"What do you two adults think about this?" After receiving Pan Xingmin's affirmative answer, Li Yuntian turned to Chen Wenren and Zhang Sheng and asked quietly.

"Master Hou, since the laws and regulations of the Ming Dynasty are customized, then the official will step down first, ask the Lord Hou to make the decision for the official, and severely punish this villain who slanders the innocence of the official." Now that Pan Xingmin and the others have come to a conclusion, Chen Wenren naturally can't stay here anymore, so he got up and bowed to Li Yuntian and said.

"Lord Chen, don't worry, Ben Hou will definitely find out about this matter and give you justice." Li Yuntian bowed slightly when he heard this, and comforted Chen Wenren in a deep voice.

Chen Wenren then arched his hand to Pan Xingmin and the others, and led Zhang Sheng away with an expressionless face, going to the side room to wait for the progress of the case.

"You go and sue the eldest prince, and let the people of the Salt Merchants Association burn all the accounts of the previous exchanges, and you can't keep a single one!" After entering the wing, Chen Wenren summoned a confidant and instructed with a stern expression.

I don't know why, Chen Wenren has an ominous premonition in his heart, Zhao Dengyu is very likely to turn the two Huai Salt Road upside down.

"My lord, some of the accounts haven't had time to get right, and if you burn all the account books, it will become a mess." After the henchman left, Zhang Sheng whispered to Chen Wenren, with a worried look on his face.

In the spring of each two years, the deacons of the Salt Merchants' Association will bring their own books to the Salt Merchants' Association's hall to settle the profits of the previous two years' private salt business, and then distribute those profits according to the agreement.

Since next spring is the time for the Salt Merchants Association, once those books are burned, it means that the expenses for this year's and last year's illegal salt will not be reconciled, and it will be a huge expense, and it will not be possible to account for those who share the money at that time.

"Now that my eyebrows are burning, I can't care about those more, so let's get through the difficulties in front of me first." Chen Wenren sneered, "They have taken a lot of money from the Lianghuai Salt Road over the years, and they don't want to watch the Lianghuai Salt Road capsize!" ”

"My lord, how do you say Master Hou will treat Zhao Dengyu?" Zhang Sheng was a little relieved, and then looked at Chen Wenren nervously.

If Li Yuntian could suppress Zhao Dengyu's affairs, they would be able to sit back and relax, but Li Yuntian did not take benefits from the Lianghuai Salt Road, so he had no obligation to help them, which made him extremely worried.

"The matter of the Lianghuai Salt Road is very wide-ranging, presumably the Marquis of Zhenwu will not wade into this muddy water lightly!" Chen Wenren sat down on a chair, frowned and thought for a while, and then said with a cold expression, he didn't think that Li Yuntian wanted to turn the two Huai Salt Dao upside down.

The room immediately fell silent, and Chen Wenren and Zhang Sheng sat there thinking about their own thoughts, anxiously waiting for the outcome of Li Yuntian's interrogation of Zhao Dengyu.

"My lord, it's not good, Jin Yiwei went to the salt merchant association to summon the salt merchant there." A moment later, a subordinate hurriedly ran in and said to Chen Wenren in a panic.

"What?" Chen Wenren stood up suddenly, but he knew that the salt merchants above the deacon level of the Salt Merchants Association were in the Salt Merchants Association's Guild Hall, and Jin Yiwei would wipe them all out, and he would not give them time to burn the account books at all.

Obviously, the salt merchants didn't carry those books with them, they must have hidden them, which undoubtedly left a huge risk.

"What's the matter, how did Jin Yiwei go to the Salt Merchants Association?" Zhang Sheng also realized that the shape was not good, and hurriedly asked the subordinate.

"My lord, after you left, Zhao Dengyu sued the people of the Salt Merchants Association, saying that they secretly sold illicit salt, so Hou Ye asked Jinyiwei to pass on the people." The subordinate bowed to Zhang Sheng and said in a loud voice.

"This bastard!" Chen Wenren didn't expect Zhao Dengyu to ruin his big thing, he couldn't help but slam his fist on the table, and said with a gloomy face, so those account books will not be destroyed.

"My lord, what now?" Zhang Sheng looked at Chen Wenren worriedly, if those salt merchants of the Salt Merchants Association did not pay attention to say something that should not be said, then the consequences would be unimaginable.

"They are all veterans who have been in the business for many years, and they know what to say and what not to say, this matter is related to their net worth and life, and they dare not divulge half a word even if they die."

Chen Wenren frowned and groaned for a while, and said with a cold expression, "Besides, the Zhenwu Marquis never uses torture instruments to try cases, and they will not talk about it without the pain of flesh and skin." ”

"My lord, Zhao Dengyu can't stay anyway, I have to find someone to finish him off." Zhang Sheng's eyes flashed fiercely when he heard this, and he stretched out his right hand and made a gesture of cutting down, and said in a low voice.

The appearance of Zhao Dengyu has seriously threatened Zhang Sheng, once the matter of the two Huai Salt Roads breaks out, he, the two Huai Salt Road transfer envoys, will bear the brunt, and will definitely be severely punished by the imperial court, and his net worth will not be guaranteed.

"He will definitely be the same as Zhao Wenju, locked up in Yangzhou Wei's prison, where Jinyiwei will take over, and it will not be easy to kill him." Chen Wenren shook his head and instructed Zhang Sheng in a deep voice, "Now that the situation is unclear, you must not act rashly, otherwise you will gain more than you lose if you anger the Marquis of Zhenwu." ”

"Xia Guan understands."

According to Zhang Sheng, he originally wanted to arrange for the archers to shoot Zhao Dengyu when he left the Lianghuai Salt Road Yamen, and then put the blame on the heads of those salt lords, so that Zhao Dengyu would keep his mouth shut forever, but after listening to Chen Wenren's words, he realized that his move was inappropriate, and hurriedly bowed to Chen Wenren and said.

