Imperial Fury and the Fall of the Ministry of Revenue

Ninth Royal Uncle has not only arrived safely in Eastmont, but has also quickly established his position. However, there has been no progress at all regarding the Ministry of Revenue.

Minister Cao of the Ministry of Revenue has stubbornly refused to appear, and the court is in chaos. Every minister is anxious, and the situation is growing more intense. As the auditors dig deeper, even local officials have not escaped scrutiny, and the Emperor's expression has grown increasingly grim.

If this continues, no one will be able to handle government affairs—they’ll be too busy worrying about the Ministry of Revenue’s audit.

The Emperor knows this matter must have a resolution; otherwise, the court will never be at peace. He won’t be able to deal with the mysterious organization hiding in the Capital, let alone manage Ninth Royal Uncle out in Eastmont.

An emperor’s word is law. Since it was the Emperor himself who ordered a full investigation of the Ministry of Revenue, now that things have escalated to this point, he cannot simply call it off.

With so much evidence laid out, if the Emperor doesn’t pursue it now, the ministers will worry he might dig deeper in the future. Someone must be found to take the blame for the Ministry of Revenue’s problems and bring this matter to a close.

Minister Cao has always been the Emperor’s preferred scapegoat, but unfortunately, Minister Cao is cunning and has kept claiming illness to avoid appearing. The Emperor, out of respect for his status as a senior official of two reigns, has been patient with him. But now that Ninth Royal Uncle has arrived safely in Eastmont and the Emperor has evidence in hand, his patience has run out—he’s no longer willing to spare Minister Cao’s reputation.

At the next morning court session, the Emperor openly rebuked the Ministry of Revenue, blaming it for the empty treasury and for corruption across all six ministries, and demanded the Ministry reconcile its accounts by a set deadline.

Thanks to Prince Rowan’s investigation over the past few days, it was confirmed that the Ministry of Revenue is indeed missing three million taels of silver. But this money wasn’t taken by Ninth Royal Uncle—it was transferred to the Southriver region for flood control.

Of course, this wasn’t embezzlement or theft—it was a procedural violation. The Ministry of Revenue transferred the silver before the Emperor had formally approved it, resulting in a mismatch between the accounts and reality.

Prince Rowan exposed this major error by the Ministry of Revenue, giving the Emperor grounds to accuse the Ministry of disorderly conduct and demand a confession. With the Minister of Revenue absent, the unlucky Vice Minister had to step forward, only to be viciously berated by the Emperor. He tried several times to explain, but the Emperor never gave him a chance.

After venting his anger, the Emperor announced the end of the court session. The ministers exchanged uncertain glances.

"Minister Cao may have broken the rules, but he did it for the sake of the people," one civil official whispered, feeling sorry for Minister Cao. As a senior statesman who had served two reigns, Minister Cao always fulfilled his duties and managed the Eastlyn treasury impeccably, but he never won the Emperor’s favor.

“The Ministry of Revenue does this all the time. It’s never been a problem before. Every year, three million taels go to the Jiangnan region for flood control, and every year the Emperor approves it. But if we wait for the Emperor’s written approval and go through all the procedures, by the time the funds arrive, the floods have already struck Jiangnan. So, the Ministry always transfers the silver early to prevent delays in farming, then retroactively completes the paperwork once the Emperor’s red-ink approval comes down. That’s how it’s always been—no mistakes at all. Minister Cao is just unlucky that this year the Emperor happened to order an audit at the worst possible moment.”

“This time, Minister Cao is doomed.” A few officials gathered in small groups, all expressing regret. But beneath their sympathy lay a hint of relief—if the Emperor makes Minister Cao the scapegoat, their own problems might escape notice.

The Emperor has already decided it’s the Ministry of Revenue’s fault. He won’t punish two parties for one matter; as long as everything is blamed on the Ministry, that will be enough.

As officials, they have to learn to read the Emperor’s intentions. This time, the Emperor made his plans so obvious that no one could miss them. Several officials who were personally close to Minister Cao went to see him after court, trying to persuade him to resign.

The Emperor made it clear he wanted Minister Cao to resign, leaving the post of Minister of Revenue vacant.

Unfortunately, all those officials were turned away—Minister Cao refused to see them. When the Emperor heard about this, he snorted coldly, murderous intent in his eyes.

At the next morning court session, the Emperor’s words were filled with dissatisfaction toward the Ministry of Revenue. The ministers understood that his patience with Minister Cao had reached its limit—if Minister Cao didn’t come forward soon, he’d have only himself to blame when the Emperor struck hard.

The officials could only sigh and shake their heads, feeling sorry for Minister Cao. He had committed no major mistakes in the Ministry of Revenue—his greatest fault was caring too much for the people. Yet the Emperor simply could not tolerate him, and Minister Cao was too stubborn to come out and admit guilt.

After court, the Emperor summoned William Wang Jinling, the Wang clan’s Grand Heir, to the palace. No one knew what passed between them, but after leaving the palace, William went straight to the Cao residence.

Minister Cao refused to see any officials, but he did not turn away William Wang Jinling.

“Grand Heir, you are a rare guest indeed.” Minister Cao was not gravely ill, but he looked exhausted, as if just recovering from a serious illness.

Clearly, Minister Cao had not had an easy time lately.

“Minister Cao, your words put me to shame. You are a pillar of the court—I hardly dare trouble you.” William Wang Jinling ignored the deeper meaning in Minister Cao’s words, smiling warmly and meeting his gaze with gentle sincerity.

Minister Cao chuckled, the wrinkles at his eyes deepening. “Grand Heir, you’re right. Given your status, it’s not appropriate to mingle too closely with court officials. Surely you wouldn’t come to the Three Treasures Hall for no reason. If you’ve come about that matter, I’d advise you not to waste your breath.”

“His Majesty entrusted me with this task, Minister Cao. I hope you’ll reconsider.” William Wang Jinling was unfazed by the sarcasm in Minister Cao’s words, and frankly stated his purpose.

“You want me to resign?” Minister Cao’s smile froze, his voice heavy with pain. “Please inform His Majesty: I will not resign.”

William Wang Jinling shook his head. “Minister, why put yourself through this? At this point, how much longer can you hold out?”

The Emperor has made it clear he wants nothing to do with the Ministry of Revenue. He expects Minister Cao to take all the blame, and has hinted that if Minister Cao steps forward, the matter will be dropped.

At this point, whether they support the Emperor, Prince Rowan, the Crown Prince, or Ninth Royal Uncle, everyone is thinking of sacrificing the Ministry of Revenue to save themselves. If Minister Cao doesn’t come forward soon, he’ll become everyone’s target.

“I appreciate your concern, Grand Heir, but my mind is made up,” Minister Cao said, shaking his head. His face was mournful and listless, as if resigned to his fate.

Seeing this, William Wang Jinling grew uneasy and tried again to persuade him: “Minister, His Majesty is determined to bring the Ministry of Revenue under his control. If you insist on standing in his way and incur his displeasure, you’ll have to step down whether you want to or not. By then, even your family might be implicated.”

If Minister Cao steps down now, the Emperor won’t take his life, and the officials of the Six Ministries will speak up for him—after all, he’s being sacrificed to save everyone else. But if he keeps resisting, not only will the Emperor turn against him, even the Six Ministries will abandon him.

If it comes to that, Minister Cao will truly be ruined...