Gourmet Girl: Becoming a Royal Merchant Started from Selling Buns

Seeing her uneasiness, Fu Zhun pursed his lips and soothed her softly:

"Since you've already taken over this matter, then let it go. No matter whose interests this may affect, you are solely responsible for investigating and handling it. I'll take care of the rest."

These words moved Su An deeply.

With Fu Zhun's words, Su An was no longer timid. He gave himself a pep talk and nodded, saying, "Okay, then let's catch all the termites in the Ministry of Internal Affairs together!"

Over the next three days, she led all the accountants to search for many missing accounts from all the large and small materials in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. After working day and night, they finally sorted out all the accounts.

In comparison, she discovered that the original accounts of the Imperial Household Department had been tampered with in many ways, and it was no wonder that there had been deficits for years.

Su An sat in the main seat in the main hall, with a row of trembling officials kneeling in front of him.

She glanced down at them and questioned them unhappily.

"You falsified the accounts and embezzled money from the national treasury. Now that the evidence is irrefutable, what else do you have to say?"

As she spoke, she slammed the organized account book onto the table.

I originally thought that this female official was just a figurehead and nothing would be found even if we investigated. Unexpectedly, after only three days, she had dug out all the accounts of the Imperial Household Department for many years.

They couldn't help but feel regret in their hearts.

I should have done things more cleanly.

But at this moment, things have developed to this point, and no matter how much they regret it, it is useless.

They all lowered their heads, quickly thinking of the words to defend themselves.

But there were also those who were dissatisfied with Su An, and they stuck their heads out and snorted coldly:

"What evidence? How come I don't know? You think you can easily convict me with these fabricated evidence? Even if you are His Majesty's appointed court lady, you can't be so arrogant and unreasonable, right?"

The more he talked, the more excited he became.

He even cupped his hands, looking righteous.

"You dare to slander me so openly today? Who knows what horrific things you might do tomorrow. I will report this to the Empress Dowager and ask her to give me justice."

He really is the Queen Mother's man.

Su An narrowed his eyes, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes.

After spending the past few days with the Queen Mother, she thought that she had a miserable life and must be a good person.

Now it seems that she was too naive.

The women in this palace are all scheming and vying for power. Which one of them hasn't done some shameful things?

It can be said that there are no purely good people at all.

"Whether this evidence is true or false, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager will know it at a glance. I'd also like to see if I can report this to the Empress Dowager. Will she protect you or deal with you impartially? Come, take him to the Dali Temple to await his sentence."

As she spoke, she slammed the table and gave an order to the sword guard beside her.

Fu Zhun was afraid that the Imperial Household Department would collude with each other and disobey Su An, so he deliberately left the sword guards to Su An to ensure her safety.

Upon receiving the order, the sword guard immediately stepped forward and took the man away.

After this trick of killing the chicken to scare the monkey, everyone has seen Su An's methods and dared not speak big words again.

They all kowtowed to Su An and begged for mercy.

"Madam, we made a mistake in a moment of confusion. Please be magnanimous and forgive us this time! I promise to do my best in the future and make amends for my crime!"

Su An's tone softened, and he sighed regretfully, "Every family has its own rules, and every country has its own regulations. You should think about the consequences before you do anything. However, considering your good attitude in admitting your mistakes, I can consider giving you a lighter sentence."

Just give me a lighter sentence, that's good, that's good.

Hearing this, everyone wiped their sweat off their foreheads and vied with each other to compliment him.

"Thank you, Madam, for your leniency. Madam, you are truly a magnanimous person."

"Yes, Madam, you are so magnanimous and will achieve great things in the future. We are willing to follow you for life and serve you wholeheartedly."

……

Amidst the compliments, Su An rested his arm on the table, chin in the air, and tapped the table lightly with his other hand.

Her eyes curved into crescents, hiding a hint of cunning within, and she smiled.

"I've considered it carefully. The Imperial Household Department is full of trivial tasks. Since you gentlemen can't even do the most basic accounting, I'm afraid you're not suited for the Imperial Household Department. So I've decided to set you free. Go back and pack up and leave as soon as possible!"

"As for the hard work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, I have my own choices."

When these words were spoken, everyone could not help but stand there in a daze.

Didn’t we agree to give a lighter sentence?

Seeing their stunned expressions, Su An frowned and asked innocently, "Why? Do you still have any questions? Then I'll handle it according to the law. Each of you will be punished with thirty strokes of the cane and then expelled from the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

The corners of everyone's mouth twitched for a moment, and they waved their hands repeatedly.

"No, no, no, thank you very much for your mercy, Madam. I will go and pack my things right away."

After saying this, the people in front of him dispersed.

They were going to be expelled from the Imperial Household Department anyway, so why should they receive the extra thirty strokes of the cane?

After watching their figures disappear from his sight, Su An raised his eyebrows and continued to check the account book in his hand.

Although there are many corrupt officials in the Imperial Household Department, there are also some good talents among them.

Now that these parasites have been removed, a lot of positions have become vacant. Su An made a list and promoted the available people one by one, giving the Ministry of Internal Affairs a complete overhaul.

When Fu Zhun came back from work, he heard what Su An had done and his eyes showed admiration and sincere emotion.

"She's so efficient and decisive in her actions. She's definitely a good lady-in-waiting."

"However, although the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs have been purged, the deficit in the accounts still exists. How do you plan to fill it?"

He changed the subject and asked worriedly about Su An's plans.

He did have some money on hand, but the accounts of the Imperial Household Department always had income and expenditure, and he could not use private money to fill the gaps at will.

Su An sorted out the account books at hand and smiled at him.

"It's only ten thousand taels of silver. I have a clever plan."

As she spoke, she winked at him, her eyes full of confidence.

Seeing her like this, Fu Zhun couldn't help but feel a little excited.

After all, the capital city is not like Fuyou County. Those who can settle down in the capital city have Beijing household registration. The previous method in Fuyou County will definitely not work. He really can't think of any better way.

But Su An had other plans in mind.

You should know that the Imperial Household Department is in charge of all affairs in the imperial palace, including the daily life of the emperor and concubines, the country's financial revenue and expenditure, and etiquette regulations.

To put it bluntly, all the food, clothing and other expenses in the palace were purchased by the Imperial Household Department.

So she planned to take advantage of this, not only to fill the deficit, but also to make the treasury full.