Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 787 - 623 Borrowed

The Third Prince looked at his father, the Emperor, whose face showed anger, and swallowed his saliva, fearing today would go badly.

"Is this?" Tong Shunmin glanced at the Third Prince, his hesitant demeanor further fueling the Emperor’s rage.

"Could it be that you embezzled the silver?" Seeing his reluctance to speak, the Emperor’s internal fury soared.

"Your Majesty, I am wronged! How dare I? It was the Third Prince who filled it in, how could I have any silver?"

Witnessing the Emperor pin embezzlement charges on him, Tong Shunmin’s liver and gall split from fear, no longer daring to conceal things for the Third Prince.

Xia Qing glanced at the Third Prince, snorted coldly, and silently thought in his heart that this person is inept.

It seemed refusing the Third Prince’s recruitment back then was the correct choice; this person surely won’t have the last laugh.

It is actually the Third?

The Emperor, overcome with anger, loudly reprimanded: "Old Third, where did the 280,000 taels of silver come from?"

How could the Emperor not be furious? His private treasury only got 200,000 taels last time from the eldest, allowing him to barely sustain himself and the real alchemy this period.

Yet the Third could easily come up with 280,000 taels of silver, indicating his treasury was far richer than the Emperor’s own.

The source of the Third’s silver was imaginable, nothing but embezzlement and tributes from his subordinates.

Even though he was not yet the Crown Prince, these people paid tribute to him, rendering the Emperor redundant in the process.

The Third Prince was nearly scared out of his wits by the roar, hurriedly stepping forward to kneel on the ground.

"Father! This matter relates to my oversight, I knew the urgency of border military supplies and could only first fill the gap myself. The 280,000 taels were borrowed, only reimbursable once this batch of weapons is remanufactured."

Previously realizing being plotted against, he, at least, came up with a strategy.

The group of scoundrels bragged before him how those weapons were highly advantageous to Da Xing’s soldiers; he also viewed the blueprints, feeling highly rational.

Wanting to complete this task commendably, receiving further praise from his father before the ministers was the plan.

Who knew this time he’d experience disaster, determined to grind those villains to powder once past each hurdle.

The Third Prince harbored hidden hate in his heart, yet remained helpless, staring vacantly between the eldest and second princes.

As for the Fourth, of course, he wouldn’t even notice. It had to be the eldest or second brother, only those two possessed such capacity.

Despite potential disbelief from his father, his justified rationale could still silence public opinion.

What were doubts and gossip in private worth? Just maintaining public composure sufficed.

Out of respect for the mother consort, his father wouldn’t punish him excessively. Unfortunately, this matter would surely lead to dissatisfaction from his father, jeopardizing the Crown Prince position.

He still needed to think of ways to please his father, otherwise all previous efforts would be wasted.

"Borrowed? From whom did you borrow? Which minister has such an abundance of silver at home?" The Emperor squinted, examining each official present, tightening their nerves.

Who dared claim that much silver at home? Even aristocratic families dared not say so!

The court prohibits officials from engaging in commerce; their family businesses managed by their wives were dubbed managing dowries—but earned silver coins were discretely transferred to themselves.

The Emperor turned a blind eye, else relying on meager salaries couldn’t even support a family’s daily needs, how to maintain such lavish lives?

Yet nobody dared bring this matter to light! Who would speak? Isn’t that courting death?

You could hear a pin drop in the hall, none daring to respond, the officials wished to bury their heads in their arms, avoiding eye contact with the Emperor.

"Speak! From whom did you borrow silver? Point it out to me."

Pointing at the Third Prince, the Emperor’s tone now mirrored his usual self compared to before.

However, the Third Prince detected the underlying anger in those words, was his father planning actual inquiry?

Panicking truly, for he couldn’t point to anyone; borrowing no silver, random attribution would stir communal resentment.

Implying the Money Shop was even more impossible, embarrassing both him and merchants, his father would unquestionably spare no lenience.

The court borrowing from merchants isn’t that just a laughing stock?

The Third Prince found himself caught in a dilemma, cold sweat pouring, yearning for rescue.

Then an unexpected voice put him deeper into a pit.

The Eldest Prince lightly stepped three times, and Bian Shengrong caught sight of the gesture.

"Your Majesty, I’ve heard the Third Prince managed to reap quite a bit from the salt permit matter, can the Third Prince explain this?"

Receiving the Eldest Prince’s signal, Bian Shengrong hurriedly exposed the scheme.

Salt tax constitutes the most crucial revenue of the court, the Emperor would never suffer interference.

The Third Prince indeed embezzled silver, albeit impeccably covered up.

Yet everyone knew, albeit lacking conclusive evidence.

But amidst the Third Prince’s disadvantage, the Emperor had already grown dissatisfied, curious about the silver’s origins.

Raising this matter, even without evidence, could seriously trouble the Third Prince.

With royals naturally prone to suspicion, surely today the Third Prince couldn’t escape this ordeal.

"Mr. Bian, please don’t speak recklessly; when have I meddled in salt permits? Mr. Bian, what’s your ulterior motive in falsely accusing me? Address it satisfactorily today, I shall not relent!"

The Third Prince’s aggressive internal stance was plain to the Emperor; knowing the Third’s nature well, he accurately identified this as guilt.

Could it be the Third Prince truly extracted considerable silver from the salt permit matter?

Glancing at the kneeling Third Prince pleading for mercy, the Emperor’s eyes held disappointment yet relief.

So be it, the Third isn’t worthy of substantial assignment, eliminating him from Crown Prince candidacy.

After appointing a Crown Prince, send those sons to their fiefdoms, out of sight, out of worry!

In reality, Bian Shengrong held no evidence, futilely trying to produce it.

"Third Prince, squirming won’t avail you, you’re well aware of your involvement in this. I aim to spare you from disgrace, further scrutiny may yet yield evidence."

The Emperor’s countenance darkened like soot, intending to fetch blueprints from the Ministry of Industry, when another official stepped forward.

"Permit your Majesty, I too have something to say."

Huo Huai Zhong, seeing the Third Prince crushed beyond recovery, grew desperate.

"Majesty! The other day concerning the massacre, the eldest prince disregarded lives, behaved negligently, treated life and death flippantly, causing innocent victims to perish wrongly. I believe the Eldest Prince is unfit for Crown Prince duties."

"Mr. Huo! That incident was indeed my negligence, I’ve recently dispatched individuals to Hejian Prefecture to collect evidence, Mr. Huo relentlessly bringing it up, to what end?"

The Eldest Prince smirked cynically, this desperate gambit from Huo Huai Zhong amused him.

If he could only mention it again, how laughable, could his trivial mistake compare to the Third’s grave misstep?