Wang Cai was prohibited from leaving the office and was not allowed to have any contact with his family members.
The investigation is still continuing. Cao Benshu no longer intervenes in person, but comes to chat with Wang Cai: "Wang Tiju, your deputy committed suicide out of fear of crime. Do you know this news?"
"Chen Xianchun committed suicide." Wang Cai looked surprised, and he didn't know whether he was sincere or just pretending.
Cao Benshu sighed: "Chen Xianchun's problem is very serious. I investigated several trading companies engaged in maritime trade, and all of them evaded tariffs through his son. Such large-scale tax evasion, as the chief official of the Shipping Department, you will not always be able to do so."
I don’t know.”
Wang Cai said sadly: "This old Chen is really confused. He was originally a poor scholar from Hubei. Thanks to your Majesty and the imperial court, he became what he is today. He should serve the country well, how could he be corrupt?
What about colluding with merchants? As the chief officer of the Shipping Department and Chen Xianchun’s boss, I have the responsibility of not knowing people well and supervising them poorly. How can I have the nerve to continue to be an official? Cao Yushi, I will take the blame myself and resign. "You really are.
"I don't know" Cao Benshu asked.
Wang Cai said: "I really don't know anything. It's true that I am the chief officer of the Shipping Department, but the management of goods and merchants is only handled by Chen Xianchun."
This rhetoric is consistent with common sense. Whether it is a government office or a private company, it is the deputies who actually do the work.
Cao Benshu said, "It seems that I have misunderstood you, but for your safety, it is better to stay here for the time being. It will not be too late to leave this room when the truth comes to light."
After Cao Benshu finished speaking, she left, the door was locked, and Wang Cai was placed under house arrest.
Wang Cai was the only one left in the room. He was quite energetic just now, but now he collapsed in his seat.
He didn't know that the imperial court's investigation into the Shipping Department was actually Zhao Han's impromptu initiative. He thought that Chen Xianchun's son was too ostentatious and attracted the attention of the anti-corruption officials, and he cursed the Chen family and his son who had committed suicide countless times.
Although the phenomenon of the navy being forced to do business is still continuing, the imperial court has established layers of restrictions.
The Ministry of Commerce and the Navy Governor's Office directly send officials to take charge of naval trade, which is equivalent to a state-owned shipping company established by the Ministry of Commerce and the Navy Governor's Office. Part of the profits earned can be retained by the Ministry of Commerce and the Navy Governor's Office, and the rest needs to be reported to the Finance Ministry.
The Ministry pays dividends. Moreover, the navy's trade submissions are limited every year to prevent disrupting the market and competing for profits with the people.
There are definitely loopholes in this approach. For example, the navy secretly smuggles, and it certainly cannot be completely eliminated. In fact, the navy's military expenditure is rising year by year, and it cannot be fully supported by finance. It is just a temporary concession policy.
But there are also advantages. The navy stops trade and smuggles quietly. They are very active in cracking down on civilian smuggling. In the sea area of Shanghai, businessmen who dare to engage in smuggling can do it on a small scale, but if they get into a big deal, they will definitely be targeted by the navy.
Since smuggling cannot be carried out at sea, and inland trade is blocked by the General Affairs Department, merchants can only collude with officials and merchants in the Municipal Shipping Department. This form of tax evasion is very "safe" and must be carefully checked against the supply company, export company, and General Affairs Department.
The three-party account books can only be found out by slowly comparing each transaction. The imperial court will not check the accounts like this!
Wang Cai felt that he was wronged because Shanghai had been playing this trick since the day it opened its port.
However, they were cautious at first, and the evaded taxes were not very large. After gradually forming unspoken rules, officials, clerks, and businessmen became accustomed to it, and they became more and more unscrupulous.
So much so that Chen Xianchun became the second-in-command and asked his son to take the initiative to reach out to merchants. Those trading companies that do not evade taxes will be encouraged by officials to evade taxes as long as they go overseas for two or three years in a row, and legal operators will become aliens. What else is there to investigate?
check
At least half of the Municipal Shipping Department, from top to bottom, from officials to clerks, is involved. Junior officials make dozens of taels a year, junior officials make hundreds of taels a year, and middle and senior officials make thousands or tens of thousands of taels a year.
.
This is already the norm and an unspoken rule of the shipping company!
Wang Cai considers himself to be very incorruptible. He worked in the customs system for more than ten years and only made a total of more than 100,000 taels of silver. Chen Xianchun, who committed suicide in fear of crime, was so ruthless that he estimated that the amount of embezzled money was more than 300,000 taels.
Cao Benshu came to another interrogation room.
More than a dozen petty officials and clerks in the shipping department were trembling with fear at this moment.
Cao Benshu sat down slowly, "You guys are doing the inspection, tax filing, and accounting, right? Chen Xianchun has committed suicide. Do you want to commit suicide too? With your level, I'm afraid you can't be greedy for much. If you confess honestly, maybe you can still do it."
Dedicate one's crime and make meritorious service.
Just like making dumplings, the junior officials all knelt down and said, "Sir, please forgive me. Just do what Hu Lushi said, and the juniors will do it. Every quarter, the oil and water will be divided. It can't be much. If you divide it evenly, it will only be enough for a month."
A few taels of money. "Hu Huiqing, you are so brave." Cao Benshu slapped the gavel.
The clerk named Hu Huiqing knelt down because his knees were weak, and said with a cry, "Master Yushi, I just follow the crowd. Before I became the clerk, the Shibosi had already done this. If I
If you are disobedient, how can this recording be tolerated?" Cao Benshu asked, "How long has this kind of thing existed?"
