retreated behind them. Now he was just a small editor, so it was safest for him to stand here.
Bai Jinglie, "..."
Gong Zhengping, "..."
(End of this chapter)
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