Prime Minister.

Chapter 28 028 [The Oriole]

"This Shen Zhanxing is indeed shameless and ruthless. I was just being polite, but he actually accepted that one or two ounces of Lan Zhu Jade Dew."

When the Minister of Works was on duty, Xue Minglun clicked his tongue, looking pained.

A trusted clerk stepped forward and said, "Your Excellency, since Vice Minister Shen dared to accept your gifts, will you hold back a little this time?"

Xue Minglun sat back in the armchair, his eyes slightly closed, and said, "It's not that simple. Everyone says Shen Wang is the leader of the righteous faction, seemingly upright and honest, but in reality, he is one of the most scheming people in the court. His Majesty may not necessarily favor him as the future Grand Secretary, but he will definitely give him an important position. His position in His Majesty's heart is far more secure than that of Grand Secretary Ouyang. How can a mere ounce of tea leaves do anything to him?"

The clerk said in bewilderment, "But Vice Minister Shen is not usually close to the Minister. This time he actually put aside his airs. I thought he was trying to curry favor with the Minister."

"Ah."

Xue Minglun chuckled and said slowly, "Shen Wang is just putting on an act in front of me. If he were unapproachable, I would believe he would handle official business impartially. But his gentle demeanor makes me sense a hint of danger."

Seeing him deep in thought, the clerk dared not say a word and stood quietly to the side.

After a long while, Xue Minglun opened his eyes and asked, "What did Jia Fan say to Qi Huan earlier?"

The clerk whispered, "Your Excellency, I was quite far away at the time and didn't hear very clearly. However, judging from Qi Huan's subsequent arrangements at the Water Conservancy Bureau, Jia Fan was probably instigating Qi Huan to resist the investigation department."

"Sure enough, at times like these, even the rats in the gutter can't hold back."

Xue Minglun remained calm. Apart from Gu Heng, the other three officials in the four departments of the Ministry of Works were his trusted confidants whom he had personally promoted. However, he understood the principle that the moon wanes after it is full, and he could not truly turn the Ministry of Works into his own personal fiefdom. Therefore, he always turned a blind eye to other forces placing their cronies in the Ministry of Works.

The clerk hesitated and said, "Your Excellency, should we inform Qi Huan?"

Xue Minglun shook his head and said, "No need."

He didn't explain much. This time, the emperor wanted to investigate the Water Conservancy Bureau, kill a group of people and confiscate their property. Even if this would affect the normal operation of the Ministry of Works, he knew that he absolutely could not go against the emperor's will.

Otherwise, even Ning Hengzhi couldn't protect him.

As for that Imperial Envoy Shen…

Xue Minglun pondered and said, "Shen Wang is definitely not willing to only investigate the Water Conservancy Bureau. Qi Huan and the others will not be able to hold out for long in his hands. Since someone wants to fish in troubled waters, then you should spread the news that the Imperial Envoy has discovered many clues and he will definitely not let it go."

The clerk quickly realized that the Minister was going to sit back and watch the tigers fight, just like he had previously used Xue Huai to deal with Gu Heng.

Since Vice Minister Shen wants to burn down the entire Ministry of Works, let him see just how many intricate webs of vested interests are hidden behind this government office.

The clerk sneered inwardly. He knew how deep the water was, so he said to Xue Minglun with admiration, "Please rest assured, Your Excellency, I will handle this properly."

"You may leave."

Xue Minglun waved his hand and fell into deep thought again.

The clerk respectfully withdrew.

Xue Minglun carefully considered all the details, and suddenly Xue Huai's image appeared in his mind, as well as what the clerk had just said about Xue Huai's actions in the Water Conservancy Bureau. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "It seems I have to give you another opportunity, but I don't know if you can seize it."

……

Dusk was falling.

Inside the main hall of the temporary office of the investigation department, more than ten officials were gathered together.

Shen Wang sat calmly in the main seat, listening to the report from Fang Jiming, the head of the Ministry of Justice.

"Judging from today's preliminary questioning, the officials of the Ministry of Works' Water Conservancy Department have clearly colluded beforehand. For those mistakes that cannot be denied, they all pinned the blame on Gu Heng, and for some vague questions, they all claimed ignorance."

Fang Jiming, with a solemn expression, said succinctly, "Your Excellency, without torture, I cannot make them talk."

Although those officials were like grasshoppers in autumn, they had been struggling in the officialdom for many years, and they would never honestly confess their problems as long as there was still hope.

Even with his keen eyesight, Fang Jiming would find it difficult to subdue such a slippery old official with just verbal questioning.

Shen Wang glanced at him and said, "His Majesty only ordered us to investigate. Before we find conclusive evidence, we can't just treat those officials as criminals."

This is precisely what puzzled Fang Jiming.

