Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 341 cannot be generalized

Jiang Zhen cleared his throat and slowly said:

"The Hundred Tribes of Nanyue are nominally under the command of the Alliance Leader, but in reality, each tribe is autonomous and none of them submit to the others."

The alliance leader is just a figurehead; the real power lies with the leaders of the major tribes.

The three largest tribes were the Black Water Tribe, the White Miao Tribe, and the Golden Tooth Tribe.

The three departments are engaged in open and covert struggles, with none willing to concede to the others.

Lin Chen nodded: "Is it possible that they will join forces and invade Dayan?"

"It's unlikely." Jiang Zhen thought for a moment: "The conflicts between the three departments are very deep. They have been fighting for hundreds of years. It's not something that can be resolved overnight."

Moreover, they each act independently, and none of them can command the others. As long as there is no internal strife within Dayan, they dare not act rashly.

Lin Chen's eyes flickered slightly: "So, do you think things are chaotic inside the Great Yan Kingdom right now?"

Jiang Zhen was taken aback for a moment, then said, "With Your Highness here, the Great Yan will not be in chaos."

Lin Chen smiled and raised his wine cup: "Lord Jiang, you are a smart man."

Jiang Zhen quickly raised his wine cup: "Your Highness is too kind."

The two clinked glasses.

After the banquet ended, Lin Chen returned to the backyard.

Lan Fenghuang was making tea when she saw him come in. She handed him a cup and asked, "How is it?"

Lin Chen took the tea, took a sip, and said, "Not bad, you're quite good at talking."

Lan Fenghuang asked, "Did he embezzle?"

"What do you think?" Lin Chen smiled. "Having spent fifteen years in the Southern Territory, commanding an army of 100,000, how could he not be greedy at all?"

Lan Fenghuang blinked: "So what do you plan to do? Do the same as Zheng Zhitong?"

"It's different." Lin Chen shook his head.

"Zheng Zhitong was a collusion between soldiers and bandits, undermining the foundation of the dynasty's fortune. Jiang Zhen was different."

He stayed in the southern border for fifteen years, and everything was peaceful without any natural disasters or public grievances.

Even if he's corrupt, as long as it's not excessive, a warning is enough. But if you really take action against him, a massive uprising of 100,000 men would be a real problem.

Blue Phoenix seemed to be deep in thought.

Lin Chen leaned back on the soft couch, stretched, and placed his hand on her leg, idly stroking it.

"In a couple of days, I plan to go to Nanzhao to take a look, just the two of us."

Lan Fenghuang was taken aback: "Nanzhao? What would we do in Nanzhao?"

"What, don't you want to go back and take a look?" Lin Chen said with a smile.

Blue Phoenix fell silent.

Nanzhao, the sacred temple, the high priest...

Lin Chen held her hand and said softly:

"It wouldn't be right to pass by and not go back to visit. If you don't want to go back, then forget it."

Blue Phoenix lowered her head and whispered, "I want to!"

Lin Chen nodded: "Okay, we won't bring Yao Yao and the others. Too many people would be troublesome. Just the two of us."

Blue Phoenix hummed in agreement.

……

The next morning, Yenching University sent a report:

"My lord, the investigation is complete."

Lin Chen took the file, opened it, and smiled.

Jiang Zhen did indeed embezzle, but not much.

Over the course of fifteen years, he embezzled approximately 500,000 taels of gold—no more, no less.

Jiang Zhen's method of corruption was clever—he neither withheld tax revenue nor deducted military pay.

Instead, they obtained more money from the imperial court by falsely reporting military achievements and embezzling military funds.

The reported battle achievements each year were always one or two tenths more than the actual ones.

The imperial court allocated 10-20% more in rewards and pensions.

The imperial court didn't care about this small amount of money, and Jiang Zhen was insignificant to them.

With steady and persistent effort, over fifteen years, he accumulated 500,000 taels of silver.

Lin Chen closed the file and said to Yan Da:

"Go and invite Lord Jiang here."

Jiang Zhen arrived quickly, a smile on his face as he entered.

But when he saw the scroll in front of Lin Chen, his smile froze.

He's a smart man; he knew what it was all about at a glance.

Lin Chen got straight to the point:

"Lord Jiang, you have served in the southern border for fifteen years, and your contributions are considerable."

But I've also investigated and found out about your false reporting of combat achievements and embezzlement of military funds.

Jiang Zhen's expression changed, but he didn't panic.

He paused for a moment, then said:

"Your Highness, please understand that this humble general did indeed embezzle some silver."

