Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 227 The Vice Minister of Jiangzuo, a new official with three fires in his first year!

The eunuch, holding a yellow silk handkerchief, loudly proclaimed the imperial edict:
"The Emperor, by the Will of Heaven, decrees:

Having received the mandate of heaven and ruled over all the lands, I have been diligent day and night, eagerly seeking out worthy men.

I hereby appoint Jiang Xingzhou, a Hanlin Academy Reader, as a man of profound character and insight, whose literary talent is renowned throughout the world. He is the top scholar among the six imperial examination candidates and is unparalleled in the imperial examinations.

Since being appointed as a reader, he has been loyal, cautious, diligent, and known for his insightful suggestions, which I greatly appreciate.

With the northern borders still unsettled and national finances abundant, the management of expenditures truly depends on capable individuals.

Since Liu Fanzhen, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, has requested to be appointed to a post outside the capital, the vacancy should be filled.

Zitejin was appointed as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, holding the rank of Third Grade, and was in charge of the nation's finances, grain, and commerce, overseeing all matters related to finance, transportation, and land tax.

You should widely spread the government's plans, increase revenue and reduce expenditures, rectify abuses and corruption, and consolidate the foundation of the nation.

Uphold the middle way and do not disappoint my expectations.

He was also granted a scarlet robe and a silver fish, a stipend of three thousand shi of rice, and an imperial edict bestowed upon him!
This matter concerns the nation's future; only you can shoulder its arduous tasks.

The Emperor's favor is of utmost importance; only you can follow his example.

Awesome!

The Great Zhou Dynasty has granted sixteen years of blessings!

Imperial Seal and Imperial Edict: Seal of Imperial Decree!
"My lord, take the order!"

Jiang Xingzhou bowed and accepted the imperial edict with a solemn expression.

He quickly grasped the key point from this magnificent imperial edict—to reorganize the Ministry of Revenue's finances and open up new sources of revenue.

Wang Dequan, the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, stepped forward with a smile: "Congratulations on your promotion, Scholar Jiang! Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it is rare to see someone rise so quickly. This is a testament to His Majesty's high regard and trust in you."

Jiang Xingzhou smiled slightly: "You flatter me, Father-in-law."

Xue Lingqi thought to herself: Her husband’s rapid promotion is indeed astonishing, but since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, has there ever been a single top scholar who achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations?

The Grand Eunuch Wang Dequan lowered his voice and asked with a smile, "Does the top scholar understand His Majesty's intention?"

Jiang Xingzhou calmly replied: "Thoroughly investigate the Ministry of Revenue and open up new sources of revenue."

Wang Dequan nodded in approval: "The top scholar is indeed exceptionally perceptive!"
Your Majesty said: Although our Great Zhou is the richest in the world, the Ministry of Revenue has been complaining of poverty for years, and the military pay and provisions for the northern frontier have been repeatedly insufficient.

His Majesty has long harbored suspicions about the state of the national treasury and the whereabouts of funds and grain, but has lacked a capable person to thoroughly investigate the matter.

He paused slightly, then said, "Your Majesty has heard that during your tenure in Jiangnan, you completed the inventory of the military provisions being transported to the north within a few days, and also encouraged the powerful families of Jiangnan to 'donate' a large amount of money and grain, thus filling the granaries of the governor's office."

This time, Que promoted me to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and we place our hopes on you precisely for this matter.

Jiang Xingzhou hesitated for a moment: "However, I am only a Vice Minister, what about the officials in the Ministry of Revenue...?"

The higher the rank, the more powerless one becomes. Even as the Vice Minister of Revenue, he still had to work under the Minister.

Wang Dequan waved his hand and laughed, "His Majesty has specially granted you the authority to lead the Ministry of Revenue in reforms, and even the Minister is not allowed to interfere. Just go ahead and do it."

The following day, Jiang Xingzhou went to the Ministry of Revenue to take up his post as Left Vice Minister.

Minister of Revenue Yang Sizhi and Vice Minister of the Right Ren You came forward to greet them, their faces full of polite and thoughtful smiles.

"Minister Jiang,"

Yang Sizhi cupped his hands and said, "His Majesty's decree has been delivered to the Ministry of Revenue, ordering us to fully cooperate in checking the accounts and assisting in the implementation of the Ministry of Revenue's financial reforms."

"Thank you for your help, Minister and Vice Minister."

Jiang Xingzhou returned the greeting calmly.

He clearly sensed a subtle distance between them beneath their politeness.

