When Wang Mang saw Wei Yuanjie so upright, he immediately cast an appreciative look.

seems to be telling him that if you are sensible, you will be exempted from capital crimes and give you a way to live.

When Wei Yuanjie saw this look, his heart was settled.

Wang Mang knows very well that these big families have always relied on people behind them, and when they start business, they will definitely bend the law for personal gain. As for taxes, that's even more dismissive.

Wang Mang looked at the main book and asked, "According to the current situation of the Zhao family, how much tax should they pay every year?" How much do they actually pay? You can tell the official 1510. ”

When the master bookkeeper heard this, he didn't dare to slack off.

He stood up, bowed, and said slowly: "Lord Qiqi, according to the current situation of the Zhao family, the tax they pay every year should be seventeen thousand taels of silver. But in reality, they only paid less than 1,000 taels of silver a year. So far, they are in arrears of more than $50,000 in taxes. ”

"Fifty thousand? What a guts. Wang Mang was furious and shouted: "Come on, arrest them for the official." ”

Zhao Shan frowned, and hurriedly said: "Lord Wang, slow down, the problem of tax payment has been around for a long time, why does your lord only target my Zhao family?" The other major families also paid very little. Also, the issue of taxation, the crime is not punishable by death. ”

Seeing this, Wei Yuanjie's heart moved, and he hurriedly fell into the well and said: "Lord Qiqi, the lower officials are guilty, and the lower officials are guilty. In the past two years, because of tax issues and life lawsuits, the Zhao family often sent silver taels to bribe officials.

According to the statistics of the lower officials, they bribed the lower officials in total of about 8,000 taels of silver. At that time, the lower official was obsessed with money, so he did not refuse, and asked the adult to surrender, and the lower official was willing to be punished. ”

"Oh? And what's going on? You can tell me more about it. Wang Mang squinted his eyes and said.

Wei Yuanjie replied: "Lord Qiyu, a year and a half ago, the Zhao family invaded the Xu family's 800 acres of pomegranate orchard and killed the old lady of the Xu family in public. After the incident, they used their power to suppress the case, and at that time, they sent down the official silver for 1,000.

Nine months ago, the eldest prince of the Zhao family clashed with scholar Cao Mengren in Yichun Courtyard and beat Cao Mengren to death on the spot. Later, the Cao family came to accuse, and the lower official accepted the two thousand silver given by the Zhao family, so the lower official ruled that the eldest son of the Zhao family was not guilty.

Also, many domestic slaves of the Zhao family disregard the king's law and trample on human lives, and the evidence is ironclad and unwatched. Your lord can take those house slaves and ask them for their crimes, and you will find out at a glance..."

At this moment, Wei Yuanjie took Mingzhe's self-preservation to the limit, and told the Zhao family's crimes one by one, pointing out the Zhao family's bribery.

After Wang Mang heard this, he was overjoyed, but his face did not fluctuate in the slightest.

"Wei Yuanjie, as the city lord, you know the law and break the law, accept bribes, and trample on human life, which is a capital crime. However, I read that you confessed your problem to the official in a timely manner, and there is a sense of repentance, so your guilt will be decided after the official has studied it later. The judge asks you, "Where are the taels of silver that you have received?" ”

"Lord Hui, part of it is in the Xiaguan City Lord's Mansion, and part of it is spent by the Xiaguan."

Wang Mang nodded, and then asked the main book: "According to the laws of my Han Dynasty, how should the crimes committed by the Zhao family be determined?" ”

The chief bookkeeper replied: "According to the law, anyone who deliberately conceals taxes or delays taxes can be beheaded when the amount is huge. As for the collusion between officials and businessmen, bribery of officials, and suspicion of murder, in accordance with the law, family property was seized, the state treasury was confiscated, and all the main culprits were arrested and beheaded. Its three tribes are assigned to the frontier and will be slaves forever.

