Chapter 67 Cousin, please take good care of yourself.
After a whole day, she finally noticed the problem. Pei Wu casually adjusted his waist and lied without changing his expression: "I had too many embroidered belts on my waist, so I didn't wear one."
Pei Wu had Jiang Ru's tassel hanging from his waist, as well as a fish bag, which was indeed a bit cumbersome.
After a night, Pei Wu's mood improved considerably. Sure enough, as long as he couldn't see Zhao Tuo, his mood wouldn't turn bad. Zhao Tuo was truly a jinx.
Jiang Ru was very tolerant and generous. She wouldn't force Pei Wu to wear it. Since she had given it to Pei Wu, he could use it however he wanted. So she said, "Then don't wear it. If you're in a good mood, this sachet isn't very useful anyway."
She spoke casually, but Pei Wu tensed up at her few words. After hesitating for a moment, he assured Jiang Ru, "I will definitely wear it tomorrow."
Jiang Ru looked at him questioningly, then glanced down at his waist and said, "You shouldn't wear it anymore. It doesn't look good with so many decorations."
Pei Wu was probably overthinking it. He didn't speak, but instead lowered his gaze and said in a low voice, "I will wear it."
Pei Wu kept his word. The next day, the purple sachet was indeed hanging on his waist. The small sachet was exquisite and matched his purple official robes perfectly.
Pei Wu's memorial was also submitted. No official in the Great Xia Dynasty knew about Liaocheng rice, and no one believed that this rice was truly drought-resistant. No one wanted to take on this hard work, so the matter was entrusted entirely to Pei Wu.
After finishing his duties, Pei Wu went to the Song residence again. Fortunately, he had a good memory and remembered everything he had seen clearly, even writing down all the loopholes.
The tribute items were an astronomical sum, and Song Pingzhang was probably surprised that even this was involved.
The reason why Chen's faction is so arrogant is simply because they have powerful backers. If they wanted to suppress their corruption, they could do so flawlessly. It's not that no one in the court has impeached Chen's faction for corruption, but in the end, nothing came of it.
Song Pingzhang was the prime minister personally appointed by the late emperor, and he has only been prime minister for three years. He is well aware of the ins and outs of the situation, but he did not expect that this act of deception would be so blatant.
Pei Wu asked, "Lord Song knows absolutely nothing about this?"
Song Pingzhang shook his head.
At first, Pei Wu thought he was lying, but when he saw Song Pingzhang's blank expression, he realized that Song Pingzhang really didn't know.
Pei Wu was silent for a moment: "Lord Song, these might weaken the Chen Party a bit."
However, it is impossible to completely eradicate it. Ultimately, this part falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue, and at most it will involve Chen Ming, the Minister of Revenue.
Of course, the loopholes in the tribute were less due to the negligence of the Chen faction and more due to their complete indifference, because even if they were impeached, they could always be protected.
Pei Wu added, "This is only the first step. After the censor impeaches him, Chen Ming will naturally find a way to cover it up. But he has done much more. The court levies two shi of grain per adult male and expels ten shi of laborers every year. I'd like to ask, where exactly does all this money go?"
Song Pingzhang frowned: "One shi per ding, you've got it wrong."
Pei Wu looked at Song Pingzhang silently, and Song Pingzhang realized something and suddenly fell silent.
Pei Wu continued, "Furthermore, the summer resort built by Chen Ming has almost emptied the national treasury. Lord Song believes that this resort truly needs so much silver."
Pei Wu had repaired the ditches, and now that he was looking at the villa, he could see some clues about it. He had joined the court late and didn't know much, but fortunately, he had previously compiled the national history in the Hanlin Academy, and had read through almost the entire history of the Great Xia Dynasty. No one knew more about it than him.
Then, Pei Wu said, "Chen Ming has a lot of public land and countless houses and shops. Perhaps after confiscating them, the national treasury will be much fuller."
