"Chen Minggang is the household secretary of this county, why did he do this illegal thing? Could it be that you have a grudge against your master and want to take revenge?" Zhou Dongtian said deliberately.
"I don't dare!" Zhou Qi quickly defended. He told how Chen Minggang planned to use the opportunity of handling grain requisition for the Australians to extort big money, and how he proactively proposed to engage in "farm land" as an excuse for blackmail.
, and all kinds of tricks, he recognized them all one by one. Finally, he cried and said that because the big business owners wanted to file complaints, he had been instructed to bribe rogues and intimidate the big business owners.
These words were both sensible and reasonable when spoken, and more than 90% of them were true. The people listening to the trial couldn't help but not believe them.
Huang Hankun drank a few sips of cold tea, calmed down, and recovered from the huge shock just now. Thinking about the current situation in the hall, it was a foregone conclusion that Chen Minggang was guilty, and even the Australians could no longer defend him.
Otherwise, he would openly be an enemy of the gentry in the county. Judging from the behavior of the Australians this time, they probably planned to use Chen Minggang as a scapegoat. Huang Huangkun thought that if this was the case, the Australians would confront the subordinate officials.
They can no longer take advantage of this group of "ground bugs" who are extremely familiar with the situation in this county, which can be regarded as a big trouble!
"So, is it true that the gentry's report that you openly asked for bribes to determine the amount of land and rice consumption is a fact?"
"It's true. The several grain households I handled as a kid all followed Master's instructions."
"Do you have a booklet?"
"The books are all in Master's hands, we dare not hide them privately."
"Where did the knives and bows and arrows come from?"
"It's all given by Master." Zhou Qi said, "I don't dare to lie."
"Okay, please step back!" Zhou Dongtian glanced at the gentry, "It seems that Chen Minggang is the culprit in this matter."
"This man has committed a heinous crime," Sun Ruiwu saw the opportunity quickly and immediately echoed.
Seeing Zhou Dongtian's public stance, the Jin gentry all breathed a sigh of relief knowing that the final outcome of this lawsuit was in their favour. Thinking of all the harassment and intimidation they had suffered these days, they suddenly felt that the clouds were clearing, and they had a clear view on the Australians.
Liu Dalin also praised in his heart that if such a matter was handled by the county magistrate, nine times out of ten, it would just get passed by like mud. Australians are very clear about right and wrong when doing things.
"In this case, his messenger from the county's household secretary——"
"Of course I'll get rid of him immediately." Wu Ya immediately came out to express his position.
"Okay, Wu Zan Mansion, Mr. Sun, you two are indeed clear-sighted and upright Lord Qingtian." Zhou Dongtian immediately brought a bowl of flattering rice soup. As expected, the Jin gentry joined in the fun and agreed together.
"Come here! Mention Chen Minggang and his gang!"
"Here!" Fu He worked very hard in order to make atonement for his merits. He immediately took the fire sign and ordered about a dozen brothers in the fast class. He was about to go out when he saw You Guotuan coming over.
"Fu Tou, your men should stay here and let them go as you go." You Guotuan pointed at a dozen people behind him. These people were all wearing official uniforms of the yamen. Each of them was holding a weapon and looking murderous.
steaming.
"Yes, yes." Fu He knew that these were confidants of the Australians and did not dare to disobey.
Within half an hour, about twenty people had been gathered in the courtyard of the flower hall. Chen Minggang's apprentices, food delivery men, and other helpers who were idle in the city were all captured and kneeled in the dark courtyard.
Chen Minggang was brought into the flower hall, and when he saw Zhou Qi kneeling aside, he suddenly felt something bad in his heart - this guy couldn't have sold himself out.
As for his crimes, Chen Minggang firmly refused to admit it. The expropriation of grain and land had the consent of the Australians. How can it be called "unauthorized"? As for extorting fees, it was naturally a case of "discipline" of his subordinates, at most the leader.
Mistake. Zhou Dongtian only felt that it sounded familiar to him. This set of "Qing Qing" has been passed down for hundreds of years.
As for the matter of intimidating the gentry, that is even more nonsense - this is absolutely true - Zhou Qi must have done it himself, trying to take revenge on his master.
"...Zhou Qi, regardless of his superiority and inferiority, repeatedly seduced the villain's concubine Qiu Hong. The villain thought of his master-disciple relationship and kept it to himself. He didn't expect that this evil beast would do such a thing..." Chen Minggang actually said this.
I choked and shed tears.
"Nonsense!" Zhou Qi yelled, "Qiu Hong and I are innocent..."
"Quiet!" Wu Ya was stunned, "I'll let you speak before you speak!"
"What an actor!" Zhou Dongtian had no intention of quarreling with Chen Minggang. This old official was sharp-tongued. Although he had experience in interrogation, it was quite inconvenient for him to speak poorly and answer questions. He didn't have time to engage in a debate with him. Fortunately,
Ming Dynasty is not a place that pays attention to justice and human rights. There is no need to cover up the torture and torture in a formal way. We will deal with him slowly in the future. Now we can directly open a breakthrough from him.
No matter how sophistical he is, not all of his subordinates may be powerful, so he immediately summoned Xiao Hu from the umbrella shop - according to the project materials of the General Administration of Political Security, Xiao Hu from the umbrella shop is the core of Chen Minggang's gang after Zhou Qi.
