Chapter 86

Chapter 86

The entire morning was spent practicing calligraphy. After lunch, the two boarded the carriage and returned to the capital.

Meng Shuping hadn’t forgotten about asking Emperor Qianyou for money. The next day, after clocking in at the Ministry of Justice, he headed to the imperial palace.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived at the palace gates, he noticed Dong Lide was also there. Meng Shuping was puzzled, "Why is this Dong fellow here? Didn’t the Emperor order him to stay home on suspension?"

*Hiss…*

"Could he be defying the imperial order? Should I take the chance to report him when I see the Emperor?"

Dong Lide’s face darkened. Why was this kid such a persistent nuisance? He had finally found an opportunity to plead his case to the Emperor, and now this kid showed up again. If he hadn’t already sent someone to announce his arrival, he would have turned around and left right then!

After sending his message, Meng Shuping positioned himself on the opposite side from Dong Lide to wait. Although he had already decided to report Dong Lide, he could see the resentment in Dong Lide’s eyes and didn’t want to provoke him at that moment.

What if Dong Lide, in a fit of anger, decided to take a stab at him? He’d be suffering for no reason!

At that moment, Emperor Qianyou was in a meeting with his ministers. When he heard that Meng Shuping requested an audience, he barely kept his composure. "What? Meng Shuping wants to see me?"

Strange, very strange. Usually, when he summoned Meng Shuping, the latter always seemed reluctant. Why was he taking the initiative to come today?

He glanced at the other ministers and saw they were equally surprised. So, he hadn’t misheard. With great interest, he said, "Have him enter."

Watching Emperor Qianyou’s oblivious expression, Jiang Cihe laughed to himself. That little miser was here to ask for money! What was his father even expecting?

The other ministers, who had been somewhat listless, immediately lit up upon hearing Meng Shuping was coming. Hahaha, were they in for another good show?

Dong Lide had just requested an audience moments ago, and now Vice Director Meng showed up right after. Tsk, tsk, it seemed Lord Dong was about to be in for it again!

Before long, Dong Lide and Meng Shuping entered one after the other. Seeing that Dong Lide was heading to the same destination, Meng Shuping was astonished. "Why is Dong Lide here too? He’s suspended—how can he still see the Emperor?"

"Oh, I get it! The Emperor’s reprimand of Dong Lide during the morning court must have been an act!"

"He was just putting on a show to make the officials think he’s impartial. Now he’s secretly summoned Dong Lide to discuss how to clear his name!"

"Ugh, this is so frustrating! I told him not to make me investigate, but he insisted. Now that I’ve uncovered the truth, he’s trying to find ways to let Dong Lide off. What’s the point of all this? If Dong Lide isn’t taken down and instead gets a chance to retaliate against me, won’t I be getting the short end of the stick?"

While bowing to Emperor Qianyou, Meng Shuping continued his internal monologue, "I’m serving him, after all. Couldn’t the Emperor at least consider my survival?"

Emperor Qianyou: "..."

Harboring a sense of injustice from Meng Shuping’s assumptions, he thought, "I haven’t even done anything yet, and he’s already misunderstanding me. If I actually did something, who knows how he’d drag my name through the mud in his head!"

With a dark expression, he said, "Rise. What brings Beloved Minister Meng here today?"

Meng Shuping avoided Emperor Qianyou’s gaze and said deferentially, "Lord Dong’s matter is more important. Let him speak first."

"I’ll see if they have the nerve to scheme right under my nose! They can’t be so guilty that they’d need to send me away before discussing how to get him cleared, right?"

Dong Lide: "..."

He had been hoping to speak after Meng Shuping left. Otherwise, wouldn’t this kid ruin his plans again?

Lord Chen and the others bit back grins. Even if the Emperor had such intentions, after Meng Shuping’s remarks, he probably would be too embarrassed to suggest it now.

Emperor Qianyou took a deep breath. What is this kid implying? "Collude"? Even if he really wanted to shield Dong Lide, he’d do it out in the open—no sneaking around required!

