Ling: Watching Great Yan's officials show off their acting calls for another pot of wine / Jiajing: Great Yan has no treacherous ministers; all who serve me are loyal

"Your Excellency, you have arrived."

The character Lü Fang, played by Lee, immediately confronts the elderly Yan Song, played by the Rat King, while setting aside Xu Jie Purists faction led by Grand Tutor Xu Jie. This small detail reveals that the Yan Faction still holds considerable power in the Great Yan Grand Secretariat.

"Your Excellency, after this snowfall, you were eighty last year, so you should be seventy-nine this year."

"Hehehe... Lord Lü, are you saying I'm too old?" Faced with Lee's flattery, the Rat King jokingly went along with it, but still naturally enjoyed Lee's support. Lee, who had previously acted quite like a high-ranking official, spoke with remarkable ease:

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Grand Secretary! You still have to serve the Emperor for another twenty years!"

At this moment, Lin Yuxia, who plays the Junior Grand Secretary Yan Shifan, perhaps knowing his father's character in the drama, spoke with a hint of disdain and resentment, suddenly saying:

"--If I did this for another twenty years, people would hate me to death."

Lin Yuxia's remark made everyone still in the lounge chuckle. However, Chen Huijie laughed at Lin Yuxia's words, while the Emperor of Great Yan laughed at the cunning of the Junior Grand Secretary played by Lin Yuxia.

"Not very cunning, his emotions are easily discerned; his words and expressions are quite telling. That's good, he's easier to identify than those old foxes who all have expressionless faces."

The Emperor of Great Yan was well aware that the high-ranking officials in the Great Yan Dynasty were all shrewd and calculating, usually either smiling or wearing a stern face. It was rare to see an official who showed his true colors, and he felt quite friendly towards him.

However, what intrigued the Emperor of Great Yan even more was the instruction given by Lü Fang, played by Lee, before leading everyone into the Palace of Jade Splendor.

"Although it snowed today, the matter of Zhou Yunyi... His Majesty's mood is unlikely to be very good."

"Regarding the deficit, let's try to get through it if possible, and think of other solutions this year—I'll say it again, no matter how big the problem, we have to weather it together."

Lee's words were filled with solemnity, and the members of the Grand Secretariat all wore serious expressions as if facing a formidable enemy. It was clear that they knew all too well how "terrifying" the emperor they were about to meet was.

"To manipulate all the officials like puppets... I want to see how my brother, the Emperor Jiajing, manages to do all this, making all the officials fear him like tigers."

As the Emperor of Great Yan finished speaking, the camera panned, revealing that the emperor was no longer on the dragon throne in Palace of Jade Splendor. The Grand Secretariat and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs stood in two rows, with only Yan Song, played by the Rat King, sitting at the very front as the Grand Secretariat and due to his advanced age. The others sat upright, as if the emperor could see them through a wall.

The scene shifts to a wooden hammer striking a bronze chime, instantly chilling everyone to the bone. Without a doubt, it is the Emperor Jiajing, who has not attended court for over twenty years, yet holds absolute power over the entire court.

The dragon, though rarely seen, still kept all the other dragons from causing trouble.

In that single scene, the Great Yan Emperor and everyone else in the play could sense that the extraordinary nature of this Emperor Jiajing was only just beginning to unfold...

Chapter 274: Order: Watching the Great Yan officials put on such a show, you'll have to drink an extra pot of wine.

As the bronze chime rang, the meeting in the play officially began. Even though the dragon throne was empty, the Grand Secretariat and the Directorate of Ceremonial remained perfectly respectful, their postures, in the eyes of the Emperor of Great Yan, even more upright than most of his ministers when he held court.

The character Yan Song, the Grand Secretariat Secretary played by the Rat King, also briefly summarized the current situation of the Great Yan in the drama, as well as the reasons for the national treasury deficit, saying:

"Last year, there was a severe drought in two provinces, a major flood in three provinces, several major wars in the north and southeast, plus a fire in the palace... To be honest, I don't know how I got through it."

The Rat King, with a slightly teasing tone, eased the atmosphere and explained the situation to the Emperor Jiajing, who was not present at the moment but had been listening from his study in the back.

