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

Chapter 137 The Prisoner's Dilemma: Nine Out of Ten Die

The night after the Ministry of Revenue was forcibly dissolved, the officials who had been sent home received a notice that they should assemble at the Ministry of Revenue office the next morning.

Everyone was cursing and swearing.
It feels like the layoffs hit a major artery, and then the boss was dumbfounded and had no choice but to rehire the laid-off employees.

The next day.

The 218 people returned to the Ministry of Revenue compound, where they chattered and discussed amongst themselves.

When will we be reinstated?

"We must get an explanation!"

"Yes, otherwise the Guangxi Qingli Division would be completely unable to continue its work."

Everyone was full of complaints.

……

Fifteen minutes later~
Jiang Qingyun arrived, followed by hundreds of soldiers.

The soldiers filed in, stood at attention, and then simultaneously drew their swords.
Everyone's heart skipped a beat; something was wrong.
Is this madman Jiang planning a massacre at the Ministry of Revenue?

Jiang Qingyun shouted:
"Colleagues of the Ministry of Revenue, the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Revenue Affairs Process Reform Task Force is now announcing an important decision to you."

"Given the numerous shady dealings within the Ministry of Revenue, and the high possibility that a massive criminal organization may be lurking within it, with the Emperor's approval, effective immediately, all officials below the rank of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue are to be dismissed on the spot, awaiting trial while under criminal charges. Everyone must pass the test, everyone must conduct self-examination, and everyone must report on others."

"Everyone, do you understand?"

Instantly, the courtyard fell silent.

After more than a decade of hard study and years of hard work, all that effort for your career, you dismissed me from my post with just a single sentence?

A doctor from the supervisory office stepped out of the crowd, knelt down with a thud, and tears streamed down his face.

“Vice-Governor, I am innocent.”

"Whether you are innocent or not is not up to you to decide. If you want to prove your innocence, you need to do two things. First, reflect on yourself and write a confession. Second, report and actively expose the crimes of your colleagues."

"Come on, give all of you commoners some paper and pens."

……

I am just a commoner!

This humiliating title caused the 218 people present to collectively gasp in shock and become completely bewildered.

There was dead silence.

Someone walked to the side, picked up paper and pen from the basket, knelt down, and began to write. Gradually, more people joined in.

The basket was soon empty.

Those who wanted to write later were shocked to find that there was no paper or pen left.

"Sir, could you please find some more paper and pen?"

The soldiers on guard stood firm, their discipline within the military command strictly enforced, and dared not disobey. However, they were secretly delighted; to be addressed as "Lord" by officials of the imperial court was like the sun rising in the west!

This is a classic example of the prisoner's dilemma.

Jiang Qingyun threw everyone in the Ministry of Revenue into a carefully laid trap, then watched them kill each other. The method was ruthless, but he had no other choice.

An ancient poem says:
From near to far, east and west; from deep to shallow, clear streams.

The highest and brightest sun and moon, the closest and most distant couple, husband and wife.

We could add another half sentence: "Ultimate goodness and ultimate ruthlessness, Qingyun."

……

As soon as the Guangxi Qingli Division Chief entered the door, he prostrated himself and wept bitterly: "Vice Governor, I confess my guilt, and I will also denounce my colleagues."

Jiang Qingyun shook the confession.

"Speak."

Unexpectedly, once the head of the Guangxi Qingli Division started talking, he never stopped, listing all sorts of problems in mining administration, monetary law, and internal treasury accounting.

"The mining tax revenue from Zhili, Shanxi and Shandong was only one or two tenths of the total, and the mine owners all had backgrounds of Manchu nobles."

"The private minting of coins became a widespread practice, with workshops in Huangzhuang and Wangzhuang on the outskirts of Beijing. The coins they minted were of higher quality than those minted by the Baoquan Bureau."

"~The grain in the sea warehouses was not counted, and the grain stacks were empty, so as to make a profit."