This is not surprising.

In the imperial court, among colleagues, if someone suddenly appears with an imperial decree and holds real power, it's hard not to feel wary.

Moreover, his newly appointed Vice Minister is in charge of "reform privileges," which directly addresses the deep-seated problems within the Ministry of Revenue—who knows if the next step might even shake the position of Minister?

Jiang Xingzhou arrived at the Vice Minister's office and ordered a minor official from the Ministry of Revenue to bring him the account books from previous years.

The clerk hesitated, stammering, "This... Lord Jiang, the Ministry of Revenue's account books are vast, with discrepancies every day and month... I wonder which year and month you would like to consult?"

Jiang Xingzhou remained expressionless and simply said, "Just take the complete volumes from the last ten years."

The minor official hesitated repeatedly before retreating, turning back every few steps.

Half a day later, he and five or six others brought dozens of thick stacks of account books and piled them on Jiang Xingzhou's desk.

They lowered their heads, but their expressions subtly revealed a hint of disdain, as if they were waiting to see them make a fool of themselves.

This is a ten-year record of accounts, meticulously documenting the income and expenditure of the Great Zhou Dynasty over the years. The entries are numerous and complex. Without the experience of a seasoned official in the Ministry of Revenue for ten years, who could possibly understand it?

Jiang Xingzhou? Even if he is the top scholar in the imperial examination and the first scholar in history, he is still a newcomer. On his first day in office, he wanted to check the Ministry of Revenue's accounts?

Absolutely ridiculous!
Even the Grand Secretary Chen Shaoqing dared not easily touch these accounts.

How can one possibly understand the intricacies of this situation without three to five years of experience?
By the time you finally investigate and find out the truth after three to five years, how much will have been wasted in that long period? Old grievances haven't been settled, and new ones keep piling up—when will it ever end?!
Jiang Xingzhou looked at the mountain of account books, casually flipped through a few pages, his brows furrowed slightly, his expression unchanged, but he did not look at them in detail.

The minor officials of the Ministry of Revenue stood aside, secretly amused by the sight, and felt even more at ease.

really!

The newly appointed Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue also couldn't understand it.

The Ministry of Revenue's accounts over the years have been a mess.

Even Minister Yang Sizhi himself had his doubts, let alone the newly appointed Vice Minister of Jiangzuo.

Leaving aside the embezzled money and grain, even the veteran officials who have handled these matters for many years often find themselves unable to sort out the tangled and dubious accounts.

As long as the imperial court doesn't investigate, it will drag on for a few years and naturally become an old, unsolvable problem that no one can unravel.

Seeing that Jiang Xingzhou's face was ashen and he remained silent, everyone bowed and took their leave, slowly retreating from the Left Vice Minister's office.

As soon as they stepped out of the room, someone chuckled softly:

"A decade's worth of accounts is hard to sort out even for a god! If Lord Jiang can sort them out in a year, he'll be a celestial being descended to earth!"

"Does he think this is an examination hall? That he can figure things out by writing a few essays and answering a few policy questions?"

"Being a vice minister in the Ministry of Revenue isn't easy! Lord Liu Fanzhen toiled for decades, rising from county magistrate to the Six Ministries, becoming well-versed in local and central government policies and financial transactions. He finally managed to become the Left Vice Minister, only to be replaced by Scholar Jiang. Now, Lord Jiang is probably going to have a headache over these accounts."

The group exchanged smiles, their words laced with sarcasm, just as they were feeling quite pleased—

Suddenly, a Censor-in-Chief walked past them with the speed of the wind and went straight into the office of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Everyone was taken aback and looked at each other in bewilderment.

"The Imperial Censor, Zhang Ji?!"

"Isn't he...isn't he investigating a major case related to the Lantern Festival?"

"What are the people from the Censorate doing at our Ministry of Revenue?"

A vague unease suddenly rose in my heart, and the relaxed smile from before vanished without a trace.

The reputation of Zhang Ji, the Imperial Censor, was so formidable that it struck fear into the hearts of the people of Luoyang. The princes and nobles whose residences he raided were almost entirely wiped out and their entire families executed.

Inside the office of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Jiang Xingzhou casually flipped through the mountain of account books from previous years, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

The Great Zhou Dynasty still used a single-entry bookkeeping method, which only recorded the receipt and expenditure of money and debts owed to people. The accounts were fragmented and had no connection with each other.

