Chapter 5, I am more wronged than Dou E

Ye Tian coldly snorted and sternly shouted: "Do you not know your crime?"

The beads of sweat on Li Jin's forehead flowed down in torrents. Good heavens, I have resigned from my official position, yet I still have to pay a resignation fee of one million taels of silver. What kind of world is this? Woe is me

He took a preconceived notion and firmly believed that someone like Li Jin, who was full of greed, was nothing but a great corrupt official, embezzling his money and causing him, the emperor, to be poorer than even a beggar

Isn't this leap in thinking too rapid? Li Jin found it somewhat difficult to keep up, hesitating and cautiously responding: "In reply to Your Majesty, apart from the salary I am entitled to... there is only the hundred acres of fertile land bestowed by Your Majesty..."

Ye Tian's mind was filled with thoughts of shiny silver, and he hardly paid attention to what he was saying. He believed that food made in ancient times, without MSG, chicken essence, soy sauce, and various other seasonings, could not compare to the deliciousness of modern cuisine

Li Jin replied: "In response to Your Majesty, my younger sister is newly widowed and resides at home. She is skilled at cooking delicious dishes. I..."

In order to compel Li Jin to confess, he emphasized: "Confessing will lead to leniency, while resisting will result in severe punishment. If you do not wish for your entire family to be executed and your nine generations to be punished, you should honestly confess. I will take into account your hard work over the years and will be lenient in my judgment"

He gritted his teeth and said: "You are full of gluttony, yet you dare to speak of integrity and honesty"

Ye Tian mockingly laughed, "Damn it, I am a broke emperor!"

Li Jin, do you know your crime?" Ye Tianhan stood up with a stern face, slammed the table, and shouted angrily. These account books were like a celestial script to him; he was too lazy to read them and had neither the time nor the patience to do so. He could only resort to intimidation.

He was calculating in his mind that if Li Jin indeed embezzled the national treasury's silver and honestly confessed, he would receive a lighter punishment, sparing him from death. However, he would be heavily fined for the silver, which would leave him with a sum of money to use.

Under the wrath of the Dragon Countenance, Ye Tian ordered Li Jin to bring all the account books from the past two years, as he wished to personally review them. If any embezzlement by Li Jin were discovered, he would annihilate his family and seize his property

Ye Tianyi was taken aback. How old could this guy be? In his forties, which is the peak of a man's life, he looked radiant and healthy. Aside from being a bit overweight and having some books, what illness could he possibly have? Realizing the reason behind it, he couldn't help but curse: "What the hell, pulling this kind of stunt on me?"

Get up." Seeing Li Jin's calm expression, as if he truly had not embezzled, he waved his hand to let him rise, feeling a bit disappointed in his heart, as he actually hoped that Li Jin had embezzled.

Looking at the thick stacks of account books, Ye Tian felt his eyes darken and his head swell several times over. Damn it, how long is this going to take? The worst part is that all the characters are in traditional Chinese, making them difficult to read. There are many characters he cannot understand, and to make matters worse, all the numbers are in uppercase. Income and expenses are all mixed together. If he were to finish reading this, he would probably end up spitting blood and collapsing.

The dignified ruler of a nation is, in fact, a destitute wretch even worse off than a beggar? ... This is quite the joke ...

This tyrant has no idea what kind of absurd scheme he is concocting, actually intending to label himself with the crime of corruption, leading to the confiscation of property and extermination of families. Serving under such a ruler is akin to accompanying a tiger. It seems prudent to retire early to avoid being unjustly accused one day, resulting in the loss of one's head

Your Majesty, I, the minister, am wronged. I guarantee with my head that I have not embezzled or misappropriated even half a tael of the treasury's silver. Since I took office as the Minister of Revenue, I have remained loyal and diligent, without misappropriating or embezzling even half a tael of treasury silver. I have conducted myself with integrity and propriety, and when I speak, I do so with confidence and justification.

Heavens, how did I end up involving my little sister in this? ... Li Jin's forehead was already beaded with sweat, and he wished he could slap himself. The foolish ruler was greedy for wine and lustful, unable to resist beautiful women. If he were to take a liking to my little sister, it would be disastrous

He chuckled and said: "Li Aiqing wishes to retire to his hometown? Very well, if you pay one million taels of silver, I shall graciously grant you permission to retire to your hometown"

"Your Majesty, I do not know what crime I have committed?" Li Jin, terrified, quickly knelt down on the ground, his face pale and devoid of blood, large beads of sweat rolling down from his forehead, and the flesh all over his body trembling.

He casually asked, "How much property does the family have?"

He does not know what crime he has committed to provoke such wrath from the Emperor, the divine will is unpredictable, the divine will is indeed unpredictable, this is dire, if things go awry, his entire family may face extermination, and his nine clans may be punished as well

Ye Tian said coldly: "Li Jin, you have been the Minister of Revenue for several years now, haven't you?"

Upon thinking of this, he bowed to the *picture* book and said: "Your Majesty, the old minister's old ailment has recently recurred, and I am not feeling well. I fear I can no longer alleviate Your Majesty's worries. I humbly request Your Majesty's grace to allow the old minister to retire to his hometown to recuperate."

Li Jin couldn't help but open his mouth wide, as the Emperor actually... ? ... actually used profanity

Kneeling on the ground, Li Jin replied: "In response to Your Majesty, as of today, I have served as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue for four years, six months, and eighteen days."

Thank you, Your Majesty. He got up from the ground, continuously wiping the beads of cold sweat from his forehead, pondering to himself that fortunately, over the years, he had been upright and incorruptible, and had not dared to misappropriate even half a tael of the national treasury's silver; otherwise, it would have been disastrous

Wronged? Ye Tian does not believe it at all. You, with your body full of fat, must weigh over 300 pounds; this is how corrupt officials generally look, with their bellies full of gluttony.

With a snap, he closed the account book, startling the Minister of Revenue, Li Jin, who stood beside him, causing him to shiver and his entire body to tremble with fat.

"Hey, you seem to remember the date quite accurately," Ye Tian said with a cold smile. "Tell me, how much silver have you embezzled over these four years?"

Ye Tian kept his eyes fixed on his gaze, noticing that when he met his own eyes, there was not the slightest hint of hesitation. He couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt in his heart. Could it be that he was truly mistaken?

"I do not know what crime I have committed?" In a state of extreme panic, Li Jin instead became calm. He was also a seasoned figure in the officialdom, aware that one cannot escape fate, whether it be misfortune or fortune. He decided to first observe what the Emperor had seized upon as his fault before responding.

Li Jin was left speechless. Am I not just a bit overweight from eating too much? Why label me with the crime of embezzlement? Oh, foolish ruler, indeed a great fool.

So this is how it is, Li Jin quietly took a breath, suddenly collapsed onto the ground, and began to cry loudly, "Your Majesty, I am wronged. Since I took office as the Minister of Revenue, I have been diligent and conscientious, loyal to my duties, and have maintained integrity and honesty. I have never dared to misappropriate even half a tael of treasury silver. Your Majesty, I am wronged. I implore Your Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly."

Is that all? Ye Tian rubbed his nose vigorously and said, "You really can eat..."

Mother, my brother is the true dragon son of heaven, the supreme ruler, possessing all the treasures, gold, silver, jewels, and beauties in the world. This is what is said, yet my brother is poorer than even a commoner