Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Mingzhou, Yang Shuang's residence.

After Yang Shuang relinquished his military power, he spent his days at home drinking and chatting with his beautiful wife and concubines, waiting for his dream of becoming governor.

"Alas, brother, it's all fate. It's destined that you won't be able to hold the position of governor for long."

At the banquet, Yang Shuang was in high spirits, but held up his wine glass with a "sad" look on his face.

"Although you are gone, the Yang family business will continue to flourish under my leadership. Rest assured."

The Duke of Zhenguo said that I would be appointed as the Governor-General of Mingzhou.

Then, looking at everyone at the table, he said, "Come, ladies, let us drink this cup to the fullest and continue to live the life of the elite from now on."

He was about to bring the wine to his lips and drink it down.

boom--

Just as the atmosphere was getting right, the gate of the Yang residence was suddenly kicked open.

Meng Gong led a squad of Imperial Guards soldiers in, strode in menacingly.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, everyone at the table couldn't help but shudder.

Yang Shuang's hand, which was holding a wine glass, hung in mid-air, and he was at a loss for what to do.

"Humph."

Meng Gong snorted coldly, then unfolded the Empress's secret decree and began to read it aloud.

"Imperial Edict: Yang Shuang, the third-rank commander of the Mingzhou Camp, has, during his tenure, disregarded the Emperor's grace by forcibly seizing farmland and illegally trading refined salt."

He profited personally from this, causing 200,000 people in Mingzhou to lose their citizenship and become slaves.

Furthermore, he secretly used the army to wreak havoc in other states, and also colluded with bandits to cause trouble in other areas. Each and every one of these acts aroused the wrath of both Heaven and the people, and challenged the imperial authority and majesty.

According to the official laws of the Great Chu, Yang Shuang and his entire clan should be escorted to the capital for trial and sentencing, and the execution should begin immediately upon receiving the imperial edict.

After speaking, Meng Gong waved his hand, and the heavily armed guards behind him immediately took control of the entire Yang residence.

"what?"

Yang Shuang was instantly stunned, and the wine glass that was hanging in her hand accidentally fell to the ground.

He couldn't believe that the final result would be so unexpected.

Instantly, the sound of a woman sobbing filled the hall.

When two guardsmen grabbed Yang Shuang's arms from the left and right, he finally came to his senses.

"Duke Zhenguo, why did you deceive me?"

"Behave yourself and let's go!"

The Imperial Guard soldiers didn't care about his mood at all; they roughly pulled him away from his seat and headed towards the gate of the mansion.

"Duke Zhenguo, why did you lie to me?"

"Why is that? Oh dear!"

"Mr. Fan, I regret not heeding your good advice; now I face this disaster!"

Yang Shuang's crying was heartbreaking, but it was his family who shed tears.

As for the Imperial Guard soldiers, they were completely unimpressed and even wanted to laugh.

Do you really think you can survive after doing all this?

Anyone involved in this case will be able to escape punishment.

And Fan Gui, he was secretly killed by the Jingwei Division after leaving the camp that day.

Soon, the Yang residence fell silent.

The still-warm dishes and the wine jug lying on the table, still dripping with wine, told the world how suddenly this had happened.

Thus, the "Salt Certificate Embezzlement Case," which involved three prefectures and counties in Jiangnan and more than 8,000 people, finally came to an end.

However, two people were exonerated by Shen Lang using his power, thus avoiding death.

One was Huang Daorong, who was transferred to the research area by Shen Lang and moved his family to the outskirts of Nanjing to continue his research on electromagnetic induction devices.

This allowed Huang Daorong to find a side hustle he enjoyed.

The other one is Ma Guocheng. It's not that he has any special talent, but rather that there are too many officials involved in the case, and there aren't enough people to escort them.

In addition, Ma Guocheng embezzled less than a thousand taels of salt silver, had a good attitude in admitting his guilt, and his temperament was very suitable for dealing with death row inmates. Perhaps he will be useful in the future.

After completing his errand, Shen Lang headed back towards Fujing...

However, halfway there, Shen Lang encountered Ye Mo, that old fox.

I thought Ye Mo was here to plead with Shen Lang to these powerful families, but...

"Duke Zhenguo, your achievement in purging the officialdom in Jiangnan is no less than the recapture of Chang'an."

"Prime Minister Ye, you flatter me. I encountered you on the way. Has something happened in the court?"

"Ah~"

Ye Mo sighed, "I don't know how to tell Zhenguo Gong."

Shen Lang: "Prime Minister Ye, please speak frankly."

"Two things."

Ye Mo didn't give any further hints and directly stated his purpose.

"Zhu Kui was also one of the key officials involved in the case, but after investigation, it was found that he himself did not embezzle a single penny from the local government."

However, his clansmen became greedy and accepted bribes in his name, which led to Zheng Bisheng and others blackmailing them.

