The Minister of Revenue retorted, "Your Highness Prince Zhao, you are mistaken. If loyalty can only be secured by material incentives, what if others offer even greater rewards? Wouldn't they then defect to others?"
Jiang Cihe said displeasedly, "When did I ever suggest bribing them with incentives? Providing them safeguards is merely to alleviate their worries, allowing them to serve Great Chu wholeheartedly."
The Minister of Revenue snorted, "Your Highness Prince Zhao makes it sound easy, but Great Chu isn't solely reliant on these individuals for loyal service. If we grant them additional benefits, what will others think? Moreover, where will the treasury find the funds to support so many people?"
...
Listening to their endless bickering, Meng Shuping was getting drowsy. He discreetly stifled a yawn when no one was looking. "Ugh, did they bring me here just to listen to them argue? Honestly, what's there to argue about? Why not just send people who will work hard without needing extra benefits?"
Jiang Cihe paused. Could it be that Meng Shuping had a good idea?
Seeing Jiang Cihe fall silent, the Minister of Revenue assumed he had won the argument. He stared directly at Jiang Cihe, "What's the matter? Has Your Highness Prince Zhao run out of arguments?"
Instead of answering him, Jiang Cihe turned to Meng Shuping. "Do you have any suggestions?"
Meng Shuping was taken aback. "Huh? Are you asking me?"
"State affairs of this magnitude—is it really appropriate to ask me? I'm just a nobody!"
The Minister of Revenue's brow furrowed deeply in displeasure. "Your Highness Prince Zhao, we are discussing important matters. Why ask him? Could he possibly offer any valuable advice?"
Jiang Cihe retorted, "How do you know he can't, Lord Chen? Perhaps he can raise points we haven't considered. What harm is there in asking?"
The Minister of Revenue snorted scornfully. "I refuse to believe he has any worthwhile ideas. If just anyone could come up with a solution, should I hand over my position to him?"
Hearing this, Meng Shuping snapped awake in a panic. "Whoa! Why does everyone want me to become an official? What did I do to offend him? Who'd want such a demanding, exhausting job? Not me! Honestly, isn't it better to just kick back and relax?"
The Minister of Revenue was stunned. Was that Meng Shuping speaking? Then, puzzled, he thought: regardless of whether he meant it or not, how could being an official be a foolish endeavor? Does this kid think anyone can just become an official?
Emperor Qianyou was also exasperated. What's wrong with serving the court? A young man like him—how could he lack ambition?
Jiang Cihe looked at Meng Shuping again. "If you truly have any ideas, feel free to speak up."
Meng Shuping panicked and waved his hands in refusal. "I can't do it, Your Highness! I'm not cut out for that official's job! I'm still young! No, no!"
"Asking someone my age, who's still living off my parents, to do such work—have they no conscience?"
The Minister of Revenue looked at Meng Shuping, at a loss for words. He'd only said it rhetorically—how could this foolish lad take it seriously?
Jiang Cihe couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry, Lord Chen won't recommend you for an official post. If you do have a good idea, I'll give you a raise when we return."
Meng Shuping's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Jiang Cihe smiled. "Of course."
Meng Shuping thought for a moment and said, "Aren't there many families of convicted officials? We could select from among them to serve as spies—we can find whatever type of person we need. And we can promise that if they achieve merits, their families will be pardoned. Wouldn't that save a lot of money?"
The Minister of Revenue instinctively objected. "That's a terrible idea! Can you guarantee their loyalty?"
Meng Shuping looked at him sincerely. "Didn't you say, Minister, that as long as we control their families, we can ensure their loyalty?"
When the Minister of Revenue fell silent, Meng Shuping pressed further. "And isn't this method cheaper?"
The Minister of Revenue: "..." Damn it, he actually couldn't refute that.
Seeing this, Jiang Cihe deliberately said, "Of course, if the Minister finds this method unsatisfactory, we could also consider increasing the spies' benefits."
The Minister of Revenue immediately refused. "That's impossible!"
At that moment, Jiang Cian, who was standing nearby, said disdainfully, "What brilliant idea? Those are families of convicted officials—people with criminal associations. How can we entrust such important matters to them?"
Meng Shuping couldn't help but retort, "It's the officials who were guilty, not necessarily their families."
Jiang Cian sneered, "Before the officials were caught, didn't their families also benefit from their power and influence?"
Meng Shuping said, "So isn't it perfectly fine to send them on such dangerous missions? Besides, there must be some innocent ones among them, right?"
Seeing that Jiang Cian was about to say more, the Minister of Revenue, worried Jiang Cihe would ask for more funds, quickly addressed Emperor Qianyou. "Your Majesty, I believe this young man's idea is quite sound. Since these families may not be entirely guilty, giving them a chance is not unreasonable. Moreover, the treasury truly has no funds."
Emperor Qianyou pondered for a moment and nodded. "In that case, let it be done accordingly."
And so the matter was settled.
However, recalling Meng Shuping's disdain for officialdom, Emperor Qianyou felt deeply annoyed. What's wrong with being an official? A young man should aspire to serve the court, not waste his time.
He turned to Fan Yu. "Beloved Minister, I am particularly curious—since you were the one who recommended Junior Guard Meng for the interrogation, how did you know he possessed such talent?"
Meng Shuping stared at Fan Yu in shock. "Damn him! I wondered who it was—turns out he played a dirty trick on me! Fine, fine, just don't fall into my hands! Otherwise, I'll make him regret it!"
Fan Yu tried his best to ignore Meng Shuping's inner voice and replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, I believed that Junior Guard Meng was articulate and quick-witted. Since conventional methods weren't yielding results, I thought it worthwhile to let this young guard give it a try."
