Chapter 178

Chapter 178

Shi Yue stiffened, then angrily pulled back the carriage curtain. "Meng Shuping, you must be delighted to have me banished from the capital, aren't you? Are you here just to gloat?"

He had expected Meng Shuping to offer a hypocritical denial, like other court officials, but to his surprise, Meng Shuping admitted bluntly, "Yes!"

[Why shouldn't I be happy when the person who's always opposed me gets kicked out of the capital? Am I supposed to cry? Besides, it wasn't me who drove him out. It's his own fault for his lack of character and competence. How dare he blame me for his own misdeeds?]

[But if you think I came specifically to mock him, you're mistaken. Who has that kind of free time? I was simply passing by. Does he really think he's that important?]

Shi Yue's face flushed with anger, but as Meng Shuping had surmised, he was now exiled from the capital while Meng Shuping enjoyed the emperor's favor. If Meng Shuping chose to obstruct him, there was little he could do. For now, he was in no position to offend Meng Shuping.

So he took a deep breath, suppressing his fury, and then looked at Meng Shuping. "Meng Shuping, I admit I often caused you trouble in the past. But now you've succeeded in driving me out of the capital, so let's consider our slate wiped clean. From now on, we'll mind our own business."

Meng Shuping gave him an unamused look. "I don't think that's quite right."

[He's caused me trouble so many times, but have I ever actively sought to trouble him? Now he wants to call it even? Doesn't he feel any guilt?]

[Besides, he's been demoted to the provinces. Even if he wanted to cause me trouble, he couldn't. He thinks a single sentence will make me leave him alone? He's too calculating!]

Shi Yue's expression darkened. "What do you want then?"

Even though he had been demoted, he still had relatives, old acquaintances, and former classmates. He wasn't entirely without influence. If he truly wanted to make trouble for Meng Shuping, it wasn't impossible. Did Meng Shuping think everyone was as isolated as he was?

Meng Shuping stated matter-of-factly, "Then owe me a few favors, and I won't bother you."

[Though his favors might not be worth much, I'm not doing a losing business here. Even this feels like he's getting the better end of the deal!]

Shi Yue was so angry his mustache bristled. "Don't push your luck!"

Meng Shuping shrugged indifferently. "Suit yourself."

[After all, it only takes a few words for me to speak ill of him to the emperor. It's no trouble for me, but he'll be the one in a bind, won't he?]

Shi Yue suppressed his anger, finally gritting his teeth. "Fine! It's a deal!"

The thought of the immense effort required to trouble Meng Shuping, compared to how easily Meng Shuping could cause him problems, filled Shi Yue with resentment. But given the circumstances, he had no choice.

Meng Shuping was genuinely surprised. [I just said that, and he actually agreed? Is he really that afraid of my retaliation?]

He quickly sealed the deal. "Then it's settled. Whoever goes back on their word is a dog!"

[Hehe, who would have thought a simple detour would yield such an unexpected gain? I'll make good use of these favors!]

Shi Yue was caught between relief and anger. After a long pause, he finally sighed. "In that case, I shall take my leave first!"

He urged the coachman, "Why are you so slow?"

The coachman replied awkwardly, "My lord, we have many carts and a lot of luggage. We can't go any faster!"

Watching Shi Yue's embarrassed expression, Meng Shuping maintained a calm facade but was inwardly delighted. He gloated, "Lord Shi, I'll be on my way now. Farewell."

[Hahaha, your attempt to show off failed, didn't it?]

Shi Yue's face was stiff. "Don't bother."

Once out of Shi Yue's sight, Meng Shuping rode his carriage to the Ministry of Revenue. Upon hearing of his arrival, the Minister of Revenue, in high spirits, rushed over. Smiling, he said, "Xiao Meng, you're here? Come, come, I'll show you the way."

Meng Shuping felt a chill at the minister's enthusiasm. [Why does his smile seem so unsettling? Is there some big trap waiting for me ahead?]

The Minister of Revenue calmly stroked his beard. What trap could he possibly set for Meng Shuping? He merely intended to make better use of Meng Shuping's talents.

His own duties were already demanding, and he couldn't personally oversee every aspect of the Ministry of Revenue. Moreover, he was genuinely curious about the impact Meng Shuping would bring to their department.

Soon, the two arrived at Meng Shuping's new office. The Minister of Revenue introduced, "You will handle official business here from now on. Everyone in this courtyard will report to you."

Meng Shuping was instantly alarmed. [What? So many people, all under my management? No, no, I can't handle that!]

There were more people here than when he was at the Ministry of Justice, where he had been a deputy with far less pressure.

The Minister of Revenue smiled, deliberately teasing, "Don't worry, everyone is actually very friendly. They certainly won't openly embarrass you."

As for what they thought privately, that was beyond his control.

Meng Shuping felt even more suffocated. [I'd rather they ignore me. Opposition is better than fake politeness. Honestly, who wants to socialize with unfamiliar colleagues?]

