Chapter 860 - 863: Entering the House
Chapter 860: Chapter 863: Entering the House
Gu Ben Can squatted down slightly to look the old lady in the eye. "Grandma Cuicui, I won’t lie to you. My oldest brother did a lot of the work, but I was right there helping him.
"If you don’t believe me, I can have someone bring the stove over here and cook it right in front of everyone."
To make things easier on the road, Jin Qianqian had specially commissioned several portable stoves made of refined iron, which were incredibly convenient to use.
"Grandma believes you," Li Cuicui said, looking at the sweat on her young grandson’s forehead. "Are you tired?"
Gu Ben Can smiled sweetly at her. "Not at all. Besides, this is to show my respect for you. No matter how tired I get, I’m willing to do it."
These words instantly delighted Li Cuicui, and any remaining misgivings she had about her grandson personally cooking in the kitchen vanished. After showering the two brothers with praise, she urged everyone to take their seats. She couldn’t wait to taste the boys’ cooking.
Although they were just simple vegetarian dishes, the cooking time and seasoning were handled perfectly, earning continuous praise from everyone. However, they had underestimated the number of people who would come freeloading, so the food was a bit lacking. Fortunately, the kitchen here had prepared in advance and quickly brought out more dishes to make up the difference.
While Jin Qianqian enjoyed an idyllic, domestic life here, Gu Wenheng plunged straight into the political arena the moment he arrived in Shangjing. Early the very next day, he entered the palace to report for duty.
Hua Zhang looked at the tall, stout Gu Wenheng standing before him. His mind wandered, thinking that if this man stood in the imperial court, anyone behind him would be completely blocked from view.
After the new emperor permitted him to rise, Gu Wenheng stood to the side.
"Gu Aiqing, recalling you from your mourning period was necessary because the Ministry of Revenue needs you to take charge. I trust you won’t let me down!"
"I will certainly do everything in my power," Gu Wenheng replied.
The ruler and minister spoke for a while longer before the Supreme Emperor, Hua Shunming, sent someone to summon him.
Gu Wenheng was speechless. He thought to himself that this father and son duo were truly a handful; it was only his first day in the palace, and they had already put him in a tight spot.
Hua Shunming was even more straightforward. After a long, rambling speech, Gu Wenheng realized that the Supreme Emperor was essentially delivering his dying words. His internal groans only intensified when he happened to glance up and noticed someone recording everything from behind a curtain. In this dynasty that never existed in history, he was actually going to be documented by a Historian. He wondered whether his future biography would be filled with praise or condemnation.
Gathering his thoughts, he listened to Hua Shunming’s comprehensive praise of him.
"I know that over the years, you have done many things for my empire that have benefited the nation and its people. You even handed over the businesses Mrs. Gu worked so hard to build to the Royal Family..."
Gu Wenheng remained silent, wondering if he really had a choice. The businesses would have been targeted sooner or later, so it was better to hand them over on his own initiative. Judging by the new emperor’s attitude toward him just now, it was probably due to the soap recipe. He had heard that the Royal Family’s merchant houses were already selling it, and presumably, the profits were quite good.
"I am old now, and the new emperor is still young. Only with capable officials like you assisting him can I rest easy..."
Gu Wenheng was speechless once more, wishing the emperor hadn’t placed so many spies around them if he really wanted to rest easy.
"There are still many problems within the Ministry of Revenue that you will need to sort out and handle gradually. I trust you won’t disappoint me.
"Now that I am old, you should just take any future matters directly to the new emperor... It is time for me to enjoy a few days of peace and quiet."
Gu Wenheng had no words.
News of his audience with the Holy Emperor, and the fact that he was summoned by two successive monarchs, had already spread everywhere before Gu Wenheng even left the palace.
Many courtiers had only heard of Gu Wenheng but had never actually met him. This was simply because, for so many years, he had been dispatched to his next posting before he ever had the chance to return to the capital for a performance report. When they inquired with acquaintances, they could only gather superficial information.