Unlike later double-entry bookkeeping, which requires strict adherence to the rule of "every debit must have a corresponding credit, and debits and credits must equal each other," every transaction is systematically linked and traceable.

Such simple bookkeeping makes it difficult to trace even if the accounts are altered; loopholes abound and the situation is shrouded in mystery. No wonder His Majesty is so dissatisfied with the Ministry of Revenue's accounts and has specially ordered him to investigate—this murky water is indeed very deep.

Inside the office of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Jiang Xingzhou was intently reviewing account books when he saw Zhang Ji, the Censor-in-Chief, arrive, and immediately put down his pen.

Zhang Ji quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "May I ask what brings Lord Jiang to see me?"

Although he was the Vice Censor-in-Chief and had no direct authority over the Ministry of Revenue, he knew in his heart that his current position was entirely due to Jiang Xingzhou's past support, so his words and actions were filled with sincere respect.

Jiang Xingzhou gestured for him to sit down, and said with a slight smile, "His Majesty ordered me to investigate the Ministry of Revenue's accounts over the years, which is really a headache. That's why I invited Lord Zhang over for a chat."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji looked troubled and said with a wry smile, "Brother Jiang, it's not that I'm declining, but I'm really not good at accounting. I'm afraid such a large number of volumes will be difficult to sort out."

Jiang Xingzhou calmly shook his head: "It's alright. I invited you here today not to check the accounts immediately. To truly clarify the accounts of the past ten years, it would take at least several months."

Zhang Ji's expression softened slightly, but he still looked puzzled: "What does Your Excellency mean...?"

Jiang Xingzhou chuckled and asked, "Were there any officials from the Ministry of Revenue involved in the Lantern Festival assassination attempt by the demons?"

Zhang Ji pondered for a moment and replied, "That...it seems there is indeed such a thing. On the Lantern Festival, it seems someone from the Ministry of Revenue was involved in a case?!"

He knew in his heart that Jiang Xingzhou must have some ulterior motive for summoning him.

He had no concrete evidence.

However, the Lantern Festival demon case had a wide-ranging impact, and it was not surprising that it involved officials from the Ministry of Revenue.

"it is good!"

Jiang Xingzhou's tone was calm yet decisive, "Then let's arrest them under the pretext of the major case of collusion between the Yuanxiao demons and barbarians! Interrogate them and see if we can uncover any clues about embezzlement."

The fire in Luoyang that day was huge!

I heard the fire reached the Ministry of Revenue's treasury!

He paused briefly, then continued with a profound gaze, "Once you catch one, you can unravel a whole chain. Amidst countless threads, there's always one that will expose them."

The accounts are complicated and difficult to sort out in a short time.

But arresting people using old cases is incredibly easy.

"Yes! I'll take care of it right away."

Zhang Ji immediately understood and accepted the order with clasped hands.

The previous major case during the Lantern Festival only resulted in the punishment of one prince; the remaining files are still held by the Censorate and are being carefully reviewed.

Now that the old case has been reopened, it's only natural that several officials from the Ministry of Revenue will be implicated.

That night, Zhang Ji acted swiftly and decisively, leading officials from the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice in a night-long operation to apprehend the suspect with lightning speed.

In one fell swoop, they arrested five or six officials, including a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue, a junior official of the fifth rank, and clerks, making a tremendous impact.

"Injustice! Injustice!"

"I have never embezzled or broken the law, what crime have I committed!"

The arrested doctor looked panicked and repeatedly cried out that he was innocent.

Zhang Ji's face remained ashen, and he gave a cold smile: "Who set the fire to the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse on the night of the Lantern Festival?"
Colluding with demons and barbarians, stealing military rations, destroying evidence—do you really think the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice are just for show? Take them back for questioning!

"Cruel officials! You are all cruel officials!"

The doctor shouted loudly, but was immediately handcuffed by officials from the Ministry of Justice and taken to prison to await trial.

Overnight, the city of Luoyang was filled with an atmosphere of panic and fear.

The "Lantern Festival Demon Case," which had been gradually subsiding, has stirred up trouble again, and this time—the finger is pointed directly at the Ministry of Revenue.

The following day, a somber atmosphere filled the Ministry of Revenue.

Officials of all ranks had dark circles under their eyes, clearly having not slept all night.

When on duty, everyone looked anxious and restless.

The reason why the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice arrested people couldn't be clearer—the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse caught fire, and they were suspected of burning accounts and embezzling money and grain!
This charge can be serious or minor, and it's difficult for anyone to escape punishment once it's pinned on them.