Before he could mentally prepare himself, the two entered the room. Inside, many people were busily clicking abacuses and reviewing ledgers. A junior official, seeing the Minister of Revenue and Meng Shuping approach, quickly bowed. "Greetings, Lord Chen."

Although he guessed Meng Shuping's identity, he wasn't certain, so he didn't dare to call out his specific title, simply addressing him as "my lord."

Hearing the Minister of Revenue's arrival, everyone else in the room stood up in unison. Then, they bowed in unison, "Greetings, Lord Chen."

Under everyone's gaze, Meng Shuping was so flustered he didn't know what to do with his hands. He thought inappropriately, [Being interrupted now, they'll have to start their calculations from scratch, won't they? Just thinking about it gives me a headache!]

The Minister of Revenue almost couldn't suppress his laughter. He struggled to maintain his composure, nodding and saying, "Rise, everyone. Let me introduce Director Meng, our new Director of the Ministry of Revenue. From now on, you will follow his instructions."

Everyone promptly responded, "Yes."

The Minister of Revenue then gestured to Meng Shuping. "Xiao Meng, would you like to say a few words?"

Meng Shuping had no choice but to brace himself. "Hello, everyone. I am Meng Shuping."

A moment later, seeing that Meng Shuping had nothing more to add, everyone exchanged puzzled glances. Wasn't this Lord Meng a favored official of the current dynasty and a confidant of Prince Zhao? Why did he seem so unassuming?

Noticing the lack of response after he spoke, Meng Shuping felt a little bewildered. [Why isn't anyone saying anything? Is it because I'm an outsider that they're isolating me?]

But just as he thought this, he saw everyone bow to him simultaneously. "Greetings, Lord Meng."

Meng Shuping quickly imitated the Minister of Revenue's nod. "Please carry on."

Everyone was stunned again. Didn't he want them to introduce themselves? This Lord Meng was truly different from others.

However, since Meng Shuping had said so, they sat back down and resumed their work.

Meng Shuping breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, no one was staring at him anymore.

After introducing Meng Shuping's identity, the Minister of Revenue looked at Meng Shuping again. "Xiao Meng, since you're new here, if you have any problems, you can always come to me. I'll certainly help you solve whatever I can."

Of course, he didn't actually mean for Meng Shuping to come to him for every little thing. He was signaling to others that Meng Shuping was not without backing in the Ministry of Revenue, and he would certainly support him.

After all, Meng Shuping was young and not entirely familiar with the Ministry of Revenue's affairs. Although he had the protection of Emperor Qianyou, Jiang Cihe, and the Earl of Anyang, these seasoned officials might still try to play tricks, and others might not be able to intervene.

However, no sooner had he spoken than he heard Meng Shuping say, "There actually is something."

The Minister of Revenue was taken aback. There really was something? He asked in surprise, "What is it?"

Meng Shuping explained, "Since I've just arrived, I'm not familiar with the accounts handled by the previous Director of the Ministry of Revenue. So, I need to clarify the accounts he handled before I can take over. What if there's a deficit that gets attributed to me if I don't clarify them?"

The Minister of Revenue exclaimed in surprise, "You want to audit the accounts?"

Meng Shuping retorted, "Why, is that not allowed?"

[I don't want to be saddled with a huge responsibility without knowing the full picture. How can I take over without clarifying the accounts?]

The Minister of Revenue chuckled, "Of course, it's allowed. But you'll be quite busy for a while, as you can't neglect your regular duties, can you?"

Who would have thought? Meng Shuping, who usually avoided extra work, was now voluntarily taking on more. What reason did he have to object?

However, auditing accounts wasn't something that could be completed in a day or two. If Meng Shuping was serious about it, he would be swamped. Of course, the Minister was more than happy to see it happen—if Meng Shuping actually uncovered any issues, it would be a good opportunity to reorganize the Ministry of Revenue.

Meng Shuping instantly felt utterly hopeless. [Perhaps I should just make a mistake and let the Emperor dismiss me from my post? I was busy enough at the Ministry of Justice, and now at the Ministry of Revenue, the workload hasn't decreased at all, has it?]

But since he had already spoken, he couldn't take it back. So he gritted his teeth and said, "...It's fine!"

"Alright then, go ahead and investigate," the Minister of Revenue nodded. "Ask them for whatever you need. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

After seeing the Minister of Revenue off, Meng Shuping called for an official surnamed Deng and asked him to retrieve the previous account records.

Vice Director Deng looked somewhat hesitant. "Lord Meng, are you sure you want to look at these? Perhaps it would be better to start with the simplest accounts first?"

Meng Shuping looked up at him. [What does he mean by that? Is he looking down on me, thinking I can't understand the accounts? Seriously, whether I can understand them or not, what does it have to do with him? I'm giving him an order, not discussing it with him. What's he objecting for anyway?]