Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Zhuang Qing was in the duty room looking at the information summarized by each group, and a smile gradually appeared on his stern face. This case was indeed quite interesting, with a huge corrupt official hiding under the ordinary corruption in the Beijing Tong Thirteen Warehouses.

When ordinary people investigate a case, they tend to focus on the quantity and quality of grain stored in government warehouses. Unless they specifically investigate, it is very easy to overlook that there is another vein of corruption that is madly draining the country's blood.

Suddenly, a piece of information caught his eye. Zhuang Qing was shocked. He flipped through several pieces of information and his face gradually turned pale. Cold sweat broke out on his back. He hurriedly called in several centurions and asked, "Are these pieces of information accurate?"

"Your Excellency, there are witnesses and evidence, it is absolutely true. How dare I say such a shameless thing?"

Everyone bowed and looked at Zhuang Qing's face, then asked cautiously, "Sir, are we still investigating this case?"

Zhuang Qing took a deep breath, pondered for a moment, and said, "Please pause. The prince may not know about this matter. Let me report it to you before making any plans."

One hundred households reminded: "Sir, I think it is better to let this matter go. If we anger the prince, we can't afford it."

"Yes, let's not mention this section and pretend that we don't know about it. Gathering the rest of the clues will be a great achievement. Why should you take the risk of your future and life?" Another hundred households also advised.

"That's right. The information we have now is enough to restore the facts. It's just a matter of digging deeper and deeper to determine the crime. This person is no small matter. If we provoke the wrath of the Heavenly Court, the prince will not be able to protect us."

"Besides, if we really start digging, the situation will be beyond our control. Please think twice."

Everyone tried to persuade them, fearing that too much credit would turn into disaster.

Zhuang Qing pondered for a long time, raised his hand and said: "I am the emperor's salary, and I am loyal to him. The prince has ordered a thorough investigation of this case. If we know about it but don't report it, who can bear the blame from the prince? This is one.

This is a matter that affects the whole body. Either we don't handle this case, or we can't hide it. After all, the truth will come out. If this matter is exposed by others, won't the prince blame me? This is the second reason.

Do you think that we are the only ones that the prince has spies on? If we don’t report it, and the prince finds out from somewhere else, will you and I be dead? This is the third one.”

Everyone was silent, and said, "Does your Excellency mean to report it like this? If the prince is furious..."

Zhuang Qing shook his head and said, "We have been doing our duty and following orders. Your Majesty is wise and powerful. How could he be angry with innocent people?"

"Your Excellency is right." Everyone had no choice but to nod. Anyway, Zhuang Qing would take the brunt of the consequences if anything went wrong.

"Go ahead, and don't reveal a single word."

"Yes."

Zhuang Qing sent a few people away, sorted out the case in detail, and went straight to Prince Jing's Mansion.

Jia Cong happened to be at home, and met him in the outer study. He asked straight to the point, "But is there any result?"

Zhuang Qing bowed and said, "Your Highness, we have already found the key points of this case. I dare not take the initiative to take charge. I would like to ask Your Highness to instruct us to carry out the implementation."

Jia Cong and Pang Chao looked at each other and said with a smile, "Now, I want to see who this person is."

"Yes. Your Majesty, the Shadow Secret Fan is indeed true. Since the official line is too involved, I will start with the grain tax line.

After much investigation, we found that there are 17 large grain stores in Beijing, each of which has an annual purchase and sale amount of more than hundreds of thousands of shi of grain. Among them, three of them have strange sources of goods. "

"What's weird?"

"The other fourteen grain stores clearly knew where they got their goods from, who their suppliers were, and how much they paid. Only these three kept it a secret. Every once in a while, someone would deliver the grain to them.

The price is fair. No matter whether it is polished rice, glutinous rice, millet, beans or sorghum, every time you buy a stone, you will get three liters for free. There is no sand or chaff mixed in. The monthly salary of the clerks is also higher than that of other grain shops, so the business is very good." Zhuang Qing said.