And precisely because he knew that Jiajing could hear their discussion, after explaining the reason for the deficit, he immediately added flattering words, saying:

"His Majesty works tirelessly day and night; it's only right that everyone is a little tired."

"Coincidentally, it didn't snow in December last year, and some people used this as an excuse to slander the imperial court!"

The Rat King emphasized the last four words, making sure the Emperor Jiajing inside the study could hear them. He transformed what the emperor didn't really want to hear into flattering words, continuing:

"From the first day of the lunar month until now, His Majesty has been fasting and praying to Heaven alone here. This snow was brought down by His Majesty."

"--Old fox."X3

However, Yan Song's words, spoken by the Rat King, prompted the Emperor of Great Yan, Ling, and Kal'tsit, who had dispatched agents to assist with the filming and was acting as Rhodes Island's representative, to all give Yan Song this evaluation.

"In short, the responsibility for the national treasury deficit, rampant corruption, and the people's suffering, as Zhou Yunyi mentioned, was all placed on the Grand Secretariat, while the credit was given to the emperor who 'fasted and prayed for snow.'"

The Emperor of Great Yan also wore a cold smile, his eyes filled with disdain and wariness towards Yan Song, played by the Rat King. The disdain stemmed from his knowledge that the Yan Song in the drama was extremely cunning, a capable minister, but even more so a treacherous one, and he despised such a minister from the bottom of his heart.

The caution stemmed from Yan Song's undeniable skill; with a single sentence, he attributed all the credit to the emperor, who, despite claiming to be praying for snow, had done nothing, while simultaneously shielding the emperor from any responsibility. Clearly, Yan Song was a highly competent "black glove," a role he himself was fully aware of.

"No wonder the Yan Faction has gained power; such a sensible minister is truly useful."

"Pure evil and darkness are not frightening... what's frightening is that they are not pure?" Chen Huijie, who had been listening to the Great Yan Emperor's analysis, couldn't help but sigh, but soon asked with some confusion:

"I can understand that some powerful forces need their subordinates to do dirty and tiring work to maintain 'order,' but do officials in the imperial court really need to do things that can't be seen in the light of day?"

"Wrong." However, upon hearing this, the Emperor of Great Yan corrected Chen Huijie with a cold smile. His eyes held a hint of appreciation for his righteous niece, and he offered his unreserved guidance:

"If the imperial court wanted to do something shady, the Imperial Guards could do it; there was no need for a minister to gather a group of protégés and form cliques for personal gain. Since they can exist and wield such power, there is only one possibility—the emperor allows them to exist."

"They weren't just working for the imperial court; they were also working for the Emperor Jiajing... The Yan Faction was doing all the dirty work for Jiajing."

The Great Yan Emperor left behind only this one sentence, not fully revealing his true intentions. Now he understands very well why Chen Qi called the Emperor Jiajing a "tyrant." He has now realized that the Emperor Jiajing's tyranny lay in allowing the Yan Faction to grow, clearly to satisfy his own selfish desires.

As for what his personal desires were, the Emperor of Great Yan was still unsure... but it was clear that only the Yan Faction could satisfy them. He guessed that perhaps it had something to do with the "elixir of immortality" that Chen Qi had mentioned earlier?

On screen, the Clear Stream Faction and the Yan Faction began to argue about last year's expenditures, and the questions raised by the Emperor of Great Yan also began to slowly become clear amidst the dispute between the two factions.

Gao Gong, played by Celestial Master Bai, began his first direct confrontation with Yan Shifan, played by Lin Yuxia. Gao Gong explained why he did not sign off on the expenditures of the Ministry of Personnel of Personnel and the Ministry of Works, which were under Yan Shifan's jurisdiction. After comparing the previous year's fiscal revenue and expenditure, he found that the deficit from the previous year's overspending reached as much as 14 million taels, and that the deficits were all from the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Works.

The first item was a bill of three million taels of silver prepared by the Ministry of Works in the name of the Ministry of War.

"This three million is recorded in the Ministry of War's account for building thirty land-based warships. In reality, my Ministry of War has not seen a single land-based warship." Wenyue, who plays Zhang Juzheng, also spoke up at this moment, but she and everyone else understood what it meant.

The deficit was entirely within the department controlled by Yan Shifan, so the most likely explanation is only one thing—embezzlement!

