An Impeachment from an "Old Acquaintance"

Word that the Ministry of Revenue would soon release funding had apparently already spread. When Sun Shaozong arrived at Dali Temple that afternoon, the attitudes of the clerks and bailiffs below had visibly changed.

They had once feared him more than they respected him. Now, there was a touch more warmth in their eyes.

That was hardly surprising. In this government office, which was clean but hardly prestigious, salaries were the only means of livelihood for many. Naturally, they valued them more highly than people elsewhere did.

The only exception was probably the Heavenly Prison—though Dali Temple's authority had waned, it still held quite a few "fat cats" behind bars.

For the moment, this situation benefited Sun Shaozong.

It meant that as long as he could increase income and reduce expenses, allowing everyone at Dali Temple to benefit, he could bring the overwhelming majority of the lower-ranking officials onto his side.

But in the long run, it was hardly a good thing.

It also meant their thirst for wealth had been suppressed for far too long. Once circumstances changed drastically, corruption could very well collapse upon itself like an avalanche.

It seemed that while expanding Dali Temple's authority, he also needed to actively strengthen disciplinary inspections.

A man had to stand upright!

If he himself could not keep his hands clean, how could he judge those corrupt officials?

—Having just used Official Reselling to funnel more than a hundred thousand taels of Snowflake Silver into his own coffers, Vice Minister Sun reached this decision outside the Left Vice Director's office at Dali Temple.

Then he strode into the inner hall, spread the outline he had drafted that morning across his desk, and took out brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, intending to copy it out neatly.

But he had only just