Jia Cong asked: "What does this mean?"

Zhuang Qing said: "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, there is no business without fraud. These three companies are so fair that it seems that they don't care about how much money they make, they just want to sell the goods as soon as possible.

If other grain shops had done the same, they would have lost a lot of money long ago. Isn't this the weirdest thing? There was even a rice shop owner who said that they 'don't have to pay for the goods' so they can sell them at a low price."

Jia Cong thought for a moment and said, "That makes some sense. Go on."

"Yes. After discovering that there was something wrong with these three shops, I ordered my men to keep a close eye on them. As expected, although these three rice shops were not owned by the same owner, their supply channels were the same. Every half a month, a team of cars would come from outside the city to deliver goods to them and take away money.

After investigation, it was found that after leaving the city, these convoys returned to a large village on the outskirts of Daxing County.

"Who owns this farm? Where does his food come from?" Jia Cong asked.

Zhuang Qing glanced at Jia Cong and said, "Zhuangzi is under the name of the young uncle Chen Jun. The Chen family has only made a small fortune in this dynasty, and they don't have much land in the suburbs of Beijing, only more than 10,000 acres."

Jia Cong said in a deep voice: "You mean the grain his family sells is not grown by themselves?"

Zhuang Qing nodded and said, "If we want to support the three big grain companies, we need at least one million acres of good farmland. Ten thousand acres is obviously not enough.

If it was purchased fairly from somewhere else, the cost must be extremely high. How could they dare to sell it so cheaply? Therefore, although I have not yet investigated the source of the Chen family's food, I can conclude that it is not legitimate.

Moreover, the owners and managers of the three grain stores all came from the Yingchuan Chen family, which also proved that this was not an ordinary business, but more like selling stolen goods. "

"Do you think the grain sold by the Chen family is the grain for the imperial court? Do you have any evidence?"

"Yes." Zhuang Qing said, "The evidence is right there. The farm is only 20 miles away from Tongzhou Wharf. The road leading to the wharf has been trampled by vehicles for a long time, and the ruts are very deep. It is obvious that people have been traveling back and forth for a long time.

The manor only sells grain and nothing else, so what it pulls to the dock must be grain. If it pulls away a large amount of grain from the grain transport dock, what else could it be but grain for the grain transport?"

"It's easy to verify. Just search this farm and you'll find a lot of grain inside, and a lot of it is polished japonica rice and glutinous rice, which are unique to Jiangnan.

"Except for the grain transport office, which merchant has the ability to transport so much grain from thousands of miles away? Even if they did, wouldn't one stone of grain sell for ten taels of silver?" Zhuang Qing said.

Pang Chao praised: "Captain Zhuang's inference is very insightful and airtight, and it can be concluded with finality."

Jia Cong nodded slowly and said, "In that case, there is no need to check the Shadow Secret Fan. It must be in Chen's hands."

"Yes." Zhuang Qing said, "I think this case is definitely not the work of the Chen family alone. The Grain Department, the Warehouse Office, the Canal Department, and the Canal Transport Governor's Office are all involved. Only if all the offices colluded and concealed the truth could millions of dan of grain disappear out of thin air."

Jia Cong's eyes were filled with murderous intent, knowing that the country's loss was not only the grain, but also the extremely high transportation cost! This loss was far greater than the value of the grain itself.

"What a great Chen from Yingchuan!" Jia Cong closed his eyes slightly, gritted his teeth, and uttered a few words one by one.

Seeing that Jia Cong was really angry, Zhuang Qing secretly swallowed his saliva and said, "I have another matter, but I don't know whether I should report it or not."

"Say!"

"Yes. The spies discovered that the three big grain stores also supply a merchant with a huge amount, accounting for more than half of the total, more than one million shi per year."

"Which one?" Jia Cong asked.

"Supply it to the Shenxian Winery for brewing wine." Zhuang Qing lowered his head, not daring to look at Jia Cong.

"What?! Is it true?" Jia Cong asked in surprise. Although he was the boss of the winery, he had never asked about the food matter.

