Traveling through the emperor, overthrowing the empress dowager at the beginning

"Master, my duty is to protect you. I don't carry money when I go out."

Shen Wan's cold temperament remained unchanged as she spoke in a low voice.

After saying this, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, and her cold temperament became more playful.

"Fuck!"

Ye Chen cursed in his heart. Why did an emperor like him carry money with him when he went out?

"Well, Chen Tao, I forgot to bring the silver. I won't buy this horse for the time being."

Ye Chen had no choice but to say.

"Then I'll leave you a fine horse. If you bring me the silver within three days, the horse will be yours!"

Chen Tao nodded vigorously, but pointed to the most handsome horse behind him, which had black fur and snow-white hooves.

After hearing his words, Ye Chen nodded happily.

After saying goodbye to Chen Tao, he took Shen Wan to the government office in Ma City.

The yamen runners guarding the bamboo shed had already received the news, and welcomed Ye Chen in and poured tea for him.

These yamen runners answered all of Ye Chen's questions without reservation.

Soon, through conversations with these yamen runners.

Ye Chen also learned about the general situation of Ma City.

As for Du Min, all the yamen runners, without exception, gave him a thumbs up.

Over the years, Du Min has always been diligent and conscientious.

Although these yamen runners did not gain any benefits from following Du Min, they all admired Du Min's abilities and character from the bottom of their hearts.

After listening to what these yamen runners said, Ye Chen felt more and more that he had found the right person. He waited for a long time and saw Du Min returning with the yamen runners.

Du Min's face was somewhat shrouded in gloom, and it was obvious that he was not in a good mood.

"Sir, I've been delayed by something and I'm sorry for being so slow."

Du Min bowed towards Ye Chen and apologized.

"It's alright, Minister Du, but what happened when you were escorting the son of the Left Minister?"

Ye Chen looked at Du Min's worried expression and asked.

"Sir, this is all just official business."

Du Min sighed and a bitter smile appeared on his face.

Then he said to Ye Chen with a serious face: "Sir, may I know your name?"

"Lin Chen."

Ye Chen replied.

Hearing this, Du Min's eyes flickered slightly. After taking a sip of hot tea, he turned to Ye Chen and said, "Master Ye, I'd like to ask you a question. Are you here to ask me to serve as an official in the court?"

"Mr. Ye, tell me honestly, are you the Empress Dowager's man?"

Hearing this, Ye Chen was slightly stunned, then narrowed his eyes and said: "Master Du, how did you know that I am the Empress Dowager's descendant?"

"Sir, your last name is Lin. The men under your command are all very skilled. Most importantly, they all wear the same shoes. These shoes are exactly the same as those worn by the imperial guards. They are official boots specially made by the Ministry of Works."

Hearing this, Ye Chen was slightly stunned and looked at Shen Wan beside him.

Shen Wan lowered her head and looked at the black official boots on her feet, her long eyelashes flickering slightly.

When she changed her clothes, she indeed forgot to change her shoes.

"Minister Du, you don't look ill right now. You refused to respond to the Empress Dowager's summons. Aren't you afraid of being accused of deceiving the emperor?"

Ye Chen looked at Du Min and felt that this person was becoming more and more interesting.

"Master Ye, if I really obey the Empress Dowager's wishes, then I will definitely die."

"Now that powerful officials are in power, the affairs of the court are already difficult to reverse. As the head of the horse market, I can still do something for Dayu. If I enter the court, I am afraid I will be unable to move forward and waste my time."

Du Min had a sad and depressed look on his face.

"Master Du, I cannot agree with what you said. Although it is true that powerful ministers are in power, I heard that the emperor is no longer the same as before, and that the Minister of Revenue has been thrown into death row."

"The one who summoned you to the court might not necessarily be the Empress Dowager."

Ye Chen frowned slightly and asked Du Min.

But after hearing what Ye Chen said, Du Min laughed "hehehe".

"Master Du, what are you laughing at?"

"Mr. Ye, I think you are too naive."

"What?"

The muscles at the corners of Ye Chen's eyes twitched.

"The current emperor has been known throughout the world since he was young. He has always been a tyrant and incompetent ruler."

"Even if we take a step back and assume that the emperor suddenly wakes up, it would be almost impossible for him to reverse the current situation on his own."

"As for the Minister of Revenue being arrested, huh."

Du Min suddenly smiled and said nothing, obviously not wanting to continue talking.

The reason why he said so much was not only to reject the Queen Mother, but also because he was depressed over the years.

He once had a heart to serve his country and had fantasized about turning the situation around.

But years of setbacks have made him face the reality.

"Master Du, what happened to the Minister of Revenue being arrested? Can't we convict him even after he's been arrested?"

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes and said.

"Of course not. The Gao family has three officials in four generations, and the Ministry of Revenue has been run by him for over a decade. It's like an iron barrel. Even if Gao Shu is imprisoned in death row, how long can he be kept there? Without any evidence, he will be released sooner or later."

Du Min showed a bitter smile on his face. How strong are these wealthy families?

He knows it all too well.

"Minister Du, I don't believe this Ministry of Revenue is truly impenetrable. If I were to let you investigate, would you really not be able to find even a single clue?"

Ye Chen frowned slightly and asked unwillingly.

"Haha, sir, I'm afraid you don't know that to thoroughly investigate the Ministry of Revenue, we have to start from the most basic accounts and accurately find every tax omission. But sir, do you know how huge a task this is?"

"Do you know how big a room would be filled with the bamboo slips and counting rods needed to calculate the taxes and levies from every prefecture, province, and county in Dayu's history?"

"It would take months just to sort this out, and we have to compare them. If there's even one mistake in the numbers, we'll have to overturn and recalculate. If there's something wrong, we have to verify it and find the problem. If we confirm there's a problem, we have to find a reasonable cause. If we can't find a cause, we have to send someone to investigate."

"With such a huge workload, I don't think I have the ability to sort it out in such a short time. But as long as we give the Gao family enough time to work on it, Gao's magic will be revealed sooner or later, and any evidence found will be eliminated without a trace."

"Besides, maybe others in these places have already made preparations and have already faked it, so it's impossible, unless..."

Du Min hesitated to speak, looking miserable.

"Unless what?"

Ye Chen asked quickly.

"Unless there is a method in this world that can quickly and accurately calculate the results of every tax expenditure and revenue! But how is that possible?"

Du Min shook his head and quickly realized that he was talking nonsense.

But after hearing Du Min's words, Ye Chen suddenly had an idea in his mind.