The lights in Marquis Dong's mansion were brightly lit. Dong Chong was certainly not a fool to become the leader of Gaochang's old aristocracy.
From the moment his housekeeper was pulled in for questioning by the governor's office, until the case was pushed into Cui Tao's hands, Dong Zhong understood the attitude of the governor's office.
He was pacing back and forth in the study, but he didn't expect that a mere willow forest might have some connections in the Governor's Mansion.
Dong Zhong then remembered a rumor that these new district chiefs were personally appointed by King Jianning, and they were all close associates of King Jianning.
At first, Dong Chong didn't believe that a close confidant of the royal family could become a small village chief.
Now it seems that the reason why Zeng Mu is so confident is because he has the support of the prince and the governor's office.
What a miscalculation!
But now, this case must be pursued.
The Dong family is the leader of the old aristocracy, so naturally they cannot show any weakness.
The Dong family is not without enemies in Gaochang City. This case is already known to everyone in Gaochang City. If the case is lost, it will not only be a simple matter for the Dong family to lose face.
This means that the Dong family is despised by the government. Once such a large family has a weakness, the surrounding hyenas will attack in groups.
This is the reason why a powerful family must always remain strong. Being so tough that it scares all opponents is the way for a big family to survive.
Dong Chong understood this truth very well. This case seemed to be a small fugitive slave lawsuit, but in fact it was the governor's office making its attitude clear.
Dong Chong thought about it and decided to win the case at all costs!
That night, an official of the Fa Cao came to Zhou Hao's house with a bag of golden melon seeds.
After pouring the golden melon seeds in the bag on the table, the official with a familiar surname said: "Zhou Facao, this is the gift that Marquis Dong asked me to bring you. Even when you arrived in Gaochang City, we didn't hold a reception banquet for you."
, it’s the subordinates who have been negligent!”
Zhou Hao's expression remained unchanged, and the golden melon seeds on the table were of good quality and heavy. This was a lot of money.
This money was enough to buy hundreds of slaves. Dong Zhong also spent a lot of money on these twenty slaves.
All of this was naturally part of Cui Tao and Zhou Hao's plan. Zhou Hao pretended to evade and said, "What does Marquis Dong mean? Do you need to bribe me?"
The official immediately said: "Dong Hou is giving the gift to Zhou Fa Cao to take the wind, so how can it be called a bribe?"
Zhou Hao deliberately pretended to stare at the golden melon seeds, then coughed and said: "The case in Liulin has been submitted to Cui Sima, but I am still responsible for writing the verdict of the case."
The official's eyes lit up, and it was obvious that Zhou Facao, who seemed to be selfless, had relented!
Just relax!
I only heard Zhou Hao continue to say: "It is an indisputable fact that the escaped slaves disappeared in Liulin. It is understandable to ask Liulinli to compensate the Donghou Mansion for its losses."
The official nodded repeatedly.
Zhou Hao added: "But the chief of Liulin is also a close aide of His Highness. If you accuse him of attacking Dong Hou, I think we should withdraw."
The official immediately said: "I understand, as long as we can compensate the Dong family for their losses, other matters are easy to negotiate."
Zhou Hao added: "One more thing. We are all poor in Liulin, and we probably can't afford much money. Moreover, the slaves your Dong family lost were all old, weak, sick and disabled slaves. I think we will compensate Dong Hou at 30% of the market price."
Enough."
The official made a calculation in his mind, "Anyway, for the Dong family, these slaves were originally hunted as live prey."
Regardless of whether it's the market price or 30% of the market price, it actually doesn't add up to much money.
The most important thing is that this case cannot be lost and people cannot think that the Donghou Mansion has lost power.
The official immediately said: "Of course I have heard Zhou Facao's verdict!"
Zhou Hao sent away the Dong Mansion official with a smile, and then sent a message to Cui Tao: "The fish has taken the bait."
The next day, the governor's office opened a court to hear the case. Dong Chong and Zeng Mu, the head of Liulinli, gathered in the courtroom.
After a half-day trial, Cui Tao used a gavel to deliver the final verdict.
Sure enough, the Dong family dropped the accusation against Zeng Mu for attacking Dong Chong. Since the Dong family's slaves disappeared in Liulinli, Liulinli was ordered to compensate the Dong family's slaves.
The governor's office asked Zeng Mu to compensate the Dong family for their losses based on 30% of the market price of the slaves in Renyazi shop.
Regarding this verdict, Zeng Mu naturally cursed and kept saying that he was going to report it to His Highness Prince Jianning.
But in the end Zeng Mu still paid for it and compensated the Dong family on the spot.
At this moment, the stone in Dong Chong's heart was finally lifted. He won the lawsuit and smoothed the relationship with the governor's office. This meant that the Dong family's position in Gaochang City was unshakable!
The Dong Mansion decided to entertain guests to celebrate winning the lawsuit, but at this moment, Jiang Yue came to the door.
The Jiang family is also an old aristocrat in Gaochang City, and is the in-laws of the Dong family. The two families have advanced and retreated together, and they are the leaders of the old aristocracy in Gaochang City.
Jiang Yue walked into Dong's mansion and said angrily: "Brother Dong, what secret agreement did your Dong family reach with the government?"
Dong Zhong looked at Jiang Yue doubtfully.
He only heard Jiang Yue tell him a piece of news that surprised him: "Today, the government sealed the Jiang family's tooth shop, and then forcibly redeemed the slaves in the shop at 30% of the market price!"
Dong Chong blurted out: "This is a government matter. What does it have to do with my Dong family?"
Jiang Yue said angrily: "How come it doesn't matter! How much is the compensation price for the slaves of the Dong family in Liulin? 30% of the market price, right? Your Dong family has signed and pledged that the price of repurchasing the slaves is 30% of the market price. Now Gaochang City has
All the slaves in my family’s tooth shop were redeemed by the government for 30% of the price!”
Dong Zhong was completely dumbfounded. He actually did such an operation?
Jiang Yue walked away, and the Gaochang Governor's Office posted a new notice.
Slaves who escaped from various families could surrender themselves to the governor's office. The governor's office would compensate the master's family with 30% of the market price, and the slave could obtain the status of a free citizen.
If a slave is assisted in escaping, the government will also use the same policy to redeem the slave, and will also give a 10% reward to those who assist the escaped slave.
This notice was posted all over Gaochang City, and the governor's office also sent officials to explain the policy in wine shops and teahouses.
Suddenly, many escaped slaves emerged in Gaochang City.
However, at this time, the government only forcibly redeemed the slaves in Renyazi's shop. Although the decree on the redemption of escaped slaves was promulgated, there were not many slaves who escaped from the old noble families.
The reason is also very simple. Many slaves sold themselves into slavery because they could no longer survive outside. Except for those slaves who were destined to die and were treated as live prey, anyone who had something to eat was unwilling to leave the Dong Mansion.
Dong Chong suffered a loss and his prestige plummeted. The old noble families in Gaochang City had no leaders, and no one stood up to resist this decree.
Although Gaochang City redeemed hundreds of slaves, this was only a small number compared with the thousands of slaves held by various old noble families.
However, Cui Tao is confident that since the hole is opened, water will flow out soon. Now it depends on the development of the players' territory!