"But why did you mention in your family letter that 'King Su's army passed through Yuanling'?"
Tang Zheng, the new Minister of Punishment, suddenly asked about the family order of Yuan Linghou, Feng Guan.
Feng Guan was startled, and then quickly explained: "The villain didn't mention it deliberately. He just heard about it, so he mentioned it casually in his family letter..."
"This explanation doesn't make sense, does it?" Tang Zheng stared at Feng Guan and said seriously: "You led your little master to play on the street, but you never thought that you would get involved in a fight, causing your little master to touch his head.
On the stone steps, you were unconscious. At that time, you were probably in a state of confusion, and you were so frightened that you actually had the leisure to talk about something?... In the eyes of this house, your little master was involved in a dispute, and "King Su's army passed by"
"Yuanling County" has nothing to do with it, so why did you mention King Su's army in your letter home to the Marquis of Yuanling? The two are completely unrelated matters."
"Yes, it's like this..." Feng Guan explained with some panic when he heard this: "The letter to the master is actually divided into two parts. The first letter is to report to the master the family income and expenditure of my Marquis Mansion in recent days.
, by the way, I also mentioned a few things that happened in my Yuanling County during that period; the latter one was an urgent letter reporting the situation of the young master to the Marquis... What the villain was thinking at the time was, why not send it together?
, so..."
"Is that so?" Chu Shuli, the head of the Daliang Mansion, turned to look at Yuanling Marquis Feng Shuli.
Uncle Feng, Marquis of Yuanling, nodded and acknowledged: "Replying to your lord, it is indeed two letters, one of which was delivered to Xiao Hou."
Seeing this, Chu Shuli glanced at Tang Zheng, but Tang Zheng pondered for a moment and asked Uncle Feng, Marquis of Yuanling: "Can I show you the family letter?"
"This..." Uncle Feng, Marquis of Yuanling, looked a little embarrassed and hesitant when he heard this.
Seeing his somewhat ugly expression, everyone present guessed that there must be something unfavorable to him written in that letter from home.
After figuring this out, Tang Zheng said sternly: "Marquis Yuanling, we are only trying this case today. I am only here to confirm the testimony of your family commander. For the rest, I will pretend that I have not seen it."
At this point, he turned to look at Zhao Hongrun and asked for instructions: "Your Highness, Prince Su, do you think this is okay?"
It was about his own reputation. What else could Zhao Hongrun say? He could only nodded and said, "Okay."
Seeing this, Tang Zheng turned to look at Yuanling Hou Feng Shu, and said: "Yuanling Hou, can you show me the family letter now? If it falls in the post office, please ask Mr. Chu to send a Yamen servant from Daliang Mansion to accompany you to pick it up."
After hearing this, Uncle Feng, the Marquis of Yuanling, glanced at Su Wang Zhao Hongrun hesitantly, and then at his hometown Ling Fengguan. He took out the letter from his arms and said, "There is no need to bother the officials of Daliang Mansion. I carry this letter with me."
.”
With that said, he took a few steps forward and handed the letter in his hand to Chu Shuli.
After receiving the letter, Chu Shuli spread the letters one by one on the case, and read them carefully with Tang Zheng and Xu Rong.
As Yuan Linghou's family order Feng Guan said, these are actually two letters.
In the first letter, it was recorded the harvest of Yuanlinghou this autumn. From the number of fields owned and the high amount of land rent, it is not difficult to judge that Yuanlinghou Mansion has indeed "annexed land" and "high land rent".
The suspicion of "loaning money to rent".
What made Dali Temple Minister Xu Rong frown even more was that the letter also mentioned an incident: a civilian family in Yuanling County had their land seized by the servants of Yuanling Marquis because they defaulted on high rent payments from Yuanling Prefecture.
, the man was dissatisfied and appealed to the magistrate of Yuanling County. As a result, the family magistrate Feng Guan made it clear in his letter - he had been "appropriately dealt with so that he did not dare to file a complaint again."
