Although the Eastern Depot also wanted to expand its authority, its main task was indeed to keep a close eye on officials in the capital and to monitor the affairs of the Maritime Trade Office and banks.
As for who the Six Ministers met, Jiang Huan naturally knew. But as for what the Nine Ministers did after their duties, Jiang Huan felt it wasn't a big deal. Even the fact that a third-rank official could marry a wife and take a concubine wasn't a secret; it was all recorded, so it really wasn't difficult.
However, when it came to the 'private lives' of some people, Jiang Huan felt that his knowledge was not comprehensive enough. He did know that some officials frequented brothels in private, and even knew of some officials' romantic escapades, but this obviously wouldn't interest the emperor.
The emperor didn't care at all who went to brothels, and he had absolutely no interest in those so-called romantic escapades.
What the emperor was clearly concerned about was whether the officials of the Ming Dynasty had truly become corrupt and decadent. This was especially true considering His Majesty's efforts to rectify official corruption.
Zhu Yunying glanced at Jiang Huan and said expressionlessly, "Take twenty lashes and get out of here."
Zhu Yunying was not stingy when it came to rewards, but he would be punished if someone messed up a task. As for relying on past merits to live a carefree life, that was simply impossible; the emperor was not that kind of benevolent.
For Jiang Huan, receiving a beating from the military was not a big deal; in fact, it was a relief. If he had been beaten, the matter would have seemed to be over, and His Majesty would have been lenient with him, treating it as a minor punishment to serve as a warning.
However, Jiang Huan knew even more clearly that this did not mean he was safe. He knew very well that after this beating, he needed to immediately focus on his work, and even start investigating some matters immediately, without any delay.
Otherwise, next time it won't just be a beating; if there's a next time, it will truly be a case of incompetence, and he might be completely driven out of the center of power, or even made an example of.
Just as Jiang Huan was being dragged out of the Meridian Gate, the Prince of Wu, who had just woken up, swayed unsteadily. He suddenly chuckled, "My lord, has this fellow gotten into trouble again?"
Wang Chengen, who was supervising the execution, explained, "I failed in my duties and was punished by His Majesty."
"We can't stand bloodshed or wailing," Zhu Yunwen said with a chuckle, "but we'd love to see the Eastern Depot suffer a setback. These people are getting a bit too arrogant."
Jiang Huan was even more alarmed. Although many of the imperial guards and secret police were also tasked with monitoring the imperial family, and even within the Prince of Wu's residence, there were members of the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, honestly, who would dare to accuse the Prince of Wu of his wickedness? Who would dare to provoke such a special entity?
We need to go back and investigate further to find out who offended the King of Wu. We absolutely must eliminate this threat beforehand; we can't let His Highness the King of Wu complain to His Majesty the Emperor, or we'll truly have no chance of recovery.
It was obvious that Zhu Yunwen was unaware that his casual remark had greatly frightened the head of the Eastern Depot, and even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared much. Zhu Yunwen was just that fearless; after all, he was upright and had nothing to fear.
It would be a lie to say that Zhu Yunwen didn't know there were people from the Imperial Guard and the State Security Bureau in his residence. There were some things he knew, and other members of the imperial clan knew them too, and even the entire court knew them.
However, unless someone has something to hide, no one will deliberately investigate. Otherwise, it wouldn't be proving their innocence, but rather asking for trouble. Since everyone's status is rather special, they naturally have to accept this reality.
The Prince of Wu swaggered around, followed by eunuchs and guards, carrying a large pile of imperial gifts. Everyone was used to the Prince of Wu receiving imperial gifts five out of ten times he entered the palace.
Whether he was making false accusations or acting out of loyalty to the country, Zhu Yunwen didn't care about those things. He simply did what he was supposed to do, it was that simple.
Zhu Yunwen had even less reason to care about offending people. He was the Prince of Wu of the Ming Dynasty, and most importantly, he knew of his elder brother's trust in him; he could guarantee his absolute loyalty!
Investigate thoroughly, and see who is truly loyal and who is truly virtuous!
7017k
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
