novel bin Chapter 117 The corrupt official who was rolling in fat money, 1 taels is too little!
Chapter 117 The corrupt official who was rolling in fat money, 1 taels is too little!
Chapter 118 The corrupt official who was rolling in fat, ten thousand taels is too little!
Shen Yan and Chen Xiaoshuan arrived outside Jia Ting's cell.
When Jia Ting saw Shen Yan arrive, he clung to the prison door with a broad smile.
"Lord Shen, you've finally arrived."
"What business does Lord Jia have with me?"
Jia Ting looked at Shen Yan, then glanced at Chen Xiaoshuan.
Chen Xiaoshuan understood and left the cell.
Shen Yan said irritably, "Stop being so mysterious, you can talk now."
"It's not a big deal, it's just that it's not something too many people should know. Lord Shen should know what I did to get here. Now that Liu Chuan is dead and the money has been recovered, am I—"
Shen Yan laughed and said, "You want to find someone to bail you out? But you've only been locked up for a few months, right? It won't be easy for you to get out now."
Jia Ting said, "If it were easy, why would we have approached Lord Shen?"
"Lord Jia is joking. I am but a prison warden. How could I possibly control such an important matter?"
Jia Ting wasn't imprisoned for long; his case wasn't actually that big, but it had far-reaching implications.
Logically speaking, it would take at least a year and a half before someone would help him get things done.
"Lord Shen, there's no need to belittle yourself. You only need to pass on a message to Lord Yang, and there's a high chance it will be successful."
Jia Ting then added with a smile, "Of course I won't let Lord Shen work for nothing. Whether it succeeds or not, I'm willing to offer five hundred taels as your travel expenses."
Shen Yan became interested upon hearing this; it was not uncommon for convicted officials to try to escape through secret passages.
The Ministry of Justice has a backlog of cases, none of which are major, and it's unclear how long it will take before they can be brought in for interrogation.
Someone like Jia Ting, under normal circumstances, would take at least a year and a half to get his turn.
In addition, there are the trial, judgment, and approval of the case.
The entire process takes three to five years to complete.
It's different if someone gives you a heads-up.
"Then how much does Lord Jia intend to spend to sway Lord Yang?"
Jia Ting held up one finger, grinning sheepishly, and said, "Lord Shen, is this enough of my sincerity?"
Shen Yan's gaze narrowed slightly. He knew that the Ministry of Personnel was lucrative, but he hadn't expected Jia Ting to be so wealthy.
"Whether it's enough or not isn't up to me to decide, but seeing how sincere you are, I'm willing to make the trip for you."
"If I may ask, why are you in such a hurry to come out, sir? If you had waited another six months, a thousand taels of silver would have been more than enough."
With a wry smile, Jia Ting said, "Lord Shen doesn't understand. Money can be earned back, but once a job is gone, it's gone forever."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yan immediately understood. It seemed that he had received news that if he didn't leave soon, his position in the Ministry of Personnel would be taken away.
Even if he is reinstated, what good will it do? If he is given a sinecure to retire, his meager salary will probably not even be enough for him to drink tea.
The difference between having power and not having power is more than just a tiny bit.
Moreover, the Great Zhou's salary is rarely paid, perhaps only once a year, and the whole family would starve to death by then.
"Don't worry, Lord Jia. Have your family send the travel expenses over, and I'll run the errand for you."
Jia Ting was overjoyed and said with a smile, "Thank you very much, Lord Shen. Please have the jailer pass on a message, and I will have the steward deliver it to you right away."
Jia Ting's steward quickly delivered a thousand taels of silver, more than he had promised beforehand.
Looking at the silver in his hand, Shen Yan thought, "It seems that Lord Jia is indeed in a hurry."
Having received the money, he didn't delay and immediately set off for the Ministry of Justice to find Yang Wanli.
Almost everyone in the Ministry of Justice knew Shen Yan and was aware of his prowess.
He went straight to Yang Wanli's cell and saw him frowning, looking at the folded paper on his desk with a troubled expression.
Upon seeing Shen Yan's arrival, Yang Wanli's expression softened somewhat, and he smiled, saying, "Shen Yan, what brings you here?"
"It's nothing serious, just a prison official in the dungeon asked me to pass on a message to you."
"What are you saying? Is it so important that you had to come in person? Who sent you?"
Shen Yan laughed and said, "It is quite heavy. Passing on this one sentence is worth five hundred taels of silver."
He told Yang Wanli the whole story.
Yang Wanli's eyes lit up slightly after hearing this.
