Volume One, Chapter Two: A Different New Son of Heaven!
Enough.” Zhu Youjian waved a hand. “I was merely asking offhand. Since you are an upright and incorrupt official, I naturally trust you. It is only this matter of the taxes in the south of the Yangtze...”
Wen Tiren hurriedly said, “I understand, Your Majesty! I shall investigate this at once and will not fail your trust!”
Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction. This old fox was indeed adept; with only a few words, he had grasped the meaning.
“Then I shall trouble you with it,” he said, rising to his feet. “It is late. You may retire.”
“I take my leave.” Wen Tiren bowed deeply and slowly withdrew from the hall.
Watching his retreating figure, a faint chill flickered in Zhu Youjian’s eyes.
This veteran minister was worthy of use, but he also needed to be guarded against at all times.
He would need to plant a few eyes and ears to keep watch on his movements.
“Wang Chengen,” he called.
“This servant is here.”
“Send men in secret to keep an eye on Wen Tiren. See whom he meets in these next few days.”
“This servant obeys the decree.”
Zhu Youjian paced to the window.
The afternoon sun filtered through the carved lattice, laying mottled shadows upon the floor.
He gazed toward the towering palace walls in the distance and fell into thought.
This vast Forbidden City, glittering and splendid on the surface, was in truth full of hidden currents.
The court officials all seemed dutiful and submissive, yet who knew what schemes they concealed in private?
If he wanted to seize control of the whole situation, the system alone would not be enough; he would also have to know how to use men.
And veteran ministers like Wen Tiren were precisely the best tools.
Their connections and experience could be exploited, while there was no need to fear that they would do anything too outrageous.
After all, such men cared above all for their own interests.
“Wang Chengen,” he said again.
“This servant is here.”
“Tell me, how much truth do you think there was in what Wen Tiren just said?”
Wang Chengen bent low. “In this servant’s view, he still holds some awe for Your Majesty. It is only that... these old ministers are all cunning indeed, and never speak or act without leaving themselves a way out.”
Zhu Youjian nodded. “You are right. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. Those who are too loyal are even harder to control. Let them scheme against one another. What matters is the result.”
“Your Majesty is wise.”
The dying glow of sunset spilled across the vermilion palace walls, gilding the Forbidden City in gold.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Zhu Youjian stood looking out into the distance.
As a man who had crossed over from another world, he knew better than anyone what would happen next.
But this time, he would rewrite history.
And Wen Tiren was nothing more than the first chess piece in that rewriting.
“Right,” he suddenly remembered something. “Have the Imperial Secretariat make preparations. Tomorrow I shall go to the Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifice to my forebears.”
“This servant will make the arrangements at once.”
A cold smile curved Zhu Youjian’s lips. The ancestral sacrifice was only a pretext; his true purpose was to see how the ministers would react. Those men wore the mask of righteousness in court, yet who knew what they were plotting in secret?
“Also prepare the ledgers from the inner treasury. I want them examined carefully.”
“Yes.”
As Wang Chengen withdrew, a flash of sharp brilliance gleamed in Zhu Youjian’s eyes.
The system might be useful, but if he truly wanted to hold the reins of power, he would still have to begin from these faint traces and hidden clues.
The faults of those ministers were often buried in the smallest details.
Wen Tiren had only just left the hall when he felt a chill run down his spine.
Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, he thought to himself:
This new Son of Heaven seems rather different from the one before...
The dim candlelight in the depths of the inner treasury trembled softly, illuminating piles upon piles of account books. Zhu Youjian sat at the desk, carefully reviewing each record.
“These accounts... are wrong,” he said, frowning. Wang Chengen immediately stepped closer. “What has Your Majesty discovered?”
“Look here,” Zhu Youjian said, pointing to a line of figures in the ledger. “The southern silk manufacturers present tribute every year, and by rights the quantity should be considerable. Yet the amount recorded here is far too small.”
Wang Chengen looked carefully. “Indeed. In past years it was always around ten thousand bolts. How can it be only five thousand this year?”
“And look at this number as well,” Zhu Youjian said, turning to another ledger. “This one records the inner treasury’s expenditures. The same silk was spent in amounts greater than the tribute received. Tell me, where did the extra silk come from?”
