"You can't wronged a good official."

The salt envoy Si Yamen, when Shi Youmin learned that he was detained, he was very calm.

Not only did he not have any fear, but he sighed and blamed the people in front of him with righteous indignation.

When Shi Youmin was taken out of the Yamen of the Salt Envoy by the Jinyi Guard, there were still many eyes cast by the people along the way, and those people were talking about it.

"These brocade guards are really hateful, and they don't even let go of a clean official like Lord Shi."

"Who's to say it isn't? There are really not many people like Lord Shi. ”

"Alas, it's hard to do anything these days, especially being an official, there are too many such things......"

The reason for this sound, to be honest, is not surprising at all.

Because Shi Youmin was unusually promoted by Zhu Yuanzhang to the Yamen of the Salt Envoy Division, it was because he was an honest official, and he had a good reputation in the appointment of the deputy envoy and the chief envoy.

There is nothing more treacherous than this.

These voices reached Shi Youmin's ears, which strengthened his determination.

Shi Youmin calmly stopped, looked at the crowd of onlookers outside, and said loudly.

"Don't worry, you can't be black and white, you can't be white, the court will give me an explanation, and I will give you an explanation."

As soon as this sentence came out, it immediately attracted a burst of cheers and applause.

Soon, the news of Shi Youmin's detention by Jinyiwei spread throughout the city, causing a great sensation!

"You should know the rules of the dynasty."

In the room, Song Li said lightly: "You have been in the position of the salt envoy for so many years, and the salt tax that is greedy for ink, if it is calculated in silver, I am afraid that one or two million taels will not be able to beat it, which is enough for the whole family to peel the skin and grass 100,000 times, but if you can explain honestly, I can give you a decent ending, and you don't need to endure the torture of peeling and Ling Chi anymore." ”

"Song Shilang, the lower officials don't understand."

Shi Youmin is half a level lower than Song Li, Song Li is the third grade, he is from the third grade, but he does not call himself a "criminal official", in fact, it is already very revealing.

"Hmph."

Seeing Shi Youmin's dead duck's hard mouth, Song Li sneered: "Since that's the case, then you can continue to pretend to be stupid, come on, and submit a copy of the account book!" ”

A moment later, a thick stack of ledgers was placed in front of Shi Youmin.

It looks thick, but this is already the product of streamlining, and it is a comparison of the actual salt production of each salt area and the data recorded by the salt envoy department.

Obviously, there is a gap between the two.

Maybe the yield difference in any salt area is not large, but the part that is "hidden" in the middle is where part of the cat is tired.

Of course, the salt tax is not only "hidden", which would be stupid, but more importantly, it is hidden in various other forms of spending.

So looking at these account books, Shi Youmin's expression was still very calm.

It is impossible to convict him by relying on the ledger alone, because the salt envoy Si Yamen itself also has a large number of reasonable expenditures, and these expenditures are rounded up and involved in various stakeholders, and finally it is very, very difficult to trace.

Looking at this thick stack of account books, Shi Youmin's face was not shaking, he calmly picked up a book, opened it and looked at it, but said with some annoyance: "This is clearly a frame, the salt envoy will only allocate a part of the money for the project every month, and it will definitely not reach this number." ”

"Hehe, Master Shi, the evidence is conclusive, is there anything else to quibble?"

Song Li interrupted Shi Youmin indifferently and sneered: "The Metropolitan Procuratorate has already reminded you, but you still turn a blind eye, and even worsen it, people like you, if you don't deal with it as soon as possible, it will become a big disaster in the future." ”

With that, Song Li brushed his sleeves and left.

Shi Youmin's face was cloudy and uncertain in the room, everything was dealt with in this room, and he couldn't even commit suicide by hitting the wall, and since Song Li gave him a copy of the account book with such confidence, it was actually a disguised psychological pressure.

During the long waiting time, Shi Youmin had nothing else to do, and he couldn't sleep and lie down all the time, so it seemed that he had no choice but to look at these account books.

But every time he looks at it, his psychological defense line will be attacked.

In the days that followed, Shi Youmin was never arraigned.

And the officials of the salt envoy Si Yamen were also running around to plead for mercy, trying to clear Shi Youmin's suspicions, and even wanted some high-ranking officials to help, but they were all rejected in the end.

Whether it is the line of the political envoy or the line of the governor of Caoyun, without exception, they all expressed their attitude that they would not help the salt envoy.

There is no doubt that Shi Youmin has become an outcast.

