"Don't dare, I'll tell the truth. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info”

Sun Yang said: "Wu Shengqing... Wu Changshi did participate in it, and collected me 210,000 silver every year. As for how much other salt merchants charge, I don't know. Master Hou, I have said everything I know. ”

Luo Yi asked, "Then how much tax evasion do you have every year?" How much is tax evasion? ”

Sun Yang: ".... ”

"Say it."

Sun Yang swallowed his saliva and said: "Every year, I don't read that in addition to handing over 10,000 yuan to Wu Shengqing, there is still 10,000 left.... ”

"If you think about it, is it really ten thousand?"

Sun Yang: "Master Hou, what I said is all true, just 10,000, you can let me go." ”

"Okay."

Luo Yi didn't rush to entangle, got up and said: "I'll ask the other salt merchants first, if what you said is true, I will let you go, if you lie, you also know the consequences, then it will not be a steel needle, I will cut off your hand." ”

"Zhao Wenxian."

"Master Hou."

"Let Niu Yanjin immediately take someone to the post house, arrest Wu Shengqing for me, and bring him here."

"Yes."

After Zhao Wenxian took people away, Luo Yi changed another cell.

The procedure is still the same as the previous two, using extremely cruel criminal law to force the other party to admit guilt and tell the truth of tax evasion by salt merchants.

Although it is not allowed by the imperial court to make a trick, Luo Yi believes that different things should be treated differently, and the answers that are forced are not necessarily fake.

After questioning three salt merchants in a row, Luo Yi had a general understanding of the situation in Yangzhou.

Salt merchants are big and small, like Sun Yang and Huang Yan, which are considered big, bribing the government (Wu Shengqing) from 10,000 to 20,000, while other salt merchants have more than seven or eight thousand, and as few as two or three thousand; To put it simply, the basic rule is, turn in half and leave half.

After sorting out all the confessions obtained, Luo Yi asked all the salt merchants to sign and sign them.

"Someone brought?"

Seeing Zhao Wenxian coming over, Luo Yi asked.

Zhao Wenxian nodded: "Well, I brought it, and I was locked up in the cell next door." ”

"Let's go, let's see."

With all the confessions, Luo Yi, Zhao Wenxian, and Zhao Wenyong went to the cell where Wu Shengqing was held.

Compared with other prisoners, Wu Shengqing's treatment is still good, he is not tied, he is not chained, he is free, but he is not allowed to go out of the cell.

"Master Hou, what are you doing here? What sin have I committed? ”

Zhao Wenyong shouted: "Wu Shengqing, you know what crime you have committed." ”

Luo Yi sat down and asked Zhao Wenxian to hand all the confessions to Wu Shengqing, Luo Yi said: "Take a good look, this is the reason for arresting you, this is the confession of all the salt merchants in Yangzhou, all of whom accuse you of receiving thousands to tens of thousands of silver taels from them every year, and you help them evade taxes, what do you have to say?" ”

"I... They are framed, they are framed! ”

Wu Shengqing denied it and was very emotional.

Luo Yi frowned and said to Zhao Wenxian: "He is a prisoner now, why is he not bound?" The prisoner should be treated as he should be, and the soldiers should tie it up and give it to the rest of the salt merchants. ”

"Yes."

Wu Shengqing shouted: "Master Hou, I didn't commit a crime, the salt tax of Yangzhou salt merchants has nothing to do with me, you can't just listen to their words." ”

After being tied, Luo Yi said: "Then tell me, what is the truth?" Did you Yangzhou officials accept favors from salt merchants? ”

"Nope! Absolutely nothing! ”

Wu Shengqing denied it here.

Zhao Wenxian laughed beside him, pointed at Wu Shengqing and said, "Wu Changshi, you don't know our methods yet, right?" Wait for you to feel better, and when you can't stand it anymore, you will naturally explain. ”

"Let me give you a taste of this iron whip, haven't you tried it yet?"

While speaking, Luo Yi picked up the whip that had been prepared a long time ago from the side and held it in his hand, a traveler with bad intentions.

"What are you going to do? I am the governor of Yangzhou, even if it is the criminal department, without evidence, you can't use the punishment against me, you.... ”

Luo Yi didn't bother to talk to him, so he directly took out the dragon card and shouted: "Wu Shengqing, open your dog eyes and take a good look, what is this?" It's Dragon! I am now representing the emperor, do you think I have the right to torture you? I have the right to cut first and then play, I have the power of life and death, even if I slaughter you, no one will dare to say anything! ”

"Don't say it's you, even if it's a prince or nobleman, I'll clean it up!"

Seeing the dragon card, Wu Shengqing was immediately stupid, he had only heard of this thing before, but he had never seen it, and it was even just a legend, he didn't expect it to appear in front of him now.

