Daming: After self-explosive time travel, Lao Zhu's mentality collapsed

Chu Ze ordered people to open the dungeon to check if there were any prisoners, but there was no one inside. It seemed that the Li family had been prepared and moved all the people in the dungeon in advance.

Chu Ze pondered for a moment, and then whispered to the soldiers beside him: "Go, turn Li's house upside down, and be sure to find the secret passage they used. I want to catch Li Yue with my own hands!"

The soldiers immediately searched around and soon found a secret door behind Li Yue's bedroom, which opened into a downward passage.

"The secret passage has been found!" the soldiers announced hurriedly.

Chu Ze immediately ordered people to light torches, put on weapons and chase along the secret passage.

There were faint voices coming from the front, and it seemed that Li Yue and the others were right in front!

The secret passage is very long and finally leads outside the city.

Chu Ze and his party chased out of the city along the road, and found that Li Yue and the others had gone away in a carriage. There were only a few people in the carriage. It seemed that most of the Li family had been abandoned.

"Chase!" Chu Ze shouted and immediately organized his men to ride on horseback to start the pursuit.

Li Yue's family rode fast horses on the suburban trails, feeling terrified.

Li Yue urged his wife, "Hurry up, faster! Don't look back, just run forward!"

Li Yue's wife tightened the reins and said in a panic: "Oh my God! Why did they catch up so quickly? What should we do?"

The two little children sitting on the horse behind his wife were also frightened by this sudden turn of events and burst into tears.

Li Yue was so anxious that he kept looking back and urging loudly: "Don't panic! We can definitely run away! As long as we hurry up, we can get rid of them!"

At this time, a cold voice suddenly sounded from behind: "Li Yue, don't run anymore!"

The family looked back and saw Li Xing leading dozens of cavalrymen rushing towards them, only a few dozen meters away from them.

"It's over, we can't run away!" Li Yue's face was pale and his heart was filled with despair.

This Li Xing is Chu Ze's confidant. I'm afraid he really won't be able to escape bad luck this time.

The men and horses on both sides soon started fighting together.

Although Li Yue brought several servants to escort him, he was quickly captured alive by Li Xing's men.

Li Xing tied up Li Yue and escorted him back to his home together with his wife and children.

Li Yue's wife cried: "Please let us go! We are innocent!"

Li Xing sneered and said: "Not guilty? I think you are quite courageous. How dare you hide such weapons secretly and still want to run away? Today I will let you taste the power of the iron cavalry!"

Late that night, Chu Ze was interrogating the newly captured Li clan members intensively.

Zhang Wang, the steward of the Li family, was so frightened that he confessed to the crime of illegal mining that the Li family had committed for many years by bribing the prefect.

Chu Ze pressed and asked: "How long do you Li family want to quibble? I already have the account books and confessions as ironclad evidence. The fact that you mine illegally and bribe officials is irrefutable!"

Zhang Wang begged: "Your Majesty, please be clear that we are only mining under the order of the family master, and we are not really rebelling against the imperial court. Please be merciful and let us poor commoners go."

Chu Ze shouted coldly: "Poor little people? Do you think I will listen to this nonsense? Don't try to fool me, and honestly explain the Li family's crimes!"

Zhang Wang had to confess with tears that Li Jiasi had been mining the mine for several years, and all the ore obtained was transported back to the Li Mansion for hoarding.

Chu Ze summoned other Li family servants one by one and got similar confessions.

"Haha, my evidence is sufficient. This time, your Li family will have no way to escape!" Chu Ze was secretly happy. Only Li Yue himself was still arguing: "Your Majesty, the previous prefect approved my family to mine copper mines there. We did nothing illegal." Chu Ze sneered and responded: "Li Yue, do you think I will listen to your kind of behavior?" Nonsense? I already have sufficient evidence, how long do you want to quibble?"

Li Yue gritted his teeth and said: "Chu Ze, you villain! My Li family is innocent, but you want to frame me! We will definitely avenge you and get rid of this evildoer like you!"

A few days later, Chu Ze personally presided over the trial of the Li family at the Yamen.

"Li Yue, do you know your crime?" Chu Ze named him expressionlessly.

Li Yue was so desperate that he knelt on the ground, trembling all over and speechless.

Chu Ze continued to read out the evidence of the Li family's crime: "The seized account books and ore have proven that you have been secretly exploiting the imperial mines for a long time, and you deserve death! What else can you say to make excuses?"

Li Yue finally begged: "Your Majesty, I know that I have returned from my lost way. I hope you will have mercy..."

"It's useless to argue!" Chu Ze interrupted him sternly: "The evidence is conclusive, don't let the law of heaven down again!"

The people present witnessed the conclusive evidence of the crime and were in an uproar.

After the trial results came out, Chu Ze announced in court that Li Yue, as the mastermind, should be punished and sentenced to death.

The rest of the Li family members were sentenced to different sentences based on their different degrees of accessory:
Several of Li Yue's sons, as the main members directly involved in stealing the mine, were sentenced to death.

Zhang Wang, the steward of the Li family, his confidants and thugs knew the inside story but profited from it, and were sentenced to exile in the frontier.

Other members of the Li family, as well as other Li family servants and servants who knew the crime but did not report it, were sentenced to different penalties depending on whether they knew or not.

After hearing the verdict, everyone lamented that the Li family's blind greed ultimately led to the tragedy of their family being destroyed.

After Li Yue and his sons heard the death sentence, they broke down and cried bitterly, begging for forgiveness.

But everyone is equal before the law, and Chu Ze resolutely implements the verdict to show God's will.

Early the next morning, Li Yue and three others were taken to the execution ground and beheaded in public.

Li Yue went to the guillotine, finally recognized his sin, cried loudly, and then lost consciousness.

The rest of the Li family were also punished to varying degrees, and this once prosperous family declined.

According to the verdict, all the Li family's properties and mines were confiscated by the court.

Officials from the DPRK and the Chinese people as well as the people praised Chu Ze for handling the matter appropriately, enforcing the law impartially, and eliminating harm for the people.

The destruction of the Li family provided a guarantee for local security and gave the people hope that justice would be served.

For a time, Chu Ze's reputation spread far and wide and won the hearts of the people.

The lesson of the Li family's excessive greed has also become a cautionary allusion and inspiring.

Chu Ze will continue to invest the huge wealth confiscated from the Li Mansion into Fengyang's infrastructure construction.

He prioritized funds for the construction of railways and stations to speed up the connection between Fengyang and the national transportation network.

Chu Ze sent people to post recruitment notices everywhere and summoned craftsmen from all over the country to participate in the construction of the station in the northeast of Fengyang.

As soon as the news spread, many craftsmen familiar with construction and carpentry soon came to apply.

Chu Ze was secretly happy when he saw so many craftsmen who came to apply for jobs, which showed that his method of recruiting workers was very successful. (End of chapter)