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

The following day, in the Xuanzheng Hall, the ministers of the six ministries gathered to begin a meeting to discuss the allocation of the confiscated property.

Ye Mo's confidant, Zhang Baigui, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, opened a copy of an unexplained account book and read it aloud.

"The following is a rough outline of the property confiscated from the officials who committed crimes in the three prefectures of Su, Ning, and Ming."

"A total of 5.4 million taels of gold, 74.83 million taels of silver, and 930 boxes of jewelry and agate were confiscated."

"In addition, there are 287 mansions and estates, 4,800 shops of various trades, 320 estates, and more than 3,240 mines."

"In addition, there are 6.86 million mu of arable land, 1.2 million mu of mulberry and tea gardens, 170 silk weaving workshops, and 7,600 looms..."

As a series of numbers were read out, even the usually stern and impartial Liu Wu couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.

"This is the initial amount of goods confiscated so far. Further confiscations are still underway, and it is estimated that another 10 to 20 million taels of silver worth of goods will be added."

After Zhang Baigui finished speaking, he bowed to Ye Mo and the others, and then sat back down.

Ye Mo opened his mouth and said, "Tell me, how should we allocate such a large sum of money when there are no expenses?"

Lu Lin was the first to speak: "After the New Year, military system reform is imperative, and there are many areas where money will be needed."

My Ministry of War requests that ten million taels of silver be allocated first for conscription and military supplies, to be used for purchasing guns, ammunition, uniforms, and constructing barracks.

As he spoke, he glanced at Shen Lang and added, "I urge the Duke of Zhenguo to grant the Ministry of War the most favorable price for munitions next year."

Shen Lang smiled and said, "Please rest assured, His Majesty will give his full support to any army of our Great Chu."

Lu Lin naturally understood what she meant: as long as the conscription began and the Empress held military power, the supply of weapons would be much easier to arrange.

Li Youcai from the Ministry of Works spoke up: "Officials from Lingnan and Nanzhao have sent applications to build a steel plant."

We hope the imperial court will approve this request and allocate a total of 280 million taels of silver for the initial construction costs.

In addition, officials from Guanzhong and Heluo also sent requests to lay railways, and began organizing laborers to lay the foundations, with a plan to complete the project within three years.

According to the Ministry of Works' calculations, the construction of the new railway would require an expenditure of approximately 15 million taels of silver.

In addition, the cost of reinforcing the flood control dikes along the coast was approximately four million taels of silver.

"I urge the Ministry of Revenue to approve the funds as soon as possible so that these projects can be completed quickly."

Shen Lang remained silent, but quietly wrote down everything Li Youcai said in his notebook.

As soon as Li Youcai finished speaking, Cao Xianzhi spoke up again: "The Ministry of Rites doesn't need much funding; it's just for the expenses of the imperial ancestral hall..."

The expenses for weddings, funerals, and other celebrations of nobles and dignitaries throughout the capital, as well as their processions, and the annual stipends of the various noble ladies.

Including the reserve funds for dealings with foreign officials, it's probably around five million taels of silver.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang frowned.

Too many members of the royal family would cause huge financial problems for the Ming Dynasty in its later years.

This must be reduced, and all titles must be strictly limited to a certain range.

Then it was Liu Wu's turn to speak.

Liu Wu said, "The Ministry of Justice currently has no need for additional expenditures, and the annual allowance allocated by the Ministry of Revenue is roughly sufficient."

The only drawback was that subordinates complained that the meals served in the local Ministry of Justice were too poor, and requested the Ministry of Revenue to allocate an additional 100,000 taels of silver annually to improve the meals for the officials.

As he spoke, he maintained an upright posture, his eyes bright and fixed on the front.

After the others finished speaking, Ye Mo smiled and looked at Shen Lang: "Minister Shen, you have heard about the expenditures required by the Six Ministries. Do you still have any doubts?"

Shen Lang shook his head: "Your requests are reasonable, and I have no reason to refuse."

I just feel there might be some problems with these confiscated accounts; it would be best to check them more carefully.

"impossible!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Baigui immediately stood up.

"Minister Shen, these accounts that were copied and not recorded were not recorded by me alone. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Justice also participated. How could there be a mistake?"

"Does Minister Shen intend to frame me for corruption and perverting the law?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Wu looked at Shen Lang and said very seriously, "Minister Shen, I can testify that everything Vice Minister Zhang said is true."

