99: The final cut

"Absurd, simply absurd!"

Shen Xian slammed the table after reading the interrogation records, his voice raised significantly: "What does Zhou Chutian think the Daxing Dynasty is? And what does he think this world is?"

Mo Yingqi sat to the side without a word, merely looking at the records in his hand with a slight frown. The Jiangsu and Zhejiang region was wealthy; excluding the fact that it had fewer fields compared to other provinces, it controlled the entire region's waterways, salt routes, and silk production.

Especially silk. In recent years, the Daxing Dynasty had widely opened up trade with foreign countries, and silk was regarded as a precious treasure by many foreign merchants. If the cost of a bolt of silk was twenty taels of silver, selling it to overseas merchants could at least double the price, and that was only for low-quality silk.

If it were extremely exquisite, high-quality silk, the price would be even higher. Therefore, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Weaving Bureau was not only a lucrative post for the Daxing Dynasty but also a threshold for strictly controlling the quality of silk.

However, since Zhou Chutian had reached the pinnacle of officialdom, this position had changed hands four times, and every incumbent was his person. All the textile mills in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region obeyed the Weaving Bureau's commands. Zhou Chutian's Disciples not only forcibly requisitioned farmland to convert into mulberry fields for sericulture but also operated twelve hours a day in two shifts.

"Apart from the silk delivered to foreign merchants, they also produced silk from the mulberry fields they privately requisitioned, then handed it over to weavers to produce silk privately." Shen Xian laughed in extreme anger. "Not to mention how much silver they have secretly embezzled from the waterways, salt routes, and tea trade over the years."

"That Zhou Chutian is nominally the leader of the Righteous Officials and the head of all officials, yet in secret, he accumulates wealth on such a massive scale and treats the court's laws as nothing. What exactly is he trying to do?"

Mo Yingqi put down the records in his hand and then said softly: "Granduncle, don't be anxious. Actually, this is all within expectations, isn't it?"

"That may be so, but I just can't wrap my head around it!" Shen Xian sat back in his chair, though his chest was still heaving violently. "For these years, the Partridge Sky has been watching his Zhou Residence, as well as everyone in his Zhou family. Although he accumulates wealth, he has neither privately hoarded grain and troops, nor have I seen his Zhou family's expenses be particularly outrageous..."

Speaking of this, Shen Xian suddenly stopped. Then, he turned to look at the attendant beside him: "Send a letter back to the capital immediately and inform The Emperor that the situation in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region is likely just a part of it; Zhou Chutian probably has plenty of other funds recorded in other provinces!"

"Granduncle, no offense intended, but I fear you are still not watching closely enough." Mo Yingqi sighed, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "It's not that the people of the Partridge Sky are incompetent, but many things are actually not even recorded by the Pacification Bureau. At least regarding the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau, there wasn't a single record in the files I've seen."

"There is no help for it. A grand secretary of two dynasties, with deep roots—the Pacification Bureau might not even fully know his affairs in the capital, let alone in the provinces." Shen Xian picked up the tea bowl in front of him, took a sip, and then continued. "I fear that many of the Pacification Bureau's outposts in the provinces have already been bought off by him, or are simply his people."

"What now? Is this evidence not enough?" Mo Yingqi asked curiously. "Even if we don't know what use he has for hoarding so much wealth, in any case, with so many crimes, isn't it enough to pull him down from his horse?"

"Not enough."

When Shen Xian answered Mo Yingqi, there was almost no hesitation or doubt. He even looked up into Mo Yingqi's eyes and slowly said: "It looks like The Emperor has won these two times, but you know that nowadays, besides the Ministry of War, the other five of the Six Ministries are almost paralyzed. Not long ago, there was heavy rain in the south, and The Emperor issued a decree for the Ministry of Revenue to allocate silver, but the Ministry of Revenue spent three days just verifying the accounts."

"Isn't that nonsense?" Mo Yingqi couldn't help but speak up. "Since the founding of our dynasty, the Taizu Emperor has been extremely attentive to the duties of the Six Ministries. Whenever it involved the court deploying troops or the outbreak of natural disasters, the allocation of silver and food was almost verified on the same day and disbursed on the same day. I have been at the Pacification Bureau for some time, and all the movements of the Six Ministries are extremely clear and orderly in official business. The treasury's expenses and income are neat and orderly; how could it possibly take three days to reconcile accounts?"

