Chapter 619 The lion opens its mouth (two chapters in one)
There is nothing more "vicious" than this kind of face-to-face provocation.
Because human nature cannot stand any test.
They were all local gentry in Fuzhou and knew each other well. When Japanese pirates were rampant in the past few years, families who went overseas to do business basically had a problem with the Japanese pirates.
Especially the talkative people of the dozen or so families standing in front of Shen Yi today.
They can't wait to see Shen Yi, and they can't wait to stand here, which shows...
They are the most guilty-minded people.
No one can be sure that other families will not report them in order to protect themselves.
In order to prevent other families from doing this, these people are likely to strike first.
Even if these Fuzhou nobles are extremely united and fight to death, Shen Yi can just randomly recruit a group and beat another group afterwards, and the mutual trust between these Fuzhou nobles will immediately be wiped out.
If you can take charge of things in a family, there will basically be no stupid people.
Therefore, as soon as Shen Yi said these words, almost everyone present changed their expressions.
But they have no means to break the situation.
This is a conspiracy, an unbreakable conspiracy.
The only and easiest way is to kill the person who caused the situation, but given Mr. Shen's status and strength, they have no means to counter Shen Yi.
Everyone was silent and looked ugly.
Ye Chan, whose face was a little pale, was trembling slightly. She slowly stood up and looked up at Shen Yi, her voice also trembling a little.
"Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy, I heard that the anti-Japanese army detained all members of the Feng family and the Tan family yesterday."
Her expression showed some determination: "I would like to ask the Imperial Envoy, how will the imperial court deal with these two families?"
"These two families not only communicated with Japanese pirates, but also funded Japanese pirates."
Mr. Shen's face was expressionless, and he did not soften his heart because of the weak-looking woman in front of him. He said calmly: "The anti-Japanese army has posted the evidence of the crimes of these two families. It is estimated that they will be posted in the mansion tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Report it."
"Since the evidence of the crime has been confirmed, it will at least result in a house raid. The two families have been temporarily detained by the officials. The Criminal Department is already on the way to Fuzhou, and will be handed over to the Criminal Department to take over."
"Whether he should be killed, beheaded, or exiled to the army depends on the decision of the Ministry of Punishment."
Ye Chan's face turned even paler, and she stood there without speaking for a long time.
She is the eldest daughter in the family.
Although his father Ye Huan is not a mediocre person, he manages the family business with great success. However, because of playing with women three years ago, although Mr. Ye was lucky enough to save his life, he no longer has the ability to take charge and can only lie down. In the hospital bed, rest and recuperate.
For this reason, Mr. Ye became the laughing stock within the Ye family and even the entire city of Fuzhou.
At that time, Miss Ye's younger brother was only seven years old, and she herself had just turned eighteen.
In order to prevent the family business from falling from the main line to the hands of the branch lines, the eldest girl of the Ye family took the initiative to reject the already settled engagement and began to take over the family affairs from her father.
In this era, when women go out to do things, they are inherently disadvantaged and have all kinds of inconveniences.
But this Miss Ye managed to survive and managed the Ye family well. Last year, with the support of her uncle who was an official again, she finally secured her position as the Ye family's talker.
In the Ye family, it can almost be said that everything is the same.
However, although the Ye family, which raised Miss Ye from an early age, was very large, it seemed too small in front of this young imperial envoy from the imperial court.
So small that it's insignificant.
This made Ye Chan feel a sense of powerlessness from the deepest part of her heart.
She stood there, her lips turning slightly white. After a long time, she turned back silently, looked at the dozen or so people present, and said slowly in Fuzhou local dialect: "Uncles, after we leave here, all of us will be the same."
If you can't trust the other party, why not..."
Tears shed from the corners of her eyes: "It's better to admit it here."
"The imperial court will deal with it as it wants."
She just felt weak all over, her ears were buzzing, and she couldn't hear what she was saying.
"Otherwise, if we leave this room, we may all turn against each other..."
After saying this, Ye Chan used up her last courage and looked back at the imperial envoy who was dressed in black and had no expression on his face.
