(Sometimes, I suddenly feel like revisiting the beginning of *Qing Yu Nian*, starting from Volume 5, and unexpectedly, I got engrossed… Some chapters are truly brilliantly written, I think narcissistically.)

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The imperial court session of Qing Kingdom began on time. The sky was still dimly lit, the palace hall was still cold and desolate, the Emperor was still sitting high on the Dragon Throne, and the ministers were still humbly and directly discussing the political affairs of various prefectures and regions. After all the urgent matters that needed to be discussed were over, the Emperor, with a hint of fatigue on his face, said, "Is there anything else?"

A minister from the Dali Temple stepped forward and cautiously reported, "Your Majesty, the matter of Vice Director Fan of the Internal Treasury… how should it be handled?"

What many officials in the capital hadn’t anticipated was that the investigation into the Ministry of Revenue’s deficit, which had been brewing for days, hadn’t even begun, but the accusations against Fan Xian, far away in the Jiangnan region, had already arrived with great force.

Within three days, memorials from Jiangnan censors and certain officials flew to the imperial palace in the capital like snowflakes. Every word and every sentence pointed directly at Fan Xian, the Vice Director of the Internal Treasury, accusing him of arrogance and recklessness, abusing his authority as an imperial envoy, suppressing his colleagues, disregarding national laws and court regulations, wantonly killing four warehouse supervisors of the Internal Treasury, arousing public anger, and consequently triggering a strike by the workers of the three major workshops.

The three major workshops of the Internal Treasury were an important pillar of Qing Kingdom's finances, and major events like labor strikes hadn't happened for many years, so the news shocked many people when it reached the capital. The capital and Jiangnan were far apart, and people didn't know the true situation in the Minbei transport office. They didn't know that the censor Guo Zheng and the officials from the Eldest Princess's faction had distorted the truth, claiming that Fan Xian’s suppression and killing of the workers occurred *before* the labor strike. But these officials, with their impassioned accusations, made it seem as if Fan Xian had killed the workers without reason *first*, arousing public anger *afterward*.

In the minds of the court officials, Vice Director Fan was indeed the kind of person who would do such a scandalous thing.

So, before Lao Fan could be investigated, the court officials began to have a very strong opinion of Xiao Fan, and they discussed this matter in the court sessions for several days, but they hadn't come up with any solution, and His Majesty hadn't given his approval.

Among the civil officials, there were always a few who weren't scoundrels. They weren't wary of the fact that Fan Xian was the Emperor's illegitimate son, but rather, because of this fact, they cast more mistrustful glances at Fan Xian, because they worried that such a powerful official would harm the foundation of the Qing Kingdom's court and the interests of the people.

For example, the scholar Hu, who had now entered the Secretariat, working in the Inner Cabinet. He had no interaction with Fan Xian, and his understanding of Fan Xian was limited to the rumors in officialdom and among the people. Although through the introduction of Scholar Shu, he greatly admired Fan Xian's talent, knowledge, and character, he… still somewhat believed what was said in the memorials.

Scholar Hu had served as a local official in various prefectures for many years and knew the difficulty of dealing with capital officials. He was very afraid that Fan Xian, relying on his family background and status, would be unchecked as soon as he left the capital, behaving recklessly in the Jiangnan area.

He decided to speak up for the officials in Jiangnan, partly to prevent the local areas from suffering too much, and partly because he feared that Vice Director Fan, whom he somewhat admired, would go down the wrong path.

Scholar Hu stepped forward, and calmly said, "Your Majesty, this matter should be thoroughly investigated."

The Emperor rubbed his temples and asked, "Thoroughly investigated? Fan Xian has already written a report on this matter to inform me. The Supervisory Council also has a council report. There should be a copy in the Secretariat. Scholar, you should know that this incident in the Internal Treasury was caused by Fan Xian's investigation of long-standing malpractices, to seek justice for the workers."

Scholar Hu said in a clear voice, "Your Majesty, that is only one side of the story from Vice Director Fan. Since so many officials have submitted memorials impeaching him, someone should be sent to Jiangnan to investigate. If the accusations in the memorials are true, then a thorough investigation is naturally necessary to make amends, so as not to hurt the hearts of tens of thousands of workers in the Internal Treasury. If the accusations in the memorials are false, then the officials of the Jiangnan region should be severely reprimanded, and Vice Director Fan should be properly consoled, to restore fairness to Vice Director Fan.”