Pang Chao also frowned.

"Your Majesty, it is true. You can find out by calling the manager of the wine shop." Zhuang Qing said. Jia Cong was shocked and angry. He was in charge of the production of the wine shop, Chen was in charge of the blending, and Xue Pan was in charge of the sales. Doesn't this mean that he is the biggest beneficiary?

"Someone! Bring Jia Jia to me immediately!"

"Yes." The personal soldiers hurriedly took the order and ran away.

Pang Chao sneered, "No wonder Chen is so bold. It turns out that he had unwittingly dragged the prince into the pirate ship several years ago and tied him up with huge benefits, just for today when the truth was revealed. It was a good calculation."

Jia Cong sneered, "Then he underestimated me and made a wrong calculation!"

Zhuang Qing stood there trembling with fear, not daring to say a word, for fear that Jia Cong would blame him.

Seeing this, Jia Cong said, "Zhuang Qing, you have done a good job in investigating the case, and you are able to speak impartially and honestly. I am very relieved, very relieved."

Zhuang Qing was flattered and bowed hurriedly, saying, "Your Majesty, I am so flattered. This is my duty and I dare not take credit for it."

"What do you think of this case?" Jia Cong asked.

"I think the Shenxian Wine Shop is deeply involved in this case. If we make a big show of it, it might damage the reputation of the prince. Moreover, the matter involves the royal family and many officials. If we take it too seriously, the court may be unstable." Zhuang Qing said.

Pang Chao said, "Captain Zhuang is right. Your Majesty, I think we should take a long-term view on this case and not be impatient."

Jia Cong nodded and said, "Of course we have to think long-term, but I must give an explanation to the people of the world!"

Soon, Jia Jia, who was in charge of the Shenxian Wine Shop, came hurriedly to pay his respects.

Jia Cong gave him a cold look, which frightened him so much that he shivered, not knowing what he had done wrong.

"Let me ask you, where does the grain for brewing come from? How much does it cost?"

Jia Jia hurriedly said, "Your Highness, the grain was purchased from the three major grain stores in the capital: Zufeng, Gao Yitai, and Yuhe. The purchase price of millet is 6 cents per dan, glutinous rice is 7 cents per dan, and miscellaneous grains are 4 cents per dan."

Jia Cong sneered: "Do you know the market price of these grains?"

"I know. Millet costs one liang and two qian per dan. Rice costs one liang and four or five qian per dan. And miscellaneous grains costs eight qian to one liang per dan." Jia Jia said honestly.

"You are quite good at doing business, but do you know the purchase price of other wineries? Have you ever thought about why others sell to you at such a low price? Have you ever thought that the source of these grains is not legitimate?!" Jia Cong shouted.

Jia Jia secretly groaned in his heart, and hurriedly knelt down to report: "My Lord, I also felt something was wrong at the beginning. How come the price of grain is suddenly half cheaper than before? I was afraid it was not safe, and I also reported it to Miss Feng.

Miss Feng said that because we are a big customer of the grain store and the prince is in his prime, those grain merchants all offer us low prices as a gift.

They also said that we were doing business in an upright manner, not stealing or robbing, so what was there to be afraid of? As long as the food was fine, we should just accept it. How could we not buy expensive goods when we could get them cheap?

No matter where it came from, it has nothing to do with us. I saw that the grain sent was indeed top quality, so I accepted it."

Jia Cong suddenly felt a headache. It was this woman, Sister Feng, again!
Because he was powerless to wave his hands, he said, "Back off."

Jia Jiaru was pardoned and hurriedly bowed and took his leave.

Jia Cong smiled bitterly and said, "Mr. Pang, I didn't expect that after all the investigation, I would find myself in the wrong place. If this gets out, wouldn't everyone laugh at me?"

Pang Chao said: "Don't be upset, Your Majesty. Chen has been planning this for a long time. He just wants to make it difficult for Your Majesty to get angry. After all, it is difficult for ordinary people to resist the great benefits that are delivered to their doorsteps."