She bit her lip, lowered her head and said: "Your Majesty, the Ye family has some tea business and some cloth shops. For more than ten years, these two goods have been shipped to sea. The previous merchant ships were occasionally robbed by Japanese pirates.
One or two boats. My father heard that someone in Fuzhou City could contact the Japanese pirates, so he found someone and delivered a letter to the Japanese pirates..."
"Since then, the Ye family's merchant ships have rarely had accidents."
She knelt in front of Shen Yi, lowered her head and said: "My father is seriously ill in bed. The little girl is in charge of all the affairs of the Ye family. The imperial envoy will not impose any punishment. If the little girl is disgraced..."
After saying this, she no longer had any strength and knelt on the ground, unable to say a word.
Mr. Shen raised his eyes slightly, glanced at everyone present, and said calmly: "The Ye family has taken the initiative to confess and surrender. I will grant amnesty at my discretion. The rest of you..."
"Has anyone taken the initiative to confess to me?"
Mr. Shen had an expressionless face: "If you don't tell the truth here, and the evidence is found by my officer later, you will be dealt with according to the Feng Tan family, and your home will be confiscated and you will be held accountable."
As soon as Shen Yi said these words, more than a dozen people looked at each other, stood up one after another, knelt down in front of Shen Yi, and kowtowed to Shen Yi: "Report to the Imperial Envoy, we are willing to confess..."
A smile finally appeared on Shen Yi's face. He stood up from his chair, glanced at everyone, and said slowly: "Wait a moment, the clerk will come in. You will dictate, and the clerk will take notes. After recording,
After that, everyone signed and stamped their signatures one by one."
"As long as you plead guilty here today, I will pardon you as appropriate afterwards. I will also say some good words for you at the court."
Everyone immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Shen Yi to thank him.
Soon, several clerks came in from outside with pens, ink, paper and inkstones.
While the bookkeepers were recording the "confessions" of these people, someone suddenly exclaimed.
"Ms. Ye fainted!"
Shen Yi was already standing on the threshold and ready to leave. Hearing this, he looked back and saw that Miss Ye, who was kneeling on the ground just now, had fainted, closed her eyes, and did not know what was going on.
Shen Yi frowned slightly.
This Miss Ye was the first to let go, but now when it was time to take a "confession", she fainted.
Regardless of whether it is fake or not, others may not dare to take a confession.
Mr. Shen squinted his eyes, glanced at everyone, and said in a deep voice: "What I said just now, I will record it now. If anyone regrets it..."
"I am an imperial envoy. If you deny it in front of the imperial envoy, you will definitely end up no better than the Feng Tan family!"
Shen Yi's words are full of intimidation.
These people immediately put their thoughts aside and continued to take statements and sign them.
Mr. Shen glanced at Ye Chan who was unconscious on the ground. After hesitating for a moment, he waved to the two anti-Japanese army soldiers guarding outside and asked two people to carry Ye Chan out from here and to the next door. Rest in a side room.
…………
When Ye Chan woke up, it was already afternoon.
She fell asleep for most of the day.
When Ye Chan woke up, she felt a splitting headache. She stumbled up from the unfamiliar bed, and as soon as she opened the door, she saw Jiang Sheng, Imperial Envoy Shen's attendant, sitting at the door of the room, boiling medicine.
Seeing that Ye Chan woke up, Jiang Sheng stood up immediately. He looked at Ye Chan and breathed a sigh of relief: "Miss Ye is finally awake. At noon, your Ye family members were looking for you at the door, but there was no young master. We did not let them in despite their orders.”
Ye Chan rubbed her head, feeling a little weak and cold. She took a deep breath, lowered her head and said, "Brother Jiang, where is Imperial Commissioner Shen? I want to see him."
"My young master is in the study."
Jiang Sheng lowered his head and glanced at the heat of the medicine jar, then slightly lowered his head to Ye Chan: "Shall I take the girl?"
"Um."
Ye Chan nodded slightly.
In this way, she followed Jiang Sheng and soon arrived at the door of Shen Yi's study. Jiang Sheng reached out and knocked on the door, leaning slightly: "Master, Miss Ye is awake and said she wants to see you."