According to the current situation of the Zhao family, on the whole, the main culprit of the Zhao family should be beheaded immediately, and the rest of the house slaves and related personnel will all be assigned to the frontier, and I will never hire them. ”

Wang Mang smiled coldly and asked again: "Wei Yuanjie, do you have any evidence for the Zhao family's bribery of you and their non-payment of taxes?" ”

"Yes, every time they bribe a subordinate official, they have a pledge as evidence. Moreover, they encroached on other people's manor land, and those lands were in the Zhao family. Your Excellency, you can order someone to search Zhao's house, and you can find evidence by keeping it.

Also, those who were usurped, the lower officials also knew where some of them were now. If the adults need it, the lower officials can invite them to come and confront them in the court. Wei Yuanjie replied.

Syllable!

Wang Mang slapped Tang Mu suddenly, and said in a fierce voice: "Zhao Shan, what do you have to say about this matter?" ”

"I..."

Zhao Shan broke out in a cold sweat and opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

For a moment, he couldn't find a suitable excuse to refute.

Wang Mang didn't give him a chance to think, and said to the officials on both sides: "Come on, these two people have committed extremely heinous crimes, and what they have committed cannot be denied. You can lead someone to seal up the Zhao family and find evidence such as the title deed. And the rest of the main culprits in this case and the slaves of the family who committed crimes were all taken down, and they were beheaded after the autumn. ”

"Yes, sir!" The officials received the order, summoned hundreds of other people from the government, and hurried to Zhao's house to investigate.

After giving the first order, Wang Mang shouted again: "Zhao Shan, Zhao Ping, the official gave you a chance to confess your guilt, but you insisted on quibbling and denying it. Now this official has found out that you have committed murder, bribery, tax delay, and collusion with foreigners. He will be punished for several crimes and beheaded at noon tomorrow. ”

"Come on, take down the two of them for me, first two hundred canes, and then put them on death row, and no one is allowed to visit the insurance prison."

"Your Excellency's command!"

When the remaining officials heard this order, they couldn't help but shudder.

They expected that if the two hundred canes went down, Zhao Shan and the others would not have to wait for tomorrow to behead, and they would be killed now.

For there is no one in this world who can resist two hundred rods without dying. Even if it is a top martial arts master, it is also unbearable.

"It seems that Lord Wang is going to make a trick to force Zhao Ping to confess and defile his wife."

The officials knew in their hearts, and they expected that as long as they hit Zhao Ping a few times, this Zhao Ping would definitely not be able to bear it, and then they would have to shake everything out.

Wang Mang was not good at punishing before, but now that he has found an excuse, he naturally wants to get the punishment on and engage in torture to extract confessions.

After the official pressed Zhao Shan and the others on the bench, he waved the stick in his hand and hit Zhao Shan and Zhao Ping their backs.

As soon as the official hit the two of them, the two of them couldn't help but wail.

Especially Zhao Ping, he screamed even more fiercely, begging for mercy again and again.

As a young master of everyone, he has always been a jade food, where has he suffered such a hardship.

At this moment, he couldn't bear it and shouted: "Don't fight, don't fight, I'll move, I'll recruit everything." ”

When Zhao Shan heard this, he immediately shouted: "Ping'er, you are talking nonsense." Today we were killed here, and this Wang Mang will also bury us tomorrow. The Jia family and the Feng family will definitely not let him go. ”

"Hmph, won't let me go? It's so funny. Zhao Shan, this official clearly tells you, don't talk about Feng Yi and the Jia family, even if His Majesty sends a holy decree to let this official let you go, this official will beat you to death first.

Zhao Ping, don't think that I don't have evidence to prove that you have insulted many women for the time being, so I can't help you. Even if you don't admit it, anyway, as long as I convict and kill you according to the law, they can be considered at ease. ”

"You..."

Although Zhao Shan is quite old, his bones are very tough, and he said coldly: "Wang Mang, Li Bo killed my family, but you favored Li Bo and enforced the law unfairly. ”

"Oh? Am I biased in favor of Li Bo? ”

Wang Mang smiled faintly, seeing that the two of them were also beaten more than ten times, and the corners of their mouths were full of blood, so he first asked the official to stop his hand and said lightly: "Zhao Shan, it's not that you said, I almost forgot about Li Bo's murder, and this official will pronounce a conviction on him." ”

(End of chapter)