Chapter 179

Chapter 179

He spoke again, "Just bring them over first."

Vice Director Deng was taken aback. He glanced at Meng Shuping again—hadn't he just seen that Meng Shuping didn't speak? Could his ears be playing tricks on him?

Collecting himself, he feigned concern and advised, "My lord, you're new to the Board of Revenue and unfamiliar with these matters. Moreover, you've never dealt with accounting before, have you? Such complex ledgers might be difficult for you to grasp all at once. In my humble opinion, you should take it slow."

Meng Shuping eyed Vice Director Deng suspiciously from head to toe. "He's so reluctant—could it be that he handled these accounts himself and there's something wrong with them? Is he afraid I'll find out?"

He replied matter-of-factly, "It's fine. Even if I don't understand, aren't you here? You can explain it to me."

"Originally, I hadn't planned to put him to work, but since he's annoyed me, I might as well put my authority as his superior to good use."

Vice Director Deng's face instantly darkened. He knew it—if Meng Shuping wanted to review the accounts, he would inevitably order him around. And if Meng Shuping started picking out problems here and there, it would only add to his headaches.

Though his tone remained respectful, his words carried a clear refusal. "My lord, I would like to assist you, but I have other urgent matters at hand. If they are delayed, neither of us can bear the responsibility!"

Now he realized that the voice he'd heard must have been Meng Shuping's inner thoughts. But so what if he was suspicious? Even if there were issues with the accounts, they wouldn't be easily uncovered. After all, the Board of Revenue was full of experts in this field—how could discrepancies in the ledgers be so obvious?

Meng Shuping was growing genuinely impatient. He slumped back in his chair resignedly. "Forget it, I give up. I finally decided to be diligent, and someone has to make things difficult for me at every turn. Why should I bother making life hard for myself? I might as well relax here and do nothing. If the Emperor or the Minister of the Board of Revenue asks, I'll just say they're withholding information from me and trying to sideline me. Hahaha, then the Emperor can't blame me, right?"

"But wouldn't it be wrong to throw them under the bus like this?"

Meng Shuping's conscience bothered him for just a moment before he brushed the thought aside entirely. "Whatever. As subordinates, isn't it their job to take the fall for their superiors? Anyway, the Emperor will only reprimand them and form a poorer opinion of them—it shouldn't be too serious, right? If anyone's to blame, it's them for crossing paths with me. There's no way I'm admitting that I just don't want to work!"

Vice Director Deng stared at Meng Shuping in disbelief. Earlier, he had thought Meng Shuping was fair and selfless, but it turned out he was this kind of person—shirking work and making his subordinates take the blame. How could Meng Shuping have the nerve?

And how could having the Emperor think poorly of them not be serious? Worried that Meng Shuping might actually pin the blame on him, he suppressed his anger and said through gritted teeth, "Of course, if Lord Meng still wishes to see them, this official will have them brought over immediately."

Without waiting for Meng Shuping's response, he excused himself to arrange for the ledgers to be fetched.

Meng Shuping sat up straight, incredulous. "What's wrong with him? Just now, he refused to bring the ledgers, and the moment I give up, he goes to get them. Is he deliberately trying to provoke me?"

A short while later, Vice Director Deng returned to Meng Shuping's office, followed by several clerks carrying stacks of account books. After they placed the ledgers on the table in front of Meng Shuping, Vice Director Deng said respectfully, "My lord, the accounts have been brought over."

The pile of ledgers was so large that it blocked Meng Shuping from view. He had to step out from behind the desk in astonishment. "This many?"

Vice Director Deng replied with barely concealed glee, "My lord, these are only from the first half of this year. Once you finish these, this official will have the previous years' accounts brought over as well."

You wanted to audit the accounts, didn't you? Now that they're here, take your time reviewing them.

Meng Shuping was stunned. "These are just from the first half of this year? How many more from previous years? How long will it take me to get through all this? No, no—this is too much work. Will I even have time for anything else?"

An idea struck him, and he eyed Vice Director Deng up and down. "Maybe I should just make him take the blame after all? Then I won't have to do anything! Let me think—later, I'll carefully pick out some issues to question him about. If he shows even a hint of impatience or can't answer, I'll say he's deliberately obstructing me. That way, I can rightfully shift the blame onto him, right?"

Vice Director Deng looked at Meng Shuping with barely concealed anger. What was wrong with this man? When others were newly promoted to a department, didn't they all want to make a name for themselves?

He had thought Meng Shuping was the same, which was why he'd asked for the ledgers so soon after arriving. But now he didn't want to work? And not only that, he kept wanting to pin the blame on him? Should he play along or not?

Realizing he was actually considering cooperating with Meng Shuping, Vice Director Deng shuddered. He quickly said, "Lord Meng, since the ledgers are here, this official will attend to his other duties."

