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As evening fell, Chen Nan led Mo Bai and Wu Xu toward the residence of the Minister of Revenue.

None of the three spoke a word the entire way, and none of them had a pleasant expression on their faces.

Fifteen minutes later, the three arrived at the gate of a rather dilapidated mansion.

Looking at the dilapidated wooden door in front of him, Chen Nan looked at Mo Bai with suspicion.

"Are you sure the person behind the forced land seizure is the Minister of Revenue?"

It's not that he doesn't trust Mo Bai, it's just that the Minister of Revenue's home doesn't seem like that of a wealthy family.

At first glance, the wooden door in front of me was almost dilapidated, with several repair marks on it.

Not only Chen Nan, but the other two also looked suspicious.

The group felt that the Minister of Revenue's home was rather shabby.

For a moment, Mo Bai was unsure whether the result he had obtained was correct.

He replied in a low voice, "Your Highness, I can only confirm, but the person who came was indeed the Minister of Revenue."

Chen Nan pointed to the door in front of him: "Then what's going on here? Did he donate all the money he embezzled to the people?"

"This... I don't know what's going on either."

Mo Bai's voice grew softer and softer, until even he himself lacked confidence.

"Well, since we're already here, let's go in and take a look."

Chen Nan made up his mind; since he was already at the door, he had to go in and take a look.

Mo Bai cleverly stepped forward and knocked on the door.

Soon, a woman's voice came from inside the door: "Who is it? Coming, coming."

As the wooden door opened, a beautiful figure appeared before the three of them.

Although she was described as a woman, she looked to be no more than twenty years old, with a classic beautiful face, a slender figure, and a graceful demeanor.

She wore a light blush on her face and a pink cheongsam.

Mo Bai introduced himself, saying, "We are from the Zhennan Prince's Mansion. We have come to discuss important matters with the Minister of Revenue. Please inform him of our presence."

It was obvious that he mistook the person in front of him for a servant in his household.

The woman paused for a moment, then another voice came from behind her: "Xiaoyue, who's here?"

Xiaoyue replied quickly, "Master, it's people from the Prince of Zhennan's Mansion who have come to see you. They say they have important business to discuss with you."

"People from the Prince of Zhennan's Mansion?" The voice inside rose a few decibels, filled with a hint of disbelief.

Soon, a middle-aged man appeared behind the woman.

The newcomer had a mustache and wore patched clothes, appearing to be quite poor.

The newcomer glanced at the door and exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness?"

His expression changed, and he quickly greeted the prince, saying, "This humble official was unaware of Your Highness's arrival and has failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me, Your Highness!"

Chen Nan waved his hand casually: "It's alright, I was just passing by and thought I'd come in and take a look."

Then the tone shifted abruptly: "Does Lord Qian intend for me to remain at the door indefinitely?"

Minister Qian paused, then pulled Xiaoyue aside to make way for her: "Your Highness, please. It was my fault for not being hospitable enough."

As the group entered the courtyard, they were greeted by a spacious, empty space.

The entire courtyard has only one small wooden table and two chairs, behind which is an inner room, and on the side is a small room, similar to a kitchen.

Seeing this, Chen Nan exclaimed, "Minister Qian is truly concise."

Minister Qian chuckled awkwardly, "Your Highness is too kind. I am merely living off the government's salary, barely making ends meet."

"Could Minister Qian tell me why your home lacks even the most basic amenities?" Chen Nan continued.

He sensed something was wrong the moment he walked in.

Logically speaking, even the simplest residence of a high-ranking official in the current dynasty should not have ended up in such a state.

Even if Minister Qian donated his salary to the poor, he couldn't possibly ignore the life and death of his own family members, could he?

In his view, the Minister of Revenue's family was not even poor; they were already living beyond poverty.

Upon hearing Chen Nan's question, Minister Qian's expression became somewhat unnatural, and he evasively replied, "Your Highness may not know, but I have donated most of my salary to the people in the slums."

"At the end of the year, I only keep enough for my family's food, clothing and daily necessities, and donate the rest."

His weak voice and evasive expression made Chen Nan most likely certain that there was something wrong with the Minister Qian in front of him.

He then bluntly stated, "Could it be that Minister Qian is truly an incorruptible official who cares deeply about the people of the world?"

"Then could you please tell me, Minister Qian, why did the people I sent to Gejia Village meet the Minister of Revenue on the land that was forcibly taken away?"

Upon hearing this, Minister Qian's eyes darted around, and his whole body trembled slightly.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he said haltingly, "This, this, I only heard that someone went to the land in Gejia Village to cause trouble."

"I never expected that it was the prince who sent people to investigate the forced land seizure."

"This matter has absolutely nothing to do with me, Your Highness. Please investigate thoroughly!"

Minister Qian didn't even think about explaining; he just wanted to get Chen Nan away as quickly as possible.

However, after he finished speaking, Chen Nan took two steps forward, plopped down in a chair, clasped his hands together, and placed them flat on the table.

With a smile, he looked at Minister Qian and said, "Then, Minister Qian, could you tell me who reported the land problem to you?"

Chen Nan wasn't stupid. He had some guesses. Even if Minister Qian didn't profit from this, he was definitely involved.

Moreover, it is highly likely that Minister Qian was behind this.

No normal person would give up a good life to live a life of unbearable poverty.

He couldn't believe that the Northern Wei Dynasty, under its circumstances, could produce officials of such high moral character.

Seeing Chen Nan plop down in the chair, Minister Qian knew that the other party wouldn't leave until this matter was resolved.

He immediately gave Xiaoyue a look.

The latter understood and turned to walk into the room.

Chen Nan was faster, glaring at Mo Bai.

Mo Bai blocked the doorway to the inner room with two steps, his expression displeased. "Are the people of our Zhennan Prince's Mansion so unwelcome?"

"You're leaving without even offering to make a cup of tea on our first meeting?"

As she spoke, her gaze intentionally or unintentionally drifted towards Minister Qian: "Or is there some treasure hidden in this room that you don't want anyone to see?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Minister Qian had no choice but to order, "Xiaoyue, go and pour some tea."

She looked at Chen Nan awkwardly and explained, "Your Highness, I was afraid she would be in the way here, so I asked her to go back to her room."

"Since Your Highness feels this is inappropriate, then we will proceed according to Your Highness's method."

As he spoke, Minister Qian kept wiping the sweat dripping from his forehead.

In just two sentences, Minister Qian's sleeves were completely soaked with sweat.