I am the Holy Poisoner, the Empress advised me to calm down

Zhou Qing stood at his designated recording station, brush ready. He scanned the hall with his newly acquired observational eyes, discovering many details he hadn't noticed before.

Minister of Revenue Qian Weixin stood in the queue, seemingly calm, but Zhou Qing noticed that his right hand was trembling slightly and beads of sweat were on his forehead. Even more interesting, his gaze kept unconsciously looking at Left Prime Minister Zhang Wenyuan.

Zhang Wenyuan seemed very calm, but Zhou Qing noticed that his breathing rhythm was a little faster than usual, and his fists were clenched for too long, which is usually a sign of nervousness.

"My dear ministers, please stand up." Xu Feihong's voice rang out in the hall. Her voice today was more majestic than usual.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"I've summoned all of you today because I have some concerns about the state of the national treasury." Xu Feihong got straight to the point. "Lord Qian, please give me a detailed report on the specific situation of the national treasury."

Qian Weixin's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal: "Your Majesty, the national treasury currently has 380,000 taels of silver, 200,000 dan of grain, and various supplies..."

"Wait." Xu Feihong interrupted him. "I remember you reported 400,000 taels of silver yesterday. How come it became 380,000 today?"

The hall suddenly became quiet and everyone looked at Qian Weixin.

Zhou Qing observed carefully from the side and found that Qian Weixin's hands were shaking even more violently, while Zhang Wenyuan frowned slightly.

"This..." Qian Weixin wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Your Majesty, I may have remembered it wrong yesterday. I went back and recalculated the exact number. It should be 380,000 taels."

"Really?" Xu Feihong's voice turned cold and stern. "Then I want to ask you, what is the revenue and expenditure of the national treasury this month?"

Qian Weixin stammered, "As for income, the tax revenue from various places is probably..."

"Probably?" Xu Feihong stood up immediately. "Qian Weixin, as the Minister of Revenue, you are in charge of the national treasury, and you actually used the word 'probably'?"

"I...I really need to go back and check the accounts carefully." Qian Weixin had already started to sweat.

At this time, Zhang Wenyuan stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Minister Qian has always been diligent and conscientious. Perhaps he has been overworked recently, and his memory is a little off. Why not let him go back and sort it out before reporting back?"

Xu Feihong sneered, "Lord Zhang is so anxious to exonerate Qian Weixin. Is there something I don't know?"

Zhang Wenyuan's expression changed: "I have absolutely no such intention, I just feel..."

"Enough!" Xu Feihong slapped the throne. "Come here, immediately send the Imperial Censor to the Ministry of Revenue to check the accounts! No one is allowed to stop us!"

"Your Majesty, please calm down!" Qian Weixin and Zhang Wenyuan knelt down at the same time.

"Calm down?" Xu Feihong walked up to them. "What do people think of my treasury? They can take as much as they want."

Zhou Qing watched with rapt interest, his brush rapidly recording the scene. This scene was even more exciting than he had expected.

[Poison Master System Tip: The host's poison plan has exceeded expectations, and an additional 5 Poison Master points will be awarded.]

[Current Poison Master Points: 10 points]

At this moment, a eunuch hurried into the hall and said, "Your Majesty, the censor has sent news that there is indeed a problem with the Ministry of Revenue's accounts!"

There was an uproar in the hall, and everyone looked at Qian Weixin in shock.

Qian Weixin's face was pale and his whole body was trembling: "Your Majesty, I...I did hide something, but it was definitely not corruption!"

"Then tell me, what's going on?"

"Your Majesty, the national treasury is indeed seriously short of funds, but this is because..." Qian Weixin glanced at Zhang Wenyuan, "because a large sum of money was spent on the construction of the imperial mausoleum some time ago."

"Build an imperial mausoleum?" Xu Feihong narrowed her eyes. "When did I ever issue such an order?"

Zhang Wenyuan also knelt down at this time: "Your Majesty, this was indeed my idea. I wanted to prepare in advance for Your Majesty, so I used the money from the national treasury privately."

"What a shameless act!" Xu Feihong laughed in anger. "Zhang Wenyuan, you're quite courageous!"

"I know the crime!"

"You admit your guilt?" Xu Feihong turned and looked at Zhou Qing. "Mr. Zhou, have you taken note of everything?"

"I've noted it all." Zhou Qing replied respectfully.

"Alright." Xu Feihong sat back on the throne. "Zhang Wenyuan privately used the national treasury, and Qian Weixin knew about it but didn't report it. What do you think should be done?"

The other ministers in the hall looked at each other, and no one dared to speak rashly.

At this moment, Right Prime Minister Li Deming stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that although Prime Minister Zhang and Minister Qian have made mistakes, their original intention was to consider Your Majesty's interests. Why not..."

"Not as good as what?" Xu Feihong looked at him coldly.

"Why not let them make amends for their crimes and return the embezzled silver as soon as possible?"

Xu Feihong was silent for a moment, then said, "Alright. Zhang Wenyuan, Qian Weixin, I'll give you one month to make up for the misappropriated silver. If you can't make up for it..."

"If we cannot make up for it, we are willing to die as an apology!" Zhang Wenyuan and Qian Weixin said in unison.

"Okay, I'll wait." Xu Feihong waved his hand, "Dismiss the court!"

As the word "dismiss court" sounded, the ministers in the hall left one after another, but each of them had a look of shock on their faces. Today's court meeting was too dramatic.

Zhou Qing put away his recording tools, feeling smug. This first sinister plot had already caused such a stir in the court; there was sure to be even more exciting sequels to come.

As he left the hall, he noticed Zhang Wenyuan and Qian Weixin walking together, whispering something. With his observant eyes, Zhou Qing vaguely heard a few key words: "that money," "what to do," and "don't let her find out."

It seems that this matter is far from over, and there are bigger secrets behind it.

[Poison Master System Tip: A deeper conspiracy has been detected. It is recommended that the host continue to investigate.]

Zhou Qing's mouth curled up. This was interesting. He wanted to see what these court officials were up to.

As night falls, the Forbidden City is brightly lit, but beneath this splendor lies countless secrets and conspiracies.

Zhou Qing finished his work for the day and returned to his own residence. As a palace attendant, he had a separate room in the palace. Although it was not big, it was quiet.

As soon as he entered the door, he found a small paper bag on the table.

Zhou Qing looked around cautiously, making sure no one else was around before carefully opening the paper package. Inside was a note that read, "At midnight, at the Plum Blossom Pavilion in the Imperial Garden, I have something important to discuss."

There is no signature and the handwriting is unfamiliar.

Zhou Qing frowned. It was obvious that someone wanted to have a secret meeting with him. Who could it be at this critical moment?

He thought about it and decided to go and have a look. After all, he had the system, so at worst he could exchange it for some life-saving skills.