Prime Minister

Chapter 26 026 [Still Waters, Gentle Ripples]

East of the Imperial City, in the east corridor of Zuoshun Gate, the Ministry of Works was located.

This was only the core office of the Ministry of Works. In addition, there were many subordinate branch buildings distributed inside and outside the city, such as the Bamboo and Timber Bureau outside Andingmen, the Firewood and Charcoal Bureau near Fuchengmen, the Street Hall outside Zhengyangmen, and the Construction Office in the eastern suburbs.

Compared to the cramped and cramped temporary office of the investigation department, the Ministry of Works was much more impressive in terms of both area and scale.

However, all the officials in this government office had furrowed brows and were preoccupied with their own worries.

After Gu Heng was imprisoned in the Jing'an Division, many people speculated that the emperor would not let the matter rest, because the most fundamental issues remained unresolved: the truth behind this summer's floods needed to be uncovered, and the depleted national treasury needed to be replenished.

Gu Heng alone is clearly not capable of shouldering such a responsibility.

Sure enough, just two or three days later, news spread from the palace that the emperor wanted to thoroughly investigate the Ministry of Works.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Works was ordered to quickly establish an investigation office for corruption cases, and Shen Wang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, was appointed as the imperial commissioner to investigate the case. He drew a large number of capable personnel from other ministries and departments and organized the structure in a very short time.

"Brother Deyu, did the Minister summon you earlier with any instructions?"

Under the central corridor, Jia Fan, an assistant director of the Agricultural Development Office, looked at his colleague who had a blank expression and leaned over to ask him with great concern.

Qi Huan, the Assistant Director of the Water Conservancy Department, looked up at Jia Fan and shook his head, saying, "No instructions."

The officials of the Water Conservancy Bureau have been in a state of panic these past few days, and no one knows what Doctor Gu confessed in the prison of the Jing'an Bureau.

Most of them didn't believe Gu Heng could withstand the Jing'an Division's methods, so it was like a death knives hanging over their necks, and they could only watch helplessly as the executioner spat into his palm.

Then he swung his sword and slashed down.

The process of waiting to die was extremely agonizing. These seasoned officials certainly wouldn't just sit and wait. They checked the accounts day and night to ensure there were no mistakes, and each of them sought connections to beg for a way to survive.

However, this time the emperor made the decision unilaterally and specially appointed Shen Wang to preside over the investigation, clearly intending to make an example of him. Who would dare to speak up for these officials of the Water Conservancy Bureau?
Ultimately, they could only place their hopes on Minister Xue Minglun.

Hearing Qi Huan's lifeless reply, Jia Fan sighed and comforted him, "Brother Deyu, don't worry, the Minister will certainly not stand idly by and watch us be harassed."

Qi Huan recalled Xue Minglun's expression without any emotional fluctuation just now, and said with a self-deprecating smile: "Brother Yutian, there is no need to test us. This time, it is our Water Division that has an accident, and it will not involve the Land Reclamation Division."

"Brother Deyu, what are you saying?"

Jia Fan said solemnly, “The four departments of the Ministry of Works are closely connected, and we have been colleagues for nearly ten years. Of course, I don’t want to see anything happen to you. I came here today precisely to do my part for Brother Deyu.”

Qi Huan remained outwardly unmoved, but his slightly rapid breathing betrayed his true feelings.

Jia Fan then said, "Brother Deyu, why don't you consider this: would the Minister really turn a blind eye to us? In any case, you and I are both subordinates of the Minister. Although Physician Gu has committed a crime this time, we can't let it implicate too many people. Otherwise, who will the Minister rely on to do things in the future?"

Qi Huan pondered for a moment and said, "Are you saying that the Minister might take action?"

"It's not a possibility, it's a certainty."

Jia Fan looked resolute, then lowered his voice and said, "But that Vice Minister Shen is coming on strong. Your Excellency can't go against the Emperor's will unless the officials in the investigation office can't find any fault with him. Only then will Your Excellency have the confidence to suppress Vice Minister Shen."

Qi Huan frowned slightly; this was undoubtedly a pointless statement.

He and his colleagues at the Water Conservancy Bureau certainly didn't want the other side to find any fault with them, but the initiative in this matter was not in their hands.

Jia Fan went a step further and said, “Brother Deyu, Vice Minister Shen is an imperial envoy, while the other officials are not. As long as you put in the effort and take a firm stance, it won’t be easy for them to investigate, right? If they can’t find any evidence, the Minister will have more confidence and will be able to protect us from harm.”

Qi Huan's mind raced. He knew, of course, that Jia Fan wasn't so kind; he probably wanted the Water Conservancy Bureau to stand in front and distract the investigation department.

The problem is that he doesn't have a better option right now.

Shen Wang's subordinates are all carefully selected talents, and it is impossible to smooth things over in such a short time. Moreover, Xue Minglun will not take action for the time being, so they can only rely on themselves.

Upon thinking of this, Qi Huan did not express his opinion, but simply cupped his hands and said, "Brother Yutian, you have gone to great lengths."

Jia Fan watched his hurried figure walk away, chuckled silently twice, and then turned and walked in the opposite direction.

……

At 3:45 AM, dozens of officials from the investigation office arrived in a grand procession at the Ministry of Works' government office.

Minister of Works Xue Minglun, with a solemn expression, personally came out to greet them.