"Jia Ting's family is really wealthy! And he's only a seventh-rank official in the Ministry of Personnel."
He shook his head and looked at the folding paper on the table.
Shen Yan glanced over and saw that it was a memorial submitted to the higher authorities requesting funding, but it had already been rejected.
The sign above reads "Ministry of Justice," and many of the buildings are old and in need of repair.
Shen Yan did know a little about this; several cells in the Heavenly Prison had collapsed under the weight of the heavy snow and had not yet been repaired.
It seems we didn't get the money.
Although Ning Zhiyuan, the current Minister of Revenue, does not participate in factional struggles and has devoted himself to his duties for decades, he is highly trusted by Emperor Xuanwu.
However, most of the officials under the Ministry of Revenue were from the faction of upright officials. Given the relationship between Yang Wanli and Zeng Shihong, it would be a miracle if Yang Wanli could get any money from the Ministry of Revenue.
In addition, the imperial court is currently short of funds, making it even more difficult to obtain them.
Even Ning Zhiyuan would only procrastinate on such house repairs, since officials couldn't even pay their salaries, let alone cover other expenses.
If the petition were submitted to the Emperor, it would need to be approved by Zeng Shihong, making it even less likely that the money would be obtained.
Shen Yan thought to himself, "It seems that being the Minister of Justice is not an easy job! Hundreds of mouths in the Ministry of Justice depend on Yang Wanli for their livelihood."
Seeing that Shen Yan was interested in the folding book, Yang Wanli simply tossed it to him.
"Watch it if you want!"
Shen Yan took the document and examined it carefully; he could find no fault with the Ministry of Revenue's reply.
It's simply that the national treasury is empty and people's livelihoods are difficult, so such matters should be postponed for the time being.
One of the memorials was a request for salary, as the Ministry of Justice had not paid all salaries this time.
Shen Yan was somewhat surprised, but his opinion was rejected.
I don't know where Yang Wanli got the money from last time.
No wonder he was worried; having his money in someone else's hands is tantamount to having his life in someone else's hands.
Yang Wanli sighed softly.
"See that?!"
Shen Yan nodded slightly.
"Is there no way to deal with the Ministry of Revenue's targeting?"
"Ultimately, it's because the national treasury is empty and can't come up with any money. Otherwise, they would at least give some money, instead of being completely stingy."
After all, each of the six ministries has its own responsibilities, and there will always be times when they need help from others.
But when money is limited, people will definitely prioritize making arrangements for their closest relatives and friends.
Yang Wanli's expression turned serious, and he said to Shen Yan, "Go back and tell Jia Ting that ten thousand taels is not enough. To think that ten thousand taels can command me, the Minister of Justice, is a bit beneath him!"
He sneered, "Tell him to bring 15,000 taels, and I'll make the arrangements for him."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yan couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement, "I thought ten thousand taels was already a lot, but I didn't expect Yang Wanli to raise the price even more."
However, none of this concerned him; he was merely a messenger.
Before leaving, Yang Wanli said something to Shen Yan.
"From now on, just contact Ye Zhou for these kinds of things. Just report it to the higher authorities; these corrupt officials aren't short of money!"
Back to the Heavenly Prison.
Shen Yan relayed Yang Wanli's words to Jia Ting.
His expression changed drastically upon hearing this.
"Lord Shen, isn't this too much? Fifteen thousand taels of silver is no small sum."
"Lord Jia, this is what Lord Yang said. If you think it's too high, you can keep him for a while longer."
Jia Ting's expression kept changing, then he gritted his teeth.
"Alright! But I only have 10,000 taels of silver in cash. I'll use the remaining 5,000 taels to offset the price with antiques and jewelry."
"Lord Jia should know that the prices of antiques and jewelry in Bianjing have dropped drastically recently."
Shen Yan's words were true; due to the downfall of the Yan Party, many antiques and jewelry items had become available on the market.
Prices naturally plummeted.
"Don't worry, we won't let you suffer any losses. Please take this matter to heart."
Shen Yan smiled and said, "Of course."
Jia Ting acted swiftly, sending someone to deliver the money within two days.
He also gave Shen Yan a thousand taels of silver as a token of his gratitude.
Shen Yan handed it over to Ye Zhou.
News of Jia Ting's case came quickly, and he was soon released from prison and reinstated.
From delivering the message to Shen Yan to his release from prison, less than seven days had passed, clearly indicating that he had lobbied more than just the Ministry of Justice.
Shen Yan couldn't help but exclaim, "These officials in the Ministry of Personnel are really rich!"