I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 302: Officials are permanent, officials are changing
Shi Jie looked at Zhu Houxuan in shock and said anxiously, "Your Highness, you can't take these account books with you?"

"Oh?" Zhu Houxuan smiled playfully. "The account books of the Ministry of Revenue are so valuable. As the Prince Regent, can't I take them away to have a look? Or is there something shameful in these account books of the Ministry of Revenue, and they are afraid that I will see something?"

Shi Jie was now completely numb, and didn't know what to say after being overwhelmed by Zhu Houxuan's words.

But he knew that he must not let Zhu Houxuan take these account books away today.

A person's reputation is like the shadow of a tree. Zhu Houxuan's current reputation is too terrible.

Previously, a major case of false reporting of a disaster could be discovered through a simple memorial to the emperor. Shi Jie could not imagine how many problems Zhu Houxuan could find from those account books.

Moreover, Zhu Houxuan was an expert in finance and had so many people under his command who were proficient in finance, which made Shi Jie dare not rely on any luck.

Anyone with a keen sense of perception could sense the problems with the Ming Dynasty's financial system, but everyone tacitly agreed not to lift the lid, because once it was lifted there would be no way to clean it up, so it was enough to just maintain the status quo.

But now it’s different. Zhu Houxuan acted as if he was about to lift the lid, and Shi Jie really didn’t dare to stop Zhu Houxuan’s determination.

Although he had only taken over the Ministry of Revenue and became the Minister of Revenue for more than a year, and had not committed any acts of corruption, bribery, or law-breaking during this period, he had little confidence in other people in the Ministry of Revenue.

If Zhu Houxuan got hold of any evidence that exposed the problems in the Ministry of Revenue, even if he himself had no fault, he would still be charged with negligence.

There must be a big bomb hidden in the Ministry of Revenue, but this bomb cannot explode during his tenure.

Otherwise his reputation would be ruined. He is now over 60 years old and has various health problems. In a few years, he will have to retire and return home.

What is the purpose of living? Isn't it just for a good reputation after death? If the problems of the Ministry of Revenue were exposed during his tenure, he probably wouldn't even get a good posthumous title after his death.

People live a face, and trees live a skin.

Shi Jie did not want to retire with a bad reputation, and given his position, he was definitely qualified to be recorded in history books. He did not want to be recorded in history books with a bad reputation because of the Ministry of Revenue, which would really be a disgrace for thousands of years.
Therefore, Shi Jie had a strong motivation to stop Zhu Houxuan's decree.
But how to stop Zhu Houxuan? Shi Jie's head began to hurt again.

At this moment, he suddenly remembered that Zhu Houxuan had just said that the double-entry bookkeeping method would be used in the Ministry of Revenue from now on.
What this means is that all the previous affairs of the Ministry of Revenue have been written off, and all that needs to be done from now on is to use the double-entry bookkeeping method. From this, it can be inferred that Zhu Houxun did not want to uncover the Ministry of Revenue's previous problems. Zhu Houxun was more concerned about the future direction of the Ministry of Revenue.

So this is the crux of the problem! Shi Jie was thinking quickly.

When faced with two options, choose the lesser one.

Therefore, concessions had to be made on the Ministry of Revenue's use of double-entry bookkeeping. Shi Jie made a decision quickly.

"Your Highness, I suddenly feel that the double-entry bookkeeping method is really good and should be vigorously promoted in the Ministry of Revenue," Shi Jie said.

When Zhu Houxuan heard this, he looked straight at Shi Jie and said in an appreciative tone: "That's right!"

"That's settled then! I'll send someone to teach you the double-entry bookkeeping method tomorrow!" Zhu Houxuan continued.

"I will definitely entertain you well," Shi Jie said hurriedly.

Zhu Houxuan nodded with satisfaction, then waved behind him, and Chen Hong immediately put the pile of account books back.

"The double-entry bookkeeping method will be used not only by the Ministry of Revenue, but also by other government offices in the future." Zhu Houxuan took the initiative to reveal something. Shi Jie was startled when he heard it, and nodded quickly.

After getting what he wanted, Zhu Houxuan left satisfied.

To be honest, Zhu Houxuan is really afraid to expose the Ministry of Revenue now. This is completely different from the previous incident of falsely reporting the disaster.

False reporting of disaster situations involves many people, but it is, after all, a local problem, and the officials involved are of relatively low rank, so the impact is controllable.

But it’s different for the Ministry of Revenue, a central agency. No one knows how big the bomb will be once the lid is lifted, and how many people will be involved.

After the explosion, the entire Ministry of Revenue would most likely be paralyzed, which was something Zhu Houxuan did not want to see and something that no one could accept.

If Zhu Houxuan had the power to replace the officials of the Ministry of Revenue with people from the Royal Group, he would definitely not hesitate to expose this mine, but doing so would undoubtedly be a great offense to the world, and the gentry of the world would definitely not tolerate him.
So Zhu Houxuan had no choice but to compromise, give up investigating the past, and choose to embrace the future.

This is the internal logic behind Zhu Houxuan's decision.

In the capital, an ordinary two-story courtyard.

There were already three tables of food and wine in the house. Judging from the furnishings and furniture in the house, it was clear that it was not something that ordinary people could have.
People kept knocking on the door and coming in, some bringing gifts, and soon there were more than twenty people.

After everyone arrived, the host announced that the meal was ready.

The person sitting in the main seat was Yao Fuyou, a clerk in the Ministry of Revenue.

The people gathered here are all clerks from the Ministry of Revenue.

No one present seemed to have any appetite for food or drink. After eating and drinking a little, they looked at Yao Fuyou who was sitting on the main seat.

"I invited everyone here today for nothing else. Recently the government has asked us to learn the double-entry bookkeeping method. So today we are here to exchange our learning experiences." Yao Fuyou said with a sharp gaze.

At this time, Yao Fuyou no longer had the cautious look he had when he was in the Ministry of Revenue, and he had become much sharper.

"Boss Yao, it's already this late and the situation is urgent, and you still have the mind to make jokes? Just speak frankly. Everyone who can come here today knows the situation clearly," said a person.

Others at the table followed suit.

Yao Fuyou pressed his hands down to ask everyone to be quiet.

"After I learned the double-entry bookkeeping method, I only had one feeling: this is a death warrant. It's going to dig up our roots!" Yao Fuyou said hatefully.

"Yes! Boss Yao is right."

Yao Fuyou obviously touched the hearts of the people present, and they kept responding
"People say: The government office is permanent, but the officials are transient. But our Ministry of Revenue is a little different. Our officials are permanent, but the officials are transient."

"Which of us didn't pass down this position from our ancestors? We have worked so hard in the Ministry of Revenue for so many generations. Even if we have no credit, we have worked hard. But what is the end result? What the hell is this double-entry bookkeeping method? We are all old accountants and know the twists and turns here. It's clearly a defense against us!" Yao Fuyou said angrily.

(End of this chapter)