Imperial Envoy Shen Wang stepped forward to read the imperial edict, and then, under the awe-inspiring gaze of the Ministry of Works officials, he went with Xue Minglun to the duty hut.

His subordinates, led by Qi Huan, an assistant director of the Water Conservancy Bureau, went to the side courtyard of the Water Conservancy Bureau.

Xue Huai was naturally among them.

Even though he tried to keep a low profile, he still attracted countless complicated glances along the way. There was scrutiny, fear, and even hatred.

The reason for this is that before Gu Heng impeached Xue Mingzhang, Xue Huai had been impeaching officials of the Ministry of Works every now and then.

If it weren't for Xue Minglun's repeated suppression, the officials of the Ministry of Works would probably have already launched a group attack on Xue Huai.

Xue Huai remained calm and his steps were steady.

Shen Wang's words yesterday had a significant impact on him, but he would not act rashly or impulsively because of them.

For him, it was a habit he had developed in his previous life to first assess the situation and learn the skills of the capable officials in the investigation department so that he would not be timid or hesitant when he was needed to step forward.

He now has a general understanding of the people around him.

Yuan Cheng, the Censor-in-Chief, was a well-known upright official in the Censorate. He was of noble character and decisive in his actions. In his early years, he had an extremely fiery temper and his impeachment memorials were extremely sharp. He once refuted a vice minister so thoroughly that the vice minister had nowhere to hide in court.

Fang Jiming, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Justice, is calm and reserved, yet he has the ability to see through the intrigue. Over the years, he has handled countless complex cases and often discovers those inconspicuous clues. He is a capable officer under the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

Chen Zhi, a judge of the Dali Temple, may appear to be a kind-hearted person, but in reality, he is meticulous and rigorous, and he rarely makes mistakes in the cases he reviews.

As for the six supervising secretaries and the clerks specifically responsible for checking account books, Xue Huai had a deep impression of one of them.

On that day at the grand court assembly, Ge Cunyi, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, stood still, seemingly lost in thought, while the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial read the imperial edict. He was truly a remarkable person who could fall asleep on the spot.

Xue Huai originally thought this person was just a figurehead, but now he realized that the other party simply disliked pedantry. The fact that he was chosen by Shen Wang to be transferred to the investigation department must mean that he was extraordinary.

A moment later, the group arrived at the courtyard where the Water Conservancy Bureau was located.

Qi Huan cupped his hands to the crowd and said, "Fellow colleagues, I wonder how you intend to investigate the case. Please provide a plan."

Everyone looked at Xue Huai—as the secretary appointed by Shen Wang, he was responsible for conveying Shen Wang's arrangements.

"The Imperial Commissioner has ordered that the Water Conservancy Bureau hand over all files and ledgers related to river works from the past ten years. In addition, Mr. Qi and all officials must be questioned by the Investigation Department."

Xue Huai spoke calmly and unhurriedly.

Qi Huan frowned, but he did not show any obvious resistance. He said in a deep voice, "The files and account books are in the archives. In addition, I and everyone in the Water Conservancy Bureau are available for your questioning at any time."

The progress seemed to be going smoothly, but neither Xue Huai nor Yuan Cheng and the others relaxed their minds.

This is just the beginning; figuring out the other party's problems won't be so easy.

The investigators began their work according to their pre-arranged division of labor. Xue Huai led the six secretaries and clerks to the archives, while Yuan Cheng and others first conducted the first round of questioning of the officials of the Water Conservancy Bureau.

The archives of the Water Conservancy Bureau were very large, with seven rooms on three sides, containing a vast amount of files.

"so much?"

Looking at the six large boxes placed in the courtyard, a censor had no time to marvel at how cooperative the Water Conservancy Bureau had been and had prepared the relevant files in advance. He only knew that he would probably have to work without sleep for the next half month.

Zheng Jing, the head of the Water Conservancy Bureau, looked at him coldly and said indifferently, "This is less than 30%, and it's only the river works files from the last five years. If you want files from the last ten years, then there are at least a dozen large boxes left."

These words made everyone frown. It wasn't that they were afraid of the difficulties, but the emperor had only given them a three-month deadline, and it would take one or two months just to finish checking these files.

"Master Zheng."

Xue Huai stepped forward and calmly said, "This case originated from the corruption case in the Yangzhou river works. Please hand over the case files from the Yangzhou government to us first."

Zheng Jing glanced at him sideways and said nothing more.

Xue Huai said calmly, "Master Zheng is unwilling?"

"Editor Xue, don't make baseless accusations."

Zheng Jing recalled Qi Huan's instructions and said expressionlessly, "The investigation department is acting on orders to investigate the case, how dare we not cooperate? However, the archives are piled high with files, and I really don't know where the river works files of Yangzhou Prefecture are kept. Editor Xue, please be patient, I will immediately take people to the archives to look for them."

He paused for a moment, then said kindly, "By the way, the Dushui Division is cramped and there is no place for you to rest. If you don't mind, please wait in the courtyard and I will have someone bring you chairs right away."

His answer seemed to be without problem, but how could Xue Huai not understand the hidden meaning behind it?

If he agrees, then the next scene will be the investigation team sitting in the courtyard waiting idly, while Zheng Jing and her men search the archives until the end of time.

In short, drag it out for as long as possible.

(End of this chapter)