You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 135 Shunzhi: That's right, I am his backer~
Jiang Qingyun and Zhou Shao exchanged a glance, then walked out of the archives together.

He gestured for his guards to step back to the sides and bowed.

"Your Highness, all personnel in the Ministry of Revenue are of questionable quality and do not require further investigation, so I have dismissed them."

Bolo wanted to draw his sword and chop him down, but he noticed that Jiang Qingyun's hand was also on the hilt of his sword, and there was a trained fighter standing behind him.

"Are you fucking crazy?"

"Your Highness, I am acting on the Emperor's decree to reform the Ministry of Revenue. However, the Ministry has too many problems. Officials are protecting each other, there are many shady dealings, and 7% of them are former Ming officials who have surrendered. I have no choice but to disband it."

"Is this the Emperor's will? Or your personal decision?"

Jiang Qingyun remained silent.

Bolo chuckled twice, realizing that the kid had taken it upon himself to make the decision.

"Come with me to the palace, let's settle this case before the Emperor. Do you dare?"

"I am an upright and honest official, and there is nothing I would not dare to do."

Jiang Qingyun turned his head and whispered instructions to Zhou Shao.

"Brother, don't waste a moment. Bring all the people you know who can do accounting and writing to the Ministry of Revenue to settle the accounts. Tell them that after this is done, they will all be employees of the Ministry of Revenue."

“Zhou Cang, you take 20 men and follow the advisor closely, never leaving his side. Wherever the advisor goes, you go too.”

"Take care of yourself."

"Take care of yourself."

The bond between brothers is deep and needs no further explanation.

……

Meridian Gate.

Bolo and Jiang Qingyun entered the palace at the same time.

One of them was furious, his face ashen, and he exuded murderous intent.

One person was calm and composed, with a smile on his face and light steps.

Qianqing Gate.

The imperial guards on duty observed this closely and took it to heart. Everyone marveled at Vice-Governor Jiang's sheer courage; his opponents were becoming increasingly powerful, rising from commander to prince.

The guards were still too uneducated. If they had read more history books, they would have understood that the threshold for a cruel official was to kill the crown prince or empress of the empire.

Otherwise, he's just a clown.

The third eunuch came out with his buttocks tucked between his legs and small, quick steps, bending slightly at the waist.

"Gentlemen, the Emperor has summoned you. Please come in."

The two walked into Qianqing Gate side by side. Their murderous aura was so strong that it made the Third Eunuch, who lacked yang energy, lose his footing.

Qianqing Palace.

"Your subject Jiang Qingyun and your servant Bolo pay their respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

"Without courtesy, I will give you a seat."

……

Jiang Qingyun looked up and found that Shunzhi was not wearing a dragon robe, but rather a casual robe that looked very similar to the one worn by the emperor.

The bathing style of Qianqing Palace.

Very well, I am very pleased.

Then, he was glared at by Shunzhi, whose eyes clearly showed 3 parts shock, 2 parts anger, and 5 parts confusion. It was obvious that Shunzhi already knew that he had disbanded the Ministry of Revenue.

Shunzhi turned his head and looked at Bolo.

"Prince Duanzhong, what brings you here?"

"This humble servant dares to ask, is the dissolution of the Ministry of Revenue truly His Majesty's decree?"

The main hall was very quiet.

This question left Shunzhi speechless as he pondered how to answer it.

If someone were to say, "It was not my decree, but Jiang Qingyun's personal doing," then the reform of the Ministry of Revenue would be lost, the emperor's authority would be lost, and the action to suppress the Council of Princes and Ministers would also be lost.

The grand words spoken in the Wenhua Hall still resonate in my ears.

Boomerang, swift and powerful.

Ah, I must not become a laughing stock.

……

"Yes, that is my will."

Bolo even doubted his own ears as he looked up and stared at Shunzhi.

"Didn't you hear me clearly? I'll say it again, the dissolution of the Ministry of Revenue is my decree."

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue is the lifeblood of the central government; a single move affects the whole system. How can it be treated so lightly?" As soon as he said this, Jiang Qingyun laughed.

Child's play?

A child's trick?
Who is the child? Is it Fu Lin?

Bolo, you've stepped on the little emperor's tail.

Sure enough~
Shunzhi's voice was tinged with the wind and snow of Liaodong, and was unusually cold.

"Bolo, do you know what arrogance is?"

