388-391

Chapter 388: With Reason And Heavenly Might

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Minister."

"Sir Hu."

Hu the Scholar's face was filled with a slight smile as he welcomed Minister Fan.

The officials responsible for investigating the Ministry of Revenue all gathered around and expressed their condolences to the recovered Minister. The Minister of Appointment, Yan Hangshu, was not an exception. His old face was filled with sincere concern and worry. The Overwatch Council investigating officials had carefully helped block Minister Fan from the breeze blowing through the door.

They were eager to learn whether or not the court was truly investigating the Ministry of Revenue. Did the Emperor really want Minister Fan to resign? As long as Fan Jian was in court, and the Emperor did not tear apart this bond of being milk brothers…and as long as Fan Xian was still alive, no official in the court dared to treat Minister Fan lightly.

Thus, the current scenario had a preposterous sense of comedy. The Minister of Revenue, who was being investigated, was instead being asked after by everyone and carefully protected, particularly the investigating officials from the Overwatch Council. Led by Mu Tie, the First Bureau had always been, and still was, the yamen Fan Xian directly managed. He was their superior's father, so how could they dare to do otherwise?

The Crown Prince's face turned green then white. Watching the scene in front of him, a great sense of unease welled in his heart. Fan Jian had claimed illness for many days and did not come to the Ministry of Revenue. Today he had arrived and seemed to have attracted everyone's gaze. This usually secretive and unassuming official seemed to have some kind aura around him.

He was the Crown Prince, the future ruler of the Qing Kingdom, but when faced with Fan Jian, he still had to unwillingly stand up. A warm smiled was pushed onto his face and he comfortingly said, "Minister, are you feeling better?"

The Crown Prince was not afraid of Fan Xian, and he did not care about the Overwatch Council. As one of the royal family, and particularly as the inheritor of the dragon chair, it was necessary for him to show a certain respect. The old Fan family and their old Li family's relationship was too deep. In Danzhou, there was still the old woman watching from a distance. The Emperor was not sure how his father felt toward that wet nurse.

Fan Jian gave an ashamed smile and said, "The matter of the Ministry of Revenue all began because of me, yet Your Highness and Sir Hu had to tire yourselves. It is truly my wrongdoing."

Everyone exchanged some pleasantries, and each returned to their own seats. Although Fan Jian belonged to the side being investigated, there had been no public memorial edict targeting the Minister of Revenue. He made no secret of it and sat in the dead center, not letting anyone take over his position.

This was the Ministry of Revenue. This was Fan Jian's territory.

…

…

After everything had recovered its peace, only then did everyone turn their gazes to the vice-director Fan Li.

No everyone's eyes were the same. Yan Hangshu's were filled with schadenfreude. The Crown Prince was hesitating. Hu the Scholar was cold. The Overwatch Council officials watched with furrowed eyebrows. Only Minister Fan's face was peaceful as if he never had the thought about how many this Fang Li could implicate.

At this point in the proceedings, the Crow Prince had understood everything. Fan Jian was a shameless, sly, and silent of fox.

When the court began to investigate the Ministry of Revenue…actually, it began a few years ago when the Crown Prince had stretched out his and for a loan. Fa Jian had coldly and clearly saw this scene, and then had used ruthless methods to quietly suppress the matter. No one found out about it. In doing so, he had purposely left a nondescript and unassuming little tail. Once it had been gently shaken, it would land on one of the seven departments.

Thus, not only had he helped the Crown Prince hide it, he also got hold of something big to use against him. Most importantly, this kind of hiding also hides the officials on the Crown Prince's side. From then on, this cache of 400,000 liang became nothingness and was covered up unnaturally well. So well, that even Fang Li thought there wouldn't be any problems.

Adding to it was the collapse of the Board of Rites and the Crown Prince's trace of stupidity.

Only Fan Jian was clear about the entire process, and he was unusually shrewd and ruthless. He didn't directly throw this out to attack his enemy, rather, he placed the loose thread in the wild and left a slight trace. For example, the winter clothes the soldiers wore in the Northern snow and completely unnecessary siege machines on the Southern battle lines.

When the court began to investigate the Ministry of Revenue, they found this loose thread and began to gently tug. In the, they pulled out their own belt. This was a ploy that had been planted for years.

Fan Jian did not have to do anything. He only had to wait until he was being threatened and create some kind of situation, then have someone pull on their long-forgotten belt with strength. It was a good ploy.

The investigation targeting the Board of Rites had already begun. Although after Guo You was strangled in the imperial prison, the Board of Rites experienced a huge change of personnel. The documents were in a mess. Under the strong abilities of the court's investigating unit and Overwatch Council's meticulous search, the transfer form the Board of Rites had made out and receipts the Ministry of Revenue had always secretly kept were matched against each other.

That 400,000 liang of silver had indeed been sent to the Board of Rites. The question was, where had the Board of Rites sent the 400,000 liang that had been split into 14 batches to repair the autumn examinations and student residences?

Hu the Scholar had long patrolled the various places under heaven and afterward joined the Hall of Governmental Affairs. He knew that the various student residences in the various provinces and Roads were still rambling and broken down. Many of the autumn examination buildings were even leaking rain. Thus, his expression became uglier and uglier. He asked the Board of Rites' official in front of him, "Who can tell me, where did this 400,000 liang go to?"

Hu the Scholar turned his body slightly. He glanced at the Crown Prince and sighed.

Everyone in the hall was aware of the situation in the court a few years ago. The Board of Rites had always been the Eastern Palace's back garden and did not have the daring to falsely request 400,000 liang and spend it. Everyone could guess that this cache of silver must have flowed toward the Eastern Palace. Since it has been traced to the Eastern Palace, it seemed that it was difficult to proceed with the matter.

Hu the Scholar muttered to himself for a moment then said, "The most pressing problem at hand is to investigate the whereabouts of this 400,000 liang of silver."

The Crown Prince felt his heart jump, but a warm smile was on his face. "Sir Hu's words are logical."

Mu Tie of the First Bureau of the Overwatch Council did not have the privilege to sit beside these officials, so he was standing to the side. He looked at Fan Jian's expression. He suddenly opened his mouth. "The silver did reach the Board of Rites, however, the official that handled this matter died in the autumn examination case the year before last."

The Crown Prince was silent. Guo You was dead. Guo Baokun was gone. Now the Overwatch Council had confirmed the death of the person who had handled this matter. Even if the Eldest Princess' side knew that he had some connection to this 400,000liang of silver, they would not be able to find any evidence to give to Hu the Scholar, so his was slightly reassured. Although reassured, he still couldn't help feeling a bit sorrowful and angry. Aunt! Why did you do this?

Unexpectedly, Mu Tie's next words made a chill run through the Crown Prince's heart.

He only heard him say, "But, there are always traces to be found. Scholar, do you think the Overwatch Council should go investigate the Board of Rites?"

Investigate the Board of Rites?

Everyone in the hall was startled. He wanted these wolves and tigers of the Overwatch Council to investigate the Board of Rites? The court investigating the Ministry of Revenue would clearly make Sir Fan junior, far away in Jiangnan, very angry. If the Overwatch Council investigated the Board of Rites under Sir Fan junior's control, the poor officials of the Board of Rites might not survive.

However, Mu Tie's request seemed appropriate.

Fan Jian slowly stroked his beard. His face was expressionless but he was thinking that the brain of this trusted aide of An Zhi's seemed to work much better than before, He even managed to guess my intentions.

Fan Jian's intentions were simple. If the Ministry of Revenue wanted to protect itself, it had to drag out the battle lines and pull in more ministries…the Board of Rites was only the beginning. After all six ministries had problems found with them, the extremely wise Emperor couldn't remove all six ministers.

The Minister of Appointments, Yan Hangshu, glanced at Fan Jian and felt great admiration for this old fox. He quickly shook his head and rejected the idea. "The court explicitly stated to investigate the Ministry of Revenue. It would not be good for the ripples to extend too far."

Fan Jian smiled superficially and said, "Makes sense…makes sense."

Everyone could hear the mockery in these two repeated words. Yang Hangshu's face flushed red. He knew his objection made no sense since the Ministry of Revenue's deficit implicated the Board of Rites, of course, it should be investigated.

Hu the Scholar's expression was also very pained. Trying to mollify the situation he said, "Let's discuss a bit more.."

If he let go and asked for an imperial edict to have the Overwatch Council investigate the Board of Rites, then in the end it would certainly come to the Crown Prince. Before they went to the palace and asked for the edict, as the leader of the investigating officials, Hu the Scholar did not dare make this judgement.

The Crown Prince suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "The matter of the Board of Rites will eventually have to be investigated. However, there has to be an order. The matter of the Ministry of Revenue deficit has not yet been resolved. If the investigation is expanded too broadly, it will likely be an obstruction to His Majesty's edict."

