I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 319 If this trend is allowed to spread, the administration of my Tian Ce Dynasty will be completely corrupt! (Please subscribe and vote!)

In the imperial court, Liu Minghan stood tall in the center of the hall, facing the onslaught from officials from various departments without backing down.

His sharp eyes swept over the crowd, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips.

When the second-in-commands of the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Works saw their ministers being severely reprimanded, they all stepped forward to join the ranks.

Zhao Xianzong, the Vice Minister of Rites, was the first to raise the issue: "Your Majesty, I suspect that the Ministry of Revenue's constant claims of having no money suggest that its officials are pocketing the funds. I suggest Your Majesty investigate thoroughly!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the hall.

The officials from the Ministry of Revenue turned ashen-faced. Zhang Dehai, a junior official in the Ministry, immediately jumped out: "Lord Liu, how dare you say such a thing? Your Ministry of Rites only knows how to spend money and put on a show all day long. Does it generate any economic benefit whatsoever? If you're so capable, go and make money yourselves!"

He turned and pointed at the Ministry of Works officials: "Don't laugh, you Ministry of Works officials. All the projects you've undertaken in the past three years combined don't even compare to the benefits brought by His Majesty's single railcar project!"

The Ministry of War officials were secretly relieved that they hadn't been named, but Zhang Dehai suddenly turned his guns on them: "Shut up, Ministry of War! All you know is how to spend money on war. Other armies at least know how to plunder spoils of war, but you're just making a complete loss!"

These words were like pouring cold water into a pot of boiling oil, causing an uproar throughout the court.

The military officers glared angrily. Ma Wenzhong, the Vice Minister of War, strode forward, his armor clanking loudly: "Lord Zhang, you are mistaken! Our army could have plundered the spoils, but following His Majesty's decree, we will leave the wealth to the local people for development and construction, so they may be grateful for the boundless benevolence of the Tian Ce Dynasty!"

Zhang Dehai sneered and immediately seized on the opportunity: "Oh? Is Minister Ma implying that His Majesty made an inappropriate decision?"

He deliberately raised his voice so that everyone in the hall could hear him clearly.

Ma Wenzhong's face turned deathly pale instantly, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He thought to himself, "That old fox Zhang Dehai knows how to pin accusations on people." But Ma Wenzhong knew he had gone a bit too far with his words. The Ministry of Revenue was praising His Majesty's decision and couldn't find fault with it. By shifting the blame to His Majesty, he had indeed made a grave mistake.
He hurriedly knelt down, his forehead touching the ground, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, please understand! This humble subject had absolutely no such intention!"

Li Chen sat high on the dragon throne, squinting as he surveyed the crowd below, then gently waved his hand: "Step down."

These three short words were like a pardon to Ma Wenzhong. He staggered back to the ranks, his official robes soaked with cold sweat.

The courtiers' arguments continued. After all, the Tian Ce Dynasty had made a fortune this time, and everyone wanted to get some benefits. But the people in the Ministry of Revenue, like Liu Minghan, were easy to get in but difficult to get out. In any case, Liu Minghan didn't intend to give them anything and kept them for a rainy day.

The Minister of Works seized the opportunity to propose: "Your Majesty, if the Ministry of Works' water conservancy projects can be completed, they can irrigate fertile fields in three prefectures, increasing annual tax revenue by one million taels."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Minghan interrupted him, saying, "Bullshit! You said the same thing three years ago, and what happened? The money was spent, the project was abandoned, and now you're trying to scam me out of money again?"

The Minister of Works said urgently, "That's because we didn't have the money to continue. How can you say we abandoned the project?"

Liu Minghan scoffed, "What do you mean there's no money to continue? We allocated all the funds to you. I'd like to ask you, where did all the money go!"

The Minister of Works was speechless, because he saw that Emperor Li Chen was also staring at him, seemingly wanting an answer.

Three years ago, Li Chen was not yet the emperor and did not know much about such matters.

