ebookland Chapter 15 The dust has settled
Chapter 15 The dust has settled
On March 22, the second examination of the imperial examination began. At the same time, the trial of Li Zhifu's corruption case also began.
The gate of the yamen was open, and the cases were heard in public. The people could listen and watch from inside and outside the courtyard. The gate of the yamen was packed with people. In addition to the local people, there were also family members and servants from other places who accompanied their own candidates to take the exam and join in the fun.
Chen Ruotong arrived early and stood in the front rows. With a shout of "mighty", the three shifts of yamen runners lined up on both sides. The imperial envoy in purple official uniform, with a dignified and upright manner, sat under the "mirror hanging high" and rang the gavel: "Bring Li Gaoming, Wang Jinduo and others to the court!"
Magistrate Li, Mr. Wang, Mother Qin and a group of eight people were kneeling in front of the hall, looking miserable.
"Bring the evidence and the witnesses to court!"
The bailiffs were seen carrying two large wooden boxes and bringing more than a dozen witnesses to the court.
"Li Gaoming, you abused your power to embezzle and accept bribes, and the amount of silver you embezzled was as high as 200,000 taels. Do you know your crime? You colluded with Qin Erniang to illegally trade in human beings, killing twelve decent women. Do you know your crime? You colluded with Wang Jinduo to resell private salt and occupied good farmland. Do you know your crime? The box contains the account books that are evidence of your crime, as well as banknotes. Do you want to come in person to carefully identify them? The people behind you are the family members of the woman you killed. Do you know your crime? Confiscate your property, put you in a dungeon, and escort you to the Dali Temple in the capital for interrogation in ten days. The emperor will personally convict you!" The imperial envoy glared and slammed the gavel, scaring several people so much that they trembled.
With all the evidence, Li Zhifu could not argue and had to plead guilty: "I plead guilty!"
"And you, Wang Jinduo, have been selling illegal salt, plundering farmland, and evading taxes. You have strange habits and have killed more than 20 young girls. Your crimes are too numerous to list. Your property will be confiscated and the plundered farmland will be returned. Ten days later, you will be beheaded in public at the Zhongjie Caishikou!" Wang Yuanwai looked dead and collapsed to the ground.
"Qin Erniang, you are illegally trafficking in human beings, forcing women of good families into prostitution, and killing more than ten decent women. You deserve to die! Confiscate the Yihong Courtyard and behead her in public at Caishikou, Zhongjie Street, in ten days!" Mother Qin fainted.
The other five were powerful and evil gentry in the city, as well as members of merchant families. They all had close ties with this case and received due punishment.
The people clapped their hands and cheered. At this point, the cancer in Pingyang City had been removed, and the remaining minnows could not cause any trouble.
When the dust settled, Chen Ruotong took a deep breath, feeling refreshed and happy. She didn't expect that her gold and silver collection would do something good for the people. She felt very proud. She also had a part in the successful conclusion of the case, and she was a little proud.
Chen Ruotong had already seen Zhang Yishun standing in the first row. After the show, Chen Ruotong found Zhang Yishun and said, "Brother Zhang, I'll treat you today. Let's go to Baiweilou for a few drinks."
At this time, Zhou Qian came forward and said, "Brother Yishun, Master Chen, you are here to watch the fun. It is already noon. I will treat you to a few drinks at Baiweilou and talk about business. Is that okay?"
Chen Ruotong felt a little upset when she saw Zhou Qian, but she didn't want to offend Zhou Qian, so she went to Baiweilou with Zhang Yishun.
The three of them sat down in a private room on the second floor, ordered eight dishes, a soup, and two pots of wine, and chatted while they ate.
Zhou Qian smiled and poured wine for Zhang Yishun: "Brother Yishun, can I also get some of the houses, shops, farms and lands that the government has confiscated this time?"
"The old rule is that the industry belongs to a certain block. All the dental clinics in the four blocks have a share!" Zhang Yishun was very happy.
"Very good, very good!" Zhou Qian laughed happily.
Chen Ruotong looked at Zhang Yishun with sparkling eyes: "Brother Zhang, if there is a suitable store, can you let me know? I want to buy some property."
"Hahaha, no problem. As long as the government sells it, I'll inform Brother Chen as soon as possible! I wonder how long it will take Brother Chen to come back after he leaves the city this time? If time passes for a long time, I'm afraid there will be no good shops or farms left!"
"Hey, there's no rush to leave the city. Let's do it after we finish our business here!"
"I guess it can be sold after the college entrance examination is over. Because some students from far away want to buy a house in the capital, I think the house will sell quickly. I will notify Brother Chen before the sale."
Chen Ruotong raised her glass with both hands and said, "Thank you, Brother Zhang!"
Seeing Chen Ruotong and Zhang Yishun being so warm and friendly, Zhou Qian felt a little sour and uncomfortable.
After dinner, Chen Ruotong took a walk to digest the food and slowly walked home. She saw a handsome young man of about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a black shirt with red sleeves, holding a portrait and asking passers-by.
"Sir, have you seen the person in the painting?"
Chen Ruotong looked at the portrait. Isn’t this Qiao Zien?
She narrowed her eyes slightly and asked cautiously, "Who is the person in the painting?"
"He is my good friend Qiao Zien. He has been missing for several days. His house is empty, even Uncle Qiao is not there. Have you ever seen him in the city?" The young man looked anxious.
Chen Ruotong hesitated for a moment and said, "I've never seen it before."
The young man was stunned for a moment, then turned and walked away.
When Chen Ruotong arrived home, Qiao Zien was walking in the yard. The pink peach blossoms and the handsome young man complemented each other like a painting. Chen Ruotong stood at the door, looking at this beautiful scene, and thought of the saying: The man on the street is like jade, and the young man is unparalleled in the world!
Qiao Zien smiled brightly: "Brother Guchuan, what did you gain?"
The two sat at a stone table under a peach tree. Chen Ruotong told him about the case of Magistrate Li and also told him that a young man who claimed to be his friend was looking for him.
"I didn't know if he was really your friend, so I didn't tell him you were here."
"I guess he's a friend. He helped me when I was in trouble." Qiao Zien looked serious, as if she was reminiscing about the past.
"Then do you want to go see him? He seems very anxious when he can't find you."
"No need, let the past be the past, I am no longer the same person I used to be!"
"Oh? There seems to be some grudge between you two?" Chen Ruotong was very curious.
"Brother Guchuan, Prefect Li is in prison. Will the new prefect be Zhang Tongpan?" Qiao Zien bypassed Chen Ruotong's question.
"It should be. Zhang Tongpan is temporarily taking over the post of prefect. It's only a matter of time before he gets promoted. By the way, I want to buy a few shops and farms in a few days, so I'll have to trouble Brother Zien to help me with some advice!"
"Is it the confiscated houses and land?"
"Well, it will be much cheaper than the normal market price. It's a good deal." Chen Ruotong smiled slyly!
At this time, Qiao Bo came up to him and bowed, "Master Chen, Master, I just came back from buying rice and met Master Fang near the house. He said he wanted to see you. Can you let him in?"
Qiao Zien stood up, his face gloomy, and said coldly: "Let him in, it's better to make some things clear."
Uncle Qiao brought Mr. Fang in.
When Master Fang saw Qiao Zien, his face was filled with joy, his eyes were filled with tears, and he said in a trembling voice: "Zien, I finally found you. I was almost dying of anxiety!"
After saying this, he quickly stepped forward and hugged Qiao Zien, choking with sobs, "Zien, I'm relieved that you're okay!"