Night, the twenty-third day of the eleventh month, Jinghe Fourteenth Year.
The Grand Secretariat had deliberated for three days straight, revising its draft responses several times and weighing the procedures over and over.
At last, it settled on "Arrears Investigation, beginning with Suzhou Prefecture."
Shen Duan sat silently in the duty room of the Hall of Literary Depths, watching the draft response change from "Further deliberation" to, finally, "Approved for implementation."
He had not uttered a word throughout.
In the study of the Shen Residence, the lamps and candles were already lit.
Shen Duan had changed into a casual Daoist robe and sat comfortably in his chair.
Fang Qi arrived first. He pushed open the door and found Shen Duan so composed
that he knew the Chief Minister already had a plan. He asked no questions, simply taking a seat to one side and waiting quietly.
Zou Mo arrived later.
Recent affairs at court had all hinged on the Ministry of Revenue, so he was inevitably a little late.
After paying his respects to Shen Duan, he sat opposite Fang Qi, his gaze somber, and likewise said nothing.
"You have both read the Grand Secretariat's draft response?" Shen Duan began.
"We have." Fang Qi nodded.
"Approval for the Arrears Investigation, beginning with Suzhou Prefecture."
Not a single word of the procedures Kou Yuan drafted was changed."
"It was not that they could not be changed," Shen Duan said mildly. "Changing them would have served no purpose.
The Upright Officials seek renown, and Suzhou Prefecture offers them an enormous banner to rally beneath.
Kou Yuan is vying for power. The Arrears Investigation is his first step toward establishing his authority through the Ministry of Revenue.
Song Yue is backing him from behind the lines, and His Majesty has already