of Confession

Author: Feng Si Niang

of Confession

Although the case was publicly tried by the Ministry of Punishment, the new Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment obviously did not want to take over this hot potato, so it was logical that it was handed over to the "meddling" minister Yan Taoxue.

Yan Taoxue didn't even have the slightest feeling of resentment, and he happily accepted these errands that were not difficult to deal with, but would often offend people.

He was still a bit humanitarian and did not start the trial immediately. He only ordered the prisoner to be placed in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, under strict supervision, and no one was allowed to enter.

The next day, I chose a sunny afternoon and invited the Minister of Punishment, the Minister of Dali Temple, and the Imperial Envoy of Zuodu to form the lineup of the Three Law Divisions; I also invited all the princes to come and watch.

Naturally, such a case involving the princes cannot be heard in public.

As the sound of the prison clap sounded, several criminals limped onto the stage amid the voices of the government officials shouting "Might - Wu -".

Each of these prisoners was held up by the government officials. If not for this, they would not be able to walk into the hall on their own. All of them were unkempt, and their beards and hair almost grew together with their hair.

Yan Taoxue looked at the blood-stained prison clothes on the prisoner's body and subconsciously frowned.

"Who is kneeling in this hall? Tell me your name!"

"Caomin Wang Wu, Qian Xiaomeng, Zhao Yue...kowtow to your lord!——"

"Do you know what crime you have committed?"

"Young man, I know... I don't want to argue any more, I just want to plead guilty and submit to the law..." The leading criminal was not kneeling high to begin with, but now he is lying on the ground tightly, unwilling to argue any more.

Zhou Pan crossed his legs on the Grand Master's chair beside him and said nonchalantly, "So my king's confession will save trouble! Mr. Yan, you have to thank me properly..."

Yan Taoxue ignored Zhou Pan and continued:

"Smuggling is a serious crime! The standards for beheading are different from those for selling smuggled salt. You don't need to sell more than ten or nine kilograms. As long as you have a little bit, you can be executed on the spot!

What’s more, Emperor Taizu was the emperor who punished the criminals the most severely among all the emperors who had made laws! Don’t you know what a heinous crime you have committed?”

The thick body of the man kneeling on the ground trembled again: "Sir, in the final analysis, our group is just greedy for money! Things with high risks also have high returns. I am really afraid of being poor..."

He cooperated. Yan Tao raised his eyebrows in a Xue manner. In this case, it would be much easier to proceed further.

"Very well, since you are willing to 'get riches and wealth through danger', then tell me where you bought a large amount of fire saltpeter and sulfur! These two are also prohibited drugs in our dynasty;

After purchasing, where do you plan to send it? Who will you contact?

In addition, do you also provide other materials such as sand, maru, and dry lacquer that are used in making black powder? If not you, do you know who provides it?..."

Yan Taoxue asked the question with a clear logic, which made the people kneeling in the hall unable to react for a while, until they finally heard the three words "black powder"...

"Sir, you don't dare! Don't try to hurt the villain! Privately making black powder is a serious crime against the nine tribes. How dare you do such a thing!..."

They kept denying it, their body like a mountain knelt on the ground and shivered, and the swaying mountain of meat looked like it was about to topple over at any moment...

It's quite expected, Yan Taoxue thought.

"Don't interrupt me. Just now I asked you to admit to smuggling, but you confessed. Now that you have to explain clearly, you don't want to admit that you were transporting black powder raw materials? If you don't explain clearly, don't blame me for being punished - "

Yan Tao pretended to shake the bamboo sticks in the bamboo tube to make a crackling sound, hoping to shock the people in the hall——

"Sir! Even if you borrow a hundred courages from the little people, the little people don't dare to transport the raw materials of black powder! It is true that our merchant ships have fire salt and sulfur, but they are used to make ice and make five

It's made of loose stones! It has nothing to do with black powder!... Please be aware of what's going on!"

A little troublesome.

Yan Taoxue tapped his fingers on the table: "What do you do with ice in the spring? Once it's made, where do you put it?"

The man on the ground cupped his hands: "Last year was very hot, and many people in Beijing suffered from the heat. Our buyers in the capital were thinking of preparing for a rainy day, and wanted to make a large amount of ice to store in the cellar, in case there was a problem in May like last year.

It’s extremely hot…”

That's true. Yan Taoxue recalled that last year's hot summer seemed to be so hot that it seemed like he would be suffocated. The blood of the entire Lin family seemed to turn into hot lava as soon as it touched the ground...

He lowered his head and looked at the file again. Half the boat was filled with saltpetre...

"Wang Wu, who is your buyer?"

"Yes, yes..." "Do you still expect someone to save you when things get tough?"

"The villain said! It's the accountant of Tianxiang Tower!"

"What about the other sulfur?"

"It's Lanzhi Hall!"

"Lanzhi Hall is just a drugstore owner, how dare he accept such a huge amount of sulfur! Not only that there is nowhere to hide it, but the Five Stone Powder will emit a peculiar smell when making it, and even if he really uses all of it to make the Five Stone Powder,

This much sulfur will last until the end of the Year of the Monkey!"

Lanzhi Hall and Tianxiang Building are different. The former is lackluster, while the latter is a century-old store with completely different power from the owner behind it.

Yan Taoxue was shocked, his face was as dark as water, and he spoke out many doubts in one breath.

"Everything the villain says is true. If you don't believe it, you can go and verify it yourself."

Wang Wu looked like a dead pig who was not afraid of boiling water, and even sat on his kneeling heels.

Yan Taoxue commanded several government officials and acted separately.

After a while, a wave of government officials came with the fat boss of Tianxianglou, and behind them was a tall and thin man, who carried an account book in his hand.

The fat boss was sweating profusely and knelt on the ground, one by one, kowtow to the nobles and nobles present.

It was still a bit cold in spring, so he looked as if he had been fished out of a deep pool, and his face was greener than algae.

"...I don't dare to deceive Mr. Yan. I did make a living by purchasing fire salt. At that time, the accountant said that there were ways to save money; but it only started this year! On the one hand, I planned to see if I could use it in large quantities this summer.

On the other hand, ice cubes are also used for cooking in restaurants!

I had been buying fire and saltpeter one after another before, but I just bought more this time. Since it was a sure-profit business, I turned a blind eye to the cashier's purchase of 'ice cubes'.

This happened unexpectedly, please forgive me!"

After saying that, the tall and thin accountant behind him, with a face that looked like he was mourning for his concubine, presented the account book.

Yan Taoxue gave his subordinate a sign, and he nodded affirmatively.

Yan Taoxue knew clearly that his people had gone to the cellar to check, and there was indeed ice; and the size and size should also match the batch size of this purchase...

Looking through the account books again, it turns out that there has indeed been an intermittent expenditure on "buying ice" since this year. However, the account books can be made, and there is really no reference value.
Chapter completed!