Each and every one of these incidents was shocking to those who heard of it.

As he listened, Jiang Qingyun unconsciously sat up straight.

Next up was a clerk from the Jiangnan Qingli Division. Although he held no official position, he possessed top-secret knowledge, and his words were always groundbreaking.

"The powerful and wealthy gentry in Jiangnan colluded with government officials, bribed clerks, defaulted on taxes, and concealed land ownership; the specifics are unknown. From the first year of the Shunzhi reign to the present, their total tax arrears are no less than 2200 million taels."

How do you know that?

Looking at Jiang Qingyun's bewildered expression, Bi Tieshi felt fear and frustration, but now there was no way out and he could only try to put on a layer of protective armor for himself.

"I have been working in the Ministry of Revenue since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty; this is an open secret."

"So you mean there are actually many people who know about the accounting fraud?"

"Yes. The prefectural and county governments in Jiangnan are all accomplices, and the Ministry of Revenue has also taken the money, turning a blind eye. The Wu family, the Zhang family, the Qian family, the Xu family, the Han family, the Shen family, the Gu family, the Wang family... all the major families in Jiangnan are involved!"

"When did it start?"

"It started during the Wanli era."

……

He dismissed the scribe.

"I never imagined that the Ministry of Revenue had deteriorated to this extent."

"Third brother, in terms of collection efficiency and collection ratio, it is actually not bad at present, and can even be compared with the Zhang Juzheng period."

"Outrageous."

"It's always been this way, so it's not surprising. However, you have to think carefully about how far you've lifted the lid. Once it's lifted, it can't be put back on."

"I see."

Jiang Qingyun flipped through the "confession" and "accusation" again, then suddenly got up and walked towards the brazier.

The paper caught fire, and flames shot up.
In the firelight, he turned to look at Zhou Shao.

“I’m going to break my promise. These nine people can’t be allowed to live. The Jiangnan case is not the right time yet. We can’t let others slaughter this fat pig of the Donglin Party. Let’s raise them for a few more days, and when they’re ready, I want to slaughter them myself.”

On that day, the nine people were secretly escorted to Youanmen Prison and secretly executed.

……

We decided to try a different way of opening the lid.

That is, 20 people were selected from the remaining officials for re-interrogation. Jiang Qingyun was absent, and Zhou Shao conducted the interrogations independently, recording the entire testimony.

Twenty subordinate officials of the sixth rank or below knelt below the hall.

Zhou Shao:

"Listen up, everyone. Today, I don't need you to confess, but I do need you to tell the truth. Answer whatever I ask."

The first person to be interrogated was a clerk from the General Affairs Office, a rank of eighth grade.

"I have received reports that officials and gentry in many parts of Zhili are concealing land ownership and underpaying land taxes. Are you aware of this?"

"This humble official determined that these people used their connections with the Ministry of Revenue's Current Judicial Office and the Shuntian Prefecture government to tamper with the registers." The interrogated man was impatient and couldn't stop talking once he started. "Sir, besides Zhili, there are also..."

Zhou Shao slammed the gavel down.

"Stop rambling. Answer my questions directly."

Unexpectedly, this person was probably terrified and still couldn't control his mouth.

"My lord, besides Zhili, also..."

"Palm mouth."

The soldiers immediately grabbed the man and began to beat him mercilessly until he was covered in blood.

The people behind finally understood: today, you have to answer the questions directly; answering too much won't earn you points, and will instead deduct points.

……

The interrogation lasted for half a day.

Zhou Shao looked at the confession in front of him and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Gentlemen, are you willing to support the work of the Ministry of Revenue Affairs Process Reform Team?"

"Now you have one task: draft a workflow report for each of the various bureaus, offices, and departments. Focus on three points: conciseness, efficiency, and verifiability."

"The opportunity is right in front of you. Whether you are reinstated or promoted depends on your performance."

Everyone knelt down in unison, overjoyed.

(End of this chapter)