Ministry of Revenue, Ninth Royal Uncle’s Counterattack

The Emperor is the sovereign of Eastlyn. No matter how many constraints he faces in court, as the ruler, he can mobilize ten or twenty thousand troops within Eastlyn’s borders and kill a prince in hiding without difficulty. All it takes is the pretext of ‘bandit suppression’ to silence the officials.

Facing the Emperor’s open and righteous pursuit, Ninth Royal Uncle could only choose to avoid the brunt of the attack, conceal his identity and whereabouts, and not confront him head‑on.

It’s not that Ninth Royal Uncle doesn’t dare to face the Emperor directly, but that he simply can’t. Most of his power lies in the court and on the frontier, and even if he had enough strength to mobilize provincial troops, he wouldn’t do so now—doing that would be openly exposing his strength to the Emperor.

It must be remembered that as a prince, he has no right to command troops.

Before the situation is clear, Ninth Royal Uncle has no intention of exposing his real strength in Eastlyn, letting the Emperor grow wary or giving him an excuse to cut down his power.

Of course, Ninth Royal Uncle isn’t someone who suffers losses without fighting back. If his power isn’t in the capital, then he’ll use capital affairs to disgust the Emperor. Since the Emperor wants to find fault with him, he’ll hand the Emperor a huge handle and let him enjoy himself for a few days.

On the fifth day after Ninth Royal Uncle and Serena left the villa, a major event erupted in the imperial capital.

During morning court, officials from the Censorate suddenly submitted a memorial, claiming that Ninth Royal Uncle recently withdrew three hundred thousand taels under the guise of purchasing materials for the Imperial Mausoleum, and transferred the funds to the Su Clan Trading House.

The Censorate was deeply suspicious of the origin of this silver, suspecting that Ninth Royal Uncle had secretly drawn it from the national treasury without imperial approval, and earnestly begged the Emperor to investigate thoroughly.

The Censorate wouldn’t submit a memorial at this moment without evidence—even the Emperor knew and tacitly allowed it, perhaps even encouraged it to happen.

If you don’t use this moment to purge Ninth Royal Uncle’s men from the court, then when will you?

The Emperor appeared furious, but not at Ninth Royal Uncle—instead, he scolded the Censorate officials for fabricating charges, insisted Ninth Royal Uncle would never do such a thing, and ordered the Minister of Revenue to clarify matters and restore Nolan’s reputation.

“Your Majesty is wise. Ninth Royal Uncle has not drawn any silver from the Ministry of Revenue. The Censorate is making groundless accusations. I beg Your Majesty not to listen to the words of petty men.”

Such a reply was expected by both the Emperor and the court. Everyone knew that Minister Cao of the Ministry of Revenue was a veteran official from the late Emperor’s reign, a two‑reign elder praised for his ability, untouchable unless he made a grave error. But at the same time, he was considered one of Ninth Royal Uncle’s men—or rather, the Ministry of Revenue had always been under Nolan’s control.

In short, the Emperor felt suffocated—not only had the late Emperor’s Divine Tactics Corps fallen into Ninth Royal Uncle’s hands, but even the Ministry of Revenue was beyond the Emperor’s grasp.

The Emperor had wanted to seize the Ministry of Revenue for a long time, but Ninth Royal Uncle rarely interfered in its affairs. Yet whenever the Emperor showed any intention of moving against the ministry, Nolan would always step forward to protect it.

Minister Cao himself was clever and cautious. Over the years, the Emperor had found no major fault with him, and Cao had achieved considerable success in the Ministry of Revenue. For the moment, the Emperor couldn’t find a better candidate and had simply let things be—until now…

This time, Ninth Royal Uncle reached into the Ministry of Revenue, giving the Emperor a massive handle. The Emperor now intended not only to seize the ministry, but also to ruin Nolan’s reputation.

The three hundred thousand taels Ninth Royal Uncle gave Vincent Su absolutely came out of the Ministry of Revenue; the Emperor was sure of it. Now that Nolan was absent from the capital, he only needed evidence—once the case was proven, even if Nolan returned alive, he’d be powerless to overturn it.