"This is Zhou Chutian's ability. Not to mention the provinces, just within the Six Ministries, apart from the Ministry of War which is under my command, the other five ministries are filled with his confidants and Disciples." Shen Xian looked helpless as he said this. "Even if the silver is disbursed as usual, when it actually reaches the lower levels, he has plenty of ways to hold up this disaster relief fund. The Late Emperor tried to restrict him slightly back then, and he used similar tactics. There is nothing to be surprised about."

"Then what about the disaster victims? Are they not human?"

"What do you think? Son-in-law, you should know that Zhou Chutian has never cared about how many people die. If one dies, or a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand or a hundred thousand, to him, they are nothing more than numbers in a file." Shen Xian sighed. "I once submitted a secret memorial to The Emperor: if The Emperor is truly in a difficult position, why not just trick him into the palace and then... kill him."

Mo Yingqi did not speak. It was easy to imagine that killing him was definitely not feasible. Especially since Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning had already mentioned it—this old guy is not only cautious but also hides a master in his Zhou Residence.

An unparalleled master who can match my master, Nangong Wumeng—with such a person guarding, I fear that no matter how many assassins go, it will be in vain. As for detaining him in the palace to kill him, that is feasible, but... can it really be done?

"Of course that's impossible, right?"

Luo Yongan's embroidery hand suddenly stopped. She looked up at Luo Yongning opposite her, looking like she couldn't be bothered with her: "Why are you still asking me such strange questions today? That Old Scoundrel is not stupid. The moment Father Emperor kills him, I fear the whole world will know that the new Emperor ascended the throne and executed a high-ranking official without cause."

"Yongning, the tricks in the court are not the things we do in private, where if you kill someone, they are dead. If it were really that simple, the Late Emperor wouldn't have been unable to remove his old friend's position until his death. Pulling one hair affects the whole body. He certainly needs to be taken down, but he must be made to step down without any grievances, otherwise..."

Whenever Luo Yongan thought of this, she actually had great dissatisfaction with her Imperial Grandfather. If he hadn't relied too heavily on Zhou Chutian back then, allowing him to hold power over the court and nourishing his ambition and desires, he wouldn't have dumped such a hot potato on her father.

"That the world's troops can be held in Father Emperor's hands is already due to Maternal Grandfather and his family exhausting their efforts. Plus, the most promising Xu Family has been gradually declining since the previous generation, and their descendants are too incompetent." Luo Yongan said while lowering her head to continue embroidering. "Have you thought about it? If the Xu Family were capable and could rival our Maternal Grandfather's family in military power, then I fear the current situation would be even more troublesome."

"Some people always think that imperial power is absolute. In a sense, they are not wrong; an emperor can indeed speak with authority, make a single word allow many people to soar to success, or make many people lose their heads. But an emperor is not a god. The so-called 'one word' and how things happen often require people below to do it; it requires ministers and civil and military officials to execute it."

"So, the difficulty in solving Zhou Chutian lies here. The Partridge Sky is not unable to find the whereabouts of his wealth; it's just that they haven't told Granduncle yet, only informed Father Emperor. After all, what Granduncle needs to deal with now is the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region. As long as this wealthy land is peaceful, the rest can be put down and dealt with slowly."

Luo Yongning nodded. Although she was smart, she was not as meticulous as her sister and did not understand the art of power as well.

"Sister, I understand what you said, but where exactly does he use this money?" Luo Yongning was still a bit curious. "You are the one dealing with intelligence, so I don't know much, but this Old Scoundrel is not a person who likes luxury. Although the Zhou Residence's expenses are not small, they are within reason. With so much silver... the Old Scoundrel must have a place to spend it, right?"

"Human hearts."

Luo Yongan's needle and thread paused for a moment, then she continued to embroider along the pattern: "Zhou Chutian accumulates wealth, but it is soon distributed, given to his Disciples and confidants. Over the years, he has sent people everywhere to keep an eye on young talents preparing for the imperial examinations, catering to their preferences. If they lack money, he gives money; if they lack things, he gives things; if they lack women, he will spend money to find them a good match and let them marry."

"In this world, people bustle and jostle, all for the sake of profit. Why do you think those people are so obedient to him and do things for him? Because he is truly willing to give silver and willing to spend silver. Hah, although we shouldn't be the ones saying this, the Partridge Sky can accumulate wealth by doing business and dealing in the underworld, but he has never been like him—sucking the blood of the common people and then using this wealth to buy people's hearts."

