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

At Chenshi (7-9 AM), the morning court session was held at Fengtian Gate.

The early spring morning breeze still carried a hint of chill, and the officials lined up in order beneath the imperial steps.

Holding an ivory tablet, Gu Yannian stood at the head of the assembled officials, his expression calm and composed.

With three sharp cracks of the whip, Zhu Qizhen, dressed in a dragon robe, strode onto the throne.

His steps were unusually steady today, and his back was ramrod straight.

The fear that once filled his eyes when he looked at Gu Yannian was gone, replaced by a mocking gaze, like that of a hunter looking at a fish that had fallen into his net.

The morning assembly proceeded as usual.

Minister of War Yu Qian reported on the progress of the replacement of firearms at the nine border posts, and the Ministry of Works reported on the regulations for the spring repair of the Yellow River dike.

Gu Yannian casually commented a few words, his points were clear and logical, and everything was arranged perfectly.

After all the government affairs were discussed, the hall gradually quieted down.

Zhu Qizhen sat on the dragon throne, leaning slightly forward, and cleared his throat.

"My dear ministers, you have worked hard. In recent years, the Ming Dynasty has enjoyed peace and prosperity, and the national treasury is full, all thanks to the concerted efforts of the Grand Secretariat and the Six Ministries. In particular, Grand Secretary Gu, who is in charge of the nation's finances, has made great contributions."

Upon hearing this, the courtiers echoed and praised him.

Gu Yannian bowed slightly: "This humble subject has only done his duty and dares not claim credit for it."

Zhu Qizhen's lips curled into a cold smile; the true intentions were revealed.

"However, during my recent leisure time, I reviewed the year-end accounts submitted by the Ministry of Revenue and discovered a strange matter."

He gave Wang Zhen a wink.

Wang Zhen immediately took the account book, strode down the imperial steps, and stood before the assembled officials.

Zhu Qizhen's voice echoed in the Fengtian Hall, each word resounding with power.

"Prime Minister Gu, last year's customs duties from the Maritime Trade Office, together with the copper interest calculated by the Annam Military Governor's Office, after deducting fire losses and depreciation along the way, should have resulted in a surplus of 4.5 million taels of silver. However, after carefully checking the register of the Imperial Granary, I found only 3.7 million taels."

"Where did the 800,000 taels of silver that vanished go?"

These words shocked the entire court.

The air inside the hall seemed to freeze instantly.

Minister of Revenue Chen Jian and other high-ranking officials all turned pale and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Eight hundred thousand taels!

The Emperor has launched a campaign against the Grand Secretary for embezzlement!

Yu Qian frowned. Although he did not believe that Gu Yannian would covet money, the emperor had already revealed the amount in public.

They must have found some concrete evidence.

Is the political climate about to change again?

Zhu Qizhen stared intently at Gu Yannian, reveling in the shock and horror that filled the entire court.

He expected to see panic, astonishment, or even fear on Gu Yannian's face.

However, to his disappointment...

Gu Yannian's face remained completely expressionless.

He didn't even turn his head to look at the account book in Wang Zhen's hand, but slowly put the ivory tablet in his hand into his wide sleeve.

"Your Majesty, the 800,000 taels of silver indeed did not enter the imperial granary."

Gu Yannian spoke calmly and frankly.

A collective gasp filled the hall.

Zhu Qizhen gripped the armrests of the dragon throne tightly with both hands, and demanded an explanation in a stern voice.

"Not into the imperial treasury? Where did that money go! Gu Yannian, how dare you! Such a massive amount of national funds, without my approval, didn't enter the national treasury. Could it have gone into your own pocket?!"

The young emperor finally tore off his disguise, calling her by her name and unleashing all the hatred he had suppressed for five years.

Faced with this thunderous rage, Gu Yannian sighed slightly and shook his head.

He stepped steadily out of the queue and stood in the center of the hall, meeting Zhu Qizhen's resentful gaze.

His tone conveyed a sense of disappointment and frustration.

"Your Majesty has been studying the account books for the past five years in vain. No matter how skillfully you use an abacus, you are still just an accountant who moves beads. In the end, you have failed to grasp the profound principles of governing the country behind the words 'money' and 'grain'."

Zhu Qizhen was taken aback, then laughed in anger.

