The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

"My lord, please forgive us, but we have been refusing visitors to the Chen residence for the past few days. The lord said he is busy with government affairs and will not see anyone else."

Qiao Yelan was not surprised by the reaction of the gatekeeper of the Chen residence. At this time, Chen Fan was already a frightened bird, but he was prepared.

"I'm here to discuss government affairs with Lord Chen. Please inform him that I'm here to discuss the Wangji Trading Company."

The gatekeeper immediately ran to inform them.

A short while later, the gates of the Chen residence opened.

"Lord Qiao, our master invites you."

After passing through courtyards of all sizes, Qiao Yelan finally met Minister Chen, who looked rather haggard, in the study.

Ace and the servants of the Chen family quickly left, leaving only Chen Fan and Qiao Yelan in the study.

"Lord Chen seems somewhat surprised by my visit."

"The Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Household Department have rarely interacted. Why did the Director of the Imperial Household Department come to visit this time and bring up the Wang Family Trading Company again?"

Chen Fan didn't engage in any roundabout pleasantries with Qiao Yelan; he went straight to the point, his eyes fixed intently on Qiao Yelan.

He couldn't figure out why this person had come to visit at this time.

"It's nothing, it's just that the Shaofu is going to expand, especially its business in Longmen. Therefore, it needs experienced people. The accountants and clerks of Wangji Trading Company are all very experienced. So the Shaofu wants to take over the whole business. I would appreciate it if Lord Chen could sign a note."

Sign a note?

Chen Fan was completely taken aback by Qiao Yelan's words.

Wang's Trading Company originally planned to make a change in name only, so as to erase all the ledgers and traces of their previous smuggling operations in Longmen—but the Wang family, which was in charge, was wiped out one after another, and the matter was completely dropped.

Now, some of the shop assistants, accountants, and branch managers who knew the inside story have been trapped and died in Longmen, while those who remained in the capital are waiting anxiously at home, suffering the double torment of death and interrogation by the Dali Temple.

At this point, nobody dared to associate with this business. After all, anyone who dared to touch this business would immediately be suspected of being a thief...

Chen Fan stood up abruptly, staring intently at Qiao Yelan.

No one respected this white-robed man who sat in a wheelchair and was clearly promoted to the third rank by the emperor's generosity. Apart from acquiring all the shop assistants in the city from the beginning, the only thing this man did was to deliberately make a big fuss about Manager Wang's death in the court.

But only now did Chen Fan realize that this whole series of events started after this person arrived in the capital!

Chapter Ninety-Two: The Old Man Dropped Gold Coins!

Chen Fan did not lose his composure by shouting or gritting his teeth in anger.

He knew very well that a scheme that could trap both him and Cai Yan wouldn't work just because he yelled a few times.

Especially when the person suspected of being the mastermind walks up to you.

But the other party's choice to meet at this time is either to kick me while I'm down and completely destroy me, or...

There's still room for discussion.

"You want all the manpower of Wang's Trading Company?"

He forcibly suppressed his twitching face, managed a weak smile, and asked Qiao Yelan.

"Yes, I want everyone from the capital, from Longmen."

Qiao Yelan said casually.

This was another heavy blow to Chen Fan's mental defenses.

It was obvious that the other party already knew what was going on with Wangji Trading Company, and even knew about the smugglers who were still hiding in Longmen and dared not return—yet they only used this as an excuse to attack now.

"You all knew?"

"If you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place. Besides, with such a big operation over there, if you can keep it from the Great Yan Kingdom, do you think you can keep it from the local bullies in Longmen?"

For the first time, Chen Fan couldn't keep his expression in check, his eyes filled with shock.

"Just as you expected—Lord Wei sends his greetings, Minister Chen."

Qiao Yelan bowed slightly, her manners impeccably refined.

"You are—you are Wei Yanwu's man!"

"I thought you should have thought of this earlier, but I overestimated you. This is really good news—it seems that Prime Minister Cai is also completely unaware of this."

A slight smile appeared on the man's face.

"Think about it. The Cai Party's current predicament seems to have started with the massacre of the Wang family, but what event truly disrupted your plans and created the first ripple in the stagnant waters of the Great Yan capital?"

What event?

Chen Fan racked his brains, thinking that the entire Cai Party organization had been operating smoothly until now. With his own money, Gao Cheng's people, and the inaction of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites, things should have continued to proceed as planned.

His hands suddenly trembled.

Yes, that's how it should have been—until Wei Yanwu suddenly tore off his mask and knocked Kosiché, who was then fighting him, away in one go!

Originally, everyone believed that such disputes would continue for decades—just like the decades Kosic spent at Lungmen in the past.

Wangji Trading Company has a long history of smuggling—but it was only because Cai Yan rose to prominence and suppressed the emperor that their smuggling became increasingly daring, with both goods and money doubling in value.

