Emperor Gan was getting a headache from the crying and said impatiently, "Come here, take the Prime Minister to the prison. There's no need to torture him. Let's investigate thoroughly before making any further plans."
"As for the general and his two sons... take good care of them. Don't let the soldiers down. They've worked so hard in southern Xinjiang over the years."
When Prime Minister Wen Ce heard this, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes.
I don't understand what the emperor means. If he doesn't want to plot against the Jiang family, why is he saying this now? Is he saying this to the eldest princess? Once I think about it, I understand.
After the others were dragged away, Emperor Gan looked at the three people and said in a deep voice, "How is Commander Gao? Did you find anything unusual in other ministers' homes? Tell us the truth."
Gao Rongde knelt on the ground and said cautiously, "In reply to Your Majesty, the first house we searched was the Marquis' Mansion, and we didn't... we didn't find anything wrong."
"The treasury letter was found in the Prime Minister's study. It has the Prime Minister's handwriting on it. A large amount of treasure was also found in the storehouse. It is far more than what the Prime Minister's salary should bring."
"And the Wei family, the Lin family..."
When Emperor Gan heard these words, he didn't react much at first. How could he not know that these officials in the court were corrupt in secret? It was just a matter of how much.
The Grand Tutor pulled out a few sheets of paper, which contained a detailed list of the treasures in several warehouses that they had discovered to be abnormal, written densely.
"Your Majesty, here is the list for your review."
Emperor Gan took a quick glance at the densely packed names and felt his eyes go dark. How much had he been greedy for?
After reading it, my hands were shaking and my lips were trembling: "Outrageous, outrageous!"
Seeing him trembling, Jinzhong hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, calm down. The imperial physician said you can't get angry, as it can easily cause a stroke. Take one quickly."
Emperor Gan took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and swallowed the black pill. Only then did he feel better and looked down with bloodshot eyes.
"Taifu, you said that since you have counted these one by one, there is absolutely no possibility of any mistakes, right? What about the inventory of the Marquis' Mansion's warehouse?"
The historian stepped forward and presented the contents, saying respectfully, "Your Majesty, I am responsible for the inventory of the Marquis's treasury. Everything is here. Please review it, Your Majesty."
Jinzhong presented it hurriedly.
Emperor Gan took a quick look and was a little surprised: "Royal sister, why is there so little treasure in the treasury of the Marquis' Mansion? But it was lost, or it was used somewhere."
"Well, since His Majesty has discovered it, there is nothing more to hide from me. It is indeed for the purpose of selling it off."
“It was used, but where was it used?”
A cold light flashed in his eyes. Could it be used to recruit soldiers? If so, the Jiang family's ambition is not small.
The old lady felt chilled at the sight of him. With such strong suspicion, how could he be worthy of being the emperor of Dagan? Dagan is in danger!
Clapping her hands, she said, "Qiuxiang, go get the account book. Since His Majesty has asked today, even if it's between siblings, we must make things clear to avoid any misunderstandings."
"Yes, I'll get it right away."
Not long after, he came with more than a dozen account books.
The old lady nodded gently and gestured to put it on the table. When he opened it, she explained, "Many soldiers on the battlefield are disabled, and even the pension is not enough."
"I knew the treasury was empty, so I didn't tell Your Majesty about this. All the treasures were sold and used to build a farm to support these old soldiers."
"Alas, they risked their lives for the Great Gan. This palace really cannot bear to see them living in misery in their later years. As time goes by, the treasury will naturally be emptied..."
Taifu, the historian couldn't help but look over, his eyes full of emotion.
The soldiers worked for the court and were naturally supported by the court, but the treasury was empty and the court was powerless. It was unexpected that the Marquis' Mansion would be so righteous.
Emperor Gan looked through the account book carefully, feeling an indescribable feeling in his heart, a complex mixture of admiration, entanglement and fear, which finally turned into a sigh.
The look in her eyes was complicated, and she whispered, "I admire your righteousness, my sister. I never thought that the Prime Minister, who is so righteous, would secretly embezzle so much money."
"The Marquis' Mansion earned treasures with blood and flesh on the battlefield, and has done so many things for me and the Great Gan. Why didn't you tell me about these? If I knew, I would definitely not..."
Of course not, some things are useless even if you say them.
The old lady knew the fate of those who were more powerful than their master, so how could the emperor not know it? Whether he knew it or not, it would not change the tragic fate of the generals, which would only be a little better.
Emperor Gan pondered for a moment and said, "The treasuries of these corrupt officials were confiscated and the silver was sent to the Marquis' Mansion to fill the hole in the past few years. Sister, I know it is not enough to fill it."
"But the treasury is really empty now. When it is full, I will definitely return the money to the Marquis' Mansion according to the account book."
The old lady felt relieved upon hearing this and was very satisfied with it.
With a righteous expression, he said, "I thank Your Majesty for your consideration. As a citizen of Dagan, it is my duty to take from the people and give back to the people."
＊
On the other side, Jiang Baichuan, his son and his two sons were imprisoned in the cell. Listening to the screams, they looked unusually calm.
It wasn't long before the peace was broken. The three looked at the person being dragged in and couldn't help but wonder: "Prime Minister, why are you in the prison too? Are you here to keep me company?"
"Haha, I didn't expect that the Prime Minister is actually such a kind person. This really makes me very happy."
Prime Minister Wen Ce was thrown into the cell, his face gloomy and ugly: "Jiang Baichuan, don't be so proud. You planned all this, didn't you? You deliberately let the princess carry the tablet into the palace..."
The father and his two sons looked at each other, raised their eyebrows and said nothing.
After he finished speaking, Jiang Baichuan walked over and squatted down, his eyes burning with a smile: "Hey, look at what the Prime Minister said, what do you mean by calculation? My Marquis' Mansion is open and aboveboard."
"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, know how many people have died in the struggle to pacify Southern Xinjiang. You should be grateful to me for the peaceful life you have today."
The Prime Minister sneered: "After leaving here, do you think you will still be a general? If you had not colluded with the Huns, how could you have signed a truce?"
Jiang Baichuan blinked, his face looking calm and composed.
"Really? Since Prime Minister is so capable, why don't you go to the battlefield instead of talking nonsense here?"
"Dad, the Prime Minister is a civil servant. If he goes to the battlefield, let alone fight, he might be killed by a slap. It's better not to embarrass the Prime Minister."
Jiang Ziang scratched his head and a simple smile appeared on his face.
With a look of curiosity, he asked, "Prime Minister, I heard that you were the third place winner of the imperial examination chosen by His Majesty. So, who is more knowledgeable, my brother or me?"
Prime Minister:...Damn, this idiot must be scolding him!
Jiang Ling said gently, "The top scholar comes before the third scholar. Naturally, your brother is more knowledgeable, but when it comes to scheming and corruption, the Prime Minister is still more powerful."
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