938: Playing the game (middle) [asking for monthly votes]
Chapter 938
"So many injuries?"
"It's so cruel..."
"Killing is just a nod... What kind of hatred is there to torture a seventeen or eighteen-year-old child so cruelly?"
No one here could see this kind of brutal killing.
Ning Yan exhaled a breath and calmed down: "Judging from the results of Ji Shou's investigation, the so-called ghosts are mostly ghosts who are causing mischief and fooling the world. Perhaps we can follow this clue and secretly check whether there are any matching people in Jinli County. Literary scholar."
The scope of the investigation was suddenly narrowed.
However, this proposal was rejected by Shen Tang with a shake of his head.
She frowned and said, "If that's the case, there's too much movement."
The group of people made this trip specifically to avoid alerting others. Shen Tang leaned back, leaned on the desk and closed his eyes, tapping his fingers on the table. The ministers from all walks of life were also whispering and exchanging information with each other, frowning. Never stretched out.
This is what Ning Yan is worried about: "Indeed, if you don't take action, it's enough. Once you take action, you have to hit the point, but you can break through..."
There are clues, but which clue can be the breakthrough?
Shen Tang turned his head and looked in the direction of the window lattice: "Wait."
After saying that, the room fell into an unspeakable silence.
When Ning Yan heard this, her eyes fell on Qi Shan, Chu Yao and others.
Try to read the progress on their faces.
The host and guest host looked around, unable to get into the conversation.
As the chief of the Fourth Department of the Ministry of Etiquette, the matter in front of him was not in line with his professional field. Outside of his duties, it was not his turn to worry. However, this did not prevent him from secretly communicating with his colleagues with his fingers: [Oh, I hope this is just a simple matter of greed. Corruption case...]
The doctor of the Food Department rolled his eyes: [How can a corruption case be considered innocent or not? Have you ever thought about how many people will die if there is a problem in Jinli County? With the temper of our Lord, she will kill all the eggs laid by the hens in the corrupt official's house. The egg yolk is shaken apart...]
This kind of cutting-edge words came from her own words.
The doctor from the Department of Etiquette also learned to roll his eyes: "If it were a corruption case, at most a few hundred people would die, and there would only be a thousand people in the sky. If it wasn't a corruption case, tens of thousands of people would die."
The doctor in the Department of Food and Beverage was awakened: [……]
After all, they are all important officials in the court. Even if the Ministry of Etiquette is very idle and the four ministers gather together every day to keep warm and eat melon, this can only prove that the department has less work, not that they are not strong enough. If it is really a simple corruption case, the Ministry of Punishment and the Seventh Division will get together every day. The Fourth Guard can handle it and let the local Zhechong government send troops to surround it. Which corrupt official can escape? But now it is the king himself who takes action.
This can only prove that there are things involved behind the case, either the Ministry of Punishment cannot handle it, or the ruler of the country cannot wait for the Ministry of Punishment to investigate the case.
They all hope it's the latter.
The ruler of the country has a really impatient personality, and she often takes matters into her own hands when she encounters cases while patrolling the country, which is in line with her usual temperament.
But, I'm afraid it's the former.
This is also the most worrying guess among the ministers of the Ministry of Etiquette - first, the supervisory censor who hid his identity in Jinli County, Kunzhou was killed, and then the granary was stolen. Is it the local officials who are bold, or are they supported by forces that resist the royal court? ?
No one here wants this to be the guess.
This means, start a war!
Is the enemy the Northern Desert or the High Country?
Or--
Are they both involved?
Gao is the name of the country established by Wu Xian.
Doctor of the Department of Food and Beverage: [Yes, if this war really breaks out, the safety of the grain depots on the Kunzhou battlefield cannot be guaranteed. The enemy may intervene at any time. If another 'ghost steals grain' happens, it will be really embarrassing. My Lord is murderous. It will only get heavier...]
The doctor of the temple department: [Where did the food and grass go?]
The doctor of the Department of Etiquette nuzzled in Shen Tang's direction.
[Your Majesty and Prime Minister Chu, don’t they have a headache? 】
If it was just a simple corruption case, the Jinli County Government Office would have been surrounded long ago. Now that they are making secret moves, isn't it because they are not sure which guess to make? If it is the worst case scenario, rashly sending troops to surround it will only alert the enemy, and will miss important clues.
At this time, Shen Tang opened his eyes.
A mature female voice also came from outside the house.
"Lord, people have been brought."
Shen Tang sat up straight: "Wei Heng, come in."
After the words fell, a woman in simple purple clothes entered with a sword, and behind her was a familiar woman, who was Captain Zhechong of Jinli County. The latter was in a miserable shape, the Dan Mansion was sealed, and he was walking with a limp: " Weiheng, have you not been discovered?"
Yu Zi shook her head: "Everything went well."
Some of the officials present recognized this Lieutenant Zhechong.
Of course they knew that no one in Jinli County could be trusted, but they didn’t expect that the first person their master would arrest would be the chief of Zhechong Mansion! For a moment, some people’s expressions became even worse. The censor was suspected of being murdered, and even Zhechong Mansion was arrested. be penetrated.