Faced with the Minister of Revenue’s denial, the Emperor didn’t oppose it—he even seemed to agree, giving the impression he didn’t intend to pursue the matter. Of course, this wasn’t a change of heart; he was simply playing the magnanimous monarch.

At this moment, Prince Rowan fully grasped the Emperor’s intent. While the Emperor played the good guy, declaring Ninth Royal Uncle would never embezzle treasury silver, Rowan stepped forward, looking righteous: “Father, I believe the Censorate is not mistaken. Ninth Royal Uncle may be wealthy, but unless he sells off his property and land, he couldn’t possibly produce three hundred thousand taels. Yet, based on his character, he’d never draw silver from the Ministry of Revenue for personal use. I ask Father to order a full investigation of the ministry to clear Ninth Royal Uncle’s name.”

What a way with words…

In court, some wiped sweat, while others sneered.

He keeps saying he trusts Ninth Royal Uncle, yet calls for an audit of the Ministry of Revenue—what a ‘good nephew’ indeed.

Prince Jason echoed the sentiment, and the Censorate officials bowed repeatedly, insisting they bore no grudge against Ninth Royal Uncle, only fulfilled their duty, and fully supported the Emperor’s investigation.

Those from Ninth Royal Uncle’s former Crown Prince faction stayed silent, waiting for Minister Cao to speak—only he knew the truth. If they objected without reason, they’d only draw the Emperor’s wrath.

Unexpectedly, yet predictably, Minister Cao said nothing more and left the decision to the Emperor.

The Emperor wanted to play both sides—claiming he didn’t believe Ninth Royal Uncle would be so foolish as to misuse Ministry of Revenue silver, nor that the late Emperor’s old minister, Minister Cao, would make such a blunder. Yet he still issued a swift decree, dispatching officials from all departments to assist Prince Rowan in auditing the ministry’s accounts, ordering the Ministry of Revenue to cooperate.

Minister Cao remained calm and unflustered, kowtowing in acceptance.

After the Emperor’s announcement, Ninth Royal Uncle and the Crown Prince’s faction couldn’t sit still. The evidence presented by the Censorate did prove that Ninth Royal Uncle had withdrawn three hundred thousand taels for Vincent Su. Where did Nolan get this money?

Once outside the council hall, officials took the opportunity to cozy up to Minister Cao, hoping to learn what was really going on—and whether he needed anything from them.

They dreaded what an audit might uncover. If it truly exposed Ninth Royal Uncle’s private use of ministry silver, not only Nolan but two entire factions would be doomed. The Crown Prince’s men, especially, were anxious—they’d only just regained stability and didn’t want to fall back into leaderless chaos.

Minister Cao merely smiled and said nothing. The officials dared not press him, lest they draw the Emperor’s displeasure. They left the palace, worried, plotting where Prince Rowan and the Emperor’s Party might be vulnerable.

The Censorate had made its move—they couldn’t afford to be polite anymore.

Prince Rowan and the Emperor’s Party wore looks of delight. In their view, Ninth Royal Uncle was finished this time.

That afternoon, Adrian Dongling led a grand procession of officials from every department to the Ministry of Revenue, ready to audit its accounts. He looked so triumphant that an outsider might think Ninth Royal Uncle had already fallen and he was the new Crown Prince.

In truth, Adrian Dongling had been living quite well lately. Inside the palace, Concubine Su spoke on his behalf; outside, neither Ninth Royal Uncle nor the Crown Prince suppressed him. Favored by the Emperor, Prince Rowan now held a position almost equal to the invisible Crown Prince.

A cold smile flashed in Minister Cao’s eyes as he personally greeted them. The ministry staff served a few cups of bitter, aged tea. Adrian Dongling took a sip, frowned, and set his cup down: “Minister Cao, you’re really stingy. Is this how you welcome me—with old tea?”

Adrian thought Minister Cao was trying to intimidate him and wanted to use the moment to scare Cao in return. But Minister Cao stood up angrily: “Your Highness Prince Rowan, you don’t know the price of oil and rice until you run a household yourself. The ministry’s funds are always tight; I wish I could split every copper in two. If Your Highness can’t stand my tea, then forgive me for not serving you.”

With that, he turned and left in a huff…