"You dare to lecture me when you're about to die? Tell me, what grand principles for governing the country are you hiding behind those 800,000 taels of silver you embezzled!"

Gu Yannian turned around and glanced at the civil and military officials in the court.

Where is Chen Jian, the Minister of Revenue?

"Your humble servant is here." Chen Jian quickly stepped forward.

"Report to His Majesty the accounts of the grain stored in the Ever-Normal Granaries in the Hubei and Hunan regions and Henan."

Gu Yannian gave the instructions.

Chen Jian took a deep breath and said loudly, "Your Majesty, last winter, the Ministry of Revenue used 800,000 taels of silver from the treasury to secretly purchase 1.5 million shi of old rice from Jiangnan and Huguang at a fair price. All of it was stored in the Ever-Normal Granaries in Henan and the two lakes for famine relief."

"Now all those granaries are full."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qizhen sneered repeatedly.

"This is utter nonsense! If the Ministry of Revenue wanted to purchase grain for famine relief, why didn't they record the expenditure details in the general ledger? Why did they keep secret accounts? This is clearly an excuse you're using to cover up the truth after the incident!"

A mocking smile appeared on Gu Yannian's lips as he looked at the young emperor on the dragon throne.

"Does Your Majesty know what kind of disaster would result if all four and a half million taels of gold and silver were to flood the market at once?"

Gu Yannian took a step forward, and an invisible pressure, as imposing as a mountain peak, quietly emanated from him.

It shattered Zhu Qizhen's superficial imperial aura.

"The supply of rice, grain, and cloth in the market was finite. But the influx of silver suddenly increased dramatically, making silver cheap and goods expensive. Where one tael of silver could previously buy two shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice, now it could only buy half a shi!"

"Merchants hoarding goods will inevitably drive prices up several times over. Sending 4.5 million taels into the imperial granary may seem like a bountiful contribution to the national treasury, but in reality, it will plunge the people of the land into a fire pit!"

Gu Yannian's voice gradually rose, reverberating throughout the entire Fengtian Hall.

"Therefore, Your Majesty has ordered that 800,000 taels of the silver be intercepted in batches along the way, and instead of entering the capital, be used to secretly purchase grain, fodder and cloth on the spot and deposit them into the Ever-Normal Granary as a stabilization fund."

"Firstly, to curb the soaring prices in Jiangnan caused by the influx of silver; secondly..."

Gu Yannian's gaze was deep as he stared directly at Zhu Qizhen.

"The Imperial Observatory had a secret report that there might be a severe drought in the Yellow River and Huai River basins this spring. The grain obtained in exchange for these 800,000 taels of silver is now lying quietly in the granaries of Henan."

"Once a disaster strikes, the Ministry of Revenue can save millions of lives by opening the granaries and distributing grain! If this is clearly recorded in the general ledger, local grain merchants will be quick to act."

"Even 800,000 taels of silver wouldn't buy half of this grain!"

The hall was completely silent.

The officials and civil servants suddenly realized what was happening and immediately cast admiring glances at Gu Yannian.

Such economic tactics, which involve controlling prices across the world and planning ahead for a rainy day, have long transcended simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

The Grand Secretary not only did not embezzle the money, but also used it to save the Ming Dynasty from an impending economic collapse and natural disaster!

Zhu Qizhen sat on the dragon throne, dumbfounded.

His face, which had been flushed with excitement, had now turned deathly pale and bloodless.

He spent five years working tirelessly, his eyes bloodshot, believing he had found irrefutable evidence of Gu Yannian's embezzlement and that he could plunge him into an abyss of no return.

In the end, the loophole he saw was nothing more than a pawn in someone else's grand scheme of things.

He was manipulating the abacus beads on the first floor.

Gu Yannian, however, stood high above, overlooking the life and death of the entire game.

This crushing defeat in terms of intelligence and perspective made him feel even more desperate and devastated than when he was digging trenches in Xiyuan back then.

"How could this happen... how could this be..."

Zhu Qizhen muttered to himself, his eyes staring blankly at the account book on the imperial desk.

He felt as if those densely packed ink characters had transformed into the faces of Gu Yannian, mocking him.

Wang Zhen's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

That's it, it's completely over.

His flattery backfired spectacularly. If Gu Xiangru were to investigate further, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to chop him off.