Luo Yongan hated Zhou Chutian. Firstly, because he indeed deserved to die, and secondly, because this person only cared about his own power. Even his talent and his strategy were primarily used to serve his position as the number one powerful minister in the world.

The most important thing is that if it weren't for him, Mo Yingqi wouldn't have to think about revenge now, thinking about how to pull this Old Scoundrel down from his horse, but should be accompanying her and Luo Yongning every day, never leaving her side!

"This question is not urgent to discuss now. The immediate priority is the matter at hand." Luo Yongan put the needlework in her hand aside. "Yingqi is still at the Governor's Office, dealing with the follow-up matters with Granduncle, so I fear he will be back even later... Aunt Ying Hong, where did Zhang Jiawen go?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, after Zhang Jiawen confessed, he was escorted into the jail." Aunt Ying Hong reported truthfully. "Right now, I fear he has already been locked in the cell."

"Hah, this final blade should be delivered to him." Luo Yongan stood up slowly. "Yongning, have our people brought that Dancer over?"

"She has already entered the city. Zhang Jiawen is now a prisoner, and at that time, he was pressured by Yingqi and Granduncle to the point of mental tension, so he naturally had no time to worry about her movements." Luo Yongning smiled. "But sister, the Grand Empress Dowager sent word that she hopes we will take Yingqi to the nunnery to visit, and when we return to the capital, she wants us to go back with her..."

"After Yingqi returns, prepare to set off tomorrow to see the Grand Empress Dowager." Luo Yongan sat in the seat beside her sister. "The Grand Empress Dowager is very good to you and me, and over the years, she has been secretly helping Father Emperor, this son without any blood relationship. She has also been the one forcing the protection of Father Emperor's ascension. As a grandmother, compared to that biological grandmother who passed away early, the Grand Empress Dowager has contributed much, much more."

"Yes, but if the Grand Empress Dowager summons us, what about this side?"

Luo Yongning did not care about the Grand Empress Dowager's summons. Even if she didn't say it, they would go. Of course, when to go... that's a bit hard to say.

"Rest assured, today we will probably see the outcome." A flash of scarlet passed through Luo Yongan's eyes. "If we speak of hatred for Zhang Jiawen in this world, I fear even Yingqi is not as much as that Dancer, right?"

"Sister, I don't understand, why did she still give birth to a son with Zhang Jiawen? I heard that the child is indeed of the Zhang family's bloodline..." Luo Yongning was a bit confused when she heard this. "What is she planning?"

"When I first approached her, I didn't think that much. I just wanted to know about her family's affairs from her, but I didn't expect that this woman is even more terrifying than I thought."

Luo Yongan said this, but her tone was full of an inexplicable sense of excitement: "Do you know what the first sentence she said to me was? She said, can I help her get close to Zhang Jiawen? She wants to kill him with her own hands. Actually, this is not difficult, but I thought it would be more satisfying for Yingqi to solve it himself, so I didn't agree. She asked me, and I told her frankly that my man wants to take revenge on him."

"But do you know how she answered me? She told me that she is willing to get close to Zhang Jiawen, willing to give birth to a child for him, and then when he is down and out, when he finally thinks that this child is the last incense of his Zhang family, she will kill this child... with her own hands, right in front of him."

"Huh? Hahahaha!"

After a brief surprise, there was Luo Yongning's unbridled laughter. She didn't think this plan was crazy; after all, whether it was her or Luo Yongan, they were both crazy people whose brains were not normal.

"I was also very surprised, but she is very serious. And, over the years, many of the Zhang family's affairs have been passed to me by her." Luo Yongan said while getting up, taking out a small booklet from her luggage. "This Zhang Jiawen is not as clean as he appears. He has even accumulated quite a bit of silver in secret. If it weren't for Granduncle suddenly descending on the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region this time, I fear he would have even abandoned his sickly eldest son and smuggled himself overseas with that Dancer and his illegitimate child."

"It's a pity, Granduncle coming to the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region was my suggestion to Father Emperor, and Father Emperor also had the idea of having someone trustworthy come to the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region to rectify things. From the very beginning, once this blade was unsheathed, it would definitely draw blood."

"I am quite curious, when the Dancer goes to the prison later and really kills the child in front of him, can Zhang Jiawen... still maintain his current rationality?"

(Returned a bit late, so two chapters were combined into one. Tomorrow, I will resume one chapter a day. Sorry, sorry.)