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

Chapter 27: Persuasion Through Patience

They soon encountered the supervisor of the Cao Yun Division, an officer responsible for transporting goods via waterways.

“I want to meet our esteemed Minister!” The Cao Yun Division supervisor, upon seeing Qin Xuan and his partner, immediately started to object.

Though this wasn’t a pleasant place to stay, there was no physical coercion. He needed to leave quickly, as the night was long and filled with unsettling dreams. When he noticed that Qin Xuan and his team were about to request a meeting with their Minister of Revenue, he protested.

“Don’t worry, Cao Lin, Mr. Cao, Cao Yun Division Supervisor, I understand your situation. I just need to ask a few questions, and I’ll release you promptly,” Qin Xuan smiled, his tone very kind.

“Is this for real?” Cao Lin was somewhat doubtful because he had heard that the Ministry of Justice wasn’t a group of friendly people.

“No false promises! As long as Mr. Cao cooperates with us if it’s proven that you’re innocent, we will certainly let you go,” Qin Xuan assured.

“Well then, if the Minister is so willing, just ask your questions!” Cao Lin had no choice.

Though the Ministry of Justice wasn’t known for his friendliness, he had the Minister of Revenue behind him, and they wouldn’t dare to mistreat him. So far, they hadn’t resorted to physical harm but were conducting an inquiry. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to. They just couldn’t, or rather, they didn’t dare.

“Were those Japanese pirate ships all from the Cao Yun’s Division?” Qin Xuan began his questioning.

Cao Lin nodded but immediately saw an issue and replied, “Yes, no, not all of them. They were stolen!”

“Why didn’t you attempt to recover them?” Qin Xuan continued his questioning.

“We… we…” Cao Lin struggled to answer. They hadn’t considered trying to recover the ships because the cost and effort of retrieval would be higher than building new ones.

Moreover, when the ships were looted, they could report the losses. The exact extent of the loss was hard to determine, and when officials came to investigate, they could simply blame it on the Japanese pirates. Over time, it would be forgotten.

“I… Regarding why you didn’t attempt to reclaim them, Cao Lin is evading the issue,” Qin Xuan observed his nephew, who seemed lost in thought and decided to offer a hint.

“Master, this… You!”

Cao Lin was instantly perplexed. He couldn’t give a straightforward answer. He couldn’t say they didn’t want to retrieve them, and admitting they couldn’t get them back would be even more problematic, as it implied incompetence within the Ming military.

“Let me ask you this: Does the Cao Yun Division have the capability to communicate with Japan?” Qin Xuan asked directly.

“Master, we have no means of communicating with Japan!” Cao Lin quickly replied.

“Answer me if you can communicate with Japan!” Qin Xuan’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he spoke in a stern tone.

“We have the capability. All these divisions have the capability and potential to communicate with Japan. But we can’t…” Cao Lin had no choice but to speak the truth.

“Have you or your superior, the Minister of Revenue, ever discussed the issue of communicating with Japan?” Qin Xuan interrupted Cao Lin and continued his questioning.

“Never, absolutely not!” Cao Lin assured.

“Have you or your superior, the Minister of Revenue, ever discussed the benefits of communicating with Japan?” Qin Xuan asked, posing this sharp question.

“We haven’t, sir. We haven’t…” Cao Lin began.

“One last question. Did the Minister of Revenue know about the ships being taken by Japanese pirates?” Qin Xuan interrupted once more.

“He did. We informed the Minister,” Cao Lin answered.

Upon hearing these responses, Qin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and turned to his bewildered nephew. “Alright, let’s compile these statements.”

His nephew quickly organized the information, and after reviewing it, Qin Xuan handed the records to Cao Lin and said, “Mr. Cao, please review these statements. If they are accurate, then put your mark on the records. Once I present these to Lord Wang, and if there are no issues, you’ll be released.”

Cao Lin examined the statements, which were all his responses without embellishment. He placed his thumbprint on the records.

With the completed statements, Qin Xuan was ready to conclude the matter.