Moreover, this embezzlement was anything but clever; it could even be described as blatant. The Great Yan Emperor gripped the chair tightly, the armrests showing signs of cracking. But Lin Yuxia on the screen confidently offered an explanation, stating emphatically:

"Indeed, there are thirty land-based warships, costing three million. They were built in Gouwu City our Great Yan. Originally, these warships were built for the Ministry of War for combat use."

"Later, ten ships were used to transport timber for the construction of several large halls in the palace. The remaining twenty ships were borrowed by the Maritime Trade Office for transporting silk, tea, and porcelain to the Higashi and Iberia."

All the information matched up, and Lü Fang, played by Lee, also offered a solution: Lin Yuxia should transfer ten warships from the Ministry of Works back to the Ministry of War, and he would transfer the other twenty back from the Maritime Trade Office. The solution was simply to avoid using warships for this kind of work next time.

Everyone had discussed it and seemed to have agreed, but the approval process was delayed. Everyone was waiting for a signal, and no one dared to make any moves before that signal arrived.

Thump.

Finally, with the sound of the hammer striking the bronze chime, Emperor Jiajing gave the order for the Directorate of Ceremonial to approve the draft document.

The problem seemed serious, but it ended rather anticlimactically. Yet, it was logical and well-founded, seemingly just an accident. Many viewers looked on with suspicion, while Ling seemed to understand something but didn't say anything.

As the discussion continued, Gao Gong, played by Celestial Master Bai, added, "One sum is from Gouwu's public funds for river repairs. The Ministry of Works initially reported three million taels, but actually reported five and a half million taels."

" --Gouwu is a major tax-paying area for the imperial court. The extra public funds used for river repairs can be found in detailed accounts at the river management office," Lin Yuxia said confidently, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"Furthermore, the people in charge of river management are all personally selected by the officials of the Directorate of Ceremonial. If you don't sign off, it's probably not just our Ministry of Works that's being targeted, is it?"

The Directorate of Ceremonial upholds the Emperor's interests, and opposing the Directorate of Ceremonial is tantamount to opposing the Emperor. Lin Yuxia's words implied that the Clear Stream Faction's refusal to sign was related to putting the Emperor in a difficult position.

"Lord Gao, what else hasn't been signed?" Lee quickly waved his hand, stopping Celestial Master Bai, who was about to argue with Lin Yuxia. He knew, of course, that the emperor couldn't be blamed for anything, so he immediately changed the subject.

"... And then there's the loan for timber used in the palace construction. The Ministry of Works' initial budget was three million taels, but the final bill has reached a staggering seven million taels!"

At this point, Celestial Master Bai's tone could no longer conceal his disgust. Although it was just acting, such blatant embezzlement had already caused Celestial Master Bai, who already had a bad temper, to have his blood pressure soar. His eyes were wide open, glaring angrily at Lin Yuxia, as if he wanted to devour this little mouse alive.

However, Lin Yuxia seemed to have planned this all along. With a casual remark, she left Celestial Master Bai utterly defenseless, saying:

"I knew it. No matter how much you calculate, you'll always end up blaming the Emperor."

"--I said the Ministry of Works lost four million taels of silver, I didn't say it shouldn't have been used to repair palace buildings!"

Celestial Master Bai suddenly realized that the palaces were all built for the emperor, and strictly speaking, this debt was still related to the emperor. His tone immediately dropped, and he seemed less confident.

Lin Yuxia promptly offered her explanation, stating emphatically:

"The initial budget was for transporting timber from Shangshu, but after a survey, it was discovered that Shangshu had not been repaired since the battle that 'Sui' awoke to, and there are no roads. The mountains are high and the forests are dense, and the Shu Road is even more difficult than ascending to heaven. The timber simply cannot be transported down the mountain."

"That's why we changed our approach and started transporting timber from Sargon via land-based ships. This sudden increase in difficulty added to the year-long construction schedule, and our Ministry of Works worked day and night! Even the warships in Sargon were lost several times due to sandstorms and the king's harassment! But we still managed to finish repairing several palace buildings before the end of the year!"

As she spoke, Lin Yuxia deliberately cast her gaze at the members of the Clear Stream Faction, adopting an impassioned Great Yan loyal demeanor as she said:

"For the Emperor, we can endure any hardship!"

