Upon hearing this, Sima Lie was greatly alarmed and involuntarily stood up. Qiu Beiming, who was next to him, reacted in the same way and asked questions one after another.
"Minister Tan? You must be joking!"
Tan Wu smiled bitterly, "I am no longer the Minister. I have already told that tyrannical emperor about my father's death."
"Tan Wu! Go to hell!"
Sima Lie was so angry that his face turned red. Unable to bear it any longer, he slapped Sima Lie hard across the face.
Even though he had a vague premonition, Tan Wu was still knocked to the ground by the slap.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Huh? How dare you act rashly without my permission? You've gone too far!"
While cursing angrily, he also stepped on and trampled on it.
Poor Tan Wu was kicked so badly he couldn't even stand up straight, and could only cover his head and explain aggrievedly.
"Prime Minister! I can't take it anymore! Every day I'm threatened with death by those debt collectors, I can't even get a good night's sleep, Dan'er was severely injured, and every time I open the door there's a bucket of excrement. I really can't sit in this position any longer..."
These words did not resonate with the ruthless Sima Lie in the slightest; instead, his movements became even more violent and ruthless.
"You stinking dog! You have to sit down whether you like it or not! Do you think I can rest easy every day? The affairs of Youzhou are just as difficult to handle!"
Qiu Beiming, who was standing nearby, did not stop him; his face was ashen.
The importance of the Minister of Revenue is self-evident; losing him in an instant is a major headache!
Tan Wu deserved to be beaten!
After kicking and punching for two or three minutes, Sima Lie finally ran out of breath and energy.
But looking at Tan Wu, whose body was covered in messy footprints, his anger did not subside in the slightest.
"You really think I can't do anything to you? I'll kill you today, you worthless dog!"
Enraged, he actually drew the decorative, sharpened sword from the table and slashed fiercely at Tan Wu.
Tan Wu was so frightened that he lost his composure and screamed in terror.
"Prime Minister, spare my life!"
"No!"
Just as the sword was about to fall, Qiu Beiming quickly stopped Sima Lie.
"Prime Minister! You mustn't!"
"No matter what, Tan Wu has done you a great service, if not a great one. How can we explain killing him to the Emperor? How can we explain him to the officials?"
Tan Wu was Sima Lie's top subordinate, and even after losing his father, he remained loyal to him.
How could he explain such a tragic death in the Prime Minister's residence to Sima Lie's other subordinates? They would surely be filled with lingering fear.
Not only that, Tan Wu is also at the forefront of the controversy of returning to his hometown to observe mourning for his parents. How can he explain this to that tyrannical emperor?
Despite strong persuasion, Sima Lie finally threw down his sword, but he was still panting heavily with anger.
Tan Wu's crotch was wet; he had wet his pants in fear. Sima Lie frowned, feeling increasingly disgusted.
"Someone come here! Change his clothes!"
Soon, Tan Wu, who had changed into a clean set of coarse linen clothes, came over, his legs still trembling with lingering fear.
Upon entering the house, he immediately knelt down and begged incessantly.
"Please, Prime Minister, spare my life!"
"Damn it! Where's my money?"
"I brought it! I brought it!"
Tan Wu naturally hadn't forgotten the 200,000 taels of silver notes, and after returning them in full, Sima Lie's anger subsided considerably.
He has already admitted that his father is dead, and the tyrannical emperor personally approved it when he found out; now there is no way to reverse the situation.
Sima Lie had clearly recovered from his anger and had to accept reality, reluctantly considering his next move.
He sighed angrily and asked in a low voice.
"Tan Wu! You've been in the position of Minister for some time now. Do you have any reliable confidants under your command who can temporarily replace you?"
The position of Minister of Revenue is coveted by many, especially the Zhao family and Zhang Tang; it absolutely cannot fall into the hands of those two factions.
Otherwise, they would definitely hinder things from both sides in the court!
Taking advantage of the current vacancy in the position of Minister of Revenue, Sima Lie decided to do everything in his power to secure the position.
But after thinking it over, it seems that I don't have a suitable person with enough prestige to take over.
Tan Wu instinctively wanted to recommend He Fang, his top capable minister.
That guy is intelligent, loyal, and highly capable in every aspect; he's truly the best choice to be my replacement after I retire.
But then I thought, no way!
He Fangzhi's abilities are no less than his own. If he were to rise to the top, would this guy be willing to be a puppet and temporarily take over? What if he really surpasses him?
After all, he was just returning to his hometown to observe mourning for his parents and to avoid the turmoil of the national debt crisis. He might not necessarily have to wait two or three years depending on the situation.
If he returns by then and the Prime Minister has already taken a liking to him, he will have no chance left.
He pretended to think for a moment before speaking.
"Sun Jiachen! My subordinate Sun Jiachen is truly capable!"
This guy spends his days either hanging out in brothels or getting completely drunk with his cronies!
He's the epitome of someone who just loafs around, waits to die, and accomplishes nothing!
With his ugly appearance, he probably wouldn't amount to much anywhere.
"Sun Jiachen?"
Sima Lie frowned in thought, "I've never heard of him before!"
Tan Wu quickly added to the list.
"Prime Minister! You must believe me, Sun Jiachen is a humble and hardworking man, skilled in his work, exceptionally capable, and possesses unparalleled wisdom..."
"Although he's a bit ugly, you can't judge a book by its cover, he's the best candidate!"
Sima Lie's expression was strange.
This is like introducing a phoenix chick to himself!
If such a capable minister truly existed, wouldn't he have already infiltrated the inner circle of the imperial court?
He seemed somewhat skeptical and undecided about Tan Wu's recommendation.
But Qiu Beiming, who was standing next to him, kept nodding and said, "We don't have any more suitable candidates right now, so it's not a bad idea to take a look first."
Let's see what they're made of.
Upon hearing this, Tan Wu became somewhat nervous, after all, he knew best what kind of scoundrel that guy was.
But Sima Lie shook his head.
"Let's talk about this in a few days. I'm already overwhelmed with the affairs of Youzhou."
After some discussion, Tan Wu finally fled with a sigh of relief.
The next morning.
On the throne room.
The assembled officials stared intently at Tan Wu, who had his head bowed, wishing they could devour him alive.
The atmosphere was already very tense even before the court session began.
Upon seeing the emperor approach, Wang Ziru even stepped halfway out, intending to submit a memorial to the emperor and seize the opportunity to attack Tan Wu.
Yawning, Qin Yu drooped his head and said lazily, "Speak quickly if you have something to say!"
"I have something to attend to..."
Before Wang Ziru could finish speaking, Tan Wu, who was in front of him, knelt down and interrupted him.
"Your Majesty, I humbly request permission to recall my father's death and offer my respects in remembrance of his parents!"
These words were spoken.
Every official in the court was deeply shocked!
Holy crap!
Damn it, his father died just like that, and he went back to his hometown just like that!
Who would have thought they wouldn't even give a single preventative measure?
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