Da Ming: I told you to die for your cause, why are you actually going to die?

Chapter 82 Quickly, go and fetch the Grand Marshal—! [Please subscribe!]

"One of our own?"

Zhang Biao was stunned for a moment, then looked at Shen Lang with some confusion: "What do you mean, 'one of us'?!"

Shen Lang was also dumbfounded, and then looked at Wu Naida, the head of the Ministry of Personnel.

He worked for the Ministry of Personnel, so he naturally knew more about it.

But Wu Naida said thoughtfully:
"There is no real Minister of Personnel. The Minister of Personnel is Zhan Hui, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, who concurrently holds the position. And the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate is Brother Biao's superior. I think that's what Vice Minister Zhai meant."

"Please ask Brother Biao to spare the Ministry of Personnel and not conduct an audit, out of respect for the Chief Censor."

"what!"

Zhang Biao seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, and immediately scoffed:

"What kind of bullshit is this 'our own people'?! We're the ones on our side, who do they think they are?!"

After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "Ignore them and drive the carriage there directly. The people I, Zhang Biao, audit are all 'our own people'!"

Before long, Zhang Biao's empty-nest audit vehicle stopped in front of the Ministry of Personnel.

The desperate cries from inside that half-brick wall seem to still echo in the air.

Zhang Biao didn't rush inside. Instead, he circled the newly built low wall, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"I think the bricklaying is a bit rough. The mortar joints are uneven, and the bricks aren't evenly laid. It looks like a rushed job, and the budget must have been embezzled!"

The shouts from inside the wall abruptly ceased.

But then Zhang Biao said calmly, "Editor Li, write this down. First: The Ministry of Personnel's renovation project is suspected of being done with substandard materials. The person in charge needs to be investigated!"

The shouts from inside the walls suddenly rose eight octaves: "Imperial Censor Zhang! Why are you doing this? We're truly on the same side!"

"They're one of us! I never said they weren't!"

Zhang Biao laughed, then rubbed his hands together and said, "Only our own people will be responsible for each other! Open the door quickly, I can't wait to see you all!"

"No, Imperial Censor Zhang! Our Ministry of Personnel really has no money! It's a clean department! Much cleaner than the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War!"

"is it?"

Zhang Biao's face instantly turned cold: "Don't be so stubborn! Do you think I'm a fool?! How much does your Ministry of Personnel sell a ninth-rank official for? How much for a seventh-rank substantive post? Want me to give you a price right here and now? Honest and fair, discounts for bulk orders?"

The shouts from inside the wall grew louder:

"That's not true! Absolutely not! Imperial Censor Zhang, you can't just make baseless accusations!"

"Slanderous accusations?"

Zhang Biao sneered, "This Ministry of Personnel looks quite impressive. Has it been embezzled again, Editor Li?"

"Wait a minute, Brother Biao!"

Shen Lang whispered a reminder from the side, "Aren't we here to audit officials' files and performance evaluations?"

"wrong!"

Zhang Biao waved his hand, interrupting him:

"You've narrowed your perspective! What's the Ministry of Personnel's biggest asset? Official positions! Their hats! Today we're not auditing the finances, we're auditing the officials' hats!"

Those inside and outside the wall were completely dumbfounded upon hearing this.

An auditor's hat? How can you audit that?
There was a brief, deathly silence inside the walls, followed by a sharp, piercing voice, carrying a fierce yet weak tone:

"Zhang Biao! How dare you be so insolent! This is the imperial court's office! How dare you act so recklessly!?"

"You've already committed heinous crimes by emptying the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War! And now you're bothering the Ministry of Personnel, showing utter contempt for the imperial court? Commander Jiang! Where is Commander Jiang?! Are the Embroidered Uniform Guard just going to stand by and watch this scoundrel run rampant?!"

After he finished speaking, there was complete silence.

No one responded, and no Imperial Guards appeared.

Zhang Biao's lips curled up slightly, seemingly unsurprised by Jiang Huan's disregard.

At this moment, a more mature voice rang out, attempting to reason with them:

“Zhang Qianxian! We are both officials in the same court, serving the Emperor. Why has it come to this?”

"If there's any misunderstanding, we can sit down and talk it out! Such behavior is uncivilized and damages the dignity of the imperial court!"

"Refined? Decent?"

Zhang Biao picked his ear and sneered:

"When you were embezzling, bending the law, and practicing nepotism, why didn't you think about civility and decorum? Now you're bringing this up with me? Are you out of your mind?!" "Imperial Censor Zhang!"

Soon, a third voice rang out, carrying a sinister threat: "Leave a way out for yourself, so you can meet again in the future!"