Fan Jian remained smiling slightly and said, "You Highness makes sense, makes sense."

Hu the Scholar sighed in his heart and said, "For the matter of the Board of Rites, we'll go the Palace later to listen respectfully to the imperial wishes. We will follow the Crown Prince's wishes and continue with the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue."

…

…

If the investigation continued, there would certainly be more problems found with the Ministry of Revenue. That 400,000 was just the tip of the iceberg. The Crown Prince did not believe the Fan family could be so clean in the Ministry of Revenue.

Of course, the Ministry of Revenue was not clean. There was more than this one loose thread of the Crown Prince that Minister Fan had planted in his ploy.

As the investigation into the Ministry of Revenue went deeper, a few other ministries were successfully dragged by the Ministry of Revenue under the water. The Supreme Court was the first among them. The face of its long silent official immediately changed color and was very awkward.

The Ministry of Revenue didn't have messy accounts. It had too many secret accounts. One after another of the deficits pointed to the use by some part of the court. At the end of the investigation, even such an innocent yamen like the Imperial College didn't escape.

Minister of Appointments Yan Hangshu began to be on his guard. Although there had been problems found with the Ministry of Revenue at this time, nothing had implicated the Eldest Princess and the Second Prince. Because on his side, the money came from the palace treasury. However, Fan Jian and the Ministry of Revenue were so well prepared, who knew if they would use some kind of way to harm the Second Prince?

"We'll stop here for now," Yan Hangshu furrowed his brows and said. "After we ask for an imperial edict, we will continue tomorrow."

"Makes sense," Fan Jian continued to smile and say these two words.

Hu the Scholar's face was cold as he watched the officials of the investigation unit. He wondered how the court have become corrupt to this extent. If the Emperor made up his mind to keep investigating, Minister Fan would have to resign. As long as it didn't get to Jiangnan, he wouldn't be too responsible. However, a large portion of the other officials in the court were probably going to fall.

…

…

The Royal Palace was deep in spring. There were occasional red apricot trees showing above the low walls of the inner palace. The green trees and bright flowers contrasted. The beautiful scene could only be seen and not touched.

It was already dusk and had quickly turned dark. The doors to the royal study opened then closed, closed then opened. A number of officials came then left. In the end, there was just the Emperor left alone.

There was also that old eunuch and a bright candle.

Bang! The Qing Emperor's eyes were filled with rage as he slammed one palm against the wooden table. Somehow he did not spill a drop of tea. In an icy voice, he said, "What a daring Ministry of Revenue, a daring Eastern Palace! Do they really think I'm too afraid to kill them?"

The officials who entered the Royal Study earlier were the ones responsible for investigating the Ministry of Revenue by imperial edict. After hearing their report, the Qing Emperor's rage grew. His original intention was to investigate the Ministry of Revenue and use the matter of the Ministry moving money to Jiangnan to urge Fan Jian to resign. He wanted to use this relatively open and aboveboard method to re-establish the balance in the court.

However, he had never expected that the Ministry of Revenue would be much cleaner than he thought, that Fan Jian was much cleaner than he thought. On the contrary, it was the other departments in the court that had taken countless benefits from the Ministry of Revenue, particularly the Eastern Palace.

Earlier, Hu the Scholar had already secretly submitted a memorial about the matter of the Board of Rites and had sorrowfully hinted that it would be best to not continue the investigation into the Ministry of Revenue. Otherwise, it would cause great turmoil in the court. Before the Ministry of Revenue had time to bear the responsibility of their actions, the officials of the other departments would have already started eating prison meals.

After the Emperor's anger, he couldn't help feeling a slight chill at the Ministry of Revenue's methods, thus, his earlier thunderous anger. From his perspective, since Fan Jian knew of these long ago, why did he keep it hidden the entire time? He waited until an attack on the Ministry of Revenue before suddenly throwing it out. He caught the officials by surprise. Wasn't this catching the Emperor by surprise as well?

He had grown up with Fan Jian from a young age and knew what this great housekeeper of his was capable of. He was not surprised by the preparation of the Ministry of Revenue's response. He was angry that the officials in the court were so disappointing and caught by the Ministry of Revenue on such a big ship. What made him angrier was that the Crown Prince was so stupid. How could he dare to give him this world?

The Emperor's anger toward Fan Jian's incisive counter-attack was because this "friend" was…

"He wants to threaten me!" The Emperor furrowed his brows and said coldly.

Eunuch Hong, with his face full of age spots, shook his head and sighed. "Your Majesty, excuse my speaking out of turn, but people…are always selfish. Even a loyal official like Minister Fan, in such a dangerous situation, he has to think of some methods of self-preservation."

The Emperor's voice was slightly severe as he smiled mockingly, "To use such schemes, is that a loyal official?"

Eunuch Hong sighed and said, "Director Chen also likes to play with such schemes, but in terms of loyalty, even I don't dare to put myself above."

The Emperor slowly closed his eyes. "Chen Pingping has saved my life countless times. How could Fan Jian compare?"

"Minister Fan has managed the Ministry of Revenue these years and quietly smoothed over all hidden dangers. Why is that? Nothing more than for the peace of the court." Eunuch Hong sighed. "If Minister Fan truly had a disloyal heart, he had enough evidence in his hands to do something major. He never made any such overtures. It clearly shows that he does not want to cause unrest in the court."

"He should have at least told me first," The Emperor said icily.

Eunuch Hong said in a gentle voice, "Given the messages from the Fan manor these years, the reason why Minister Fan didn't come to the Palace to report this matter was because he did not wish Your Majesty to spend effort on it…Your Majesty should still remember the news that came a few days ago."

The Emperor paused and remembered the message that Zheng Tuo had brought. His emotions gradually calmed down, and he recovered some goodwill toward Fan Jian. He frowned and said, "However, the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue must continue. If it is too hastily concluded, what would happen to the court's dignity?"

"What is important right now is Your Majesty's attitude toward Minister Fan." Eunuch Hong lowered his head.

The Emperor shook his head. "He cannot be the Minister of Revenue anymore. I can compensate him in other ways…but he can no longer lead the Ministry of Revenue. An Zhi is far away in Jiangnan managing the palace treasury. No matter how you look at this matter, it is not appropriate for Fan Jian to continue in the post of Minister of Revenue."

A sense of sorrow rose in Eunuch Hong's heart. He felt somewhat sympathetic for Fan Jian, who had worked so hard all these years. He probingly said, "There is something I am not sure whether or not I should say."

"Speak."

Eunuch Hong's raised his pitch a little and said, "Sir Fan junior is a heaven-blessed genius. It was putting the right person in the right place when Your Majesty arranged for him to control the palace treasury and Overwatch Council. As for Minister Fan, by conventional reasoning, he truly should not continue managing the Ministry of Revenue, but…perhaps Your Majesty still remembers, in the first year of the Qing calendar, it was in this very royal study when it was still vice-director Fan Jian that he had an argument with Director Chen. Minister Fan, from his very bones, did not wish for Sir Fan junior to control the Overwatch Council."

"Yes. Continue." The Emperor furrowed his brows. He understood the implicit meaning in Eunuch Hong's words.

"After all, Minister Fan is a distinguished and talented scholar." Eunuch Hong smiled slightly. "He is a sentimental man. I shall be presumptuous as to say, that no man of sentiment should be trampled beneath others. With Minister Fan remaining in the capital and Sir Fan junior working in Jiangnan, things will be much steadier."

The Emperor's expression was calm. A moment later he said, "Earlier in the dowager empress' palace, she also said this. One, for the sake of the wet nurse in Danzhou, the Palace has always been more protective of the Fan manor. Two, with Fan Jian in the capital, Fan Xian would indeed be more at ease working in Jiangnan."

What so-called ease? It was nothing more than secret defenses and threats.

"Nobility can wait," the Emperor finally said with a cold face. "I will not treat the Fan family unfairly, but I cannot allow the matter of the Ministry of Revenue to conclude like this."

To exchange the power of a minister for the title of nobility, did Fan Jian lose out or did he benefit?

…

…

At the Fan manor, Fan Jian was drinking his winter cherry with his eyes closed and enjoying the massage given to him by Lady Liu behind him. He sighed and said, "I'm afraid the Emperor will think I am threatening him; that would not be good."

Lady Liu's face was slightly dark. She knew this matter was very difficult to resolve. Although the Palace would treat the manor unfairly, it looked like the master would have to step down from the Minister of Revenue position. The Emperor's wishes had already, through Yi Guipin, been once again accurately and cautiously brought to the Fan manor.

