Tianliangyuan

Chapter 139 Taking the blame

The Minister of Revenue never expected that after losing a vice minister this morning, another general would be added in less than an hour!

And there are new grain varieties!

This is absolutely a big deal!

Not only did the Minister of Revenue arrive, but the Minister of Agriculture and the Vice Minister of Agriculture were also summoned.

"Xu Junting, how many corn seeds are left?"

"Your Majesty, we have enough seeds to plant about ten acres of land."

This number was determined after Xu Zhaozhao and Xu Junting discussed it.

In fact, the grain seeds that Xu Zhaozhao accelerated to ripen could be enough to plant even 100 acres of land.

However, this doesn't match what Xu Junting said, since real farming doesn't yield such a high yield so quickly.

Xu Junting was specially transferred to the Ministry of Revenue as a sixth-rank official because of his meritorious service in presenting grain seeds.

Despite their numerous ranks, they wield real power.

Moreover, Xu Junting himself was not good at farming, so he simply pushed a few farmers that his sister had prepared in advance to the Minister of Agriculture, and the subsequent trial farming was carried out directly in the imperial estate.

As for the estate Xie Zheng recently bought, Emperor Yong'an will no longer pay attention to it; let him plant whatever he wants.

Xu Zhaozhao didn't dare to keep too many grain seeds. She only had someone plant one acre of corn in the newly purchased farmland. Anyway, there were still crops growing in the fields. Next year, she could plant more corn.

Xu Junting gained recognition before the Emperor because of this matter. If the corn harvest is bountiful after the autumn harvest, it will surely be a great achievement!

Because of this incident, the entire Marquis's residence was filled with joy.

Meanwhile, the Jiang residence was shrouded in gloom!

Deng Xuan was Jiang Yanping's brother-in-law. He had worked hard to become the Vice Minister of Revenue, but he lost his official position because of a farm.

Moreover, the Emperor has ordered the Court of Judicial Review to conduct a thorough investigation. Who would dare to get involved with the Deng family at this juncture?

What angered Jiang Yanping even more was that, despite such a major incident, the Deng family had not yet taken timely action to clean up the mess, and he had heard that there were also hidden households in their ancestral estate.

"Don't you all have brains? Hurry up and resolve this matter before the Dali Temple investigates! Do you think Deng Xuan's crimes aren't serious enough?!"

The Deng family understood his meaning, but at the moment, the Deng family had no one to rely on. Some were in prison, and others were unable to support the family. That's why the Deng family sought help from Jiang Yanping.

"Fine. We're related by marriage after all, so I can't just ignore it! But this is a one-time thing. If there's a next time, I won't care if the Deng family is exterminated!"

"Yes, thank you, sir."

Jiang Yanping quickly dispatched personnel; no matter what, this case could not be allowed to escalate further.

Given Deng Xuan's current crimes, even if His Majesty were to sentence him to beheading, it wouldn't be an exaggeration.

If any other cases are brought up, the Deng family can expect to be wiped out along with their entire clan!

Xu Zhaozhao knew that the Jiang family would definitely make a move, and no matter how capable she was, she couldn't possibly withstand the Jiang family's connections and hidden power.

Therefore, as long as Deng Xuan is brought to justice this time, she will have made a profit.

After arranging for someone to leave, Jiang Yanping called his eldest son to the study to talk.

Jiang Wenhe has been quite pessimistic lately.

Having lost the official position he had worked so hard to obtain, and since he hadn't entered officialdom through the proper imperial examinations, he was now a commoner and naturally felt inferior, so he didn't even want to leave his house.

"Look at you, so useless! How could our Jiang family have raised such a good-for-nothing!"

Jiang Wenhe had his head down, so his expression was not visible, but he exuded a very dejected aura.

"Alright, let's talk while sitting down."

Jiang Wenhe sat down and didn't react for a long time.

Jiang Yanping got a headache just looking at his performance.

This is his eldest son, on whom he has placed great hopes!

"Temporary success or failure is nothing. Moreover, the reason you were dismissed this time was only because of some rumors, not because of your own lack of ability. After a while, His Majesty's anger will subside, and he will naturally find a way to help you regain your official position."

Jiang Wenhe's eyes flickered; he actually knew this principle too.

Just thinking about the reasons for his dismissal from office made him feel somewhat disheartened.

What's your opinion on the Deng family's situation this time?

Jiang Wenhe was, after all, the heir carefully cultivated by the Jiang family over many years. His talent and strategy were impeccable.

This time, I was caught in a trap because of a moment of carelessness.

The current troubles of the Deng family mean that the Jiang family's alliance has fallen apart, so Jiang Yanping cannot sit idly by and wait for his doom.

“Father, on the surface, it seems that the secrets of those households were exposed unintentionally, but in reality, it is clear that Uncle was being targeted. Coincidentally, the one who bought the estate was Xie Zheng. In my opinion, this matter must be a conspiracy between the Xie and Xu families to harm Uncle.”

“You don’t need to tell me this; I understand it. But all of this has been laid bare so openly that even His Majesty hasn’t blamed us. What can we say? The most crucial point is that the fact that Dengjiazhuang has hidden its residents is true, and that’s the most troublesome thing.”

Jiang Wenhe frowned: "Father, do you want to protect Uncle?"

Jiang Yanping sighed: "What else can we do if we can't protect him? He's your maternal uncle, and our Jiang and Deng families are closely related. If the Deng family is in trouble, how can our Jiang family not be affected?"

"But the matter of concealing one's household registration is already a done deal. How can Father help Uncle get out of trouble?"

"It's true that the estate is under your uncle's name, but he knows nothing about it. After all, he's an official; where would he find the time to deal with such mundane affairs?"

Jiang Wenhe's eyes lit up: "Father is right. But what about this crime?"

The key now is to determine who should be blamed for the crime!

For example, was she Deng Xuan's wife, or Deng Xuan's brother?

Deng Xuan was the eldest son of the Deng family and the head of the household. His wife was also from an official family, so it was inappropriate to attribute the blame to his wife.

That means it can only be Deng Xuan's brother.

"Father, what do you mean?"

“Your uncles, who were born out of wedlock, were originally incompetent fools. Giving them a chance to take the blame is already an honor for them. You handle this matter, Wenhe. Don’t disappoint your father again.”

Jiang Wenhe's face had regained some spirit: "Yes, Father."

In that instant, Jiang Wenhe felt he could do it again!

That confidence from years ago has returned!

It would be incredibly simple to get one of Deng's illegitimate uncles to come forward, confess his crimes, and accept punishment.

As long as his family can live peacefully and enjoy wealth and prosperity, that is enough.

With his silver tongue, Jiang Wenhe successfully persuaded one of the Jiang family's uncles. The case had only been in the Dali Temple for a day when members of the Deng family came forward to confess.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and Zhao Changqing were not fools either.

For the Deng family, this was clearly a smaller loss than losing a leisurely patriarch born out of wedlock.

Even if Deng Xuan couldn't become an official, he still had brains and connections!