"Do you know how many officials in this court have had their promotions and evaluations processed by my Ministry of Personnel? Today you've not just offended a few of us, but the entire court of high-ranking officials! Aren't you afraid of what will happen in the future?"

"Afraid?! I'm not afraid of your mother!"

Zhang Biao interrupted him directly, his voice even louder than Zhang Biao's: "I've even made the Emperor faint three times with my insults, why would I be afraid of you demons and monsters? The entire court of officials?"

"but."

Having said that, he changed the subject and continued:
"You've reminded me! Perfect! I'll go home and write a book called 'An Examination of Corruption Among the Officials,' since your Ministry of Personnel will provide the material!"

"Oh, right, Accountant Shen, take this and read it aloud!"

He took a notebook out of his pocket and handed it to Shen Lang.

"Alright, Brother Biao!"

Shen Lang excitedly took the notebook and looked at it closely.

I rub!

The Secret Records of the Examination and Evaluation Department!
Where did Brother Biao get this? This is too exciting! Despite being utterly shocked, Shen Lang excitedly put down the notebook and read aloud from it:
"First! In the 24th year of Hongwu's reign, during the capital inspection, Liu, the former censor of Zhejiang Circuit, was rated as excellent and promoted to Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Huguang."

Note: Liu Moumou is a relative by marriage of Fu Youwen, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Before this promotion, Fu Youwen hosted a three-day banquet at the "Fengsheng Grain Store," attended by many people, including the Director and Assistant Director of the Ministry of Personnel's Performance Evaluation Department. Liu Moumou received a certain amount of gifts.

"What!?"

A gasp and the sound of a chair falling over came from inside the wall.

"Nonsense! That was just normal colleague interaction!"

The shrill voice tried to refute, but it sounded weak and powerless.

Shen Lang glanced at Zhang Biao, only to see Zhang Biao's disdainful expression. He immediately ignored him and continued reading aloud, increasing his pace:
"Secondly! In the same year, Wang, the deputy commissioner of education in Shanxi, was rated as below average. The comment was: mediocre talent, unfit for important tasks, and was transferred to a sinecure."

Note: Wang Moumou had previously submitted a memorial impeaching Li Moumou, a senior official in the Ministry of War's Military Selection Department, and the brother-in-law of a certain censor in the Ministry of Personnel, for embezzling military funds, and was therefore demoted.

"You're spouting nonsense!"

Another voice, filled with exasperation and obvious panic, rang out from inside the wall.

Shen Lang, however, read more and more fluently, his voice growing louder and louder, specifically choosing to read those passages involving complex relationships and sordid transactions:

"The third one! And here comes the even more exciting one!"

"In the twenty-second year of Hongwu, a certain Marquis's illegitimate son, aged sixteen, was assessed as mature beyond his years and skilled in both literature and martial arts. He was specially appointed as the Vice Commander of the Capital Guard!"

Note: This illegitimate son is frail and sickly, and has never practiced martial arts. His mother is the mistress of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel. For this promotion, the Marquis's mansion donated an academy, and the headmaster of the academy is the former official's tutor.

"boom!"

Inside the walls, chaos seemed to erupt, with loud arguments and shouts of "Stop talking!" and "Stop him!" coming from within.

"Article 4!"

Shen Lang practically yelled; this was exactly the effect he wanted:

"Zhang, the former principal officer of the Ministry of Justice, was evaluated as having an upright character but repeatedly offended his superiors and was demoted to the border region of Yunnan."

Note: Zhang Moumou previously presided over a murder case, which involved…

Shen Lang paused deliberately, waiting until the hearts of all the officials in the Ministry of Personnel inside the walls were in their throats, before he said in a firm voice, "It involves the steward of a certain imperial relative, hence the suppression!"

Rumble——!
This was an even bigger bombshell, directly involving the royal family.

Although no names were mentioned, it was enough to make everyone's imaginations run wild and their souls fly away.

Article 5

"Stop reading! Please stop reading!"

Finally, the sound of utter collapse came from inside the walls, no longer from a single official, but from the pleas and cries of many people.

Each of these statements, if read aloud, would be a scandal capable of causing an upheaval in the imperial court and leading to the confiscation of property and the extermination of entire families.

They simply couldn't understand how these notes, hidden deep inside, had ended up in the hands of this madman!

As they watched their secrets about to be completely exposed, each one more horrifying and deadly than the last, the officials of the Ministry of Personnel completely broke down.

Amidst the chaos and desperate wails, a sobbing, hoarse voice broke through the clamor, screaming:
"Quickly! Go to the Censorate! Quickly fetch the Chief Censor!"

(End of this chapter)