These days, the work of investigating the Ministry of Revenue was still progressing dully. It had implicated even more people. The entire court had already become a pool of muddy water. The civil and martial officials were all fearful, and the Overwatch Council had already captured quite a few people. The Ministry of Revenue itself had been found to have a few problems. It was just some forces that had been working hard had not yet achieved the wanted result. Still, no one has been able to grasp the secret silver route between the Ministry of Revenue and Jiangnan.

Many people, including the Eldest Princess, began to feel a strong sense of unease. Perhaps the silver Fan Xian used in Jiangnan truly did not come from the Ministry of Revenue? As long as there wasn't a major crime, even the Emperor could not forcefully request Fan Jian to resign.

"The summer floods are about to arrive," Fan Jian smiled slightly and said. "The court will need silver. The investigation of the Ministry of Revenue will wind down. I'll burn some more time with the Emperor. As long as I can last until Fan Xian returns to the capital at the end of next year, there won't be any major problems."

Lady Liu smiled and realized that the master had been waiting for nothing but the flood the heavens would bring. It was like using heavenly might against heavenly might. The Emperor was not a muddled ruler. He understood the need to weigh the pros and cons.

"I wonder how the situation is over there with Fan Xian," Fan Jian said with some worry. "The money sent to the river works hollowed out a lot of his confidence. The Ming family is not so easy to eat in one bite."

Chapter 389: The Capital Deep In Spring

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The rain kept falling. The flowers in the Jingdou gardens had long bloomed, fell, and mixed into the mud.

As for the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue, the Palace was still waiting for a result. This placed a burden on the court officials. They understood clearly that whomever wanted to topple the Ministry of Revenue had to fall first. Without even needing the far away Sir Fan junior to speak out, Sir Fan senior in the capital had showed enough trump cards.

The investigation went back and forth. No one wanted it to fall on them. Who would want that kind of stupid thing? Furthermore, the Crown Prince had already been a stupid example.

In officialdom, the most powerful was the Emperor's words. Second, was the so-called unwritten rules. The Ministry of Revenue was swaying between these two. No matter how much it swayed, it refused to fall.

Fan Jian refused to resign and resolve this matter. Even though rumors came from the palace saying that the Emperor was prepared to offer nobility as a show of his compensation, the Fan family still held out. For a moment, the officials in the capital couldn't help but feel great admiration for Fan Jian's confidence.

In reality, Fan Jian was not holding out with all his might. After the Ministry of Revenue had implicated enough officials and the Crown Prince began to turn his gaze to other things, such as self-preservation or dragging a few of his brothers under the water, the Minister of Revenue had not returned to the Ministry of Revenue yamen. Rather, he began to leisurely drink tea in his manor, went to the residence to look at the mountains and rivers, and occasionally went to friendly manors to have a chat.

It was not appropriate for him to visit other manors because the Ministry of Revenue investigation was at a critical juncture. He did not want to bring trouble to others. Others also did not dare to be too close to him.

King Jing's manor was an exception. He was the empress dowager's own son, her youngest son, and the Emperor's own younger brother. All these years, he had been silent, well-behaved, and planted his flowers. The Palace all knew what this attitude showed so never bothered him much.

Fan Jian and King Jing had always been on good terms. It was normal to visit his manor. On the other hand, given King Jing's personality, there was nothing he was afraid of.

One day, Fan Jian entered the Palace and talked deeply and sincerely with the Emperor in his royal study for a whole night. He sincerely confessed his thoughts to the Emperor.

He analyzed it from all directions and believed it was best for him to continue in the post of Minister of Revenue. On this question, he did not conceal anything from the Emperor. He was reluctant to give up his post, not to zealously continue fighting[JW1]. In this seemingly simple, but really very complicated situation, Fan Jian analyzed himself and the court piece by piece. He urged the Emperor to withdraw his order to investigate the Ministry of Revenue. This was the best choice for the Qing Kingdom. It was the bright and honorable path. Such raising of the virtuous, even if it was oneself, such straightforwardness and uprightness, even the Emperor was slightly surprised.

The next day, it was said King Jing also went into the Palace. It was rumored that this preposterous King talked for a long time in the empress dowager's Hanguang Palace and even argued with the old matriarch. As for the content of their argument, no one knew.

…

…

That night, the empress dowager and the Emperor watched the highlights of the opera. As they were eating melon seeds, the empress dowager told the Emperor the story of King Jing entering the Palace. The Emperor smiled and didn't say anything.

The empress dowager's meaning was clear, it was the same as when Fan Xian first entered the capital. The Fan family has done a lot for the Li family, so they couldn't be treated too unfairly. Besides, if the youngest were to come to the Palace every day and make a fuss, this wouldn't look good…most importantly, the matriarch knew that her grandsons had probably all done some ugly things in the Ministry of Revenue. The investigation of the Ministry of Revenue had gotten to the royal family. What was the royal family to do with their dignity?

Minister Fan had always thought that the Emperor would care more about face than the officials, but he had not expected that the first to be ashamed would be the empress dowager. However, the effect was much the same.

The next day, the edict came down. Although, in order to protect the court's propriety, it did not explicitly withdraw the imperial edict to investigate the Ministry of Revenue. Using the excuse of state affairs, the Emperor moved most of the officials in the joint investigation unit back to their original departments. Without question, the intensity of the investigation against the Ministry of Revenue weakened greatly.

The officials collectively let out a breath. As the saying went, you are fine, I am fine, we are all fine. It was court that tried not to offend each other. Why make it so that parties could not co-exist?

Everyone knew in their hearts that the reduction in intensity of the Ministry of Revenue investigation certainly had something to do with the fuss King Jing had made in the Palace. Thinking of this, the officials couldn't help feeling it was a bit odd.

Fan manor ha always been friendly with Jing manor, which was known to all. However, now was not like the past. At the beginning of autumn last year, there seemed to be some problems between the two families. First, Fan Xian and the Second Prince's battle implicated King Jing's heir, Li Hongcheng. Later, the lady of the Fan family was, to the shock of everyone, accepted as a disciple by the Northern Qi Imperial Advisor, Ku He, and the marriage between the two families came to nothing.

But King Jing entered the Palace? Have the two families repaired the relationship as it was before? The civil and military officials all sighed, feeling more and more that Fan Jian had unfathomable depths.

However, at the same time, the Emperor announced a confusing personnel appointment—the Imperial Censorate He Zongwei was promoted to Imperial Censorate of the Left and added to the unit investigating the Ministry of Revenue.

He Zongwei was, back then, talented and famous in Jingdou, on par with Hou Jicheng, one of the Fan's four disciples. Because he had always been on good terms with Guo Baokun and had connections with the Board of Rites, he had delayed his steps going into official service to avoid talk. He waited until the spring examination in the fifth year of the Qing calendar but was forced to give up the examination due to the death of a relative.

So, this famous and talented individual never participated in the imperial examinations. In people's hearts, his luck was indeed extremely bad.

On the other hand, He Zongwei's luck was extremely good. That year, he was on good terms with the Guo family, met the Crown Prince, and his fame in the capital took off. Later, in the spring of the fifth year of the Qing calendar, he was "coincidentally" implicated in the matter of the previous Prime Minister's fall. In the end, he was spotted by the Emperor and jumped over layers and layers of processes and directly bestowed the title of Imperial Censorate by imperial edict.

Everyone knew that this was only because He Zongwei was a person good at swaying from side to side, and he stood on the right team. For one moment, he stood on the Crown Prince's side, and in another, he stood on Xinyang's side. However, now he had become the Imperial Censor of the Left.

Such a young figure, yet he made it to such a position. People couldn't help but be shocked and speechless. Why did the Emperor have such a great appreciation of this person?

Actually, it was not like there wasn't precedent for such a thing. Fan Xian was younger than He Zongwei, held a higher position, had more power, and was more famous.

The problem was that everyone now knew that Sir Fan junior was secretly a prince and was famous for both his martial and literary accomplishments. It was not strange for him to have the position he did today. But, what was it about He Zongwei?

Some of the gossipy officials couldn't help secretly laughing that perhaps the Emperor had found another illegitimate child.

No matter how the officials or people guessed, in the end, this old talent of Jingdou, who had long been hidden in the Second Prince's carriage, in the Eldest Princess' manor, and in the Imperial Censor's study, was finally about to officially step onto the stage of history and would radiate light and heat for many years.

Young, handsome, talented. He had status and the Emperor's approval. He Zongwei stole everyone's gaze like a newly risen sun, while Fan Xian was probably the black hole that would swallow the sun. No one would believe that last year, Fan Xian had punched this now popular member of the court black and blue.

This was He Zongwei's lifelong humiliation. He knew that Sir Fan junior far held him in true contempt. Now that the Emperor thought highly of him, then he had to do things for the Emperor.

