The second princess, Di Xingwan, entered the bedroom and paid her respects: "My son, I pay my respects to my queen mother."
The empress motioned for her to sit down and talk.
"Your eldest sister checked the accounts of the Household Department and found out a huge deficit, which involved the drought in Caozhou last year, which starved to death 120,000 people. Zhao Min, the governor of Caozhou, has been detained in Daughter's City. You will try this case."
The empress spoke very calmly, and Emperor Xingwan was not surprised at all, as if all this had been expected.
"What kind of outcome does the queen hope to get from the trial?"
Di Xingwan said lightly.
The empress sighed helplessly: "Let's examine the matter clearly first, and then talk about other things."
Emperor Xingwan stood up and said, "My son, I understand."
Yingfeng immediately handed Zhao Min over to Emperor Xingwan.
....
Daming Palace.
The empress sat on the phoenix chair, and the ministers below were divided into two groups, civil and military.
Long Chen stood in the civil service queue, with Jing Heng in front, because the Ministry of Household Affairs was in front of the Ministry of Works.
The eldest princess stood at the front, followed by Emperor Xingwan, and Di Luoxi stood first among the generals.
The ministers looked strange, and no one said anything. They knew more or less some news. Zhao Min, the governor of Caozhou, was arrested, and it involved the issue of disaster relief funds from the Ministry of Household Affairs.
Jing Heng is in charge of the household department. The Jing family has controlled the household department for so many years. If there is a problem with the household department, then there is a problem with the Jing family.
There is a conflict between the imperial court and the General's Office.
Everyone felt that a storm was coming, and the court suddenly became uneasy.
Jing Heng, the Minister of Household Affairs, looked calm and didn't take it seriously at all, but Chen Hanying, the Minister of Household Affairs behind him, was trembling with fear, fearing that he might accidentally lose his life.
The empress looked a little bad, and her tone was a little cold, and she said: "If you have something to do, please leave the court if there is nothing to do."
Di Yuwei walked out of the train and said, "Queen Mother, the accounts of the Household Department have been checked."
After Di Yuwei finished speaking, the whispers in the court suddenly stopped, the air suddenly solidified, and needles could be heard all around.
"Tell me about it."
The empress spoke calmly.
Di Yu said in a faint voice: "After investigation, the household department has a deficit of 7 million taels."
Buzz...
The court immediately exploded!
The ministers knew that the treasury would definitely be in deficit in Jing Heng's hands, but they did not expect the deficit to be so large.
"Seven million taels? How come there are so many?"
"It doesn't make sense. Doesn't our treasury's revenue and expenditure have a surplus every year?"
"How...how did the management of the Household Department get to this point?"
"Be careful what you say! Be careful what you say!"
The ministers couldn't help but cast their eyes on Jing Heng.
At this moment, Jing Heng was also dumbfounded. This deficit amount exceeded his estimate.
He remembered that he only got 2 million taels from the Ministry of Household Affairs, but what about the remaining 5 million taels?
Jing Heng turned his head and glanced at Chen Hanying, who was lowering his head.
The empress' face was gloomy. She looked at the ministers in the court, especially Jing Heng, and said coldly: "Shang Shu of the Ministry of Revenue, tell me what is going on? Why is there such a huge deficit?"
Jing Heng walked out bravely and said: "Your Majesty, it is the poor management of the subordinates and the failure to investigate clearly what the subordinates did, which resulted in a huge deficit in the national treasury, and the subordinates cannot escape the blame."
This Jing Heng only said that he had poor management, not that he was making money.
Di Luoxi sneered: "Is Shangshu Jing just a poor manager?"
Jing Heng said angrily: "Does the Fourth Princess want to say that I was the one who embezzled the money from the Ministry of Finance?"
Di Luoxi sneered and did not answer.
Di Yuwei continued: "My son, I still have something to report."
The empress said: "Say!"
Emperor Yuwei continued to report: "While checking the accounts of the Ministry of Household Affairs, I discovered that the 100,000 taels of carriage and horse expenses used for disaster relief in Caozhou last year were false. Zhao Min, the governor of Caozhou, sold Caozhou officials and nobles in the name of disaster relief and misappropriated the relief grain, causing Caozhou to starve.
