klisemfg Chapter 310: The Accounting System for Income and Expenditure? Investigating Corruption?
Chapter 310: The Accounting System for Income and Expenditure? Investigating Corruption?
Zong Yu suddenly shouted, straightened up abruptly, and strode out of the ranks with a face full of grief and indignation.
"The Immortal Master's ingenious skills are indeed astonishing, but today, even at the cost of my life, I will impeach the Immortal Master Zhang Fan! I will impeach him for being unworthy of his position! I will impeach him for embezzling public funds, engaging in massive corruption, and wreaking havoc on the Qin Dynasty's treasury!!!"
Upon hearing this, the ministers, who were still in shock, immediately gasped in astonishment.
Corruption?
This is a serious crime!
Before Ying Zheng could speak, Zong Yu suddenly waved his hand and shouted towards the outside of the hall:
"Bring it up!"
With the sound of wooden wheels rolling, several doctors directed the eunuchs outside the hall to push three large carts full of heavy bamboo slips into the Qilin Hall.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Bundles of bamboo slips were smashed in the center of the main hall, raising a cloud of dust.
The densely packed bamboo slips resembled a small mountain, giving people a strong sense of oppression.
Zong Yu pointed at the several carts of bamboo slips, his eyes bloodshot, and accused them sternly:
"Your Majesty, please look! These are all the account records between the Shangdang County Coal Mine and the Daqin Paper Mill since their inception!"
"Your Majesty's order, I, your humble servant, collaborated with the Censorate to thoroughly investigate the accounts of the Imperial Household Department, and within these mountains of ledgers, I discovered a shocking case!"
Zong Yu turned around and stared intently at Zhang Fan: "Zhang Fan! You've been using the title of Immortal Master to amass wealth! After several imperial censors and I worked day and night to calculate, the accounts for the coal mine and paper mill don't match at all! There's a staggering deficit of several million coins!"
"Several million coins! Enough to equip tens of thousands of Qin cavalry with funds, and they've vanished without a trace! Zhang Fan, what explanation do you have?!"
Several civil officials, who had colluded beforehand, immediately knelt down and shouted in unison, "We second your proposal! Zhang Fan's embezzlement and corruption are of an appalling scale! According to Qin law, he should be executed. We beg Your Majesty to severely punish this corrupt official to restore order to the court!"
The situation inside the main hall reversed instantly!
The officials from powerful families, who had been in despair, suddenly had their eyes light up!
No matter what kind of miraculous methods you use, no matter what kind of papermaking or printing you have, as long as you're associated with the words "massive corruption," even the King of Heaven himself would be skinned alive in front of Qin Lu!
"No wonder the immortal master has created so many businesses; it turns out it's all for personal enrichment!"
"A deficit of millions of dollars is simply outrageous; it's a national traitor!"
"Investigate thoroughly! This must be thoroughly investigated!"
The powerful officials and scholars jumped out in anger, wishing they could tear Zhang Fan apart on the spot.
Below the high platform.
Li Si and his eldest son Fusu, who had just returned to the court, also had drastic changes in expression, and their palms were suddenly covered in cold sweat.
Fusu, in a panic, lowered his voice and said to Li Si, "Prime Minister, my teacher regards money as dirt, and even gives away the finest glassware casually. How could he possibly covet a mere half-ounce coin from Qin? This must be a frame-up by Zong Yu and the others!"
Li Si frowned, his face extremely grim, and shook his head: "My lord, this old minister naturally knows that the Immortal Master would not be greedy. But the problem is... those are several cartloads of uncollectible debts!"
The Qin Dynasty's accounting methods were extremely primitive, also known as "running accounts" or "inflow and outflow accounts."
The various payments were mixed together, without any balance between loans or debts, and without any scientific classification.
Once someone with ulterior motives has tampered with the system beforehand, even if dozens of experienced accountants spend half a year calculating, they still won't be able to figure it out at all!
