ike skinny monkeys in Li Chen's eyes.The tallest of the grass pheasants, Jing Erlang, wouldn't have exceeded 1.6 meters according to Li Chen's estimation, probably around 1.58 meters.Short in stature,...Chapter 106 The Righteous Official Guan Zhiwei

“You said that the treasury wouldn't release funds without the prince’s decree, so I tried to reason with you. The Xishan province was hit hardest by this disaster. Before, the court simply didn’t have the money, and repairing the dams could only be postponed. Now that we have funds, I request that we go together to meet His Highness, plead our case, and convince him to release the funds so that the dams can be repaired sooner, thus minimizing the suffering of the disaster victims.”

"But how do you say it You said this batch of writing is sky-high pricing, all for lining your own pockets!"

“I passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty-two and entered the service at twenty-three. Now, it has been eighteen years. I dare not say that I have worked hard and achieved great things, but I have always been diligent and never dared to have even a sliver of greed or personal gain. At least, I can be said to be incorruptible. My lifelong reputation, if you tarnish it, what face will I have to see the prince, to see my parents and fellow villagers!”

Seeing that the two were about to argue again, Li Chen's brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

"Shall we have another match"

Li Chen's chilling words caused Guan Zhiwei and Xu Changqing to calm down.

Both of them hung their heads like defeated roosters, too ashamed to speak.

Xu Changqing, Li Chen had already asked the Dongchang to investigate him before.

He possesses abilities and a decent character, making him one of the few capable individuals in the imperial court. Therefore, Li Chen's plan is to observe him for some time longer before having Xu Changqing take over the position of Minister of Revenue.

This position, in charge of the national treasury and the imperial purse, is crucial. Li Chen couldn't possibly allow someone untrustworthy to hold it.

And Guan Zhiwei, Li Chen didn't know much about him.

Having the Dongchang investigate this will also take time.

But some details are immediately apparent.

Guanzhiwei's only remaining boot was worn and battered, clearly a testament to its years of constant use. His other foot was clad only in a sock, which though clean, was also faded and well-worn. It was evident that his life had not been one of ease.

Thus, Li Chen's anger subsided somewhat.

"Bring me the work department's approval."

Guan Zhiwei, seeing this, immediately took out the official document and respectfully presented it to Li Chen's desk.

He used half a tooth, with a leaky sound, to explain: "Your Highness, this time it's mainly about repairing the two embankments that are still holding. Your humble servant went to the site personally and saw that the water was almost level with the embankments. The embankments were under immense pressure, with cracks and leaks everywhere. Right now, they're relying on nearby soldiers and disaster victims to repair them spontaneously."

"But if there is no complete overhaul and reinforcement, a dam breach is only a matter of time."

"If these two dams were to break, the floodwater would inundate at least four or five hundred miles, three county towns, dozens of villages, and the lives and property of over a hundred thousand people. Everything depends on these two dams."

Li Chen looked closely, his mood growing heavier with each passing glance.

The situation is indeed as Guan Zhiwei said, once these two dams are breached again, the already worst-hit Xishan Province will likely be completely submerged.

“This report is quite detailed, but eighty thousand taels of silver”

Xu Changqing immediately chimed in, "Exactly! I also found these numbers outrageous. Those two dams were built over three years by the previous administration. After reviewing the Ministry of Finance's records, I found that they only cost a total of 300,000 taels of silver. Now he wants to repair them for 800,000 taels! How can this be explained"

Guan Zhiwei was furious. He pointed at Xu Changqing's nose and shouted, "You good-for-nothing! Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand! During the past three years of Daxiang's reign, the country has been prosperous and peaceful with abundant harvests. What were the prices like back then And what are they like now"rmented by Li Chen's relentless questioning. He looked at King Ning and Wu Yong, but both of them had somber expressions. Wu Yong even turned his head away, giving him no indication of his feelings. A...