Chapter 142: Fortune or misfortune is hard to determine

The atmosphere in the court was strange.

The Emperor first asked about Minister Jiang's marriage, and when he learned that the wedding day would be ten days later, he nodded and said nothing more.

Then the topic changed and mentioned the excessive grain reserves in Qizhou.

The position of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was now vacant, so the Ministry of Revenue Doctor had no choice but to step forward and say, "Your Majesty, there is a huge discrepancy between the report on the grain storage situation in Qizhou and the findings of the Prime Minister and Vice Minister Jiang. The Ministry of Revenue needs to further verify it before making a conclusion."

"Well, if that's the case, then we should investigate it immediately." The emperor looked unhappy: "The major grain-producing states are short of food, but Qizhou, which relies on food allocations to maintain its survival, has too much food stored. If this is true, then the problem cannot be underestimated."

The doctor of the Ministry of Revenue could not bear such a big responsibility, so he pleaded: "Your Majesty, the position of the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue is vacant now. This position of assistant minister is not something I can transfer. Please choose a capable person to take it."

Qi Yuanchang got into trouble and was demoted from his official position, so the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue remained vacant for a long time.

The emperor looked at everyone and asked, "Do you have any suitable candidates to recommend?"

He An stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue is the backbone of our country and is of utmost importance. In my opinion, the former Minister of Revenue, Qian Qitai, is not qualified for this position."

Upon hearing this, Prince Chen frowned and said, "Father, I don't think this is appropriate. Lord Qian is old and I'm afraid he may not be able to do the job. The position of the Minister of Revenue should belong to He Zhen, who is even more unsuitable."

He Zhen?

A small clerk in the Ministry of Revenue?

The doctor of the Ministry of Revenue knew this person, who usually behaved in a low profile, and he did not expect that he was actually the King of Chen's man.

He'an did not compete with Prince Chen, but just waited for the emperor to decide.

The emperor thought for a moment and said, "What He'an and Prince Chen said makes sense, but the position of the Minister of Revenue must be filled by a capable person. When Qian Qitai was in office, the Ministry of Revenue rarely made mistakes, which shows that he is very capable."

"The current situation in Qizhou and the disaster relief in Lucheng also show that the officials of the Ministry of Revenue are not doing their job. If we select another steward to make an exception and promote him, I am afraid it will be difficult to convince the public. So, as Mr. He said, Qian Qitai will be the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

The matter of the Minister of Revenue came to an end. He An came to the palace and raised the red board: "Your Majesty, there is another hidden story in the Pei family case. Today, I brought an important witness to see Your Majesty."

"Oh?" The emperor said calmly, "Tell me about it."

"This man is Pei Zhan, the eldest son of the Pei family. He knows the inside story of Pei Chong's rebellion."

"The eldest son of the Pei family?" Not only the emperor, but all the officials present were shocked.

Prince Chen snorted coldly: "Prime Minister, are you kidding? The eldest son of the Pei family died a long time ago."

"You can tell whether it is true or false at first sight."

In the court, Pei Zhan was still wearing ragged clothes. He knelt in the hall with a limp and prostrated himself before the emperor: "I, the guilty minister Pei Zhan, kowtow to the emperor."

"Look up."

Although he was wearing tattered clothes, he had combed his hair today, revealing a thin and pale face.

In the past, the ancestor of the Pei family had made great contributions to protecting the country and was deeply favored by the emperor. Later, the Dongzhao Kingdom was at peace and the war subsided. In order to protect himself, the ancestor of the Pei family, who had made great military achievements, took the initiative to hand over the military power. It was from that time that the family gradually declined.

The emperor, mindful of his loyalty, assigned him to various ministries.

If he remembered correctly, he was the one who personally ordered Pei Zhan to go to the Ministry of War.

A few years ago, the eldest branch of the Pei family reported a death, saying that the father and son of the eldest branch of the Pei family died of illness one after another. Looking back now, it is obvious that he was seriously injured.

It seems that there was another hidden story behind his death that year.

"He An said that you are an important witness in the Pei family case. Tell us about it."

Pei Zhan stood up, took out a cloth bag from his arms, and handed it to Eunuch Xu: "Your Majesty, this is evidence that I accidentally discovered when I was working in the Ministry of War. It was because of this that I almost lost my life."

Eunuch Xu presented the evidence to the emperor, which was the severed blade of a long sword.

From the broken part, there are many tiny cracks, which shows that low-quality pig iron was used.

The emperor's eyes became more serious: "Look at the emblem, it is indeed from the weapon book. How did you get it?"

"Your Majesty, I was mainly responsible for inspecting weapons. One day, Pei Chong deliberately led me away for half an hour. At that time, I didn't think much of it, but that night, I changed shifts with other officials and went to inspect the armory again, and found something unusual."

"There were as many as a thousand weapons delivered that day, most of which were inferior. The weapons area was a restricted area, and outsiders were not allowed to enter. And that day, apart from the soldiers transporting the weapons, only Pei Chong had entered."

"He also took advantage of my position to do this."

Emperor: "How can you be sure that he did it?"

Pei Zhan shook his head in pain: "He admitted it himself, and it was because of my discovery that my father was implicated and killed by Pei Chong, and I was also beaten and thrown off a cliff outside the capital."

After saying this, he pulled out a notebook from his arms and said, "This is what I stole from Pei Chong's study before the incident. It contains all the evidence of him misappropriating government money and replacing weapons."

At this point in the confrontation, the prince closed his eyes slightly, then opened them and glanced at King Chen.

He was still pretending to be calm, just like when he was a kid, but his hands behind his back revealed his nervousness.

After reading the records in the book, it was indeed the whereabouts of the official silver and weapons, and most of this silver flowed into Lucheng.

The emperor couldn't help but think of the matter of his private soldiers.

The weapons that He An seized at that time did have casting emblems on them.

The emperor was furious and threw the account book out. "Thoroughly check the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue over the years, as well as the number of weapons cast and the purchase records of raw materials. I want to see who is so bold as to do such a thing under my nose."

**

Qian Qitai originally came back to Beijing to report the events in Lucheng, but after staying there for a few more days, he could no longer leave.

At the same time, the Qi family was in chaos.

As soon as the matter of checking the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue over the years came out, the Qi family's house was raided. Qi Yuanchang's family was immersed in the happiness of their daughter marrying into the Jiang family. Unexpectedly, a disaster struck. Qi Yuanchang was imprisoned again, and the rest of the Qi family could only live in a dilapidated house on the outskirts of the city.

The Qi Mansion was originally the Qian Mansion. After Qian Qitai left Beijing, the emperor gave the house to the Qi family.

Now that he has stepped into this door again, Qian Qitai feels complicated.

Qian Yunxi was very happy: "Dad always wanted to protect himself, but now he has to return to the capital against his will. I'm afraid I can only face the difficulties head-on."

Qian Qitai sighed.

Knowing what his father was worried about, Qian Yunxi advised, "Dad, you have seen how the people of Lucheng have been living for so many years. The court allocates money every year, but how much of that money is left in the hands of the people?"

"Officials are always scheming against each other. Now I'm giving you a chance to start over. Do you really not want to be an official anymore, or are you afraid?"

"It's probably both." Qian Qitai was in a heavy mood.

No matter whether it is the Ministry of Revenue or the weapons department, it is all related to Prince Chen. If this matter is investigated in detail, it is hard to determine whether it is a blessing or a curse.