But since Meng Shuping didn’t voice these thoughts aloud, he couldn't outright refute him, so he directed his displeasure toward Dong Lide instead. He frowned and said, “Speak. What do you want?”

Seeing that he couldn’t get Meng Shuping to leave for the moment, Dong Lide’s eyes instantly welled up. He fell to his knees with a thud and cried, “Cousin! I know I was wrong! I shouldn’t have let a few flattering words go to my head and forgotten who I was!”

Meng Shuping was astonished. *Wow! What great acting! Crying on command! Should we award him a Best Performance Prize or something?*

*But the Emperor has so many concubines—they must put on crying performances for him regularly. I wonder if he’s even moved by this kind of act anymore. After all, seeing it so often must have gotten used to it, right?*

*Who knows if the ladies in the harem cry prettily or not, but Lord Dong’s crying is just plain ugly. It’s such an eyesore—the Emperor probably doesn't find this pitiful, would he?*

Dong Lide’s crying hesitated almost unnoticeably before quickly resuming. He wanted to retort: he wasn’t one of the Emperor’s consorts, so why would he need to cry prettily?

He was crying to show remorse—did Meng Shuping really think he was just trying to win the Emperor’s sympathy?

Emperor Qianyou: “…”

He could barely stand to hear the phrase “pitiable” associated with this scene. But if he were to let Dong Lide off the hook now, wouldn’t Meng Shuping assume he’d been moved by Dong Lide’s tears?

Jiang Cihe gave an impatient look at Dong Lide. “Lord Dong, if you have something to say, say it. What's crying going to accomplish? If everyone followed your example and thought they could avoid consequences by shedding a few tears, wouldn’t all the court officials start imitating you?”

Meng Shuping inwardly agreed. *Exactly! And how dare he play the emotional card? When he was sucking his cousin dry, did he remember their relation? Now that his schemes have been exposed, he suddenly recalls this connection? What’s the point of keeping such a relative?*

Dong Lide was furious. Meng Shuping was one thing, but why did Jiang Cihe have to meddle too?

Suppressing his anger, he wept bitterly, “Cousin, I know I’ve erred this time, and punishment is unavoidable if we are to set an example. So I am willing to pay a fine of five hundred thousand taels, hoping only to atone for my mistakes!”

Minister of Revenue Chen’s eyes lit up. *Wow, if this five hundred thousand taels could go into the state treasury, we could accomplish so much!*

But just as he was about to urge the Emperor to accept the offer, he heard Meng Shuping exclaim in awe, “Wow! Five hundred thousand taels! That’s so much money! I could work my whole life and never earn that much!”

Dong Lide felt a surge of pride. *Did he think uncovering my crimes would be the end of me? As long as I offer money when the court needs it, surely the Emperor won’t have the heart to punish me severely.*

But his pride lasted only a moment before Meng Shuping’s annoying voice chimed in again. *If he can produce five hundred thousand taels so easily, wouldn’t confiscating his entire estate yield even more?*

*Heh, I doubt five hundred thousand taels would empty his coffers. For him, this might be small change!*

*No wonder he said my annual salary couldn’t even buy one of his outfits. Rich, he’s really rich! And with all that wealth, he offers the Emperor a pittance? Is he treating the Emperor like a beggar? Besides, where did this money come from? He stole it from the Emperor in the first place! Using the Emperor’s money to absolve himself—what a smooth operator!*

*If you ask me, a cash cow like him deserves to have his estate confiscated! Confiscate it! Confiscate it!*

Minister of Revenue Chen immediately closed his mouth, feeling his perspective had been too narrow. How could he have been satisfied with a mere five hundred thousand taels? He wasn’t even as shrewd as Meng Shuping!

