Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

Zhou Quan's body stiffened again.

“His Highness said that you are different from them,” Yang Wei said softly.

“We found your ledger, and behind every single black money transaction, you wrote the word ‘shame’ in red ink.”

Zhou Quan suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock.

That private ledger was his last line of defense, an explanation to the last shred of his conscience. He hid it so well, how did they find it?

“His Highness said that those who know shame are close to being courageous.” Yang Wei stared into his eyes.

"As long as a person still has a sense of shame, there is still hope for him."

"Is there any hope?" Zhou Quan gave a bitter laugh.

"I have committed embezzlement and perverted the law, and the evidence against me is irrefutable. Now I am imprisoned, and my family is on the verge of being destroyed. Is there any hope of salvation?"

"Whether to save him or not is entirely up to you." Yang Wei's tone became serious.

"His Highness has asked me to ask you a question: Do you want to be a corrupt official, nailed to the pillar of shame, so that your parents, wife, and children can never hold their heads high again; or do you want to be a witness who has realized his mistakes and cleared his name, giving your family a clean future?"

Zhou Quan's breathing quickened instantly, and he stared intently at Yang Wei: "What...what do you mean by that?"

"The meaning is very simple." Yang Wei leaned forward and lowered his voice even further.

"Your Highness knows that you are just a small fish in this huge web of corruption. There are bigger fish behind you."

"Now, His Highness is giving you a chance, a chance to redeem yourself through meritorious service."

"As long as you are willing to tell everything you know, and explain clearly the people and things behind you."

"His Highness can assure you that not only will you be spared the death penalty, but he will also plead with His Majesty on your behalf and give you a chance to start anew."

Yang Wei continued to entice, emphasizing, "Not only that, the Qin Prince's Mansion will immediately send people to protect your family and ensure that they are not harassed or threatened by anyone."

"Once this matter is settled, His Highness will give you a settlement allowance and send you to a place where no one knows you, so you can live a new life under assumed names."

Start anew...protect your family...a new life...

These words dispelled the clouds of despair in Zhou Quan's heart.

He saw hope, he saw the lifeline that could pull him out of the abyss.

He was breathing heavily, his mind in turmoil.

On one hand, there's the option of resolutely refusing to betray one's superiors and colleagues, thus spending the rest of one's life in prison, or even being exiled due to the severity of the crime.

On the other hand, there's the choice of saving their own lives and those of their families, and getting a chance to start over.

This choice is not difficult to make.

He remembered the greedy face of his superior, Manager Huang, and the hideous look on his face when he used the safety of his own family to force him to go along with his evil deeds.

I thought of the merchants whose families were ruined by their exploitation, and I thought of Chen Laosan's desperate cries.

The scales in his heart began to tip rapidly.

"Why should I believe you? Believe His Highness the King of Qin?" Zhou Quan made his last attempt to persuade him.

Yang Wei sneered: "On what grounds? On the grounds that I'm sitting here talking to you today, instead of directly torturing you!"

"Do you think His Highness, with his status, would need to lie to someone as insignificant as you?"

He stood up and looked down at Zhou Quan.

"My patience is limited, and Your Highness will only be given one chance."

Give me an answer before dawn.

"The choice is yours: life or death!"

After saying that, Yang Wei didn't look at him again and turned to walk towards the prison door.

"and many more!"

Just as Yang Wei's hand was about to touch the door latch, Zhou Quan's hoarse voice came from behind.

Yang Wei stopped walking, but did not turn around.

With a thud, Zhou Quan knelt on the ground, his forehead hitting the ground hard.

"I...I said..." His voice was choked with sobs, filled with remorse.

"I'll tell you everything!"

……

The next morning, the canal transport department was organized.

When Lin Yue interrogated Zhou Quan, he was amazed by the other party's cooperative attitude.

Zhou Quan not only confessed to his crimes without reservation, but also poured out his knowledge of the entire corruption network, including its structure, personnel, and operational methods.

He provided a more detailed list than the canal gang's account books.

From the chief officials of the Grand Canal Transport Office to the heads of various checkpoints along the route, and how they colluded with the Tongda Chamber of Commerce to intercept taxes and goods that should have been turned over to the national treasury under the guise of "losses" and "premiums," thus enriching themselves at each level.

As Lin Yue listened, he took notes, his expression growing increasingly serious.

He discovered that this web of corruption was much larger and deeper than he had imagined.

All the embezzled funds were eventually channeled through several clandestine channels to the same destination.

"Where did all this money end up?" Lin Yue asked in a deep voice.

Zhou Quan raised his head, a hint of fear in his eyes. He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said:

"Most of it...most of it was sent to...sent to Minister Huang of the Ministry of Revenue under the guise of filial piety and profit sharing!"

Minister of Revenue, Huang Shizhong!

Upon hearing this name, even the usually composed Lin Yue couldn't help but gasp.

Huang Shih-chung was the Third Prince's right-hand man and a key figure in the reform faction!

Overthrowing him would be like tearing a piece of flesh from the heart of the reformists!

Lin Yue immediately realized that this matter was beyond his ability to handle.

He immediately sealed the confession and rushed to the Prince of Qin's residence to report to Laixi.

Lacey didn't show much surprise after hearing the report.

The name Huang Shih-chung was within his expectations.

Yan Wen couldn't possibly ignore the lucrative business of the Grand Canal.