Hu Huiqing replied, "This was already the case when I was in the Shibo Division for eight years. But I had to be more restrained at the beginning, and everyone was afraid. Gradually, I became less afraid. I felt that the imperial court would not come to investigate, and I became more and more courageous."
The bigger. Especially Chen Xianchun, after he was promoted to deputy director, he actively allowed businessmen to evade taxes."
"Eight years, I'm afraid it will be longer." Cao Benshu knew that she was playing Dafa this time.
Some of those chief officials of the Municipal Shipping Department eight years ago have been promoted to the central government, and some have held important positions in local areas. How many people are involved? Cao Benshu asked, "Is Wang Cai corrupt?"
Hu Huiqing said, "Wang Tiju also worked as a junior official in the Shipping Department..."
Cao Benshu asked again, "Do you have any relevant account books? Are they real accounts and not fake accounts for the court to see?"
"I don't dare to keep it." Hu Huiqing lowered her head and said. A clerk suddenly said, "There is an account." Cao Benshu immediately sat up straight, "You have deposited the account." The clerk replied, "The villain doesn't have an account, but Fan experience may have one." Cao Benshu asked, "
Who is Mr. Fan?”
The clerk replied, "Fan Chengcheng was transferred from Suzhou Datong Bank two years ago to be in charge of the cashier documents of the Municipal Shipping Department. Fan Chengcheng has been in office for two months, and it is not his business. He quietly went to inquire about it. Last year
In the spring, Fan Qingcheng suddenly died suddenly, and there were rumors... rumors that someone had killed him. After Fan Qingcheng died, Wang Tiju personally attended to his funeral and took people to Fan Qingcheng's home to sort out his belongings. I'm afraid... he was searching
Account book." When Cao Benshu heard this, she was extremely angry. Not only did she commit corruption, but she also dared to murder her colleagues. "Where was Fan Chengcheng from? Have his bones been transported back to his hometown for burial?" Cao Benshu asked.
Hu Huiqing said, "Fan Chengcheng is from Guizhou, and it is a long way to go. It is impossible to transport this kind of thing back to his hometown. This kind of thing should either be buried in Shanghai, or cremated and wait for his family to take him away. Fan Chengcheng... was cremated." That means there is no way to conduct an autopsy.
.
Cremation was very popular in the south, and there were many records in the mid-Ming Dynasty. Not only did people choose to be cremated when they died in other places, but many local people also chose to be cremated. There were even professions that specialized in burning corpses.
Cao Benshu continued to ask, "When Fan went to Shanghai to become an official, did he bring his family or personal accompanying him?" Hu Huiqing said, "No, I heard that his wife was widowed and he has a young son in his hometown in Guizhou." Cao Benshu asked, "Has he ever hired anyone?"
maid'
Hu Huiqing said, "I hired a maid, but I don't know her background."
Suddenly there was another petty official who wanted to make a meritorious service. "Master Censor, that maid lives in Fahua Town. She is a neighbor of the villain, but she got married last winter. As for where she married, I don't know very well. Fahua Town
, is Xujiahui, named after Fahua Temple.
The temple fell into disrepair and was immediately demolished, and the monks returned to secular life and became common people.
The place name of Lujiazui already exists. It was named after Lu Shen, the ancestor of Lu Guang who was investigated a few days ago. Cao Benshu spent five days to invite the maid named Wu Lian. At the beginning, what about Wu Lian?
He didn't say anything, he just kept crying and shaking his head.
Cao Benshu was even more sure that this maid must know something, and she comforted her with kind words for two days.
Guo Lian finally said, "Sir, Mr. Fan is a good man. He... He left a small box in the bank, saying that he wouldn't live for a few days, and asked a peasant girl to take it and hand it over to the Integrity Inspector. He also said that there was something in the box.
Take out the ten taels of silver and give them to the girls as dowries." "Why don't you go and get them?" Cao Benshu asked.
"The daughter of the people did not dare," Guo Lian said. "On the second day after Fan Xianggong was cremated, the daughter of the people came to her house at night. The father and eldest brother of the people of the country were beaten and forced the daughter to hand over her things. The daughter of the people was frightened.
I was speechless, but I didn't hand over Fan Xianggong's box. Later, I was so frightened that I quickly got married and went to a neighboring county."
Cao Benshu asked, "Where is the access certificate?"
Wu Lian said, "When those gangsters came to the door, the women swallowed them." "Do you know those gangsters?" Cao Benshu asked again.
"There were more than ten people in total, and the girl knew two of them," Guo Lian said. "One was named Liu Er and the other was named Zhu Laohu. They were both nicknamed. Cao Benshu immediately ordered the arrests and sent someone to collect the things from Datong Bank.
Unfortunately, Liu Er and Zhu Laohu have all left Shanghai. All the gangsters who were hanging out with them also ran away, and went directly to the sea by boat. Some said they went to Luzon, and some said they went to Japan. Fortunately, they were in the bank.
I got the things, a letter, an account, and ten taels of silver.
Cao Benshu first opened the posthumous letter: "My name is Fan Hongjing, courtesy name is Ding'an, and I am from Kaili, Guizhou. My father died early and my uncle oppressed me. Fortunately, I was raised by a loving mother. Thanks to your Majesty's kindness, I took back three of my late father's shops, and now I have the financial resources to support him."
My mother... This is the experience of the Shanghai Shipping Department. This place is full of filth and must be thoroughly investigated and rectified... Wang Cai was promoted, and Chen Xianchun was promoted by his deputy. They knew that I was secretly investigating and invited me many times to join in the sleaze. So I pretended to agree.
, and got more than 800 taels of dirty silver.
“I had a drink with maritime businessman Wu Wengang, and we gossiped about his tax evasion amount.
This guy is very alert. I am afraid that he will tell me, so I will deposit the account book I have made in Datong Bank of Shanghai County...
