PFC Chapter 326: That’s your nephew, blood is thicker than water…
Chapter 326: That’s your nephew, blood is thicker than water…
"Could it be that Lord Gu really doesn't know?"
Wei Zhen asked in confusion.
"Oh, my Lord Wei, what kind of opportunity is this? I don't even know!"
"..."
Wei Zhen stared at him for a long time, seeing that he really seemed to know nothing, so he smiled bitterly and said, "Lord Gu, you are in charge of taxes, don't you see the connection between these things?"
"Master Wei, please just speak frankly! I really don't understand anything if you keep asking me questions like this!"
"This one……"
Wei Zhen hesitated for a moment, then said, "I heard that when Marquis Gu returned to the capital, Ningzhou gave you a document with the prefect's seal..."
"Yes, the new prefect knew I was back in Beijing, and thinking I had some achievements in Ningzhou, he asked me to bring Ningzhou's tax books to the Ministry of Revenue to enter them. This is a small token of my gratitude. Is this... a problem?"
"..."
Wei Zhen's mouth twitched, and he said earnestly, "Lord Gu... this document doesn't have a single word written on it, yet it's stamped with the prefect's seal. Do you know what this means?"
Gu Jingzhi was stunned after hearing this. It turned out that the disadvantages of this empty tax stamp disc were not unknown to anyone, but they were planning a big one later!
But why didn’t Wei Zhen raise it in time before?
This thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately understood!
Come to think of it, this matter... the person behind Wei Zhen had been holding back, preparing to deal a fatal blow to his opponent at the most critical moment. However, they did not expect that the prince could actually 'come back from the dead' and turn the tide!
Therefore, this case actually wants to use the prince and Gu Jingzhi to deal with the aristocratic families, so... there is no need to think too much about who is behind Wei Zhen!
Who else would dare to hide it from the whole world and use the empty seal to commit corruption, except for the aristocratic families and Song Pu...?
Song Pu and the noble family behind him support the second prince, so the people behind Wei Zhen want to deal with the second prince. If the crown prince is unable to recover, Emperor Xia will definitely have to choose a new crown prince. By then, as long as this matter is made clear, the second prince will naturally have no chance of taking the throne!
Combining what Jin Lehuang confessed in Ningzhou, the person behind Wei Zhen is... the third prince!
Gu Jingzhi looked at Wei Zhen in a daze. Wei Zhen had no idea what he was thinking. He just thought that after his guidance, Gu Jingzhi understood the ins and outs.
At that moment, Wei Zhen sighed: "It seems that Lord Gu has understood!"
"There's not a single word written on this tax book, yet it's stamped with a huge seal. When they get to the Ministry of Revenue and count the taxes and grain collected from various places, they'll add the details. Doesn't that mean they can write whatever they want?"
Gu Jingzhi came back to his senses and quickly pretended to be shocked, "This... can't be! You know, the counting of taxes and fodder is supervised by special officials. I don't think they dare to do it, right?"
"Besides, I checked and didn't find any problems."
"Alas! Lord Gu already knows it in his heart, so why deceive himself?"
Wei Zhen sighed heavily. He thought Gu Jingzhi couldn't accept it for a while. After all, this was related to the national taxation! He said earnestly: "It's not your fault, Lord Gu. After all, you haven't been in office for long. I only discovered these problems by chance!"
"It's true that taxes in various places are supervised by dedicated personnel, but what happens to these taxes before they reach the capital?"
Wei Zhen looked at Gu Jingzhi meaningfully. Gu Jingzhi was stunned and asked subconsciously, "Master Wei, do you mean that the taxes from various places have been divided up before they enter the capital?"
"Indeed!"
"I've been working in the Ministry of Revenue for some time. When I was checking the account books, I found that one of them didn't match..."
Wei Zhen looked at Gu Jingzhi and said, "Lord Gu, you may not know this, but I have a nephew who has been serving in a local government for two years. He originally wanted me to help arrange for his transfer back to the capital, so he wrote to inform me in advance of the amount of taxes paid by the county where he served!"
“But when I got to the Ministry of Revenue, I found that the numbers didn’t match!”
"I originally thought my nephew was deceiving me, so I wrote a letter to reprimand him. But he persisted and even brought me the tax books he had collected from the people. Only then did I realize what was going on!"
Gu Jingzhi was shocked: "Even Lord Wei's nephew has been treated so unfairly?"
"Ugh!"
Wei Zhen sighed, "My nephew is very proud, and few people know about the relationship between him and me, so... Alas!"
Gu Jingzhi rolled his eyes and asked, "Since Lord Wei knows the inside story, why didn't he report it?"
Ga?
Wei Zhen was dumbfounded!
Yes, why not report it?
Wei Zhen looked at Gu Jingzhi strangely and thought to himself, aren't they waiting for you to stir up trouble and attract the hatred of the enemy?
Gu Jingzhi pretended to know nothing and said, "Master Wei, this kind of plundering and undermining of the country will never be tolerated!"
"I am also employed in the Ministry of Revenue. Why don't you submit a memorial to His Majesty tomorrow? I will testify for you!"
"..."
Special!
I've said all this just to get you to handle this, so why are you asking me to go now? Isn't this going against Tian Gang?
Wei Zhen didn't want to take on this difficult task. He said, "No, Lord Gu! The power over taxation in the court is in your hands now. If I report this matter... it won't be in accordance with the procedures!"
"What's inappropriate about this? You're the Minister of Revenue, the head of the Ministry of Revenue! Don't you have the final say on matters concerning the Ministry of Revenue?"
Gu Jingzhi looked serious, as if he was really considering Wei Zhen.
Wei Zhen's eyelids rolled up.
I don't believe you! Are you trying to use me as a pawn?
But, isn't he any different?
"Lord Gu, you hold the Emperor's Sword in your official duties. This is known to all the civil and military officials in the court. If you do not take the initiative to step forward in such a major event, wouldn't that be a betrayal of His Majesty's grace?"
"If Your Majesty knew, wouldn't you be disappointed?"
Gu Jingzhi said, "Master Wei... that concerns your nephew's future, nephew! Blood is thicker than water!"
Wei Zhen's mouth twitched: "Dear, dear..."
What the hell!
Gu Jingzhi's eyelids fluttered.
This old rascal must be trying to make me offend people while doing my job.
Wei Zhen also understood. As for the matter of the empty seal, regardless of whether Gu Jingzhi really didn't know about it before or pretended not to know about it, but now... he guessed that he was just like him and didn't want to be the first to stand out.
then!
He threw the jar into the air: "Lord Gu, don't blame me for not reminding you. Now the power of taxation in the imperial court has been completely transferred to you, and I have also informed you of the pros and cons here. If you don't submit this to His Majesty, you will be neglecting the affairs of state!"
"..."
The corner of Gu Jingzhi's mouth twitched.
Old man, if soft tactics don't work, try hard tactics, right? Don't blame me for being rude then!
He said, "Master Wei, don't forget, you were the first to discover this, and you're the Minister of Revenue. The key point is that I only learned about this today, and I don't have any evidence!"
"Even if we bring this up now, without anyone else to testify, it will not only have little effect, but will also alert the enemy!"
"When the time comes, the other party will throw out a few scapegoats..."
"Is this what you want, Lord Wei?"