The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 6

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 6】

When Rianel showed discomfort at the Emperor’s presence, Asil provided additional explanation.

He said the Emperor had lost interest in government affairs and hadn’t attended administrative council meetings for quite some time.

Recent administrative council meetings were being presided over by the Empress Dowager instead.

But the Empress Dowager wasn’t much more appealing either.

The Empress Dowager had expressed her displeasure multiple times, citing Rianel’s commoner origins as the reason.

‘Better than the Emperor, but… still really unpleasant.’

If she couldn’t enjoy it?

She had no choice but to do her best to avoid it.

Rianel tried to legally delay the work, but…

“I don’t think it’s procedurally correct for me, a junior employee, to write the report directly, bypassing my seniors.”

“Such rigid organizational culture is precisely the kind of inefficient practice that needs improvement.”

Then Wilbrin also spoke up.

“That’s right. And since the Bureau Director promised support, wouldn’t it be fine?”

“…”

When refusals and declinations came back from everywhere she went, Rianel realized.

‘These people just don’t want to work.’

While there’s hardly anyone in the world who wants to work, the people at the Special Tax Bureau were extreme.

They disliked standing out unnecessarily and had little ambition for building achievements.

It was suspicious enough to wonder if someone had deliberately gathered and placed only such people here.

‘Can’t be helped.’

There was only one way.

‘Empress Hides Her Abilities.’

Rianel steeled her resolve, recalling a title she seemed to have seen somewhere before.

Since Rianel was rumored to be an incompetent employee, she shouldn’t reveal her true skills honed through practical experience. Especially not in a report going up to the administrative council.

‘If I add as much unnecessary content as possible and make the context clumsy.’

Wouldn’t she look like a hardworking beginner?

So Rianel drafted the report, and as she skimmed through it, she thought of a new title for the report.

-Empress (Halfheartedly) Hides Her Abilities.

“…”

This exceeded the skill level a clumsy newcomer could submit.

If she submitted this, she’d naturally be suspected.

‘I’ll have to rewrite it.’

Still, it was a waste to throw away what she’d written, so she sealed it away for now.

* * *

Starting from the civil service banquet, Cedric’s image as ‘a clever employee’ was completely ruined.

“You guaranteed it would never be discovered if we followed your plan, so what is this!”

The pile of documents thrown by Finance Minister Royhum hit Cedric directly.

Cedric bowed his head, watching the papers scatter around him.

“How many people are involved in this! If this gets exposed…”

Unable to bear his anxiety, Royhum paced around the office.

After the civil service banquet ended, the Finance Ministry became a laughingstock.

[As expected of the Finance Ministry. Even their tax evasion methods are quite ingenious, aren’t they?]

People who had always viewed the Finance Ministry unfavorably spread rumors about what happened at the civil service banquet.

The fact that Cedric had spread that tax evasion method to Finance Ministry people was also problematic.

Cedric had helped Finance Ministry people evade taxes by writing necessary official documents for them and handling administrative procedures.

‘That way, they’d be bound together as accomplices and couldn’t rat each other out.’

Since Rianel hadn’t formally reported the tax evasion, a full investigation hadn’t begun yet.

But if Cedric’s tax evasion was exposed later?

There was a high possibility it wouldn’t end with just Cedric’s problem.

Tax issues, once they exploded, typically led to large-scale tax audits.

Fortunately, Royhum had an easy way to resolve this matter.

‘Cover it up as a mistake by one administrative officer, pin all the charges on that one person, and end it there.’

And that someone would likely be Cedric.

‘When was it that you called it a good method and dragged in even your sister and brother-in-law, and why are you throwing a fit now…’

Cedric swallowed the curses that were about to burst out.

He knew that if he spoke his mind freely, he might really end up taking all the blame and getting fired.

“Th-there’s a way!”

“A way? What way.”

Royhum swallowed a sigh and looked down at Cedric.

“We turn Rianel and the Special Tax Bureau people over to the disciplinary committee. After suspending the Special Tax Bureau’s operations, we can steal the evidence materials Rianel secured, can’t we?”

What Rianel had done was merely raise suspicions of tax evasion.

Then they just needed to claim that no such thing actually happened.

“…”

However, before Royhum and Cedric could move, their plan fell apart.

Not only Bureau Director Novantium but even Duke Vincenheim, the State Minister, stepped forward to oppose the disciplinary action as unjust.

‘Did he step forward because his daughter was involved? But why? He’s been quiet until now…’

Still, he couldn’t just sit idle, so Cedric urgently broke into the Special Tax Bureau illegally.