Captain Zhe Chong also turned pale when he saw Shen Tang.
Still pretending to be calm: "Lord, why is this?"
"I have never revealed my true identity to you. Yuanliang asked you to mention me, and he only said that I was a member of the Criminal Department responsible for supervising the case. But just now in prison, Yuanliang deliberately revealed my identity, but you didn't say anything. No surprise, just call me 'Lord'. You know my identity but pretend not to know, so it's reasonable for me to suspect you and put you on trial."
Shen Tang is also unwilling to interrogate the captain of the Zhechong Mansion, which would be too shameful, but she is the biggest breakthrough at present, so she can give it a try.
Zhe Chong rolled the captain's throat several times.
With beads of sweat on his forehead, he said nervously: "Final general..."
"Don't lie, you can't lie. Now I allow you to tell the truth and take the initiative to confess to give you dignity. If you don't know what to do, you have to see the spirit of the Ministry of Justice. If the foundation of cultivation is damaged, the consequences will only be yours." To bear it.”
These words struck a chord with Captain Zhe Chong.
Everything she has now is based on military merit.
Military success is achieved through force.
The foundation of cultivation is destroyed, and the future is also destroyed.
"My eyes can't tolerate sand, and I hate being fooled the most in my life. Now I'm just interrogating you instead of killing you directly. You should know why." Naturally, it was because she knew that Captain Zhechong had a problem but was not the mastermind. She had the chance to be given a lighter sentence. Feel down.
"Speaking of which, who told you that I would come?"
Before Lieutenant Zhe Chong could open her mouth, a ray of light fell from her head, like a shackle imprisoning her neck, and a strange and unpredictable cold force occupied her chest. She had a premonition that once she lied, a heartbreaking attack would be waiting for her. pain.
Yu Zi was indifferent: "Tell the truth, it's best to tell the truth."
There are so many hard bones in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, but I can't even get through it.
Lieutenant Zhe Chong swallowed in a cold sweat.
He struggled to say a few words: "Yes, it's Liu Changshi..."
Shen Tang: "Liu Changshi? Do you know the origin of this person?"
Captain Zhe Chong shook his head again.
She was really not familiar with the Jinli County Magistrate Shi, and the only few times they met were to give gifts in private. Captain Zhe Chong said this, with a look of shame on his face. At first, her family took the child away behind her back. The benefits Shi had given her, it was only when she returned home that she realized that the money she had received had already been spent by them.
She gritted her teeth and pieced together a sum of money to pay back.
Later, my father, who had always been honest, became addicted to gambling for some unknown reason and owed a large amount of gambling debt at the gambling house.
Naturally, the gambling house did not dare to come to her to find bad luck. Not only did she not have any trouble, but she also served her father very well, taking the opportunity to get closer to other relatives, and playing games to put the other party in jail. Lieutenant Zhe Chong had no choice but to shamelessly go find someone. Intercede to see if she can be tolerant or reconcile with the victim privately. Chang Shi was very considerate to her, not only did she not embarrass her, but he also made peace with her.
With this coming out, the relationship has become closer.
Her family went behind her back again and received benefits one after another.
Starting from small favors, her family was fed a huge appetite. When she realized that something was wrong, the boat could no longer get off. Liu Changshi often came to her home to talk to her, expressing his pity for her current material conditions and Status is not met.
One day, a plate of gold ingots was delivered.
The golden color almost dazzled her eyes.
[Gudu...this, this cannot be accepted...]
Liu Changshi smiled nonchalantly, took out a neatly folded land deed from his sleeve, and gently pushed it over: [I heard from the imperial court that the captain wanted to repair the old house? If there is no family to support it, how can the old house be built? Can it be repaired in time? The friendship between you and me is just a hand-in-hand between colleagues. It just so happens that Liu has a piece of land in the east of the city, and the house over there is worthy of a captain.]
[Can't accept it, can't accept it...]
Lieutenant Zhe Chong refused heartily.
Within two days, I heard the news that the old house was under construction.
I found a lot of things at home that I shouldn’t have.
Liu Changshi looked at her angrily, smiled and comforted her and sat down: "Why are you so nervous, Captain? Oh, that's all. If you really don't want to accept the money, I can't force it. But give the money away. I won’t get it back. Captain, if you really feel sorry for yourself, why don’t you do something for me?】
There is no free lunch in the world.
The captain also knew that the money that had been spent would be difficult to repay in a short period of time with his own salary, but he did not want to hastily agree to the other party's request and leave hidden dangers for his own future. Liu Changshi saw the captain's embarrassment and said: [This Nothing will embarrass the captain.】
This thing is really not difficult.
I just asked her to help collect the money.
Captain Zhe Chong: [Debt collection?]
Liu Changshi smiled bitterly and said: [A few merchants came to borrow money before, but they refused to pay it back when the time came. Those rogues are difficult to deal with, and I am worried that I don't know how to deal with them. 】
Captain Zhe Chong breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
This job is really not difficult.