Syllable!

"Say yes or not?!"

Before Wu Shengqing could react, Zhao Wenxian raised his whip and hit Wu Shengqing hard.

Wu Shengqing screamed miserably, shouting: "Don't, don't... Don't fight, it hurts... It hurts me to death.... ”

"Heh, you soft bones, I just whipped a whip, and you yelled, this is just the simplest criminal law, and the powerful ones haven't been taken out yet."

Wu Shengqing's reaction made Luo Yi see hope, Wu Shengqing is so afraid of pain, if he takes out the steel needle, then it is estimated that Wu Shengqing will recruit everything, and the case will be investigated as soon as possible.

Luo Yi said: "I have now grasped the situation, the salt merchants in Yangzhou, as well as you, have obtained benefits through tax evasion, whether you admit it or not, this is the truth; What I want to ask you is, after you received half of the salt tax from the salt merchants, did you give it to other officials in Yangzhou? Is there any filial piety to other officials in Huainan? Especially the Huainan Festival Envoy! ”

Wu Shengqing said: "No, really not, that money, I..." ”

Luo Yi said: "Where are you hiding your money?" If the numbers match, I don't have to ask any more, but if they don't, I have to look down. ”

"Wu Shengqing, you'd better figure it out, your time is running out, I'll give you a night to think about, and I'll get accurate results tomorrow."

"Tell me now, where is all the money you embezzled?"

Of course Wu Shengqing didn't want to say it, he had worked for so many years, just for money, and he had finally accumulated some points, how could he throw it out...

"You kid, you don't shed tears when you don't see the coffin!"

Zhao Wenxian came to the fire, lifted the whip and whipped it fiercely, and hit Wu Shengqing.

The other salt merchants on the other side, Nuo Tie may not work, but the other party, Wu Shengqing, just the iron whip is enough, and the two whips go down, Wu Shengqing is already crying in pain, and the muscles on his face are squeezed together.

"Ahh Stop fighting, I say, I say.... ”

After only a few whips, Wu Shengqing disarmed and surrendered, begging for mercy vigorously.

Zhao Wenxian rolled his eyes and said with a wry smile: "You are really a soft bone, and you are still the governor of the capital, not even as good as a small salt merchant, only a few whips, not at all angry." ”

"Hurry up. If you dare to lie again, I won't whip you, and I'll let you taste the steel needle. ”

"Don't dare, don't dare..."

After a long time, Wu Shengqing was exhausted from torture, and finally said an important message.

Half of the salt tax paid by the salt merchants every year, ninety percent of which was given to the Huainan Jiedu envoy, and Wu Shengqing himself only got one percent, and two percent of this one percent belonged to various officials in Yangzhou, and Wu Shengqing got eighty percent of the one.

Don't underestimate eighty percent of this percent, according to Wu Shengqing, in three years, he has received more than 50,000 taels.

Let's suppose that what Wu Shengqing said is true, that achievement is nearly 60,000, and 10% is 600,000, and Wu Shengqing handed over 90% to Huainan Jiedu, then it is 500,000!

The entire 500,000 taels of silver went into the pockets of the Huainan Jiedu envoys, and this was only half of what the salt merchants said about all the missed salt taxes, and in the hands of the salt merchants, there was still half of the total, that is, one million taels.

"A million... It's really a lot, and this is only the salt tax in Yangzhou, and I haven't checked other places in Huainan. ”

Luo Yi asked: "Then where is 80% of your 10% salt tax now?" ”

Wu Shengqing frowned and said, "Master Hou, didn't you say that you would ask again tomorrow?" ”

"I've changed my attention, let's talk about it now, it's good for us to make it clear."

Seeing that Zhao Wenxian was going to do it again, and this time he was still holding a steel needle, Wu Shengqing immediately softened, nodded and said, "Okay, okay, I say, I say..." ”

After tossing all night, Luo Yi got everyone's confessions, as well as the location where the salt merchants and Wu Shengqing hid the stolen money.

Early the next morning, Luo Yi asked Niu Yanjin to go to the places provided by Wu Shengqing and the salt merchants one by one, most of them were in the mansion, and some were hidden places in the wilderness, and Qian went to look for the stolen money.

4·

As long as the stolen money is in place, the case will be realized, and the salt merchants will not be able to rely on it even if they want to.

Luo Yi sat in the government and waited.

Until noon, the people sent by Niu Yanjin came back one after another, and boxes of silver were moved into Yangzhou Mansion, and Luo Yi hurriedly took Zhao Wenxian to count.

Since entering the boundary of Yangzhou, it is only now that a breakthrough has been made, and with silver, no matter where the silver comes from, it can also give Li Shimin a small explanation.