As important officials of the imperial court and the chief officers of the Three Laws Division, Chen Tailai, Cheng De, and Fu Guan were responsible for trying the prisoners suspected of being traitors, as well as the "loyalty and good" stated in the heavenly book.
Whether "Zhongliang" is Zhongliang still needs an examination to prove it. Why is it so judged?
Because the "loyal and good" people marked in the Book of Heaven are those who participated in the anti-Qing movement, and now the Qing army has retreated outside the Pass without even conquering the northern capital. How can these "loyal and good people" in Jiangnan use the anti-Qing movement to prove themselves? Zhongliang?
If you can't prove your own loyalty, what can you do?
It's very simple, that is to judge through this exam!
You can't just verbally curse the emperor, take advantage of others, and risk your life to protect profiteers. If such a scum is classified as loyal and good, that is hypocrisy.
The reason why the "Southern Ming Dynasty" mentioned in the Book of Heaven did not hold half of the country like the Southern Song Dynasty was because there were these scoundrels who called themselves "loyal and good" in the rear and kept causing trouble.
Through this examination, the three categories of loyal, evil, and scum can be screened out respectively, making it easier to identify their identities and take preventive measures.
Most of the loyal and good people and disloyal people have already appeared. The most important and fatal ones are those scum who call themselves loyal and good people. They must be strictly screened and focused on prevention.
"Cai Yichen, before you were arrested, did you have dinner at home?"
“Exactly what a meal at home!”
"What are the dishes used?"
"...I'm not trying to push it, but it's been a while and I really can't remember it!"
"I have a list here, which was written by the housekeeper and chef of your house. Not counting the ingredients, the meat dishes on it include Wu Wang Gong Goose, Longjing Shrimp, Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, Dongpo Pork, Taihu Whitebait, Dragon and phoenix stew, you are quite good at eating it!"
Dragon and Phoenix Stew is also known as "Farewell My Concubine". According to legend, it was created by Concubine Yu. It uses turtles and chickens instead of turtles and pheasants and stews them in a casserole. It is delicious, but ordinary people will definitely not be able to eat it once a year.
The list in Chen Tailai's hand came from the hands of the factory guard, so it was certainly true, otherwise the suspect would not have been suppressed.
All relevant people in the mansion must hand over a list of dishes.
Deliberately making it up and comparing it to other lists is a capital crime.
If you say you have forgotten, if someone else can answer it, whoever forgets will die.
Emperor Chongzhen simply did not believe that a group of important officials who colluded with profiteers could always be strict with themselves!
Eat vegetarian food?
Doesn’t that mean sleeping by yourself?
"...The winter is getting colder, and I feel quite weak and weak. I am afraid that I will delay important tasks, so I asked the housekeeper to do it!"
Seeing that Chen Tailai, the censor of Zuodu, spoke poorly when he opened his mouth, it seemed that the housekeeper and cook at home had also betrayed him, and that was why it became so clear.
Through the other party's reminder, Cai Yichen also remembered the dishes that night, and they were pretty good. If he tried to shirk it, he would be lying in front of the court, and committing perjury would be a serious crime.
In this case, you can only find an excuse to deal with it first and then think of another way. Don't anger the other party first, otherwise you will definitely not get any good results.
In prison last night, Ruan Dacheng analyzed things very clearly. Qian Qianyi also seemed to have the intention to plead guilty. If he did the opposite, he would be a warning to others, but he had to be careful when answering.
"Really? In my opinion, you are probably weak all year round, right? It's because you have too many concubines that you can't cope with it, right?"
All the basic information about the suspect has been put on the table. Chen Tailai has an understanding of him, so he can talk and laugh happily.
"...The General Constitution knows everything!"
The concubine was a living person and couldn't be strangled to death immediately. Cai Yichen couldn't deny it even if he wanted to. After holding it in for a while, he could only give her a slap in the face.
"Tell me, how much did it cost to marry these concubines? If you can't remember, let me tell you."
Chen Tailai's point is not to tease this guy, but to use the concubine as an excuse to attack the suspect. If he seizes the weakness, he must pursue and beat him fiercely to obtain testimony.
"Uh... Chief Xianrong, please think about it... I should be able to remember... the first one seems to be two hundred... three hundred taels! The second one is... five hundred taels... the third one... six or seven hundred taels... …the fourth……"
Realizing that he had no way out, Cai Yichen had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue. If even the housekeeper betrayed her, the concubine would not have to think too much.
If there is a guarantor from Zuodu Yushi, who can prevent the concubine from serving others in Jiaofangsi, will these women who usually have no worries about food and clothing still be loyal to themselves?
"Totaling it all together, it's no less than three thousand taels of silver. How can you afford this money with just your salary as a businessman? If you can't afford it, you have accepted donations or received silver taels from merchants. Or is it a combination of both?”
"..."
"Don't try to deny it. What your wives and concubines know is already known to me. If you don't tell it and others tell it, you are deliberately concealing it. You will not be able to escape the blame. Don't ask for mercy then!"
"...Don't dare! Don't dare! I must tell the truth! I have two books, one is used to record the people who come to donate, and the other is used to record the benefits received from the merchants. I think it may have been confiscated."