Jia Cong sighed and asked, "Zhuang Qing, what is the crime of buying stolen goods?"

Zhuang Qing said hurriedly, "Your Highness, according to the Great Wu Code, Criminal Code, Receiving Fraud, any official who accepts bribes for no reason other than business will be confiscated. If the value of the stolen goods is over 500 strings of cash, the penalty is 100 strokes of the cane and three years' imprisonment."

Jia Cong breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there was no death penalty for buying stolen goods. He then asked, "How do we judge those who steal state grain?"

"Replying to the prince, if anyone steals more than 300 taels of silver or 600 dan of grain from the grain transport, he will be hanged; all border merchants will be summoned to pay the grain and grass. If any powerful officials or their families take over the grain and grass in false names and resell them for profit, the border guards will be exiled."

Jia Cong frowned and asked, "So light?"

Zhuang Qing said: "Your Highness, when the law was first formulated, no one thought that there would be such a corrupt official, but when judging, the punishment can be increased according to the severity of the crime.

For example, in this case, the theft of a huge amount of grain can be considered as endangering the country and be charged with treason."

Jia Cong nodded and said, "Go ahead, we'll discuss this case later."

"Yes." Zhuang Qing bowed and stepped back.

"Mr. Pang, look..." Jia Cong said.

Pang Chao twirled his beard and said, "It all depends on how far the prince wants to pursue this matter."

Jia Cong shook his head and suddenly said, "No wonder Fatty Feng had a hidden agenda that day. He must have known that the case involved the Shenxian Wine Shop! He was afraid that I would be embarrassed if I continued to investigate."

Pang Chao nodded and said, "Your Majesty is a man of high moral character, and the world knows it. If we don't investigate, Chen will think that Your Majesty is afraid of the consequences and will definitely go further, which will damage Your Majesty's prestige.

If we investigate, the implications are too big. Not only will the 120,000 grain soldiers be unstable, but it will also involve the Empress Dowager and the overall situation of the court. We must be extremely cautious. "

Jia Cong said in a deep voice: "That's right. It's hard to be 'Jia Qingtian'. There are always villains who want to harm me. This time I really can't do anything."

Pang Chao pondered and said, "If we want to solve this case and eliminate this evil, it is not impossible, but Your Majesty should not come forward easily."

Jia Cong asked hurriedly: "What do you mean? Should we send the Jinyiwei to take action?"

"Everyone knows that the Jinyiwei takes orders from the prince, and this case involves the Shenxian Winery, so it would be hard to convince people if they come forward," said Pang Chao.

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"Therefore, there must be another person who is upright, has a good reputation, and dares to speak out to investigate this case, so that the government and the public can be convinced.

The prince can also take the opportunity to correct his mistakes and set an example for officials to abide by the law. This will not only not damage the prince's reputation, but also win the trust of the world.

At that time, we will push the case to the three judicial departments for trial on the grounds that the case is serious. In this way, the prince will not have to directly conflict with the Empress Dowager and the Canal Transport Office. "Pang Chao said.

Jia Cong nodded repeatedly and said, "Great! Although I won't take the lead, I can secretly add fuel to the fire and catch all the corrupt officials. I will also force Chen to bleed profusely and spit out his ill-gotten gains!"

Pang Chao said, "That's right. With the prince's current position, you should ride the waves and tides, call the wind and rain, and stir up the world with a smile. If you have to do everything yourself, you will fall behind."

Jia Cong said: "Teacher, you are right. Cong will learn from you. Without you, Cong would only be able to show off his courage."

Pang Chao waved his hand and smiled, "That's too modest. Your Majesty is a great hero, he just doesn't bother to use these little tricks."

Jia Cong said: "With you here, I have nothing to worry about. I wonder who can be the strong commander and fight for me."

Pang Chao said: "The prince also knows this man's name."

Jia Cong thought about it and said with a smile: "Sure enough, he is the best one!" (End of this chapter)