Chapter 65: Shocking! Prince Crawls Forward on the Ground… (1 / 2)
Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court
Someone has tampered with the imperial grain.
The Emperorâs dark eyes bore into the officials of the Ministry of Revenue. Surprisingly, he did not erupt in fury; instead, his expression remained eerily calm.
Yet, the officials standing in the front row, close enough to detect his subtle emotions, felt a chill seep through their thick official robes, penetrating straight to their bones.
Those who understood the Emperor knew that when he was outwardly calm, it signaled his deepest anger.
The Emperor finally spoke, his tone unyielding: âXu Yanmiao, step back into your place.â
Xu Yanmiao, though often oblivious to subtext, was quick to follow orders. Without asking questions, he retreated to the back of the formation, where a minor ninth-rank official like him belonged.
[The Emperor seems angry. Could it really be that the corruption involving the imperial grain has been uncovered? I need to tread carefully and avoid getting caught in this mess.]
Xu Yanmiao tucked himself further into the ranks. He no longer dared to sneak glances at the front like he used to, curious to see the drama unfold.@@novelbin@@
[But that Vice Minister of Revenueâ¦]
The Ministry of Revenue had two Vice Ministers. Feeling the Emperorâs gaze upon them, both were utterly stricken, as if waking from a nightmare. Their hearts raced as they lamented their fate.
âWhich Vice Minister is it? Speak clearly!â
The Left Vice Ministerâs forehead was drenched in sweat, his face pale as paper. The oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily in the hall, as though the very walls were about to crumble under its force. The Right Vice Minister trembled violently, terrified of being implicated, his expression riddled with unease.
[Ten thousand mu of imperial farmland, and the Emperor himself ordered that taxes be halved after the disaster. Tsk, tsk. Who wouldâve thought that the Right Vice Minister, Yang Cheng, would collect the full tax anyway? And yet he had the audacity to leave four-tenths of it behind for the court.]
The court fell into an oppressive silence.
The Right Vice Minister, who had been clinging to a thread of hope, suddenly stumbled forward, crawling and kowtowing violently.
âYour Majesty! This humble servant⦠I am guilty⦠Iâ¦â
The man stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
The Left Vice Minister, meanwhile, nearly collapsed from sheer relief, drenched in sweat. He knew he hadnât embezzled any funds, but in the bureaucratic world of collusion and guilt by association, no one was ever truly safe.
Finally, the Right Vice Minister found his voice: âYour Majesty!â He moved forward on his knees, weeping bitterly. âIt was but a moment of foolishness!â
The Emperorâs response was chillingly terse: ââ¦Heh.â
[You seemed pretty clear-headed when you committed the crime. Itâs only now that youâre panicking.]
Xu Yanmiao heard the commotion ahead and felt a rising urge to peek.
[No! Xu Yanmiao, control yourself! Donât provoke the Emperorâs wrath!]
He sternly reminded himself, withdrawing further and flipping through previous corruption cases on his system interface to pass the time.
[Wow, at least the man left behind four-tenths of the taxes for the court.]
[What a disgrace. What does it mean to âbeg while kneelingâ?]
His inner commentary was so vividly expressive that those who could hear his thoughts might have mistaken him for someone intent on utterly destroying the Right Vice Minister.
The Right Vice Minister, already in turmoil, panicked even more. âYour Majesty! No, itâs not true! I didnât mean that! This humble servant never intended such disrespect!â
He had only wanted to skim some money, not bring disaster upon himself!
The Minister of Revenue glared at him in frustration.
In this bureaucratic world, nearly everyone embezzled a little here and there. But six-tenths?! Were you afraid the Emperor wouldnât notice?
The Emperorâs gaze bore into the Vice Minister, his fingers drumming rhythmically on the dragon-head armrest. Each tap reverberated like an ominous toll in the Hall of Judgment.
[And the Auditor General!]
The Auditor General, tasked with verifying the empireâs fiscal and grain accounts, broke out in a cold sweat when Xu Yanmiaoâs thoughts turned toward him.
Without waiting for further accusations, he dropped to his knees with a loud thud. âYour Majesty!â
He crawled forward, his forehead pressed to the cold stone floor. His body trembled, and his back ached from the force of his kowtowing.
[Wowâ¦]
[He really pocketed a lot of bribes while helping balance the books. Letâs see⦠Oh, two hundred bolts of fine silk, thirty bolts of satin, and silver worth a million taels!]
The Auditor General froze, feeling utterly exposed.
[So much money! Iâve never even seen that much in my life!]
The man began to kowtow furiously, gritting his teeth in frustration.
âYour Majesty! This humble servant has sinned greatly! Your Majesty, I am guilty!â
[Wow!] Xu Yanmiaoâs thoughts only grew more enthusiastic.
[Theyâve really been creative in coming up with ways to skim money! Itâs no wonder they got caught. How exhausting it must have been for the Auditor General to cover up these accounts.]
The Emperor chuckled coldly.
Only the Commander of the Imperial Guards, standing nearby, heard his murmured words: âCreative accounting, indeed. Letâs see just how clever theyâve been.â
[Shipping costs aloneâ100 wen for water transport, 300 wen for land transport. And the food and lodging for the workers and animals? The peasants have to pay that tooâanother 100 wen! What were they eating, gold?!]
[And warehouse management fees? Another 100 wen? Even the baskets and barrels for transporting the moneyâboth 100 wen each? Do you really need two containers just to hold cash? How absurd!]
[Oh, and it gets worse!]
[Apparently, they charge the peasants a âprayer feeâ to ensure safe passage on the rivers. Thatâs another 100 wen! Are you serious?]
The naive Xu Yanmiao, who had never engaged in or even considered embezzlement, was utterly shocked. His eyes were glued to the system screen, oblivious to the storm brewing around him.
Meanwhile, the court officials felt the mounting tension, each one silently begging Xu Yanmiao to stop talkingâor thinking.
When Xu Yanmiao calculated the total figures, his mind reeled.
[This canât be right! The Emperorâs base tax rate is only 1,800 wen per stone of rice. But after all this creative skimming, the total rises by 900 wen!]
[Thatâs 2,700 wen per stone! Theyâve practically doubled the tax rate!]
Xu Yanmiao was in awe.