This incident proves from the side that Zhao Hongrun just bluntly said that he has collected all kinds of evidence against Yuan Linghou and his family. This is most likely true.
After understanding this, Dali Temple Qingzheng Xu Rong glanced at Yuanlinghou Uncle Feng intentionally or unintentionally, causing the expression on the latter's face to become quite stiff - I think Yuanlinghou also knew that if it weren't for the fact that the matter being tried today was not related
The charges against him, and this letter of disguised confession alone, were enough for Dali Temple to send personnel to thoroughly investigate his entire family and convict him according to law.
Finally, the three judges finished reading the letter and returned the family letter to Marquis Feng Shu of Yuanling. Only then did the latter calm down.
"What do you think, Mr. Tang?" Chu Shuli, the Chancellor of the Daliang Mansion, asked Tang Zheng, the Minister of Punishment.
In his opinion, he and Xu Rong, the minister of Dali Temple, were already old and their brains were no longer as useful as those of young people, while Tang Zheng, the Minister of Punishment, was not yet forty and in his prime.
After listening to Chu Shuli's inquiry, Tang Zheng, the Minister of Punishment, shook his head, then looked at Yuanlinghou's family commander Feng Guan and said: "Fengguan, when is the day when the rent is collected in Yuanlinghou's house?"
Feng Guan cupped his hands and replied: "It was last month...that is, before the end of October."
"Yes." Tang Zheng nodded, and then asked: "When did you calculate the rent for that year?"
Feng Guan replied: "It will be around the sixth or seventh day of this month."
After hearing this, Tang Zheng squinted his eyes and said calmly: "Isn't it right? If it is really the sixth day of the lunar month, the harvest and rent income for that year will have been calculated on the seventh day of the lunar month. Why didn't you write a letter and report it to the Marquis of Yuanling in time?
Will it be postponed until the end of this month?... So...
Well, based on the amount of land rent earned by Marquis Yuanling, I believe that those tenant farmers will most likely delay paying the rent until the last two days of the month... There is no need to hide this matter, I just want to
We need to send someone to verify it and then we can know the truth."
Listening to Tang Zheng's subtle sarcasm, Yuanling Hou Feng Shu was embarrassed and annoyed, but he did not dare to get angry, so he could only stand there with a sullen face and said nothing.
At this time, after thinking for a while, Feng Guan explained as if Pan Ran had come to his senses: "Your Excellency, I have misunderstood. The income of renters and tenants is counted by the accounting office of the house... As for what the villain said on the sixth day of the lunar month,
The seventh day of the lunar month refers to the date when the rent has been roughly collected. As for the specific settlement of the accounting room in the house, it was before and after... the young master was injured."
"Oh?" Tang Zheng raised his eyebrows and said with a half-smile: "In other words, before your little master was injured, the accounting office in your house had not yet counted the results? Feng Guan, that's not what you said just now.
.”
"I..." There was a hint of fear on Feng Guan's face, and he explained anxiously: "Yes, I was confused for a moment and remembered wrongly..."
"Can I remember this wrong?" Tang Zheng narrowed his eyes and asked Feng Guan.
Immediately, he smiled and said: "Okay, let's just assume that you have made a mistake in your memory. Then I will ask you again. Did Mr. Accountant of Marquis Yuanling's Mansion count this year's harvest before or after your young master was injured?
...You can think about it later."
"Yes... I wrote the first half of the letter home the day before the little master was injured." Feng Guan replied.
After hearing this, Tang Zheng sneered and said: "Isn't it right? Your little master was injured. I believe you were confused and panicked at the time. You must have written this family letter immediately after returning to your house...Under the circumstances at that time.
"Excuse me, you actually remember half of the family letter? Marquis Yuanling, I see that your family is not very enthusiastic about your family."
"..." Uncle Feng, Marquis of Yuanling, frowned and looked at Feng Guan without saying a word.
Although he heard Tang Zheng's provocative intentions, it was undeniable that Tang Zheng was right. Under the circumstances at that time, Feng Guan was probably in a state of panic and panic. Logically speaking, he wrote a letter in a hurry and then sent someone to his destination.