Chen Ming wasn't particularly flamboyant, but he had a good son. Everyone in the capital knew about Chen Gou's extravagance. If they knew that all the taxes they paid went to the Chen family, how could they quell their anger?
In reality, the three officials will only become more greedy, but we cannot shake them in the short term, so we can only proceed step by step.
Upon hearing this, Song Pingzhang immediately picked up his pen and wrote a letter, promising to have the censor impeach Chen Ming at court the next day. Having said everything he needed to say, Pei Wu rose to take his leave and departed from the Song residence.
The next day, Imperial Censor Lin Chenghai issued an impeachment document, accusing Chen Ming of more than ten crimes, each word of which was precious.
Chen's party members all had dark faces, especially Chen Ming, who knew from the mention of the tribute that it was Pei Wu's doing, and glared fiercely at Pei Wu.
Ultimately, even if Pei Wu had Song Pingzhang's protection, he had no family backing him. Where did he get the audacity to fight him? Chen Ming thought viciously that once this matter was over, he would definitely teach Pei Wu a lesson.
Chen Dang naturally spoke up for Chen Ming one after another. Chen Ling's face was gloomy. The lawsuit just now also involved the Three Departments. It was just about the salt transportation matter. If it was to be investigated, not only the Ministry of Revenue would be held responsible, but the Three Departments would also be held accountable.
This matter is neither too big nor too small. Although it cannot shake the foundation of the Chen family, it will inevitably implicate them.
So Chen Ling gave a wink to the people around him, and the officials stepped forward and started arguing, all trying to exonerate Chen Ming.
The Empress Dowager naturally wanted to suppress the matter, but since it had been brought into the open, an investigation was inevitable, but it could be delayed. So the Empress Dowager said, "Now that the envoy from the Southern Kingdom is in the capital, it would be inappropriate to investigate this case now, as it would only make us a laughingstock."
If it drags on, Chen Ming can cover it up as soon as possible, and the holes that need to be patched up can be patched up. By then, no one will be able to find out.
But this very matter gave Song Pingzhang an opening. He said sarcastically, "If Minister Chen hadn't been unable to produce a return gift, the Southern Kingdom's envoy wouldn't still be in the capital."
The reason why the envoy from the Southern Kingdom stayed in the capital must be due to problems with the Ministry of Revenue and the Three Departments. Why don't we investigate this quickly so that we can send back the gifts and send the envoy back to the Southern Kingdom as soon as possible?
The fact that Da Xia had to delay even returning gifts showed how empty the national treasury was. Song Pingzhang seized on this point and repeatedly criticized Chen Ling and others.
Finally, the Empress Dowager could only order the Three Departments to prepare return gifts and get the envoy from the Southern Kingdom out of the capital as soon as possible, and then to investigate the case.
Her gaze swept across the crowd, and just as she was about to speak, Song Pingzhang hurriedly stepped forward: "This matter cannot be investigated by the Three Departments. Minister Ji is Minister Chen's elder brother, which would inevitably lead to bias. It would be better to let Imperial Censor Lin come, with Attendant Pei assisting him."
This was to send Pei Wu to investigate. Pei Wu was about to step forward to receive the order when the Empress Dowager said lightly, "Minister Pei is too young, so let Minister Cheng come instead."
Cheng Xu was from the Ministry of Rites and was involved in the tribute this time. Logically, he shouldn't have been here, but the Empress Dowager had her reasons: "Minister Cheng, please take a close look and see if the tribute sent out by your Ministry of Rites has been used."
Cheng Xu accepted the order and took on the task.
The Imperial Censor is Song Pingzhang's man. As long as he comes, even if Cheng Xu stirs up trouble, it's not a problem. It's just that Pei Wu is excluded and cannot participate in this matter, but Song Pingzhang has his own way.
After the court session ended that day, all the officials dared not utter a sound. The Chen faction all had dark faces, looking at Pei Wu as if he were an enemy, wishing they could devour his flesh and blood.
Several members of the Privy Council watched the spectacle, and Su Mu, not wanting to miss out on the excitement, applauded Pei Wu.
