The Great Corrupt Official

When he heard that a faction within the court actually supported him, he was stunned. Supported him in what? Ascending the throne? Was he even worthy?

Jiang Yehua's first reaction was that Jiang Nuan was joking, but after carefully observing the ministers around him, he discovered that some of their expressions did indeed look a little unnatural.

So there really was such a faction. He was shocked.

After hearing this, Jiang Yunsheng did not know whether to laugh or cry either. It turned out he had misjudged his fourth son all along. To say the reality was identical to his impression would be wrong—they had absolutely nothing in common.

Now, when he looked at his fourth son's wise-looking face again, he felt that it betrayed a hint of foolishness.

Jiang Yunsheng had the urge to hold his forehead.

[Hahahahaha...]

Jiang Nuan could not help laughing inwardly, and a smile appeared on her face as well. She had never expected her Fourth Brother's affairs to be so dramatic.

[Actually, if Jiang Ruihui hadn't barged in and meddled, the throne really might have gone to my Fourth Brother.]

Jiang Nuan thought it over and felt that the possibility was very high.

Jiang Yehua frantically shook his head inwardly. No, no, no. I can't do it.

The ministers were the ones falling apart most. Fine, they had secretly chosen a side. Fine, Jiang Nuan's inner voice had exposed it. But how could the very person they wanted to support not even know about it?

Then what did all their efforts these past days amount to?

Those ministers silently wept inwardly.

Fortunately, Jiang Nuan's inner voice had not exposed their identities. Otherwise, they would have had nowhere to hide their shame.

Although they were relieved, another group of ministers was not nearly so happy, because Jiang Nuan's inner voice mentioned them the very next moment.

[Come to think of it, quite a few people at court seem to support Jiang Ruihui too. There might even be a few more than those supporting my Fourth Brother.]

Now it was another group's turn to be unhappy.

Backing the wrong side was like having a criminal record. Given Jiang Yunsheng's temper and how he had dealt with the Fifth Prince, supporting the Fifth Prince was a far more serious matter than supporting the Fourth Prince.

*[Yes, but almost none of them met a good end. Although they pocketed some money at first, once the enemy forces invaded Capital City, everyone who failed to escape in time was robbed of everything.

Those who escaped weren't safe either. The enemy forces had a list of the court officials and hunted them down one by one. With their wealth, they successfully established a new dynasty.]*

That was going too far! They had moved their entire households away, yet they were still hunted down! Those enemy forces had no martial honor whatsoever!

Some ministers from powerful clans cursed inwardly.

[So, since the treasury is empty now, could we confiscate the estates of a few corrupt officials?]

The idea suddenly occurred to Jiang Nuan.

That thought sent cold sweat trickling down many people's backs.

Jiang Yunsheng, however, raised his eyebrows and eagerly awaited Jiang Nuan's next thought. After all, the treasury was desperately poor.

Especially after hearing that the enemy forces had confiscated those corrupt officials' estates and amassed enough wealth to establish an entirely new country, he was tempted. He even wanted to follow their example.

In the end, reason made him suppress the thought.

[Guagua, tell me, who is the most corrupt official in this throne hall?]

Jiang Nuan was a little curious.

[Do you know the Minister of Revenue?]

Guagua asked Jiang Nuan.

[Yes! Don't tell me it's him!]

Jiang Nuan exclaimed inwardly in disbelief.

Qiu Rongri stiffened when he was singled out. Slander! This is slander!

[It has nothing to do with him.]

Guagua was being mischievous.

At that moment, Qiu Rongri felt the helplessness of someone facing a little troublemaker. If he could get his hands on Guagua, he would certainly grab Guagua and deliver a thorough spanking.

Was this any way to scare someone?

Jiang Nuan smiled indulgently, then asked:

[Then who is it?]

[Deputy Minister of Revenue You Fengzhe!]

Guagua named someone.

The other ministers feared that Guagua might be playing another prank, so they decided to wait and see for now.

[He and Qiu Rongri are two extremes. Qiu Rongri wishes he could split a single coin in two to spend it, while You Fengzhe had three hundred chickens slaughtered just to eat a plate of chicken tongues. He took only the tongues and threw every other part away.]

Jiang Yunsheng was furious when he heard of such extravagance. Even he would never do something like that.

By now, You Fengzhe's heart was cold as dead ashes. Ever since he first heard Jiang Nuan's inner voice, he had feared this day would come, so he had tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible whenever he attended court.

He had even wanted to resign, but he feared that suddenly doing so would backfire and draw Jiang Nuan's attention to him. Thus, he had continued standing in court, trembling with apprehension.

Now that Jiang Nuan had singled him out, he even felt a strange sense of relief.

[Compared to him, the other corrupt officials are only dabbling. Host, you remember He Shen, right? He amounts to at least half a He Shen.]

[He Shen was the most corrupt official in all of history. Even half a He Shen is an awful lot. My heavens, he looks so honest. I really can't imagine him doing something like this.]

Jiang Nuan was astonished. You Fengzhe had a square face and a stern, unsmiling manner. He looked every bit the upright official.

[You really can't judge someone by their face!]

That was Jiang Nuan's final sigh of regret.

Although no one knew who He Shen was, once they heard "the most corrupt official in all of history," they understood what sort of man he was.

Some who had known nothing looked at You Fengzhe, unable to imagine that he was such a person.

Others who had some inkling secretly nodded to themselves.

*[Of the disaster relief funds allocated by the court, he alone embezzles as much as thirty percent. Add in everyone else taking their cuts at every level, and less than ten percent actually reaches the disaster victims.

It isn't just disaster relief funds. He even dares to embezzle military pay, so sometimes the soldiers don't even have enough to eat. How are they supposed to fight?

And there's more...]*

As Guagua continued, even Guagua grew angry. Guagua knew perfectly well that Jiang Nuan wanted the common people to live better lives, yet it was the existence of people like these that left them suffering in deep water and scorching fire.

At first, Jiang Yunsheng had shown faint signs of anger. By the end, only calm remained. But anyone who knew him understood that this was the calm before the storm.

You Fengzhe had already paved his own road to death!

With Guagua having revealed so much, Jiang Yunsheng naturally would not sit back and do nothing.

[Aside from evidence of these people's crimes, Guagua, do you know where he hid all his silver?]

Jiang Nuan asked because she remembered that his estate had also been confiscated later on, but little silver had been found in his home.

*[I do, I do! His hiding place is incredibly well concealed. Host, you'll never guess!

He actually hid the silver inside Pure Brahma Temple. No one would ever imagine that Pure Brahma Temple, bustling with worshippers in Capital City, was actually a den where a great corrupt official stashed his silver!]*

Pure Brahma Temple! It was actually there!

Some corrupt officials thought they had hidden their silver well enough in their latrines. To think it could even be hidden in a temple.