Chapter 40: Striking Directly at the Enemy Command

Xue Minglun found himself increasingly unable to comprehend his distant nephew, Xue Huai.

For a long time, Xue Huai had been regarded as the most thorns-in-the-side rebel within the court. Yet, in the eyes of Xue Minglun and other high-ranking core members of the Ning Faction, Xue Huai's various actions were merely the naive arrogance of a bookish scholar—to put it bluntly, he was blindly flailing about like a headless fly.

He possessed no clear understanding of the court's political landscape, was terribly stubborn, and refused to listen to the admonitions of Shen Wang and others. Without solid evidence and relying solely on hearsay, he frequently launched impeachments against officials of the Ning Faction. One must remember that even the censors of the Censorate would not dare to act in such a manner.

Initially, the Emperor would commend his loyalty, but Xue Huai failed to know when to stop, causing most of his subsequent memorial submissions to sink into the sea without a trace.

During this phase, Xue Minglun had never taken Xue Huai seriously, which was why he forbade his subordinates from taking retaliatory action against him. Throughout the court and the public, Xue Minglun was praised for his magnanimous and benevolent elder-like demeanor, but in truth, it was only because Xue Huai posed no actual threat.

It was not until Gu Heng uncovered the river engineering corruption case that Xue Minglun decided to leverage Xue Huai to fight force with force. That meeting in the Minister's manor that day had made Xue Minglun sense a profound change in Xue Huai.

Xue Minglun did not believe in Buddhism, and naturally, he did not believe in sudden spiritual enlightenment. Yet, the oddities manifesting in Xue Huai caused him to hesitate. Could an accidental fall into the water, a brush with the gates of life and death, truly lead a person to total awakening?

Following that, Xue Huai's demeanor and handling of affairs steadily matured, causing Xue Minglun to secretly rejoice that he had lent Xue Huai a hand in Gu Heng's case, presuming the young man would keep familial ties in mind.

Yet, Xue Huai had changed once more, seeming to revert to his former stubborn self who showed deference to no one. Not only was he hell-bent on acting as the blade in Shen Wang's hand, but he was even unwilling to reveal the slightest shred of inside information to Xue Minglun.

Xue Minglun, of course, understood the importance of political alignment. Regardless of whether Xue Huai had achieved anything over the past two years, at the very least, he had clearly placed himself in opposition to the Ning Faction. Coupled with the fact that his mentor was Shen Wang, he had no choice but to walk down this path to the end.

Yet, this did not mean he could not harbor any personal considerations. He did not need to betray Shen Wang; he only needed to show a trace of goodwill toward Xue Minglun, and he would have been able to navigate both sides with ease.

Recalling what he had witnessed in the manor that day, Xue Huai had dropped the title of "Uncle" with astonishing swiftness, which proved he was actually quite clever and perceptive. Why, then, had he regressed into such a narrow-minded zealot once again?

Xue Minglun could not fathom it.

At this moment, watching Xue Huai step forward toward the imperial throne, Xue Minglun sighed inwardly. Until now, he still did not believe that Shen Wang held guaranteed victory.

The Emperor appeared to favor Shen Wang, but in truth, it was merely because Shen Wang bore the title of Imperial Commissioner. If the Emperor failed to grant him dignity, wouldn't he be slapping his own face?

It was easy for Shen Wang to rip open the cover of the Ministry of Works, but bringing the matter to a smooth close would be exceptionally difficult. The interests intertwined within the four departments of the Ministry of Works implicated numerous powerful figures in the court. If Shen Wang did not dare point his spearhead at those sitting at the very peak of power and instead only circled around the middle and lower ranks, he would inevitably face a ferocious counter-attack. By then, the court would undoubtedly descend into utter chaos, a scene the Emperor most certainly did not wish to see.

Within the silent grand hall, many high ministers quietly gazed at that young, slender figure.

Xue Huai walked step by step to the imperial presence and came to a halt. His gaze was level, and his tone was steady.

