"In the twenty-seventh year of this year, following His Majesty's order to move captives, Xiang Liang and his family entered Guanzhong for eight years. He lived in Yueyang, Gan was the head of Guizhou, and he always kept his peace. However, his younger brother Xiang got involved in murdering people and escaping. Liang Yuan
I haven't heard anything about it thousands of miles away. Isn't it unjust to be arrested suddenly? Xiang's disciples and former officials are all over Chu. If they are innocent and brought to justice, it will frighten people in the East China Sea and bring trouble for my brother. Therefore.
In my brother's opinion, Xiang Liang does not need to sit together, but he can be released without charge, in order to appease the Xiang family members..."
In early July of the thirty-fourth year of the First Emperor of Qin, a letter from Xianyang was placed in front of the case of Yueyang Prime Minister Sima Xin.
"Just keep to yourself?"
Sima Xin sneered at him: "Xiang Liang was arrested for less than three days because his brother resisted and killed an official. He bribed people and interceded with me through Cao Jiu, who was the prison warden of Xianyang. It seems that he came to Guanzhong.
In the past year, I have managed a lot of connections..."
When Qin Shihuang first unified the world, he issued a relocation order, which caused 120,000 families from the six countries to move to Guanzhong and settle them in various counties.
As a eldest family member of the Chu State and the mainstay of the resistance against Qin, Xiang, the Prime Minister, was naturally given special attention. Xiang Yan and the eldest son of the Xiang family died in the war. It was the turn of the second son Xiang Liang to take charge of the family, so he was forced by the Qin army.
He moved to Guanzhong with his nephew "Xiang Ji" and lived in Yueyang County.
However, the Xiang family was very large. Xiang Liang used the separation as an excuse to divide the clan and family property after the fall of Chu. Therefore, the Xiang family was divided into two. One part was brought to Yueyang by him, and the other part was raised by Xiang Yan's youngest son.
Under the leadership of Xiang Juan, he continued to stay in Xiaxiang.
Now eight years have passed, Xiang Liang, who used to be a chivalrous and righteous man, seems to have completely fallen into silence. He is intoxicated with wine and sex. His favorite thing to do is banquet. He is not only the best in Yueyang County, but also the entire circle of immigrants from six countries in Guanzhong.
Here, he is also quite famous.
On the other side, the Xiang family's emaciated camels were bigger than horses and they owned a large number of manor fields. When the sugarcane planting craze started throughout the south, the Xiang family, like Zhao, Jing, and Qu, also opened some brown sugar workshops, but unfortunately they were still limited.
Before the money invested could be repaid, the imperial court nationalized the sugar industry. All the money of the families was wasted, and they became increasingly dissatisfied with the imperial court...
During the rebellion in Qi, if not for the tens of thousands of troops from Qin Shihuang and the imperial court stationed in Pengcheng City, even Chu would have rebelled. This is also the reason why the emperor ordered not a single soldier to enter Qi, in order to intimidate Chu.
Wei, secondly, let people with ulterior motives see that the Qin Dynasty could easily push the restored "Qi State" back into the coffin with just its garrison in Qi!
But one wave after another broke out, and the chaos in Qi was settled. Qin Shihuang then wanted to use troops against Baiyue, and recruited young men in Chu to join the army. Chu people always felt that the south was a ghost, and there was no life or death in the place.
A large number of garrison soldiers disobeyed orders and fled. Now in the three regions of Eastern Chu, Western Chu, and Southern Chu, there are people fleeing from Jiang Yang everywhere.
These fugitives either fled into Caoze and became bandits, or took refuge with local powerful men. More than two months ago, Donghai County received a report from Xiang's enemies, saying that Xiang Tao was hiding and fleeing, and placed them in the manor...
After hearing the news, the governor of Donghai County sent people to Xiaxiang County for a thorough investigation. When the Qin officials wanted to lead people to search Xiang's manor, they were blocked by Xiang's servants, and a conflict broke out. An official was killed and more than ten county soldiers were killed and injured.
people!
Shocked to hear this, Donghai County immediately mobilized county soldiers to surround the Xiang family's mansion in Xiaxiang County. After breaking into it, they found that the house was empty...
Xiang Juan knew that if he killed Qin officials, the government would not let it go, so he dismissed his tribe and fled with his retainers.
The Chu region is full of mountains and swamps, and it is easy to fall into bandits. The government can only control the cities and has no way to deal with the bandits in the wilderness. But the monks who can escape cannot escape the temple. Xiang Juan escaped, but the entire Xiang family's mansion and property were destroyed.
