Chapter 674: Shuo Shu (2)
Not to mention the chaos in the household department, just that Wan Langzhong could not help but follow a group of imperial guards into the palace.
Qin Hu went in and announced that Wan Langzhong was waiting outside the Zhaohe Hall. Probably because the weather was still hot and dry, beads of sweat kept flowing down Wan Langzhong's forehead, and the official uniform on his back was also wet and stuck to his body, which was quite unsightly.
However, Wan Langzhong could no longer care about this at this time. From time to time he raised his hand and wiped his forehead with his sleeve.
“The emperor summoned ten thousand men to come in and have an audience.”
Wan Langzhong managed to calm down and stepped forward in response. After entering the Showa Palace, he did not dare to raise his head and bowed deeply: "I have met the emperor."
The clear and solemn voice of Her Majesty the Empress came into my ears: "Of all men, do you know, I have called you here because What's the matter?"
He had to maintain his posture and replied: "Go back to the emperor, I don't know."
As an old man in the officialdom, Wan Langzhong will never believe anything. "Leniency for confession." As long as he insists that he is doing business in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Household Affairs, the worst he can do is handle the business ineffectively. Once you admit it, it will be a serious crime of corruption and corruption, and you will be sent to jail.
Jiang Shaohua twitched the corners of his lips, sarcasm flashed in his eyes: "I know everything you did in the Ministry of Household Affairs."
"As a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue, you are responsible for selling the farm shops of Gaoliang Prince's Mansion and converting cash into the treasury. You are also diligent. You found many buyers within a few days and completed most of the errands."
"Ji Shangshu has told you not to be greedy and greedy. You rely on Prime Minister Wang as your backer, and you have no idea at all. Take Shangshu Ji's words to heart. In other words, you are not afraid of my anger at all. You still follow the 'custom' and take a large sum of money from it."
"A farm with a market value of thirty thousand taels. It's a quick sale at a discount, and if there are many people buying it, you can sell it at a 10% discount. As a result, you can get away with it even if it's 18,000 miles away. It's sold. You dared to take nearly ten thousand taels of silver from this one transaction."
"Ji Shangshu asked you to sell it again. Four thousand taels. The selling price has changed from 18,000 liang to 22,000 taels. In your opinion, half of the benefits have been given away, right? Are you already feeling aggrieved? If I continue to pursue you, don’t you think I’m not good enough to punish you?”
Wan Langzhong was sweating and could no longer stand. , his legs went weak and he knelt down: "Your Majesty, calm down! Please listen to me."
"I have my own difficulties in this position. The property of the Prince of Gaoliang was to be sold, and many courtiers sent their relatives to the Ministry of Household Affairs to inquire about it. I did not dare to offend this one, nor did I dare to offend that one. In the end, I had to pay a low price. Selling..."
"I have no intention of disrespecting the emperor! I would never dare! Please calm down!"
While crying, he kowtowed for mercy.
Jiang Shaohua stood up from the dragon chair and looked at Wan Langzhong coldly: "The right and wrong will be known at first glance. You are responsible for selling the farm shop, and there are other people in charge of the account books. That's it. You guys are so stubborn and refuse to admit it, the Ministry of Household Affairs There are more than 40 officials, and there is always someone who knows the inside story."
"Someone will send Wan Langzhong to the Ministry of Punishment, and I will order Dai Shangshu to file a case for interrogation tomorrow morning. To the dossier!”
Qin Hu responded with a yes, strode forward, and dragged Wan Langzhong, whose legs were weak. More than a dozen imperial guards followed immediately.
This is the benefit of having someone in your hands. She opened her mouth to give the order, and someone immediately followed it to the letter.
Jiang Shaohua was in a bad mood, so he sent another order for Minister Ji to come to the palace to see him. The old Minister Ji hurried into the palace, stood in the Showa Palace, and was angrily scolded by Her Majesty the Empress. Disgraced and ashamed, he said: "This old minister is useless. I can't control the officials of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Jiang Shaohua said coldly: "I said that within three years, there will be no major war. The Prime Minister is partying with the Emperor. Whether it's the Queen Mother's Party or the Neutral Party, it's all the same here. I want to look at you. Our ability in doing things depends on your loyalty."
"Ji Shangshu, I will give you a face this time and will only ask you to enter the palace in private. Next time, I will be in court. Let me ask you how you became the Minister of Household Affairs and how you managed the treasury! ”
Ji Shangshu's face was red, he was sweating like rain, and he couldn't raise his head: "I know I was wrong. I will do my job carefully in the future and manage the household department well."
After Ji Shangshu resigned, Jiang Shaohua sent Wang Jin went back to the Wang family and told Prime Minister Wang, who was recovering from his injuries on the bed, about the incident.
In the past, Prime Minister Wang would never sit back and watch his party members be punished. But now, he is a prime minister in name only and can't even get out of bed, so what else can he do?
Furthermore, Wang Jin had an issue with him before and wanted to restrain the Wang clan. Even the Wang family has to put their tail between their legs to be a good person. This rich man is neither onion nor garlic, and he doesn't understand the situation clearly. You dare to reach out at this time! Wouldn’t he become a target for the new emperor to establish his authority?
Before he ascended the throne, the new emperor promised not to fight for three years. But this promise is given to important court officials above the third rank. A fourth-grade doctor among ten thousand men is not yet qualified to be highly regarded and treated favorably.
Wang Jin stood by the bed and sighed in a low voice: "In order to raise sufficient military expenditures, the Emperor added all the confiscated family property from Gaoliang Palace and several other palaces to the national treasury. For this reason, two places have to be allocated to the Zheng family. , in order to appease the Empress Dowager. Wan Langzhong dared to take action on this military expenditure, or he was confused by the money."
"The Emperor. He must be dealt with severely and serve as a warning to others."
Prime Minister Wang sounded bored and impatient: "I don't need you to tell me this. When the emperor went to the palace to return his orders, he said that the emperor was sage and arbitrary, and the old minister was convinced. "
...
That night, almost no one in the household could sleep.
Wan Langzhong was taken away and put into the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, where he was interrogated all night.
The official office of the Ministry of Punishment is right next to the Ministry of Husbandry. People come from time to time and "invite" people from the Ministry of Husbandry to the Ministry of Punishment to cooperate with the interrogation and investigation. The separate account books set up by the Ministry of Revenue for the Gaoliang Prince's Palace were also moved away.
Wherever the officials were in the mood to go home, they basically stayed in the government office, waiting for news in fear.
Ji Shangshu is no exception.
The long guard stood outside the door, listening to his master's frightened murmurs from time to time, and his heart became heavy.
The Hubu Department is in chaos, and the Punishment Department is actually not much better.
Dai Shangshu has not been involved in the specific affairs of the Ministry of Punishment for several years, and has only been the general leader on weekdays. This time the emperor issued an order to order Dai Shangshu to interrogate the case in person.
Wan Langzhong is a member of the Prime Minister's party. What a coincidence. Dai Shangshu is also a member of the Prime Minister's party and is the real backbone. The emperor wants the prime minister to cut off his own arm!
Dai Shangshu's heart is like a mirror, but he can't shirk it. While the case was being investigated, people were sent to Wang's house. Prime Minister Wang quickly sent a message.
Handle the case impartially!