Obviously, Zhao Dengyu is not terrible, the key is Li Yuntian's attitude, if Li Yuntian thinks that Zhao Dengyu is lying, then it is useless for Zhao Dengyu to come up with conclusive evidence, so now Chen Wenren and Zhang Sheng have to find a way to find a breakthrough from Li Yuntian, instead of embarrassing Li Yuntian.

"I hope I can survive this catastrophe safely!" Chen Wenren sat down slowly, picked up the fragrant tea on the table next to him with a solemn expression and tasted it slowly, secretly praying in his heart that he had never encountered such a dangerous situation in his decades of politics, and the situation was beyond his control.

In the back hall of the Yamen of Lianghuai Salt Road, when the executed Jinyi Wei retreated, Zhao Dengyu's buttocks lying on the ground were already bloody, and he looked miserable.

Zhao Dengyu, who was pale, bit his lip tightly, he didn't cry out in pain from beginning to end, the clothes on his body were already wet with sweat, as a pampered son, there are not many people who can do his step.

"Zhao Dengyu, Ben Hou reminds you that according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, those who are framed will be guilty of reversing, and slandering the court officials is even more criminal, you are already wearing a sinful body, if you add the crime of reversing and will be sentenced to capital punishment, you have to think about it, otherwise it will be too late to regret it!" Glancing at Zhao Dengyu, whose forehead was covered with sweat, Li Yuntian reminded him quietly.

Since Zhao Dengyu was involved in the case of Zhao Wenju, according to the facts of the case of Zhao Wenju's smuggling of salt, there is a chance that he will be exiled to the frontier, but if the crime of reverse sitting is added, then even if it is not Ling Chi, he will be hanged.

"Master Hou, the sinners have already figured it out, even if they die, they will shake out the shady curtain of the two Huai Salt Roads." Zhao Dengyu did not flinch in the slightest, and said resolutely after taking a deep breath.

"In that case, what evidence do you have to prove that the salt of Caoyun Yamen is private salt, and Ben Hou can tell you that those salts not only have the salt quotations issued by the Nanjing Household Department, but also the official documents of the Nanjing Household Department to deal with the accumulated salt and the documents issued by the salt ambassadors of the salt farms!"

Li Yuntian saw that Zhao Dengyu had made up his mind, so he looked at him with a stern expression, since it was a scene play, it was natural to play the whole play, so Li Yuntian was not in a hurry to let Zhao Dengyu explain the problem, but gradually promoted the development of the case.

"Master Hou, since the Nanjing household department is involved in this case, it will naturally try to cover it up, and they can prescribe as much salt as they want."

Zhao Dengyu showed a disdainful smile on the corner of his mouth when he heard this, "As for the salt ambassadors of those salt farms, they are all more or less involved in the private salt business, and some of them are also in collusion with the salt lords, so they will naturally cover it up." ”

"There is no evidence for your words, do you have evidence?" Li Yuntian pondered for a moment, stared at Zhao Dengyu and asked.

Pan Xingmin, Zhang Tao and Qin Ke looked at Zhao Dengyu in unison when they heard this, Li Yuntian's question is very critical, if Zhao Dengyu can come up with real evidence, then the situation will be strict.

"Master Hou, there is evidence from the father of the criminal, every two years the people of the Salt Merchants Association will write off the accounts, so as to distribute the money earned from the illegal salt trade, and the father of the criminal keeps a set of account books for self-protection, as long as the father of the criminal is found, the criminal can persuade him to take out those account books, which record the detailed process of the illegal salt transaction."

Zhao Dengyu shook his head at first, and then said, "As far as the criminals know, there are many people in the Salt Merchants Chamber of Commerce who are like the criminals' fathers, and they also keep the previous account books, as long as the Hou Ye sends someone to search their homes, then they will definitely be found." ”

"Ridiculous, Ben Hou is going to search the homes of those salt merchants just by your words? Did you know that some of them were once rewarded by Emperor Taizong! Li Yuntian sneered when he heard this, stretched out his hand and pointed at Zhao Dengyu, and asked sharply, "Ben Hou asked you, do you want to exonerate your family, so you made up such a lie?" ”

"Hou Ye is aware that even if the criminals have the courage to deceive Hou Ye. Hou Ye, the Lianghuai Salt Road has always been the most oily and water-rich yamen, and the private salt involved in the criminal's father only accounts for 10% of the amount of private salt in the Lianghuai Salt Road, and the rest of the private salt is controlled by other people in the Salt Merchants Association. ”

Zhao Dengyu hurriedly denied it, and said loudly, "Master Hou, the tax silver lost by the Lianghuai Salt Road every year is millions of taels, does Lord Hou just watch it flow away?" ”

"Except for Zhao Wenju, Ben Hou has not yet found that there is any trafficking of illicit salt in the Lianghuai Salt Road." When Li Yuntian saw Zhao Dengyu mention the tax silver, he couldn't help but wrinkle, and said expressionlessly, "Ben Hou thinks that you are talking nonsense, what you say is not credible, it is simply ridiculous, you still stay in the prison honestly, waiting for the emperor's disposal!" ”

"Someone, take him away!" As he spoke, Li Yuntian shouted at the Jinyi guard standing at the door, preparing to end the interrogation of Zhao Dengyu.

Hearing this, Pan Xingmin, Zhang Tao and Qin Ke couldn't help but glance at each other, and their eyes couldn't help but show a look of disappointment: it seems that Li Yuntian doesn't want to get involved in the matter of the Lianghuai Salt Road, so they won't be able to fish in troubled waters, and then seek rich rewards from it.