This time, Song Li not only wanted to seize Shi Youmin's authority, but also bluntly told Shi Youmin that he would completely seize all the relevant entities of the Salt Envoy Division's Yamen, and would not restart the salt affairs of the Lianghuai Salt Farm until all the problems were thoroughly investigated and this seemingly calm and undisturbed quagmire was turned upside down.

This news shocked all the salt merchants and people.

The salt envoy is the core of the entire Huai'an Mansion, and once it is lost, the Huai'an Mansion will become a different look.

Many small and medium-sized salt merchants protested, and even asked for Shi Youmin's release, after all, at this time, if the salt envoy Si Yamen completely collapsed, they would not be able to gain a foothold in Huai'an.

Song Li's side is also under a lot of pressure, the first assassination of Qincha, because the death of the Huai'an prefect has not been extended to the local gentry and salt merchants, so these local groups representing the "public opinion" have been exerting pressure, and they have not been able to get tangible evidence, which is also quite a headache.

But fortunately, there was a breakthrough in the case soon.

"Are you sure?"

Song Li was a little surprised when he heard the news.

"I'm sure, I've seen the hidden money." Zhao Haichuan wiped the sweat on his forehead and nodded in affirmation.

"I didn't expect that"

Song Li took his eyes away, and then said, "Now follow me to interrogate Shi Youmin." ”

in the room.

Shi Youmin was pacing boredly.

At that moment, the door to the room was opened.

The dazzling light came in and fell on the wall wrapped in a thick quilt, and it suddenly looked gray, and even Shi Youmin's eyes became gray, and the clearly visible light in the air made him take a step forward with inertia, as if he had suddenly stepped into the haze.

"Master Shi, have you decided whether to confess your sins?"

"What is the crime of this officer?" Shi Youmin asked in surprise.

Song Li nodded and said to Zhao Haichuan, "Take him there." ”

His own brocade guards poured into the room, carrying Shi Youmin left and right, walked out, came to an inconspicuous carriage, and stuffed it in.

There were several carriages, and after the carriage in front of it had gone out, the inconspicuous carriage with green mantles went out through the side door.

After another walk, a man was also sent into the carriage.

Shi Youmin looked at it and was a little stunned.

This is his husband when he was a teenager, and now he is not young, his eyebrows and beard show a bit of snow-white color, and when the old gentleman saw Shi Youmin, he blew his beard and glared.

"What the hell is going on in this matter, you explain it to me!"

Along the way, the old gentleman almost went crazy.

He never thought that Shi Youmin, an upright official in the eyes of the people, and a proud protégé who was regarded as proud in his eyes, would end up in such a situation.

Although Shi Youmin's position is indeed likely to be greedy for ink, the old gentleman has never heard that he has done anything bad, not only has a good reputation among the people, but has even taken the initiative to advocate the reform of the salt tax recently.

How can such a person become a corrupt official?

"Sir, I'm also very confused about this matter, I haven't done anything illegal at all, why was I suddenly framed?"

Shi Youmin said helplessly: "You know, I have been an upright official over the years, and I have offended many people, and these things are probably inevitable."

The old gentleman had never entered the official career in his life, so he was stunned at this time, and actually followed his words and asked, "Who do you think did it?" ”

"This ......"

Shi Youmin hesitated for a moment before slowly shaking his head and said: "I don't know, but I believe that Song Shilang is a fair and strict person, and he will definitely find out the truth, just like the last investigation of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, those who are clear will clear themselves, and the truth will be revealed to the world in the end." ”

The old gentleman looked at him deeply before he fell silent.

Seeing this, Shi Youmin didn't continue to say anything, and the two remained silent.

In fact, on the way here, the old gentleman heard the people around him talking about Shi Youmin, saying how honest and noble this salt envoy was.

And Shi Youmin not only did not accept bribes, but even donated his own money to do good deeds.

Listening to the people talking about Shi Youmin's good deeds, the more the old gentleman listened, the more emotional, and at the same time, he was also worried about Shi Youmin.

He understands the truth of the tree's big wind.

At this time, seeing Shi Youmin's attitude, the old gentleman was also a little shaken, and in his heart, he was more willing to believe in his students.

Looking at the teacher with a complicated expression, Shi Youmin smiled and said without mind: "Sir, no matter what the result is, it is enough for me Shi Youmin to have a clear conscience." ”

The windows of the carriage were sealed, and steel plates were added on both sides to prevent them from being penetrated by the crossbow, and at the same time, the curtain was also tightly pulled, only a small slit was used for ventilation, and it was precisely because of the extra weight of the steel plate that the speed of the carriage was not fast, and the road was getting more and more bumpy, which not only made the two not know where they were going, but also made the people in the car bored.

