That night!
Eight Young Master's Mansion.
The bad guys come back to explore the news.
In the study, Ying Ziye and Xiao He were sitting upright.
"Master!"
The bad guy respectfully reported the situation of the merchants who were driving up prices, and at the same time handed over a list of names.
Either hide in the market and go to the shops to investigate, or go to the merchants' homes to investigate.
List the names of merchants who violate laws and disciplines, as well as their evidence of crime!
"Thank you for your hard work, let's go down first."
Ying Ziye took the list and looked at it carefully.
"promise!"
The bad guy bowed respectfully, turned around and left.
Ying Ziye took the list, his eyes became colder the more he looked at it, and then handed it to Xiao He.
"Make some copies of this list and distribute it to the county officials tomorrow. Take the officials with you to arrest all the merchants and put them in jail!"
"promise!"
Xiao He respectfully accepted the order.
The next day.
The officials of the Great Qin Empire are dispatched!
Arrest merchants one by one for raising prices.
It caused an uproar.
"What are you going to do? Why are you arresting me? What did I do wrong?"
The merchants who were still at home were broken into by the government.
He was grabbed by the officers and soldiers like a chicken, screaming loudly in fear.
But the officers and soldiers ignored it and just sneered.
"If you have any grievances, let's talk about it in prison!"
The government took action and arrested him.
Grain merchants and unscrupulous merchants from various counties and cities were escorted to Xianyang.
In Xianyang Prison!
In the past few days, businessmen have been brought in one after another from outside, including many big businessmen with huge wealth.
After communicating with each other, they found out that they were all arrested for raising prices, and they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
D!
There are so many of them that I believe the government will not punish them easily.
Moreover, they did not do anything outrageous, murder or robbery.
"Why are we arrested for no reason?"
"We have also paid the commercial taxes raised by His Highness the Eighth Young Master. Even the Imperial Young Master cannot punish us for our crimes when we have not broken any laws!"
"Da Qin is a country that adheres to the law, how can you abuse your power?!"
"Believe it or not, I will tell the court!"
In the prison, loud shouts resounded.
The merchants clamored, and some of them were colluding with dignitaries behind their backs.
So don't be afraid.
But the jailer guarding them didn't care at all.
In a prison, even if you have a fortune and are a high official, you will still be entrenched.
"Ah!"
A chuckle came.
Ying Ziye stepped in and came over with Xiao He and others.
"Eighth Young Master!"
The jailers bowed respectfully.
"Um!"
Ying Ziye responded lightly.
Looking at the merchants imprisoned in the cells on the left and right, there are hundreds or even thousands of them!
Each cell held several merchants.
This prison room is not enough.
"snort!"
The merchants snorted coldly and looked at Ying Ziye.
"Eight Young Master, why did you arrest us here?"
"I'm afraid it's illegal to hold him in this way!"
"That's right, you are using lynching indiscriminately, Eighth Young Master!"
Even now, there is no trace of fear on the faces of the merchants.
"I guess you must not have seen the notice posted on the latest Empire List."
Ying Ziye smiled lightly and said, "The crime you have committed is to drive up prices and greatly enrich the country!"
"You have already committed a crime according to the current executive order!"
this? !
The merchants couldn't help but look at each other after hearing this. They didn't look carefully at the notices posted by the empire.
In an instant, after realizing that they had committed a crime, everyone couldn't help but look dazed and a little panicked, but not too scared.
Still pretending to have a normal expression, he asked: "Then I dare to ask Mr. Hachi, how should we deal with it?"
"How many more days will I be detained? I still have matters to deal with at home!"
All the merchants pretended to be calm.
"But……"
Ying Ziye looked at them with an embarrassed smile and said leisurely: "According to the laws of the Qin Empire, those who drive up prices will be beheaded in public display!"
The words were spoken with a smile.
However, as soon as he fell, many merchants in the prison could not help but feel cold and frightened.
What? !
It turned out to be beheading!
At this moment, all the merchants trembled, their eyes filled with intense disbelief.
In any case, they never expected that the mistake they made would be so serious.
"Eighth Young Master!"
"Eight Young Master, we were wrong!"
"Eighth Young Master, we really don't know anything about it!"
"If we knew that driving up prices would be a crime, we would never violate the laws of the empire..."
All the merchants were in tears, crying and begging for mercy.