Originally, Wei Yanwu and Kosiché were still evenly matched, so even if one side ultimately lost, it should be a slow victory. Before the situation became completely clear, Wangji Trading Company had ample time to slowly clean up the mess and launder the money.

However, the Lungmen conflict ended this year in a way that surprised everyone. Wei Yanwu unleashed an unbelievable force, directly crushing Koschie's power and even driving the Black Serpent out of Lungmen from the open.

This brought Wang's smuggling operations to an abrupt halt. Manager Wang had no choice but to return to the capital to reorganize the accounts, while Vice Minister Wang was also eager to replace his associates and quickly cover up the smuggling operation.

Upon closer examination, it turns out that the very first pebble thrown into this stagnant pool was actually from Wei Yanwu's hands!

Then came the sudden rumor that Victoria's red dragon bloodline had an affair with Wei Yanwu's sister. Now it seems that this news was deliberately released to lower their guard, making them think that Wei Yanwu and the emperor would fight each other for a while longer.

He hadn't forgotten that the imperial edict transferring Zhu Ronghui had been met with the emperor's statement that it was "a rumor."

Think about it again. Today in the court, the Grand Tutor, who usually doesn't participate in any non-Ministry of Rites issues, suddenly stood on the Emperor's side, pulling the Ministry of War to put pressure on Cai Yan. Who in the world doesn't know who this Grand Tutor prefers as the Emperor?

Besides Wei Yanwu, who else could make this Grand Tutor so clearly express his stance?

"I see... I see—I see!"

Chen Fan repeated these four words three times, but his heart sank deeper and deeper with each word.

Now I finally understand. Who else but that genius former Crown Prince could so easily suppress Cai Yan, disrupt the Ministry of Revenue, and turn all the officials in the court into pawns?

emperor?

If the emperor were capable of such a thing, the Grand Tutor wouldn't have only now been brought down.

"Have you been to Prime Minister Cai's residence before?"

I've never been there.

"It seems that luck is still on my side."

Chen Fan smiled bitterly. At this point, the fact that the other party was coming out to him meant that it was Cai Yan who had been abandoned, not him, the Minister of Revenue.

The open and covert struggles between the Chen and Cai families were all witnessed by Wei Yanwu, who was far away in Longmen...

"Lord Wei... what does he want me to do?"

"Oh? You don't want one last chance, sir?"

Qiao Yelan asked with great interest.

"It's pointless now. Today in court, the Grand Tutor's fate has directly put me on the opposite side of Cai Yan. With this scene, the Cai faction's morale has already collapsed—even I, the Minister of Revenue, am trying to protect myself, let alone those below me?"

How can anything be accomplished if people are not united?

Chen Fan shook his head.

“If tomorrow were Lunar New Year’s Eve, and we had the fifteen-day holiday, Cai Yan and I could have sat down and talked with the other members of the Cai faction to explain things. Then there would still be a chance to salvage the situation. But tomorrow is not Lunar New Year’s Eve. There is another court meeting tomorrow—the day after tomorrow is the day after.”

"Just today, Lord Wei should have another heavy blow. Once this blow is delivered, it will completely shatter the hearts and minds of the Cai faction. The fifteen-day holiday is not meant to allow Cai Yan to win back the hearts and minds of the people, but rather to allow this division to fester."

"As expected of the Minister."

Isn't that a disgrace?

The old man smiled bitterly.

Only when someone comes right in front of you can you finally see the situation clearly, and even realize that this matter is not directed at you—these decades of officialdom have truly been a waste of time.

"Tell me, what do you need me to do?"

"You just need to continue opposing Prime Minister Cai. His Majesty's next step is to remove Gao Cheng and regain control of the Ministry of Personnel. As for your position as Minister of Revenue—His Majesty said that you are a talented person, but you are too greedy. As long as you know your mistakes and correct them, you will still be a first-rank official in the court."

"Yes, by controlling the Ministry of Personnel, we control the empire's talent pool. Only then can we regain control of the court. As for the Ministry of Revenue, we can gradually replace the personnel."

Chen Fan seemed to age ten years in an instant, letting out a desolate sigh.

He finally understood why Qiao Yelan had come to take away Wangji Trading Company—of course, it was to completely cut off all of the Chen family's income except for their salaries.

The hearts of people who are bought with money are nothing but fleeting smoke once the money is gone.

The supposedly monolithic Ministry of Revenue, after its fig leaf was torn off, was even more vulnerable than the Tsai Ing-wen faction.

But what can be done?

They have already lost, lost miserably.

"However, Lord Chen, please rest assured that Lord Wei is not the kind of person who shows no mercy. Since he wants you to continue serving in the court, he will give you peace of mind."

Qiao Yelan's words made Chen Fan suddenly look up and stare intently at the other person.