After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

The carriage rumbled along, and the sky outside the window gradually darkened.

Yang Shen sat opposite Liu Jian, appearing somewhat reserved.

This Grand Secretary during the Hongzhi reign was one of the most prominent Grand Secretaries in the Ming Dynasty.

Since Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the position of prime minister and Zhu Di established the cabinet, it did not have much power at first. It was not until the Hongzhi reign, when the cabinet composed of Liu Jian, Xie Qian and Li Dongyang, became the new power center, which continued until the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

In other words, Liu Jian was the new prime minister of the Ming Dynasty after Hu Weiyong.

Yang Shen did not hide anything and told the truth: "I went to Wuqing County with Your Highness to resettle the refugees and open a kiln to fire bricks. I happened to find that the cross-section of the breached dike looked neat and did not look like it was washed away by water."

Liu Jian raised an eyebrow: "Oh? What do you mean?"

"When a river breaches its banks, the water usually overflows the top of the embankment or the piping erodes the foundation. The cross-section of the embankment should be uneven, wider on the outside and narrower on the inside. But that section of the breach had a flat cross-section, and you could even see traces of human excavation."

Liu Jian gasped, his face turning extremely grave.

Yang Shen continued, "I sensed something was wrong at the time, and told His Highness the Crown Prince when I got back. After hearing it, His Highness was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table and declared that for the sake of those innocent disaster victims, he would investigate the matter thoroughly!"

Liu Jian nodded, thinking to himself that although the Crown Prince was unruly, his character was upright.

"Most of the refugees taken in by the brickyard were locals from Wuqing County. When the students gathered them together and asked them questions, they immediately discovered the truth: after their land was flooded, it was all sold at extremely low prices, only about one qian per mu, which was practically free. The money from selling the land was used to buy a few dou of grain, which was quickly consumed. Then the land was gone, and they became refugees."

"These buyers were none other than Zhao Xingye and his fellow local gentry. More importantly, they all purchased the land within three to five days after the Hun River breached its banks. It was as if they had prepared the money and deeds in advance, waiting for the flood!"

Liu Jian remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "So you followed this lead and found Liu Dazhu?"

Yang Shen nodded: "Liu Dazhu is the village head of Liujiabao, and that section of the dike is within Liujiabao's territory. When Commander Li brought his men to his door and questioned him, he confessed everything."

Liu Jian snorted. The questioning by the Embroidered Uniform Guard might be more than just a question.

However, in this matter, it no longer matters how excessive the Embroidered Uniform Guards have been.

He leaned against the carriage wall, closed his eyes, and after a long while said, "I came to Wuqing today by imperial decree to investigate the resettlement of disaster victims. If I follow those account books and that umbrella of ten thousand people, when I return to the capital to report, I will have to say a few good words for Cheng Zhirong."

He then gave a wry smile: "That almost led to a major mistake!"

Yang Shen quickly replied, "Lord Liu, you flatter me. Cheng Zhirong's accounting skills are indeed remarkable; his ledgers are watertight, and anyone who sees them would recognize him as a capable official. If it weren't for these clues, who would have imagined that such a scheme was taking place?"

Liu Jian waved his hand: "You don't need to cover for me. I have been an official for decades and I pride myself on having seen the wickedness of people's hearts. Yet I was almost fooled by a seventh-rank county magistrate. But you, Yang, are so young, yet you are so meticulous."

Yang Shenqian said, "I am merely following Your Highness around, running errands."

"Yang, you don't need to be so modest."

Liu Jian smiled and then said, "After I return to the capital, I will definitely report today's events to His Majesty truthfully. The flood in Wuqing has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people, the sale of hundreds of thousands of acres of land, and the heinous crime of breaching the dikes to release water. Cheng Zhirong and the others will not escape justice."

"Yang Ban Du is young and promising, and he will surely become a key minister by His Highness the Crown Prince's side in the future."

