Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 285 Survival by cutting off the tail
Yan Liang couldn't completely trust what his subordinates said; he only believed what he saw with his own eyes.

While he was rushing to the Ministry of Works to see the Left Vice Minister, Yan Shu had already arrived at the Qianqing Palace.

After Cheng Wenhui submitted his evidence, Liu Zheng was kicked twice by the emperor. Officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue were also summoned to the palace, including Cheng Wenhui and other censors.

When Yan Shu entered the hall, Liu Zheng was still kneeling at the palace gate. His face, which had been kicked and swollen on one side, looked up at him, then immediately lowered his head again.

Incense smoke filled the hall, and the emperor, dressed in a Taoist robe, sat cross-legged on a jade mat. Lin Chi, a Taoist priest from Baiyun Temple, copied the incantation beside him, while eunuchs dressed as Taoist boys, holding whisks, stood on either side. The entire hall resembled a Taoist temple dedicated to the Three Pure Ones.

Yan Shu knelt down and called out "Long live the Emperor!" The Emperor's voice rang out from above. "The tax accounts at the rice market wharf in Tanzhou Prefecture do not match. The Ministry of Revenue's ledgers and the Ministry of Works' river engineering records show your and your son's signatures in many places. Yan Aqing, take a look at these documents. Is there any forgery or falsification?"

The young Taoist handed two blue-covered books to the bottom.

Yan Aqing was Yan Shu's nickname. The emperor relied on the Yan family and always regarded Yan Shu as a family member.

Yan Shu took it in his hands, and after just one glance at the handwriting on the book, his eyes narrowed. When he turned to all the pages with folded corners, his heart clenched immediately—the account books and files he had been running around chasing all night were right in front of him, right in his hands.
He quickly closed the book and replied, "Your Majesty, everything is true."

"See clearly?"

"I have seen it clearly. The above signature is indeed the handwriting of my father and myself." After replying, he immediately raised his head. "River transport is the lifeline of trade between the north and south. My father and I intended to ensure the smooth flow of merchant ships, which is why we instructed the Ministry of Revenue to ensure the protection of river works every year. However, I have never heard of the river transport tax situation in Tanzhou Prefecture."

"What do you say about Liu Zheng's collusion with Zhou Sheng, the assistant prefect of Tanzhou?"

Yan Shu turned to look at Liu Zheng and replied, "Your Majesty, I have never heard of this matter. However, I think there may be a misunderstanding. Lord Liu usually resides in the capital, and there are other imperial envoys who go to inspect the North and South Courtyards every year. How could the Liu family collude with Zhou Sheng, who is thousands of miles away?"

"With irrefutable evidence before us, you still say it's a misunderstanding?" Cheng Wenhui sneered. "Su Chen, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice, is from Tanzhou. He was once promoted by Liu Zheng. The Su family has lived in Shawan County, Tanzhou Prefecture for generations and runs a grain store. Members of the family often travel between Tanzhou Prefecture and the capital."

"Last year, Su Chen's nephew, Su Mingxing, was imprisoned for some reason. This is Su Mingxing's statement in prison, in black and white, in which he confessed that the Su family used merchant ships to act as a bridge between the Liu family and Zhou Sheng. Please take a look, Your Majesty!"

The confession was presented to the emperor.

Liu Zheng's swollen face twitched again.

Yan Shu glanced at him and couldn't help but frown.

At first, it was thought that Cheng Wenhui only had the Ministry of Works' files and the Ministry of Revenue's account books, but unexpectedly he could also produce Su Mingxing's confession!
The journey from the capital to Tanzhou is a thousand miles, and it's not something he could just take out on his own. This shows that they had planned this all along and had already obtained it in advance!
He stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, may I see this confession with my own eyes?"

Behind the wisps of incense smoke, the emperor waved his hand, and the confession flew in front of him: "Look! Look very well!"

Yan Shu accepted the confession with both hands, his gaze immediately fixed on the signature at the bottom of the confession, which bore the seal of the Tanzhou government office—it was from a year ago. So, last May?

"Have you seen it clearly?" the emperor drawled.

Yan Shu hurriedly bowed deeply: "It was my foolishness that led me to believe—I never imagined that Liu Zheng, a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Works, would be so audacious!"

"Lord Yan!..."

Liu Zheng cried out in alarm.