The Emperor looked at him with a smile that wasn't a smile. He thought to himself that this scholar, after saying so much, was still insisting on sending someone to Jiangnan again. But the capital and Jiangnan were so far apart, even if someone was sent from the capital, would Fan Xian be afraid of him? However, the reason why the Qing Kingdom's Emperor had transferred Scholar Hu, who had been in exile for so long, back to the capital this year was because he wanted to use Scholar Hu's stubbornness and integrity.

Just like many years ago when he used Lin Ruofu and Chen Pingping to compete with each other, the Qing Kingdom's Emperor was preparing to have this Scholar Hu compete with Fan Xian in the future. Since that was the case, he naturally wouldn't object at this time, to avoid disrespecting the scholar. He smiled and said, "What the scholar says makes sense. Find someone to go to Jiangnan to take a look. You always have to see things with your own eyes to know what's going on."

What Scholar Hu wanted was just this seemingly fair handling suggestion. Since the goal had been achieved, he retreated.

At this time, Scholar Shu Wu couldn't help but worry and said, "Who is right and who is wrong can always be found out. I'm just worried that after the Internal Treasury has experienced this storm, whether there will be a problem with this year's revenue. Vice Director Fan is, after all, in charge of the Internal Treasury for the first year. I ask Your Majesty to give him more guidance."

This was a very gentle opinion, but it also represented the worries of many court officials. They were all worried that Fan Xian was too aggressive and ruthless, causing major problems in the production of the entire Internal Treasury. But Shu Wu was gentle, which didn't mean that other people were gentle. Instead, several ministers, using Scholar Shu's words as a starting point, began to step forward to express their deep concerns and loyalty to the court, saying that Vice Director Fan was, after all, young, and the matter of the Internal Treasury was of great importance. If the Internal Treasury had a significant decline compared to previous years, should the court consider choosing someone else?

This was a blatant distrust of Fan Xian. The meaning was also very clear: if you, Fan Xian, couldn't improve the profit level of the Internal Treasury, and it was even worse than in previous years, then what qualifications did you have to be in charge of the Internal Treasury?

Precisely because it was blatant, and every word and sentence seemed to be for the sake of the court, the court officials, although they knew very well that these ministers wanted to move that god away from the Internal Treasury, didn't find it convenient to refute anything.

The Emperor smiled slightly and said, "What the Internal Treasury will be like this year will only be known next year. You ministers are too anxious. Whether Fan Xian will disappoint me or not will only be known after some time."

The Emperor seemed to suddenly think of something and said, "However, the bidding for the Internal Treasury ended a few days ago. The bids should have been sent back to the capital. If you ministers want to see Fan Xian's ability, looking at the results of this bidding should give you some idea."

The Qing Kingdom's borders were vast, and Jiangnan and the capital were far apart. The bidding in Suzhou on March 22nd only just reached the capital. Originally, if it had gone through the secret postal route and the council report, it should have been faster by a few days, but Fan Xian, whether he had forgotten or because of the confidentiality of the bids, had never revealed anything to the Emperor and the court beforehand. Moreover, after dealing with the labor strike in the three major workshops in Minbei, the Supervisory Council began to consciously block the flow of information between the two places. As a result, the capital vaguely knew about the sensational bidding event in Suzhou at that time, but didn't know the specific situation.

The news that should have traveled the fastest was, under Fan Xian's suppression, traveling even slower than that Master San Shi.

The Emperor quietly looked at one person in the ranks below and said, "Has the Court of Imperial Sacrifices received the documents?"

All the income from the three major workshops of the Internal Treasury was audited and managed by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Imperial Household, so the Emperor was asking the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

"It just arrived this morning." The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices coughed twice and said with a worried expression, "I was in a hurry to enter the palace, so I haven't seen it yet."

The Emperor snorted coldly, "Then hurry up and get it!"

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices bowed and quickly ran out of the palace.

