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With the help of Ma Wen, a list was compiled, and Shang Sibian cheerfully dismissed him, calling in a trusted aide. In public, he gave orders, but privately instructed him to investigate Lu Si Village.
Shi Xiang had analyzed last night that there might also be land tax issues near Jingjing City. Shang Sibian directly probed about Lu Si Village; if everything was normal there, there were still five other villages to check. If all were normal, the investigation range would be expanded.
The journey to and from Lu Si Village took only two days, and with three more days spent visiting the fields, news would surely come soon. During the three days of waiting, Xuande Emperor demanded money every day. Shang Sibian felt exhausted and often saw the shadow of Chongjing Emperor in Xuande Emperor's demeanor.
At that time, he was just a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue, often encountering the then Minister who was worn out by Chongjing Emperor's extravagance and the empty treasury. What happened to that minister afterward? Oh right, he worked through several nights and died suddenly; then another took over but was reprimanded for incompetence by Chongjing Emperor after just two years and executed. After that, Chongjing Emperor passed away.
Thinking of this made Shang Sibian shiver involuntarily, causing him to act even more cautiously. His aide finally returned swiftly on horseback. "My lord, there is indeed a problem. Not only are some households in Lu Si Village reporting incorrect acreage, but I also took the liberty to check nearby villages, and they have similar issues."
The aide pulled out a stack of land contracts and recalled what he had seen over the past few days. "My lord, how bold is that Ma Wen! Could his actions implicate us?"
"You should be fine," Shang Sibian replied. "As for me, it’s hard to say. If I’m accused of negligence, I can’t escape it. However, perhaps His Majesty will overlook it for the sake of money."
Shang Sibian gathered the evidence and tidied his clothes before entering the palace to plead for mercy. The Two Lords knew news would come today and deliberately lingered in the palace.
When he met with His Majesty, Shang Sibian simply stated that it was during Yongxin Marquis's disaster relief efforts that he witnessed conflicts between the people and tax officials over land issues. He returned specifically to inform His Majesty and sent someone to investigate secretly, discovering that Ma Wen from the Ministry of Revenue was implementing two sets of algorithms for personal gain.
After reading this report, Xuande Emperor's expression initially showed joy. "How much did he embezzle?"
Seeing His Majesty's delighted expression made Shang Sibian uneasy; shouldn't compassion for the suffering commoners come first?
"Your Majesty," he replied cautiously, "I do not know the exact amount, but roughly calculated, it should be enough to repair your Royal Tomb."
Unable to hold back his sarcasm in his response, Shang Sibian noticed Xuande Emperor was so pleased that he momentarily failed to catch on; no one present dared to remind him.
"What are we waiting for? Quickly arrest him! Seize his assets! And get my Royal Tomb built at once! Cai Zhuo, bring me those blueprints! Wouldn't it look even more impressive with a layer of gold leaf on the tomb door?"
Cai Zhuo did not want to dampen Xuande Emperor's enthusiasm and spread out the already revised blueprints for the Royal Tomb on the table. Xuande Emperor eagerly invited several courtiers to join him in reviewing them while discussing his extravagant spending plans; none dared to voice their objections.
Impatient with their reactions, Xuande Emperor waved them away.
"Not even a punishment for me!" Shang Sibian sighed as he left and worried aloud whether they should have uncovered such a large sum of money.
Mingze replied, "How much we find is up to you to decide, isn't it? Every time a large box enters the Ministry of Revenue, it always comes out lighter. This time you should find a way to retain more; without money during this autumn in Great Jing Dynasty, we can't move an inch."
The others thought well of this plan; Xuande Emperor even mobilized Dragon Guard to document seized assets. Cai Zhuo privately had Dragon Guard fabricate some records to retain some funds for the Ministry of Revenue while filling up His Majesty's private treasury.
Upon learning this full picture, the court officials felt a chill in their hearts.
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