When Pei Wu left Xuande Gate, he was picked up by a sedan chair from the Song family. He and Song Pingzhang drank tea in the courtyard. Song Pingzhang sighed, "Whether this matter can be accomplished or not, we can only wait and see."
Pei Wu replied, "I will often consult Lord Lin."
Song Pingzhang was satisfied and assigned some guards to Pei Wu. In his words, the Chen faction was a den of snakes and rats, and they might try to harm Pei Wu. It was better to have someone protect him at all times.
This time, Pei Wu didn't refuse him. He glanced at it casually and agreed.
When Cheng Xu, the Minister of Rites, accepted the job, he did not forget the rice that Pei Wu wanted. He delivered the rice that very day. One hundred shi of rice filled an entire room and was piled up like a mountain of grain.
Jiang Ru stood outside, pondering how to plant the grains. Pei Wu had just finished his shift and was heading home, but unlike Jiang Ru, he was followed by seven or eight guards.
Jiang Ru noticed that these guards were all skilled, and was a little puzzled: "You've been promoted again, why are you bringing people back with you?"
When Pei Wu first became the top scholar, four people were already assigned to him; now so many more have arrived.
Jiang Ru clicked her tongue in amazement, looked around at the group, and couldn't help but ask Pei Wu, "Cousin, can your salary support so many people?"
While it's possible to provide for someone, such treatment for a fourth-rank official is simply too extravagant. Pei Wu explained, "These were all allocated to me by Lord Song."
Since these men were sent by Song Pingzhang and all carried swords, Jiang Ru couldn't help but wonder: "Who have you offended to warrant sending so many men?"
Pei Wu paused for a moment, then walked towards the study. Jiang Ru also glanced around furtively before following Pei Wu into the study.
At the time, she only knew that Pei Wu had taken her to some places, but she did not expect that Pei Wu had seen through so much and had come up with these plans with Song Pingzhang on the same day. She was stunned.
She knew that Pei Wu was really walking a tightrope this time, having offended so many people. No wonder Song Pingzhang was worried about him getting into trouble.
The number of guards outside the door was not as exaggerated, and Jiang Ru couldn't help but feel anxious: "Maybe I should find a few more thugs. Eight guards are still too few. Your safety must be taken seriously."
She was about to stand up when Pei Wu said helplessly, "Don't rush."
The lives of officials in the capital are not so easily taken, especially at such a critical juncture. Unless the Chen faction is insane, they would not dare to target him. Pei Wu is not worried about himself; he is worried about Jiang Ru.
He told Jiang Ru about this matter clearly, and Jiang Ru looked distressed and worried, saying, "It's really hard to be an official."
Pei Wu said softly, "I was thinking that these guards should stay with you so they can protect you."
A few days ago, Pei Wu had already arranged three strong men for her to guard against Zhao Tuo. Now he wants to arrange guards for her as well. She is just a small fry. Why should she be treated like this?
Jiang Ru refused without hesitation: "Forget it, you take care of yourself first. I'm fine, who would want to hurt me?"
Pei Wu paused for a moment, then said softly, "You are my cousin, everyone knows that."
That's why Jiang Ru is in even more danger. Pei Wu suddenly regretted bringing her to Bianjing. No matter what the future holds, Jiang Ru is now bound to him.
Pei Wu said, "Let a few guards accompany you first, so I can feel at ease."
Jiang Ru valued her life, but she felt that Pei Wu seemed to be in more danger, so she said, "What are the guards that Lord Song arranged for you doing here?"
Before Pei Wu could speak, she quickly said, "Cousin, your safety is important. You know you're an important person now, so you must protect yourself. Don't you agree?"
"Cousin, what will I do if something happens to you? I'm an orphan, with no one to care for me or love me." Jiang Ru used her tried-and-true method; as long as she said this, Pei Wu would definitely agree to her request.
After saying that, Jiang Ru winked at Pei Wu: "I won't go out. We'll talk about it after things calm down. Just let these guards follow you."
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