I would like to ask the Duke of Zhenguo to show leniency and request His Majesty to punish Zhu Kui and his family lightly. After all, aside from this matter, Zhu Kui has been loyal to his duties.

Shen Lang replied, "Prime Minister Ye, you should know that as the Inspector General, my responsibility is only to thoroughly investigate cases."

Bring the corrupt officials to justice; as for the rest, it's up to Your Majesty to decide.

"I know that Zhu Kui is definitely not going to be the Minister of Justice. His Majesty is also preparing to take this opportunity to reorganize the Six Ministries."

Now everyone in the court is living in fear, afraid of being implicated. If we don't appease them in time, I fear no one will dare to serve His Majesty wholeheartedly in the court anymore.

"What does Ye Xiang mean?"

"It would be better to spare his life, considering that Zhu Kui had been relatively law-abiding in recent years."

The Prime Minister hopes that the Duke of Zhenguo will spare his life, dismiss him from his post, and order him to return to his hometown to retire.

Shen Lang pondered for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Why doesn't Prime Minister Ye personally bring this up with His Majesty?"

Ye Mo: "To be honest, Duke Zhenguo, it was actually His Majesty who sent me to inquire about your intentions."

Based on the evidence in His Majesty's possession, it's likely that few of the eight thousand officials escorting them will receive lenient treatment.

She also wants to hear your thoughts: should Zhu Kui be released?

Shen Lang thought for a moment and said, "Alright, since Prime Minister Ye has made such a rare exception, how could I refuse you?"

But after Zhu Kui, has anyone been considered for the position of Minister of Justice?

Ye Mo replied without hesitation, "His Majesty said that the selection of the Minister of Justice should be left to the Duke of Zhenguo."

Shen Lang frowned and replied, "I've heard that Liu Wu was once a student of Prime Minister Ye, and he has made such a great contribution to the Jiangnan case. Why don't we let him take on the position of Minister of Justice?"

Ye Mo smiled and said, "Although Liu Wu is old-fashioned in his methods and straightforward in his nature, his good point is that he is fair and honest, and he has a strong sense of right and wrong."

The Ministry of Justice is lacking precisely this kind of person, and Liu Wu is indeed a good candidate. I will recommend him to His Majesty as Minister of Justice.

"What about the other thing?"

Shen Lang asked directly.

"Lin Yu is sick."

Ye Mo uttered four words that startled Shen Lang.

"Minister Lin is ill? What illness?"

Ye Mo shook his head, a bitter look on his face: "He is seriously ill and no longer able to fulfill the duties of Minister of Revenue."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang instantly understood Ye Mo's meaning.

Lin Yu is in his prime and in excellent health, how could he suddenly fall ill?

Clearly, he was so worried about Ji Yuxi's "Palace of Longevity" that he simply gave up.

"This matter seems to have nothing to do with me?"

Shen Lang really wanted to laugh, but he had to hold it in.

"There are relationships."

Unexpectedly, Ye Mo unleashed his ultimate move.

"After discussion within the Ministry of Personnel, it was unanimously agreed that the Duke of Zhenguo should temporarily assume the position of Minister of Personnel until Lin Yu recovers from his illness."

靠～

Shen Lang immediately wanted to curse.

Looking at Ye Mo's shrewd and capable face, it was obvious that he intended to shift the blame onto himself.

Just as he was about to refuse, Ye Mo added, "His Majesty also means the same thing."

These words completely deflated Shen Lang.

In fact, Lin Yu's decision to give up the position of Minister was not solely due to the need to build a garden for the Empress Dowager.

More importantly, he also discovered that the Ministry of Revenue was in dire financial straits and that no matter what he tried, he could not increase the revenue of the State of Chu.

Therefore, he followed Ye Mo's advice and simply stepped down to the second line, handing over the position of Minister of Revenue to Shen Lang, wanting to see how he would solve the court's financial difficulties.

Of course, Lin Yu really wanted to give up. The affairs of the Longevity Palace had kept him so busy that he was cursing and complaining, and he even cried in the arms of his concubine, begging for comfort.

After all, the entire Chu Kingdom was asking him for money, and he had to find a way to fill the gap of nearly one million taels of silver every year. In addition, this farce about building the garden had completely crushed him.

Therefore, after discussion, the six departments unanimously decided to put the pressure on Shen Lang.

During the meeting, Ye Mo uttered a cunning remark with a helpless expression: "Then let the Emperor suffer a bit, I'll take the blame."

"Duke Zhenguo, even if it's for His Majesty's sake, please bear with it for now."

The old fox is indeed an old fox; he used his wife's name to force himself to be a slave, he really knows how to manipulate people's hearts.

"This matter is of utmost importance; let's discuss it further when I see His Majesty."

Shen Lang is now eager to return to the capital and see Jiang Mengxuan.

He was well aware that Jiang Mengxuan intended to take the opportunity to seize control of the finances.

Jiang Mengxuan's rapid expansion of strength has freed her from the timidity she once was, and she will not hesitate to act when necessary.