…

…

The situation that left the Crown Prince in terrible shape was finally being resolved, although, he still had to find a way to smooth over that 400,000 liang of silver. Last night, in the Hanguang Palace, the empress dowager thoroughly scolded her grandson before telling him that the Emperor was not in a good mood. While great-grandmother was able to help protect him once, it did not mean she would be able to do so again.

The Crown Prince was regretful. In the two years after Fan Xian entered the capital, he had been doing well. He was well-behaved and quiet, and even played around with women less. However, the person he was two years ago was rather preposterous and had left a number of loose ends, which were easy to grab.

Thinking of this, he began to feel hatred for the Minister of Revenue who had grabbed these loose ends tightly and caused him such pain. That Fan family!

Compared to the Second Prince that he had hated with intensity in the past, the Crown Prince decided that within the next few years, his biggest enemy was, without question, the Fan family. Regardless of whether it was the senior or the junior.

The matter of investigating the Ministry of Revenue had already forced the Eastern Palace and Fan family into close combat. This time, the Fan family had taken the advantage. Regardless of whether or not the Crown Prince wished to resolve this peacefully, given Fan Jian intelligence, he knew that after the Crown Prince inherited, the Fan family would have to suffer the consequences.

The Crown Prince was not the Emperor. He did not have feelings for the old woman far away in Danzhou.

As for Fan Xian, because of the Ye family matter all those years ago, this was an irreconcilable hatred. The Crown Prince did not have hope that Fan Xian would stand on his side, in fact, he did not even have hope that he would not oppose him in the matter of inheriting the throne.

Since the main dilemma had been established, all the other problems were minor ones. All the past unhappiness could be wiped away by the wave of a hand. So, when his trusted aide sent word that the Second Prince had invited him to meet on the Liujing River, the Crown Prince thought for a moment and then agreed to the suggestion.

He smiled coldly and knew that that second elder brother of his also realized that if they were to defeat Fan Xian, it would not be enough to depend on their own power. There was only one chair. Whether it was the Crown Prince's or the Second Prince's, everyone could draw their daggers and fight for it after. At the moment, they had to ensure that this chair did not end up beneath the Third Prince's butt.

In the current situation, these two sons of the Emperor had to abandon their former hatred and band together. They had to unite all the power they could to be able to strike at that bastard far away in Jiangnan.

On Liujing River, the spring was as heavy as a woman's glance. It was gradually becoming warmer. Summer was coming.

On a pleasure boat, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince drank and laughed, enjoying the scenery and the beauty. It was like there had not been any unhappiness between them these few years.

The Second Prince actively extended his hand and naturally expressed his position first. He first expressed his apology for the dishonorable action of Minister Yan Hangshu, who had struck while the Crown Prince was down during the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue.

Of course, he would not say it explicitly. Although the Emperor was sometimes a bit stupid, most of the time he was quite clever. He only needed a slight hint to understand.

The Crown Prince also sighed, saying that after Fan Xian entered the Palace, his pressure on him had lessened.

The brother's met each other's eyes. Both saw the faint worry and helplessness in each other.

Fan Xian held too much power in his hands, and the old people standing behind him were also too powerful. More importantly, it seemed that now some of the people in the Palace were leaning toward his side.

Li Chengping, the Third Prince had long been at Fan Xian's side. What exactly did father mean by this arrangement?

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince sank into silence at the same time.

In the end, it was the Second Prince who slowly opened his mouth and laughed gently. "Your Highness, I heard that Fan Xian had opened a branch of the Baoyue Brothel in Suzhou. The two girls in it are very famous. One is a girl he snatched from Hongcheng while the other is rather interesting. I heard…she is a female slave from eldest brother's manor."

The Crown Prince's eyelids drooped, and he gritted his teeth. He gave a cold huff and said, "That big brother of ours. Didn't he speak for Fan Xian that day in the royal study? Looks like he is truly afraid of that Great Princess from Northern Qi…second brother, you've always been friendly with eldest brother, why didn't you see he is such a henpecker?"

The Second Prince raised his eyebrows and laughed. He didn't continue to say anything.

A warm breeze gently blew, and the pleasure boat floated slowly. The willow branches were hard put to resist the gradually warmer weather and longed for the rain that had stopped in the morning to fall once again.

The two people sitting by the window in the boat had warm expressions. In reality, they each had their own ulterior motives. They only unwillingly sat together to discuss matters.

"He Zongwei will continue to investigate the Ministry of Revenue," The Second Prince smiled slightly and said. "Please be reassured, he knows how far to go."

The Crown Prince huffed coldly. Including the Board of Rites and He Zongwei, these people had actually all been close to the Eastern Palace. They had been pulled away by the Eldest Princess and the Second Prince. Now, He Zongwei had already found firm footing in the court. How could the Crown Prince not be resentful?

He said icily, "Don't forget, He Zongwei is one who is fond of scholarly honor, and he is a true servant of many masters. Today, he stands on your side. Who knows which side he will be on in the future?"

The Second Prince stared in a daze at the spring scenery outside of the boat and sighed. "Relax, he won't throw in his lot with Fan Xian's side."

The Crown Prince said, "But given his present position, it seems like there is no need to stay on your side…" He mockingly smiled. "When is all said and done, father gave him the position."

The Second Prince was slightly surprised. He knew that the Crown Prince's words were right, but he was too lazy to offer a retort. He smiled slightly. "It was not convenient for him to come today for exactly the reason you said. Since he is an official, of course, he has to be careful to maintain distance from us."

"However…" The Second Prince turned to look at the Crown Prince. An innocent and warm smile remained on his face, but a few threads of annoyance grew in his heart. He felt discomfort in his heart to have been forced to ally himself to this person he has always held in contempt. "Today, I have invited Your Highness out because someone wishes to see you."

The Crown Prince paused and furrowed his brows. "Who is so arrogant as to dare to call me to meet them?"

…

…

"Even if it is me?"

From the back of the cabin came a soft, bright, and alluring female voice. Once this voice came out, it seemed to immediately cover the marvelous natural sounds of the wind, river, willows, and flight of the birds. It seemed to be incomparably touching.

The Crown Prince's expression changed. A complicated emotion flashed through his eyes. Dumbstruck, it took him a moment to slowly stand up and bow toward the back of the cabin. He smiled self-deprecatingly and said, "After aunt entered the Palace, you did not visit me. I had thought that you did not wish to see me."

The Eldest Princess Li Yunrui lifted the beaded curtain and walked out slowly. She gave a sly smile as she gazed at the Crown Prince.

Suddenly, the Crown Prince felt nervous for no reason and did not dare look directly at that inhumanly beautiful face.

…

…

"It seemed like we have fallen into a trap with the Ministry of Revenue matter this time." There was a hint of tiredness on the face of the Eldest Princess Li Yunrui, yet it could not hide her brilliance. Suddenly, she sputtered in laughter and said, "That son-in-law of mine is truly very amusing. He designed a trap for us to burrow into. Fortunately, King Jing made a fuss. If the problem had grown, we would still not have found evidence of the Ministry of Revenue secretly sending silver from the national treasury to Jiangnan. That would have been difficult to explain to the civil and martial officials."

The Ministry of Revenue's silver had made a round in Jiangnan and had long returned, naturally, it could not be found. Although some of the silver had been left in the Jiangnan money house, that amount was not very big. Given Fan Xian's ruthlessness, it was hidden without a flaw.

The Crown Prince's eyes watched his nose, and his nose watched his heart. In a quiet voice, he said, "Please give me your advice."

"I'm just here to drink tea today," The Eldest Princess said with a smile. "After all, you are…true brothers. Anything can be laid out and talked about. Don't let outsiders laugh at you."

She held the "true" on the tip of her tongue and emphasised it. Although it was the main point, she unintentionally revealed an intention to entice.

The Crown Prince's voice trembled as he said, "If we cannot find information to use against the Ministry of Revenue, Fan Xian…has no flaws to grasp on to. Can we only wait for him to strengthen his wings in Jiangnan and then return to the capital?"

"The Ministry of Revenue has to be investigated." The Eldest Princess' watery eyes stared at the Crown Prince's face and she smiled. "The Emperor has temporarily taken a step back. In the future, he is sure to take a large step forward. There is no need for Your Highness to worry about this. As for that son-in-law of mine, there is even less to worry about…An Zhi seems very stubborn, but in reality…it is very easy to defeat him."

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince were both surprised wondering how could she say that. It was difficult to slander Fan Xian, and it was even more difficult to topple him. There was no way to destroy him mentally and impossible in the flesh. How could the Eldest Princess say it so casually?

"That son-in-law of mine," The Eldest Princess said softly, "seems to be emotionless, but actually…he is very sentimental."

…

…

After the secret conference on the Liujing River came to an end, the Second Prince boarded his carriage under the protection of the Eight Generals and returned to the manor in the north of Jingdou. Since Fan Xian had killed one of the eight generals and Fan Wujiu had been scared home by the swordsman of the Sixth Bureau, there were only six left. They no longer looked as mighty as previous years.

