Transmigrated as the Emperor, but Slacking Off - Chapter 7

It was midnight at the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The civil and military officials were lined up on both sides of the crimson steps. Outside the doors, some ministers were still trotting in, straightening their caps and robes as they arrived.

“I don’t know what came over His Majesty today, actually taking the initiative to hold an evening court session.”

“Exactly. I only got the news half an hour ago. I scrambled out of my warm blankets and rushed here as fast as I could. Luckily, I wasn’t late.”

The officials in their purple and crimson robes whispered among themselves.

In the ranks of the military officers on the other side, Wu Jing nudged Ning Wujie with his elbow. “Wujie, how did you know I wouldn’t be able to leave so soon? You even gave me a month’s grace period on the transfer orders. Sure enough, the military supplies still haven’t been gathered.”

“I don’t know what those people in the Ministry of Revenue are even doing,” he muttered.

Ning Wujie lowered his eyelids, his gaze dark. “Just a guess,” he said flatly.

“I just don’t know if Hantie Pass can wait that long,” Wu Jing added, his voice thick with anxiety.

Ning Wujie secretly clenched his fist. The thought of his father, brother, and comrades struggling to hold the border filled him with burning worry.

He couldn’t afford to let the investigation move at a snail’s pace. While peeling back the layers of a mystery might eventually reveal the truth, Hantie Pass was out of time.

Earlier in his investigation, he’d already formed some suspicions. Suppressed alongside the military supply memorials were others, such as the relief funds for the Huainan floods and petitions to waive taxes for prefectures like Guangling. Although some insignificant memorials were mixed in to muddy the waters, every document involving a major oversight concerned money and grain.

He had a theory. If he wasn’t mistaken, he would see the results after today.

As the cry “His Majesty arrives!” echoed through the hall, an azure figure stepped through the threshold.

Ning Wujie looked toward the sound. He saw the newcomer was, as usual, without a crown. His dark hair was loosely gathered, and his azure robe trailed along the floor, making him look elegant and ethereal.

Even though he stood among the crowd of officials, a fair distance from the Emperor, he still felt as if a breeze had carried that familiar fragrance directly to him.

I must be poisoned by that incense. Dammit.

He secretly clenched his fist.

Wen Xing walked slowly up the dais, appearing as languid as a crane nesting in the clouds. He leaned crookedly against the Dragon Throne, still maintaining his signature lack of proper posture.

The officials knelt in unison, their voices thundering “Long live the Emperor!”

Wen Xing scanned the crowd. “Rise.”

“Before we begin, I have something to say. There are three things that shall not be discussed during this session.”

“Do not discuss restoring the morning court, do not discuss the power of red-ink commentary, and do not impeach Ning Wujie. Otherwise, it will be treated as defiance of an imperial decree.”

Hearing this, Ning Wujie looked at the Emperor on the high seat in surprise.

How did this tyrant know the officials were going to impeach me?

In truth, he had rarely read memorials to Wen Xing lately for the simple reason that half of them were attacks against him. But he had never mentioned this to the “faint-hearted tyrant.”

Yet, the Emperor had cut off the paths of those censors the moment he opened his mouth.

You actually… cherish me this much?

The censors, who had been bracing themselves to speak at length, instantly lost their momentum. The tyrant favors male beauty; what can we possibly do?

Only Wu Jing had the look of a man who had seen through the world’s secrets.

Heh, Wujie is the apple of His Majesty’s eye. He’s afraid Wujie might melt if he holds him too tight—of course he wouldn’t let these censors attack him.

As expected of His Majesty. One sentence and everyone’s mouths are shut. He might be a tyrant, but at least he’s openly good to Wujie. It counts as a form of protection.

Wen Xing looked down at the court. Seeing the ministers with their heads bowed, he smirked and said leisurely, “Begin.”

Following the court protocol, once the Master of Ceremonies finished the announcements, a minister stepped forward.

“Your Majesty!”

Xu Zhongyun, the Minister of War, was the first to step out. “I have a report.”

