Prime Minister.

Chapter 36 (036) [Ups and Downs]

November 19th, the eighteenth year of the Taihe reign.

To many mid- to lower-ranking officials in the court, the investigation into the Ministry of Works' corruption case seemed to be all bark and no bite.

When they first heard that Shen Wang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, had been appointed as the Imperial Commissioner to investigate the case, not only were the officials of the Ministry of Works in a state of panic, but other ministries with vested interests in the Ministry of Works were also filled with apprehension, such as the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and even the various supervisory offices of the inner court.

However, the investigation office did not take any major action. A few days ago, it went to the Ministry of Works to question the officials of the Water Conservancy Bureau. Then, it returned to the yamen with more than a dozen large boxes of files and stayed inside.

Some people wanted to find out information, but the captains of the Jing'an Division guarded the entire investigation office so tightly that it was completely isolated from the outside world.

It seems that even Shen Wang, the universally acknowledged leader of the upright officials, could not act decisively and forge ahead in the face of the complex and entrenched situation of the Ministry of Works. Perhaps, like those previous cases, he could only try to downplay the matter and impose a minor penalty.

"Prime Minister, the affairs of state are heavy, please take care of your health."

Inside the Mingtang Hall of the Wenyuan Pavilion, in the residence of the Grand Secretary, Xue Minglun, the Minister of Works, looked respectfully at Ning Hengzhi, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, who sat opposite him.

"I am still in good health, Yunxiang, you don't need to worry."

Ning Hengzhi put down the official document, his indifferent gaze lingering on Xue Minglun's face.

Xue Minglun felt a little uneasy and asked with a smile, "What instructions does the Grand Secretary have for me today?"

A spark crackled and popped from the silver frost charcoal in the brazier, the sound quite jarring in the quiet air of the duty hut.

Ning Hengzhi slowly picked up his teacup to moisten his throat, his calm tone concealing a storm: "I heard this morning that yesterday, people from the Prince of Dai's mansion stopped Xue Huai outside Dayong Ward?"

Xue Minglun knew that this matter could not be hidden from the Grand Secretary in front of him, let alone the Emperor in the palace, but he was not actually very afraid, because the collusion between the Ministry of Works and the Prince of Dai's Mansion was real, and he had suffered a lot of grievances in this matter.

This matter seems strange. How could the Minister of Works, the right-hand man of the Grand Secretary, submit to a prince with no real power?

Actually, it's not surprising. Prince Dai is the emperor's favorite prince, and there is also Consort Liu in the palace who is good at whispering in his ear. Apart from these important ministers in the cabinet, who in the court would offend a prince who has no chance of getting the throne but is favored by the emperor?

In short, as long as the Prince of Dai does not covet the position of crown prince, does not cause trouble for the emperor, and only makes some money, this matter is unlikely to deal a fatal blow to him.

Xue Minglun said frankly, "Prime Minister, I was forced into this situation by Vice Minister Shen. His Majesty ordered me to investigate the Water Conservancy Bureau, and I never intended to cover it up or shirk my responsibility. He could investigate whomever he wanted, and I even had the files on the Water Conservancy Bureau prepared. But who knew—"

Ning Hengzhi's Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly, and the celadon teacup made a crisp sound as it was placed back on the rosewood table, abruptly stopping Xue Minglun's voice.

His unease grew stronger.

Ning Hengzhi frowned slightly and said, "When you say 'cooperation,' do you mean that the officials of the Water Conservancy Bureau all said the same thing and pushed all the responsibility onto Gu Heng, or do you mean that the archives of the Water Conservancy Bureau were in such a mess that it took Shen Wang's men most of the day to find the files of Yangzhou Prefecture?"

Xue Minglun stammered, "Prime Minister, I did indeed give them prior instructions to cooperate fully with the investigation team's actions, but I didn't expect that these people would have the audacity to collude."

"You really don't know?"

A cold, eerie light appeared in Ning Hengzhi's old eyes.

Xue Minglun was speechless.

“Yunxiang, you have always been cautious and prudent in your work. When Gu Heng jumped out earlier, you calmly used Xue Huai to break the deadlock. You handled the matter very well. So this time, His Majesty ordered Shen Wang to investigate the Capital Water Department. I thought you should be aware of Shen Wang’s methods, but I didn’t expect you to be so reckless.”

Ning Hengzhi softened his tone and said calmly, "You knew perfectly well that those people from the Water Conservancy Bureau wouldn't surrender easily, so you deliberately ignored them, simply to let them cause trouble for Shen Wang. In the end, you still harbor resentment."

Xue Minglun lowered his head, looking slightly embarrassed.

A man lives for his pride. He knew he couldn't flatter the Grand Secretary, but he couldn't even compare to Shen Wang's position in the Emperor's heart, which naturally made him feel frustrated.

"Let it go. Shen Wang is not the kind of person who holds grudges."

Ning Hengzhi stopped short of asking, but his expression grew increasingly serious: "What did you talk about that day? Why did you involve the Prince of Dai?"

Xue Minglun knew he couldn't afford to be evasive this time, so he took a deep breath and said, "Prime Minister, who is Shen Zhanxing? He seems calm and collected, but he's actually been waiting for an opportunity to take a big bite out of us. If he were as aloof as usual, I wouldn't suspect anything. But he's putting on a friendly front, just to lower my guard. The investigation office has been closed these past few days; they certainly won't just be investigating the Water Conservancy Bureau."

