1013 The Emperor is angry and the Emperor is very anxious

The Ninth Prince not only arrived in Shandong safely, but also quickly opened up the situation, but there was no progress in the Ministry of Revenue. |

Shangshu Cao of the Ministry of Revenue refused to come forward, the government was in chaos, and every minister was in danger. The situation became more and more serious. As the auditors gained more and more insights, some local officials were not spared, and the emperor's face became more and more unsightly.

If this continues, no one will have to deal with government affairs and will only be concerned with the Ministry of Revenue's audit.

The emperor knew that this matter must have a result, otherwise the government would be in turmoil. He would not be able to take action against the mysterious organization hidden in the imperial city, and he would not be able to take care of his ninth uncle who was far away in Shandong.

The emperor's words are as good as gold. It was the emperor who originally ordered a thorough investigation of the Ministry of Revenue. Now that things have developed to this point, the emperor cannot just stop it.

With so much evidence in front of them, if the emperor does not pursue the matter now, those ministers will be worried that the emperor will investigate further in the future. They have to find someone to take the blame for the Ministry of Revenue's affairs and put an end to this matter once and for all.

Shangshu Cao has always been the emperor's choice for the scapegoat, but unfortunately Shangshu Cao is insidious and has always claimed to be ill and not show up. The emperor has been patient with him because he is a veteran of two dynasties. But after the Ninth Prince arrived in Shandong safely, the emperor's patience ran out. In addition, he happened to have useful evidence in his hands, so the emperor no longer gave Shangshu Cao face.

At the morning court the next day, the emperor reprimanded the Ministry of Revenue, putting the blame on the empty treasury and corruption in the six ministries, and demanded that the Ministry reconcile the accounts within a time limit.

After the investigation by Prince Luo during this period, it was found that the Ministry of Revenue was indeed short of 3 million taels of silver, but the money was not taken by the Ninth Prince, but was put into the account for flood control in Jiangnan. |

Of course, this money was not embezzled or misappropriated. It was the Ministry of Revenue that violated regulations and transferred the money before the emperor approved it, resulting in a discrepancy between the accounts and the actual situation.

After Prince Luo discovered the big mistake of the Ministry of Revenue, the Emperor took the opportunity to accuse the Ministry of Revenue of acting in an undisciplined manner and demanded that the Ministry of Revenue come out and confess its guilt. The Minister of Revenue was not there, so the unlucky Deputy Minister had to step forward and was scolded by the Emperor. He tried to explain several times, but the Emperor did not give him a chance.

The emperor had vented his anger and announced the adjournment of the court. The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.

"What Minister Cao did...even though it violated the rules, it was also for the benefit of the people." A civil servant whispered, feeling sorry for Minister Cao. As a veteran of two dynasties, Minister Cao had always been loyal to his duties and managed the Dongling treasury very well, but he just couldn't win the emperor's favor.

"Alas, the Ministry of Revenue often does this kind of thing. There was nothing wrong with it before. The money for flood control in Jiangnan is three million taels every year, and the emperor approves it every year. But by the time the emperor approves it and goes through the procedures, the flood in Jiangnan has already happened. The Ministry of Revenue did this in previous years. They transferred the money to control the flood in advance to avoid affecting farming. After the emperor's approval came down, they completed the procedures and the matter was settled. There would be no mistakes at all. But this year, the emperor checked the accounts at this time. Minister Cao is really unlucky."

"Minister Cao is in trouble this time." A group of officials gathered in twos and threes, all of them expressing regret, but this regret was mixed with a hint of relief, for they were relieved that the emperor had let Minister Cao take the blame, so that he would not pursue their troubles.

The emperor has already determined that it was the Ministry of Revenue's fault. In order to not punish two people for the same crime, all the mistakes can be blamed on the Ministry of Revenue.

As a minister, one must learn to guess the emperor's mind. This time the emperor expressed his thoughts so clearly, how could these shrewd officials not understand? Several officials who had a good personal relationship with Shangshu Cao went to find Shangshu Cao as soon as they returned from the court and persuaded him to resign.

The emperor made it clear that he wanted Minister Cao to resign and vacate the position of Minister of Revenue.

Unfortunately, these people were turned away one by one. Minister Cao refused to see them. When the emperor learned about this, he snorted coldly with murderous intent.

At the morning court the next day, the emperor's words and actions showed his dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Revenue. The ministers understood that the emperor's patience with Minister Cao had reached its limit, and if Minister Cao did not come out, don't blame him for taking ruthless action.

The officials were helpless and shook their heads and sighed, feeling sorry for Minister Cao. Minister Cao had not made any major mistakes in the Ministry of Revenue. His biggest mistake was that he cared too much about the people. But the Emperor just couldn't tolerate Minister Cao, and Minister Cao was a stubborn person and refused to admit his mistakes.

After retiring from court, the emperor ordered the eldest son of the Wang family, Wang Jinling, to enter the palace. No one knew what the emperor said to Wang Jinling. All they knew was that after Wang Jinling left the palace, he went to Cao's mansion.

Minister Cao refused to meet with the official, but did not reject Wang Jinling's visit.

"The eldest young master is such a rare visitor." Although Minister Cao was not seriously ill, he was in poor spirits and looked like someone who had just recovered from a serious illness.

It can be seen that Shangshu Cao did not have a good time during this period.

"Lord Cao's words make Jin Ling ashamed. Lord Cao is an important official in the court. Jin Ling really dare not nag Lord Cao." Wang Jinling ignored the deep meaning in Minister Cao's words and spoke with a smile. His gentle eyes carried a hint of warmth, which made it impossible to respond coldly.

Minister Cao laughed, his eyes wrinkled, "Young Master is right. Given your status, it is indeed inappropriate for you to have close contact with court officials. Young Master must not come to see me for no reason, but you are here for that matter. I advise you not to waste your breath."

"Jinling has been entrusted by His Majesty. I hope Lord Cao will reconsider." Wang Jinling did not care about the sarcasm in Minister Cao's words and explained his purpose openly.

"You want me to resign?" The smile on Minister Cao's face froze instantly, and he said sadly: "Please tell His Majesty that I will not resign."

Wang Jinling shook his head: "My Lord, why are you doing this? It's already this late, how long can you hold on?"

The emperor has made it clear that he does not like the Ministry of Revenue and wants Minister Cao to take all the blame. He also hints that as long as Minister Cao comes forward, the matter will end there.

At this time, no matter whether it was the royalist faction, the Prince of Luo faction, the Prince's faction or the Ninth Prince's faction, for the sake of their own safety, they would all want to sacrifice the Ministry of Revenue to protect them. If Minister Cao did not come forward, he would become the target of public criticism.

"I appreciate the eldest master's kindness, but I have made up my mind." Minister Cao shook his head, his face sad and uninterested, as if he had made up his mind to die.

Wang Jinling felt uneasy when he saw this, and tried to persuade him again: "Sir, His Majesty has made up his mind to take control of the Ministry of Revenue this time. If you insist on blocking here, it will cause His Majesty's dissatisfaction. You have to retreat. By then, you may even implicate your family."

Now that Minister Cao has retired, the Emperor will not take his life, and the officials of the six ministries will also speak for him. After all, it was his sacrifice that saved everyone. But if it is delayed any longer, not only will the Emperor be disgusted with Minister Cao, but even the people of the six ministries will add insult to injury.

By then, Minister Cao would be in trouble...