It's possible for one ledger to be falsified, but it's impossible for three consecutive audits to be falsified.

Moreover, the entire process was personally supervised by me, and I can vouch for Vice Minister Zhang.

Neither he nor the officials who raided his home showed any signs of embezzlement.

Shen Lang smiled, but took out another ledger and threw it in front of Zhang Baigui: "I advise Vice Minister Zhang to take a closer look. This is my carefully calculated list of confiscated silver."

Zhang Baigui, his face full of resentment and a hint of doubt, opened the ledger that Shen Lang had handed him.

After turning only two pages, his face turned deathly pale, and he stared at Shen Lang in disbelief.

Shen Lang, however, smiled slightly, picked up his teacup, and pretended to blow on it casually.

"This……"

After flipping through the ledger, Zhang Baigui was completely numb.

Ye Mo, who was standing nearby, sensed something was wrong and gestured with his hand.

Zhang Baigui then handed the ledger to Ye Mo.

Upon seeing the contents, Ye Mo immediately stood up from his chair, seemingly shocked by what he had read.

After skimming through it, he asked directly, "Minister Shen, what exactly do you mean by this?"

"Didn't Prime Minister Ye see it too? It's exactly what the higher-ups mean."

Ye Mo narrowed his eyes, thought about it carefully, and then smiled.

"Minister Shen, I have truly come to appreciate your shrewdness today. Impressive, indeed impressive."

Shen Lang smiled slightly: "Prime Minister Ye, you flatter me. The country is in dire straits, and we have no choice but to resort to this measure."

"what happened?"

Liu Wu and Lü Lin also became somewhat interested in the contents of the ledger.

After the two finished reading, they were dumbfounded.

Liu Wu was the first to speak up to Shen Lang, saying, "Minister Shen, do you think people are fools?"

He was a man of principle, but upon seeing the figures recorded in the ledger, he couldn't help but break down.

"More than 8,000 officials in Jiangnan were confiscated, but in the end only 2.3 million taels of silver were found. Who do you think would believe that number?"

Shen Lang said nonchalantly, "I will distribute the expenses of the Six Ministries to you in full, but externally..."

It must be said that the gold and silver seized amounted to exactly two million three hundred thousand taels, not a penny more.

"Why?"

Liu Wu really couldn't understand what Shen Lang's intention was in keeping a separate ledger.

"Naturally, it's to prevent the Empress Dowager from coveting this money."

Ye Mo explained the reason for Shen Lang's explanation.

"If we submit the account books audited by the six ministries, the Empress Dowager will take at least half of this vast sum of money if she demands it back."

"Are you willing to let her use the money that should be used for the country to build some kind of Longevity Palace?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Wu and the others finally understood the reasoning behind it.

But Liu Wu was still somewhat unwilling: "But wouldn't doing this be deceiving the emperor?"

Shen Lang: "Minister Liu, you don't need to worry about that. You just need to stick to the same story."

"I will personally speak to His Majesty. Even if execution is necessary, it will only be me; it has nothing to do with you."

Cao Xianzhi quickly said, "Minister Shen is joking. You and His Majesty are so loving, how could she kill you?"

Then he reminded Liu Wu, "Minister Liu, the overall situation is more important."

Liu Wu closed his eyes and sighed, "Please rest assured, my lords, although I am dull-witted, I know how to prioritize. It's just that the figures in this ledger are far too exaggerated. Who would believe it if it were released?"

Ye Mo: "Whether you believe it or not is not important. As long as the six ministries agree on the same thing and communicate with His Majesty, the amount of silver confiscated this time will be 2.3 million taels."

Liu Wu: "Gold and silver can be concealed, but how can those assets under one's name be faked?"

Shen Lang said, "According to the official law of the Great Chu, the property and land of a criminal official should first be sold by the auction house. If the Empress Dowager wants them, she can have her clansmen buy them."

Ye Mo instantly understood: "But there are many omissions in the auction house that need to be addressed, in case someone takes advantage of the situation..."

Liu Wu immediately chimed in: "This matter should have been handled by my Ministry of Justice. We will make sure to fill in all the gaps before the auction."

Shen Lang: "In that case, we can rest assured."

Lu Lin, Li Youcai, and Cao Xianzhi stared blankly as the three of them settled the matter in just a few words, and one word simultaneously came to mind.

black!

That's fucking shady!