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墨書 Inktalez
Due to the remote location of the lake construction site, not many people noticed the commotion, especially with the cooperation of the Office of Censors. As the mist began to clear, everyone decided not to linger and moved to a more open area to converse.
"What’s going on in the palace?" Sang Qingxiao asked.
Qi Shuo detailed everything in great detail. Huo Qi laughed several times, muttering under his breath about how once a person dies, their dust returns to dust and their body to the earth. Did a lavish tomb really preserve one's body? Ridiculous; it would just turn to mud anyway. Yet they considered themselves superior, wasting resources without a care.
Qi Shuo had grown accustomed to his Old Master’s irreverent remarks and responded with a smile, saying that the Chancellor was a good official who had managed to persuade him. However, he worried that the Emperor might be impatient and keep pressing for results. The loyal Chancellor might end up compromising himself in the process, which would be problematic.
Huo Qi's smile faded as he sighed. "Shi Yun, that kid doesn’t know what selfishness is in the face of righteousness. Once we return to the capital, I’ll have a word with him. The Emperor is confused; we could easily replace him. Serving as an official is about one’s surname, not about being royal."
Coughing violently, Qi Shuo was startled by his Old Master’s words.
Sang Qingxiao interjected, "Actually, we could push out a corrupt official from the Ministry of Revenue. Doesn’t the Emperor want money? When Shang Sibian was racking his brain over accounts, he happened to discover some oversight among his subordinates and followed the clues to uncover a major rat."
In this way, there would be money available, and the Chancellor wouldn’t be implicated. The Ministry of Revenue's festering wound would be lanced early. Although Shang Sibian would be affected, his contributions in uncovering corruption would earn him some leniency from the Two Lords, resulting in only minor consequences.
Everyone was pleased.
Qi Shuo's expression shifted from joy to concern. "The Ministry of Revenue has issues? The Marquis even praised the Minister of Revenue for his capable leadership."
Sang Qingxiao shrugged it off as mere coincidence.
Qi Shuo was perceptive enough not to press further; as long as the problem could be resolved, that was all that mattered.
Just as he was about to inquire further about who the rat in the Ministry of Revenue was, his assistant Huang Qi was brought over. Noticing Huang Qi's shifty demeanor, Qi Shuo suspected he was slippery enough to spill information if questioned directly. He grabbed him by the collar and marched toward the lake. Before Huang Qi could react, he tossed him into the icy water.
A short scream escaped Huang Qi's lips before Qi Shuo pushed him down again with a swift kick. He mentally counted the seconds; he couldn't let him drown completely. Pulling him up for air only to submerge him again several times left Huang Qi's face pale from cold before Qi Shuo finally dragged him back onto dry land.
Seeing Huang Qi shivering uncontrollably, Qi Shuo offered no warmth but crouched down and said sternly, "If you don’t want to die, answer honestly. If I’m not satisfied with your answers, I’ll let you sink straight to the bottom of this lake. And spare me any curses or nonsense; the Office of Censors is quite ruthless."
"All cases that fall into our hands are serious matters," he continued. "The Emperor only cares about results; losing a few insignificant officials won’t bother him at all."
His words effectively silenced all resistance from Huang Qi. The panic from being submerged in icy water lingered in his mind as he trembled and asked, "What do you want to know?"
Qi Shuo countered with a question of his own: "Is there anything you need to tell me about this lake?"
"Uh... this is just an ornamental lake," Huang Qi stammered nervously. "We plan to plant lotus flowers and build pavilions later."
Without wasting time on idle chatter, Qi Shuo seized him by the collar again and began pulling him toward the water once more. This time Huang Qi panicked completely; he wet himself in fear while tears streamed down his face as he clutched at Qi Shuo's hand desperately.
"Please! I don’t want to die! I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Just spare my life! There’s indeed something strange about this lake; there are mechanisms at the bottom... but I have nothing to do with them!"
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