Meng Shuping was exasperated. "What? He clearly had it in for me and wanted to see me make a fool of myself. How dare he twist the truth? Is he trying to deceive the Emperor? Doesn't he know that's a crime of deceiving the sovereign?"
Fan Yu's legs trembled uncontrollably. How could this novice accuse him of such a grave offense? He'd only slightly embellished the truth—how was that deceiving the Emperor?
Emperor Qianyou pretended not to hear Meng Shuping's thoughts and continued, "How did you manage to coordinate so seamlessly with Junior Guard Meng during the interrogation without prior discussion?"
Meng Shuping was even more exasperated. "Seamless coordination? Wasn't he the one causing trouble, until I couldn't take it anymore and argued with him? It was just a stroke of luck!"
"If he hadn't held me back, the interrogation would've been faster! How dare he take credit for it?"
"But you have to admit, his audacity is impressive. As someone tasked with gathering intelligence for the Emperor, he actually dares to deceive His Majesty!"
"Let me be blunt: if he's willing to deceive the Emperor over small matters today, might he collude with officials behind the Emperor's back tomorrow? Does he even aim to control the Emperor, rendering him blind and deaf?"
"In my opinion, someone so disloyal should be dismissed! Dismiss him! Dismiss him!"
The more Emperor Qianyou heard, the darker his expression grew. He no longer paid attention to what Fan Yu was saying, his mind filled with the repeated urge to "dismiss him."
Fortunately, he retained enough rationality to recognize that Fan Yu harbored no such intentions. Had Fan Yu not been sufficiently loyal, he would never have been appointed to his position.
However, as a member of the Military Hall Department, Fan Yu had no business indulging in selfish schemes. Though Emperor Qianyou had no intention of dismissing him, he resolved to sternly reprimand Fan Yu.
As Fan Yu spoke, he noticed the atmosphere growing increasingly tense. His voice gradually faded, until he fell completely silent.
Emperor Qianyou glared at him coldly. "Why have you stopped?"
Fan Yu broke into a cold sweat and dropped to his knees. "Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
Emperor Qianyou looked down at him. "What crime have you committed, Beloved Minister?"
Fan Yu, too terrified to lift his head, replied, "Your Majesty, I was too concerned with saving face and exaggerated my contributions in a moment of impulsiveness. It is true that I recommended Junior Guard Meng to interrogate the spy, but I merely suggested it—the final decision was made by His Highness Prince Zhao…"
Emperor Qianyou's expression softened slightly. If that was the case, it wasn't entirely a deception.
Meng Shuping couldn't help but inwardly refute, "A moment of impulsiveness? Who stays impulsive for that long? If not for the Emperor's wisdom, he'd still be in the dark!"
Fan Yu forced himself to ignore Meng Shuping's voice. He took a deep breath and continued, "Your Majesty, I have served in the Military Affairs Bureau for so many years, working diligently day in and day out, handling countless cases. But this time, I was unfortunately outshone by an inexperienced young guard. I couldn't help feeling a loss of face, yet I didn't want Your Majesty to think me incompetent or lose your trust. So, in a moment of recklessness, I exaggerated a little…"
Emperor Qianyou's expression softened further.
Indeed, Fan Yu had been in the Military Affairs Bureau for so long, only to be bested by a young newcomer. Feeling a loss of face was understandable, right?
And aside from anything else, when it came to loyalty, Fan Yu was still reliable.
Meng Shuping silently translated in his mind: "Oh ho, so he's telling Your Majesty: 'Old fossil, I've been in the Military Affairs Bureau for so many years—merit or not, at least I've put in the toil. How can you blame me over such a trivial matter? If you dare make me lose face, just see if I don't impulsively spill all the things you've had me investigate!'"
Fan Yu paused, seething with hatred toward Meng Shuping. Could he please stop talking nonsense?
He took another deep breath. "I thought Your Majesty wouldn't notice such a minor matter, but I underestimated Your Majesty's sharp eye. It was my arrogance."
Meng Shuping continued his translation: "Who'd have thought Your Majesty would bother with such petty nonsense? Is he that bored? I underestimated the old fossil—he's really hard to fool!"
Emperor Qianyou's lips twitched, his face expressionless. The more he listened to Meng Shuping's interpretation, the angrier he felt.
Fan Yu's cold sweat poured out uncontrollably. At this point, he no longer had the energy to resent Meng Shuping—all he wanted was to beg, "Please, for heaven's sake, stop talking! If you say any more, I might really lose my life!"
Trembling with fear, he prostrated himself. "I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness. I truly exaggerated only because I couldn't bear the loss of face."
Meng Shuping added, "Hmph, old fossil, you'd better cut me some slack. If you give me face, fine. If not, I might do something crazy!"
Fan Yu was so terrified he began to shake. He had only wanted to claim some credit—after all, Meng Shuping didn't even want to be an official, so what did it matter if he took it?
If he had known it would come to this, he would never have been so greedy for a little recognition. Now, with one misstep, he could lose his life.
At this moment, time felt endlessly long to Fan Yu. He both hoped Emperor Qianyou would quickly speak and pardon him, and feared His Majesty might order his execution in the next moment. His heart pounded violently. Under such tension, Emperor Qianyou finally spoke.
"Fan Yu, in light of your past diligent service, I will spare you this time. But if you dare repeat such behavior, you can kiss your head goodbye."
Fan Yu exhaled in immense relief and hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, thank you, Your Majesty."
But just as he relaxed, Emperor Qianyou added, "However, punishment is still necessary. You are hereby placed under house arrest for one month of reflection and docked six months' pay. Do you accept?"
Fan Yu felt fortunate just to keep his life and quickly replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will never dare again!"