"Um."
In the room, a voice that was neither salty nor cold came: "Let her come in."
"yes."
Jiang Sheng opened the door and made an inviting gesture to Ye Chan.
Miss Ye took several deep breaths, trying not to be too nervous, and then carefully entered Shen Yi's study.
As soon as she entered the study, she saw the unsmiling young man dressed in black from the morning, sitting behind the desk and writing something hard.
While she was still in a trance, she saw the young man raised his head and glanced at her, and then said calmly: "At noon, the doctor came to see you and said that you fainted because you suffered from cold and didn't eat. past."
The young imperial envoy paused and continued: "So you shouldn't be pretending."
Ye Chan felt a little angry.
She stayed outside all night last night, never leaving, and didn't eat much all day and night. This young man from the imperial court actually said that she was faking?
But she really didn't dare to have an attack, so she could only lower her head and whisper, "I don't dare to deceive the imperial envoy."
"It's not just pretending."
Shen Yi took the piece of paper he had just written on, dried the ink, pushed it in front of Ye Chan, and said calmly: "You fainted this morning, and there was no secretary to record a confession for you. I wrote this down. It should be a big mistake." Not bad, just take a look at it once, and if there’s nothing wrong with it, just sign and pledge it.”
The imperial envoy said in a calm tone: "After the signing, you can go home. There are people from your Ye family waiting for you outside."
Ye Chan took the "confession" handed over by Shen Yi and read it over.
The handwriting is elegant and handsome, and the content is almost word for word what I said that morning.
She couldn't help but look up at Shen Yi and sighed in her heart.
Worthy of being a Young Scholar...
After reading it carefully, Ye Chan lowered his head slightly and said, "Go back to the Imperial Envoy, there is no problem..."
"Then just sign and stamp it."
Shen Yi handed over the pen in his hand and placed the red clay prepared in advance in the woman's hand.
Ye Chan took the warm brush and lowered her head slightly. Just as she was about to write her name on the paper, she suddenly looked up at Shen Yi and asked cautiously.
"Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy, I am..."
"What crime will I be accused of by the court? Will I be exiled to the army?"
"Still, still..."
She bit her lip, with tears in her eyes: "I still want to join the Jiaofang Division..."
Seeing that she was about to cry in front of him again, Shen Yi frowned slightly: "You sign and seal it first."
Ye Chan was now afraid of this young imperial envoy from the bottom of her heart, so she almost subconsciously wrote her name and put her fingerprints on the paper.
Shen Yi then took this "confession" back and put it on the thick confession aside. Then he looked up at Ye Chan and said lightly: "Here, there are fifteen confessions in total. You ten I will keep my promise to the five families and consider clemency as appropriate."
"Jiaofang Si, you definitely don't need to join."
Shen Yi looked calm: "But you fifteen families all have to pay, a lot of money."
"Not only the cash, but also each of your family's properties, shops, and corresponding businesses. Except for the ancestral home, a portion of the rest must be handed over to the imperial court."
Ye Chan's breathing immediately became rapid. She looked at Shen Yi and asked, "Your Majesty, how much does the imperial court... want?"
Shen Yi hasn't thought about this issue yet.
He glanced at Ye Chan and tentatively gave a number: "Seventy percent?"
Hearing these two words, Ye Chan knew very clearly that the young imperial envoy in front of her was definitely not asking for a bribe on his behalf.
Rather, he was really asking for money from the imperial court.
Because no matter which corrupt official he is, he will not ask for 70% of a family's property before killing them.
Because if someone cannot agree with you, they will definitely fight with you to the end.
She looked at Shen Yi with wide eyes, and her voice trembled: "Master Shen, 70%!"
"It's no different from ransacking a house. There may be hundreds of people in each ancestral home, including the descendants of the branches below, and the tenants. If 70% of the family property is confiscated, I'm afraid it will be completely depleted in a year or two at most. Got it!"
"Then just 60%."
Shen Yi glanced at the woman and said calmly: "Miss Ye seems to be very effective in speaking among the Fuzhou gentry. Go back and ask them if 60% is okay. If it is okay, I will report it to the court and let the court send someone to it." People have taken over each family’s inheritance.”