But I swear to God that I have never withheld a single penny of military pay or embezzled a single penny of tax revenue.

That money was all extra money that I, your humble servant, demanded from the imperial court.

Lin Chen nodded: "I know, otherwise you wouldn't be standing here talking right now."

Jiang Zhen's forehead was covered in sweat, but his back remained straight.

Lin Chen looked at him and said slowly:

"You've spent fifteen years in the Southern Territory; even if you haven't achieved anything great, you've certainly put in the effort. You can take this money; I won't pursue the matter."

Jiang Zhen was stunned for a moment, then knelt down with a "thump":

"Your Highness's kindness is immense, this humble general..."

"Don't thank me yet, I haven't finished speaking." Lin Chen waved his hand.

"We won't pursue the money issue, but there are two rules you have to abide by."

Jiang Zhen looked up: "Your Highness, please speak."

Lin Chen held up one finger: "Not a single penny of the taxes from Nandu City can be reduced, and not a single penny of the military pay can be embezzled."

Jiang Zhen said, "This subordinate understands."

Lin Chen raised his second finger:

"Take out a portion of the money you embezzled to build roads, establish schools, and support the elderly and orphans. The people of Nandu City cannot take the blame for you."

Jiang Zhen was stunned.

He thought Lin Chen wanted him to return the money, but he didn't expect that Lin Chen wanted him to take out a portion of it for charity.

He opened his mouth, "Your Highness, this..."

Lin Chen narrowed his eyes: "What? You can't bear to part with it?"

Jiang Zhen came to his senses and shook his head repeatedly:

"Of course! Your Highness, rest assured, this humble general will certainly comply!"

Lin Chen got up, walked over to Jiang Zhen, and helped him up.

"Rise! You have spent fifteen years in the southern border, guarding the frontier and preventing Nan Yue from setting foot in Dayan. The court remembers this merit, and His Majesty remembers it."

Jiang Zhen stood up, his eyes a little red.

He spent fifteen years in the southern border region, braving wind and rain, fighting countless battles against the Southern Vietnamese, and losing many brothers in the process.

He embezzled some of the reward money given by the imperial court, but in his heart, he felt he deserved the armor.

Lin Chen patted him on the shoulder:

"Alright, stop acting like a girl. Come on, let's go have a drink."

Jiang Zhen quickly wiped his face and followed Lin Chen outside.

That evening, Lin Chen hosted a banquet and specially invited Jiang Zhen.

After a few rounds of drinks, Jiang Zhen got drunk and started talking more, slapping the table as he told Lin Chen about the battles he had fought in the southern border.

"Your Highness, you don't know, that year the Blackwater tribe launched a major invasion, and I led 30,000 brothers to defend for seven days and seven nights."

By the time reinforcements arrived, only 800 of the 30,000 brothers remained.

Those eight hundred men, all wounded, not one of them retreated.

Lin Chen listened and raised his glass: "A toast to those brothers."

Jiang Zhen was taken aback, then picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Wine spilled all over my face; I couldn't tell if it was wine or tears.

Night fell, and the banquet ended.

Lin Chen stood in the courtyard, looking at the moon in the sky.

Liu Shengxue came out of the house and draped an outer robe over him: "Aren't you going to sleep yet?"

Lin Chen smiled and said, "I can't sleep."

Liu Shengxue stood beside him, also looking up at the moon.

Lin Chen suddenly asked, "Liu Sheng, what do you think of Jiang Zhen?"

Yagyu Yuki thought for a moment:

"He's a smart man. He knows what kind of money he can be greedy for and what kind he can't. He knows when to bow his head and when to stand up for himself."

"He is indeed smart!" Lin Chen nodded. "But more importantly, he has a bottom line. He can be greedy for money, but he won't cut military pay."

"They might exaggerate their battle achievements, but they wouldn't risk soldiers' lives for credit. Such people are more useful to keep alive than to kill."

Liu Shengxue seemed to be deep in thought, paused for a moment, and then asked, "What about Zheng Zhitong?"

Lin Chen laughed: "Zheng Zhitong? He has no bottom line. Keeping that kind of person around is just a menace."

The two stood in the courtyard for a while, until the moon climbed high overhead, illuminating the courtyard brightly.

Lin Chen stretched, put his arm around Liu Shengxue's waist, and walked back.

"Phoenix and I are going to Nanzhao tomorrow, so I'll spend some quality time with you tonight."

Liu Shengxue leaned on Lin Chen's shoulder and softly hummed in agreement.