I Am A Corrupt Official, Yet They Say I Am A Loyal Minister!

as black as ink, not easy to corrode, not easy to burn, and is a good material for making furniture! Currently, black gold nanmu wood is very expensive on the market, and it takes ten taels of silver to buy a catty! This set of tables and chairs weighs five to six hundred catties in total, which means that the total value is five to six thousand taels of silver! If you also include the processing cost, the price will be even higher!”

Lin Beifan smiled faintly: “May I ask, Sir Yao, where did you get this set of tables and chairs?”

“This…” Yao Zheng was tongue-tied and couldn’t help but look at his wife.

“Sir Lin, are you telling the truth?” The empress looked left and right, her face full of doubt.

“This set of seemingly ordinary tables and chairs is actually worth 6000 taels of silver?”

Lin Beifan bowed and said resolutely: “Your Majesty can send someone to investigate, and I, your humble servant, have not spoken a word of falsehood!”

The empress glanced at Yao Zheng and her face darkened.

“And this tea, it’s also unusual!”

“What’s the problem with this tea?”

Lin Beifan smiled: “This tea comes from the neighboring country of Mount Dahua.
After being brewed with water, it emits a lingering fragrance and is refreshing, making it a medicinal tea! Due to its extremely limited production, it is highly sought after! One tael of gold for one tael of tea, also known as gold tea! Even many high-ranking officials and wealthy people cannot afford to drink this tea.
Sir Yao, where did you get it from?”

“This tea… is it really that precious?” Yao Zheng was shocked.

“Believe it or not, you can have someone check it out to see if what I’m saying is true or not!” Lin Beifan said with a smile.

Yao Zheng’s face turned pale, and the empress’s face became even more solemn.

Then, Lin Beifan pointed out a few more things.

For example, a painting hanging on the wall, a rockery placed in the middle of the courtyard, and some small accessories, among others.

They all looked ordinary, easily overlooked by people who didn’t pay close attention to them.

But all of them contained hidden mysteries and were worth a total of 40,000 taels.

Yao Zheng’s face was already as white as paper, and he was sweating profusely.

The empress was furious, slamming her hand on the table: “Yao Zheng! We trusted you and appointed you as the Imperial Censor to supervise the officials! We didn’t expect you to be corrupt and take bribes yourself.
What crime have you committed?”

“Your Majesty, you’ve wronged me.
I had no knowledge of this!” Yao Zheng fell to his knees, pleading.

The empress became even angrier: “Still denying it?”

Lin Beifan smiled and said, “Your Majesty, please calm down.
Sir Yao may not have been corrupt, but his subordinates may have been! Sir Yao has read the classics and held the position of Imperial Censor, so he can control himself.
But his subordinates may not have the same self-control! After all, power can blind people’s eyes!”