Character. It is very useful to pry open his mouth.
The little Hu from the umbrella shop came to the court. He originally wanted to defend himself a few times, but was beaten so hard that he cried for his father and mother. He immediately recognized everything, including Chen Minggang who asked them to beat the grain farmer hard.
Posts were posted on grain households, making the Australians think that Huang Hankun was in charge of riots and grain resistance, and other plans were revealed.
"A dignified household secretary actually instigated people to resist grain behind his back. What kind of crime is this?" Zhou Dongtian sighed in the flower hall.
"It's a heinous crime, it's a heinous crime!" Sun Ruiwu came to join in the fun again. Wu Ya glanced at him with disdain and remained silent.
Then more than a dozen food messengers came up. Those who saw the opportunity were so quick that they confessed without waiting for punishment, while those who didn't saw the opportunity had to suffer. The boards in the hall were crackling, and there was a sound of ghosts crying and wolves howling. Lin Changsan's men
The board was stained red with blood. The gentry had never seen such a spectacular torture scene on weekdays. They were all trembling. Huang Hankun was the calmer one.
Chen Minggang knelt aside, watching his men confess one by one, and watching Zhou Dongtian look like he was investigating to the end. Although he was panicked, he still didn't understand why they did this? Although he was in the process of collecting food
CUHK made a fortune, but the benefits it brought to them were much greater! As for the matter of asking people to intimidate Jin Shen, it was simply a fiction. Even Zhou Qi may not have the courage!
…
"Okay, what else do you have to say?" Zhou Dongtian took the pile of confessions and asked Chen Minggang.
"The villain is indeed unjust!" Chen Minggang frowned, "Under three trees, why can't we demand more than we can supply? Since you insist on accusing the villain, I want to see how I can collect this year's autumn gift!"
"You don't have to worry about this." Zhou Dongtian knew that the Planning Commission had already stocked up enough Vietnamese rice. Even if Lingao County couldn't harvest a single rice, it could still complete the autumn harvest. Maybe you can use this to blackmail the county magistrate.
It's a pure joke to threaten the Cross Group, which controls Vietnam's rice supply chain. "Take him down and put him in jail!"
"Don't be complacent!" Chen Minggang knew that the matter was irreversible, and with the way Australians behaved, he would not survive. When death was imminent, the good feeling that he had been able to control everything with ease for many years completely collapsed, leaving only the fury in his heart, and he roared
, "You have colluded with the bandits, and sooner or later you will go to the West Market to cut them off. As for you big businessmen -" he glared at them fiercely, "the days when the Australians will skin you are coming!"
These words made everyone in the hall change their expressions. These few words touched everyone's minds. Zhou Dongtian was furious and said anxiously: "Shut him up!"
Immediately, someone came over and tied the prepared rope around his neck. Chen Minggang was speechless.
"Take him down!" Zhou Dongtian shouted.
After keeping the person in, the gentry no longer wanted to sit for a long time and asked to leave one after another. Zhou Dongtian did not insist on staying. He sent an order to leave. Naturally, everything in the flower hall was cleaned up. Zhou Dongtian, Wu Ya and others came to the signing room at the back.
Take a seat. Xiong Buyou has been waiting in the signing room for a long time.
"Chen Minggang has not confessed yet. Do we need to have another trial?" Wu Ya asked. Chen Minggang firmly refused to plead guilty. In ancient times, confession was the most important issue in interrogations. A confession without the prisoner's signature meant that the case was not concluded.
Sun Ruiwu said: "It's just torture, don't worry if he doesn't admit it. We must complete the case!" He was frightened by Chen Minggang's words in the hall, and he had already decided to put him to death.
"If this matter is indeed a case, it may not be easy to deal with." Wu Ya was still scheming, "What crime should be sentenced? If you want to ask for a death penalty, wouldn't it have to be reported to the Ministry of Punishment for review..."
Subconsciously, they didn't want to report this matter again to avoid causing trouble.
"There is no need to complete a solid case. Now that the circumstantial evidence is complete, it is enough to remove his household registration." Zhou Dongtian said, "Just hand over him and his subordinates to us."
"This-" Wu Ya hesitated. In the hands of the Australians, Chen Minggang would definitely not survive. The problem was that the name of the prisoner to be transferred was difficult to handle.
"It's okay," Zhou Dongtian said, "Chen Minggang has just been dismissed from his position as household secretary. He can no longer stay in the county government. He can go wherever he wants. Why do you have to think about him?"
Wu Ya agreed, and after discussion, in the name of "extorting the local area and harassing the people", Chen Minggang was dismissed from his job with his household registration, and also Fu He, the leader of the Kuaiban, was also dismissed from his job, and was handed over to the Crossing Group.
Go and deal with it privately.
As a result, two important shortcomings emerged.
"We should take care of the office work in the household on Saturdays," Xiong Buyou said. The household affairs are heavy, and there is also the Autumn Fu to take care of, so we can't be a novice, so it's the perfect time to do it on Saturday.
Zhou Qi betrayed his master to get this job, so he must be incompatible with his colleagues. Only by working for the Cross Travel Group wholeheartedly can he save his job and his life.