Chapter 271 Have the heart to make merit but not the brain
There was a ruckus.
The soldiers from the Criminal Department took out their chains and rushed forward. Although the four people had the ability to resist, they did not dare to move at all.
If it were in other small towns, you might be able to kill the official and escape directly, or flee overseas.
But unfortunately, this is Kyoto where there are many masters.
Once you become a fugitive, and you are caught again, it is not as simple as beheading.
What's more, the four of them knew in their hearts that they were alchemists, and even if they committed heinous crimes, they would not be executed in the end.
It is better to die than live.
It is better to be imprisoned in the palace for a lifetime and refine alchemy than to die without a complete body.
Besides, since the Ministry of Punishment is here to arrest someone, they must be fully prepared, and there is a high probability that they will not be able to escape.
The people in the family next to him were all stunned, and they didn't even move. They didn't even dare to look at the official, for fear of being suspected of trying to rob someone, and they would be killed without mercy.
Zhang Zhaohong had never been slapped in the face since he was a child. After he was thrown out, he fainted for several breaths.
When she came back to her senses, she saw that her god-like eldest brother had been tightly bound by chains. The eldest brother who usually looked like a tree in the wind was actually hunched over and looked exactly like the criminals who were about to be pushed to the Meridian Gate to be executed.
.
The eldest brother's carefully styled hair has also fallen down, his hair is disheveled, and he looks so embarrassed that Zhang Zhaohong has never seen him in his memory.
She burst out crying.
Although Zhang Zhaohong is unruly, in her heart, her eldest brother will always be comparable to the sun in the sky.
Seeing her eldest brother become a prisoner, she was really heartbroken.
At this time, Zhang Zhaohong didn't even ask who was beating her just now.
"Stop crying!"
Zhang Hudian shouted.
His head had been pressed down by the soldiers, and when he heard the cry, his heart felt cramped.
After I was imprisoned, I can only imagine how difficult my little sister’s life was.
His mother died early, so he let his daughter treat Zhang Zhaohong since he was a child, so he developed his sister's arrogant character.
"Little sister, go find Xiang Zhiqiang immediately!"
Zhang Hudian shouted again.
Now that things have come to this, Xiang Zhiqiang has the last straw in his hand.
Zhang Hidian didn't even know that his sister Zhang Zhaohong humiliated Qin Jinyang.
Especially his sister's emotional trivial matters, which were commonplace. He used to listen to them, but then the names didn't match up, so he simply didn't bother to pay attention to them.
As the chief disciple of Taidan Academy, he is also very busy on weekdays, and he has no time to pay attention to trivial matters such as the love between children.
Behind Xiang Zhiqiang is Eunuch Chen. Although the Fang family is powerful, if Eunuch Chen pleads for mercy, the Fang family may give it to him.
This is a glimmer of hope.
…
Four prisoners were arrested, and the soldiers of the Ministry of Justice began to confiscate the gold leaves.
The fat shopkeeper stretched out his hand to stop him.
"Sir, you can't take this money casually... The duty of the Criminal Department is to deal with people, not to steal money from bandits."
The shopkeeper spoke plausibly.
"Haha...bandit?"
Liang Yuansu almost laughed out of anger.
"Okay, I don't need to take this money!"
Liang Yuansu nodded and walked to the fat shopkeeper.
"I know that there is a great god behind you, and I, the Punishment Department, cannot touch this great god!"
"But the silver here shouldn't be the property of that great god, right?"
"The Ministry of Punishment can't do anything to you, so why can't it deal with these losers?"
"Guess, if all these idiots were captured and taken back to the Criminal Department, how many rounds of torture would they be able to withstand?"
After Liang Yuansu finished speaking, he didn't care at all about the fat shopkeeper with a livid face. He looked around at a group of family dudes.
"Listen to me, listen carefully! There are so many families, so much money... As long as one person confesses to treason, then the crime of you people will be treason, and the final result will be execution in Lingchi
, there is no whole body left behind.”
"I can give you a chance. As long as you admit that the money comes from your family, then you will not run away."
Liang Yuansu's words made the atmosphere in the teahouse even more depressing.
