On the golden throne hall, a pin drop could be heard.
The breaths of all the court officials froze in that moment.
Above, on the dragon throne, the old emperor’s slowly turning sandalwood prayer beads stopped.
His unfathomable eyes, sweeping past the assembled ministers, fixed quietly on Xu Youde below at the steps, then passed over Shang Qitai, who lay prostrate, his face full of shock.
In that instant, the old emperor’s mind was as clear as a mirror.
Shang Qitai, that old fox entrenched in the Ministry of Revenue for years, had finally, amid this relentless hidden struggle, been forced into a fatal misstep.
Using the life of a low-level granary clerk as a trap in factional strife seemed ruthless, but in truth, it was a desperate act of a cornered dog.
He was too eager to destroy the Xu family, but forgot one thing:
When the foundations of the imperial court have rotted through, the thing most feared is a reckless fool willing to overturn the entire table.
Xu Youde’s blade was not only sharp but mad enough.
The “three ledgers” and “four-seal joint audit” he proposed struck at the very heart, every word dripping with blood, targeting the deep-rooted fiscal ailments of the Great Qian dynasty.
In the silence, the old emperor spoke slowly, his voice like the sovereign might that rules the world.
“Vice Minister Xu’s method does indeed have great merit.”
The old emperor paid no heed to the shifting expressions below. His gaze hardened slightly, and his tone took a sudden turn: “However, before we discuss the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue, let the ministers first hear the urgent military dispatch from the Northern Border Central Command, sent by eight-hundred-li relay.”
With that, he raised his hand slightly toward the rear.
Grand Eunuch Li immediately understood. Holding a glaring red-covered, gold-rimmed memorial, he stepped forward.
Standing at the edge of the imperial steps, he flicked his horsetail whisk and his piercing, high-pitched voice rang through the hall:
“Victory at Zhenbei Pass!”
“Xu Zhan, a roving general of the Zhenbei Army and commander of the Assault Camp, laid an ambush on the wasteland beyond the pass. He charged into the formation alone, lost an arm in battle, and personally killed the rebel generals He Minghu and Ma Jin'an, retaking the city defense map. Afterwards, Xu Zhan, single-handed, crushed more than twenty elite heavy cavalry of the Herlan vanguard. The barbarians were terrified and routed, crying out that he was the ‘Iron Mace Demon’!”
Eunuch Li took a breath, his voice growing even more impassioned: “Zhenbei Commander Tie Lanshan submitted an accompanying memorial, stating that the rebels' momentum has been broken and their morale shattered. Your subject, Tie Lanshan, kowtows to beg Your Majesty’s favor to approve the Zhenbei Army’s sortie at the appropriate time for an active offensive, to exalt the might of Great Qian!”
“ Recitation concluded!”
The slight sound of the memorial closing echoed through the court like a thunderclap.
Liu Zhao and the other incorruptible censors, who moments before had been righteous indignation barely restrained from drowning Xu Youde in spittle, now turned pale as ghosts.
They knew full well what this meant!
In the muddy waters of officialdom, who among them wasn’t a crafty schemer? The timing of this military dispatch before the throne was unmistakable in its meaning.
Iron Mace Demon! Single-handedly breaking twenty heavy cavalry with one arm!
What astonishing, earth-shattering military achievement!
With such a bloody, awe-inspiring achievement backing him, who would dare to leap forward at this moment and frame the Xu family using a lowly granary clerk’s murder case?
To challenge Xu Youde now was to hinder the northern war effort, to cut oneself off from all paths!
Liu Zhao swallowed hard, his back already soaked with cold sweat.
He knew that today’s scheme—using others’ blades in a factional kill—was not only broken, but the backlash had already placed the sword at the throats of these censors.
In the suffocating silence, Xu Jie, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet who had endured three reigns, moved.
The seasoned minister stepped out from the ranks, first facing the throne and bowing deeply.
“Your Majesty!”
Xu Jie’s voice carried the wisdom and resolve of a man weathered by decades of statecraft.
“The victory at Zhenbei Pass invigorates our army and exalts national prestige—this is heaven blessing Great Qian! However, before horses and men can move, grain and fodder must come first. If Commander Tie wishes to press the advantage and strike, the supply of army provisions from the rear becomes paramount to the fate of the dynasty; there can be no slightest error!”
