Chapter 236 Emperor Qing’s dilemma.

The imperial palace today was different from usual. It was very quiet and deserted. Due to a series of events, no court meeting had been held in Kyoto for several days.

However, the desertedness was just an appearance. From day to night, the door of the imperial study was opened and closed from time to time. Apart from some important ministers in the court who came to discuss matters with Emperor Qing one after another, there were more officials who had little presence in the court and were very low-key.

When everyone left, Emperor Qing was left alone sitting in the dark room.

With the death of Hong Sixiang at the hands of Li An and the chaos in Xuankong Mountain, the eunuch in charge of writing and carrying the seal in front of the emperor has once again become Eunuch Hou.

The candlelight flickered, shining brightly and dimly on Emperor Qing's face.

"bump!"

The table shook violently!
Emperor Qing slapped the wooden table with his palm, making a dull sound, causing Eunuch Hou beside him to lower his head.

"What a great Minister of Revenue Fan Jian, what a great Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, with all these things happening one after another, do you really think I dare not kill anyone?"

As the information from several officials was summarized, Emperor Qing revealed everything in his mind. He thought about the whole incident again, and there was always a lingering feeling of disharmony and strangeness.

"In addition to those Northern Qi spies, there is another hand driving all this!"

Initially, Emperor Qing's original intention was to use the ministers' instigation to investigate the Ministry of Revenue, and to use countless small matters to lead to the transfer of the Ministry of Revenue in Jingdu to Yinjiangnan. The first was to completely eliminate the trouble and put an end to this matter, and the second was to tactfully "persuade" Fan Jian to abdicate.

After years of being a king and his subjects, they always have to maintain some dignity for each other.

This is also the most upright means. The court needs a new balance and some fresh blood.

Although Emperor Qing knew that the money had been returned to the Ministry of Revenue through various channels, he also knew that everything Fan Jian had done over the years was for the sake of Qing State, and even the biggest incident before was at his instigation.
Although Fan Jian looked helpless, he was actually taking advantage of the situation. Not only did he carry out the plan, but he also went to extremes to see it through to the end in order to help Fan Xian take control of the Jiangnan Treasury.

Today's memorial from the Grand Secretary has already explained a lot.

Although the memorial in his hand was all about the Ministry of Rites, it was full of veiled suggestions and advice, dissuading Emperor Qing from investigating further. The death of a former Minister of Revenue was the best outcome. The court needed stability and peace, and the Ministry of Revenue also needed to function. If His Majesty still wanted to investigate further, then most of the various ministries would have to go to jail for free.
"Your Majesty, calm down."

Eunuch Hou's face still gives people a gentle and approachable feeling, but with the passage of time and the accumulation of things, his face has also revealed many wrinkles and some age spots, just like the empress dowager in the palace.

He shook his head and said softly, "Your Majesty has handled the situation very well. This person will inevitably prepare a way out for himself in times of crisis. These are just some ways to protect himself. It has nothing to do with anything else. Why should Your Majesty be so angry and upset?"

Emperor Qing glanced at Eunuch Hou, who had been with him for many years and was actually younger than him.

He didn't feel angry or offended. The only person who could talk to him in private was the person in front of him.

She is not even considered the queen in the harem.

Emperor Qing was furious, but he also felt a little strange about Fan Jian, and was even more disappointed by his methods and the reactions of the officials of the Ministry of Revenue. Under his rage and the attacks of all the ministers, not a single official of the Ministry of Revenue panicked, which showed his trust in the chief official Fan Jian!
Fan Jian had long known about the large number of people involved in the corruption case, but he had been hiding it until he took action against the Ministry of Revenue, when all this was uncovered.

The officials in the court were in a panic, and even he himself was caught off guard!
"Is he protecting himself? He is attacking my army! He is threatening me!" The emperor looked at the candlelight with empty eyes, as if there was a scene in it that outsiders could not see.

Fan Jian and he grew up together, and his quick wits and tactics were all top choices. Emperor Qing understood that Fan Jian's sharp counterattack was justified, but he never expected that one day, such a sharp method would be used on himself! What made Emperor Qing even more angry was the stupidity of the civil and military officials in the court!
As the country's money bag, Fan Jian, the steward of Emperor Qing, is so clean, much cleaner than expected. On the contrary, the ministers of the Manchu court, the crown prince of Qing, have gained a lot of benefits from the Ministry of Revenue!

The prince appears to be kind and righteous to the outside world, but in reality he is so stupid. How can he dare to hand over the world to him?

"What Minister Fan has done over the years can be regarded as handling a lot of trouble for Your Majesty. Even though he has so much evidence and secrets in his hands, he has not done anything more. It can be seen that he still values ​​the court and the country, and does not want any chaos to arise in the court."

Eunuch Hou lowered his head and said the last sentence, sighing silently in his heart, which was considered as helping Fan Xian for the last time.

Emperor Qing's expression, which had been somewhat cold, softened a little. He slowly closed his eyes, as if he was thinking about something.

"The Ministry of Revenue's affairs will be closed here on the surface. Secretly, I will order people to seal up all the account books in the palace, and then investigate who has gambled with them!"

Emperor Qing opened his eyes and thought of the news that the spy named Zheng Tuo had brought back a few days ago. His mood gradually calmed down and he regained his former composure and dignity. He said calmly, "Has Fan Jian come to the palace to ask for an audience?"

"Not yet."

Emperor Qing nodded slightly. Fan Jian silently took all the blame and criticism, which saved him a lot of trouble. His aversion to Fan Jian gradually faded.

Years of affection are one of the few things that can move this emperor.

He could no longer be the Minister of Revenue, no matter whether he was willing to resign or not, after such a scandal happened, even with his own protection and the joint guarantee of other ministers, the crimes of dereliction of duty and concealment made it impossible for him to continue to stay in this position.

Of course, it was unrealistic to dismiss him completely, and he would compensate him in other ways. In addition, Fan Xian was far away in Jiangnan, and now that the news had spread, Emperor Qing would keep Fan Jian in Kyoto to serve even if it was to get him back to Beijing as soon as possible.

One reason was to save face for Danzhou's mother, and the other was to let Fan Jian be a hostage.

I wonder which side An Zhi will lean towards now that he knows that I am his biological father?

I will exchange the title of a duke for the authority of a minister. I think Fan Jian will be grateful to me.

"That's all for the Ministry of Revenue. As for those officials and the Crown Prince, let's wait until the accounts are sorted out before we talk about it." Emperor Qing said coldly.

Eunuch Hou did not say anything. When it came to matters concerning the Crown Prince, he always chose to avoid answering.

"The biggest trouble now is Anzhi's identity issue!"

Faced with leaflets distributed all over the city, and the matter being related to the identity of the prince, the court would definitely have to issue an announcement to explain the matter.

Whether to dispel the rumor, investigate the trends of all the news and put it out, or admit its authenticity, there will be completely different results and new troubles.

Even the Emperor Qing showed a trace of worry: "Li An, Li An, how much do you know?"

　I am sick.
　　I wanted to take a day off today.
　　Thank you to everyone who voted for recommendations and monthly tickets, thank you for your support.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)