"Yes...if you confess, you will be lenient, if you resist, you will be strict!"
Qin Jinyang came to the event in person, suddenly got addicted to drama, and said something subconsciously.
But then, he felt that he was talking too much.
I am not from the Ministry of Punishment.
"Lord Qin is right, you should be lenient if you confess, and strict if you resist... The first person to speak will always make the greatest contribution."
Liang Yuansu nodded towards Qin Jinyang.
This sentence really speaks to my heart.
After coming out of the dungeon, Liang Yuansu's first impression from the Ministry of Punishment was that the soldiers were extremely cruel, and the laws of the dynasty were too strict, and they would be executed at every turn.
The death penalty is the last door to deter criminals.
Once abused, it will make prisoners who did not need to die become more aggressive and even commit revenge crimes.
When the Ministry of Punishment handles crimes, the common mantra is to kill without mercy.
This leniency for confession and strictness for resistance combines the majestic discipline of the Ministry of Punishment with the forgiveness of the law, which allows the prisoner a chance to repent without making the situation stiff from the beginning.
I need to popularize it if I have a chance.
…
"Sir, I'll do it, I'll do it!"
A few suffocating breaths passed, and soon, the first person ran out.
This man was very young, and he knelt at the feet of Liang Yuansu.
He is from the Ning family.
"Huh? Tell me...what do your Ning family want to do with so much money coming to the teahouse?"
Liang Yuansu seemed to be smiling but not smiling.
It came faster than expected. Although there are many people in these families, the majesty of the patriarchs is still there. Without the patriarch’s nod, the younger members of the family dare not take the lead without permission.
He even liked this young man a lot.
Upon seeing this, the shopkeeper's fat face instantly darkened.
He glared at the head of the Ning family fiercely: You can't even control your own dog, you're a loser!
The young man was panic-stricken. He knew that the reason for taking the money was that his family fled to Donglan country collectively, but this was a serious crime of Lingchi, so he did not dare to talk nonsense.
But ask him to weave a new reason, and he won't be able to think of it for a while.
Although he has the intention to make meritorious deeds, he does not have the brains to make meritorious deeds.
Liang Yuansu had rich experience in running eucalyptus and understood it instantly.
He smiled and continued to ask: "I want to ask you, do you bring so much money to show off your wealth or compete with others?"
After he finished speaking, Liang Yuansu looked at the fat shopkeeper again.
The meaning in his eyes was also very clear: The Ministry of Punishment has given Prince Shu enough face, and the other party has already taken action, so just shut up.
"Yes, yes...it's a fight for wealth!"
"All the money here comes from five families."
"We are having a rich fight."
The young man's eyes lit up and he couldn't wait to shout.
…
"Sir, I will recruit you, and I will recruit you too!"
"Sir, this money is indeed used by the Zhong family to persuade other families to fight for their wealth. We plead guilty!"
"My lord, my lord, I will recruit you too!"
…
With the leader, things will become much simpler later on.
There was a clerk in the Ministry of Punishment who recorded the confessions. In addition to the Ye family, people from several other families came forward to admit the fight against wealth.
Fighting for wealth is not illegal per se.
But these families are the targets of investigation by the Ministry of Criminal Justice.
"The Ministry of Punishment will investigate several direct disciples of the Taidan Academy. The property of their families will be temporarily seized. If there is insufficient evidence, these people will be released without charge, and the original amount of silver will be returned."
"Come here, put the seal on your pocket."
Liang Yuansu waved his hand, and two soldiers immediately stepped forward to affix the seal.
The sack had been closed before, but the moment the two men opened it, their eyes were almost blinded.
Neither of them had seen so many gold leaves in their lives.
No, they couldn't even dream of getting so many gold leaves.
Grab a handful casually, and you will be a guest of Yichun Tower throughout this year.
It's a pity that no one dared to do anything in front of everyone.
The fat shopkeeper was so angry that his teeth itched, but there was nothing he could do.
There are so many golden leaves, just take wings and fly.
Prince Shu loves money, but he is not stingy with his subordinates. If he completes this transaction by himself, he will definitely be rewarded with a large sum of money.