The Minister of Works explained, "There was nothing we could do about it; there was a drought that year, and many projects were postponed."

Li Chen looked at the ministers arguing below, but as usual, he did not stop them.

These seemingly chaotic arguments actually allowed him to clearly understand the dynamics of each ministry. While the Ministry of Works had indeed abandoned some projects halfway through, the completion of water conservancy projects would truly benefit the country and its people; although the Ministry of War was extremely expensive, border stability could not be ignored; and although the Ministry of Rites spent money like water, diplomatic etiquette was indeed necessary, after all, that was the Ministry's job.
After the argument subsided, Li Chen turned his gaze to the silent Prime Minister Zhao Wenyuan.

The old minister, who was over fifty years old, was staring down at his tablet, not participating in the argument, just like the General Guo Poyun who was standing next to him.

“Minister Zhao.” Li Chen suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but it instantly silenced the entire hall.

Zhao Wenyuan inwardly groaned, knowing that the Emperor once again wanted him to act as a peacemaker.

He slowly stepped forward and respectfully bowed, saying, "This old minister is here."

"What do you think should be done about this, my dear minister?" Li Chen asked with a half-smile.

Zhao Wenyuan took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the expectant eyes of the officials from various departments, and slowly said, "This old minister believes that each department's need for funds is justified. It would be better if each department listed its required funds in detail, specifying their intended use, and then the Council of State Affairs, together with the Ministry of Revenue, would review them. Finally, the list would be submitted to His Majesty for review. If it is indeed beneficial to the country and the people, then the funds will be allocated."

His words hit the nail on the head, because Zhao Wenyuan knew that Li Chen was only willing to give money to projects that benefited the country and its people, and the Ministry of Revenue was no exception; they would not give money if they could not see any benefits or economic advantages.

This compromise eased Liu Minghan's brow and could be considered as upholding the Ministry of Revenue's responsibilities. Although the other ministries were dissatisfied, knowing that their own allocations would be much smaller, they had nothing to say.

Even the Prime Minister says so, so who would dare to provoke him for no reason? That would be asking for trouble.

Li Chen nodded in satisfaction: "Just as Minister Zhao said, what I want are real achievements, not empty words."

Just then, Pang Jin, the Minister of Justice who had been observing coldly, suddenly stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present!"

His appearance immediately silenced the entire court.

Although Pang Jin had only been in office for a short time, his chilling aura had already made all the civil and military officials wary of him.

He stood tall and straight like a pine tree, his face cold and stern like iron, and the Ministry of Justice token hanging at his waist made a dull sound with each step.

The Vice Minister of Rites standing next to him subconsciously moved half a step to the side.

Since taking office, this powerful man has investigated and punished three marquises and five earls, and has not even spared the old ministers from the previous emperor's time.

Li Chen lazily raised his eyelids: "Speak."

Pang Jin pulled a thick memorial from his sleeve, his voice firm and resolute: "Your Majesty, many officials in the Ministry of Personnel have taken advantage of this opportunity to inspect officials, accepting bribes from local officials, amassing wealth, and disrupting the order of the court!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping like a knife over Luo Hui, the Minister of Personnel. "I accuse Minister Luo Hui of negligence in his duties and of condoning corruption among his subordinates!"

With that, he presented the memorial with both hands: "Your Majesty, I have investigated and found that Qiu Xinghuai, the Director of the Personnel Evaluation Department, has purchased three residences in the capital, which his salary is far from sufficient to support; Shi Ruifeng, the Principal of the Selection Department, has accepted bribes of five thousand taels of silver from officials in Liangzhou; and most reprehensibly, Ge Haoran, the Assistant Director of the Verification and Sealing Department, has dared to sell official positions!"

The eunuch took the memorial and presented it to Li Chen.

Pang Jin continued, "I have meticulously recorded the details of these individuals' assets and the times and locations of their bribery. Your Majesty, please be aware that if this trend is allowed to spread, the administration of our Tian Ce Dynasty will be utterly corrupted!"

(End of this chapter)