The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 334 Hot Hands
Tonight is Chinese Valentine's Day, but the river is clear and shallow, a half-moon is in the sky, and insects are chirping everywhere. Although it is still very hot during the day, at night it feels cool and has a hint of early autumn.

The autumn of the seventh year of the reign of Emperor Qian Sheng of the Jin Dynasty is coming.

In Yangzhou's Yanxunshi Yamen, Yi Hong walked out of a separate cell, holding a stack of newly obtained confessions in his hand, with an excited expression mixed with a hint of solemnity.

Three days ago, Yi Hong hurried back to Yangzhou and began to secretly interrogate Kang Lingcheng, a big salt merchant. After the latter learned about the deaths of his sons Kang Dayong and Kang Dayi, he completely lost his desire to live. It was probably out of a revenge mentality. He had to be put on a backrest even before he died, so not even one of Yi Hong's eighty-one torture methods came into use, and Kang Lingcheng confessed everything like pouring beans from a bamboo bucket.

Because there were so many people and facts involved in the case, it took Kanglingcheng three days and three nights to explain everything clearly. The confession was written on hundreds of pages, and it was eloquent and full of thousands of words. It was truly breathtaking.

However, Yi Hong was holding this thick stack of confessions at this time, but he felt a little hot, because what he didn't expect was that the private salt nest case not only implicated Prince Yi Zhong, but was also related to the current prince. .

The prince is the eldest son of the emperor and the crown prince, that is, the next emperor of the Jin Dynasty. That is no small matter.

Although Prince Yi Zhong is a prince, his influence is incomparable to that of the prince. The key point is that Prince Yi Zhong is still the target that the emperor wants to get rid of. Yi Hong wants to kill him immediately to please the emperor. .

But the prince can't do it. As the saying goes, a tiger's poison cannot be eaten. Will the emperor deal with the prince unselfishly because he illegally amassed money? If it can be dealt with, to what extent will it be dealt with?
So Yi Hong was in trouble. If he acted impartially, the prince would only receive a few scoldings in the end, and his position as prince would still be secure. Then when he ascended the throne in the future, wouldn't he die without a burial place? Even before the prince came to the throne, he was retaliated as soon as the case was over.

Yi Hong turned the confession to the page about the prince. According to Kang Lingcheng's explanation, the prince was involved through Zhang Yongdong, the salt transfer envoy from Yangzhou. In other words, Zhang Yongdong was the prince's agent, also known as the white glove.

In recent years, the prince has intervened in the salt tax through Zhang Yongdong, not only selling private salt, but also reselling salt and smuggled goods, etc., and made a huge amount of wealth, tens of millions, which is really shocking.

Of course, the prince was not directly involved in these matters. He only collected "filial piety" from Zhang Dongdong every year, and then used the prince's power to endorse him, which opened the door to convenience.

Kang Lingcheng also explained in his confession that these things were all obtained through circumstantial inquiries when he and Zhang Dongdong were in a private relationship. Sometimes Zhang Dongdong leaked them intentionally or unintentionally in order to show his toughness, so he only truthfully confessed what he knew. , there is no definite evidence, if Yi Hong wants to verify, it is best to capture the direct party Zhang Yongdong for interrogation.

At this moment, Yi Hong looked at Kang Lingcheng's confession with a gloomy expression. It was obvious that Zhang Yidong was a key figure and a hot potato. How to deal with this person has undoubtedly become a problem.

Just when Yi Hong was hesitating whether to close the net immediately, his confidant Lu Youwei walked over quickly and said with a strange expression: "Sir, Lin Ruhai has a request."

Yi Hong flashed his eyes, folded the stack of confessions, put them in a brown paper bag and handed them to Lu Youwei, saying: "Keep it sealed for now. No one is allowed to read it without my approval."

Lu Youwei took the confession solemnly and sealed the brown paper bag with glue and paint.

Let's talk about Yi Hong. Under the guidance of Lin Mansion's housekeeper Xiao Lei, he came to the flower hall of the back house. As soon as he entered the door, he saw a young man with sharp eyebrows standing beside Lin Ruhai. It was Jia Huan.

Yi Hong was stunned for a moment, a trace of doubt flashed in his single eye, and he said sternly: "When did Jia Xiucai come back? I don't know!" Jia Huan smiled and said: "I just entered the door not long ago. I originally wanted to find Mr. Yi directly. But Mr. Yi is currently reviewing a case and cannot be disturbed, so I came to pay my respects to Mr. Lin first."

Yi Hongpi said with a smile: "I see."

Lin Ruhai's complexion seemed much better than before. He coughed lightly and said, "Master Yi, please sit down."

Yi Hong thanked him and took his seat. Jia Huan stepped forward and poured tea, then retreated to Lin Ruhai's side and held the disciple's ceremony.

Lin Ruhai asked: "How was Master Yi's case going? Has Kang Lingcheng hired everyone?"

Yi Hong hesitated: "Kanglingcheng has indeed recruited people, but there are many people involved in the case and the scope is very wide. The confessions have not been recorded yet."

Lin Ruhai nodded and said: "Well, thank you for your hard work, Master Yi. After you finish recording the confession, please bring it to me for review."

Although Lin Ruhai is currently recovering from illness, in the final analysis, he is the official imperial envoy and is responsible for the chief trial of the case. Yi Hong is just the deputy, so the final settlement of the case still requires Lin Ruhai's nod.

Yi Hong had no choice but to agree, but looked at Jia Huan and changed the subject: "Jia Xiucai rushed back at night, but what's the emergency?"

Jia Huan took the opportunity to take out the account book from his arms and said: "Kang Dayong was not killed on the ship, but fled to the south bank of the river. He was found shot and killed a few days ago, and the account book on him was also found. Because the matter is so important, Jia Huan Huan Xingye came back carrying the ledger. "

Yi Hong hurriedly took the account book wrapped in oil paper from Jia Huan, and was about to open it to check. Suddenly he rolled his eyes and asked, "I must have seen this account book, Master Lin and Jia Xiucai?"

Lin Ruhai coughed feebly twice and said: "I am in poor health and have low energy. My eyesight is dim. I feel dizzy and nauseated when I read a book, but I haven't had time to read it yet."

Yi Hong was doubtful and looked at Jia Huan, who said calmly: "It's a very important matter. Jia Huan didn't dare to check it without authorization when he was naked. So he got the account book and hurried back to Yangzhou. He only checked it in a hurry. I didn’t dare to take a closer look.”

"I believe you, you are just a little fox, and Lin Ruhai is an old fox. You two are like a den of foxes!" Yi Hong secretly cursed. He guessed that Jia Huan and Lin Ruhai had probably seen the account books, but they refused to admit it. There was nothing he could do.

Yi Hong opened the oiled paper, took out the account book inside and looked through it carefully. His expression changed, and finally he closed the account book and said, "Great, this account book is recorded in great detail, but some of the contents still need to be considered, Mr. Lin." …”

Lin Ruhai immediately waved his hand and said: "I am ill and mentally weak. Lord Yi can handle this case with full authority. There is no need to discuss everything with me. He will arrest those who deserve to be arrested and kill those who deserve to be killed. Finally, let me review the file. Let the emperor decide again."

(End of this chapter)