Two or three years ago, Fang Yuan had suspected that the accounts reconciled by the independent accounting panel were incorrect. But there is no real evidence; second, there were no serious consequences at that time; Third, he is entangled in military and political affairs and has no time to take care of it. In the past few years, it has dragged on.

But this time, there was a big case of a shortage of 400,000 stone of grain, 50,000 people starved to death, and even caused thousands of casualties among the affected people. Fang Yuan couldn't bear it, he was determined to thoroughly investigate the case, dig out Xiaoyuan, and the independent accounting team had been doing it behind his back all these years.

Because the matter involved the independent accounting team in the backyard, he did not inform the person in charge, Xiao Yuan, so that she could avoid suspicion, but called the princess of the lord of the backyard to Fengyang to participate in the trial of the case.

Fang Yuan and the princess sat side by side on the main seat, and Qin Zhan and Jing Jie sat on the side and interrogated together. In this trial, the presiding judge was Governor Hu Qi, and Fang Yuan, the princess, Jing Jie, and Qin Zhan were the supervising judges.

A hundred brocade guards stood neatly above the lobby, dressed in flying fish suits, wearing embroidered spring knives at their waists, and one of them was holding a Xuanjia Divine Gun, with a solemn expression, which made people feel cold.

The prefects of Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Guangzhou, and Zhaoqing, as well as the same governors, small officials and other handling personnel, all crowded the side halls, which were strictly guarded by the brocade guards.

Hu Qi ordered the prefect of the first house, the same governor, and the handling officials to enter, and the rest continued to wait in the side hall.

The first to enter the lobby for interrogation were Li Xiang, the prefect of Quanzhou Prefecture, and Zhang Li, the same governor. The two of them were suddenly called to Fengyang, thousands of miles away, and they didn't know what was going on. Facing Fang Yuan's battle, his whole body trembled with fright.

The trial has officially begun!

Hu Qi took Fang Yuan's hint that he could be interrogated, stood up suddenly, and asked coldly, "Governor Li, Zhang Tongzhi, you don't need to panic. In fact, I invited you to come this time, in fact, I only had a few simple words to ask, and if you answered truthfully, you could return to Fujian safely. If the answer is not true, it is estimated that you will come to Fengyang standing and lie down and return to Quanzhou. ”

He pointed to the three officials in the hall and said in a cold voice, "If Governor Li and Zhang Tongzhi have untruths, the three of you can interrupt and expose them at any time." If it is exposed, the reward is 500 taels of silver, and you can enter the Jinyi Guard, and your family will move to Fengyang to live; If you intend to cover up, once you find out, you will be guilty of the same crime as the prefect and the same knowledge. ”

As soon as he encouraged his subordinates to report and expose them, Li Xiang and Zhang Li were so frightened that their faces were bloodless, where did they dare to lie, and said, "Regent, Governor Fang, but it doesn't hurt to ask, we will tell the truth!" ”

Hu Qi first gave them a dismount, and then asked, "First, did your Quanzhou Mansion send someone to the Regent's Mansion to check the accounts with the independent accounting team?!" ”

The prefect Li Xiang did not handle specific business, and looked at Zhang Li, the same acquaintance. Zhang Li hurriedly opened his mouth to explain, "Yes, yes, every year, I personally bring people to Suzhou to check the accounts with the independent accounting team. However, all the accounts over the years have passed, and nothing has gone wrong! ”

The prefect Li Xiang also ordered a small official to hand over all the account books of the past five years to Hu Qi, and explained, "Regent, Governor Hu, I have verified each account book, and there is a seal on the account book that has been checked and approved by the independent accounting team, as well as the governor's seal and the palace seal!" ”

Hu Qi ordered five Jinyi guards who were proficient in accounts to come and check the account books handed over by Li Xiang, and came to the conclusion that it was indeed the seal of the independent accounting group, as well as the seal of the former governor and the current seal of the regent.

Li Xiang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "Under the rule of the regent, the officialdom is politically clear and the breeze is clear, which official dares to know the law and break the law?!" ”

He didn't forget to pat Fang Yuan's ass, Fang Yuan sneered and coughed lightly.

