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

Write it down.

Gu Yannian continued speaking without stopping his hands.

"In the autumn of the third year of Yongle's reign, there was a severe drought in Jiangnan. The water level of the Grand Canal was low and the flow was extremely slow. There were no reports of grain ships capsizing along the way. The loss of 30,000 taels of silver was a false report."

"Investigate the magistrate in charge of transporting the grain back then; this money must have ended up in his pocket."

Upon hearing this, the officials below the hall felt a sudden jolt in their hearts.

Gu Yannian casually tossed the account books aside and pulled out five more.

"In the eighth year of the Yongle reign, the Liaodong Military Command reported 114,000 soldiers and requested military pay and winter clothing."

A glint flashed in Gu Yannian's eyes, and the sound of the abacus grew more urgent.

"According to the memorial from the Ministry of War's Military Selection Office of the same year, the number of old and weak soldiers dismissed from several garrisons in Liaodong that year should have been less than 100,000. The salary for these 14,000 men was split between the Liaodong General and the local garrison eunuch."

"Note this down: a total of 420,000 taels of silver were embezzled."

The four clerks' wrists moved swiftly, cold sweat pouring down their foreheads.

They had never seen such an audit before, with no reconciliation of accounts or examination of the original invoices.

With just his memory and his hands, he was able to dig up every last detail of things from over a decade ago.

Time passed by, second by second.

The main hall of the Ministry of Revenue was deathly silent, except for Gu Yannian's unhurried voice and the chilling sound of the abacus.

"In the twelfth year of the Yongle reign, the Salt Transport Commissioner of Lianghuai reported a loss of 20,000 salt permits..."

"In the fifteenth year of the Yongle reign, Sichuan procured Phoebe zhennan wood, and excessively deducted 80,000 taels of silver for the laborers' rations..."

"The eighteenth year of the Yongle reign..."

Each instance of embezzlement was carefully concealed, and each instance of deficit was spun through deception.

Faced with Gu Yannian's godlike computing power, it was like an ugly scar stripped of its gorgeous coat, exposed naked to the light of day.

Xia Yuanji stood aside, initially with a scrutinizing attitude.

But as Gu Yannian reported more and more numbers, the logic became clearer and clearer.

The old minister's expression changed from shock to ecstatic joy.

Finally, even his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

He was also an expert in managing money and supplies, and after a little thought, he understood the flaws that Gu Yannian pointed out.

Those places where he thought the accounts looked perfect but something always felt off were actually all replaced with this kind of deception!

"Lord Gu is truly a divine being! He is undoubtedly the God of Wealth of the Ming Dynasty!"

Xia Yuanji screamed inwardly.

However, the officials from the Ministry of Revenue below the hall felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

Finally, a pregnant official from the Ministry of Revenue couldn't contain himself any longer and stepped forward from the crowd.

This man, named Zhao Cheng, was a powerful figure in charge of allocating grain to granaries across various regions.

The mess that Gu Yannian just pointed out happened to involve his old acquaintance.

"Minister Gu, please calm down for now!"

Zhao Cheng bowed respectfully, forcing a smile on his face, but his eyes held a hint of resentment.

"Your Excellency is quick-witted and wise, which we admire. However, when it comes to accounts, it is most important to avoid making unfounded statements. Your Excellency just mentioned that in the fifteenth year of Yongle, 30,000 shi of grain in the Ever-Normal Granary in Henan were reported as moldy and damaged, which was due to human error and embezzlement of the grain funds."

"But back then, Henan experienced half a month of torrential rain, and the granaries were damp—a natural disaster. This was guaranteed by the seal of the Imperial Inspector. How can you convince the public with just your side of the story?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall turned their gaze to the person in the main seat.

They also wanted to see how the new official would respond to such a well-founded rebuttal.

Gu Yannian's hand finally left the abacus.

He picked up the slightly cooled tea, took a small sip, and looked intently at the doctor named Zhao Cheng.