"Everyone, wait a moment." The Emperor announced the delay of the court session with a smile that wasn't a smile, and slowly sipped a bowl of tea from the hands of the eunuch Yao beside him.

Time passed second by second. The officials in the hall were getting a little anxious, but they didn't dare to show any expression. Moreover, they were indeed curious about how Fan Xian had handled things in Jiangnan. The four percent deposit received from the annual Spring bidding of the Internal Treasury was the largest revenue that the Qing Kingdom's court received each year. These officials couldn't help but be excited, expectant, and nervously waiting.

The Emperor coldly watched these ministers. He felt a little unhappy in his heart. He understood why all the civil officials had to stand up and express their opinions about Fan Xian, even Shu Wu, who had a good relationship with Fan Xian, couldn't escape the convention—because Fan Xian was his illegitimate son. The officials had long been full of complaints about the court's heavy use of Fan Xian, feeling that this matter was inappropriate, and that it was all because His Majesty felt sorry for his own flesh and blood, so he was using public office to comfort him.

But this Internal Treasury is mine, this world is mine, and this son is also mine… the Emperor thought coldly. When did it become your turn, you old fogeys, to meddle? But the Emperor also understood in his heart that if Fan Xian was really incompetent, made a mess of Jiangnan, and the Internal Treasury also became dilapidated, harming such an important place in the country, fulfilling the worries of the officials, then no matter how much he protected him, he would have to transfer him back.

However, the Emperor had confidence in Fan Xian. This confidence had been gradually cultivated. From the time Fan Xian entered the capital from Danzhou, this Emperor had been cautiously and meticulously watching Fan Xian's every move, wanting to see what kind of abilities the child he had with her would show.

And in all matters, Fan Xian's performance hadn't disappointed him. He possessed literary talent with the three hundred poems before the palace, martial prowess with the title of Ninth Rank. He was famous for Zhuang Mohan's gift of books, and his ability to acquire money was excellent, but he didn't show any signs of greed or vulgarity. Even that romantic flair wasn't something that ordinary young talents could achieve. As for his grasp of the court situation, he didn't seem like a young man who was only eighteen years old. His loyalty to the Emperor and his filial piety to his father were truly exemplary.

In the end, the Emperor was still a normal middle-aged man. For Fan Xian, this illegitimate son, he couldn't help but feel a bit of pride in his heart. After all… this was his seed.

So, after the court officials began to express doubts about Fan Xian, he had the Court of Imperial Sacrifices immediately report the details of the Internal Treasury's bidding. Although he didn't know the specific numbers, the Emperor had never doubted Fan Xian's ability to scrape the earth for money.

Scraping the earth for money was the simplest skill for an official.

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A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall. The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices ran in, his face red and his forehead constantly wiping away sweat. The Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Ren Shaoan, who was following behind him, was also panting non-stop. Running all the way from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to the Hall of Supreme Harmony was indeed a bit exhausting.

After a simple bow, the Emperor told the two of them to rise. He leaned forward, asking with a hint of interest, "How is it?"

The senior officials in the hall also looked nervously at the two officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices gulped and swallowed, unable to say anything yet. He was already showing a happy expression, and loudly reported, "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

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…

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone knew that the situation of the Internal Treasury's Spring bidding in the sixth year of Qingli was optimistic, and it was very good, not just a little good.

The officials who had been implicitly protecting Fan Xian breathed a sigh of relief, and smiles appeared on their faces. Scholar Shu also nodded in satisfaction. The rest of the officials were slightly stunned. It seemed that no one had thought that after the Eldest Princess's faction's behind-the-scenes obstruction and the Internal Treasury's labor strike, Fan Xian, who had just taken charge of the Internal Treasury, could achieve such a good result.

Only Scholar Hu remained calm, without any change in expression.

The Emperor of the Qing Kingdom, sitting on the Dragon Throne, relaxed in his heart after hearing these words. Although he had been maintaining a calm expression, he sat his entire butt back into the chair, feeling extremely secure—although he had confidence in Fan Xian, he was still a little nervous before receiving concrete results.

The Emperor said with a smile, "What is the specific number?"

Everyone needed money, and the Emperor was no exception. He possessed all the money in the world, and he hoped that the total amount of silver in the world would be as high as possible. He was the biggest tycoon in the world, but at this time, he still flashed a hint of joy in his eyes like all tycoons.