"But I just don't understand. We're all doing the government's work, so why is it that the one who does more always suffers the most grievances? Why do you always nitpick about the extra money spent?"

"Great! Excellent!"

Just as Lin Yuxia finished speaking, Ling, who was half-drunk, suddenly shouted and cheered with a beaming smile. As Chen Huijie and some others, unaware of what was happening, cast suspicious glances at her, they saw Ling clapping her hands and saying with admiration:

"What a masterful tactic to distort the truth! This Junior Grand Secretary is truly a master of it. They've lost several warships, and now everything makes sense."

"I found it strange when Miss Lin mentioned borrowing ten warships to transport timber. Now that several warships have been lost, it means that even if those warships were never built, the money still went straight into her pocket."

"Oh, they probably finished building it, and embezzled the money for the warships and timber as well, so openly! Hahaha, what a show! What a show!"

As he spoke, Ling also took a big gulp of wine with a smile. Ling's explanation made everyone present completely understand that this scene was practically a live demonstration of how to legally embezzle!

Moreover, even if the embezzlement is discovered, there's no way to investigate it because the warship is "lost," and the work was done for the emperor, so there's no responsibility or need to compensate for the equipment. Public funds are used to legitimately line private pockets.

This mere tip of the iceberg was enough to make everyone present realize that the dark side of the Great Yan officialdom was something that these inexperienced young people could never even imagine...

Chapter 275: Jiajing: The Great Yan has no treacherous officials; all those who serve me are loyal ministers.

"The ugly behavior of all the officials is fully displayed in the play, which is truly astounding..."

At that moment, after Ling finished speaking, the lounge fell silent. Chongyue was the first person besides Chen Qi to react, and his mutterings immediately captured the thoughts of everyone, including the Emperor of Great Yan.

Disgraceful. That's right, how else can this scene be described? Lin Yuxia's portrayal of Yan Shifan, in both words and expressions, perfectly reveals the greed and arrogance of a favored treacherous official.

On screen, last year's expenses had all been explained, and the group began discussing this year's expenses. When Wenyue, playing Zhang Juzheng, offered her opinion, she became somewhat aggressive towards Lin Yuxia, saying:

"If everything goes like last year, and the Ministry of Revenue of Revenue's treasury is completely depleted within a year, the imperial court will have to increase taxes on the people again this year."

"Before I came here, I had already heard that some provinces had already increased taxes for five years later—if this continues, how can the Ministry of Revenue manage its affairs?"

Wenyue's words made it very clear: everyone knows that Yan Faction dares to be corrupt, but he should not go too Yan Shifan. The Ministry of Revenue is responsible for maintaining the expenses of the imperial court. If he continues to be so blatantly corrupt as he was last year, he will really have to bear the consequences.

As she spoke, Wenyue, playing Zhang Juzheng, added emphatically, "Preparation is the key to success, and lack of preparation leads to failure. If we continue to spend beyond the budget as we did last year, living beyond our means, then once that budget is exhausted... I really don't know what our Great Yan Dynasty will have left to eat?"

As Wenyue finished speaking, the Emperor of Great Yan and others outside the screen nodded in agreement. They all knew that Zhang Juzheng was a member of the Clear Stream Faction, and the current image of this character had improved their perception of the Purists Party considerably.

"As expected, there are still officials who are genuinely dedicated to serving the Great Yan." Chen Huijie breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to the Yan Faction, she naturally felt that the Clear Stream Faction was more like good people. After all, so far, the members of the Clear Stream Faction had been doing practical work; it was just that Yan Shifan was being unreasonable.

"Hmm, there are still good people after all." Amiya, who came with Kal'tsit, had been silent until now, and a slight smile returned to her usually stern face, despite the oppressive atmosphere on the screen.

But before the two women could rejoice for long, Lin Yuxia on the screen immediately retorted to these pointed words:

"So you're saying that last year's efforts to repair the river embankment for Gouwu and build palaces for the Emperor have already exhausted the resources of our Great Yan Dynasty?"

I didn't say that.