It was seized, and Xiang Liang, who was in Xianyang and was unaware of the matter, was also arrested by the government.
Although the Xiang family was once rich and powerful, now it is just one of the thousands of powerful people. The central government did not take it seriously, and the Tingwei ordered Yueyang County to investigate on its own...
However, the Yueyang County government still has a dispute over this case. Xiang Liang is indeed the head of the Xiang family, but he has moved to Guanzhong for many years and has only exchanged letters with the Prime Minister and has never gone back. There is no evidence that Xiang Liang is the head of the Xiang family.
It was Xiang Liang who ordered Mao to harbor fugitives and kill Qin officials.
Moreover, the characterization of this case is also problematic. If Xiang Juan's crime is considered to be "murder and Jiang Yang", then Xiang Liang, who is separated from him, will not be implicated and will be acquitted. However, if Xiang Juan is convicted
For "rebellion", although Xiang Liang does not belong to the "three clans" of father, mother and son, as the elder brother, he will still be punished.
The trial has not officially started yet, but the activities behind the scenes have begun. Xiang Liang is wealthy and easy to make friends. Sima Xin's brother-in-law, Cao Jiu, once worked as a clerk in Yueyang for a period of time and met Xiang Liang. Later, Cao Jiu met Xiang Liang.
Jiu went to Qi County to work as a jailer and had contacts with the Xiang family.
Later, with the help of Sima Xin, Cao Jiu returned to Guanzhong again and served as the warden of Xianyang, but he did not forget his old friendship. After receiving Xiang Liang's request, he planned to give him a hand...
"I wonder how much money he received?" Sima Xin thought.
Unlike Guanzhong, where the criminal law is stricter and officials dare not openly commit corruption and bribery, nowadays, among the Qin officials who are sent to serve as officials in the hometown of the Six Kingdoms of Qi, who is not making a lot of money when they get to the local level?
Times have changed. Honesty and simplicity are no longer the mainstream. The heart of one person is the heart of thousands of people. Qin's love is extravagant, and people miss his family. His Majesty the Emperor has taken the lead in overhauling the palace, so how can the officials below him be clean?
Naturally, they did not dare to openly withhold taxes paid to the imperial court, but they did not hesitate to show their kindness to local powerful families.
What Sima Xin is thinking now is that if this case does not attract the attention of Tingwei and is allowed to be tried by Yueyang County on its own, he might be able to turn a blind eye. After all, Xiang Liang did not commit any crime, but was just raped by him.
My brother was just fooled.
The Xiang family is rich and powerful. Although their home was seized by the Donghai County officials and the clan members fled in all directions, as long as Xiang Liang is fine, some benefits can definitely be obtained...
After having settled his thoughts, Sima Xin finished his day's work and returned home. Unexpectedly, his wife told him that there was a guest from afar in the living room who wanted to see Sima Xin and said that he had brought him a gift.
good news.
"Where did that guest come from?" Sima Xin asked casually, not paying much attention.
"I heard that he came from Jiaodong."
Sima Xin's wife Cao served hot soup, but her husband choked on a mouthful of soup, coughed and wiped it. He didn't bother to change his clothes, so he cursed: "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" and hurried to see the guests.
He can't forget, who is the official in Jiaodong?
Seven years ago, Sima Xin, who was still a clerk in Xianyang Prison, took over a case: a honey merchant in Nan City sued a foreign sugar seller from Nan County...
In the end, Sima Xin upheld justice for the Nanjun sugar sellers and restored their innocence. But in fact, he did this to please the popular minister of Qin Shihuang: Heifu.
After this incident, Sima Xin developed a friendship with Heifu. Although he did not give any direct reward, a few years later, Sima Xin was promoted by the court captain, from a prisoner of one hundred stones to a prime minister of Yueyang of four hundred stones...
Of course Sima Xin knew whose blessing this was.
Now, Heifu is already a two-thousand-stone official, and he is only one step away from becoming a marquis. If he sends someone to see him now, there must be something important!
After meeting the guests and having a confidential conversation, the black man's retainer said goodbye and left. When Sima Xin returned to the dormitory, his wife asked him what happened.
Sima Xin looked serious and said to his wife:
"Write a letter to tell your brother Cao Jiu that I can't help him this time!"
…
A few days later, Yueyang Prime Minister Sima Xin passed a rigorous trial and handed down the final verdict on Xiang Lianglian's case:
"Xiang Mao harbored fugitives, killed officials and conspired to rebel. He escaped. However, his brother Xiang Liang and his nephew Xiang Ji should sit together. Now they are reduced to prisoners and sent to Helan Mountain in Beidi County to serve the punishment of the Sikou