What a shame, it flew away.
…
After the matter is settled, the people from the Criminal Department are ready to leave.
"etc!"
At this moment, Ye Zhiqiu suddenly spoke.
A group of people from the Ye family just breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Ye Zhiqiu in surprise.
Their legs were weak, and they wished that the people from the Criminal Department would leave in the next second. They were surprised why Ye Zhiqiu still shouted to stop.
The other families are no longer envious of the Ye family, but jealous.
"Sir, although I am a member of the Ye family, I have been refining alchemy in the Taidan Academy in the past few years, and I don't care much about the family's affairs. If you have any doubts, you can just seal off the Ye family's share, and slowly
investigation."
Ye Zhiqiu glanced at Qin Jinyang with deep gratitude in his eyes.
At the same time, he also had his own way of repaying gratitude.
Qin Jinyang saved his life, and the Ministry of Punishment has given him enough face.
For the Ministry of Punishment, money is equally important.
You can't be too greedy as a person, you can't take life and money at the same time.
You have to pay one end.
At the same time, it also allows Qin Jinyang to be able to move around in the Ministry of Justice in the future, so that he will not exhaust his relationships in one go.
"Um?"
Liang Yuansu just turned around and turned his head in surprise.
To be honest, he has been having a headache about the Ye family's money.
Although he has a lot of authority, if he puts this money into the national treasury, the Ministry of Punishment will reward him in a certain proportion.
Without the Ye family's share, the entire punishment department's silver reward will be reduced.
This matter is still very troublesome.
That is to say, for Qin Jinyang's sake, if it were anyone else, Liang Yuansu would be unselfish.
He never expected that his friend Qin Jinyang would be so knowledgeable.
The fourth child frowned.
Suddenly his attitude towards Ye Qianqiu changed somewhat.
He was kind enough to win and didn't embarrass the young master.
The fourth child observed other people's faces very carefully. When the soldiers from the Punishment Department were counting out the Ye family's gold leaves, everyone looked unhappy.
Although these people are Liang Yuansu's subordinates, they are unlikely to betray Liang Yuansu.
But when the golden leaves are placed in front of your eyes and then fly away, who can keep balance in your heart?
Every time there is such a big deal to enrich the national treasury, the Ministry of Punishment will give a reward. The more money, the greater the reward. With just one sentence, the young master deprived others of the money in their pockets.
Who can feel comfortable?
The fourth child quietly observed the expressions of the soldiers again.
really.
The soldiers were all comfortable.
…
"Sir, you must not do it, you must not do it. The Ye family has always been honest in doing business and has no history of committing any crimes."
At this time, the second uncle ran out almost crying.
Who would have thought that Ye Zhiqiu would be harmed before he could fully breathe out.
He almost fainted from anger on the spot.
The Ye family's industry is his life.
The other Ye family members were also dumbfounded.
Some Ye family members even secretly hate Ye Zhiqiu.
Something that is greedy for life and afraid of death.
At this time, why do you stand up and show off your power?
All the money was confiscated. What did the Ye family eat and drink?
Father Ye also stood up, his mouth trembling with anger.
"Please, sir, count them!"
Ye Zhiqiu turned his head and looked at these so-called relatives.
disappointment!
There was only deep disappointment in his eyes.
My life has been threatened, but you only have these few taels of silver in your eyes.
That’s it!
Anyway, I can't spend a few taels of the Ye family's money.
Taidanyuan has a salary, which is enough for my expenses.
From now on, giving your father a morsel of food will be considered as a sign of filial piety.
Let this huge Ye family disperse with the wind.
Relatives?
Bah.
…
Liang Yuansu looked at Qin Jinyang.
Qin Jinyang pondered for a few breaths, then nodded.
Since it was Ye Zhiqiu who brought it up, it would be best... Money is something external to the body. With Ye Zhiqiu's ability, it is simply too easy to make money.
"Okay, then seal them all!"
"From today on, all five of your families, mansions and shops will be sealed up. Anyone who dares to take a step forward will be killed without mercy!"
Liang Yuansu flicked his sleeves, and the soldiers rushed forward impatiently.
hiss!