He glanced regretfully at Meng Shuping. *Ah, if only I’d insisted on recruiting him for the Ministry of Revenue back then! He’s truly a talent when it comes to revenue generation!*

Emperor Qianyou felt Meng Shuping’s persuasive power was overwhelming—now all he could think about was confiscating Dong Lide’s estate. Even though he knew Meng Shuping was just talking nonsense, why did it somehow make sense?

After all, Dong Lide had acquired his wealth through exploiting the court—it ought to be returned to the public coffers. For Dong Lide to now offer it as a means to absolve himself seemed far too convenient.

Dong Lide gritted his teeth in hatred. He’d never met anyone so malicious—how could five hundred thousand taels be considered too little? It wasn’t even for Meng Shuping, so why was he so greedy?

But seeing the displeasure on Emperor Qianyou’s face, Dong Lide sensed danger. He hurriedly added, “Your Majesty! This sum represents nearly all of my family’s assets. After offering it, I will barely have enough to sustain myself!”

Meng Shuping immediately grew eager. Keeping his head lowered and avoiding eye contact, he said timidly, “Your Majesty, I... I would like to volunteer to investigate Lord Dong’s household finances. If he still has substantial wealth hidden, it would count as lying to the Emperor!”

*Tsk, no wonder they were so bold before—it turns out money really can buy you anything! Even the worst crimes can be resolved with silver!*

*Wouldn’t that mean court officials could embezzle freely and then use their ill-gotten gains to absolve themselves?*

Minister of Revenue Chen’s eyes shone even brighter. “Your Majesty! Vice Director Meng lacks experience. Perhaps I could accompany him! Together, we could track down every last coin in Lord Dong’s estate—nothing would escape our notice!”

Dong Lide shot a furious glare at the two of them. "Get lost!"

Emperor Qianyou mulled it over. "Dong Lide."

Dong Lide quickly answered nervously, "Yes."

Emperor Qianyou said, "Since you seem truly sorry, you are fined one million taels of silver. Once this matter is concluded, you will go govern Ningzhou."

Dong Lide’s face turned pale. Ningzhou? That place was not only remote and full of different tribes but also teeming with snakes and insects—not fit for human habitation.

But since Emperor Qianyou had already spoken, he had no choice but to bite back his anger and reply, "Yes."

After dealing with Dong Lide, Emperor Qianyou asked Meng Shuping, "Now, can you tell me? Why did you come see me today?"

Meng Shuping said cautiously, "When Your Majesty instructed me to investigate Lord Dong, I incurred some necessary expenses. Don't you think you should cover my expenses?"

Emperor Qianyou was trying not to laugh. "You came all the way here for such a trivial matter?"

Meng Shuping muttered, "How is it trivial? It’s sixteen taels of silver! My recent salary wasn’t even enough to cover it—I had to dip into my own pocket!"

"He wouldn’t actually expect me to pay for it myself, would he? No way! Seriously? With a million taels of silver coming in, he can’t even spare a few taels? He’s always been cheap, but why is he still so tightfisted this time?"

Emperor Qianyou: "…"

He wanted to ask Meng Shuping: Was it bravery or cowardice that made him muster the courage to ask for such a small amount of money?

He snapped, "Dong Lide!"

Dong Lide was taken by surprise by Emperor Qianyou’s sudden call. After a moment of confusion, he quickly responded, "Yes!"

Emperor Qianyou said, "Give him sixteen taels of silver!"

Dong Lide was baffled. "Huh? I have to pay?"

Emperor Qianyou patiently explained, "These expenses were incurred while investigating your case. Shouldn’t you be the one covering them?"

"Pfft!" The Minister of Revenue and others burst out laughing. The Emperor is wise!

Dong Lide was so angry his hair nearly stood on end. At that moment, he really wanted to ask Emperor Qianyou, just like Meng Shuping would: Are you even human? Are you? Are you?

Making Meng Shuping investigate his crimes and then demanding he reimburse the expenses—wasn’t that just too much?

But he didn’t dare talk back to Emperor Qianyou, so once again, he said bitterly, "Yes."