The Second Prince had been bestowed the title of King for some years and had been married for many months. His relationship with his wangfei, Ye Ling'er, had always been very good, and there hadn't been any negative rumors.

In their bedroom, she helped her husband put on a thin sky-blue coat. Faint worry floated on her usually open face.

The Second Prince turned back to look and felt slightly apologetic. He held her cold hands in his and comfortingly said, "What are you thinking about?"

"Today…" Ye Ling'er bit her bottom lip. A struggle flashed through her bright like jade eyes, and she finally gathered her courage to ask, "Where did you go?"

The Second Prince lowered his head and was silent for a moment before telling her very straightforwardly, "I went to Liujing River to see the Crown Prince and aunt."

A surge of warmth welled her heart. Such a big thing, yet the Second Prince did not hide it from her. He truly saw her as someone close to his heart. She couldn't resist asking, "Why? Can't we just pass our days peacefully?"

The Second Prince was warm and considerate and did not reveal any tyrannical and shameless behavior of the royal family. One of the reasons was because Ye Ling'er's background was very deep. Another was because he truly did have some feelings for her.

This younger generation of the Qing Kingdom had actually all grown up in one place, for example, Wan'er, these princes, Ye Ling'er, and the young lady of the Fan family. The division between the royal family and their trusted families was not very clear.

The Second Prince knew that his wife was thinking of him and couldn't resist letting out a sigh. "In many things, we have no choice."

Ye Ling'er looked at him in a daze. She suddenly spoke. "In the past, it was the Emperor pushing you out, but now…Fan Xian has already taken your role. Why must you still participate?"

The Second Prince sighed again and said calmly a moment later, "If it is truly as you say, and my mission in history has already been completed, then indeed I should not participate in this matter. But don't you forget."

He slightly mockingly said, "The master you mentioned, that most famous Sir Fan junior in the Qing court, is in reality…a figure who best remembers a grudge."

Ye Ling'er frowned slightly and said unhappily, "What kind of grudge cannot be resolved? Should I go talk to him?"

Although the Second Prince secretly smiled at his wife's childishness, he still felt faintly touched. He pulled her into his embrace and comfortingly said, "There is a lot of hatred between men that cannot rely on the relationship between women for them to be resolved."

He didn't explain further. He knew that the hatred between himself and Fan Xian was difficult to resolve. The Tiger Guards that had died on Niulan Street, the Baoyue Brothel incident, those dead prostitutes, and many, many more…Fan Xian held him accountable for all of it. In reality, this was something that the Second Prince did not understand. Clearly, only a few unimportant subordinates had died. Why would Fan Xian hate him so much?

In order to protect himself, he had to have power. Of course, the actual most important reason was…until today, the Second Prince was still not satisfied.

No one was satisfied. Yet, very few knew of the hard work of Fan Xian, far away in Jiangnan.

[JW1]These two phrases sound very similar in Mandarin, hence the comparison.

Chapter 390: Spring Union

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The Crown Prince had been scolded, the area of investigation had shrunk, the Ministry of Revenue was temporarily safe, and the Overwatch Council once again straightened its spine. Things were just this amusing. Whether or not the First Bureau of the Overwatch Council could straighten up depended on the Minister of Revenue's body and angle of the ground.

Hu the Scholar slapped the table in the Hall of Governmental Affairs and fiercely cursed that all those scholars were not clean. In any case, he was still young and hot-tempered and did not need to always have the bearing and style of an elderly official like Shu Wu did. The Emperor needed Hu the Scholar's fame and drive. Only, in the matter of the investigating the Ministry of Revenue, Hu the Scholar did not completely satisfy the Emperor's desires.

From what he could see, at least from the circumstances that had been uncovered, the Ministry of Revenue did not have it easy. What made Hu the Scholar most secretly angry was that even until today, there were still officials in the court who would not let go and wanted to find evidence relating to Jiangnan.

The sound of the table being slapped rang out again. Hu the Scholar's eyebrows were furrowed deeply. He coldly stared at the official beside him. In a deep voice, he said, "Moving silver to Jiangnan? Where is the silver? Isn't it in the Ministry of Revenue's treasury? In the future, if there is no evidence, don't randomly talk about such groundless things to avoid chilling the officials' hearts."

He looked at these ashen-faced officials and huffed coldly. "Everyone, do your best."

Finishing these words, Hu the Scholar shook his arms out and walked out of the little room beside the Royal Palace. He left many officials in the room looking at each other.

Everyone felt deep regret and embarrassment. They investigated the Ministry of Revenue, and it was clean. Meanwhile, countless problems had been found with their factions. The supporters behind these officials were all linked in countless ways to Jiangnan. Looking at the situation in Jiangnan, these important figures judged that the silver Fan Xian used for Xia Qifei to challenge the Ming family was moved from the national treasury.

It was because of this judgement that they dared to so confidently attack the Ministry of Revenue. Since all that silver was still in the palace treasury transport company, the national treasury could certainly not cover it up. But, there was not a single trace.

The officials gnashed their teeth in anger. They didn't dare respond to Hu the Scholar's fierce scolding. They been told to kick up such a fuss, and, in the end, were not able to find any problems.

The father and son of the Fan family were too sinister.

It was very early in the morning, and the sun in the east had not yet risen. The Hall of Governmental Affairs was preparing the memorials for the court. The officials' expressions were all somewhat tired. Most of them had not slept all night. However, thinking of the imminent battle in court, everyone had to be at 120 percent. In the first stage of investigating the Ministry of Revenue, it was clear that it had ended with the two factions of the Eldest Princess and the Eastern Palace being completely defeated. How could they save the situation?

With or without intending to, these officials shifted their gazes to a young official who had been sitting in the shadowy corner, He Zongwei. He was the new celebrity in the court. Behind him, he had connections to the Eldest Princess and the Eastern Palace, and now he had the Emperor's deep appreciation.

Since Hu the Scholar did not wish to make too much of a fuss on the Ministry of Revenue matter, it meant that the Emperor had many unspeakable intentions that could not be successfully completed through the official. This was why he had moved the new Imperial Censor of the Left He Zongwei into the unit investigating the Ministry of Revenue.

The officials looked at He Zongwei. They wanted to learn from this young official how exactly the Palace was preparing to deal with this matter.

He had been specially placed in the Hall of Governmental Affairs and listening in for three days. He remained steady in his duty and was rigorous with respect toward Hu the Scholar and the other officials. He did not speak much, nor did he act rashly. He truly embodied the spirit of being steady, calm, and unflustered.

However, being stared at like this by the other officials, He Zongwei knew he had to show some kind of ability. This was not just for himself, it was also for the Emperor.

"It's a mess," he sighed and warmly said to the other officials. "Looks like this matter will slowly go on. Hu the Scholar was a bit anxious earlier. Please don't think much of it."

Slowly going on explained the Palace's attitude. The Fan manor's response was both clever and tough. The Palace was, at this time, unable to come up with a good solution to change out this Minister of Revenue. It could only wait for another opportunity.

The officials became silent. They felt unsatisfied in their hearts as well as faintly concerned.

Since Fan Jian's position did not change, the officials who had led the attack would have to face the appropriate consequences.

…

…

After the matter, the court officials belonging to the Eldest Princess and Eastern Palace factions began their last attack—not to kill their enemy, only to save themselves. No matter how clean the Ministry of Revenue was, the investigating unit had still found some small problems, particularly under the instruction of He Zongwei who had joined after the event. The officials gave up their shocking accusations and simply refused to let go of the small problems they had found with the Ministry of Revenue. For example, some of the numbers in the accounts were not clear, there was a small cache of silver that could not be located.

Although these were small problems, it showed that the people investigating the Ministry of Revenue were not doing so for revenge, rather, they truly wanted to find problems with the Ministry of Revenue.

As he listened to the impassioned accusations of those officials, Hu the Scholar smiled coldly from where he stood in the first place on the left row. Beside him, Shu Wu's face was full of concern, and Minister of Appointments Yan Hangshu did not say a word.

The Emperor sat high in his dragon chair. He used a complicated gaze to look at one person among the ranks of officials.

Today, the Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian, had also come to court.

The Emperor looked at Fan Jian's slightly salt-and-pepper hair and sighed in his heart. He opened his mouth and asked, "Where did that 180,000 liang of silver go?"

Fan Jian stepped out. He didn't defend himself, and he didn't explain. With his age clearly showing, he bowed and directly apologized humbly.

That 180,000 liang of silver had long been sent to the river transport governor's yamen.

