Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 809: Ministry of Revenue Extra: Part 1

Chief Historian Feng stood outside the main gate of the Chen Mansion, carefully examining the shining plaque: "This handwriting looks quite familiar, could it be written by the Emperor himself?"

"Precisely," Chancellor Chen said with a smile, "You will stay here for a while. The Emperor has already chosen your residence, just two streets away from the Chen Mansion."

Chief Historian Feng was somewhat surprised and turned to Chancellor Chen: "Could it be Minister Zhang’s residence!"

Chancellor Chen nodded: "It indeed used to belong to the Zhang Family."

Minister Zhang was dismissed, exiled, and his property was confiscated; he even died on the way. Naturally, the mansion was reclaimed by the court. From the day the imperial edict was issued, summoning Chief Historian Feng to the Capital City, the Emperor had already selected the house for him. Feng traveled for over half a month, and the house had been under renovation. Given the current pace of work, it would take another two months to be ready.

Thus, Chancellor Chen welcomed his old friend to stay temporarily at the Chen Mansion.

Chief Historian Feng lamented, "The Emperor cherishes old friendships and treats us with great kindness."

Chancellor Chen also sighed deeply, "Indeed! Having such an illustrious ruler is our fortune. We can only strive with all our efforts and devote ourselves entirely to repay the Emperor’s grace."

Court reforms have never been easy. Implementing new policies is like treading on the edge of a cliff. Regardless of success or failure, they bear heavy responsibilities and could at any moment fall off the cliff, resulting in their destruction.

Even so, they are unwavering in their resolve to follow the Emperor until their last breath.

"This is not the place to talk; let’s go inside."

Having been apart for five years, Chief Historian Feng and Chancellor Chen showed no signs of unfamiliarity as they reached out to bring Chen into the study.

Relying on frequent correspondence, they were well aware of each other’s situations. However, no amount of letters could compare to the satisfaction of a face-to-face conversation.

"Now that you’re in the Capital City, matters at the Prince Mansion will have to be upheld by Shen Mu and Wen An," Chancellor Chen said with a low laugh, "Perhaps in another two or three years, Minister Zhou of the Ministry of Industry will retire. By then, the Emperor will summon Shen Mu to the Capital City to take charge of the Ministry of Industry."

Chief Historian Feng, being straightforward in nature, was even more direct in private conversations: "We are all trusted confidants of the Emperor. Naturally, if the Emperor trusts us, he will employ us heavily. As for Minister Dong, Minister Yang, and Minister Ding, they all pledged allegiance to the Emperor halfway. Now they may appear loyal, but who knows what they truly think in their hearts."

Chancellor Chen couldn’t help but smile wryly: "You can’t say such things lightly. All the officials in the court now are faithful to the Emperor. We are not the Nanyang Faction."

Chief Historian Feng raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I’m just speaking to you privately. The Emperor detests any collusion or factionalism among courtiers. Naturally, there is no Nanyang Faction. Even if there were, the leader would be the Emperor."

Chancellor Chen chuckled, personally pouring tea for his old friend, and began detailing the current state of the court.

They talked through the night, losing track of time, until finally being urged by their attendants to rest.

The next morning, Chancellor Chen rose early to enter the palace, only to be informed by an attendant that Chief Historian Feng had left already to assume his position at the Ministry of Revenue.

That Chief Historian Feng!

Chancellor Chen couldn’t help but smile wryly, "Let him be if he wants to go."

From today on, officials of the Ministry of Revenue, you may well wish yourselves luck!

...

It was quite a coincidence.

The previous night, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue held a farewell banquet for Minister Ji, drinking until midnight. With the strict rules about being punctual at the Ministry, they dared not be late. So everyone barely managed to arrive on time.

Unexpectedly, they found the door to the Minister of Revenue’s signature room wide open, with the new Minister already there. Tang Yuanwailang was being scolded within by the new Minister: "... Who prepared these accounts? Why are they in such disarray?"

"Where are this year’s agricultural tax records? Bring them all to me, the Minister!"

Tang Yuanwailang, known for his shrewdness and capability, dared not raise his head under the verbal onslaught, repeatedly acknowledging his mistakes.

The officials of the Ministry of Revenue felt their scalps tighten at the dragon-like roars of anger.

They had heard of Minister Feng’s great achievements at the Nanyang Prince Mansion and were somewhat aware of Chief Historian Feng’s fierce temper. Little did they expect to encounter this intimidating display right off the bat.

Before they could recover, a figure appeared at the door. Despite his average appearance and stature, Minister Feng’s eyes were piercing, his presence towering: "What are all of you standing around for? Go attend to your respective duties! When the Minister needs inquiries, you will be summoned."

The officials quickly acquiesced, bowing and saluting as they hurriedly left.

Just then, an officer who was late happened to arrive.

Minister Feng glanced over and snorted coldly.

The late officer’s heart trembled as he hastened forward to apologize: "Please, Minister, forgive my tardiness. I had some personal matters last night and went to bed late, which is why I’m a bit late today. Please, Minister, be understanding."

Who would have thought, that after arriving in the Capital City just yesterday, Chief Historian Feng would come to the Ministry of Revenue early this morning, not giving them a moment to catch their breath!

Minister Feng coldly said, "The court grants you substantial salaries, and you should diligently perform your duties. If you have personal matters at home, you should arrange them accordingly. If you sleep late, does that mean you should come late? By this logic, if you don’t sleep all night, would you not come at all today?" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The late officer, chastised, was too ashamed to lift his head.

Minister Feng further asked, "Report your name and position."

Then he instructed his attendant, "Take down his name. His assessment for this month will be rated the lowest. Post it on the government office’s notice board for three days, to ensure everyone sees it."

The late officer: "..."

This is like the arrival of a living King Yan!

In the past, they had plenty of complaints about Minister Ji in private. Now, looking back, Minister Ji’s temper was truly too mild!

Minister Feng wasn’t concerned with what this unfortunate soul thought. He turned back to the signature room to review the Ministry’s latest agricultural tax records.

Tang Youyin stood by, addressing Minister Feng’s queries. With exceptional mental arithmetic skills, Minister Feng could discern issues with a mere glance, without even touching an abacus.

Tang Youyin was so questioned that sweat began to bead on his forehead.

The more Minister Feng read, the angrier he became, slamming the ledger and reprimanding Tang Youyin: "You have been in the Ministry of Revenue for several years, is this how you handle your duties? Are you unaware of the problems in these accounts?"

Tang Youyin didn’t defend himself, quietly admitting his fault, "It’s all my incompetence."

After venting his anger, Minister Feng quickly calmed down: "It’s not entirely your fault. You’re just a fifth-rank official, with limited authority. In such a large government office, there are plenty of officials with higher ranks than yours. It’s commendable for you to act as the Emperor’s eyes and ears and intimidate them to some extent."

Tang Youyin was nearly moved to tears by the words.

Wasn’t that exactly the case?

How had he endured these past few days?

Thankfully, Chief Historian Feng finally arrived to assume the position of Da Liang’s Minister of Revenue. Officials of the Ministry of Revenue, your days of prosperity have arrived.