"Then what did you mean by what you just said?!" Lin Yuxia pressed relentlessly. At this moment, Gao Gong, played by Celestial Master Bai, also couldn't bear it any longer and asked:

"Does that Junior Grand Secretary we'll be facing a deficit again this year, just like last year?!"

"--Lord Lü!" At this moment, Celestial Master Bai's reply had already fallen into a trap. Facing Lü Fang, played by Lee, Lin Yuxia uttered words that were clearly prepared in advance, shouting out each word clearly, "The treacherous minister has already jumped out on his own!"

"Gao Gong is one! And Zhang Juzheng too!"

Lin Yuxia's sudden reversal of right and wrong left not only those watching on screen, but even seasoned politician Wenyue and Bai Tianshi, who had served as Celestial Master Bai in two dynasties, somewhat bewildered. But then they heard Lin Yuxia continue:

"I think... and it's not just you. There are others too, like the people Zhou Yunyi slandered the court's backer on the 29th of last year's twelfth lunar month!"

"Zhou Yunyi, an official in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, how could he describe the court's expenditures from the previous year so clearly when he was slandering the court? I was puzzled at the time, but now I finally understand."

"It was some of us here who told him the details beforehand. Who instigated this?"

"What? You dare to do it but not admit it?!"

Finally, Lin Yuxia's sharp shout pierced through the entire palace. In that instant, none of the three members of the Clear Stream Faction —Xu, Gao, and Zhang—could refute Lin Yuxia's words. It was unclear whether they knew they were in the wrong or had been falsely accused and didn't know how to refute her.

Regardless, Lin Yuxia's statement increased the likelihood that Zhou Yunyi was being orchestrated by someone, by at least 80%. Whether it was the Purists or the Yan Faction, it was enough to send a chill down the spine of anyone familiar with politics.

The Emperor of Great Yan, in particular, was acutely aware of the terrifying implications. Whether instigated by the Purists or the Yan Faction, Zhou Yunyi's death demonstrated the immense power of both sides—power enough to make a court official die for their interests! The power of these two factions... was so great that any emperor would feel apprehensive.

If it were him, he would do his best to warn and punish all ministers who were forming cliques for personal gain. If that didn't work, he would eliminate them immediately instead of waiting for their power to grow to the point where they could control half the sky!

But the Emperor Jiajing in this drama... clearly knew all this, yet deliberately kept two factions serving him and the court... How did he do that? How did he manage to control these two major factions, allowing them to wield such power while still maintaining such reverence for imperial authority?

Relying solely on the Directorate of Ceremonial is certainly not enough; Emperor Jiajing's methods of checks and balances... are definitely worth studying!

Just as the Emperor of Great Yan was thinking this, the Palace of Jade Splendor was completely silent. But then, a light footstep sounded, and all the ministers immediately stopped arguing, their arrogance greatly diminished, and they all said in unison:

Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!

Faced with this situation, the Emperor Jiajing finally made his appearance. Everyone watching the screen became focused, but before he arrived, his voice was heard first. Wei Yenwu's calm and collected recitation of poetry drifted over.

"Having practiced until one's form resembles that of a crane, one can sit beneath a thousand pine trees and read two volumes of scriptures."

"I came to ask the question, but there was nothing more to say; the clouds are in the blue sky, and the water is in the bottle."

Two lines of poetry, accompanied by the lingering echoes of bronze chimes, and Wei Yenwu, playing the Emperor Jiajing, finally appeared before everyone. His appearance was naturally the most anticipated, and everyone was eager to know what kind of person this Jiajing Emperor, whom Chen Qi described as someone who hadn't held court for twenty years, obsessed with becoming Feranmut, yet still managed to manipulate Emperor Jiajing officials at will, was really like.

However, to everyone's surprise, except for the Emperor of Great Yan and the crew, Wei Yenwu was not wearing a dragon robe. Instead, he was wearing a light-colored Daoist robe, which was extremely simple and even thin. In the snowy weather outside, such thin clothing would make even Mythical Race feel a chill.

But Wei Yenwu's expression remained unchanged, as if he had long since become impervious to the cold and warmth. Dressed in a Daoist robe, Wei Yenwu possessed an extremely peculiar aura. Although he was not wearing a dragon robe, his superior demeanor, emanating from within, still made people unable to suppress the urge to bow down and worship him.