Since Zong Yu dared to bring the account book to the main hall, there must be something wrong with it!
This is a blatant conspiracy!
If the matter cannot be investigated, then the deficit of several million will have to be pinned on Zhang Fan!
On the high platform.
Ying Zheng's face was ashen as he looked at Zong Yu, who was jumping up and down, and the powerful officials from the aristocratic families who were attacking him. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.
He knew, of course, that Zhang Fan disdained to covet the copper coins of the Great Qin, but Zong Yu was using these cartloads of bad debts to force Zhang Fan to abdicate. If Zhang Fan could not prove his innocence, how could he silence the public?
"Zhang Fan."
Ying Zheng leaned back slowly on the dragon throne, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "Faced with the impeachments from the Imperial Household Department and the Censorate, do you have anything to say?"
All eyes immediately turned to Zhang Fan.
Zong Yu sneered, "Let's see how you resolve these huge debts!"
however.
Faced with overwhelming accusations, Zhang Fan showed no panic whatsoever. Instead, he walked slowly to the carts of bamboo slips as if he were looking at a fool.
He casually picked up a scroll of bamboo slips, glanced at the rambling, disorganized account, then tossed it back into the carriage with a "thud," unable to suppress a chuckle.
"this one?"
"So, after all this time, your trump card is to use this kind of sordid account to investigate me?"
Zhang Fan dusted off his hands, his eyes filled with helplessness:
"I was originally going to leave you some shreds, but since you insist on auditing the accounts..."
"Alright! I'll play with you guys today!"
Zhang Fan turned around, bowed slightly to Ying Zheng on the high platform, his expression calm, and said in a clear voice:
"Your Majesty, since Minister of the Imperial Household Department insists that there is a deficit of several million in these accounts, I request that after court today, I personally review these accounts to prove my innocence!"
Upon hearing this, a hint of anticipation flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes.
He knew that Zhang Fan never fought unprepared battles, and since he dared to accept the challenge in public, he must have a way to break the deadlock.
"allow!"
Ying Zheng waved his hand and gave a stern order: "After the court session, move all these bamboo slips into the side chamber of the Qilin Hall! Men, summon fifty of the most capable old accountants from the Imperial Treasury and the Minister of Agriculture, equipped with the finest abacuses, to assist the Immortal Master and be at his command to audit the accounts!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty, but..."
Zhang Fan waved his hand and refused with a light laugh, "It's just a few cartloads of uncollectible debts. There's no need for such a fuss, much less for those accountants and calculators. After court, just leave me a quiet side room. I can manage on my own with just a pen in less than half a day."
These words shocked the entire court.
Half a day?
A person?
They don't even need accountants or counting rods?
We need to sort out those huge piles of old, unresolved debts.
This is nothing short of a pipe dream!
Shao Fuzong, who was standing to the side, was taken aback for a moment, then sneered contemptuously.
"This is utterly arrogant!" Zong Yu sneered inwardly.
He managed the imperial treasury and the national treasury of Qin for most of his life, and his skills in bookkeeping and balancing were unparalleled!
These several cartloads of bamboo slips were meticulously prepared by myself and my team over several days and nights.
The income and expenditure inside are a complete mess. The deposit for buying coal, the material loss for papermaking, the monthly wages of craftsmen, and the transportation expenses are all mixed together. Moreover, the timeline has been completely shattered!
Even if Zhang Fan investigated alone after court, even if all the world's best accountants were invited to a side room and spent three months working day and night with counting rods, they still wouldn't be able to find a single clue!
You want to investigate by yourself?
They still dare to boast that it will only take half a day?
OK!
I'd like to see if you, a mere child, can even understand the "Income and Expenditure Accounting System" of the Great Qin Dynasty!
Could your bookkeeping and auditing skills possibly surpass mine?
"Since the Immortal Master is so confident, then this humble official will wait and see." Zong Yu cupped his hands in a sarcastic tone, his eyes full of schadenfreude.