Chapter 133 Baiting

Jiang Lianzhi went to the palace to discuss matters. When he came back and just stepped into the government office, a clerk came to report that the young marquis of Xuanping Marquis's mansion wanted to see him.

"How long have you been here?"

The clerk replied: "Not too long, but he has already drunk five cups of tea and eaten three plates of melon seeds. It seems that he is not going to leave until he can wait for the adults."

Jiang Lianzhi waved his hand to let the clerk leave. When he entered the door, Pei Chunli was lying on his back in a chair with his legs crossed and sleeping soundly.

The melon seed shells were scattered all over the ground, and Pei Chunli still had a handful in his hand.

The clerk was about to call someone, but Jiang Lianzhi raised his hand to stop him. He walked out of the door and asked: "He came alone?"

The clerk said: "That's not the case. There are two followers. I arranged them..."

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Lianzhi had already strode away and kicked the door open.

The followers inside were startled.

Jiang Lianzhi stood at the door, "Where is the other person?"

The attendant said, "My Lord, he went to the toilet."

Jiang Lianzhi sneered, and it was just as he guessed.

He and Pei Chunli had no intersection. A young marquis who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun suddenly came to the Ministry of Revenue to find him. He must be a traitor or a thief.

"Let someone guard the doors and don't let anyone out." Jiang Lianzhi gave orders as he walked and stepped into the inner court.

When Shen Yu entered the warehouse, she felt that this trip was probably in vain.

The bookshelves in the warehouse were endless, three meters high, and more than ten layers. A shelf of books could kill people if it fell down.

It was too difficult to find clues in this vast ocean.

The bookshelves were marked with the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, not by category and year, probably to prevent someone from coming in to read.

Since she was here, Shen Yu found a shelf at random, took out a book, opened it, took a look, and put it back.

In fact, you can find clues by reading more books. They are not messy but divided into categories. In this way, you can always find them one by one, but it takes time.

I hope Pei Chunli can be more alert. If Jiang Lianzhi comes back, it will be good to delay him for a while.

Time is passing, Shen Yu is flipping through a book.

This book is what she found with great difficulty. The time is exactly the fifteenth year of Tongxu.

Shen Yu flipped through it and didn't find the information she wanted. Just as she was about to take the next book, a familiar voice sounded behind her.

"You can't find it."

Shen Yu's hair stood up.

Jiang Lianzhi! When did he come? Why didn't she notice it at all.

Shen Yu didn't move, and heard footsteps approaching slowly.

Jiang Lianzhi approached and said, "I might as well tell you that when Ge Liangji was the Minister of Revenue, the account books of the Ministry of Revenue were divided into two volumes, one for people to see and one for ghosts to see. You are so smart, you should know which is true and which is false."

The footsteps stopped behind him. It seemed that Jiang Lianzhi already knew who she was.

Shen Yu gritted her teeth and attacked with her arm at a tricky angle.

Jiang Lianzhi's back hit the bookshelf with a "clang".

The guard outside the door asked, "Sir, is it——"

"Nothing, something turned over." Jiang Lianzhi said loudly.

After speaking, he looked at Shen Yu, "Look, I won't hurt you."

Shen Yu retracted her fingers, and Jiang Lianzhi suddenly had difficulty breathing, but he didn't frown, "What do you want to...find? Something about Yan...Yanliangguan?"

Shen Yu frowned, and the strength in her hand increased a little. Jiang Lianzhi finally closed his eyes in pain, but he didn't intend to resist at all.

He has been called a child prodigy since he was young, and his intelligence is naturally incomparable to that of ordinary people.

Last time in the teahouse, he felt that Pei Chunli had a problem. He had heard a little about Pei Chunli climbing the corner of the Beilin Palace. In addition, Shen Yu was in the Beilin Palace, so he quickly connected the whole line, so he went straight to the warehouse.

"Where are the real and fake account books you mentioned?" Shen Yu asked coldly, and her hands loosened a little.

Jiang Lianzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Tell me first, what do you want to do by hiding your identity?"

Shen Yu did not answer.

Jiang Lianzhi said to himself: "I know even if you don't say it, you want to find out the truth and avenge your father, right?"

He picked up the account book that Shen Yu had just taken and took a look at it and said: "Tongxu Fifteenth Year June... It seems that you have already touched a little door."

From what he said, it seems that he knows.

Shen Yu snatched the account book, "You are an insider."

Jiang Lianzhi shook his head, "I am not. I am not afraid of you laughing at me. Ge Liangji managed the Ministry of Revenue very well. I have worked in the Ministry of Revenue for three years before I got a little bit of information."

Shen Yu did not believe him, and Jiang Lianzhi knew it himself.

"I know you don't believe me, but I won't harm you. You should believe that you followed Xie Tingzhou to use him to find out the truth."

Jiang Lianzhi looked at her, "I can too. If you want to check the account book, I am the closest way. As long as you--"

With a small sound, a sharp dagger was pressed against Jiang Lianzhi's chin.

"I can still make you speak in other ways." Shen Yu said coldly.

Jiang Lianzhi was forced to look up, and he smiled softly, "Why don't we make a deal?"

"I don't make deals."

"Then I can only bait you, and you decide whether you bite the hook or not."

Shen Yu frowned and retracted the dagger, "Speak."

Jiang Lianzhi wiped his chin, and there was a little blood on his fingertips, "Tell me where you found it first."

Seeing that Shen Yu didn't speak, Jiang Lianzhi nodded slightly, "Then I'll tell you, Ge Liangji has been executed, and I took over the Ministry of Revenue. Do you know why a mere bandit suppression has been dragged on until now?"

He said solemnly: "Because the Ministry of Revenue is a mess that can't be any worse, the march needs food and wages, the national treasury is in deficit, and the Ministry of Revenue can't allocate silver, so it is naturally delayed again and again."

Shen Yu said in a deep voice: "Ge Liangji embezzled so much silver, isn't it enough to fill the national treasury after the house is confiscated?"

"Five million eight hundred and four thousand taels." Jiang Lianzhi said: "This is the silver that Ge Ji embezzled on the books. Guess how much was confiscated during the house confiscation?"

Jiang Lianzhi said without waiting for her to say anything: "Less than 100,000 taels."

Shen Yu frowned immediately.

There is a big discrepancy here.

Jiang Lianzhi said: "Even if it is extravagant, the difference will not be so much. Then guess again, where did the remaining five million taels of silver go?"

Shen Yu clenched the account book in her hand.

Jiang Lianzhi glanced at the account book in her hand.

As if he was really baiting Shen Yu, he threw out another question.

"In the 15th year of Tongxu, drought hit Yong'an counties. The Ministry of Revenue allocated 300,000 taels of silver and 80,000 shi of grain to Yong'an for disaster relief. Afterwards, the disaster was brought under control, and the officials who went to provide relief were promoted. Now they are serving as counselors of the Xuanzheng Department."

Jiang Lianzhi turned around and looked at her, "I know much more than Xie Tingzhou. Will you take this bait?"