[“Wang Zhi is truly a cunning old fox. Damn, he’s so wicked. It’s impossible to guard against this kind of thing!”].

[“It wasn’t Wang Zhi who interrogated, it was Brother Xuan who did.”].

[“Idiot, they were all implied by Wang Zhi. We just didn’t see it.”].

[“The issue is, these statements seem to have no problem!”].

[“No problem? Will there be an issue when they’re submitted?”].

Viewers could see that Qin Xuan’s questions were intended to steer Cao Lin’s responses in a particular direction. For every question, Cao Lin’s correct answer was to assert that they hadn’t communicated with Japan.

“Brother Qin, will this strategy work? Cao Lin didn’t reveal much,” his nephew looked at the statements with confusion.

“He may not have said much but he revealed everything we needed. The key here is not the statements themselves but the evidence. The fact that the Cao Yun Division’s ships ended up in the hands of Japanese pirates is a significant issue,” Qin Xuan explained.

Wang Zhi had brought his nephew along to provide additional guidance, which was why he needed to simplify the situation.

“Ah, I get it now!” His nephew nodded, finally understanding.

“You are a Ming Dynasty general responsible for the latest cannons. Yet, you allowed the Mongols to steal these cannons, which they then used to attack nearby cities, causing great suffering. At this point, the emperor must quell public anger. Tell me, what crime will you be charged with?” Qin Xuan asked.

His nephew was sweating profusely and replied, “Collaboration with the enemy!”

“Exactly. Now that the property is in the hands of Japanese pirates, there’s a suspicion of collusion. If the higher-ups decide to charge you with collusion with the Japanese to appease public anger, you’ll have to accept it,” Qin Xuan said calmly.

This was the harsh reality of ancient times. A small misstep could lead to irreparable disaster.

“Brother Qin, are you saying this is what Lord Wang and the Emperor intend?” His nephew was starting to grasp the situation.

“I can’t say for certain if it’s the Emperor’s intention. First and foremost, this is what Lord Wang wants. Secondly, I’m confident the Emperor won’t object to this outcome. The Ministry of Revenue’s dealings with the Japanese pirates are no secret, and handling the Cao Yun Division while pacifying public anger is likely something the Emperor would support,” Qin Xuan analyzed calmly.

“If the Cao Yun Division reports the loss of one ship, they can claim compensation for five or more ships. The extra funds can then be embezzled, and if anyone investigates, they can pin it on the Japanese pirates, who leave no witnesses.”

The Ministry of Revenue was already corrupt, and from a broader perspective, the Emperor would likely not oppose this outcome.

[“I’ve learned a lot, really!”].

[“I thought the Cao Yun Division people were good and innocent, but it turns out they’re not.”].

[“Now I see it clearly. The Cao Yun Division builds ships and intentionally reports more losses if a ship is lost. Their hands aren’t clean.”].

[“That’s right. The Ministry of Revenue is targeting Lord Wang, and Lord Wang is retaliating against the Ministry of Revenue.”].

[“This is amazing! If I time-traveled to that era, I wouldn’t survive!”].

[“I don’t know what to say, this is too challenging!”].

Viewers were amazed by Qin Xuan and Wang Zhi. It demonstrated that time-traveling to ancient times wasn’t as straightforward as having the necessary skills. Without intelligence, survival would be almost impossible.

The scene quickly shifted, and Qin Xuan reached Wang Zhi’s location.

“Qin Xuan, is everything resolved?” Wang Zhi, while eager, asked Qin Xuan.

“Don’t worry, Mentor, it’s all settled. Please take a look,” Qin Xuan handed the testimony to Wang Zhi.

Wang Zhi examined it and nodded in satisfaction. “Excellent, this is exactly what I needed.”

“Oh, by the way, Qi Xuan, a junior official from Zezhou, recently visited a calligraphy and painting shop. I heard he’s quite spirited. Can you check if there are any promising talents there?” Wang Zhi mentioned this as if it were a simple matter.

This was Wang Zhi’s way of asking Qin Xuan to assess the young official’s potential and see if he could be of use to their cause.