Yang Shen cupped his hands and said, "Lord Liu is too kind. I am unworthy of such praise. It is my duty to share Your Highness's burdens and to seek justice for the people."

Liu Jian suddenly remembered something and asked, "I have another question. Was that kiln owned by the Crown Prince?"

Yang Shen nodded in agreement, "Yes! But Your Highness is not opening a kiln to make money."

"What do you mean?"

"His Highness said that the refugees have nowhere to go. If they stay in Wuqing, they will starve to death, and if they flood into the capital, it will cause chaos. Opening the kiln to fire bricks will not only give them food, but also provide the capital with some bricks. It's a win-win situation."

Liu Jian paused, recalling Zhu Houzhao's appearance in the courtroom just now.

After a long pause, he sighed and said nothing more.

By the time they returned to the capital, it was already late.

Liu Jian couldn't sleep all night. He lit an oil lamp and wrote down everything he had seen and heard that day. Before dawn, he went out to court.

The consequences were predictable; the Hongzhi Emperor was furious in court!

All those involved in the incident in Wuqing County, from the county magistrate to the local gentry, will be thoroughly investigated!

The list of officials to be replaced, drafted by the cabinet, was taken back for further review.

It's not just Cheng Zhirong; everyone needs to be re-examined.

Mu Bin, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was penalized with a six-month salary deduction for his incompetence.

All senior officers of the Northern Garrison Command were fined three months' salary.

Upon learning this result, Mu Bin felt as if he had swallowed a mouse!

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had already embarrassed themselves once before when they were catching spies.

This time, while investigating someone's background by imperial decree, they were wrong again.

He began to reflect deeply on his own negligence, which was one aspect, but another was the incompetence of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Officers pushed tasks to their subordinates, who then pushed them down to their subordinates, and the lower-ranking officers dealt with them casually. In the end, the result depended on luck.

It seems it's time for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to be reorganized!

In the days that followed, the entire Northern Garrison Command became busy.

All those involved in the Wuqing County flood case will be arrested and interrogated once they are investigated, regardless of who they are, their official rank, or their background.

In just three days, more than a dozen officials from the central government were implicated!

The highest-ranking official among these people was the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.

Chaos reigned in the imperial court; everyone was on edge, and no one knew if they would be next.

The Hongzhi Emperor, upon reading the report presented by Mu Bin, grew even more enraged: "I never imagined that so many people would be implicated in just one county, Wuqing! They talk to me about the people's livelihood every day, yet their actions behind my back are so utterly depraved!"

Mu Bin lowered his head and said, "I have failed in my duties and betrayed Your Majesty's trust. I deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

"Alright, get up!"

Emperor Hongzhi waved his hand, saying that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had performed quite well these past few days, in any case.

"Be more reliable in the future. Tens of thousands of Imperial Guards are less capable than a mere study companion like Yang Shen. They have no shame!"

Mu Bin immediately bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty's reprimand is correct. I have made great efforts to rectify the situation, and such a thing will never happen again!"

The Hongzhi Emperor's expression softened somewhat. He picked up another memorial and suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Mu Bin remained kneeling, not daring to raise his head, much less ask any questions.

After a long while, the Hongzhi Emperor asked, "Has the Marquis of Shouning already sold that piece of land in Wuqing County to Yang Shen?"

Mu Bin hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Shouning sold that land to Yang Bandu for 50,000 taels of silver. However, I have learned that Yang Bandu did not pay for it himself. Part of it came from the Crown Prince and another part from the Earl of Xiangcheng's mansion. Moreover, the three parties agreed on a shareholding structure."

"You just said... fifty thousand taels?"

"Yes, fifty thousand taels!"

The Hongzhi Emperor's expression was strange.

It turns out that when the Marquis of Shouning said he wanted to get rich, he didn't mean he wanted to open a kiln.

Instead, he sold a piece of saline land that was originally worthless for 50,000 taels of silver.

How much silver did they force him to donate that day?

It seems to be... fifty thousand taels?