After hearing these words, Ning Hengzhi understood why Xue Minglun had made his move, but his brows furrowed even more: "Have you ever considered that Shen Wang was just putting on a show to lure you into making a move?"

"This……"

Xue Minglun hesitated and said, "Prime Minister, why would he do this? He has the imperial edict in his hand; he could have acted directly."

Ning Hengzhi straightened his sleeves and said slowly, "Because His Majesty dislikes it."

Xue Minglun quickly realized that sometimes it wasn't that he couldn't understand the reasoning behind things, but rather that people are prone to oversight. At this moment, a look of annoyance appeared on his face, but with a hint of hope, he said, "Even so, he now knows that the Ministry of Works involves many people, including His Majesty's most beloved Prince of Dai. Perhaps he will back down when faced with difficulties."

You underestimate him.

Ning Heng made a decision with a single sentence, then sighed softly, "You shouldn't have dragged Prince Dai into this. If Prince Dai hadn't intervened, Shen Wang might have been more restrained, but now he has nowhere to retreat, not to mention that Prince Dai is looking for Xue Huai."

"Xue Huai?"

Xue Minglun recalled Xue Huai's astute assessment of the situation at his home that day, and calmly said, "Prime Minister, my distant nephew is no longer the reckless person he used to be."

"is it?"

A hint of disappointment flashed in Ning Hengzhi's eyes. It seemed that the so-called Ning Party's rapid rise in recent years had blinded many officials. Even Xue Minglun had become blindly confident and was no longer as meticulous as he used to be.

He understood that life has its ups and downs, and no one can stay at the top forever, but seeing the ship gradually drift away from its course still left him with a sense of loss.

In recent years, the Ning faction has become the dominant force in the court, while the Qingliu faction has remained silent. Although the Second Grand Secretary Ouyang Hui has tried to seize every opportunity, he has ultimately been unable to shake the position of the Grand Secretary. This has led many key members of the Ning faction to gradually become arrogant and lose their due vigilance and caution.

Xue Minglun wanted to explain his predicament, but at that moment a servant knocked on the door. After being granted permission, the servant entered, bowed, and said, "Prime Minister, Li Zan, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, requests an audience."

Ning Hengzhi nodded slightly and said, "Please."

When Li Zan entered, his expression was extremely serious.

This made Xue Minglun's heart skip a beat. Li Zan was not only his deputy, but also one of his confidants.

"Greetings, Grand Secretary."

Li Zan bowed to Ning Hengzhi, then turned to Xue Minglun and said, "Minister, I have just learned that Imperial Envoy Shen, along with a group of officials from the Investigation Department, suddenly went to the Ministry of Works."

Xue Minglun's expression changed slightly, but his years of self-control prevented him from losing his composure, so he nodded and said, "I understand, you may go now."

"Yes."

Li Zan dared not linger, bowed to the two men, and hurriedly left.

The room fell silent again, and the atmosphere became somewhat oppressive.

With no outsiders present, Xue Minglun no longer concealed his anxiety and said hastily, "Prime Minister, I must return to the yamen to keep an eye on things. Shen Wang has clearly come with ill intentions this time."

He admitted that he had been caught off guard and fell into Shen Wang's trap. It was because Shen Wang had not made any achievements as the leader of the Qingliu faction over the years. He originally thought that stirring up trouble would make him back down. He did not expect that Shen Wang could endure the criticism for so long and now he was going all out.

While admitting his mistake, Xue Minglun couldn't just stand by and watch the other party turn the Ministry of Works upside down.

What good will it do you to go back?

Ning Hengzhi raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, calmly asking, "Should we block the investigation office outside the Ministry of Works? Or should we openly confront this imperial envoy investigating the case?"

One sentence left Xue Minglun speechless.

After a moment, Ning Hengzhi pondered and said, "Shen Wang has probably found the weakness of the Water Conservancy Bureau in the past few days, and is also waiting for the reactions of others. If you let the Prince of Dai come forward, you will undoubtedly hand him a handle. How can he not take the opportunity to investigate further? You must understand that the Ministry of Works is ultimately in the wrong. Shen Wang will not be easily scared off. If you come forward, it will only make the situation more complicated."

Xue Minglun said with shame, "Your Excellency's words are like a golden mirror, enlightening me greatly. But can I just let him start this fire?"

Ning Hengzhi had no intention of pursuing Xue Minglun's foolish decision at the moment. After thinking for a while, he said, "Go back to the Ministry of Works in an hour."

Xue Minglun understood the purpose of this arrangement.

If he returns in an hour, it means the investigation department can exert its full influence within the Ministry of Works.

After all, the two vice ministers and the officials of the Ministry of Works alone could not stop Shen Wang, who had the imperial edict as his backing.

Seeing his restless state of mind, Ning Hengzhi said slowly, "The truth will eventually come out. If you insist on going against the grain, Shen Wang will definitely turn the tables. At that time, the public will be in uproar and the court will be shaken. In His Majesty's rage, you will most likely lose your position as Minister."

He looked up at the plaque inscribed with the words "Integrity, Prudence, and Diligence" written by the emperor on the beam, and said softly, "If you take a step back, and then another step back, His Majesty will be more at ease using you."

Xue Minglun's heart was in turmoil, and he lowered his head and said, "This humble official understands."

(End of this chapter)