“Shao Jian’an, a sixth-rank Secretary of the Ministry of War, has been missing since he was dismissed for investigation. The lead interrogator in this case is General Ning Wujie. As the head of the Ministry of War, I wish to ask the General for an explanation.”

Several censors silently praised Xu Zhongyun’s courage.

The court followed Xu Zhongyun’s gaze and looked toward Ning Wujie.

The youth looked straight ahead, watching the person on the high seat. He spoke with calm composure: “Shao Jian’an delayed military operations and engaged in corruption. I have already sent him to the Imperial Prisons.”

That single sentence was like a thunderclap on dry land.

“The Imperial Prisons!”

“Isn’t that under the jurisdiction of the Inspectorate?”

“Absurd! General Ning is merely a General of the Van; what right do you have to take someone to the Imperial Prisons?”

“Even if you rely on His Majesty’s favor, you cannot act so recklessly!”

Seeing the court in chaos, the young Emperor spoke in a deep voice: “Half a month ago, to facilitate the investigation, I appointed Minister Ning as the Commander of the Inspectorate.”

The officials were horrified.

The Emperor had kept this secret. Was he afraid they would interfere with the investigation? The Inspectorate reported directly to the Emperor, bypassing the three judicial offices to monitor all officials, and its appointments did not need to go through the Ministry of Personnel. This move had caught them completely off guard, leaving them no time to prepare!

They had thought the Emperor was merely acting on a whim of lust, but they never expected him to hand the Inspectorate over to Ning Wujie!

While everyone else was in a state of shock, Wu Jing only chuckled in his heart.

See? The moment Wujie is questioned, His Majesty jumps out to explain.

If this isn’t true love, then what is?

Xu Zhongyun seemed too shocked to react for a moment.

It was the Grand Tutor, Fang Bingyuan, who was the first to cry out in protest. “Your Majesty! To use the red ink is to write on behalf of Heaven; to lead the Inspectorate is to hold a sword over our heads. Now that General Ning holds both, all power is concentrated in one person.”

He paused, looking apologetically at Ning Wujie, but continued with determination: “Throughout history, the disaster of a powerful official usurping the throne has always begun this way. Your Majesty, please reconsider!”

The censors also stepped out. “We, your advisors, should offer counsel to guide the ruler. Your Majesty’s actions harm the foundation of the state. We hope Your Majesty will reconsider!”

Others kept their heads down, each harboring their own schemes. Whenever the Inspectorate got a new Commander, it was an unwritten rule that several officials would fall. The clever ones were already wondering if Shao Jian’an’s case would involve them.

Xu Zhongyun finally found his voice, speaking with shock and indignation. “Shao Jian’an merely overlooked some memorials; must he be sent to the Imperial Prisons? If this precedent is set, all officials will be walking on thin ice. How can we continue to serve the court?”

“I agree. The Imperial Prisons is a place of no return. If one ends up there just for overlooking a memorial, who will dare to be an official in the future?”

Wen Xing looked at Ning Wujie. Seeing the other’s calm expression, he smirked and asked with feigned surprise, “How does Minister Ning explain this?”

Ning Wujie stepped forward and bowed. “Your Majesty.”

“This case is not an isolated incident. After I took over the backlog of memorials, I found that every ministry had missing documents of great importance. I realized this was not a simple matter.”

“However, it would indeed be inappropriate to imprison all the officials involved just for that. Therefore, I conducted a secret investigation and found that Shao Jian’an of the Ministry of War was suspected of corruption and bribery. Only then did I imprison him for trial.”

Xu Zhongyun sneered. “Shao Jian’an is my subordinate. Everyone knows he is dirt poor. For General Ning to say he accepted bribes is the world’s biggest joke.”

Without rushing, Ning Wujie pulled the metal box from his sleeve and handed it to a eunuch to be presented to the Emperor. “This is the evidence.”

Wen Xing accepted the box with feigned curiosity. Upon opening it, he acted shocked and enraged. “Outrageous!”

He ordered the eunuch to show the tiger bone to the entire court. “They actually dared to steal from me!”

