Chapter Twenty-One: The Unfortunate Ministry of Revenue

The civil and military officials trembled, kneeling throughout the grand hall.

Old Zhu stood on the steps, his face ashen, hands on his hips, chest heaving with visible fury.

The last time such a scene had unfolded was during the Hu Weiyong case.

Old Zhu had worn the same expression, struck the same pose, standing atop the steps.

And then... the number of those implicated reached half the court!

The ministers dared not breathe, as if even inhaling was forbidden.

At this moment, even Zhu Biao dared not speak up.

Across all of Ming, perhaps only Empress Ma could temper the emperor’s rage now.

But this was the court, and Empress Ma was not to be found here.

Moreover, she had been ill lately, rarely leaving her chambers.

They could only resign themselves to fate.

Even if implicated, it was destiny.

Some unrelated officials from the Ministry of Revenue had already closed their eyes, resigned to death.

Yet just then, a clear voice rang out in the hall: “Grandfather Emperor, what the Ministry of Revenue officials have done is certainly wrong! But your grandson believes that once the truth is uncovered, the guilty should be severely punished, while the innocent should not be implicated.”

Those unrelated officials felt great relief upon hearing this.

Even if it did no good, at least His Highness the Great-Grandson had spoken up.

It was an act of true benevolence.

The court resumed a brief silence.

Then Zhu Yuanzhang answered in a steady voice, “Hmm! Where are the officials of the Ministry of Personnel?”

When Li Xin was named, his heart skipped a beat. He hurried to the center of the hall, “I... I am here, Your Majesty!”

“Immediately detain all officials and their family members from the Ministry of Revenue. Seal all accounts and documents. This matter must be thoroughly investigated in the shortest possible time!”

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath and entrusted the matter to Minister of Personnel Li Xin.

This was beyond anyone’s expectations!

Everyone thought some heads would surely roll today!

Could it be... that the Great-Grandson’s words had taken effect?

Besides Empress Ma, was there now someone else who could quell the emperor’s wrath?

“Yes!”

Li Xin bowed and accepted the order, trembling as he stood.

Though he wished to move swiftly to carry out the task, his legs wobbled uncontrollably.

Finally reaching the door, he asked the guards to summon personnel from the Ministry of Personnel.

Soon, all officials from the Ministry of Revenue were taken away.

The court was suddenly left with a large empty space.

Li Shanchang frowned deeply, uncertain whether he should have spoken earlier.

Had he not asked, perhaps His Highness the Great-Grandson would not have revealed the issue of blank seals at the Ministry of Revenue.

But if he hadn’t asked, who knew how long this problem would have persisted?

For the prosperity of the Ming, the sooner it was uncovered, the better.

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly sat down, his expression still grim.

Zhu Xiong Ying hurried over, gently patting his chest. “Grandfather Emperor, please don’t be too angry; don’t let it harm your health!”

Zhu Yuanzhang forced a faint smile and nodded. “Grandson, did that immortal master tell you all this?”

If not for the recent flood disaster in Henan Prefecture, he would never have believed the Ministry of Revenue dared to act so brazenly.

But the flood had indeed occurred, and it was the little one before him who had stabilized the grain prices.

This left him no choice but to believe.

Moreover, in recent years, the accounts in Jiangnan had indeed been somewhat irregular.

Despite favorable weather, tax revenue declined year after year.

Previously, he thought it was due to crop failure, but it turned out to be these vermin stealing the funds!

“That’s right! If the master hadn’t told me, how would I have known?”

Zhu Xiong Ying began playing with a massive imperial seal again.

Seeing the seal reminded Zhu Yuanzhang of the recent events, causing tightness in his chest and difficulty breathing. He felt a heavy weight in his heart. “Grandson, let’s stop playing with it. Tell your grandfather, what else did the immortal say?”

Zhu Xiong Ying glanced at his current state. If he told him that his favored eldest son would die before him, that after Zhu Yunwen’s ascension, the princes would be stripped of power and imprisoned or forced to death...

That descendants would be found playing cricket, practicing carpentry, or absent from court for decades...

Would his heart bear it?

Would he not perish on the spot?

He himself had only just crossed over a few days ago, his footing still unsteady.

He hoped this old master would back him up!

After some thought, he decided to brush it off, placing the seal back on the dragon table. “Grandfather White Beard said so much, your grandson can’t remember it all right now!”

“Uh...”

If he couldn’t remember, Zhu Yuanzhang was at a loss.

He could only let it go.

Originally in high spirits to attend court, he had not expected so many troubles.

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the ministers, unwilling to hear further reports.

...

Two days later, all salt shops across the Ming replaced coarse salt with refined salt.

When commoners came to buy salt and handed over ten wen coins, the clerk produced one tael of pure, snow-white fine salt.

Startled, the customers quickly clasped their hands behind their backs and stepped back repeatedly. “You’ve got it wrong, I want the coarse salt at ten wen per tael, not the refined salt! That stuff costs twenty taels per jin; we common folk can’t afford it!”

“What twenty taels per jin? This stuff now costs a hundred wen per jin! You gave me ten wen, which is exactly one tael of salt! Here you go!”

The clerk slapped a bag of salt into the customer’s hand.

“What? This... such good salt now costs the same as coarse salt?”

“Yes! His Highness the Great-Grandson devised a purification method. From now on, we no longer have to eat bitter coarse salt!”

“Really?”

Despite the assurances, the people remained skeptical.

“Hey! The salt’s already in your hand; do I look like I’d cheat you?”

Many came to buy salt, and the clerk had no time to explain further, promptly calling the next customer.

The people stared at the pure fine salt in their hands for a while, rubbing their eyes hard before daring to believe it. “I never thought I’d be able to eat such good salt!”

They left the salt shop, running home to share the good news with their families.