Meng Shuping hurriedly stopped him. "Wait, didn't I say I had questions about the accounts? You should work nearby so it's convenient for me to ask you."

Vice Director Deng was very reluctant. "Lord Meng, that won't be necessary."

Meng Shuping nodded. "Alright."

"See? He doesn't want to cooperate. Then I won't work either. In a little while, I'll go see the Minister of the Board of Revenue and complain that they're disrespecting me and being perfunctory. I'll resign as Director of the Board of Revenue!"

Vice Director Deng: "!!!"

How could he exaggerate like that? He had been perfunctory, but if Meng Shuping said it like that, wouldn't it make him seem like he was disrespecting Lord Chen?

So he quickly changed his tune. "This official has reconsidered. Since you're new here, you must indeed have many questions. In that case, it's only right for this official to stay close by, making it easier for you to ask."

Meng Shuping was speechless. "What's wrong with this guy? Why did he change his mind again? I just came up with a reason to strike, and he won't give me the chance?"

Vice Director Deng: "..."

Could he afford to give him the chance? He couldn't possibly take the blame, could he? If Meng Shuping were a seasoned official, he wouldn't be afraid of being reported. But Meng Shuping was young and impulsive—he didn't dare gamble on it because the other man might actually go through with it.

Meng Shuping sighed. "Fine."

"I refuse to believe he'll keep this up forever. Sooner or later, I'll catch him being perfunctory with me."

He casually opened one of the ledgers and asked Vice Director Deng, "What kind of taxes are we mainly collecting now?"

This question was easy to answer. Vice Director Deng replied promptly, "Lord Meng, our Revenue Bureau is primarily responsible for agricultural taxes."

Meng Shuping asked him a few more questions. To Vice Director Deng's great frustration, whenever he showed even the slightest hint of evasion, Meng Shuping would think about pinning the blame on him. In the end, he had no choice but to honestly share what he knew.

Having temporarily run out of questions, Meng Shuping focused on reviewing the ledgers. However, after a while, he found it headache-inducing. These accounts were tedious to read—unlike in modern times, where everything was clear at a glance on a computer.

But since he hadn't found a reason to strike, he had no choice but to patiently continue. As he read, however, he noticed something puzzling and asked Vice Director Deng, "Why are there overdue tax payments?"

Vice Director Deng didn't dare be perfunctory anymore. He explained, "It's like this, Lord Meng. In some regions, the harvest wasn't good, and grain wasn't collected, so payments were delayed. They'll make it up next year."

Meng Shuping still felt something was off. "Then why are the delays mostly in Jiangnan, with very few in the north?"

Logically, southern regions should have better harvests. Why were there more delays in the south?

Vice Director Deng laughed awkwardly. "Perhaps there was more rain this year, and the south experienced more floods."

Meng Shuping scrutinized him. "Is he trying to be perfunctory with me again? See what I mean? There must be something wrong with these accounts! Maybe he's involved in embezzlement, colluding with local officials to deceive higher-ups. No, I must have Prince Zhao investigate whether he has unexplained assets. Exposing the corrupt officials in the Board of Revenue will be up to me!"

Vice Director Deng was startled. Making him take the blame was one thing, but now he wanted Prince Zhao to investigate him? Although he was confident he hadn't embezzled Board of Revenue funds, as an official, who hadn't accepted some... gifts? If Meng Shuping really pressed the matter, it would be troublesome.

So he sighed and said, "Lord Meng, to be honest with you, those delaying payments are powerful local families with connections in the court. Even if we wanted to collect in full, local officials wouldn't dare pressure them too much. Being able to collect most of it is already quite an achievement."

Only then did Meng Shuping understand. "So they're just allowed to delay? They can't keep putting it off forever, can they?"

Vice Director Deng explained, "There are delays every year, but it won't go on indefinitely. If there's a disaster or the court issues a general pardon, the taxes are naturally waived."

Meng Shuping was amazed. "So this is how they evade taxes? No, if this continues, how much will the court lose? I can't let them act so arrogantly."

Moreover, if these overdue taxes remained uncollected, the court might shift the burden onto ordinary commoners when funds were needed.

Worried that Meng Shuping might recklessly stir up trouble, Vice Director Deng hurriedly dissuaded him. "Lord Meng, I know you're highly favored by the Emperor, but you must not intervene lightly in this matter. If you try to handle it, you'll likely face opposition from countless officials and local forces. The resistance will be immense—there's no need to even think about it. Do you think Lord Chen is unaware of this? Even if he wanted to address it, he couldn't overcome so many opposing forces."

It wasn't that he cared about Meng Shuping—it was just that this matter concerned them too. He didn't want to be unjustly implicated.

Meng Shuping frowned. If that was the case, the resistance was indeed significant. He wasn't afraid of trouble, but he also didn't want to charge in recklessly. He needed to think this through carefully.