At this moment, they finally understood how serious the matter was.
The grave sin of losing your head!
"Eight Young Master, the villain can contribute money, and the villain is willing to donate all the profits from the increase in prices!"
"The villain is willing to sacrifice his wealth just to survive."
"Please take pity on me, Mr. Eighth. I also have an eighty-year-old mother, wife and children at home."
"Please spare your life, Mr. Eighth!"
Some people are willing to give away their illegal gains or even their entire family property.
It's just that the blame cannot be evaded and it doesn't help.
Ying Ziye glanced at the merchants and left calmly, saying in a calm voice: "Xiao He, I will leave these people to you, Xia Houying, and Lu Wan for interrogation."
"promise!"
Xiao He, Xia Houying, and Lu Wan responded.
Although Xiao He was just a jailer, he was also the warden in charge of the prison, and Xia Houying was his most effective jailer.
The two of them are extremely familiar with criminal interrogation.
Businessmen were taken out one by one and placed in the interrogation room.
In the dark and damp room, the lights flickered.
A businessman was tied to the rack.
Xiao He and Xia Houying were sitting on one side, guarded by jailers.
Before the interrogation started, Xia Houying ordered: "Peel through their pipa bones first!"
"promise!"
The two jailers immediately took the pipa lock and locked it towards the merchant on the torture rack.
"No, sir, what do you want to ask? I'll do it all!"
The merchant on the torture rack was frightened and hurriedly begged for mercy.
The sharp blade of the pipa lock is simply frightening.
The two jailers looked at Xia Houying after hearing this.
"continue!"
Xia Houying frowned and said.
This businessman is so spineless, he wants to recruit him before he even takes action.
"promise!"
The two jailers cupped their hands and apologized to the businessman: "I'm sorry, my lord gave me the order."
After that, he took action.
Puff puff puff!
Blood splattered and dyed the clothes red.
"Ahhhhh!"
"No, no!"
"Please forgive me, sir. I will tell you whatever you ask!"
On the torture rack, the merchant cried bitterly and begged for mercy.
"okay!"
Xiao He smiled faintly and asked: "Who gave the instructions for what you did?"
With so many people raising prices together, there must be someone behind it.
"S-lord!"
The merchant on the torture rack had a ferocious face, and his voice was trembling with a hint of fear: "Sir, no one instigated this matter."
"Um?"
Xia Houying frowned when he heard this and waved his hand.
Upon seeing this, the two jailers took whips soaked in salt water and fiercely headed towards the businessman on the torture rack.
Snapped!
Snapped!
Snapped……
The long whip swung, shattering his robes, leaving blood marks on the merchant's body, and blood flowed like a stream.
"Oh, sir, the little one really doesn't know!"
"Sir, someone gave us some advice and told us that we can join forces to build momentum."
"Sir, stop fighting!"
the merchant wailed.
"Then who told you to join forces to create a campaign?"
Lu Wan asked aloud.
"Reporting to my lord, I really don't know."
The businessman wailed miserably and said, "That man didn't tell the villain his name, and he didn't even show his face."
"beat!"
Xia Houying ordered.
The interrogation was repeated again, and the other party even fainted from the pain and was beaten awake again.
However, the other party never disclosed more in-depth information.
Even if it were another businessman, or even castration, it would still be the same.
The three of them couldn't help but feel helpless and had no choice but to report it to Ying Ziye.
"Sir, this is the situation."
Xiao He said with a solemn expression: "The interrogation did not produce any useful information. They only said that they were bewitched."
"It seems like they really don't know."
Ying Ziye frowned and guessed in his mind.
Under various punishments, there are hundreds or even thousands of people, and it is impossible for all of them to be stubborn and say nothing.
That leaves only one possibility of true ignorance.
"That's it!"
Ying Ziye shook his head.
"Sir, how should this matter be handled?"
Xia Houying looked at Ying Ziye and asked respectfully.
But all I saw was that Ying Ziye's eyes were cold, and he said calmly, "Kill, kill him in the busy city, kill him as a warning to others!"
Merchants profited greatly from the country's financial difficulties and drove up prices.
It caused civil turmoil and people complained!
This is something that cannot be tolerated no matter which country or dynasty it is placed in.
Must be killed!
Moreover, they made Ying Ziye take the blame.
"promise!"
Xiao He, Xia Houying and Lu Wan responded respectfully.
