Although Mrs. Fang strongly opposed the struggle, she was a woman after all and could not resist the strength of the guards, so she was dragged aside. Then the guards hit the wall hard with their hammers. The sound of the hammers made Mrs. Fang frightened and her face became paler.
When another heavy hammer hit, a hole was finally made in the wall, and then, an ingot of gold and silver fell from the hole, shining with a dazzling light.
Si Xi exclaimed: "No wonder we haven't been able to find the silver. It turns out it's here. Fang Guan hid it really well."
Mrs. Fang looked at this scene with a pale face. Before Hongli's southern tour, Fang Guancheng deliberately rebuilt this wall in order to collect the money in the palace. He thought that he could avoid all searches and no one would discover the secrets in the wall.
Unexpectedly, Hong Zhou found him in the end, and this time it was really over.
Hong Zhou glanced at her coldly and said: "Leave five people here to count, and the rest will follow me to the Governor's Mansion."
With the silver hidden in the wall of the Governor's Mansion, it is not difficult to find the silver hidden in the Governor's Mansion. After counting on both sides, the gold and silver found in the Governor's Mansion was equivalent to 115,000 taels of silver.
As much as 200,000 taels, making him the most embezzled person in recent years.
In the palace, Fang Guancheng and Wang Wei looked calm. They believed that the place where they hid the silver was so hidden that no one would discover it. It was not until Hong Zhou and Sixi returned to the palace to report that they were shocked and lost their minds.
.
After hearing Hong Zhou's reply, Hong Li laughed angrily, "Okay, I actually thought of hiding silver in the wall. I really don't know whether to praise you or scold you!"
"Your Majesty, spare your life!" The two of them lay on the ground in fear and did not dare to move. They knew that this time the evidence was irrefutable and no matter what they said, they would not be able to escape. The only hope was the one in the capital. If he came forward, they would be saved.
Maybe there's still some room for maneuver.
"How are you finally willing to tell the truth?" Hongli slapped the armrest heavily and said sternly: "Tell me, what have you done in these years!"
The two of them did not dare to hide any more and told what they had done. Wang Wei even confessed that officials of all sizes in the Salt and Grain Roads had been corrupt and perverted the law. Among the seven or eight officials known to Li Shiqun
In addition, nearly ten people were brought out, including officials from Jiangsu, Fujian and other places. Hongli was so angry that he was furious.
Shit, I never imagined that this land south of the Yangtze River could be so dark and corrupt. Fortunately, he always believed that the officials under his rule were as clear-minded as when Emperor Ama was alive. But now he knows that they are only clear-sighted on the surface, but privately, they are already rotten.
If it hadn't been discovered this time, I don't know what would have happened.
Wang Wei kowtowed and said: "Your Majesty, I have told you everything I know. I beg you to spare my life for the sake of my great achievements in the past years."
"Spare you?" Hongli sneered: "You are already so bold as to commit regicide, do you still need me to spare you?"
"I deserve death for my crime, but I really don't know the identity of the emperor, otherwise..." Before he could finish speaking, Hong Zhou said: "You may not have known it before, but afterwards, I have told the truth about the identity of the emperor.
, you still pretended not to know, bluffing me into searching in the city of Hangzhou, while on the other hand, you sent people to harm the emperor. If I hadn’t been suspicious of you and sent people to search outside the city, the emperor and the queen would have been poisoned by you.
.”
"No, Ding Rong and the others are indeed not sent by Xiaguan, and have nothing to do with Xiaguan." As soon as Wang Wei finished speaking, Ding Rong said: "Your Majesty, this villain was indeed sent by Lord Wang's order to help Lord Fang.
Man, he knows it from beginning to end.”
"Your Majesty, Ding Rong was once punished by the guilty minister for making mistakes, so he harbored a grudge against the guilty minister, and now he has deliberately wronged him. Do not believe what he said." He knew that his words might not be hidden from Hongli, but he was plotting to murder the emperor.
You must never admit your sin. Once you admit it, even the gods will not be able to save you.
"Unrepentant!" After Hongli scolded him coldly, he reluctantly suppressed the anger in his heart and said, "Who do you rely on in Beijing?"
Fang Guancheng was shaken, raised his head and said: "The guilty ministers and others have nothing to rely on in the capital. They are all rumors spread by false rumors. They cannot be believed."
"Really?" Hongli smiled coldly. How could his determination be shaken by Fang Guancheng's few words? He paused for a moment and said in a cold voice: "It seems that you are unwilling to inflict severe punishment, but I will do it first."
Just a reminder, I will not be as polite as you are with the prince." After saying that, his voice suddenly became sharp.
, "Come here, pull the two of them down and hand them over to Dehai, and tell him that as long as he doesn't die, he can do whatever he wants. If you need ginseng to survive, just ask the imperial doctor to get it!" This southern tour
, Dehai also followed. Unexpectedly, this time, he, the head of the Punishment Department, would really come in handy.
"Slave, I obey." Xiao Wu responded, and took Wang and Fang down with bloodless faces. After they left, Ding Rong and others were also dragged down and beheaded, but Hongli obeyed his order.
The promise never harmed their family, which can be regarded as leaving a trace of mercy.
When being taken away, Ding Rong said seductively: "Actually, when that man escaped, the little people thought that it would cause trouble, but they didn't expect that it would lead to death."
When Hongli heard what he said, he wondered: "Escape, who escaped?"
Ding Rong said truthfully: "When the emperor went down the mountain to fight with the villains, there was a person who pretended to be dead and escaped in the chaos. I think it was the prince who reported the news."
Hong Zhou said with surprise on his face: "How could such a thing happen? The king did not receive the report, but sent people to track down the traces along the way, and just discovered the traces." As he said, he looked at Si Xi, "When the emperor returns,
Has anyone come to the palace to report the news before?"
Si Xi thought for a while, shook his head and said: "I have ordered the palace servants below to keep an eye on the situation. If such a person comes to report the news, I will definitely know it, but I have no impression. Could it be you?
Wrong?"
Seeing him asking himself, Ding Rong said with great certainty: "I remember very clearly. When we were counting, we did find that one person was missing. If he didn't come to report, he was greedy for life and afraid of death, and ran away alone."
"No." Hong Zhou said without thinking: "The guards sent by this king are all people whom I have used for many years. They are extremely loyal and brave, and they will never escape alone."
"The matter is over, there is no point in pursuing it anymore, just take them down." With Hongli's wave, these dozen people were escorted out together. This scene happened to be seen by Yongzhang and Yongxun who had returned from practicing archery outside.
When they arrived, Yongxun curiously called one of the guards and asked, "Who are these people and where are they being taken?"
"Reporting to Fourth Brother, these people have committed extremely heinous crimes. The slaves, following the emperor's order, took them out and beheaded them!"