Yan Shu turned his head to look at him, then turned his gaze back to the ground.

The emperor still heavily relies on the Yan family and intends to use Hu Yucheng to conquer the southeast. Even if the Yan family is implicated, it won't be seriously damaged; he knows that.

However, this matter involves tax revenue, and even if the Yan family isn't investigated, they're bound to catch the emperor's eye. Therefore, on the way here, he was determined to do everything in his power to protect the Liu family. But Cheng Wenhui could even produce the confession from a year ago regarding the alleged misconduct at the Tanzhou government office; what leverage did he have left? He couldn't afford to be careless!
If he still insists on vouching for the Liu family regardless of everything, wouldn't he be sticking his head out as a ready-made target?

Compared to the safety of the Yan family, Liu Zheng's future is certainly something that can be sacrificed!
"My lord, save me..."

Liu Zheng collapsed to the ground and wept.

Yan Shu gritted his teeth: "You knowingly broke the law, colluded with outside officials, and still dare to ask for help? With the evidence right in front of you, confessing your crimes and accepting punishment is the right thing to do! Do you really want your wife, children, and elderly parents to suffer as well before you're satisfied?"

Upon hearing the last sentence, Liu Zheng abruptly stopped crying, but at the same time shuddered, and his face suddenly turned ashen.

Witnessing this, Cheng Wenhui knew that Yan Shu was going to abandon Liu Zheng and cut his losses to save himself. Mentioning Liu's wife, children, and elderly parents was just a way of assuring Liu Zheng that he could die in peace!

After exchanging glances with Zheng Kui and the others, he stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty! Su Mingxing’s confession mentions the Yan family in several places. I also have a memorial impeaching the Su family, which states that the plaques of the Su family in Shawan County were all handwritten by Yan Shu.”

"It is clear that Lord Yan is also involved in this case. I urge His Majesty to issue an imperial decree to dispatch an imperial envoy to Tanzhou Prefecture to verify this matter and to severely punish him!"

The impeachment memorial was also presented to the emperor.

The emperor glanced at the memorial, took a deep breath, and uttered words that were both sinister and cold:

"Yan Shu, is what Cheng Wenhui said true? Did you really have a long-standing collusion with the Su family?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Yan Shu knelt down, lifting his robe. "I hold an official position in the court, and in my spare time I also need to manage the affairs of my household. How could I have the energy to associate with officials outside the court?"

"If I have truly made a mistake, it must be because I am fond of writing and painting, and have inadvertently lost a lot of calligraphy and paintings, allowing others to take advantage of the situation!"

“If the Su family uses my calligraphy as the plaque, they must be falsely claiming to know me—it is indeed my fault for not being able to control my handwriting properly, and I request to be fined three months’ salary!”

He downplayed and exonerated a serious case like embezzling tax money, calling it a matter of not being able to control himself!
Cheng Wenhui chuckled inwardly and said, "Whether Lord Yan is acquainted with the Su family or colludes with them, I believe that we can find out the truth simply by sending an imperial envoy to Shawan to interrogate the Su family!"
"Your subject is willing to undertake this mission and go to Shawan!"

Yan Shu glared at him: "Lord Cheng volunteered, could it be that you intend to personally go and coerce the Su family into framing me?"

"Have you had enough of arguing?!"

The emperor slammed his fist on the table.

Both sides fell silent.

The emperor threw the account books and files at them, angrily saying, "Instead of arguing like this, why don't you talk about how to settle this overdue tax on the Tanzhou water transport?!"

"Hu Yucheng is still waiting for silver to fight the enemy, while you are all busy attacking each other here. Don't you want my country? Don't you want the nation?!"

He looked at Cheng Wenhui: "Liu Zheng knowingly broke the law and abused his power for personal gain. You shall convey my decree to the Three Judicial Offices to investigate this matter thoroughly! I also order He Ping of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to oversee the investigation!"

"Where did the tax discrepancy shown in the ledgers go? We must find out the truth!"

"The minister obeys the order!"

After Cheng Wenhui received the imperial decree, the emperor looked at Yan Shu and said, "Your Yan family must recuse ourselves from this case. If you try to pull any strings behind the scenes, I will not forgive you!"
Yan Shu's forehead slammed against the ground: "Your subject dares not!"

The emperor flicked his sleeve, his gaze turning sinister: "You'd better be."