Currently, only mid- to low-level officials such as physicians and assistant physicians have been arrested. If the investigation continues upwards, it will point directly to the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, or even the minister!
Jiang Xingzhou, newly appointed to office, has made his first move so fierce, clearly showing no restraint.

"Your Excellency... this matter cannot continue like this!"

Right Vice Minister Ren You said with deep concern, "Arresting people like this has demoralized the people in the ministry and brought everything to a standstill... Shouldn't you speak to His Majesty about this during the morning court session?"

"Ugh!"

Minister of Revenue Yang Sizhi sighed deeply, appearing as if he had aged considerably overnight.

How could he not know that the situation was critical?
But he knew even more clearly that this was not Jiang Xingzhou's idea alone, but rather His Majesty's intention to thoroughly investigate the Ministry of Revenue!
Jiang Xingzhou was appointed as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and ordered to investigate the accounts. However, he merely used the old Lantern Festival case as a pretext to take action.

But to his utter surprise, the newly appointed Left Vice Minister was so ruthless and swift—before the accounts were even settled, the man had already been arrested.

The Censorate, citing "a fire at the Ministry of Revenue and collusion with barbarians," arrested seven or eight people in charge of accounting, casting a shadow over the entire Ministry of Revenue...

The Ministry of Revenue was caught off guard, and a number of mid- to low-ranking officials were imprisoned.

"What should I do?"

Minister of Revenue Yang Sizhi was troubled and paced back and forth in the hall.

If this investigation continues, the lower-level officials will not be able to withstand the pressure and will surely turn against him sooner or later.

Even if no evidence of embezzlement is found, he cannot escape responsibility based on the messy accounts in the Ministry of Revenue.

When Jiang Xingzhou stepped into the Ministry of Revenue's office again, the eyes of the officials, both high and low, looking at him were now a mixture of awe and apprehension.

They finally realized that this Vice Minister Jiang was far superior to the previous officials of the Ministry of Revenue.

He was a ruthless man who, with a single decree of grace that spread throughout the land, caught the kings of the Great Zhou off guard and brought their power to an abrupt end.

Wouldn't it be a piece of cake to deal with the Ministry of Revenue?
Sure enough, he only needed to ask Zhang Ji, the Censor-in-Chief, to take action. Under the pretext of a "fire at the Ministry of Revenue," he easily sent seven or eight colleagues to the Ministry of Justice prison.

"What are your orders, Your Excellency? Please speak freely!"

"If there is a shortage of people to audit the accounts, I am well-versed in mathematics and am willing to serve you, sir!"

The doctors and officials all smiled obsequiously and rushed forward to flatter them, afraid of being a step too slow.

Jiang Xingzhou glanced at everyone and said calmly, "This matter concerning the Ministry of Revenue is probably impossible to resolve... Perhaps the Censorate has a better solution."

"Clear it, clear it!"

"There are no debts in this world that cannot be settled. The only problem is that the Vice Minister won't give us a chance!"

Several junior officials hurriedly responded, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads as they wiped them away. These lowly officials simply couldn't withstand the pressure; they'd be better off surrendering to the Vice Minister of Jiangzuo as soon as possible to avoid further trouble.

Inside the imperial palace in Luoyang, the candlelight flickered.

Empress Wu Mingyue remained calm, lightly tapping her fingertips on the imperial desk, her voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "Minister Jiang... you certainly have some skill."

In just one day, the Ministry of Revenue was thrown into chaos.

The memorials from court officials impeaching him are piling up on my desk. They say he instructed Zhang Ji to search the Ministry of Revenue, condoned cruel officials, and caused unrest throughout the court and the country!

Nangong Wan'er secretly raised her eyes to observe the Empress's expression, then smiled and said, "If it weren't for swift and decisive measures, how could we have handled the important matters entrusted to us by Your Majesty?"
Over the years, the Ministry of Revenue has concealed countless corrupt practices, remaining as stubborn as a rock. As a result, the national treasury is depleted, and the whereabouts of money and grain are unknown.

The soldiers on the frontier eagerly awaited the arrival of the imperial court's supplies of money and provisions, but none came.

What His Majesty needs is precisely a sharp sword like Minister Jiang… one that commands attention.

The Empress chuckled lightly, raising the corners of her eyes slightly: "You certainly know how to talk. Oh well! He's a new broom sweeping clean, he's bound to make a splash eventually."

(End of this chapter)