Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Gu Yannian stood up, ignoring Yang Shiqi and Wang Zhen kneeling on the ground.

Instead, he walked steadily to the imperial desk.

His gaze fell with great interest on the clay pottery jar containing the "iron head".

"Your humble servant does not understand any of those grand principles about indulging in trivial pursuits and losing one's ambition. Your humble servant is simply looking at this cricket."

Gu Yannian gently tapped the edge of the pottery jar with his slender fingers, as if examining a rare treasure.

"Your Majesty, is this the ever-victorious general sent from Suzhou?"

Zhu Zhanji saw that Gu Yannian did not remonstrate to the death like Yang Shiqi.

Instead, he became interested in crickets, his expression softened slightly, and he nodded smugly, saying:

"Indeed. This cricket is exceptionally fierce and is the finest among crickets."

Gu Yannian bowed slightly and examined him for a moment.

He then straightened up, looked at Zhu Zhanji, and spoke in a gentle tone.

"Your Majesty, this cricket is indeed of the highest quality. I have made a rough estimate, and this insect is worth at least 100,000 taels of silver, plus three human lives."

These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

Zhu Zhanji was stunned, and Yang Shiqi suddenly raised his head.

Wang Zhen, kneeling to the side, was deathly pale, looking as if he had lost his parents.

"One hundred thousand taels of silver? Three lives?"

Zhu Zhanji's brows furrowed into a deep frown as he stared sharply at Gu Yannian.

"Prime Minister Gu, what do you mean by that? How can a mere insect command such an astonishing price?"

Gu Yannian did not answer directly.

Instead, he turned around, his deep eyes coldly sweeping over Wang Zhen.

The mental pressure, honed by the years, made Wang Zhen feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and even his breath stopped.

"Just now, Eunuch Wang Zhen said that the crickets were sent by the Suzhou prefect himself and did not disturb the people."

Gu Yannian's voice was not loud, but every word was piercing.

"Then I must ask, the Suzhou prefect's annual salary is only a hundred or so taels of silver. Where does he get the spare money to hire strange people from the countryside to trek through mountains and rivers to catch insects in the crevices of ancient tombs?"

Gu Yannian pulled a small blue booklet from his wide sleeve and presented it to Zhu Zhanji with both hands.

"Your Majesty, this is a secret report sent back by the spies I planted in various prefectures in Jiangnan after I took over the Ministry of Revenue. Your Majesty will understand once you take a look."

Zhu Zhanji snatched the booklet and opened it to examine it closely.

The more he looked, the more ashen his face became, and his hands couldn't help but tremble slightly.

This booklet contains a very clear record of a messy account.

The Suzhou prefect used the pretext that "the emperor is fond of crickets and has specially ordered local authorities to collect them as tribute."

A "cricket tax" was levied on wealthy merchants and village chiefs in Changzhou, Wuxian, and other areas under the jurisdiction of Suzhou.

Those who fail to deliver top-quality crickets must pay a hefty fine in silver.

In an attempt to capture this iron-headed creature, local thugs ran rampant in the countryside, forcibly trampling down the farmland of dozens of farmers in search of its nest.

A farmer was beaten to death on the spot for stopping a local bully from destroying his crops.

The farmer's wife and elderly mother, overwhelmed with grief and indignation, drowned themselves in the river.

Three lives were lost silently.

The Suzhou prefect, taking advantage of this "cricket tax," levied a staggering 100,000 taels of silver from the people within a single month.

He spent only ten taels of silver to buy the iron head and sent it to the capital.

The remaining 99,990 taels all ended up in his own pocket!

"Bang!"

Zhu Zhanji kicked over the tea table in front of him, and the earthenware jar shattered on the ground.

The majestic "Iron-Headed General" crawled out of the debris, before it even had a chance to cry out.

He was then trampled into a bloody pulp by the enraged emperor.

"Traitors and scoundrels! Beasts! How dare they use my name to exploit and plunder the people in the provinces!"

Zhu Zhanji's eyes were bloodshot, like those of an enraged lion.

What he hated most in his life was that his subordinates used his name to harm the people and embezzle money.

This was even more humiliating for him than being directly insulted.

Yang Shiqi suddenly realized what was going on.

It's not that Prime Minister Gu doesn't offer advice.