Now it's better. The factory guards confiscated the stolen goods and sent them to the Metropolitan Procuratorate. There was no need for a review by the Dali Temple.
It was such a careless move that he lost everything. How could he fall into this situation so quickly?
Alas!
If I had known today, why bother in the beginning!
It's too late to regret...
"Zhang Pu, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, had previously written a letter to absolve merchants of tax evasion. It was signed by you. How do you explain it?"
"Uh... This is Zhang Pu's coercion. At that time, Zhang Pu said that if I didn't want to, he would spread the news about me accepting gifts from merchants. I was forced to have no choice!"
Now whoever exonerates businessmen will get into trouble!
In the current situation, Cai Yichen would not dare to sign it.
Zhang Pu, the bastard who tricked him, had better die in Beidu and never come back again!
"Then you have previously submitted a petition to protest against taxes. Why do you explain this?"
"This is also caused by Zhang Pu's coercion. Although Zhang Pu has not been an official in the imperial court before, he has a huge influence among the scholars and can be said to respond to a hundred calls. I dare not confront him, so this is why..."
"Don't you dare to confront him? Are you going to confront the court? Are you going to confront His Majesty?"
"This is a helpless move. I already know my mistake and have learned from it painfully. From now on, I will not dare to act in such a retrograde manner."
"Hmph! Okay, then write down the whole story of how you know Zhang Pu coerced you!"
"yes!"
It is better for Zhang Pu to die than to die himself. Now that Zhang Pu is in Beidu, he doesn't care about his life or death.
Maybe they have all been sold by others, and it doesn’t matter if this person is sold by me again!
"Yes! This is evidence and will be submitted to His Majesty. Do you know about merchants evading taxes?"
When Cai Yichen finished writing and was presented, Chen Tailai took a quick look at it and realized that this guy had passed all the responsibilities to Zhang Pu. Not to mention that he had picked himself clean, but it was almost the same.
"..."
“If you know it, say it, if you don’t know it, you can say it!”
"I have been an official for a long time, but... I have rarely heard of it!"
"This is strange. You accept silver coins from merchants to develop for merchants, and you claim that you don't know that merchants evade taxes. If merchants don't evade taxes, why do they give you silver coins? What's the explanation for this?"
"...Or maybe you are worried about being exploited by other officials!"
"Oh~! That's it, okay! I will submit it to Your Majesty as you said! Qian Qianyi said it is a matter, Cai Yichen said it is not a matter! Your Majesty will judge!"
"...General Constitution! I just remembered that the merchant did ask me to speak out for him in the hope of paying less tax. This is actually an act of tax evasion!"
Being frightened by Chen Tailai, Cai Yichen began to sweat from behind. If this was submitted and Emperor Chongzhen saw it, wouldn't he be dead?
Even if Zhang Pu, who was betrayed by everyone, can't survive, it doesn't mean that he can survive?
If someone else is cleaner than he said, wouldn't he have to be criticized again?
"Are you sure? Don't be embarrassed!"
"Confirm! Confirm! I am sure! The salt merchants, tea merchants, grain merchants, and cloth merchants have all approached me, and I am willing to provide written evidence as evidence!"
so close!
I almost got hit just now!
Fortunately, I reacted in time and escaped disaster!
Did Qian Qianyi really say that?
If I didn't say anything, was I deceived by Chen Tailai?
What if Qian Qianyi really said it?
Could it be that this old man is selling things more thoroughly than himself?
When thinking of the conversation last night, Cai Yichen felt that Qian Qianyi could really do such a thing.
He wants to live, but Qian Qianyi doesn’t want to live anymore?
Even Ruan Dacheng wants to live, let alone others?
A group of guys who claim to be loyal and good are human beings, but the two ministers are not human beings?
I am also a human being and I have to live!
These problems are really full of pitfalls!
If you ask about your wives and supper, something is sure to happen!
Except for those poor scholars who have not gained much benefit, how many people can stay clean for a long time?
It starts with asking questions about wives and concubines, and then involves making sacrifices, receiving benefits, and protecting merchants.
Anyone who dares to deny this is undoubtedly telling lies!
Ask one person, and one person will get into trouble!
Asked ten people, no one was spared!
You said you confiscated it, so what was found from your residence?
You can deny it if you confiscate the benefits, but how can you deny it if you don’t take a concubine?
In order to save your life, do you have to turn against someone and stop recognizing others?
This cannot be denied no matter what!
There are as few as one or two per person, and as many as nearly ten!
Concubines are not cattle and horses, especially those of high quality, ranging from hundreds of miles to thousands of taels.
How can the salary alone be enough?
Beauty is a disaster, perhaps it refers to the current extremely bad situation!
Chen Tailai asked a few more questions and sent Cai Yichen away.
Compared with Qian Qianyi before, it is obvious that this guy is more lucky than Qian Qianyi, and he is unwilling to tell the truth without beating the truth.
Naturally, the score is not as high as Qian Qianyi's. How to deal with it depends on the scores of the remaining people.
"Li Zhan! Tell me about the dishes you had for dinner the day before you were arrested!"
