Chapter 633 A collision recorded in the annals of history
"Your Highness has forgotten that that person is very careless and will retaliate. Otherwise, why would he inspect the weapon for no reason..."
King Kang could no longer hear clearly what the servants in the palace were saying. The minister of the Ministry of Works was his man. Not many people knew about this. The ordnance built by the Ministry of Works was lacking, but the powerful weapons used by the Ministry of War for inspection
, is also built by the Ministry of Industry, so there will be no omissions at all. With the Minister of the Ministry of Industry watching, who would check this?
Most of the money withheld by the Ministry of Industry went into his coffers. If this matter is investigated further, sooner or later it will be found on his head.
That wasn't what worried him the most.
What he was worried about was the matter of the salt field and mines. Chen Guo has been specializing in salt and iron since the founding of the country. All those who can do the salt and iron business have official backgrounds. He followed the salt merchants and searched up, and found the part in Beijing.
The dignitaries, and further up, is Prince Kang’s Mansion...
Even if he is a prince, he cannot afford this consequence.
King Kang suddenly felt regretful. Maybe he really shouldn't have hit that on the natural lake that day...
…
Cui Min, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, was from King Kang.
Behind the major salt merchants involved were some dignitaries in the capital, and behind these dignitaries were also supported by King Kang.
Looking at the information from the Ministry of Revenue and the information Su Mei brought him from Tiantianju, Tang Ning could swear with her conscience that he was definitely not targeting Prince Kang, let alone avenging public or personal revenge.
King Kang just ordered his men to ram his ship. How could it be such a big deal? How could he punish King Kang to death because of this matter...
Of course, King Kang was a prince after all. If it were to be done to others, it would be a serious crime to lose one's head. If it were to be done to him, it would definitely not be a crime that would lead to death, but to him, it would be almost as good as death.
As a prince, intervening in the salt and iron affairs has touched the bottom line of Emperor Chen and the court. His behavior is more serious than the embezzlement of taxes and money by Prince Duan. Emperor Chen's treatment of Prince Kang will not be too light.
Even whether he can keep his position as prince depends on whether Emperor Chen has thought about his father and son and will give him a lighter sentence as appropriate.
Speaking of which, if King Kang was really punished, wouldn't he have indirectly helped King Duan?
Tang Ning shook her head. Even if she accidentally helped Prince Duan, there was nothing she could do about it. Who knew Prince Kang was so bold, but Ordnance and Yan Zheng both dared to interfere...
In the royal study.
Emperor Chen looked at the Minister of Household Affairs and asked, "Have the fines that the salt merchants have to pay back calculated?"
The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue raised his hands and said: "Back to Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has already calculated the general amount. According to the problematic tools of the Ministry of Industry, the back taxes that the salt merchants from all over the country will have to pay this time will probably exceed 10 million taels.
…”
Chen Huang stood up and asked in disbelief: "Ten million taels?"
The Minister of Household Affairs raised his eyes and thought that His Majesty was frightened by this number. He also thought about sending it to the inner palace. He immediately said: "Your Majesty, the national treasury has frequently allocated money in recent days. If it is not replenished, I am afraid that even the imperial court will lose money."
We can't even maintain our daily operations. This time we need at least five million taels..."
Chen Huang has also seen people with 100 million taels of silver, so naturally he will not be scared by 10 million taels.
He didn't think the money was too much, but too little. The Ministry of Finance did not dare to falsify the figures because his own expectations were too high.
After all, Tang Ning had just brought him 100 million taels of silver from Jiangnan a few days ago. These 10 million taels could no longer make his heart turbulent.
The imperial court's total annual expenditure on salt and iron was only a few million taels. After comparing it, Chen Huang realized how big the gift Tang Ning brought him from Jiangnan was.
He looked at the nervous Minister of the Ministry of Finance, waved his hand and said: "Okay, okay, I'll give you all these ten million taels..."
The Minister of Hube looked at Chen Huang and was stunned for a moment, not quite believing his ears.
His throat moved, and he asked tentatively: "Your Majesty means, these ten million taels..."
"Put it all in the treasury." Emperor Chen glanced at him and said, "Do I look like an emperor who would covet money from the treasury?"
Only then did the Minister of Hubu come to his senses, cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty is wise..."
Emperor Chen no longer asked about the silver, looked at the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and said: "Given the courage of those salt merchants who dare not touch the salt and iron, who in the capital is supporting them?"
The Minister of Hubu raised his head, pursed his lips, and after a moment, he mustered up the courage to say: "Your Majesty, I am afraid that this case of the Ministry of Industry has something to do with His Highness Prince Kang..."
Chen Huang frowned and said in a deep voice: "What?"
The Minister of Hubu said: "The backers behind those salt merchants are certain dignitaries in Beijing, and behind these dignitaries, His Royal Highness Prince Kang should be supporting..."
Emperor Chen's face was as dark as water, and he said solemnly: "This bastard!"
…
Tang Ning, the acting minister of the Ministry of Industry, revealed that the officials of the Ministry of Industry had enriched their own pockets and colluded with government and businessmen to steal national interests. In a very short period of time, the news spread throughout the capital.
This is almost the most serious fraud case that has occurred in the capital and even in the Chen Kingdom in recent years.
The broom star is still a broom star, and his power should not be underestimated. He only stayed in the Ministry of Works for a few days, and he destroyed the entire Ministry of Works Department, putting everyone in the Ministry of Works officials in danger.
Yan, was fined and suspended from office. If this case is found to be related to him, the position of the minister will not be stable.
Of course, the people in the capital all applauded when they heard the news. The fewer corrupt officials in the court, the happier they would be.
The Ministry of Works doctor, Yuan Wailang and others have been arrested and imprisoned, and the Minister of Works minister has also been recalled to the capital for questioning. Not only that, His Majesty is determined to arrest all officials related to this matter, and several officials in the DPRK have been investigated one after another.
At the same time, there were also some rumors, both true and false, spreading among the people.
It is said that a doctor from the Ministry of Industry embezzled money from weapons and handed over a large part of it to Prince Kang. The backers of those salt merchants in Beijing were also Prince Kang. The culprit in this Ministry of Industry case was in Prince Kang's palace.
These news were just rumors at first, but after careful investigation, they were shocked to find that the two cases of the Ministry of Industry were pointed directly at King Kang. Even if he was not responsible, they were inseparable from him.
There are also rumors that the reason why King Kang was investigated this time is because he offended Tang Ning, the acting minister of the Ministry of Industry, a few days ago. This incident was the revenge of the petty broom star on him.
Someone witnessed with their own eyes that a few days ago, on the lake where the capital's natural residence was, King Kang ordered someone to deliberately hit Tang Ning's cruise ship. The narrow-minded Master Tang did not retaliate at that time, but a few days later, he gave King Kang a blow...
The small lake inside the natural residence is artificially excavated and is not very large. When the season is suitable every year, it is a good place for many dignitaries in Beijing to visit. There are many cruise ships, so it is inevitable that there will be bumps and bumps.
On weekdays, if you bump into other people's boats, the most you can do is to accompany them or pay some silver taels.
King Kang's collision this time was probably the most serious one in history on the natural lake.
This collision will definitely be recorded in history.
He embezzled weapons and silver and interfered in the politics of salt and iron. Even a prince cannot be exempted from the crime. What's more, there is King Duan who is always watching him. He will not let go of this opportunity. His collision on Tianli Lake,
It is very likely that his pursuit of the throne will go astray.
In response to this historical event that could change the situation of the imperial court, there is a popular saying: "There are thousands of waterways, safety is the first one. If the boat is not standardized, the throne will be lost..."