She privately sent people to collect the debt, but after two or three times, she completely collected it. Liu Changshi made a special trip to thank her and gave her a thank you fee. The captain tried to turn it down, but Liu Changshi said: "This is
A pure thank you, Captain, I can rest assured.】
From this she also learned about the official debt.
He was shocked and said: [How is this possible?]
Liu Changshi seemed to be laughing at her timidity and asked: "Is there any law in the royal court that stipulates that this is not allowed? No! It can be done without any prohibition by law! Since it is a 'permissible' thing, what's wrong with it? There is something wrong at home.
If you just leave your spare money, it’s better to lend it to merchants to earn some interest, what do you think?]
Then, Liu Changshi said something unknown.
No one in the Jinli County government office knew about this matter.
Everyone pooled their money together to lend money to merchants, collect the money, and then distribute dividends based on the loaned principal. Otherwise, how can any family live a comfortable life with just that little salary? There is more than one Liu Chang who does this.
Shi, you can rest assured.
There are even officials who go around borrowing money from merchants.
How can we forget our loved ones when there is such a thing as getting rich?
Captain Zhe Chong asked curiously about profit.
Nine times out and thirteen times out, you can get close to 50% of the dividends on your invested capital. Who wouldn’t be tempted by such a huge profit?
Lieutenant Zhe Chong's heart beat like a drum.
This is a business that is not illegal, is hugely profitable, and is sure to make a profit! After she went back, she looked at the simple rented house with a lot of thoughts in her mind. It would be inconvenient for several members of the family to live in such a space. If she had a lot of money,
Can I change my house...
Shen Tang chuckled: "So, you also released the official debt?"
Good guy, the person who co-authored the loan of official debt is not one person but a group of people, illegally raising funds and illegally lending, all the elements are complete!
Captain Zhechong gritted his teeth and nodded: "Yes..."
She also received several dividends.
As time went by, she felt relieved. Thanks to Liu Changshi's kindness, she would occasionally help him with some things.
Another thought suddenly came to Shen Tang's mind, and he resisted the urge to take a breath: "Is there anyone else in Zhe Chong Mansion who will also join?"
Captain Zhe Chong nodded again.
Shen Tang raised his hand to his forehead and sighed deeply.
"Yes, it's a Ponzi scheme. If it doesn't cause thunder, who will?"
As the Minister of Household Affairs, Xun Zhen was very sensitive to money. She raised her ears when she heard these words: "Ponzi scheme? Thunderstorm?"
Shen Tang sighed and said: "Ponzi scheme, to put it more simply, is a trick of tearing down the east wall to make up for the west wall. Merchants borrowing official debt is a disguised form of bribing officials to find a backer, but have you ever thought about it?
The purpose of doing business is also to make money. Who will keep borrowing the government debt that has been raised nine times and thirteen times? So, where do the dividends come from? Naturally, it is to win over more people and use their money to make up for the dividend gap. Close
The 50% gap, once the hole cannot be repaired, there will be a thunderstorm."
Liu Changshi, haha, what a talent he is!
While engaging in corruption and bribery, he also ran a Ponzi scheme.
When she saw Captain Zhe Chong's pale face, she knew that there were many people investing money in Zhe Chong Mansion. With the greed of human nature, these people were probably using high leverage. Shen Tang laughed angrily at this moment: "So, you are stealing from others. , sold the grain depot to fill the hole?"
Lieutenant Zhe Chong said flatly: "This is absolutely not the case!"
She was so anxious that she was speechless.
"Mo, I will never do this..."
Shen Tang looked at Yu Zi, who shook her head.
Yan Ling did not have an attack, and Lieutenant Zhe Chong did not lie.
"How much do you know about the theft of the grain depot? Let me put it another way, what did you do for Liu Changshi before and after the theft of the grain depot?" Shen Tang said and winked at Gu Chi, who understood instantly.
Lieutenant Zhe Chong didn't know what he thought of, his pupils shrank suddenly, his lips moved several times, but he couldn't utter a word. Shen Tang asked this question, no matter how slow she was, she should have known that there might be something wrong with Liu Changshi. No, it was not possible. , the suspicion is very, very high.
Shen Tang chuckled: "Remember?"
Zhe rushed to the captain and murmured in a low voice.
"Several caravans left the country that day to pass through the customs..."
If you want to get dividends from official debts, you can't be too strict with merchants. Some aspects that can be facilitated must be facilitated. As time goes by, the guards relax their vigilance on merchants holding special documents. They will let them go after a symbolic check. It would be too much of a waste of time.
If it's a familiar face, just say hello and let him pass.
Xun Zhen's hands were shaking with heartache.
"...So, the food can't be recovered?"
Shen Tang sighed and made up his mind: "It's not just the food that can't be recovered? Maybe it was shipped out with the food and all the savings of these unlucky people who borrowed money to join the Ponzi scheme."
|ω`)
It’s a new month, please give me a guaranteed monthly ticket (*▽*)
PS: I have been losing weight steadily since I started private training at the age of 24. I am now about 14 pounds lighter. I feel like I can really achieve my goal before the Chinese New Year.