Let you play a corrupt official, are you saying you want to make progress?

Chapter 31: A New Source of Wealth

Wang carefully reviewed the statements, assessed them, and then nodded approvingly, remarking, “Impressive, impressive. All are sourced from them. Qin Xuan, rephrase this account and get Sang Chong to endorse it.”

“Sure!”

“And one more thing, Sang Chong is a serious wrongdoer. We must publicly expose his transgressions by parading him through the streets. Enumerate each offense, including the women he has offended. Given his hostilities with my adversaries, let’s broadcast his crimes.”

Wang grinned, content with the success of the strategy. This time, Qin Xuan executed it admirably. With that, Qin Xuan and his nephew departed from Wang’s residence.

“Brother Qin, even though a dozen officers’ families are on this list, most are affluent merchants!” His nephew scratched his head, still puzzled.

Brother Qin had just mentioned there were only twelve. All trusted aides of the Ministry of Revenue.

In reality, there were dozens more names on the list. “That’s why my mentor wanted me to rewrite a copy,” Qin Xuan said with a smile.

His nephew was still relatively inexperienced and hadn’t grasped this level of cunning. There are no coincidences. People orchestrate some coincidences.

[Now I understand. People in ancient times valued their reputation highly. The fact that this matter hasn’t been exposed yet means the victims have deliberately kept it under wraps.].

[Exactly. If it were exposed, these families would have no chance of making future alliances or anything.].

[What’s exposure? I don’t understand!].

[Alright, let me explain it to you. The reason Wang Zhi wants Qin Xuan to expose Sang Chong’s deeds is not merely to serve as a deterrent. The crucial point lies in Sang Chong’s actions. In this way, the trusted aides of the Ministry of Revenue will be disgusted.].

[Exactly, exposing these deeds will bring misfortune to the family members of the trusted aides of the Ministry of Revenue. Wang Zhi’s methods are ruthless!].

Some netizens were beginning to understand Qin Xuan’s intentions and started to analyze the situation. After this discussion, everyone understood. “Oh, how should we write these deeds?” His nephew still didn’t quite get it.

“Of course, we should write down the facts. What Sang Chong did and the harm he caused to those families need to be documented,” Qin Xuan explained with a hidden meaning.

“But that won’t work. My wife is still in there and hasn’t done anything wrong!” His nephew immediately felt puzzled.

This couldn’t be done this way. Even if nothing is wrong, there will be issues once publicized. The common people won’t care if you’re guilty or not. As long as public opinion gets stirred up, nobody will pay attention.

“That’s why my mentor wanted me to rewrite it,” Qin Xuan patted his nephew on the shoulder. The young man still hadn’t grasped the essence of the situation.

“I see now. You mean that the victims this time are just those trusted aides of the Ministry of Revenue, right?” His nephew understood a bit.

With this information, his uncle would surely be very pleased.

“Exactly. Remember, from now on, only include the new testimonies for what Sang Chong did!” Qin Xuan emphasized.

“But there’s one more problem. The testimony has been altered. If Sang Chong finds out, will he sign it?”

“Of course, he will. The names on the testimony haven’t been added; we’ve simply removed many names from the original and told Sang Chong that the officers felt sorry for him, so they removed a few names to make him appear less wicked. He will understand that,” Qin Xuan was confident about this.

Sang Chong, a minor figure, would likely be pleased to see his diminished guilt. “So, that’s the plan. Brother Qin, you’re truly clever!” His nephew praised him genuinely.

“No, these are all your uncle’s ideas. I’m just conveying his thoughts,” Qin Xuan deflected credit.

These actions aligned with Wang Zhi’s intentions. Currently, Wang Zhi and the head of the Ministry of Revenue were locked in a fierce struggle. The head of the Ministry of Revenue had probed into Wang Zhi’s affairs, prompting Wang Zhi to retaliate by unsettling the head of the Ministry of Revenue. Though Sang Chong’s matter didn’t significantly affect the head of the Ministry of Revenue personally, it was a source of irritation, complicating his management of subordinates.

Wang Zhi’s tactics were devious. Meanwhile, a popular streamer on the internet faced a sudden downfall due to arrogance during product promotion, echoing Qin Xuan’s earlier insights.

“I can’t believe it! I used to like this streamer and bought many things from him.”

“Exactly! I thought about this guy while watching Qin Xuan’s show several days ago. The incident with Li Laoban and this streamer’s recent behavior were similar. I didn’t expect this streamer to have such a downfall now.”

[Exactly, I didn’t expect it either. He was a pretty good person, but now he’s like this.].

[Qin Xuan’s show is educational.].

[I have to admit, Qin Xuan was right before. This streamer will apologize in a few days. Of course, the apology will be just like Qin Xuan said, not admitting to the mistake but fearing that they won’t make money.].

[Qin Xuan’s show is incredible. I’d like to know if there’s anything similar to Sang Chong’s situation.].

Internet users discussed the events, finding parallels with Qin Xuan’s insights.

Qin Xuan remained unaware of the online discussions and focused on matters with Wang Zhi. Sang Chong’s case concluded, and he was publicly paraded, satisfying Wang Zhi.

“Qin Xuan, you’ve achieved another great success this time. The people’s view of the Ministry of Punishments has improved significantly. Of course, it would be even better without the Ministry of Revenue’s interference,” Wang Zhi remarked with a hidden agenda.

Qin Xuan sensed the subtlety in Wang Zhi’s words. “Mentor, I’ve heard about deliberate attempts to tarnish the Ministry of Punishments. If not for Sang Chong’s case, the Ministry’s reputation might have been ruined by the head of the Ministry of Revenue. Should we take action?” Qin Xuan inquired.

As Wang Zhi began discussing potential actions, a junior officer entered with a surprising document. “Qin Xuan, take a look at this,” Wang Zhi handed the document to Qin Xuan, revealing the Emperor’s decision to undertake a western voyage, emulating the dynasty’s founding Emperor.