"At most 50%..."
Ye Chan lowered her head. She felt cold all over because of the cold, and her body could not stop shaking.
"No matter how much... I can't open my mouth to them..."
"Well…"
Shen Yi lowered his head and thought for a while.
There are far more than these fifteen gentry families in Fuzhou, but as the new year is approaching, Shen Yi has no energy to keep entangled with them. His current idea is to let Xu Fu's tea shop in Fuzhou take over the property of these gentry clans.
Anyway, Xu Fu was an imperial merchant and the emperor's external manager. If Xu Fu managed it, he was actually handing it over to the emperor.
When the time comes to report it, the emperor won't say anything.
As for the Fuzhou gentry's communication with the Japanese.
This will take time to peel off the cocoon. Next year the Fuzhou Maritime Bureau will be established, and the anti-Japanese army will be stationed in Fuzhou. There will still be a lot of time to slowly investigate.
Thinking of this, he raised his head and glanced at Ye Chan, and said calmly: "That's it, Miss Ye will go back and discuss it with the nobles. I will also consider it carefully for a few days. After three days, you come here again, and we will agree on a suitable one." Number of."
At this point, Shen Yi raised his eyebrows: "But 50% is the minimum amount, and it can't be any less."
"In this city of Fuzhou, except for your fifteen families, any other family will definitely have their homes confiscated if they are found to be involved in Japanese activities."
"That's not 50%."
Ye Chan nodded slightly.
She hesitated for a moment, then looked at the confession in Shen Yi's hand and said, "Master Shen, can you help me write another copy of this confession?"
Shen Yi frowned: "Why are you writing this?"
"This morning, they were signing the bond in the living room, but I fainted. They didn't see me signing the bond. Without this, I'm afraid they wouldn't believe anything I said."
Shen Yi thought for a while and realized that this was indeed the case, so he dipped in ink and wrote a confession for Ye Chan. After drying the ink, he handed it to her.
Ye Chan took it with both hands, bowed her head to Shen Yi and said, "Thank you, sir..."
Shen Yi waved his hand.
"If Miss Ye can handle this matter well, then Shen should be the one to thank Miss Ye."
Ye Chan put the confession in front of her, signed it and stamped it again, then folded it, carefully held it in her hand, and said a blessing to Shen Yi.
"Master Shen, you are busy, I have to take leave."
"Um."
After Shen Yi said "hmm", there was no movement.
Ye Chan then cautiously withdrew.
As soon as she left Shen Yi's study, she saw Jiang Sheng carrying a bowl of soup outside the study. Jiang Sheng handed the soup to Ye Chan and said, "Miss Ye, this is the medicine that the doctor came to prescribe for you at noon. It has just been brewed to dispel cold and nourish qi. Just drink it."
Ye Chan thanked her, took the soup, frowned slightly, and drank it slowly.
Seeing her finish drinking, Jiang Sheng took out another prescription from his sleeve, handed it to Ye Chan, and said with a smile: "Miss Ye, take this prescription prescribed by the doctor back."
Miss Ye hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took it.
She looked at Jiang Sheng and asked, "Is this the doctor Master Shen is looking for?"
Jiang Sheng scratched his head.
Soon, he nodded again and said yes.
Miss Ye took a deep breath, held the prescription tightly, and thanked Jiang Sheng.
Then, she hurriedly left Shen Yi's residence.
Outside, there were about ten people from the Ye family waiting. Seeing that Ye Chan came out safely, everyone came forward and asked questions.
Miss Ye took a deep breath and said slowly: "I'm fine..."
"Go...go home."
So, the Ye family's carriage slowly left.
Jiang Sheng watched the Ye family's carriage slowly go away and scratched his head again.
In the morning, it was indeed his son who asked him to find a doctor outside.
That should be regarded as... the young master is looking for it?
Jiang Shengru thought.
The more I wrote this chapter, the more I wrote it. I wrote 5,000 words, and there was no way to separate them, so I posted them all together... Well, it’s finally the third update today...