Wang Chengen drew in a sharp breath. “Could it be...”
“Exactly,” Zhu Youjian said with a cold laugh. “Someone has been meddling in the middle. Part of the tribute silk was pocketed privately, and inferior goods were purchased from elsewhere to make up the difference.”
He continued turning the pages. Every sheet was covered in numbers. Some handwriting was neat, some crude and barely legible, but in Zhu Youjian’s eyes, every figure concealed a secret.
“Here is the salt tax... this is the mining tax... this is the customs duty...” His finger traced down the page. “Each one is absurdly low.”
Wang Chengen asked cautiously, “Should Your Majesty summon the keeper of the treasury for questioning?”
“No.” Zhu Youjian shook his head. “Not yet. Do not alarm them. These traces may lead to something much larger.”
He stood and began to pace in the candlelight. His shadow swayed upon the wall like a giant silhouette.
“Go and investigate which officials have been responsible for the inner treasury over these past years. Their wealth, their relatives, their estates—everything must be made clear.”
“This servant obeys.”
Zhu Youjian kept reading. Every page was examined with care, lest he miss the slightest detail.
“Hm?” He suddenly stopped. “What is this?”
Wang Chengen leaned in to look. It was a loose sheet tucked among the ledgers, covered with a few place names and numbers in hasty script.
“Jiangning... Suzhou... Hangzhou...” Zhu Youjian read the names aloud. “All of these are wealthy lands in the south of the Yangtze.”
His gaze fell on the numbers. “Fifty thousand taels... eighty thousand... one hundred twenty thousand... These figures must be the shares of the spoils they divided.”
Wang Chengen said in astonishment, “So much?”
“This is only the tip of the iceberg.” Zhu Youjian sneered. “Only thieves leave records behind.”
He continued searching and found several more sheets like it. Each one recorded different place names and sums, along with some scribbled symbols.
“Copy all of these down,” he ordered. “Especially the symbols. They may be the code they use to contact one another.”
Wang Chengen quickly produced brush and paper and copied them carefully, while Zhu Youjian went on examining the remaining ledgers.
Time passed little by little, and the candle flames grew shorter, yet Zhu Youjian felt no fatigue at all; instead, the more he read, the more alert he became.
“Interesting,” he said at last. “Have you noticed? There are several different hands in these ledgers.”
Wang Chengen looked carefully. “Yes... at least three or four kinds of handwriting.”
“What does that tell us?” Zhu Youjian asked.
“That it was not handled by one person?”
“Correct.” Zhu Youjian nodded. “And look at the features of the script. Some are powerful and vigorous, clearly the work of an older hand; others are delicate and neat, likely written by a younger person.”
His eyes gleamed. “These people were probably part of a tangled and interwoven interest group.”
Wang Chengen could not help shivering. “So they have already formed a complete system?”
“Indeed,” Zhu Youjian said with a cold smile. “Officials above, clerks and underlings below, working in concert to drain the national treasury. No wonder the treasury has grown emptier year by year.”
He closed the ledger and rose. “That is enough for tonight. Have a reliable man examine these books one by one. Focus on the changes in income and expenditure over these years, and on the names of everyone who handled them.”
“This servant understands.”
“Also,” Zhu Youjian added, “tomorrow find out in secret what properties the officials responsible for the inner treasury have purchased here in the capital over the years.”
“Yes. And as for Wen Tiren...”
“Keep watching him.” A trace of icy light flashed in Zhu Youjian’s eyes. “Perhaps the secrets in these ledgers have something to do with him as well.”
Wang Chengen bowed in assent. Zhu Youjian stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the night beyond the window.
“For so many years,” he murmured, “it is time to lance the festering sore of the court.”
He walked to the window and looked at the lamps in the distance. At this hour, those corrupt officials might be sleeping soundly in their warm beds. They could never imagine that a storm was about to descend.
“Wang Chengen.” He spoke suddenly.
“This servant is here.”
“Tell me, if those vermin were to learn that every one of their dirty dealings had been exposed, what kind of expression do you think they would make?”