Late at night when everyone had gone home.

This was why Cedric was searching through the Special Tax Bureau building.

‘Damn it, where did she hide the evidence materials?’

However, he couldn’t find where Rianel had put the evidence materials at all.

‘Did she move them in advance?’

Still disappointed, while examining Rianel’s desk again, he discovered a bundle of documents hidden in a corner of the drawer.

It wasn’t what he was looking for.

But it was something even more remarkable.

‘How did someone like Rianel write something like this?’

Both the format and level were excellent reports that he couldn’t dare imitate.

-Since cases of special taxes collected by the Special Tax Bureau being excessively allocated or used for purposes other than intended when transferred to other departments are frequently observed, we propose measures for efficient use of taxes…

The report concluded by requesting authority over budget distribution for special taxes collected by the Special Tax Bureau.

Not only was the report’s quality outstanding, but the content itself was something the higher-ups would welcome.

‘It would enable ‘efficient’ use of hidden budgets. There wouldn’t be any additional expenses.’

Cedric was about to burn the documents but changed his mind.

‘Couldn’t I just change “Special Tax Bureau” to “Finance Ministry” in the budget usage plan, change the proposer to myself, and submit it?’

Then the Finance Ministry’s authority would become more powerful than now, and promotion would become possible too.

‘If I get a position, I won’t have to worry about being used and discarded like now.’

Additionally, if he pointed out that the Special Tax Bureau had less work compared to the Finance Ministry and designated it as a department needing restructuring.

‘I could not only disband the disgusting Special Tax Bureau but also get rid of Rianel from right in front of me.’

There couldn’t be a more perfect plan than this.

Of course, Rianel could claim that report as her own at the Administrative Council meeting, but…

‘What would be the point.’

Rianel’s incompetence was famous throughout the entire department.

She would only end up being accused of trying to frame her former mentor.

Cedric took Rianel’s report as it was, modified a few words and sentences, and submitted it.

* * *

However, the Administrative Council meeting flowed in the complete opposite direction of Cedric’s intentions.

“…For the above reasons, I propose that we integrate and operate the budget centered around the Ministry of Finance.”

The Minister of Administrative Management, who had kept his arms crossed until Cedric’s presentation ended, spoke up.

“I have one question. Did the Ministry of Finance write this report with the intention of taking over all budget execution and allocation authority from other departments?”

“Excuse me? No, I was only proposing a review.”

Special Tax Bureau Director Asil spoke.

“But it says ‘request for comprehensive review’ here. The proposal to integrate budgets centered around the Ministry of Finance could also be interpreted as meaning the Ministry of Finance would manage all budgets of other departments.”

Internal gazes focused on Cedric.

Cedric hastily snatched the documents to check them.

It was just as he said.

Cedric’s back became damp with sweat. He had only modified a few words to make a strong impression, but he hadn’t realized the meaning would change this drastically.

Cedric looked around frantically searching for someone to help him, when his eyes met Rianel’s.

Feeling guilty, Cedric instead glared at Rianel.

‘What are you looking at?’

Then when Rianel obtained the right to speak, he tensed up.

‘Don’t tell me she’s going to reveal that I stole and submitted her report…’

“But how did you know that other departments have surplus budgets? The evidence seems insufficient – do you have separately prepared materials?”

Rianel pressured Cedric with an even worse move than simply exposing him.

Cedric frantically flipped through the report.

Others did the same.

‘There’s nothing.’

The moment Cedric confirmed this and shrank back.

“Are you telling me you dared to insert unverified figures as statistics? In a report that the Empress Dowager is also viewing?”

As if he had been waiting, the State Minister attacked, and the Empress Dowager also showed signs of displeasure.

“There is a way to verify whether the figures in this report actually exist.”

Rianel said.

“Let’s start by examining whether the Ministry of Finance has surplus budget. If the facts are confirmed later, then we can investigate other departments, can’t we?”

It was essentially saying that if they were so confident, they should let the Ministry of Finance be audited first.

Starting with the Minister of Administrative Management, other attendees nodded their heads.

“If the Ministry of Finance sets an example first.”

“There’s no reason to object.”

“Certainly.”

Cedric broke out in cold sweat.

Unlike previous reviews, this time they would become an official audit target, so every small mistake would be uncovered one by one.

That way, Cedric’s embezzlement would also be exposed…

‘No!’

Only then realizing what he had done, the color drained from Cedric’s face.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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