After Wang Tingzan hid in the side room, he heard the voices of Xiang Nan and Wang Danwang coming from the main hall.
"Didn't Lord Wang follow the saint to Ningbo? Why did he suddenly turn back?" Xiang Nan said with a smile.
"The Holy One ordered me to come back to get a document. I have to go back immediately." Wang Danwang explained, "I heard that Wang Tingzan of Ganzhou Fantai came to your place, so I came to take a look."
"Oh, what a coincidence, Lord Wang Tingzan just left." Xiang Nan said with a smile.
"Just leave. I just want to remind you that Wang Tingzan is a young man and you have to be careful." Wang Danwang said.
"How do you say this?" Xiang Nan asked.
"Lord Ji, you don't know. Wang Tingzan is the most irresponsible person. He is a scoundrel and a cunning person. The reason why Lao Maozi caused trouble in Ganzhou this time is because of Wang Tingzan's incompetence!" Wang Danwang said with disdain.
"No way, I think Wang Tingzan is smart and capable, and he can be regarded as a pillar of our Qing Dynasty." Xiang Nan said in surprise.
"Lord Ji, you know how powerful a horse is from a distance." Wang Danwang said again, "I wanted to make Lord Ji a friend, so I didn't hesitate to offend Wang Tingzan, lest Lord Ji would be deceived and used by him. In the future, if the emperor investigates, Lord Ji has something to do with him. ."
"Oh, thank you so much." Xiang Nan smiled.
"Well, Wang said goodbye." Wang Danwang said immediately, and then he heard the sound of footsteps, walking farther and farther.
…
"Master Wang, come out." Xiang Nan then shouted.
Wang Tingzan walked out with a blushing face. He had just heard it so clearly inside that he was really furious and had his teeth shattered in his mouth. He wholeheartedly protected Wang Danwang, but unexpectedly, he was stabbed in the back. You really know people, faces but not hearts!
"Master Wang, please go back first. We will discuss the matter of food supervision in detail when Master Wang Danwang comes back." Xiang Nan said deliberately.
"Lord Ji, since the Emperor is so concerned about the matter of food supervision, it should be done sooner rather than later." Wang Tingzan said quickly, "I would like to tell Lord Ji everything about the food supervision, so that I can present it to the Emperor as soon as possible and share my worries with you. "
"Don't wait for Mr. Wang Danwang?" Xiang Nan said with a smile.
"Master Ji, why do you ask questions knowingly?" Wang Tingzan said awkwardly, "It is not the intention of a man to harm a tiger, but a tiger is harmful to the heart of a man."
Xiang Nan nodded, "Then let's get started."
…
On the same day, Xiang Nan and Wang Tingzan summarized the details of the food supervision.
"Yes, very good." Xiang Nan nodded, "It is indeed meticulous and thoughtful."
"I don't know if Sir Ji has any questions. I know everything I know and can tell you everything." Wang Tingzan added.
"Yes. It is said that if there is no profit, you can't afford it. Supervising food is an extraneous matter. If the officials don't mention it, how can the subordinates, masters, and servants below be willing to work hard if they don't get some benefits. Where will these expenses come from?" Xiang Nan asked with a smile.
"It's simple. Just add one tael for miscellaneous fees in addition to the food supervision." Wang Tingzan said with a smile.
"Oh, are they willing to come out?" Xiang Nan asked worriedly.
"Of course. Think about it, if you already have fifty-five taels of silver, why would you care about adding another one?" Wang Tingzan spoke the truth quickly.
"Isn't it just grain that was harvested by the inspector? How come it's fifty-five taels of silver?" Xiang Nan asked with a smile when he heard this.
"Ah, this...grain is not easy to store. It is converted into silver and is easy to collect." Wang Tingzan explained quickly.
"You didn't say that just now." Xiang Nan glanced at him with a smile and said, "By the way, I have another question. The matter of food supervision is complicated. There are many people in charge of it, and some are wise and foolish. How can we avoid it? What went wrong?"