"Your Majesty, this servant is worried that the Ministry of Revenue will be shut down, resulting in insufficient military pay for the front lines and potentially leading to a major military defeat."

As soon as he said this, Jiang Qingyun smiled inwardly. "Bolo, you were just being arrogant before, now you're resorting to threats and intimidation."

……

Sure enough, Shunzhi got up:
"Bolo, are you threatening me with responsibility for the military setbacks at the front?"

Thump~
Bolo knelt down; in the end, he lacked the courage to confront Shunzhi head-on. Perhaps, if all the ministers of the Council of Princes were present, he might have had the courage to stand up to him.

Jiang Qingyun then picked up the conversation.

"Your Majesty, Prince Duanzhong, please allow me to say a few words of fairness. Your Highness is worrying unnecessarily."

"What about land taxes, construction projects, salaries, banner pay, and official expenses?"

"According to the urgency, we'll handle each case as it comes. Your Highness, there's a saying among the common people: 'If Zhang the butcher dies, we won't eat a pig with hair on.' Do you know what that means?"

Before Bolo could speak.

Jiang Qingyun then began to explain to himself.

"Does the death of Butcher Zhang mean we won't be able to eat pork anymore? That's worrying unnecessarily. Even if Butcher Zhang is gone, there's still Butcher Li and Butcher Zhou. We can still eat pork."

Emperor Shunzhi nodded.

He thought this folk saying was excellent and very insightful.

……

Bolo's eyes reddened as he stared at Jiang Qingyun.

"The Ministry of Revenue is different from other government offices. It manages the economic lifeline of an empire. The data is complex and vast, and the level of professionalism is beyond imagination. Every year, it handles tens of millions of taels of silver in and out, the military pay of millions of soldiers, and the salaries of tens of thousands of officials. The Ministry of Revenue is not a silk shop where you can simply calculate the income and expenditure and be done with it."

Jiang Qingyun actually nodded very seriously.

Then, in a very sincere and helpless tone, he explained:
"Your Highness is absolutely right. But I would like to take the Ministry of Revenue during the Chongzhen era as an example. The Ming army was defeated because it had no pay. Weren't the people sitting in the Ministry of Revenue at that time financial experts?"

"These financial experts managed to crave food and supplies from the front lines of the Ming army, who were all without pay and suffered a crushing defeat. What was the reason? Had our Qing Dynasty already taken over the Ministry of Revenue at that time?"

"It's selfishness! It's heartless!"

Jiang Qingyun suddenly became excited.

"Your Highness is right. The Ministry of Revenue's data is as complex and vast as the stars, and its level of professionalism is beyond imagination. Outsiders can't understand it or get any answers from it. That's why the Ministry of Revenue has become an independent kingdom."

"Your Highness, what use do these unscrupulous financial experts have for the court? Seventy percent of the current officials in the Ministry of Revenue are former officials from the Ming Dynasty. Do you really think these people will change for the better?"

"Finally, I would like to ask you one question: Is the Ministry of Revenue truly at a point where it cannot afford to collapse?"

……

Bolo's face was deathly pale, and Shunzhi's face was also pale.

The Qianqing Palace was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Wu Liangfu, the chief eunuch who was serving outside the hall, vaguely heard a few words and his expression changed slightly. He glanced at the little eunuch standing on the other side.

"San Gouzi, are you eavesdropping?"

"Master Steward, this servant dares not."

"We servants should droop our ears when they should and stand them up when they should. You're called San Gouzi, you should understand this principle very well."

"The steward's words are well-deserved; this servant will remember them."

The two fell silent, gazing at the white clouds drifting across the sky.

……

"An independent kingdom, too big to fail."

Shunzhi stood with his hands behind his back, repeatedly muttering two words, the scales in his heart already tipped.

The time is right!
Jiang Qingyun kicked the rickety door one last time, and it slammed shut.
"Your subject has made preliminary discoveries that the Ministry of Revenue is rife with corruption, and the amount involved in these cases may be over one million taels of silver."

"Really?"

"Your Majesty, I have only been stationed in the Ministry of Revenue for a short time and have only discovered the tip of the iceberg. It will take time, but I am certain that I will be able to follow the clues and uncover a massive amount of embezzled silver, and bring the criminals involved to justice."

Boro closed his eyes in anguish.

It's over, we've lost, the Qing Dynasty is doomed.

(End of this chapter)