Chapter 66

"Your Majesty, this old minister still has important matters to report."

Upon hearing Wen Guanliang suddenly step forward to report, Emperor Deqing glanced at Wen Guanliang and then intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Zhao Junchen before slowly saying, "Oh? Minister Wen has something to report? This is quite rare. Speak up."

Wen Guanliang raised his voice and said, "Your Majesty, this minister has heard that in recent years, the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue have been unclear. They have repeatedly used the excuse of insufficient funds in the national treasury to withhold various expenses of the Ministry of Works, causing delays in important matters such as river defense, materials, and city walls. The people and local officials are all complaining. I humbly request Your Majesty to investigate this matter."

Emperor Deqing was slightly taken aback, then his expression became more serious. He turned to Li Chengru, who had been reassigned as the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and asked, "Minister Li, is this true?"

Li Chengru knew that Wen Guanliang's impeachment, though nominally against the Ministry of Revenue, was actually aimed at Zhao Junchen. Not wanting to get involved before the situation was clear, he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the collaboration between the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works has always been overseen by the former Vice Minister Zhao Junchen. I am not clear about the details."

Li Chengru's words were indeed truthful.

Emperor Deqing did not pursue the matter further and turned to Zhao Junchen, asking, "Minister Zhao, is what Minister Wen said true?"

Zhao Junchen stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, there is absolutely no such thing. The responsibilities of the Ministry of Works, whether it be river engineering, land reclamation, materials, city walls, repairs, road construction, or river management, all relate to major national affairs. The Ministry of Revenue has never been negligent. In recent years, the Ministry of Revenue has always tried its best to meet all the expenses, and there has never been any withholding or delay."

As he spoke, Zhao Junchen looked at Wen Guanliang and asked with a respectful and courteous expression, "Minister Wen, perhaps you have heard incorrectly?"

Wen Guanliang did not respond but looked doubtfully at the Deputy Censor-in-Chief Gu Quan and the Minister of Works Zuo Lanshan, who were still silent and seemed unaware of what was happening.

In fact, when Wen Guanliang stepped forward to report, Gu Quan and Zuo Lanshan did not join him, which already made him feel that something was wrong. Now, seeing this situation, Wen Guanliang, who had weathered the storms of the bureaucracy for decades, knew very well what it meant, and he felt a sinking feeling in his heart!

But with a glimmer of hope, Wen Guanliang still said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has been improving in recent years, and this old minister dares not question it lightly. However, this matter is of great importance, and I dare not hide it, so I have reported it."

After clearing himself, Wen Guanliang continued, "However, according to this old minister's knowledge, the Deputy Censor-in-Chief Gu Quan of the Censorate has investigated this matter and is the most informed. The officials of the Ministry of Works are also directly involved. If we ask them, the truth will be clear."

However, before Emperor Deqing could ask, Deputy Censor-in-Chief Gu Quan stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have indeed heard such rumors. Given the seriousness of the matter, I did not dare to be negligent and conducted a thorough investigation. However, I found that these rumors were baseless and there was no such thing."

Minister of Works Zuo Lanshan also stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I am honored by Your Majesty's trust and oversee the Ministry of Works. I am most familiar with the various situations of the Ministry of Works. In the past, the Ministry of Revenue often had insufficient funds and frequently delayed or withheld expenses for the Ministry of Works. However, in recent years, the Ministry of Revenue has improved and even has a surplus. There have been no delays or withholdings, and the arrears of the Ministry of Works have been gradually repaid over the past few years."

After hearing Gu Quan and Zuo Lanshan's words, although Wen Guanliang had some mental preparation, he still felt a shock, his gaze turning dark as he scanned the two men, his eyes like daggers.

Gu Quan and Zuo Lanshan, feeling guilty, did not dare to meet Wen Guanliang's gaze and lowered their heads in silence after returning to their ranks.

On the contrary, Vice Minister of Works Chen Dongxiang, with a calm face, had the courage to meet Wen Guanliang's gaze, his eyes filled with a hint of mockery, which he did not hide at all.

...

Gu Quan and Zuo Lanshan were both disciples of Wen Guanliang, and this was not a secret in the court.

Wen Guanliang's impeachment of the Ministry of Revenue was clearly aimed at Zhao Junchen, and anyone could see that.

Therefore, when Gu Quan and Zuo Lanshan opposed Wen Guanliang, the shock of the court officials can be imagined.

Could it be that Gu Quan and Zuo Lanshan had secretly joined Zhao Junchen at some point!?

On the other side, seeing Wen Guanliang standing alone without anyone supporting him, Zhao Junchen sighed inwardly but took the opportunity to observe the expressions of the court officials.

Most officials were visibly shocked; Gu Quan and Zuo Lanshan were all hanging their heads, making it impossible to see their expressions, whether they were uneasy and guilty or justified; Zhan Shanchang and Tong Huan's faces were filled with schadenfreude; Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong, the two Grand Secretaries, looked at Wen Guanliang thoughtfully, their expressions profound.

The only ones who remained unperturbed were the Chief Grand Secretary Zhou Shangjing and Emperor Deqing on the imperial throne. Their expressions seemed to indicate that they did not understand the significance of Gu Quan and Zuo Lanshan's statements, but this was impossible. It was unclear whether they were hiding their true feelings or had already anticipated this.

However, when Zhao Junchen saw Chen Dongxiang's mocking gaze at Wen Guanliang, he frowned slightly.

Although Chen Dongxiang was now considered one of Zhao Junchen's people, seeing him treat his former master this way still made Zhao Junchen feel displeased.

While Zhao Junchen was observing, Wen Guanliang also looked at Zhao Junchen. Seeing Zhao Junchen's calm and seemingly anticipated expression, Wen Guanliang finally confirmed that Gu Quan and Zuo Lanshan had betrayed him because Zhao Junchen had used some means to win them over.

Thinking about his originally well-planned strategy ending in a situation of being deserted by all, Wen Guanliang's body trembled slightly. After losing his confidence and authority, his face seemed to age significantly.

"Your Majesty, if that is the case, it must be that this old minister was misled by rumors and reported rashly. I humbly request Your Majesty to forgive me."

After a long silence, Wen Guanliang finally expressed his stance, his voice suddenly becoming hoarse as he spoke slowly.

By saying this, Wen Guanliang was admitting defeat and giving up.

For a moment, the court officials all focused their attention on Zhao Junchen.

Zhao Junchen lowered his head and remained as low-key as usual, but many court officials now looked at him with a hint of awe.

To make Wen Guanliang be deserted by all without a sound was no easy feat.

Since the news of the conflict between Zhao Junchen and Wen Guanliang became public, everyone thought that the two factions would engage in a fierce struggle. No one could have imagined that it would end so abruptly, with Wen Guanliang, who had the upper hand in terms of influence and reputation, suffering such a complete defeat.

However, the facts proved that this matter was far from over; it was just the beginning.

What happened next was something even Zhao Junchen did not expect, but it made him fully understand the cruelty of the bureaucracy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ps: There will be another update before midnight.

Previous page AD starts

Previous page AD ends