"What the hell is this place?"

The old gentleman couldn't help but ask, but the plainclothes brocade guard who drove did not reply, there was the sound of cavalry's hooves around, and no one made a sound, they were all marching silently, silent, and became the main theme of the journey.

The roads here are potholed, muddy and gravel, and you can hear the occasional birdsong or two, and it is clear that this is not a densely populated village, but the more you go,

Shi Youmin's face gradually became a little uncontrollably ugly.

After running for a long time, the horse finally stopped.

After the carriage stopped, Shi Youmin jumped out of the carriage and helped the old gentleman down.

It is a dilapidated thatched house, which looks more like it has been piled up with thatch in the shape of a house, and the roof is overgrown with weeds and thorns, which looks very decadent.

The surrounding brocade guards also dismounted and looked around vigilantly.

Obviously, whether it is from the setting of the decoy convoy or the preparation of the special carriage, it all shows that after experiencing two assassinations, Jinyiwei has raised the level of vigilance to the highest level.

Not long after, Song Li and others rushed over from another road.

"Master Shi, are you familiar with this place? If the stove households are lonely and have nowhere to bury themselves after death, they can buy a coffin for burial at the expense of the salt envoy Si Yamen, and there are people to guard it, and some people clean it regularly. ”

After Song Li finished speaking, his eyes narrowed slightly, looking at Shi Youmin's reaction.

Seeing Shi Youmin pretending to be calm, the corners of Song Li's mouth hooked up a trace of sarcasm: "Hehe. What's going on, I think Master Shi knows better than me, so I don't need to elaborate on it, right? ”

"I just want to ask you, are you worthy of their dead souls by doing this?"

Zhao Haichuan waved his hand, and Jin Yiwei pushed Shi Youmin, who was a little paralyzed, and continued to walk towards the cemetery of Yizuka.

"Let go of me!"

Shi Youmin shouted angrily, "What do you want to do? You let go of me! ”

However, those brocade guards had no intention of letting him go at all, and still carried him forward.

Shi Youmin struggled hard, but his body was too thin, those brocade guards were all Lian Jiazi, where was he an opponent, and he was soon escorted to the grave of Yoshizuka, and Song Li stood behind him.

Song Li's eyes stared coldly at his back, and said lightly: "When I detained you a few days ago, I asked you if you were greedy for ink, and at that time, I had already found out that you definitely had a problem. It's just that I never expected that you were so cunning, no wonder you can still calm down after being detained, I have to say I admire. ”

"I don't have anything, you don't want to spew blood!" Shi Youmin yelled angrily.

However, this is of little use.

Song Li's eyes flickered a few times, and he snorted coldly, "Really? Didn't you? But what are these? ”

"I don't have you, don't spew blood!"

Shi Youmin's eyes were red.

However, the brocade guards with shovels in their hands did not wait for him to say more, shoveled away the soft, re-covered soil, and then pried open the rather thick coffin inside.

In the Yoshitsuka cemetery, all the coffins were pried open.

What is buried here is not a lonely stove household, but countless gold and silver treasures!

You know, this is a cemetery that can bury thousands of people!

In every wide coffin, there are piles of belongings!

It's appalling!

These treasures of gold and silver shimmered brightly in the winter sun, but it seemed that their eyes were extremely dazzling.

With a "poof", Shi Youmin collapsed to the ground.

He tried to speak, but found that he couldn't say anything.

After so much salt tax, his conscience has long been extinguished.

It's just that how could he have thought that Song Li would even master this!

I thought that this matter was extremely hidden, and no one knew about it, but I didn't expect it to be exposed.

No!

It shouldn't be like this!

Shi Youmin suddenly shook his head wildly, as if he could deny the mistake he had made.

"No!"

"You're lying!"

"I didn't do anything, I didn't do anything."

Shi Youmin muttered, his gaze blank, and his whole face turned pale.

"No, that's not right!"

"It shouldn't be like this!"

He clutched his head desperately, as if he were going to tear the piece of flesh apart, as if this was the only way to ease his pain.

He was unwilling and could not believe it.

Why?

He was so cautious and never missed, why did he suddenly fail!?

Why!

He wanted to question, but found that he couldn't find a suitable reason.

"Bastard thing!"

Looking at Shi Youmin, who was still swearing when he came, but now facing Shi Youmin, who was suddenly distraught in the face of a mountain of ironclad evidence, the old gentleman trembled with anger, and his eyes were moist.