The fat shopkeeper was once again stunned.
The Ye family is his last straw.
As long as the Ye family can keep the money and the Donglan Kingdom's caravan is still there, these greedy and fearless people will definitely agree to flee.
When the time comes, you can count yourself as having made a small contribution.
This time it was good, but the success fell short.
…
"The mansion is sealed, the shops are sealed... So what will we eat these days? Where will we live?"
When the people from the Criminal Department were about to leave, a reckless man from the Zhong family who was not afraid of death directly asked.
He is the most hopeless gambler in the Zhong family. He still owes a lot of gambling debts. Without the blood supply from the Zhong family store, he is afraid that he will be beaten to death by his creditors.
Others also agreed.
yes.
What do you eat these days?
What to drink?
Where to live?
"Humph, is there food in the prison of the Criminal Department? Are you coming?"
"A bunch of idiots, if you don't have food to eat, just beg for food like others and do hard work. You may not starve to death in the imperial capital of Yangyang."
The adjutant behind Liang Yuansu cursed.
…
Quiet!
After the crowd from the Ministry of Justice left, the second floor of the hotel was surprisingly quiet, and you could hear a pin drop.
Uncle Ye's second uncle was so angry that he had a headache. He picked up some tea to moisten his throat.
"Um?"
"The tea leaves used to make this pot of tea are snow ling leaves from the top of the Shishan Mountain eight thousand miles away. Although they are not of the highest quality for imperial use, ordinary people are not qualified to drink them. A mouthful costs five taels of silver."
"If you want to drink, pay first."
The fat shopkeeper turned his head and said something nonchalant.
"you……"
The second uncle's palms were trembling and he couldn't hold the teacup firmly.
Five taels of silver?
You use five taels of silver to humiliate me?
In the past, I had more than five pieces of vegetables and fruits for breakfast...
well!
The second uncle was completely disappointed.
puff.
Suddenly, he was so angry that he spurted out a mouthful of blood.
Seeing that the tea bowl was about to fall, another member of the Ye family had quick eyesight and quick hands, and hurriedly stopped himself.
"It's a pity that I didn't listen to my father and practice boxing earlier, but now eating has become a problem."
These big families are all nouveau riche. They have not been rich for many years. They are accustomed to enjoying themselves and have not even had time to cultivate promising heirs.
"Come... see us off. You are a bunch of poor people who can't even afford a cup of tea!"
The fat shopkeeper shouted loudly.
…
sparse!
People from the five major families poured out of the restaurant.
Since the soldiers from the Ministry of Justice rushed in to take the people, people had already gathered around the restaurant three times inside and three times outside to watch the fun.
Among the crowd, there were also well-informed people who popularized the cruelty of this major reshuffle in the Taidan Academy.
Many people were scolding, gnashing their teeth.
The moment they walked out of the teahouse, they were drowned out by scoldings.
Someone immediately threw rotten eggs.
"You bunch of beasts are worse than pigs and dogs... When my father was seriously ill, you sold me pills for one hundred taels of silver each, and I took them for a full year. Seeing that my father was about to recover, you raised the price and united with all the dynasty.
Pharmacy store, let this elixir be raised to five thousand taels."
"I sold my house and land, but it was too late in the end. After all, my father ran out of elixirs and died. Ning family beasts, you really ruined my family."
A young man held stinky mud in his hand and threw it directly over the heads of the Ning family.
"Everyone, come and take a look. I used to be the heir to the Yan family pharmacy. My Yan family is good at healing powders. You, the Zhang family, thought I was stealing your business, so you framed my healing powders for being poisonous. You framed me and put me in jail, and then
You sent people to plot against my whole family, and when I come out, you will kill me again."
"It's a pity that I'm not dead. I'm just living an ignoble life, just waiting for this day, waiting for you evil people to be killed."
There was a little old man with scars on his face gritting his teeth.
"In order to sell the elixir, you deliberately added poison to the elixir to turn a mild illness into a serious illness. Don't think that others don't know. In the past, no one dared to mess with you because of your status as Tai Danyuan. Now you are unlucky. With you