"Your humble official, Xue Huai, Compiler of the Hanlin Academy, submits this memorial: Looking upward, Your Majesty oversees the realm from the ninefold heights and perceives all things clearly across ten thousand miles. Commanded by the Imperial Commissioner and Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Shen Wang, this official audited the agricultural lands administered by the Bureau of Land Cultivation under the Ministry of Works. Having ascertained the full story regarding the lands received by the Prince of Dai's Manor, I now state the facts and present this memorial, earnestly hoping for Your Majesty's discernment."

He did not deliberately raise his voice, yet these plain and ordinary words stirred turbulent waves within the hearts of the hundreds of officials.

Profound as Xue Minglun's political scheming was, a look of profound shock could not help but flash across his face.

Ouyang Hui, the Second Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, had previously remained calm and composed, showing no ripple of emotion even when those officials besieged Shen Wang. At this moment, however, he could not help but turn his head, admiration gleaming in his eyes.

Even these top ministers at the very core of Great Yan's power could not mask their astonishment, let alone the other officials.

They never could have imagined that the master-disciple pair of Shen Wang and Xue Huai would direct their very first blow at the Prince of Dai.

That was, aside from the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, the emperor's most favored imperial son!

On the eastern side of the imperial throne, Crown Prince Jiang Xuan remained unreadable, merely lifting his gaze to glance at his imperial father not far away.

Below the vermilion platform, the four adult imperial princes wore varied expressions. Standing at the very end, Jiang Chang, the Prince of Dai, felt as though his entire body were pricked by needles.

At that moment, he harbored a deep and burning hatred for Shen Wang and Xue Huai.

Although, upon the persuasion of Princess Yun'an Jiang Li, he had decided to cease his struggle and weather this crisis by sacrificing a rook to save the king, he had nevertheless held a shred of hope prior to today's court session—hoping that Shen Wang would assess the situation and sweep the troubles of the Prince of Dai's Manor under the rug, which naturally would have been a happy outcome for all.

The Prince of Dai had pondered it over and over, figuring that Shen Wang, as a mature bureaucrat, would surely not rashly make an enemy of him. Remembering his encounter at the Taihu Tower that day, his hatred for Xue Huai intensified; it was most likely this fellow who had incited Shen Wang.

For a mere Compiler of the Hanlin Academy to actually dare oppose a noble Prince of the First Rank—the Prince of Dai silently harbored venomous intent in his heart. Once this matter subsided, he would absolutely not let that scion of the Xue family off!

As Xue Huai's startling words dropped like a thunderclap, a restless commotion inevitably rippled through the hall.

Only Ning Xingzhi, the Senior Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, remained seemingly indifferent.

He saw through the situation more thoroughly than Xue Minglun. The moment Shen Wang stepped forward to refute the officials impeaching him, Ning Xingzhi had known this matter would not end easily.

Shen Wang's interlocking series of stratagems was not aimed at those minor officials of the Ministry of Works; the murderous intent was covertly directed at Xue Minglun. Once the major corruption case of the Ministry of Works was ironclad, could Xue Minglun, as the Minister of Works, shirk his responsibility merely by pleading ignorance?

For the moment, Ning Xingzhi had no leisure to mind Xue Huai's sharp edge. Even if he felt deeply disappointed in Xue Minglun, he had to find a way to preserve the man's position as Minister of Works today.

While the civil and military officials throughout the hall harbored their own hidden agendas, Xue Huai unhurriedly continued his statement.

"Your official examined the registers of the Bureau of Land Cultivation and found that 3,170 mu of official land in Wen'an County, Shuntian Prefecture, was recorded under the 'Yellow Character, No. 97' entry of the twenty-first year of Jingyun in the Fish-Scale Atlas. To its north, the land connects to the irrigation canal of the Sang River; to its south, it adjoins the post road, capable of yielding three harvests of wheat and millet in an average year. Yet, in the fifteenth year of Taihe, the Bureau of Land Cultivation under the Ministry of Works submitted a register reporting to the ministry that this land was actually 'shifting sands and saline soil, yielding zero harvest,' classifying it as third-grade inferior land in accordance with the *Statutes on Barren Lands* in the *Collected Statutes of Great Yan*."