…

…

The court immediately burst into an uproar. The Ministry of Appointments and related officials, who had advocated strongly for the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue, immediately hid the joy that appeared on their faces. They were confused. Why did the ruthless Minister of Revenue admit, in court and before the Emperor, privately moving national silver into the river transport governor's yamen? They knew this was not an opportunity to be missed.

In a flash, officials stepped out and righteously accused the Ministry of Revenue, pointing the blame directly at Fan Jian.

In this world, the only people with the authority to the stored silver in the national treasury were those with the Emperor's decree. No one else was allowed. Fan Jian had the Ministry of Revenue move silver to the river transport governor's yamen, yet he did not have a royal decree in hand. No matter from which angle this was considered, it was the crime of impetuously lying to the Emperor.

The Emperor stared at Fan Jian's exhausted face. A faint light flashed through his eyes. He did not seem to hear the demands of the officials in court to punish the Minister of Revenue.

The Emperor didn't hear, but some of the officials heard it very clearly. A fiery rage lit up in the depths of their hearts.

The deficits in the Ministry of Revenue were closely related to the officials attacking the Ministry of Revenue. While Minister Fan's move of the national silver to the river works could be considered inappropriate, his intentions could be understood. He did it for the court, for the people. Yet, it had become a sore point for those shameless and mean people to attack.

Shu Wu's eyebrows trembled, and there was a great rage in his eyes. He turned his head and glared at the officials who had stepped out.

The elders of the Hall of Governmental Affairs knew that for the court to send out silver, the paperwork was very complicated. If they were to slowly ask for an edict and then move the silver into river works, the Yangtze had probably already burst its banks. During the depths of winter, Shu Wu had once complained to the Emperor about this matter. Although he did not know the details of the matter of Fan Jian transferring money from the Ministry of Revenue to the river transport governor's yamen, he was certain that it had nothing to do with private profits.

Bullsh*t! The Fan family had no land on either side of the Yangtze. What good would he receive by moving silver to repair the river?

Shu Wu forcefully repressed the anger in his chest and stood out. He faced the Emperor in the dragon chair and saluted.

Seeing this scholar of virtue and prestige stepping out, the officials attacking the Ministry of Revenue mumbled and withdrew their voices, returning to their places in the ranks.

The Emperor glanced at him and said, "What is the crime of privately moving silver from the treasury?"

Lao Shu the Scholar raised his head and said straightforwardly, "Your Majesty, if you are asking about the law you should ask the Ministry of Justice or the Supreme Court. I work in the Hall of Governmental Affairs and am not familiar with the Qing law.

The Emperor gave an almost smile and said, "Then what would you like to say?"

Shu Wu saluted again and turned around to glance contemptuously at the fledgling officials. "I am of the opinion that Minister Fan has committed no wrong in this matter."

"What do you mean?"

"The matter of the river works has long been dire. Fortunately, this year, the strength of the spring floods were not as powerful as previous years, but the summer floods are about to arrive. As for the matter of the Ministry of Revenue moving silver into the river works yamen…"

Shu Wu took a deep breath and said very respectfully, "I approved the memorial in the Hall of Governmental Affairs and directly transferred it to the Ministry of Revenue, so I am actually very aware of the matter of the Ministry of Revenue moving silver."

Once these words were out, the court broke into another round of clamour.

Unbelievably, Shu the Scholar took such a big risk and bound himself to the Fan family? Why did he do this?

Minister Fan seemed to be slightly surprised too as he looked at the elderly scholar in front of him.

The Emperor frowned slightly and then suddenly smiled a moment later. "Oh? Why do I know nothing of this?"

"I am muddled by age, please forgive me."

Shu the Scholar was not muddled by age. Earlier, the officials were talking tumultuously and he couldn't stand to see it. A thread of his resolute conscience surged up from the bottom of his heart and his blood charged, making him stand out to act as a guarantor for the Ministry of Revenue. At this moment, he recovered his senses and realized that the Emperor would certainly not like the people of the Hall of Governmental Affairs acting as guarantors for the six ministries. He smiled bitterly and lowered his voice, "Your Majesty, pity my old age. Last night, I also drank a couple cups and suddenly had a burst of juvenile frivolousness. At this time, even if I wanted hold control my mouth and I couldn't."

The Emperor saw a proper scholar acting the clown and couldn't resist smiling. That thread of unhappiness at being challenged gradually dissipated.

"Hu Xuzhi," the Emperor smiled slightly, "in your opinion, what is the Ministry of Revenue guilty of?"

After a slight moment of consideration, he said quietly, "Guilty of deceiving the ruler."

A buzz started up around the court.

The Emperor raised his eyebrows and asked with great interest, "How should it be punished?"

"Not punished." Hu the Scholar bowed very deeply.

"Why?"

"The Ministry of Revenue moving silver into the river works is out of a desire for public good, it is an act of loyalty to Your Majesty. Although he deceived the ruler, he did so out of love."

Hu the Scholar said lightly, "When the Qing law convicts, it cares to understand the reasoning and mindset. A bright heart knows of the reason and understands the action. The Ministry of Revenue officials and the Minister are honest and sincere. Please see this clearly, Your Majesty."

"Oh?" The Emperor seemed to be very interested in this explanation and smiled slightly. "But the law is here. If we do not act according to the law, how will we silence all the mouths of the people? How will we have the officials follow the law?"

"There is no need to block all the mouths of the people," Hu the Scholar replied evenly. "As long as the banks of the Yangtze can be filled, the people can see with their eyes and hear with their ears. As long as they have food to eat and a safe place to live, they will know of Your Majesty's hard work."

The Emperor was moved and nodded his head.

Hu the Scholar continued to speak, "As for the officials…" A bitter mile suddenly rose to the corner of his mouth. "If the officials are truly safeguarding the law, then that is fine. In my opinion, although the Qing law is heavy, it cannot outweigh the word of the Emperor. If Your Majesty empathizes with the hard work of the Ministry of Revenue and is lenient in your judgement, the officials will recall with emotion your divine heart."

At the end, he said in a quiet voice, "Your Majesty, it has been raining continuously lately."

This last part was said in a very low voice. Other than the few officials close to the dragon chair, no one else was able to hear it.

The Emperor sank deep into thought. He knew that the Scholars of the Hall of Governmental Affairs closest to him were standing on the side of the Fan family today because they were thinking of the court, thinking of the wealth of the Qing Kingdom. He frowned as he thought. Hu and Shu did not know of his actual intentions. They had been provoked by the matter of river works, so had stood out to protect the Fan family. But…were his actions this time so inappropriate?

Did the officials with some conscience in the court all believe that Fan Jian should be kept?

His furrowed brows gradually loosened. He gazed at Fan Jian below in the hall. In a quiet voice, he asked, "I don't want to hear what other people have to say. You tell me, why did you move silver to the river transport governor's yamen without my permission?"

Fan Jian sighed and walked forward a few steps. He bowed to the ground and replied very simply, "Your Majesty, I was worried there wouldn't be enough time."

In reality, this cache of silver was one portion of the silver the Ministry of Revenue had sent to Jiangnan. The Emperor knew this, and Fan Jian knew the Emperor knew this. Today, in the court, although the officials took this opportunity to attack him, Fan Jian refused to defend himself at all. He did not intend for the Emperor to help him share the burden.

To dare to privately move the national silver to repair the river was an action in the interests of tens of thousands of people. It was truly a rarely seen righteous official in the Qing court. No wonder it moved the Scholars Hu and Shu.

He dared to face heavy accusations and not defend himself for the sake of the Emperor's face. It was truly the action of a loyal servant of the Qing court. No wonder the Emperor was also a bit moved.

The Emperor thought deeply and then slowly nodded his head.

After the court conference, the public edict was sent down. The Ministry of Revenue's deficit was severe, and the Emperor was angry. His orders for the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue were to proceed. The Overwatch Council and Supreme Court were responsible for the questioning of any problems that had already been found.

Minister of Revenue Fan Jian had his second rank of nobility removed and his salary fined, but keep his post.

It was funny to speak of this second rank of nobility that had been bestowed by the Palace after Fan Xian saved the Emperor in the Hanging Temple. As for the fine, including the salary fine from last time, Fan Jian would not be able to receive a salary for a full two years. However, he remained steadily in the position of Minister of Revenue. And, correspondingly, the deficits that had already been found in the Ministry of Revenue implicated many officials. A vigorous investigation was about to begin.

Various powers were forced to cut off their own hands and feet to prevent the deficits the Ministry of Revenue had suppressed for all these years from cutting off their heads.

The Crown Prince's 400,000 liang of silver was filled in by the dowager empress using her private funds, but the officials of various factions did not have such a kind grandmother. Regardless of whether it was the Eastern Palace's faction or the Eldest Princess' faction, many of the officials fell from their horses and some new blood, young figures like He Zongwei, began to gradually enter the court.