The atmosphere in the Ministry of Revenue had been exceptionally chilly these days. During their free time, the officials avoided gathering together and instead went out of their way to avoid each other. The previous Minister of Revenue, Lu Gaoning, was currently still sitting in prison. No one knew if they would be implicated, so everyone was on guard against one another. The moment the Holy Decree appointing Gu Wenheng as the Minister of Revenue was issued, their already vigilant hearts leaped into their throats.
They hadn’t managed to find out much else, but they knew Gu Wenheng was surrounded by arithmetic experts. Rumor had it that once Gu Wenheng took his seat in the Ministry of Revenue, he would know if even half a copper coin was missing. Others spread rumors that this man was ruthless, noting that the bandits who had fallen into his hands in his early years were still reclaiming wastelands, year after year, day after day. What was even more terrifying were the claims that one should offend anyone but Gu Wenheng, because he would squeeze his enemies until they had nowhere left to stand.
Because of these circulating rumors, the very moment Gu Wenheng stepped into the Ministry of Revenue, all the officials—without a single exception—were waiting in the main hall. Facing these unfamiliar faces, Gu Wenheng walked straight to the head seat and sat down, prompting the crowd to hastily bow in greeting.
Following protocol, Gu Wenheng delivered a standard opening speech before getting straight to the point. On this very day, the Ministry of Revenue was completely upended. Many old conventions were shattered one by one. A slew of new regulations, personally drafted by Gu Wenheng, were already being copied and pasted onto the walls, and he brooked no arguments against them.
When these rules were issued, the ministry officials found it somewhat unbelievable. Even when a new official took office, they would at most amend one or two rules. But he had completely overthrown all the old precedents.
The following day in the imperial court, Gu Wenheng faced a barrage of attacks from everyone. His sweeping changes didn’t just affect the Ministry of Revenue; all officials were impacted.
"Holy Emperor, Mr. Gu’s actions are simply arbitrary! He did not even consult the other ministers." Xu Yangguang was the first to step forward from the ranks. "Such reckless behavior is truly disrespectful."
"Holy Emperor, I second this.
"Even if Mr. Gu is anxious to establish a foothold in the Ministry of Revenue, he shouldn’t make a joke of the entire court.
"The Ministry of Revenue is the foundation of the state. How can it be handed over to such an arrogant fool?"
"Holy Emperor, I also second this."
"We second this as well..."
Hua Zhang raised an eyebrow as he looked at Gu Wenheng standing at the front. He, too, felt that this man had acted rather rashly. To offend the majority of the court before even securing his footing was not exactly in line with the praises his father and the others had sung.
Gu Wenheng stood his ground, glancing around the crowd with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth. This very attitude infuriated everyone, as they all deemed him an arrogant fool.
At this moment, Gu Wenheng held up his memorial with both hands. "I have a report. This contains all the expenditures and revenues of the Ministry of Revenue from recent years. Please review it, Holy Emperor."
A sneer came from someone behind him. "To think you can record all revenues and expenditures on just a single sheet of paper is far too absurd.
"Don’t tell me you merely tallied up a number that everyone already knows."
Gu Wenheng stood perfectly straight, not even bothering to turn his head.
Hua Zhang had someone take the memorial and leafed through it in front of all the courtiers, but his expression grew increasingly solemn. In the past, reading ledgers often left him dizzy and bleary-eyed; he had never scrutinized such a massive pile of figures so carefully.
Yet here, simple and clear itemized expenditures and revenues had been drawn out on a single sheet of paper by Gu Wenheng using a charcoal pencil. Hua Zhang even thought that with such a simple and straightforward account, anyone who could read would be able to understand it.
Seeing that the numbers on the paper did not match what he had previously received, Hua Zhang felt the urge to drag Lu Gaoning out of prison just to show him how real accounting was done—and to demand a thorough explanation for those glaring discrepancies.