Xu Jie paused briefly and naturally steered the topic back to the death trap of earlier.
“As for Earl Chengyi’s proposed ‘four-seal joint audit’ system, your old subject believes that, though it may seem cumbersome, it is in fact tightly interlocked! The local authorities, the canal transport bureau, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of War—mutual checks among these four parties—can precisely prevent graft and ensure the safety of our army’s grain.”
“Now, with the northern battle situation changing by the hour, your old subject implores Your Majesty to implement this method immediately. This aligns with the tide of events and the will of the army!”
Crafty.
What defines a Grand Secretary? This is it.
Xu Jie did not wade into the murky waters of Shang Qitai’s murder case, nor did he argue the authenticity of the three ledgers. Instead, using the blood and military might of frontline soldiers, he handed the old emperor a perfect, flawless stepping stone.
When a cause is righteous, words are justified.
On the dragon throne, a gleam of satisfaction finally surfaced in the old emperor’s eyes.
Seizing Xu Jie’s opening, he slapped the dragon table.
“Approved!”
Two words, final as a hammer blow.
“From today onward, implement the ‘four-seal joint audit’ system! The Ministry of Revenue’s old accounts from past years shall be sealed and stored by the Three Judicial Offices for future review. As for the three hundred thousand piculs of army grain for the northern border—” The old emperor’s eyes stabbed into Xu Youde like swords. “Xu Youde, hear my decree!”
“Your subject is here!” Xu Youde knelt heavily.
“I grant you full authority over its execution. The Six Ministries, nine chief offices, and all local prefectures may not obstruct or make excuses.”
“Within fifteen days, the three hundred thousand piculs of army grain must arrive at Zhenbei Pass. If you fail, your head will be forfeit to pay for the Great Qian army’s dignity!”
“Your subject obeys the decree! I thank Your Majesty for his boundless favor!” Xu Youde struck his head heavily against the gilded bricks.
Xu Youde understood in his heart: Was Xu Jie trying to help him?
No. It was simply that, in the face of military necessity, he had briefly formed an alliance with a man who would never betray Great Qian.
Brief, yes, but oh so effective.
All the court officials lowered their heads in unison.
Everyone knew that from this moment on, the decades-long massive pipeline of graft within the Ministry of Revenue had been severed by Xu Youde’s hand.
And on the other side, Minister of Revenue Shang Qitai’s face was already a mask of iron-gray.
But he did not utter a single word of further argument.
This old fox, who had dominated the court for decades, displayed a chilling forbearance.
He knew deeply that, before the double weight of military achievement and the emperor’s will, he had lost the first round completely.
If he talked back now, the old emperor might seize the excuse to strip him of his first-rank official robes on the spot.
“Your old subject receives the decree. I shall discipline all subordinates and fully cooperate with Vice Minister Xu’s proposal. The Ministry of Revenue will never jeopardize the northern war effort.”
As Eunuch Li’s high-pitched cry of “Court dismissed” rang out, the breathtaking, multi-twisted audience ended.
The hundred officials filed out in order.
Xu Youde rose from the floor, brushed the dust from his knees, and the look of grim determination on his face gradually faded.
Shang Qitai also stood up slowly, adjusted his black gauze cap, and smoothed his crane-embroidered official robe.
They passed each other on the empty jade steps.
Shang Qitai paused, turned his head slightly, and cast a cold glance at Xu Youde.
That gaze held no fury, no hatred—only the icy emptiness of a man looking at a corpse.
You dare to overturn the table and set new rules? Fine.
But fifteen days, three hundred thousand piculs. From Tongzhou to Zhenbei Pass, even in peacetime, carriages and horses traveling day and night would take twelve days.
A four-seal joint audit?
As long as a single "act of God" disrupts your supplies on this waterway, cutting off your coal reserves—without needing to lift a finger himself, Shang Qitai knows that the executioner’s blade in the emperor’s grasp will sever Xu Youde’s head in fifteen days.
Shang Qitai left no harsh words behind; he simply swept away his sleeves and departed, his silhouette carrying a suffocating chill in the morning light.
