Published: March 7, 2025
CHAPTER 232: This is a Great Gift!
“What on earth happened?” Tie Butian’s face was as pale as water.
“This…” All the kneeling ministers dared not speak, only bowing their heads repeatedly like pounding garlic: “We are guilty! We deserve to die a thousand deaths…”
“Who will tell me! What happened?” Tie Butian slowly rose from his dragon chair, his gaze as cold as ice.
“Actually, it’s not a big deal.” The old chancellor of Iron Cloud, Huangfu Mingjing, stroked his beard. He was one of the few standing and calmly stated: “Your Majesty, it is that Chu Imperial Seat has sealed the Ministry of Revenue, arrested Lian Chenggui, and the Ministry’s accounts are currently under investigation by the Butian Pavilion…”
“This matter, Chu Imperial Seat has already issued the king of hell’s order: to investigate thoroughly! Whoever is found, arrest them! Whoever is caught, kill them!” The last few words of the old chancellor were said in a chilling tone, clearly carrying a sense of glee; this made the faces of all the kneeling ministers turn even paler.
“But… what does the Ministry of Revenue’s accounts have to do with them?” Tie Butian looked in shock at the dozens of people kneeling before him, and the more than a hundred who were mysteriously absent today, suddenly feeling dizzy and swaying slightly.
Among them were those from the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Rites, Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of War…
“In recent years… it seems that everyone has not been very prosperous, so, cough…” Huangfu Mingjing coughed lightly, slowly saying: “As a result, many officials have set their sights on the national treasury, and the treasury… is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue. Thus, everyone’s lives suddenly became better. Moreover, afterwards, as long as Lord Lian used his means, cough, to erase it… everything would be fine…”
Huangfu Mingjing seemed to speak with a sense of helplessness, but his words were sharp and merciless!
“And now, for some unknown reason, the Chu Imperial Seat has learned of these matters…” Huangfu Mingjing cautiously explained: “So… um, I heard the Imperial Seat flew into a rage… the Butian Pavilion raided thirty-five households last night…”
Tie Butian’s face turned pale: “Could it be that regarding the national treasury… these people were all involved?” His fingers trembled as he pointed at the mass of ministers kneeling before him.
The ministers did not dare speak, trembling as they knelt, their foreheads pressed tightly to the ground.
Seeing this situation, Tie Butian swayed again, suddenly closing his eyes in a painful headache.
He did not blame Chu Yang, not at all!
But he felt heartbroken! Inexpressibly heartbroken!
The court… what kind of place is it? It is the dream of scholars from all over the world; local officials might spend their entire lives without standing here, not even for a moment!
It could be said that: On the Golden Hall, are the true pillars of Iron Cloud Nation!
This is the foundation of the entire Iron Cloud Nation! If this place is rotten, then Iron Cloud is rotten at its core! And in these years, it has been the most difficult time for Iron Cloud! We should have weathered the storm together, yet unexpectedly, one is more ferocious than the other in undermining the nation’s stability!
After hard cultivation, what has emerged is a bunch of pests!
“You… good! Very good! Very good indeed…” Tie Butian gritted his teeth, nodded, his face dark purple, suddenly breaking into a sorrowful and furious laugh: “Ha… indeed! You are truly the pillars of my Iron Cloud! The talented ones!”
He had always known that the national treasury issue was serious; he had been thinking that after ascending the throne, he would find a reason to thoroughly investigate.
No matter how serious it was, it was just a few officials. At most, it would involve a dozen or twenty, and that would already be sensational!