"I really can't remember! Could it be that the General Secretary has remembered the dinner he had that day?"
"If I remember it, can you also remember it?"
"I am stupid and my brain power is naturally inferior to that of the General Constitution!"
"But the housekeeper and the cook in your house remember it. Why do you think so?"
"They must have deliberately trapped me in order to survive in an ignoble way!"
"Then what are the explanations for the silver coins, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and jewelry found in your house?"
"If you want to incriminate someone, why bother? It's just a frame-up!"
"How much does it cost you to marry a wife and take concubines?"
"How can the love between two people be measured by yellow and white things?"
Li Zhan also replied that he didn't want to be held hostage by Ruan Dacheng in the first place. Even if he owed this guy a favor, he would definitely suffer a loss and be deceived in the future. There was no need to count the number he agreed to last night.
Secondly, I don’t believe that Qian Qianyi and others who are well-connected can take the initiative to plead guilty as they said last night. There must be fraud in it.
Thirdly, Wu Yingji, Yang Weidou, Mao Xiang, Shen Shizhu, Wan Tai and other loyal people are persisting. It means that he has backup, so why should he plead guilty?
"So, you have neither accepted donations from others nor received benefits from merchants?"
"If there is a way, those who are pure will be pure themselves, and justice will be in the hearts of the people!"
"Have you ever known about merchants evading taxes?"
"The merchant is a good man, but I only see the imperial court exploiting him at will!"
"Have you ever neglected your words and deliberately protected merchants?"
"The General Constitution's fallacy is not deliberate! How can the imperial court win Min's heart when it seizes Min's benefits? It is my duty to petition for Min!"
If everyone answers like this, there are so many people that the law does not punish everyone, and Chongzhen has nothing to do about it, and the case will definitely be settled in the end.
"Tsk! Well said!"
"General Constitution, there is no need to be sarcastic! I have a clear conscience!"
"You have a clear conscience! You don't need to ask questions. Go back and ask Qian Qianyi and Cai Yichen how they answered!"
"..."
When Li Zhan heard this, his heart suddenly thumped, and he secretly screamed that something was wrong.
Maybe those two bastards really took the initiative to plead guilty, so that they would be passive.
What should I do?
But now that I’ve said it, that’s all I can do. I hope others won’t bow to the dog emperor’s hawk!
"Is there any donation to fight the enemy?"
"So what? What if it doesn't happen?"
"Answer truthfully!"
"Maybe!"
"Can you show me the voucher?"
"..."
"If you can't show it, then you don't have it! The fact that you have repeatedly petitioned to reduce business taxes is conclusive evidence!"
"I have no obligation to refuse, and I am actually doing justice for heaven!"
"Protecting profiteers is said to be justice for God!"
"If General Xian cannot produce evidence that I am shielding businessmen, he is deliberately slandering me!"
Chen Tailai didn't expect that he would meet a fool who was looking for death so soon!
If you do not accept the donation, you will get zero points!
If you don’t admit to receiving benefits, you will get zero points!
Failure to recognize the size of the family property will result in zero points!
If you don't admit to covering up businessmen, you will get zero points!
He is not even willing to explain the source and expenses of his wives and concubines, so he will get zero points!
To sum up, there is also an attitude of refusing to cooperate with the case, which will also get zero points!
In addition to not acknowledging the dinner incident and not donating money to support the King's Master in fending off the enemy, the answers to all questions were zero points!
If the content in the memorial that insults the imperial court and the emperor has the largest weight, I'm afraid this guy's score will be directly zero.
Li Zhan has set a good example for all the other ministers, and no one else will have a lower score than him...
If others die, he must die.
If he dies, others may not die!
It seems that the two ministers are not all weak, and there is such a stubborn person.
When the Holy Inquisitor comes down, let him know and see if he is afraid or not!
Courage is admirable, but the desire for profit leads to ignorance of right and wrong. In fact, profit makes one's mind dim, and death is not a pity!
This guy really made the merchants spend their money in vain, and they were cheering for him from the beginning to the end, but it was too late.
"Even if I produce the certificate, you can call it forgery. As long as it is beneficial to you, you will admit it. Otherwise, you will deny it. In this case, it is better to let His Majesty judge. You can also take advantage of this interval to go back Just ask Qian Qianyi, Cai Yichen and others, and you will know who will be severely punished!"
If Li Zhan knew the answers of those two people, he would probably want to strangle each other to death.
Is it illegal for two ministers to murder other ministers in prison?
Chen Tailai is not sure about this, so he needs to be judged by the Holy Spirit...
With the help of the Holy Judgment, maybe there are people in the prison who have died!
However, this can be regarded as eliminating harm for the Ming Dynasty. Keeping these two ministers is a hidden danger.
"If you want to impose a crime, why bother? Why petition for Min? What crime is there? If I am convicted, it will be the result of a traitor! If our loyal and good people die unjustly, how can the Ming Dynasty be revived?"
Li Zhan felt that he must have great justice in order to suppress the arrogance of such dog officials.
"I have never been such a shameless person, yet you can claim to be loyal and good! You are the one who evades the important and speaks nonsense in court! Come on! Take him away!"