As the eunuch carried the tiger bone past the ministers, everyone who saw it was stunned.

“Could this be…”

“Isn’t this tiger bone? It’s said to be worth its weight in gold. This piece must weigh at least two ounces.”

“But this looks like it’s from the Imperial Pharmacy, Hiss. Did someone steal from the pharmacy to bribe Shao Jian’an?”

Ning Wujie carefully observed everyone’s reactions.

Xu Zhongyun looked at the tiger bone in shock, seemingly genuinely unaware. “How is this possible?”

Ning Wujie continued: “I have strictly interrogated Shao Jian’an. He said someone sent this to him anonymously specifically so he would intentionally suppress certain memorials.”

“As for the purpose” Ning Wujie paused. Under the gazes of officials who were either confused, guilty, or anxious, he spoke loudly: “It is because someone is embezzling national funds, causing the treasury to be empty. Therefore, all memorials requiring expenditures are suppressed. Once the new taxes are collected at the end of the quarter, they use the new money to fill the old gaps and cover their tracks!”

His words were like a bell ringing in an ancient temple, echoing through the vast hall.

This was a severe accusation, pointing toward a massive scandal. By ignoring requests for money and waiting for tax revenue to balance the books, they could then process the memorials and claim they had merely been “overlooked” or that the ministries were “too busy.” It was a perfect, silent cover-up.

This cycle would repeat, and to fill the gaps, who knew how many extra layers of taxes were being squeezed out of the common people?

The scene was in an uproar. The previously quiet hall was now boiling with noise.

“This is a baseless slander!”

“Shao Jian’an must be mad, trying to drag others down with him!”

The Master of Ceremonies shouted several times, “Silence!”

Fang Bingyuan was so shocked he appeared dazed. He looked at Ning Wujie. “General Ning, is this all from Shao Jian’an’s confession?”

Ning Wujie knew in his heart that a minor sixth-rank Secretary couldn’t possibly know all this. These conclusions were his own deductions.

He replied truthfully, “Shao Jian’an could not endure the torture and died without leaving a formal confession.”

Letting Shao Jian’an “die” in prison was the condition he had promised the man; it was the only way to prevent the mastermind from silencing him.

As he spoke, he swept his gaze across the faces of several ministers. Although they were seasoned veterans and their expressions were impenetrable, he still saw a fleeting shift in the eyes of a few—a clear sign of relief.

As expected,

He then shifted his tone. “However, all the tiger bone pieces came from the Imperial Pharmacy. Using inner palace property to bribe officials shows that theft within the palace is rampant. To what extent has it reached?”

“I have already arrested the head of the Imperial Pharmacy. I believe we will soon find out who he is colluding with.”

At these words, many officials turned pale with fear. The Minister of Revenue, in particular, looked grim and terrified, unable to hide it any longer.

Ning Wujie sneered in his heart.

Wen Xing said appreciatively, “Well done.”

He remained leaning against the Dragon Throne, his voice deep and languid. “Investigate. Investigate the Six Ministries and the Nine Treasuries to the very bottom.”

Realizing the case had escalated from a small piece of bone to a national crisis, the ministers dared not shout anymore. They fell silent. Some lowered their heads as much as possible, trying to disappear.

Only Fang Bingyuan still tried to advise: “Your Majesty, since there is no confession, to launch a massive audit of the national treasury based solely on a piece of tiger bone, isn’t that making a mountain out of a molehill? Such actions may fail to convince the public.”

Hearing Fang Bingyuan speak up, some officials’ eyes lit up as if they’d found a literal lifesaver. They were plotting how to push the old man further when the Emperor spoke from the high dais: “Teacher.”

Wen Xing stood up, his voice sharp with displeasure. “If it weren’t for Minister Ning ‘making a mountain out of a molehill,’ would this tiger bone ever have been found?”

Fang Bingyuan choked on his words.

“To judge the whole from a part, do you think only one piece of tiger bone has been lost from the palace?”

Fang Bingyuan: “…”

“A mere sixth-rank Secretary with a salary of only thirty taels a year could obtain a piece of tiger bone worth a thousand gold for his mother’s medicine. And he is just one man.”