"Zhao Langzhong is right; everything requires evidence."

Gu Yannian's tone remained as lukewarm as ever.

"Go and look up the meteorological and geomantic maps submitted to the cabinet by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau in June of the fifteenth year of Yongle."

Zhao Cheng was taken aback. The Imperial Observatory's illustrated records?

Who would go see that thing?

Gu Yannian put down his teacup, his voice not loud, but each word carried immense weight.

"From the third to the eighteenth of the sixth month of the fifteenth year of Yongle, there was indeed rain throughout Henan. However, the heavy rain only fell in the Luoyang and Kaifeng area. Although there were dark clouds in the Changping Granary of Guide Prefecture under the jurisdiction of Zhao Langzhong for half a month, not a drop of rain fell."

"What caused the torrential rain to cause such a disaster, resulting in 30,000 shi of grain becoming damp and moldy?"

Zhao Cheng was struck dumb; his face turned deathly pale, his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

He never imagined that this young official, who had always been holed up in the Bureau of Statutes reading books, would remember an obscure meteorological record from the Imperial Observatory more than a decade ago with perfect accuracy!

This isn't a person; it's a living Wenyuan Pavilion!

"you……"

Zhao Cheng's lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

"Write it down."

Gu Yannian didn't even bother to look at him again and gave instructions to the clerk.

"Zhao Cheng, a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue, colluded with the prefect of Guide to resell 30,000 shi of grain stored in the Ever-Normal Granary. Afterwards, they used natural disasters as an excuse to settle the accounts. Their crime is unforgivable."

With a thud.

Zhao Cheng collapsed to the ground, closing his eyes in despair.

He knew he was finished.

After this battle, no one in the Ministry of Revenue dared to harbor the slightest contempt.

Everyone looked at Gu Yannian as if he were a Yama, the King of Hell, who decides life and death.

The clearing process is still ongoing in the lobby.

The account books in the wooden box were decreasing at an unbelievable rate, while the list of crimes and embezzlements in front of the four clerks was piling up thicker and thicker.

The deep-seated problems accumulated over twenty years in the Ming Dynasty were removed, piece by piece, by a pair of steady hands within a few hours.

As the sun gradually set in the west, it cast extremely long shadows in the main hall of the Ministry of Revenue.

After an unknown amount of time, a deep and long drumbeat pierced through the palace walls and echoed across the capital.

"Thump, thump..."

That was the sound of the evening drum, signaling that the hour of You (5-7 PM) had arrived and the officials were leaving their posts.

At this moment, Gu Yannian was holding an account book from the Fujian Maritime Trade Office, and had just read aloud...

"In the nineteenth year of the Yongle reign, smuggled spices were seized at Quanzhou Port..."

Upon hearing the drumbeats, Gu Yannian's voice abruptly stopped.

He naturally closed the account book in his hand and placed it steadily on the desk.

Then, he stood up, slowly untied the blue ribbon from his cuff, smoothed out the slight wrinkles on his bright red official robe, and put the sandalwood abacus into his sleeve.

"Lord Gu, the accounts from Quanzhou haven't been fully read yet. Is there something amiss?"

Xia Yuanji was listening intently when he suddenly stopped and quickly went up to ask him what was wrong.

Gu Yannian remained calm and slightly cupped his hands in greeting.

"Minister Xia, it is already late afternoon, and I must leave the office. The remaining accounts will be reviewed again tomorrow at dawn."

The air in the lobby seemed to freeze for a moment.

Hundreds of officials stared in disbelief at the Right Vice Minister, a third-rank official.

What occasion is this?

This is a momentous reckoning concerning the very foundation of the Ming Dynasty!

The corrupt officials in the court were trembling with fear, while the emperor was anxiously awaiting the outcome in the Qianqing Palace.

You were halfway through your investigation when you heard the closing drumbeats and just quit?!