Because of Fan Xian and the Second Prince's previous battle, a batch of officials had already been wiped out. This year, in the depths of spring, because of the Ministry of Revenue and the Eldest Princess' battle, another batch of officials were wiped out.

To abandon and renounce became the main tone for a while in the court.

The origin of the story began in Jiangnan. Fan Xian had created a fake situation so that the people on the Eldest Princess' side would think that they had caught the Fan family's biggest criminal act. Only then did they have the courage to throw out such a pawn into the muddy water with the intention of dragging the Jingdou Fan family off their high horse.

No one expected that the silver had come Northern Qi. The Fan family did not move the silver in the national treasury. Of course, the Emperor believed he knew that the Fan family had moved it and that it was moved with his permission. The Emperor thought he knew all of the things under heaven, but he was wrong.

When all was said and done, the Fan family very managed to stand steady and the Emperor increased his control of the officials a bit more. This made the Palace a bit more peaceful.

It was a great joy.

From the current situation, it appeared, at least on the surface, that there was no power in the capital that could threaten that chair. For a moment, the spring scene was bright and cheerful, incomparably harmonious.

However, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince had been forced to, in secret, ally themselves temporarily. Although the Fan family had been hurt in this matter, everyone knew that after Fan Xian returned, something big was sure to happen.

…

…

The kind of might and power required to force two absolutely irreconcilable brothers to unite together was enough to make all the people feel proud and smug. However, Fan Xian, who had made all of this happen, did not feel pleased at all.

One reason was that news from Jingdou had not had time to reach the distant Jiangnan. Another reason was that although he could make the princes afraid to make a noise in Jingdou, here in Jiangnan, far away from Jingdou and faced with that constantly retreating Ming family, he suddenly discovered that to crush the Ming family was surprisingly difficult.

It was more difficult that crushing his own royal brothers.

Chapter 391: Bright And Cheerful Scenery

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Often there was a common point between commercial and political battles that when it appeared things were at an end, there was also a glimmer of hope. When things were very intense and fiery, who knew when it would suddenly become desolate and quiet?

As for the Ministry of Revenue battle in Jingdou, Xinyang and the Eastern Palace thought they had their finger on the pulse and had gotten hold of the best information to use against the Fan family. They attacked proudly and quietly. They wanted the Fan family's square and round crest to have a change of owner. They did not know that in the end, all the trouble had the opposite effect, and they would lose a large amount of power for no good reason.

To speak of Jiangnan, Fan Xian held the imperial envoy sword in his hand. After clearing the palace treasury, he controlled the transport company and forced the Ming family to rapidly retreat through Xia Qifei challenging them. Then through the officialdom, he successfully forced the Ming family into a chaotic situation, and, through the giant power of the Overwatch Council, he made life difficult for the Ming family all under heaven. His power was imposing, and it seemed that at any moment he could crush the Ming family into a pile of fine powder.

However, right at this moment, it was hard to imagine such a shocking thing could happen.

…

…

"My people need to enter the garden." Fan Xian slammed the table. His eyes were like hooks as he looked coldly at the person before him. He bit off each word clearly as spoke. "Sir Xue, I have already waited for 10 days. I will not wait anymore today."

Sitting beside him was the most influential person in Jiangnan, the Jiangnan governor Sir Xue Qing. They were having their secret discussion in the study of the governor's manor.

The account's master of the Junshang Conference, who was also the head housekeeper of the Ming family, Mr. Zhou, had already been found by the Overwatch Council. He was hiding in the Ming Garden. Regardless of whether it was for that assassination attempt in front of the Jiangnan Restaurant or because of Fan Xian's strong interest in the Junshang Conference, the Overwatch Council had enough excuse to kill their way into the Ming Garden and retrieve him.

However, that was, after all, the Ming Garden. One of the three major gardens under heaven. It represented countless Jiangnan people's interests, countless people's lives, and countless people's hopes.

Even though Fan Xian wanted to send people into the Ming Garden to search, he had no choice but to first go to the Jiangnan governor's manor and inform Xue Qing. As long as Xue Qing nodded his head…what Ming family…what Jiangnan gentry…Fan Xian did not care much about them.. He could not directly enter the governor's manor and raise this seemingly shocking suggestion.

Xue Qing's attitude was also very clear.

You want to search the Ming Garden? Sure.

You want the governor's manor to send officials to help? No way!

He was not afraid to offend the Ming family, but he knew very well that the Ming Garden was like a door. In the previous few months, Xue Qing and Fan Xian had cleaned up the Ming family industry outside of the door. They had tormented the Ming family's spirit but had not touched the foundation of the Ming family. So, the other side had retreated and feigned weakness to protect itself. Once the government stepped over the Ming family's tall threshold.

This meant that the battled had already reached the nucleus. The two sides had torn into each other, and it had become a situation of one must die for the other to live.

Qing Kingdom court did not care about the toppling of a wealthy merchant family, even if this family was the wealthiest in the kingdom. However, the Ming family directly supported a hundred thousand people, and they influenced the lives of many of the Jiangnan people. The Ming family did not need to strive to counterattack. As long as this situation was revealed, the stability of the entire Jiangnan area would be in question.

Xue Qing looked coldly at the young man beside him, thinking, You are the imperial envoy. After you've churned Jiangnan into a mess, you can dust yourself off and leave. After you return to the capital, there are still the Emperor, Director Chen, and Minister Fan to support you. But what about me? Would the mess at the end be all left to me?

If Jiangnan was not stable, how would he continue as the governor?

When Fan Xian, very respectfully, came to the governor's manor to discuss this matter, Xue Qing rejected the request for the two sides the work together with a strange determinedness. His words were very clear. Since it was about the mysterious Junshang Conference and that the Overwatch Council had found the problem in the beginning, and it did not involve local governmental affairs, his people could help the Overwatch Council clean up around the perimeter but would not directly enter the Ming Garden.

This was the way of the being an official. Xue Qing knew that Fan Xian did not have a handle on the problems that could be caused by searching the Ming Garden. Thus, he wanted to drag him down too. How could he allow himself to meekly be dragged under?

It had already been 10 days, and Xue Qing still refused to relent. Fan Xian began to feel the anger gradually rise in his heart.

After leaving the governor's manor, Fan Xian boarded his carriage and furrowed his brows. With his chin on his hand, he began to drift into a daze.

Deng Zi Yue glanced at his master and said quietly, "People have long been scattered outside of the Ming Garden door and are keeping watch. I heard that the Fourth master in the Suzhou manor also did not suffer much. When do we want to enter the Ming Garden to capture the person? We can do it ourselves. We don't have to have the governor's help, although we might lose some people."

Ming Garden would have hired guards and maybe even a powerful private military. Fan Xian had once seen the garden from a distance. He knew that with some small additions, it could become a solid castle. If they wanted to force their entry with the Overwatch Council people, it would be a difficult matter without the Black Knights.

If Xue Qing did not agree, the Black Knights could not enter into the wealthy land of Jiangnan.

"It is not difficult to enter the Garden." Fan Xian gave a pained smile and shook his head. "As long as the Ming family are not preparing to revolt, who would dare to hold back the Overwatch Council with my documentation for a search?"

"Whatever castle-like armed forces…the old Ming matriarch would not dare to move any of them."

His face gradually grew cold. "If we want to enter Ming Garden to take someone, there are two problems. One, we don't know how many aces the Junshang Conference had in there. If head housekeeper Zhou has the inside knowledge of the Junshang Conference and has not yet been silenced, would those aces escort him away from Suzhou? Two, we cannot make this too troublesome. The Ming family has already feigned weakness for a few months. The sorrowful atmosphere they have created is incredibly thick, particularly after that Fourth young master was taken into the Suzhou manor and has not been let out yet. The rumors floating around outside are becoming more and more strange…"

Deng Zi Yue listened quietly. He knew what the commissioner was worried about. Everyone in Jiangnan was saying that the Overwatch Council, under Fan Xian's direction, was oppressing the Ming family and had intentions to take over the family wealth, and that it was about to change into a story of killing to steal the property.

There had to be a reason to send out troops, and the court's reason for defeating the Ming family has never been straightened out. Thus, in the Jiangnan area, with hundreds of families of gentry, they all began to use a wary and irritated gaze to stare at Fan Xian. The reputation Fan Xian had built for two years in Jingdou had been majorly stained.

"Ming Qingda is a clever man," Fan Xian frowned and said. "This strategy of retreating as advancing is indeed very good. They appeared to be constantly retreating, yet we are still pushing them back step by step. In the people's eyes, there would always be an emotional bias, furthermore, the Ming family has deep roots in Jiangnan. Their ability to stir up public opinion is every stronger than that of our Eighth Bureau."

