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

Zhu Jianji suddenly stood up, placed his hands on the imperial desk, and stared intently at everyone.

"That Sun Youcai, as the shipyard supervisor, secretly resold timber from the national treasury and embezzled shipbuilding funds, turning a perfectly good royal shipyard into a mess."

"Pei Yuan killed him by wielding the Emperor's sword bestowed upon him by me, to slay a parasite. What wrong has he done?"

"And that Qian Dafu, the richest man in Nanjing."

Zhu Jianji snorted coldly.

"He's just a merchant, yet he dared to use top-grade golden nanmu wood, a tribute from Sichuan during the Zhengtong era, for the pillars of his house! That's the material used to build royal treasure ships!"

"Pei Yuan demolished his house to retrieve the timber; that was to recover stolen goods for the court! The fact that I didn't confiscate the entire Qian family's property is already an immense act of kindness!"

Li Xian was stunned by Zhu Jianji's protective words and stammered in rebuttal.

"But...but the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing..."

"The Nanjing Ministry of Revenue was nothing but a bunch of incompetent bastards!"

Zhu Jianji slammed his fist on the table.

"I ordered the construction of ships, but they kept making excuses and stalling, refusing to release the tung oil and pig iron. If it weren't for Pei Yuan's decisive actions, when would these precious ships have ever been launched?"

"You only see Pei Yuan's arrogance, but you don't see the sordid collusion between officials and merchants in Jiangnan!"

Seeing the emperor's obvious favoritism, the Left Censor-in-Chief braced himself and retorted.

"Your Majesty! Even if Pei Yuan had a reason for his actions, he acted without any rhyme or reason and was greedy and despicable by nature. Rumors in Jiangnan say that he used his official duties as a pretext to accept bribes on a large scale, and the amount of money he amassed was countless."

"Such treacherous officials, if left in Jiangnan, will ultimately be a great threat!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jianji sat back down on the dragon throne, his smile growing even deeper.

Greedy and despicable by nature? Accepting bribes?

Zhu Jianji employed Pei Yuan precisely because of his unruly and greedy nature.

Just then, Wang Zhi, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, strode into the warm pavilion.

He held a red-covered memorial and an exquisite little sandalwood box in his hands, his face beaming with smiles.

"Your Majesty, this is a secret dispatch from the Nanjing Imperial Guard. Lord Pei's memorial of greetings has arrived."

Zhu Jianji raised an eyebrow, signaling Wang Zhi to bring it up.

He opened the book of greetings.

There was no nonsense about complaining or grievances written on it; the entire document consisted of only two lines.

"Your humble servant has been careless in handling affairs in Jiangnan, which has drawn criticism from all officials and deserves death. However, the keel of the Longjiang Shipyard has been installed, and the 1,000-ton treasure ship can be expected in six months."

"Your Majesty, I have come across a few trinkets in Jiangnan. I dare not keep them to myself, so I present them to Your Majesty for your enjoyment and to relieve the burden of official duties."

After Zhu Jianji finished reading, he handed the folded book to Wang Zhi and casually pointed to the sandalwood box.

"Open it and take a look."

Wang Zhi carefully opened the brass lock on the wooden box.

The moment the lid was lifted, a refreshing and pleasant fragrance wafted out.

The box was lined with bright yellow satin, and three items lay quietly on the satin.

A jadeite thumb ring with excellent translucency and exquisite carving.

A string of perfectly round, flawless South China Sea red coral beads, each about the size of a thumb.

And a thin draft.

Zhu Jianji picked up the draft and glanced at it, his smile instantly widening.

A hint of undisguised admiration flashed in his eyes.

It was a universal banknote from the largest money exchange in Jiangnan, with the face value clearly stated:

Three hundred thousand taels of silver!

The signature is the personal seal of the richest man in Nanjing.

This money was the life-saving money that Pei Yuan had accepted from the Qian family.

He didn't take a single penny; instead, he presented the emperor with all the rare treasures confiscated from the homes of those corrupt officials, as if they were mere trinket.

Zhu Jianji placed the silver notes under the paperweight.

He slipped the jade thumb ring onto his thumb, turned to look at the ashen-faced civil officials below, and laughed out loud.

"My beloved ministers, you say that Pei Yuan is greedy and despicable, and has amassed countless riches. Yet, every penny of the wealth he has amassed has been handed over to my private treasury."

"Did Pei Yuan print these 300,000 taels of silver, along with all these rare treasures?"

Zhu Jianji's voice echoed in the warm pavilion, revealing the emperor's domineering yet insightful nature.

"This was all taken from the hands of those corrupt officials, unscrupulous merchants and local tyrants in Jiangnan! Pei Yuan bore this infamy for me for all eternity, doing the dirtiest and hardest work, sending silver into the national treasury and timber into the shipyard."