The Emperor looked down at his ministers and roared, “How many Shao Jian’ans are there among you!”

The powerful words echoed through the hall. The ministers were used to a mild and elegant Emperor. Even his recent personality shift due to “illness” was mostly seen as laziness. When had they ever seen their Emperor this thunderously angry over state affairs?

Those who still wanted to put up a struggle clutched their tablets and fell silent.

The young Emperor looked at the white-haired old man and said coldly, “Teacher, if I hadn’t given Minister Ning the position of Commander and allowed him a free hand, would this case have been glossed over in a muddle, according to your ‘rule-following’ methods?”

“Over the years, how many cases that seemed small but were actually hidden national disasters has the court glossed over? Do you even dare to imagine it?”

“In chaotic times, one must use heavy penalties.”

Wen Xing now understood why the original Emperor had worked himself to death without changing the fate of the dynasty. If everything followed his teacher’s “by-the-book” logic, they would have stopped when the leads went cold, and no “maggots” would ever have been caught. It was no wonder the officials felt bold enough to embezzle so shamelessly.

Fang Bingyuan felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He finally realized the gravity of the situation and dared not speak again. He knelt tremblingly. “This old servant was pedantic.”

“Your Majesty is wise!” the officials followed, kneeling in unison.

Wen Xing’s gaze swept coldly over the crowd. He delivered another shock: “During the investigation, the Inspectorate will take over the Six Ministries and Nine Treasuries. Each ministry is to prepare to hand over their secret keys and ledgers for audit.”

The kneeling officials froze, their eyes widening in shock.

Hand everything… to Ning Wujie?!

“Are we, handing them over now?” someone asked tremblingly.

“Immediately! This instant!” Wen Xing stood and swept out of the hall.

The ministers were left dazed. Some swayed and collapsed to the floor.

It’s over, it’s all over.

Ning Wujie scanned the court. He saw shock, tension, and despair on their faces. A frost-like sneer touched his lips. The scale of the corruption was staggering.

He walked past the trembling purple robes and out of the hall.

Wu Jing caught up to him. “Wujie, wait for me!”

Ning Wujie turned back at the stone steps. Wu Jing approached with a grin and slapped Ning Wujie’s shoulder so hard it made him frown.

“Incredible! How did you wrap the Emperor around your finger? To let you take over the Nine Treasuries based on a case without even a confession!” Wu Jing shook his head in wonder. “The storybooks don’t lie.”

“Storybooks?” Ning Wujie frowned. It was one thing for the Emperor to like such things, but since when did his childhood friend pick up the habit?

Wu Jing looked around shiftily, pulled Ning Wujie into a secluded corner, and shoved a book into his arms.

Ning Wujie looked down: Secrets of the Deep Palace: The Hidden Beauty on the Dragon Bed.

His brow furrowed tightly. He had a bad feeling about this.

Wu Jing chuckled. “It’s very popular in the capital lately. I’m not usually one for storybooks, but since it’s about you, I had to take a look.”

Ning Wujie’s face stiffened.

“And let me tell you, it’s quite realistic. Seeing how much the Emperor protected you today. Tsk, tsk, it’s just like what’s written in here.”

“Shut up!” Ning Wujie covered Wu Jing’s mouth, his voice low. “Do you want to die? You dare read a book that lampoons the Emperor?”

He shoved the book back. “Burn it, quickly! And which bookstore printed this? Do they want their whole clan executed?”

Wu Jing hurried to explain. “They’re printed privately and distributed everywhere; you can’t find the source. Besides, the book uses pseudonyms and claims to be set in the previous dynasty. They wouldn’t dare name our Emperor directly.”

“But everyone knows.”

Ning Wujie rubbed his temples, looking at Wu Jing in speechless frustration before turning to leave.

“Hey, are you really not going to read it?” Wu Jing chased after him. “It’s actually quite well-written.”

“No.”

The stars were sparse over the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and the sound of their whispering gradually faded into the wind.