Since the imperial envoy has an imperial edict in hand, why bother with pretense and evasion?
Just have the Jing'an Division Captain seal up the Dushui Division, bring back the people and the case files. When the time comes, as long as we use the severe torture, we won't be afraid that those people won't talk.
Out of respect for Shen Wang, Fang Jiming silently kept these doubts to himself and acted according to his arrangements.

Shen Wang then inquired with Yuan Cheng and Chen Zhi, receiving similar answers. In short, there hadn't been much of a gain today.

The atmosphere inside the hall was somewhat somber.

Seeing this, Shen Wang smiled slightly and said calmly, "The biggest problem is that there is no problem. Think about it, can you really make your respective departments completely clean and without any problems? I think it is unlikely. Therefore, the Ministry of Works and the Water Conservancy Department's tactics are not very clever. They are just a last-ditch resistance and a desperate struggle. We just need to be more patient and find a breakthrough among them. The others will collapse on their own."

These words greatly boosted everyone's morale. They were not here to waste time; they all wanted to deliver an excellent report to the Emperor and the court under Shen Wang's leadership.

Shen Wang turned to Xue Huai, who was sitting to his left, and asked, "How's the situation on your end?"

Xue Huai replied methodically, "Your Excellency, my colleagues and I have brought back all the files related to river works from Yangzhou Prefecture over the past ten years. In addition, I have also brought back the construction archives of most of the water conservancy facilities of the Grand Canal."

Shen Wang pondered for a moment and said, "These files are the areas where we need to focus our efforts. I hope everyone will work together to find conclusive evidence within seven days, so that the other side will have no room for excuses."

Everyone responded in unison.

Shen Wang stood up and said, "Let's make this arrangement for now. I will live and eat with you during this period. Let's work together to close the case as soon as possible."

"I will obey Your Majesty's orders!"

Everyone bowed enthusiastically, and then, under Xue Huai's distribution, each person received more than a dozen account books and files.

Investigating cases in officialdom is mostly this tedious; there are basically no cases where a flash of inspiration can bring the truth to light. This kind of contest mainly depends on whether the person who keeps the accounts can be flawless and more skilled, or whether the person investigating the accounts is meticulous enough to notice the clues.

Xue Huai certainly wouldn't slack off; what he left for himself was a record of the Ministry of Works' reconstruction, reinforcement, and maintenance over the past ten years since the Yangzhou dike was completed.

Back in his duty room, Xue Huai quickly threw himself into his work, only grabbing a quick bite and going to the outhouse along the way, spending the rest of the time at his desk.

Suddenly, a calm voice sounded beside me: "Have you found anything?"

Xue Huai looked up and saw that it was Shen Wang. He stood up and greeted him, saying, "Teacher, you've arrived."

Shen Wang looked at the stacks of case files on the table and said gently, "Take a break for a moment."

"Yes."

Xue Huai invited Shen Wang to sit down, poured him a cup of tea, and sat down opposite him, saying, "Teacher, the Ministry of Works' accounts are very detailed; I haven't found any problems yet."

“Since your uncle dared to let us take these account books, he certainly won’t find any problems in the short term,” Shen Wang said with a smile. “He has been in the Ministry of Works for more than 20 years. In terms of bookkeeping skills, probably only the Minister of Revenue is slightly better than him. Although the accounts of the Water Conservancy Department are messy, he only needs to look through them once to find out if there are any problems.”

Xue Huai thought to himself, and after a moment's thought, he said, "Teacher, there is something I don't understand."

"Just say it."

“You took us to the Ministry of Works, as if it were just a formality.”

Xue Huai chose to maintain the original owner's outspoken and courageous nature at this time.

He had similar doubts as Fang Jiming. Today, the investigation team rushed to the Ministry of Works, but it turned out to be all bark and no bite. They didn't bring back a single official from the Ministry of Works, only a few large boxes of account books and files.

Shen Wang gazed into his eyes and asked, "Why do you think I did this?"

Xue Huai did not answer hastily; he carefully recalled the details of today.

Shen Wang is not a person who contradicts his words; at least he wouldn't show it in front of his disciples. His impassioned speech yesterday greatly impressed Xue Huai, so he wouldn't go back on his word the very next day.

Xue Huai's mind raced. Shen Wang wanted to ignite the fire in the Ministry of Works, but he chose a mild approach.

On the surface, Shen Wang only wanted to complete the task assigned by the emperor and did not want to cause any trouble.

The problem is whether those important figures in the court who know him well will believe that this is his true thought?

A name flashed through Xue Huai's mind, and when he looked at the calm-faced Shen Wang, he felt a chill run down his spine and slowly said, "Teacher, I understand."

"What do you understand?"

Shen Wang smiled, his tone hinting at anticipation.

Xue Huai carefully chose his words and said, "Teacher wants to force those people to come forward and make a big fuss, so that we will have a legitimate reason to continue our investigation."

(End of this chapter)