"You bunch of armchair strategists who spend your days in court engaging in empty talk, have you ever done anything to annoy me or bring me back a single tael of silver?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xian and the others turned pale and were speechless.

They spent their whole lives studying the classics, but they couldn't compete with the efficiency of getting things done with a real sum of 300,000 taels of silver and real money.

This Chenghua Emperor was just like the Jingtai Emperor of yesteryear.

They're all people who only care about money and results.

"Pei Yuan is not only innocent, but has actually rendered great service!"

Zhu Jianji waved his sleeve and made his conclusion directly.

"Issue my decree: reject all memorials impeaching Pei Yuan! Keep them in the palace and do not issue them!"

"I will also bestow upon Pei Yuan two sets of crimson flying fish robes and a jade belt from the imperial court."

"Tell all the civil and military officials in Jiangnan that anyone who dares to obstruct shipbuilding is obstructing my grand plan."

"Pei Yuan's sword is my sword!"

Seeing that the emperor had made up his mind, the civil officials knew that further discussion would be futile.

With a long sigh, he left the Qianqing Palace dejectedly.

Jiangnan, Nanjing.

The spring sunshine was bright and beautiful in Xichun Garden.

Pei Yuan changed into a simple blue robe and sat in the pavilion by the water.

On the stone table sat a pot of freshly brewed Biluochun tea, with several plates of exquisite Jiangnan-style snacks beside it.

A beautiful singer was sitting on a round stool to the side.

Holding a pipa, she softly sang Pingtan in the gentle Wu dialect.

"My lord, news has come back from the capital."

Lu Zheng strode into the pavilion and respectfully reported.

"The memorials submitted by the censors to impeach the official were all kept in the palace by the Emperor. Not only did the Emperor not reprimand him, but he also rewarded the official handsomely and issued an edict to the Six Ministries in Nanjing, ordering them to fully cooperate in shipbuilding."

Pei Yuan leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers gently to the rhythm of the pipa, without opening his eyes.

"The 300,000 taels of silver and several pieces of jewelry have been delivered. The Emperor will naturally know how to choose."

Pei Yuan picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and a deep smile played on his lips.

"Most emperors in this world are all the same in temperament. If you are an honest official, he will be wary of you trying to win people's hearts; if you are a capable minister, he will be afraid that your achievements will overshadow his own."

"Only such corrupt, ruthless, and disgraced officials who can only rely on imperial power are the knives they are most comfortable using."

Pei Yuan placed the teacup on the stone table and glanced at the shimmering pool water.

"Moreover, the money I sent back was more than the taxes collected by those upright gentlemen in the Ministry of Revenue."

"In this deal, as long as the Emperor isn't stupid, he knows who he should protect."

This is the way of being an official that he summarized after living for a hundred years.

When he was the Grand Secretary, he subdued the people with his abacus and rules.

Now, as a treacherous minister, he controls the overall situation by satisfying the emperor's greed and ambition.

Although the methods differ, they lead to the same goal.

"Your wisdom is divine."

Lu Zheng exclaimed in sincere admiration, then remembered something else.

"However, in the past few days, officials and gentry from all walks of life in Jiangnan have flocked to our Xichun Garden like bees and butterflies, seeing that Your Excellency is enjoying great favor."

"The visiting cards and gift lists that arrive every day are almost overflowing the gatehouse. Sir, what do you think, should we accept these gifts or not?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan threw his head back and laughed heartily, his laughter revealing a carefree and unrestrained spirit.

"Take it! Why not take it?"

Pei Yuan stood up, walked to the edge of the pool, and casually scattered a few fish food pellets he was playing with into the water.

Immediately, a group of brightly colored koi carp rushed over, scrambling for the food on the surface of the water.

I am now the most corrupt official in the Ming Dynasty.

If you turn away meat that's offered to you, wouldn't that ruin your hard-earned reputation?

Pei Yuan turned around, a cunning glint in his deep eyes.

"All the silks, satins, gold, silver and jewels were put into the storeroom. As for the antiques and paintings, some of the best were kept in the mansion for appreciation."

"As for those drafts of real gold and silver..."

Pei Yuan straightened the wide sleeves of his blue robe, his tone returning to its usual nonchalant manner.

"Give it all to Old Yan. Tell him that these are hairs I plucked from the wealthy dogs in Jiangnan. Use them to supplement the craftsmen's meals and to buy the best tung oil and hemp fibers."

"I not only want to build a thousand-ton treasure ship, but I also want to equip it with the best cannons of the Ming Dynasty. All the silver will be poured into the shipyard!"

"Taking money from corrupt officials to build ships for the Ming Dynasty. No matter how you look at it, it's a win-win situation."

Lu Zheng accepted the order and withdrew.

Pei Yuan sat back down in the recliner and closed his eyes.

Listening to the soft, melodious sound of the pipa in Wu dialect, and feeling the gentle spring breeze of Jiangnan.