Zhao Ji was afraid that the two corrupt officials were not yet heartbroken enough, so he brought up what happened outside the city gate.

"You all remember who those people outside the city wall came to kill. To be honest, if I hadn't arranged so many people these days, you would have been killed."

The threats were almost enough. The two corrupt officials looked pale and it was obvious that their psychological defenses had gradually collapsed.

Zhao Ji added fuel to the fire: "Now if you can atone for your crimes and confess the person behind the scenes, I will persuade the emperor to forgive the crimes of your nine clans, so that you won't be punished after you die!"

"It won't harm your family. If you speak out now, you can still win back some benefits for your family..."

The prefect of Hua'an County could no longer hold back after hearing this: "Master, I confess! Please keep your promise and spare my family!"

Since the county governor had already spoken, there was no need for the county magistrate to make trouble for himself.

After signing the agreement, Zhao Ji specially ordered people to strengthen patrols here.

The Minister of Revenue was taken away late at night. In fact, he had lost his appetite during this period and had a vague premonition.

My spirit is devastated and tortured every day, as if there is a knife hanging over my head and I don't know when it will fall.

Now that the knife had really fallen, the Minister of Revenue actually breathed a sigh of relief.

As early as two days ago, someone visited the study of the Minister of Revenue late at night.

After a secret conversation, the Minister of Revenue looked as pale as death. From that moment on, he had been waiting for this day.

"I'll go with you. My wife doesn't know about this, and my daughter is even more spoiled. I just ask you not to disturb the female relatives!"

The Minister of Revenue looked more than ten years older at this moment, and Zhao Ji nodded.

Just as he was about to take the Minister of Revenue away, he did not expect a pink figure to run out from the side.

It turned out to be a girl of blooming age. This girl had a sad look on her face and tears in her phoenix eyes. There was confusion and resentment in her eyes, and a hint of fear hidden deeper in her eyes.

"Why did you take my father away?" The woman's voice was hoarse, and it was obvious that she had cried before rushing out.

The Minister of Revenue burst into tears: "My dear daughter, don't come out, and don't embarrass others. Go back and stay with your mother..."

Zhao Ji asked people to speed up their pace and ignored the beautiful woman who was crying.

There were only a few hours left before the morning court session, and Zhao Ji had his own plans.

When turning to leave the Shangshu Mansion, Zhao Ji vaguely saw the resentment in the beauty's eyes.

During the morning court session, the prime minister saw an empty seat in the team and his eyebrows jumped. He had a premonition in his heart, but when the premonition was confirmed, he still couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

In fact, the Prime Minister has discovered during this period that since Zhao Ji became the seal-in-chief, many things have not been going according to his previous plans.

However, due to the third prince's background, the prime minister could not assassinate Zhao Ji openly.

Originally, he wanted to defeat Zhao Ji by means of court struggles, but the Hua'an County incident completely allowed Zhao Ji to take the initiative.

The prime minister was feeling uneasy, and the emperor's expression was different today when he went to court.

Ever since the emperor learned from Zhao Ji that someone was trying to get his hands on military power, he has not been sleeping well and even had insomnia last night.

When the emperor woke up this morning, he coughed a few times again and vaguely felt that his health was not as good as before.

So when he went to court today, the emperor looked very serious.

Zhao Ji, wearing his official uniform, walked to the front row and said, "I have something to report to you, about the incident in Hua'an County!"

When these words were spoken, the court was shocked.

This is exactly the effect the emperor wants.

"I have found out that the disaster relief money was embezzled by the Minister of Revenue, and the money has been found!"

Zhao Ji's words exploded in the court like thunder, and the prime minister looked at Zhao Ji in shock.

If the Minister of Revenue was caught, it would be within the Prime Minister's expectations.

The prime minister did not expect to find the disaster relief money so quickly.

Even the emperor did not expect that the silver had been recovered. He originally thought that it was good enough that Zhao Ji could uncover the forces behind the two corrupt officials at the morning court today.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Ji exceeded the task target.

The emperor became interested: "Where did you find the silver? Did you recover all of it?"

Zhao Ji nodded.

In fact, when Zhao Ji left the capital, the person he found from the Ministry of Revenue was the first step in his plan.

Those people from the Ministry of Revenue were actually arranged by Zhao Ji in order to make the people behind the scenes relax their vigilance.

Of course, having these people watching over the banks in the capital can also prevent those people from selling the stolen money during this period.

After Zhao Ji came back, he dug out information from the corrupt officials and the Minister of Revenue, and soon he deduced where the disaster relief silver was hidden.

The Minister of Revenue bought a barren mountain five years ago.

This barren mountain happens to be located northwest of Kyoto, and on the mountain there is a manor belonging to the Minister of Revenue.

Zhao Ji tentatively sent people to look for it, and sure enough, they found the stolen money.

However, Zhao Ji vaguely felt that it was too easy to discover the stolen money.

It was as if someone was deliberately throwing all the clues to me in secret.

But even if this clue was brought to him by someone else, what does it matter? In the end, Zhao Ji was doing his job for the emperor anyway.

The disaster relief funds were carried to the court in boxes, and the white silver was particularly dazzling.

In fact, before the morning court session, the emperor had heard Zhao Ji report on the capture of the Minister of Revenue.

But at this time the emperor deliberately pretended not to know.

"Lord Zhao, where did you find this disaster relief money? Who are the people involved? Just tell me directly. I want to see which of my officials have dirty hands!"

Zhao Ji nodded and clapped his hands, and immediately the guards brought the disheveled Minister of Revenue to the court.

"It is our Minister of Revenue who sits in such a position and cries poor every day. It turns out that wealth has fallen into his hands!"

Zhao Ji said with a smile, and the emperor also smiled: "Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, do you have anything else to say now?"

The Minister of Revenue knew that he had to memorize this matter after his long conversation with the man in black that day, so he did not deny it at all.

He knelt down in the court and kowtowed loudly: "I was confused for a moment, blinded by money, and embezzled the disaster relief funds without conscience. Please forgive me, Your Majesty. Please look at my many years of service as a subject and give me a quick death! I am willing to die as a warning to others!"

Zhao Ji stood aside silently, just glancing at the prime minister out of the corner of his eye. Originally, Zhao Ji suspected that it was the prime minister who told him where the money was hidden.

Now it doesn't seem so.