Hu Qi got his instructions and continued to ask, "Governor Li, Zhang Tongzhi, how do you reconcile the accounts with the independent accounting team?" If there is an error in the reconciliation of the accounts between the two parties, what will be done?! ”

Li Xiang is not responsible for the specific reconciliation of the affairs, Zhang Li opened a pair of innocent eyes, and said, "If there is an error in the account, correct it immediately, this, this, what's wrong?!" ”

Hu Qi saw that he was dodging and dodging, and he knew that there was something greasy in it, so he simply made the words clear, "I asked you to reconcile the accounts, and then register the account books; Or do you register the books and then proofread the accounts?! ”

Hu Qi asked about the key node, if you first register the account books in Quanzhou Mansion, and then go to the palace to reconcile with the independent accounting team, that is the normal reconciliation process. If you go to the palace, proofread the accounts with the independent accounting team, and then register the account books, then the numbers may be tampered with in the middle, and it will be very boring.

Seeing that he asked about the key point, Zhang Li was suddenly startled in his heart, lowered his gaze, and said hesitantly, "Yes, yes, the accounts that have been registered and proofread with the independent accounting team." ”

Hu Qi saw that his words flickered and he refused to admit the accounts, so he coldly stared at the three officials who came to Suzhou Mansion with him to proofread the accounts, and asked sharply, "Are you indeed the account books registered in Quanzhou Mansion first, and then the accounts proofreading?!" ”

The three officials looked at each other, not knowing how to answer. Li Xiang and Zhang Li are their top bosses, if they say the wrong thing and return to Quanzhou Mansion, their lives will not be guaranteed.

Hu Qi slapped the table and scolded sharply, "The eyes are dodgy, and it is clear that he is a thief." Come! Drag it down and kill it, and feed the body to the dogs! ”

The three little officials were so frightened that their faces were like death, and they all knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy again and again.

Hu Qi continued to threaten and said, "If you don't recruit from the truth, not only will you be beheaded, but even your family members will be confiscated, and you will be slaves and slaves for life and life!" ”

He threatens to do this, no matter how bold the three officials are, no matter how afraid they are of the prefect Li Xiang and the same governor Zhang Li, they dare not have any more protection. What could be worse than beating a dog to death, and all the family members were confiscated as slaves and maids? Moreover, after exposing Li Xiang and Zhang Li, maybe they can stay in Fengyang and bring all their families over, then they will escape the catastrophe.

A bold little official looked up and said, "Regent, Governor Hu, I expose, I expose." Zhang Tongzhi is full of nonsense! In fact, every time I brought it from Quanzhou Mansion to Suzhou Mansion, it was an empty account book stamped with the official seal. When I arrived in Suzhou, I first proofread the accounts of the account books I carried with me with the independent accounting team. According to the results of the proofreading, there are no mistakes in the revision and correction of the figures with large discrepancies, and then the official registration of the account books is regarded as the completion of this year's account book proofreading. ”

Hu Qi stared at Zhang Li coldly and asked, "So, Zhang Tongzhi, you and the independent accounting team first reconcile the accounts and then officially register the account books, right?" ”

Zhang Li saw that the little official had revealed all the details of his account, and he was so frightened that he couldn't stand steadily, and hurriedly explained, "Governor Hu, this kind of reconciliation method is also helpless!" Quanzhou is at least 2,000 miles away from Suzhou Prefecture, and it takes two or three months to make a round trip! If you don't carry an empty account book with the official seal, once there is a mistake in the reconciliation, it will be too laborious to revise it back and forth! ”

Hu Qi just ordered Jinyiwei to remember Zhang Li's words truthfully, and then stared at the prefect Li Xiang and asked, "Governor Li, Quanzhou Mansion came to reconcile the accounts with an empty account book stamped with the official seal of the government, do you know it?!" ”

The prefect Li Xiang is now in the same boat as Zhang Li, and hurriedly explained, "Governor Hu, this is an unwritten rule of officialdom, for two or three hundred years, not only Quanzhou Mansion has done this, but other state capitals have also done this!" ”

Hu Qi ordered Jinyiwei to also remember it truthfully, and then ordered the two to retreat, and then recruited relevant personnel from Fuzhou, Guangzhou, and Zhaoqing one by one, and interrogated them according to the gourd. The conclusions reached were surprisingly unanimous, Li Xiang was not alarmist, and even the three prefectures of Fuzhou, Guangzhou, and Zhaoqing all operated in this way.

Hu Qi sighed deeply, only feeling that the matter was very important, he couldn't be the master, and put all the confessions recorded by Jin Yiwei in front of Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan stared coldly at the thick stack of confessions sent by Hu Qi, his expression became more and more solemn, and only three words appeared in his mind, three words that people who study the history of the Ming Dynasty can't dodge, "Empty seal case!" ”