Chapter 142 Evidence

Zhao Yi asked Jiang Chao to come into the house and answer.

Jiang Chao walked in from outside and respectfully saluted the two masters before reporting, "Second Master, Second Madam, I have checked the files at the Nanling Prefecture government office and interviewed the people who reported the case. The situations of those children do not match those of Second Madam."

"We've already gotten some clues about your Second Madam's background. There's no need to investigate further." Zhao Yi saw that he looked tired and exhausted, so he said sympathetically, "You've had a hard time this trip. Rest for a few days before returning to duty."

"Second Master, I have another matter to report." Jiang Chao said, "On my way to Nanling Prefecture, I rescued a merchant from Qingzhou. He was afraid of being robbed by bandits again, so he accompanied me to Nanling Prefecture."

"He was in the grain reselling business. A few years ago, Qingzhou had a good harvest, and he made a lot of money. Last year, when the natural disaster hit, he wasn't reselling grain. Instead, he saw the high profits in silk and bought some. As a result, the goods were left in his hands, and all the money he had earned was lost."

At this point, Jiang Chao's tone was a little subtle: "He got the tea permit, and now that the new tea has been released, he has come to Nanlingzhou specifically to exchange tea leaves, intending to ship it to Qingzhou to sell, and save some money for his son to donate to an official position."

"Donating an official position?" Shen Qingtan frowned, puzzled. "Didn't the emperor strictly forbid accepting money, only grain?"

Last year, the natural disaster had a very wide impact and granaries in various parts of the imperial court were short of food. In order to encourage the people to donate their surplus food at home to alleviate the pressure of the disaster.

Emperor Jing'an then issued an edict that anyone who donated more than 800 dan of grain could become a tribute student and be eligible to become an official.

Jiang Chao replied, "He said that the officials in Qingzhou only accept silver, not grain."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingtan immediately understood that the Qingzhou officials were enriching themselves by taking advantage of the disaster relief decree.

Zhao Yi, standing by, raised another question: "You said Qingzhou had a good harvest in the past few years?"

Jiang Chao nodded: "Yes."

This is the key issue he wants to report.

Because Zhao Yi was in the Secretariat, he knew the situation in various places.

As Zhao Yi's confidant, he naturally knew some inside information.

For example, Qingzhou reported disasters for several consecutive years, either locust plagues or droughts, and the people had no harvest, so they asked the court to allocate silver for disaster relief.

Jiang Chao said in a deep voice, "I have inquired about the situation in Qingzhou. There is no disaster at all. Local officials have embezzled the grain and silver allocated by the court for disaster relief."

Zhao Yi's eyes were cold. The officials of Qingzhou lied about the disaster and defrauded the court of disaster relief money.

It's simply audacious.

The situation is even more serious than exploiting the people's wealth.

Once this matter is exposed, all the officials involved will be beheaded.

Especially since the Guanzhou corruption case had just occurred, Emperor Jing'an was furious and declared in front of all the civil and military officials in the court that he would kill any corrupt official he saw.

As soon as the Qingzhou case came out, Emperor Jing'an would never tolerate it in order to establish his imperial authority.

They will only punish severely, make an example of others and deter all officials.

Shen Qingtan realized the seriousness of the matter and said in astonishment: "They really do everything they can to make money, even daring to target the national treasury."

Zhao Yi said coldly, "Silver used for disaster relief has always been transported down through the government level to the disaster area. Every time it passes through a level of officials, 10% of the silver is exploited. Everyone has a dirty hand, so naturally they'll help those people in Qingzhou cover up and conceal the truth."

How could ordinary people know that Qingzhou officials lied about the disaster to the court?

Not to mention exposing the officials in Qingzhou.

If he had not worked in the Secretariat, he would not have known about the situation in Qingzhou, let alone Jiang Chao. Even if Jiang Chao heard from merchants that there was no disaster in Qingzhou, he would not have noticed anything wrong.

It is precisely because of this that Qingzhou officials are so rampant.

Unfortunately, the truth will eventually come out.

"Who has the final say in Qingzhou?" As Shen Qingtan finished speaking, a figure emerged in his mind. He said solemnly, "Li Yuan?"

Zhao Yi nodded.

A dark light flashed in Shen Qingtan's eyes, and she felt that God was blessing her in this life.

Before Emperor Jing'an went to Northern Qi as a hostage, Li Yuan's father was his teacher, and Li Yuan naturally became Emperor Jing'an's study companion.

Thinking of this, Shen Qingtan thought of another person.

This person is Marquis Cheng'en.

Marquis Cheng'en was also one of Emperor Jing'an's study companions.

"Second Master, I have a feeling this matter is closely connected to Marquis Cheng'en," Shen Qingtan pondered. "Marquis Cheng'en and Li Yuan are from the same school, and their relationship is quite close. He's already extended his reach into Guanzhou, so how could he let Qingzhou go?"

Marquis Cheng'en is Prince Yu's man.

Prince Yu secretly built an armory, which consumed a lot of materials and required a large amount of silver to support it.

Where does the silver come from?

They can only make huge fortunes by plundering the people's wealth.

Before Zhao Yi could reply, Shen Qingtan suddenly remembered something: "After Li Yuan's father passed away, according to ancestral tradition, he was to be carried in a coffin to his ancestral home and buried in the ancestral tomb. But Li Yuan said that his father had broken with the clan and left a will before his death, not wanting to be buried in the ancestral tomb. He also specially bought a piece of Feng Shui-worthy land before his death and strictly instructed his descendants to bury him there."

This incident once caused heated discussion, but Li Yuan didn't care at all. After recovering from his mourning period, he went to Qingzhou to take up his post.

Shen Qingtan said thoughtfully, "That piece of Feng Shui treasure land is just a few dozen miles away from the capital. Every year during the Qingming Festival, Marquis Cheng'en would go to sweep the tomb for Li Yuan."

When Zhao Yi heard this, he suddenly remembered that Mr. Li was a pedantic and old-fashioned person.

The more such a person is, the more conservative he is at heart.

Even if they break with their clan, they will still hope to return to their roots and be buried in the ancestral tomb after their death.

When Emperor Jing'an heard the news, he lamented to him, "My master is not only pedantic and inflexible, but now it seems he's also incredibly stubborn. He'd rather be buried in a solitary grave than reconcile with his clan and be buried in the ancestral tomb."

Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan looked at each other and saw deep meaning in each other's eyes.

No matter how I look at it, this matter seems wrong.

"I've read in the Records of the Grand Historian how corrupt officials laundered their money. They used the embezzled money to buy land or collectibles such as calligraphy, paintings, and antiques."

Shen Qingtan curled her red lips and said, "The most interesting one is an official who buried all the silver and evidence of his crime in a cemetery."

Zhao Yi understood what Shen Qingtan meant. Li Yuan did not bury his father in the ancestral tomb, but buried him in the suburbs of Beijing to conceal his whereabouts.

After all, his father had been the emperor's teacher, who would dare to touch his tomb?

If all the evidence were buried in his father's grave, no one would suspect it.

"Marquis Cheng'en is amassing wealth for Prince Yu, so he will definitely not destroy all the evidence. He will definitely leave some evidence behind to save his life."

Shen Qingtan came up with a plan: "We want to know if there is any connection between Marquis Cheng'en and the Qingzhou case, or if there is any evidence buried in the cemetery. If we send someone to the cemetery, we can find out."