Vice Minister Ren Shaoan coughed twice, took out a dossier, and read in a clear voice, "On March 22nd of the sixth year of Qingli, the Internal Treasury's transport office opened the bidding. There were sixteen bids for the Northern, Southern, and Eastern routes, with a total value of…"

He seemed to be startled again by the huge number, so he calmed his mind slightly and said:

"Twenty-four million, two hundred and twenty thousand taels… exactly…!"

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As soon as that wavering word "exactly" was uttered, the entire Hall of Supreme Harmony became silent. For a long time, no one could say anything.

Twenty-four million, two hundred and twenty thousand taels? So much? This was eighty percent more than last year! Fan Xian… how did he do it? Could it be that he possessed the demon art of bewitching people, turning those Jiangnan merchants into fools?

The ministers were dumbfounded, looking at each other. They were somewhat breathless under the pressure of the huge number. Everyone's spirits fell into a state of confusion.

*Glunk!*

Scholar Shu's face was flushed red, and he fell to the floor. The ministers were in a chaotic mess, and it took them a while to help him up. The scholar looked extremely excited, and said incoherently to the Emperor on the Dragon Throne, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

Only then did the ministers react. After a burst of exclamations, they turned around to salute and praise the Emperor, offering flattery like a surging tide, praising his divine grace like the sea, and the Imperial favor like a mountain, that Heaven was blessing Great Qing, and His Majesty was wise, and so on…

Twenty-four million taels of silver! Even if only forty percent could be collected now, that was nearly ten million taels of silver! Such a large sum of money could be used to do too many things, such as repairing river works, strengthening the military, relieving the people's livelihood, and… raising salaries? Regardless of which faction these ministers belonged to, they were, after all, subjects of the Qing Kingdom, the most powerful country in the world. When they thought that the court had such a large sum of money to alleviate the urgent need of the empty treasury, they all began to cheer.

This cheering wasn't fake, but genuine happiness. The ministers, whether they were greedy or not, wise or foolish, always hoped that the court would be better.

And while these people were desperately flattering the Emperor, they couldn't help but think of… Vice Director Fan, whom they had previously doubted and opposed.

The bidding of the Internal Treasury had been so successful, bringing such great benefits to the court. Fan Xian, who was overseeing the battle in Jiangnan, naturally deserved the greatest credit. But how could this turn be made? So some ministers rolled their eyes, refusing to mention the matter of Jiangnan.

At this time, it was Scholar Hu who stood up first.

As soon as he stood up, the noisy and happy court became a little quieter. They all wanted to know what Scholar Hu wanted to say.

Scholar Hu calmed his mind and reported, "This number is indeed a bit unbelievable. I don't hope that Lord Fan has used some other means, so-called draining the pond to get all the fish. If he has squeezed the Jiangnan merchants dry this year, but the Internal Treasury's production can't keep up, what will happen next year?"

In the midst of harmony, a discordant note suddenly appeared, which was really uncomfortable. The ministers were in an uproar. Even those who didn't like Fan Xian couldn't bear it anymore, and they spoke out to defend the Internal Treasury's transport office, thinking that Scholar Hu's words were inappropriate.

The Emperor also broke away from his previous excitement, and looked coldly at Scholar Hu, saying, "According to you, Fan Xian has sought so much silver for the court, but he shouldn't be rewarded, but punished instead?"

Scholar Hu shook his head, and said decisively, "My words are just a trace of doubt. After all, I'm not in Jiangnan and don't know the specific situation. I'm just fulfilling my duty as a minister, reminding Your Majesty. As for Vice Director Fan, as long as there are no problems with this bidding, of course he shouldn't be punished in the slightest, but should be greatly rewarded."

The Emperor calmed his mind and quietly asked, "According to Hu Qing, how should he be rewarded?"

"Although it's a matter of silver and goods, it's the foundation of the country." Scholar Hu said calmly, "Vice Director Fan has made such a fundamental contribution, so he should receive an unparalleled reward."

The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "What is an unparalleled reward?"

