PFC Chapter 1197 The Scholar Also Had Murderous Intent
Chapter 1197 The Scholar Also Had Murderous Intent
Lin Feng had a good memory; he seemed to have seen this person in the main hall of the government office. At that time, he was standing in a corner, with his head down most of the time.
He nodded and sat down on a stool.
A tea server served tea, fruit, and seeds, then bowed and withdrew.
Ju Lianhe dared not sit down again, but stood bowing beside the tea table, waiting for Lin Feng to ask him questions.
"You've come to invite me for tea?"
Ju Lianhe forced a smile: "Your Highness, if that's really the case, then everything will be perfect."
Lin Feng waved his hand: "Stop rambling and get to the point."
Ju Lianhe hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, it's wonderful that you've reappeared. I do have many things I want to say, but..."
Lin Feng interrupted him: "Get to the important part."
"Yes, I am reporting that Wu Ruolin, the prefect of Jingxi, abused his power and misappropriated tax revenue from Jingxi Prefecture, resulting in a depleted treasury with no silver available."
Lin Feng squinted, rubbing his chin with one hand while holding a teacup in the other, gently sipping the tea.
"Is there detailed evidence?"
“Your Highness, I am in charge of documents and accounts, so naturally I have evidence.”
"How much tax revenue will be allocated?"
Ju Lianhe took out a small booklet from his pocket and flipped through it.
“Your Highness, three months ago, Wu Ruolin withdrew a total of 46,700 taels of tax silver from the treasury.”
"Where did the tax money go?"
Ju Lianhe shook his head: "This... I don't know."
Lin Feng smiled and said, "If Prefect Wu intends to use the funds to support the people's livelihood, or to improve agriculture, irrigation, and city architecture, etc..."
Ju Lianhe shook his head repeatedly: "Your Highness, all these projects will inevitably pass through my hands, and I have nothing to say about it."
Lin Feng looked up and stared into his eyes.
"Why are you saying this now?"
"Your Highness, you have disappeared without a trace, and this humble official dares not speak."
"Is Governor Wen Cheng unaware of this matter?"
Ju Lianhe nodded: "Wu Ruolin has false accounts and wealth at home, which cannot be detected by the authorities."
Lin Feng sneered: "You dare to report your superior? You've got some nerve."
Ju Lianhe bowed and cupped his hands: "I dared not say anything more before, even if I were to die. But the return of the prince has given me confidence."
"Anymore?"
“Your Highness, I once drank at Wu Ruolin’s residence and overheard him talking after drinking. It seemed like he was talking about getting promoted and becoming a high-ranking official that his family would value.”
Lin Feng silently drank his tea.
This is connected to the Grand Emperor Zhao Cun. The current Grand Emperor Zhao Cun must have made grand promises to Wu Ruolin, which is why he was blinded by the high-ranking official who was a Jinshi graduate of the Grand Emperor.
"He was just talking nonsense while drunk, and you actually believe that?"
"Your Highness, according to him, he has an imperial edict and an official seal in his possession."
Lin Feng smiled and asked, "What rank?"
"Uh... at least a second-rank official."
"A meteoric rise to power."
"It's Your Highness who can make people lose their minds."
Officials in the imperial court all knew how difficult it was for an official who had reached the fourth rank to continue to advance, especially for an official without any connections; it was as difficult as climbing to the sky.
Lin Feng became interested: "You continue."
"It's Your Highness. I've also heard that two officials in the government office have expressed their desire for promotion."
"How dare they be so brazen?"
“Your Highness, since you left, all the officials have been in a state of panic and have no idea what to do. At this time, if the court can offer a straw, it may save their lives or provide a way out.”
Lin Feng nodded silently; this was the truth.
Let alone these officials, even his closest people like Bai Jing and Wang Qian, he didn't believe they weren't filled with fear.
With that thought in mind, Lin Feng no longer hesitated and stood up.
"Alright, let me investigate the facts and then punish them severely."
Ju Lianhe quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness, the treasury has probably been replenished by now, the accounts are balanced, and there are no omissions."
Lin Feng waved his hand: "You don't need to worry about this matter. I have my own way. I will never wrong a good official, but I will also not let go of a corrupt official who has become greedy, especially those officials who harm the interests of the people. I will kill them one by one."
The following words were filled with murderous intent, making Ju Lianhe tremble, yet also feeling a sense of satisfaction.
Lin Feng was even more furious. "I led the Zhenxi Army to fight to the death on the front lines to stabilize the country and ensure that you people can have a stable and prosperous life."
But you guys are doing the opposite, trying to undermine me.
Don't they know how expensive war is?
Not to mention military equipment, weapons and consumables, there are also generous pensions for fallen soldiers, rewards for meritorious service, and food and supplies for people and horses, all of which consume a lot of money.
You think you can just embezzle forty or fifty thousand taels of silver?
In three months, that means you could spend over five hundred taels every day.
Did Lao Tzu's money come from thin air?
By this time, it was past noon. Lin Feng returned to the government office, summoned the officials, gave them a few words of encouragement, and then bid them farewell and headed out of the city.
He forcefully ordered all officials to only see them off to the city gate and not to take them any further.
He only allowed Xie Zhong to follow him, and they ran towards the dock together.
On the way, he carefully explained things to Xie Zhong, then boarded the ship and set sail, continuing towards Shanglin Mansion.
Prefect Wu Ruolin's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back into his stomach.
He urgently mobilized all the working capital from his family's various businesses and moved it into the government treasury to balance the accounts in preparation for Lin Feng's sudden inspection.
To everyone's surprise, they left in a hurry without even looking at the accounts.
In Wu Ruolin's opinion, Lin Feng must be anxious to return to Shanglin Prefecture in order to suppress the major court officials and prevent them from undermining his eight prefectures in the west.
I don’t know who will be unlucky, but I have to be careful and find a way to make up for the deficit in the treasury as soon as possible.
As long as Lin Feng is around, my dream of being promoted and given a title will probably be temporarily dashed.
It's really bad luck to lose fifty or sixty thousand taels of silver for nothing.
Wu Ruolin stayed alone in the mansion, racking her brains, trying to figure out how to make Lin Feng disappear again, and completely disappear at that.
As a prefect, he wielded great power and had a wide network of contacts.
Knowing about many strange and unusual organizations might be useful.
To obstruct someone's promotion and wealth is tantamount to killing their parents; it is a matter of life and death, which made even Wu Ruolin, a scholar, want to kill.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and everything was normal.
Wu Ruolin was completely relieved, knowing that Lin Feng would not suddenly turn back.
He then took advantage of the night to move the silver from the treasury back to his residence.
There was no other way; the family business and many shops needed to be put in operation, and the borrowed money could only be used temporarily, not actually make up for the shortfall.
To his surprise, the very next morning after the silver was moved out of the treasury, his own house was surrounded by the Zhenxi Army.
The entire family, numbering several hundred, was driven by armed soldiers of the Zhenxi Army and confined to the large courtyard in the middle.
When Wu Ruolin was woken up from her dream by her family, she was still in a daze.
When he hurriedly dressed and arrived in the courtyard, he saw Xie Zhong's gloomy face and Lord Wen Cheng standing next to Xie Zhong.
My heart sank to the bottom.
Upon seeing Wu Ruolin appear, Xie Zhong and Wen Cheng both breathed a sigh of relief. Without saying a word, they turned and walked out, ignoring the shouts behind them.
"If you have something to say, go to the main hall of the government office."