At this time, the old gentleman staggered up with the support of everyone, his eyes looked around, and finally fell on Shi Youmin's body, sighed, and then said to Song Lizuo: "I'm sorry, Song Shilang, it's all the old man who is incompetent!" If I had known that there was today, when I saw that his family was poor and could not learn, I would no longer support him, maybe there would not be such a huge greed today. ”

"No, it's not about you."

Song Ligang wanted to say something, but Shi Youmin yelled in grief and inexplicably.

"What do you know?!"

"My father used to work long hours for people, and my mother was the daughter of a child's family. But then my mother died of illness, my father spent a lot of money to treat her, and the family was poor, and finally my father took risks in order to raise money for medicine for my mother, was arrested and imprisoned, and was finally starved to death in prison. ”

Speaking of this, Shi Youmin couldn't cry: "When my father died, he didn't even leave a whole corpse!" That day, I knelt outside the cell door and begged the jailer to let him take me to see my father for the last time, but he kicked me hard, scolded me for being a dead star, and killed my father! ”

"At that moment, I really wanted to strangle him! However, in the end, I chose to make a living, chose to study hard, climbed hard, I don't want to live this kind of life without money and power! I don't want to think about it for a day! ”

"Say no more!"

On the side, Zhao Haichuan interrupted him with a cold drink: "You, a person who has committed a heinous crime, are you still trying to quibble?" ”

"I didn't quibble, I didn't!"

Shi Youmin roared hysterically: "Do you think I don't want to be a clean official? But what's the use of being a clean official? Those who are greedy for dozens of taels of silver will be stripped of their skins, and those who are not greedy have encountered a big case, and thousands of people have been taken off their black gauze hats, and they have been put into prison and beheaded, and they are all dead? I have so many colleagues in Pingjiang County, who have been getting along day and night for more than ten years, and when Guo Huan was involved in the eighteenth year of Hongwu, they were all dead! They are loyal to the country, but in the end they end up like this, you tell me, what's the use of being a clean official! ”

He raised his head and glared at Song Li and the others, gritting his teeth like a ghost: "You are just fighting a battle, but Jiang Xinghuo is eyeing the meat of salt tax, if you really have a fair and honest heart, why do you need to take the opportunity to retaliate and force me to such a field, since you already know all this, why are you still aggressive?" On what basis do you judge me? Why?! ”

Song Li frowned and scolded sharply: "Enough!" You shut up! ”

Shi Youmin gritted his teeth and looked at Song Li, his eyes were about to split, as if he wanted to eat him alive.

Song Li glared at him in annoyance.

"What else do you have to say?"

"Me"

Shi Youmin wanted to quibble, however, when he saw Song Li's deep and gloomy eyes, he suddenly deflated, he fell to the ground decadently, and muttered: "I didn't expect you to find it." ”

At that moment, he suddenly got up from the ground.

"Song Shilang, I really didn't embezzle, none of the money was mine, I wasn't the mastermind, I was instructed by others."

Shi Youmin seemed to have lost his mind, and hurriedly argued for himself: "You believe me Song Shilang"

His voice was hoarse, with a deep sense of panic and despair.

Apparently, his sanity had completely collapsed.

He cried profusely, knelt on the ground and cried bitterly: "I was wrong, I was wrong, Song Shilang, you spare me this time, I don't dare anymore, I really didn't know that this kind of thing would happen, if I knew, I wouldn't!" I won't!!! Shi Youmin still wanted to argue, however, Song Li had already turned his head and ordered.

"Take it down."

Several brocade guards stepped forward, tied up Shi Youmin, and threw him directly into a carriage.

The curtain of the carriage was pulled down, looking at the back of the teacher in the distance, Shi Youmin cried bitterly, he couldn't help but think of the thousands of days and nights when the teacher funded him to study, provided him with life, and carefully taught him to rely on the imperial examination after his parents died.

It was the happiest and happiest time of his life, but it was all like this carriage, drifting away.

Looking at Shi Youmin's throat that was completely pulled down, tears poured out uncontrollably.

Hateful! Poor thing!

He gritted his teeth, tears rolling down the corners of his eyes, but in the end he didn't say a word.

He clenched his fists so hard that his face turned red, his Adam's apple slid up and down, and at the end, he actually laughed.

"Hahahaha."

Shi Youmin raised his head and laughed wildly, his smile was crazy.

When did he become like this? Shi Youmin didn't know, and he couldn't say clearly, but he felt that something seemed to be torn off his face, but he couldn't tear it apart, as if it had been fused with his flesh and blood.

(End of chapter)