He directly exposed the bloody corruption behind this decadent lifestyle.

I used a knife to puncture the abscess.

This method is a hundred times more sophisticated than the empty remonstrances of the censors.

"Your Majesty, spare me! This servant deserves to die! This servant had no idea that the Suzhou prefect was so audacious!"

Wang Zhen was utterly terrified and kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead bleeding profusely from the blows.

He truly didn't know the intricacies behind it.

He only accepted a few hundred taels of bribes from the Suzhou prefect and said a few nice words to the emperor.

Zhu Zhanji suddenly drew the Emperor's Sword that was hanging on the pavilion pillar.

The sword's edge was aimed directly at Wang Zhen's throat, its killing intent palpable.

"You eunuch! You accepted bribes from foreign officials and deceived the Emperor. Today, I will execute you!"

"Your Majesty, please wait."

Gu Yannian stepped forward, slightly raised his hand, and blocked the sword's edge.

"Prime Minister Gu! Are you going to protect this eunuch traitor?"

Zhu Zhanji's anger had not subsided.

Gu Yannian calmly pressed down the sword in the emperor's hand, his tone even.

"Your Majesty, killing Wang Zhen is merely soiling the bluestone slabs of the Imperial Garden. Such eunuchs are inherently greedy and avaricious; he is certainly guilty."

"But the real culprits are those corrupt officials who outwardly comply but inwardly defy local authorities and take the opportunity to amass wealth."

Gu Yannian looked at Wang Zhen, who was trembling like a leaf on the ground, and a deep meaning flashed in his eyes.

Wang Zhen was an extremely intelligent man.

Historically, his ability to wield immense power was not solely due to flattery and sycophancy.

Gu Yannian spared his life today to take full control of this unfinished double-edged sword.

"Keeping such a lackey alive to bite those who give him money is far more useful than killing him."

Gu Yannian said calmly.

Zhu Zhanji took a deep breath and threw the Emperor's Sword to the ground, making a crisp clanging sound.

In the end, the emperor's reason prevailed over his anger.

"What Prime Minister Gu says makes sense. How should this Suzhou prefect be dealt with?"

Gu Yannian straightened his sleeves, his eyes revealing a calm and composed demeanor.

"Your Majesty, now that the cricket tax has been collected, the Suzhou prefect must have hidden the 100,000 taels of silver in the cellar. If we simply send the Imperial Guards to arrest him, he can deny everything and even secretly transfer the silver."

"To deal with such corrupt officials, we need to use some clever tactics to make them spit out the money they have taken, so that we can bring them to justice in a legitimate way."

"Oh? What brilliant plan does Prime Minister Gu have?"

Zhu Zhanji suppressed his anger and asked curiously.

A gentle smile appeared on Gu Yannian's lips.

The smile, when seen by Wang Zhen kneeling on the ground, was as chilling as a demon.

"Your Majesty may issue a decree stating that this Iron Head cricket has won Your Majesty's favor, and that a royal cricket competition shall be held in the capital. The prefects and provincial governors of all prefectures in Jiangnan who have presented crickets as tribute shall be required to personally travel to the capital to accompany Your Majesty and observe the competition."

"at the same time……"

Gu Yannian paused, his tone becoming exceptionally sharp.

"The Ministry of Revenue and the Censorate were ordered to seal off the official treasuries of all prefectures in Jiangnan under the pretext of preparing for the conference."

"Once these corrupt officials leave their hideouts, I will send the Ministry of Revenue's Bureau of Investigation and Statistics to directly search their private residences with their account books."

"Without them stationed in the local area to destroy evidence, not a single ounce of that ill-gotten money hidden in the cellars will escape."

Yang Shiqi was terrified.

This Chief Minister Gu truly mastered the art of manipulating people's hearts and using political intrigue to the extreme.

Using the emperor's absurd pretext, they carried out a swift and decisive raid on homes.

Zhu Zhanji burst into laughter upon hearing this, his previous gloom vanishing completely.

"Excellent! Luring the snake out of its hole! Prime Minister Gu's plan is truly ingenious!"

Zhu Zhanji pointed to Wang Zhen on the ground.

"You dog of a servant, your life was spared by Prime Minister Gu. You know perfectly well what to do!"