"After the bidding in Minbei and Suzhou has been fully investigated." Scholar Hu raised his head, and said gently, "I am willing to be the recommender, asking Your Majesty to summon Vice Director Fan to enter the Secretariat and deliberate in the Inner Cabinet."

As soon as these words were spoken, the court was greatly shaken and the ministers were greatly surprised. What was the Secretariat? That was the central hub of the court. After Prime Minister Lin was dismissed, there was no longer a prime minister in Qing Kingdom. The scholars of the Secretariat were responsible for the functions of the cabinet, especially after Qin Heng took office as the Kyoto garrison and Yan Hangshu, the Minister of Justice, retired. Hu Daoxue's return to the capital had already established the position of the Secretariat’s Inner Cabinet—if one could enter the Secretariat, it would be equivalent to entering the highest decision-making authority of the court. Hu Daoxue wanted to recommend Fan Xian to the Inner Cabinet?

The ministers wondered which side this Scholar Hu was on. How could he speak ill of someone at one moment, but then want to give Fan Xian such great power and such a high position? Yan Hangshu, the Minister of Justice, glanced at Scholar Hu, with a hint of jealousy and incomprehension.

Unexpectedly, the Emperor listened to this proposal, but without even thinking about it, he said directly, "No, Fan Xian is too young."

The ministers were slightly relieved, thinking that His Majesty's argument was fair. Otherwise, it would be too absurd to let a young man who was not yet twenty years old enter the Secretariat to discuss matters.

Scholar Hu said calmly, "In ancient times, there were wise men who became prime ministers at the age of sixteen, not to mention that the Secretariat is a writing institution of Your Majesty, not a prime minister in the true sense. Moreover, Vice Director Fan is gifted with talent, full of talent, versatile, and capable. Such talent should be in the court to share the worries and difficulties of Your Majesty."

The Emperor looked at him with a smile that wasn't a smile, still simply shaking his head, "He is the Director of the Supervisory Council. According to Qing law, officials of the Supervisory Council can't hold concurrent positions in the court. Even after retiring, they can only hold idle positions in the Three Temples."

Scholar Hu answered extremely quickly, "Qing law is ultimately not as good as Your Majesty's decree. Being young is not a problem, and the duties of the Supervisory Council are not a problem. If it weren't for this, how would I dare say that it is an unparalleled reward?"

The Emperor curled the corners of his lips and smiled, waving his hand, "This matter doesn't need to be discussed further. I… will not allow it."

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The Emperor's words were final, and Scholar Hu had to retreat, but there was no other expression on his face.

The Emperor squinted at the bottom, and found that Scholar Hu and Shu Wu had exchanged glances, and knew that this old guy, Shu Wu, had received advance notice, and he immediately guessed why Scholar Hu would take the opportunity to make such an absurd proposal today.

"Talent… Anzhi is indeed talented."

Because the ability that Fan Xian had shown was too amazing, the civil official system would always be wary when Fan Xian was in the Supervisory Council. They were more willing to separate Fan Xian from the Supervisory Council and throw him back into the warm embrace of the civil officials. After all, Fan Xian was wearing the hat of a poet immortal, and he was vaguely the leader in the hearts of the young scholars in the world. For Hu and Shu, the heads of the civil officials, accepting Fan Xian wasn't a difficult thing to do.

Scholar Hu and Scholar Shu were people who cherished talent and understood the situation. They could naturally see His Majesty's arrangements for the future, but they were a little unwilling to see Fan Xian, this bright pearl, thrown into the darkness of the Supervisory Council. Whether it was from the perspective of the civil official system's own safety, or for Fan Xian's sake, they wanted to dig Fan Xian over.

Although it was a bit early to bring it up now, Scholar Hu had already seized this rare opportunity, showing the sincerity of the civil official system, and starting to lay the groundwork in terms of public opinion many years in advance.

The Emperor of Qing Kingdom had always been more tolerant of these little thoughts of his ministers, and didn't care much. On the contrary, from this matter, he felt more and more that this illegitimate son of his… had brought glory to the royal family.

The Emperor felt proud in his heart, maintained a calm expression, and looked with complex eyes at Fan Jian, the Minister of Revenue, his son's nominal father, who had been silently standing in the ranks all along.