After they learned that Zhou was hiding in the Ming Garden, the Overwatch Council and palace treasury transport company's attack on the Ming family became more and more fierce. The Ming family industry received endless harassment. It had the appearance of the end of an era and looked incredibly pitiable.

"Public opinion is a very important matter, as is reputation." Fan Xian sighed. "If we keep suppressing the Ming family like this, not only will the people develop an antipathy toward us, even the royal merchants Xia Qifei contact might grow fearful for the court. No one knows whether or not they will be the second Ming family."

"What gives me the biggest headache is," he shook his head, "I don't know the situation in the capital right now. I don't know if I make too big a move, if too many people die or if the criticism is too heavy, would that give the people in the capital an excuse to transfer us back?"

While the Jiangnan situation was still unstable, Fan Xian did not want to return to the capital. After he returned to the capital, he would be impeded by those women in the Palace. This was not a situation he could accept.

The carriage arrived at Hua Garden. He spoke a few words with the Third Prince and others, then he took Deng Zi Yue and a few trusted aides into the study. He spread out a large map on the desk and began to think in silence.

After Fan Xian thought for a while, he used his finger to point at a province on the map and asked quietly, "Has there been news from Quanzhou?"

The family home of the concubine of the heir of the Ming family, Ming Lanshi, was in a village right beside Quanzhou. The Overwatch Council had found that this concubine's older brother was indeed the person responsible for running the Ming family's pirate business and stealing from their own merchant ships on the Eastern Sea. That pirate leader had already been silenced by the military the Ming family had colluded with, while that concubine had also vanished. To use the Ming family's words, she had gone back to visit family.

The Overwatch Council knew that this was a lie, but who could reveal this lie?

"That concubine did not return to the village," A member of the Qinian Unit reported. "We also didn't find traces of bandits along the way. She should have been silenced in Suzhou."

Fan Xian nodded. He had long expected this, so he was not surprised. He asked, "What is important is that village. Since it is that pirate's family home, there must be some people who followed him onto the island to become pirates. Those relatives must have some knowledge of this matter. Since the Ming family has washed that island in blood, those villagers are not likely to stupidly stay on the side of the Ming family."

Shame flashed across the face of the member of the Qinian Unit. He said, "That village is already empty."

Fan Xian furrowed his brows tightly. The village was empty? There was no need to ask for a reason. Since it was empty, it was one of those dirty methods.

"Where are the relatives from here?" His finger was still pointing directly at Quanzhou. He frowned and asked, "The shipping company and officials on the boat were killed by those pirates. When will those relatives come to Suzhou to report the case?"

Another member of the Qinian unit replied in a deep voice, "Most of the relatives have already returned inland, only some are still remaining in Quanzhou. However, the people of the Fourth Bureau went to have a look. Those relatives received a large amount of money as compensation, and their interest in pursuing the pirates have already faded. Most importantly…the Ming family have truly been good to them. They simply do not believe the Ming family would collude with the pirates."

Fan Xian was startled then turned and lightly mockingly said, "Of course it is not collusion. The Ming family are the pirates."

Following this, he asked about some of the earlier arrangements of a few of the Bureaus and received from them all some not very wonderful replies. Only now did he know that after he had chopped down the Cui family in Jingdou, in the days that Yan Bingyun took to plan and prepare a secret plan for the Ming family, they had already made sufficient preparations. They had not left many flaws.

Fan Xian sat down in that slightly icy chair. His mind wandered as he held a warm bowl of tea.

His subordinates looked at the commissioner silently.

It looked like it would be very difficult to take down the Ming family in a short amount of time with open and aboveboard methods. If they used the Overwatch Council's sinister methods—Jiangnan, after all, was not like other places—they had to consider the people's reaction. If the people really took to the streets, it would be difficult for the Overwatch Council to wrap things up.

Thinking of this, Fan Xian began to be angry at Xue Qing's indecisiveness. If the Jiangnan governor made an appearance and followed in at the back…with one of them in the light and one in the dark, with one red face and one white face, this matter might be much simpler.

Fan Xian did not feel a great sense of defeat. He knew that in the battle between the court and the Ming family, the Ming family could always only be on the defensive. Fan Xian had plenty of time to play with the Ming family slowly. His rush to enter the Ming family was mostly because he wanted to understand the Junshang Conference.

In this competition with the Ming family, he could endlessly try to knock down the other party. Even if he didn't succeed the first time, he could rest for a bit and then try a second time. But the Ming family couldn't. This large family could not lose even once. Once they lost, it would be the end.

"Make the preparations." Fan Xian lowered his eyelids. "Prepare to enter the Ming Garden to capture him."

…

…

Deng Zi Yue hesitated for a while then said, "We're not waiting for the governor to express his stance?"

Fan Xian smiled coldly. "When I do things, I've never liked to follow in other people's footsteps. I've waited 10 days. That is giving Xue Qing enough face. If I make my move at this time, he would not blame me for being ruthless."

"What about talk by the people of Jiangnan?"

"Talk? Saying that I am oppressing the Ming family? I am going to enter gently. I am not going to hit a single person or kill a single person. How have I oppressed them?" The trace of a smile was revealed on Fan Xian's face. "Besides, I have thought it through. If such a thing as a reputation is destroyed in Jiangnan, I'll just slowly pick it up later."

Fan Xian waited for 10 days. It was not that he did not have the confidence of entering the Ming Garden to capture Zhou or not giving considerations to the talk, it was also not to wait for Xue Qing to express his stance, he was waiting for new from Jingdou.

After the palace treasury bidding, he knew that the Eldest Princess faction in Jingdou would attack the Ministry of Revenue. He was waiting for the result of this matter.

Although the matter was in Jiangnan, the head was in Jingdou. Each day that the situation in Jingdou was unclear, it was difficult for Fan Xian in Jiangnan to strike.

The next day, the birds on the tip of the willow branches cried out randomly. Three quick horses sped into Suzhou under the cover of the dawn. The garrisons guarding the city knew they were the Overwatch Council's secret spies and did not dare to stop them.

Horse hooves thundered and rushed to Hua Garden. Someone had already come out to lead the three horses into the garden.

This was the Overwatch Council's quickest messaging route. It was countless times faster than Qing Kingdom's express post horse.

Fan Xian held the council report from Mu Tie in the capital and felt some joy. He knew that the result of the matter was as he had expected. The Ministry of Revenue was fine, while the Eldest Princess' side suffered a major loss.

Only when he read the details, he understood that the Emperor intended to use this opportunity to have the Fan family in Jingdou retreat from the stage. The slight smile on his face immediately became serious.

He didn't have time to consider his father's matter. Fan Xian shook his head and said to the Overwatch Council official beside him, who was long ready to receive his orders, "Enter the Ming Garden and take him."

Once the Overwatch Council official left with his orders, from the various offices around Suzhou came out a number of officials. The sound of horses' hooves shattered the quiet of the morning. Leaving the city, more than 40 Overwatch Council Fourth Bureau officials rode out under Deng Zi Yue's leadership. Openly and publicly they headed toward Ming Garden.

"Be careful," Fan Xian turned and said warmly. "No one knows what kind of people the Junshang Conference has left in Jiangnan."

Haitang's hands were stuffed in the big pockets of her floral clothes. She tilted her head and smiled.

…

…

In the early hours of the morning, in the outskirts of Suzhou, the early rising birds sang a bit and then returned to sleep again in the trees. It was very quiet around the official road, particularly around the beautiful and expansive Ming Garden. They could faintly hear the sound of water being poured for face washing and teeth brushing. Everything was just like how it usually was.

On the road, there suddenly came dozens of riders. The people on the horses were wearing the Overwatch Council's official robes.

As the dozens of riders vigorously arrived outside of Ming Garden, the spies hidden around the garden responsible for surveillance came down from the trees and out from behind the mountain. Some of them mixed in with their colleagues who had come to search the garden, while other quietly disappeared without a trace.

Deng Zi Yue's face was serious as he rode his horse up to the Ming Garden's main door. He flipped off the horse, and his subordinates behind followed in one uniform movement.

Ming Garden was silent like a shy virgin, but Deng Zi Yue could clearly see the soul-devouring flashes of metallic light behind the low wall. On some of the high points to the left, he could also see longbows and crossbows.

The other party had already laid down heavy defenses in waiting. If they fired together, not one of the dozens of Overwatch Council officials would probably be able to return alive.

Deng Zi Yue's expression did not change. He believed in the commissioner's judgement. Although the Ming family were bandits at heart, when faced with such a big bandit like the Overwatch Council, they would not be so stupid as to actively fight with fire.

As expected, the main door of the Ming Garden was slowly pulled open. With both eyes bloodshot and looking like he had not slept all night, the young master of the Ming family, Ming Lanshi, respectfully stood beside the door. He spread his right hand and said, "Everyone, please come in."