Delivered to people's hands.
Under such circumstances, it is indeed a bit strange that Ji Ling Feng Guan could still recall "half of yesterday's letter".
Perhaps because he noticed that the Marquis of Yuanling, Uncle Feng, was sullen and silent, Feng Guan showed a look of fear on his face and said quickly: "Master Hou, sir, villain... villain..."
"Don't say you remembered it wrong again." Interrupting Feng Guan's words, Tang Zheng, the Minister of Punishment, said with a sneer: "If you want to say that half of the letter was written after your little master was injured, that would be even more wrong.
...In the eyes of this government, this is equivalent to your acquiescence in the crime." At this point, he picked up the gavel on the case, slapped it hard and shouted sternly: "Feng Guan, do it for the truth!"
Seeing this, Feng Guan, who was kneeling on the ground, was so frightened that he trembled and said repeatedly: "The three adults know clearly that everything the villain said is true..."
"Is every word true?" Tang Zheng opened his eyes wide and said sternly: "In the first half of the letter, you deliberately mentioned that 'King Su's army passed through Yuanling County on its way', and then you wrote implicitly about the injury of your young master.
"Those gangsters are powerful and not afraid of county soldiers. If they are not fleeing for their lives, they are soldiers." This is clearly alluding to the soldiers of King Su's army, trying to frame the incident on the soldiers of King Su's army.
His Royal Highness King Su!"
"I... I don't dare... I will never..." Feng Guan shook his head in denial with fear on his face.
Seeing this, Tang Zheng, the Minister of Punishment, patted the gavel and said coldly: "Come on, use the rod to punish me!"
"..." Chu Shuli, the Prime Minister of Daliang Mansion, glanced at Tang Zheng with a strange expression. He said in his heart, this is the hall of my Daliang Mansion, not your Department of Punishment. Logically speaking, it is me, the Prime Minister of Daliang Mansion, who should give orders.
…
But having said that, Chu Shuli still admired Tang Zheng's sharp eyes, so he didn't pay attention to Tang Zheng's behavior of overestimating the guest.
Seeing that Chu Shuli, the governor of the mansion, had no objection, the officials of Daliang Mansion in the hall followed the order and walked to Fengguan's side, preparing for a battle and torture.
Seeing this, Feng Guan panicked, struggled a few steps to climb up to Yuanling Hou Feng Shu, pulled the latter's clothes, and said repeatedly: "Master Hou, Master Hou, the villain is wronged, the villain is wronged...
…”
"..." Uncle Feng, the Marquis of Yuanling, stared at Fengguan with a strange expression. After a while, he quietly said: "Fengguan, how many years have you been following me?"
"Xu, maybe it's been more than forty years..." Feng Guan said dryly.
"Yes, it's been more than forty years..." Uncle Feng, Marquis of Yuanling, nodded and said with a disappointed look: "Your father was once the family magistrate of my Yuanlinghou Mansion and gave me the surname Feng, and you and I grew up together.
Dad, have I ever treated you badly over the years? Do you remember the year before last? Your son fell in love with the daughter of Liu Dafu in the back street, but Liu Dafu relied on him to have some friendship with the Wang family in Zhengcheng, and he despised your son for being in our garden.
I am the servant of the mausoleum, and it was I who helped you, forcing Liu Dafu to marry his daughter to your son. For this reason, I did not hesitate to turn against the Wang family of Zhengcheng... And you will repay me in this way.
?You should know that Ah Shun is my most beloved eldest grandson..."
"Master Hou..." Feng Guan's face turned pale when he heard this. He kowtowed repeatedly and cried: "I don't know, I don't know. I don't know that the crowd of people pushing and pushing will hurt my little master. Otherwise, I will never do it that day."
Take the little master there... I also wanted to see what 'those people' would do that day."
"Those people?"
Tang Zheng, the Minister of Justice, heard this and asked in a deep voice: "But those 'bad guys', have you ever had contact with them?"