Wang Chengen was momentarily at a loss for words. Zhu Youjian, however, smiled. “It would surely be a splendid sight.”
He sat down at the desk once more and picked up another ledger. “Then let us continue. I would like to see just how splendid the story behind these numbers can be.”
The candlelight swayed, casting shifting shadows across his face. The dancing rows of figures seemed to whisper one unspeakable secret after another.
“Your Majesty,” Wang Chengen suddenly said, “there is something odd here.”
“Oh?” Zhu Youjian looked up.
“These pages all record very neat sums, with no odd amounts left over. And every time, the figures are rounded to the nearest hundred or thousand.”
Zhu Youjian narrowed his eyes. “Interesting. What does that tell us?”
“That these amounts were agreed upon in advance?”
“Exactly.” Zhu Youjian nodded. “It seems these people are very practiced indeed. Every time money came in or went out, the amount had been settled beforehand.”
He turned to the next page. “Look here. Every large expenditure has a special mark beside it. That mark should be their code.”
Wang Chengen looked closely; sure enough, beside certain sums there was an inconspicuous symbol.
“Copy all of these marks down,” Zhu Youjian ordered. “Then investigate when these expenditures occurred, and who handled them.”
“This servant obeys.” Wang Chengen produced brush and paper and began to record them.
Zhu Youjian continued turning the pages, missing nothing.
“These people are cautious enough,” he said with a sneer. “They know how to scatter the stolen money across different accounts. If one were not careful, it would indeed be hard to notice.”
As he wrote, Wang Chengen said, “Yes, they have hidden it very well.”
“But no matter how well hidden, traces are left behind.” Zhu Youjian said. “That is their fatal weakness.”
He stood and stretched his stiff limbs. “Enough for tonight. Find a few trusted men and verify these ledgers separately. Remember: absolute secrecy.”
“This servant understands.”
When Zhu Youjian reached the door, he glanced back once more at the pile of ledgers. “Also, tomorrow go to the storerooms and see whether there are any other account books.”
“Yes,” Wang Chengen replied. “And these ledgers...”
“Leave them here for now,” Zhu Youjian said. “Do not let anyone know that I am investigating these matters.”
He gazed out at the faintly brightening sky. “When the time is ripe, I shall naturally make them understand the fate that awaits those who abuse their office and take bribes.”
Wang Chengen bowed and accepted the order. Zhu Youjian turned and departed, his footsteps echoing through the vast, empty inner treasury.
The candlelight trembled, illuminating the stack of ledgers. Each one recorded unspeakable secrets; every page hid a shocking truth.
Looking at them, Wang Chengen suddenly remembered something. “Your Majesty, as for the Ministry of Revenue...”
Zhu Youjian halted. “For the moment, do not alarm them. I would like to see just how long these corrupt officials can continue to swagger.”
His voice echoed through the empty inner treasury, carrying a trace of grim coldness.
Wang Chengen shuddered and hurriedly agreed. Zhu Youjian stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the stack of ledgers, his expression deep and unreadable.
These ledgers were like a sharp blade hanging over the heads of those corrupt officials. Once he found the right moment, he would strike and sever their throats in one blow.
“Go prepare breakfast,” he said indifferently. “Remember, what happened tonight must not be told to anyone.”
“This servant obeys.”
Zhu Youjian cast one last glance at the ledgers and turned away. His figure stretched longer and longer in the dawn light, his shadow on the floor like a drawn sword.
“Your Majesty...” Wang Chengen began, then hesitated.
Without turning back, Zhu Youjian asked, “What is it?”
“These ledgers... should we...”
“Leave them as they are,” Zhu Youjian said with a cold smile. “Let them keep being pleased with themselves a little longer.”
Wang Chengen watched Zhu Youjian walk away and could not help but feel a chill run through him. He knew that a storm was coming.
And these ledgers were the fuse that would set it off.
“Go and prepare my breakfast.” Zhu Youjian’s voice drifted back from afar.
Wang Chengen quickly answered and hurried away.
The inner treasury fell silent once more, with only the morning light slipping through the lattice and falling upon the stack of ledgers.