120,000 people died."
boom...
This time, the ministers in the DPRK no longer whispered, but exploded.
"This is too courageous!"
"Twenty thousand people starved to death!"
"If you don't provide disaster relief by selling food to officials, you still dare to get transportation fees from the Ministry of Household Affairs?"
Almost all officials in the court have corruption problems, but such unscrupulous corruption makes these people stunned and can't believe it.
Bang!
"Asshole!"
The empress slapped the armrests of the phoenix chair to pieces, stood up suddenly, and shouted: "Where is Zhao Min!"
Emperor Xingwan came out and paid his respects: "I'm telling you, Zhao Min has been thrown into the sky prison. After interrogation, Zhao Min confessed and also revealed his accomplices. This is the interrogation document."
Emperor Xing presented the signed document at night.
The ministers in the DPRK had already heard that Zhao Min had been arrested, and this time they went to the DPRK only to deal with it.
The empress read the document and said angrily: "Look! Even people like Zhao Min dare to embezzle the food for disaster relief!"
"Twenty thousand people were starved to death. If you don't kill such a dog official, it won't be enough for the people to get angry! Correct discipline!"
"The Metropolitan Procuratorate will arrest them all according to the documents Zhao Min confessed, and will kill them without mercy!"
Bai Anning, the imperial censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, bowed and said, "I accept the decree!"
Yingfeng gave the signed document to Bai Anning.
The empress sat back on the battered phoenix chair, looked at Jing Heng, and said coldly: "Does the Minister of the Ministry of Finance have nothing to say?"
Jing Heng walked out bravely and said, "Wei ministers are not good at managing the household department. Please be punished."
The empress said coldly: "This is the account. How did these 7 million taels go missing? I want you to find out on your own, especially the travel expenses for Caozhou's disaster relief. You have to find out who gave it!"
The stone in Jing Heng's heart fell to the ground.
Letting Jing Heng investigate on his own would give him an opportunity to find a scapegoat. After all, the empress would not dare to go against the general's palace.
The ministers in the court also felt that the empress needed Jing Tianlie to be in charge of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and would not fall out with the Jing family.
"I would like to express my gratitude to the Lord for your kindness."
Jing Heng bowed deeply.
The empress stood up and retired from the court.
From beginning to end, Long Chen didn't say a word, just looked at him coldly.
After the dynasty ended, Long Chen and Di Luoxi returned to the West Palace together.
Jing Heng left the Daming Palace and returned to the Ministry of Household Affairs. Chen Hanying, the minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, stood in front of him, his face was pale and he was sweating all over.
"Seven million taels? I only took 2 million taels. Where did the remaining 5 million taels go?"
Jing Heng squinted his eyes, his chubby face seemed to be smiling but not smiling, resembling a smiling tiger.
"Sir, there are so many people in the household department. If they don't take advantage, we can't hide it."
"Our imperial household department has to reconcile with the local household department. They don't get benefits and they don't sign."
"A lot of money has gone out here, both inside and outside."
The Ministry of Accounts has reconciliation requirements, that is, how much money has been handed over by the local government, and how much has finally been approved by the Ministry of Accounts.
How much the Ministry of Household Affairs allocates to local governments must also be approved by local governments.
If you make false accounts, you must do it in full, and everyone at the top and bottom will benefit.
Snap!
Jing Heng crawled out from behind the desk, stepped forward and slapped Chen Hanying on the face, scolding: "Fart! Do you need so much money to do everything inside and outside? You think I'm stupid!"
"How much money you take, just give it back to me! After all, you are just my slave!"
"Such a big problem happened this time. You won't survive. Go back, say goodbye to your wife and children, and go and take the blame tomorrow!"
"Don't think about anything else, otherwise your parents and children will be on the road together!"
Chen Hanying's heart tightened, it was over now.
Parents and children go on the road together, but the wife stays behind?
Jing Heng is a lustful guy and has long coveted Chen Hanying's wife, but he didn't take action because of his face.
Now it's better. After Chen Hanying died, his wife was slept with, his children were beaten, and the house became someone else's.
"Sir, please forgive me..."
Chen Hanying knelt on the ground and begged for mercy.