"Is the chain of evidence complete?" Lacey asked.

“Your Highness, a comprehensive testimony alone is not enough,” Lin Yue calmly analyzed.

“Huang Shizhong is a second-rank official in the imperial court and a confidant of Prince Wu. Without solid evidence, it would be difficult to convict him based solely on the testimony of a subordinate.”

"His Majesty would never easily touch him in order to maintain stability in the court."

“I understand.” Lacey nodded. “So, we still need physical evidence.”

He looked at Yang Wei: "Can you find out about those secret banks that Zhou Quan mentioned were responsible for transferring money, as well as the accounts between Tongda Chamber of Commerce and the Huang family?"

"Your Highness, rest assured," Yang Wei immediately bowed.

“If they’ve done it, they’ll definitely leave traces. Just give me three days, and I’ll turn the whole capital upside down to find the evidence for you!”

"it is good!"

……

That night, several shadowy figures silently sneaked into a money exchange called "Sihaitong" in the west of Baizao City.

This money exchange has a small storefront and has always had slow business; it looks quite unremarkable.

However, Yang Wei's secret guards had been watching it for two whole days based on the clues provided by Zhou Quan.

They discovered that although the money exchange was deserted during the day, there were always some suspicious people coming and going through the back door late at night.

Tonight, Yang Wei decided to personally lead the team to close the net.

The shadowy figures skillfully avoided the visible and hidden sentries inside and outside the money exchange, blending into the dark courtyard.

Without making a sound, the money exchange's guards and employees were subdued in their sleep.

Yang Wei kicked open the door to the accounting office. Inside, an accountant was fiddling with an abacus by candlelight. Yang Wei was terrified and was about to scream when a short knife was already at his neck.

"Tell me, where are your account books, those of the Tongda Chamber of Commerce, and those of Minister Huang of the Ministry of Revenue hidden?" Yang Wei's voice was as cold as the wind from the depths of hell, devoid of any emotion.

The accountant initially tried to be defiant, but when he saw Yang Wei's lifeless eyes, his mental defenses crumbled instantly. His trembling finger pointed to an inconspicuous hidden compartment in the corner.

Half an hour later, Yang Wei left the money shop with several thick ledgers, as if he had never been there.

The same scene played out on the next two nights, one in a secret warehouse of the Tongda Chamber of Commerce and the other in the residence of Huang Shizhong's mistress.

……

Three days later, in the study of the Prince of Qin's residence.

Yang Wei presented Lacey with three ledgers collected from different places, as well as a complex diagram of relationships and fund flows drawn based on Zhou Quan's confession.

Yang Wei said, "Your Highness, we have both witnesses and physical evidence at the moment."

"This net is ready to be pulled in."

Lacey picked up one of the ledgers from Sihaitong Money Exchange and opened it.

The records above are even more shocking than Li Si's canal gang account book.

Every single payment has its source and destination clearly recorded.

"Tongda Chamber of Commerce, transfer in, 30,000 taels. Summary: Profit sharing from grain transport."

"Bazhou tax office, Zhang, the steward, transferred in 5,000 taels. Summary: Respectfully."

And without exception, all these funds were paid by the same person: the Huang family.

Another internal ledger seized from the Tongda Chamber of Commerce directly records how they colluded with officials of the Ministry of Revenue controlled by Huang Shizhong to falsely report losses in the Grand Canal transport, embezzle national tax grain, and then profit by selling it on the black market.

Each and every one of these incidents is shocking.

Lacey placed the three ledgers side by side on the table, corroborating them with Zhou Quan's confession and the previous victim testimonies of Chen Laowu and others.

A complete chain of evidence was thus formed.

From the ordinary people at the bottom of society who were victimized, to the petty officials who were forced to go along with the corruption, to the corrupt officials in charge of carrying out the work, and the Tongda Chamber of Commerce and underground banks that acted as front men.

Finally, all the clues converged on Huang Shizhong, the Minister of Revenue.

“Good, very good.” A cold glint flashed in Lacey’s eyes.

"Huang Shizhong... Xun Huiming... I want to see how you'll sacrifice pawns to save your king this time!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately picked up his pen and compiled the findings of the Canal Transport Rectification Office's investigation over the past month, along with rubbings of all the key evidence, into a detailed memorial.

Instead of submitting this memorial through normal channels, he chose to present it directly to the emperor.

He wanted to catch Xun Huiming off guard.

……

Inside the Yangxin Hall.

The emperor frowned deeply as he looked at the memorial presented by his trusted eunuch.

He flipped through the pages slowly, and his face grew increasingly gloomy and grim as the contents of the memorial unfolded.

When he saw the evidence copied from the ledgers, the clear flow of funds, and Zhou Quan's tearful and blood-soaked confession, an uncontrollable rage rose from his chest.

He had thought that corruption in the canal transport system would be serious, but he hadn't expected it to be this serious!

The name Huang Shih-chung, in particular, deeply stung him.

Huang Shih-chung was the Minister of Revenue whom he personally promoted.

He had thought that these newly appointed officials would be the sharpest weapon to eradicate old abuses.

Unexpectedly, they themselves have become a more greedy and unscrupulous cancer than the old aristocratic families!

Wang Changqing of Qinghe County is like this, and Huang Shizhong of the canal transport industry is even more so!

Zhenlong's chest heaved violently, and the memorial in his hand was deformed from his grip.