"So there is a secret here, that is, power cannot be dispersed." Wang Tingzan said quickly.
"Oh, power is concentrated." Xiang Nan nodded, "So, the leader of Ganzhou was Mr. Wang Danwang before, and now you are Mr. Wang."
"I don't dare. I'm just doing my duty." Wang Tingzan said modestly.
"Did the Ganzhou Food Supervisor deceive the superiors and deceive the subordinates, make false claims, and line their own pockets?" Xiang Nan asked again.
"Of course not. All officials in the province are honest and devoted to their duties. How could they do such a thing?" Wang Tingzan denied it.
"Haha, Mr. Wang, do you still dare to quibble now?" Xiang Nan said with a smile, "Come on!"
After giving the order, the guards immediately rushed in and restrained Wang Tingzan firmly.
"Wang Tingzan, listen to the Holy Sage and kneel down!" Xiang Nan immediately said with dignity and dignity, "There are many doubts about the matter of supervising the food supply. Whether you live or die depends on whether you tell the truth! You make up your own mind. I will never break my promise! Admire this."
"My lord, this is unjust!" Wang Tingzan continued to shout.
"Sir Wang, the Emperor is furious about the matter of grain supervision in Ganzhou and vows to investigate thoroughly." Xiang Nan smiled and said, "Otherwise, why do you think Lord Wang Danwang would be transferred to the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang? Why did a mere three thousand Maozi soldiers invade the border? The chief military officer, He Shen, will come to suppress the bandits in person; even I, the master of the court, have been acting with you for a whole day... Don't you understand?
This all shows that the emperor is serious about taking action. Unfortunately, you are short-sighted and can't see the situation clearly yet. Let me tell you clearly, Wang Danwang is dead. If you confess honestly, you can still survive. Otherwise, just die with him. "
When Wang Tingzan heard this, he immediately looked horrified and could no longer scream.
…
"Come on, take him down and interrogate him carefully." Xiang Nan immediately announced.
At that moment, the guards took Wang Tingzan away like a dead dog and began the fatigue interrogation.
In the grain supervision case, which officials were involved, how much stolen money each received, where the account books are, where the money is, and what kind of protection there is... The four subordinate officials transferred from the Ministry of Justice took turns to torture.
Wang Tingzan originally wanted to be strong, but he was frightened by Xiang Nan's words first, and then was bombarded by the fatigue of the subordinate staff. He was deprived of food, drink, and sleep for three days in a row.
He was so hungry that his chest pressed against his back and his stomach made a sound like a drum. His lips were chapped with thirst and his mouth was full of blisters. I can still tolerate all of this, but the worst part is not being able to sleep.
As soon as he closed his eyes, the subordinates would beat his ears with gongs, torturing him so hard that he could neither survive nor die, and finally gave up everything. Even how old he was before he stopped wetting the bed, they all told him exactly.
Xiang Nan immediately asked him to sign and seal it.
…
Soon, the emperor returned from Ningbo, and Xiang Nan went to pick him up.
"Ji Xiaolan, how did the crab feast I asked you to prepare go?" He asked Xiang Nandao with a smile.
"Everything is ready, just wait for the emperor to reveal the blame." Xiang Nan said with a smile.
"Okay." Qianlong said proudly. Then he read Wang Tingzan's confession and saw that Xiang Nan had indeed asked everything.
There are hundreds of officials in Ganzhou, ranging from Governor Wang Danwang and Governor Erjin of Shaanxi and Gansu to county magistrates and warehouse officials... there are hundreds of them with names.
"Ji Xiaolan, you did a great job." Qianlong nodded and said, "Heshen went to Ganzhou in person, and so far, no case has been found. You are in Hangzhou, and you can take care of this matter within four days. Well done. You are truly worthy of being a minister of the Qing Dynasty!"