"This official then retrieved the archived records of the Bureau of Waterways and found the annotation: 'The irrigation canal of the Sang River in Wen'an County was destroyed by floods in the twelfth year of Taihe and has not been restored.' However, according to the historical rainfall and snow archives of Wen'an County, the entire region suffered a severe drought in the twelfth year of Taihe, and the Sang River was nearly dried up; the so-called flood destruction was entirely fabricated. Therefore, this matter was a joint fabrication by the Bureau of Land Cultivation and the Bureau of Waterways under the Ministry of Works."

"In March of the sixteenth year of Taihe, the 3,170 mu of official land in Wen'an County was resold to the Prince of Dai's Manor for the price of 634 taels of silver, translating to two qian of silver per mu. This official further investigated the land transaction archives of the capital region over the past ten years; the average price of medium-grade fertile land ranged between ten and fifteen taels per mu. In other words, the Bureau of Land Cultivation sold medium-grade fertile land at the price of barren wasteland."

"According to the confession of Kong Shao, Director of the Bureau of Land Cultivation, the actual selling price of this batch of fertile land was 3,000 taels, which amounts to nearly one tael per mu. However, 2,400 taels of this sum were embezzled and split among himself and related officials."

He spoke without harshness or anger, maintaining an abnormal calmness. Yet this level, even tone effortlessly suppressed the commotion below the imperial steps.

Only deathly silence remained.

Unlike Shen Wang's sharp and cutting rhetoric earlier, Xue Huai simply used precise figures to reveal to the Emperor upon the dragon throne and the dignitaries of the court the shameless corruption hidden within the grand and imposing offices of the Ministry of Works.

Official lands were a vital safeguard for the imperial court to maintain stability. The grain produced from them was stored in the Ever-Normal Granaries to prevent the common people from starving during years of famine, while also stabilizing market prices to avert even graver uprisings.

Yet, right under the Emperor's very nose, officials of the Ministry of Works still dared to sell off official lands for personal gain. Not only did they sell fertile lands at the price of wasteland, but they also sucked the marrow out of even this meager revenue.

Regardless of their literary learning, every civil and military official present could easily calculate this sum. Over three thousand mu of official land—setting aside the question of whether its sale was even permitted—should have fetched at least over thirty thousand taels at market value, yet the imperial court ultimately received a mere six hundred taels. How absurd and terrifying was this?

Among the ranks of the imperial princes, the Prince of Dai could no longer care about the strange looks cast by his brothers. His heart fluttered with anxiety and dread. Even though Jiang Li had assured him that her method would certainly prove effective, the moment he thought of his father's unfathomable and deep mind, he regretted entering the court today and facing the wrath of the Emperor directly.

Upon the dragon throne, the Emperor's slender eyes gleamed with a cold, ghostly light, and his voice leaked a trace of chilling, murderous intent: "Continue."

Xue Huai lowered his head slightly and said: "This official repeatedly cross-checked the registers of the Bureau of Land Cultivation and interrogated its related officials multiple times. I learned that beginning in the twelfth year of Taihe, under the guise of dumping barren lands, the Bureau of Land Cultivation sold a cumulative total of 124,700-odd mu of official land. Among these, the Prince of Dai's Manor acquired over fifty percent in the past three years alone. The rest of the buyers were mostly officials and powerful nobles. The list is right here, and I humbly request Your Majesty to peruse it."

He drew a memorial from his sleeve and raised it upward with both hands.

Zeng Min, the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonies, personally walked forward, took the memorial from Xue Huai's hands, and cautiously returned to the side of the imperial throne.

The Emperor took it, his stern gaze falling upon the paper.

He read very slowly and meticulously, as if he wanted to pierce through Xue Huai's handwriting and see the true faces of those parasites.

The atmosphere within the hall grew nearly stagnant and suffocating.

After a long while, the Emperor slowly stood up, stepped forward a few paces, swept his gaze across the civil and military officials below, and quietly spat out two words: "Very good."

The next moment, he fiercely swung his arm and violently hurled that memorial down onto the smooth, mirror-like floor of the hall.

"Bang!"

The sound echoed like a bolt of divine lightning descending from the heavens.