Chapter 288: One Hundred Sticks!

Wang Chong was brought into the hall. He had been arrested just an hour ago.

I stayed in the prison of Jingzhao Prefecture for a while and found that it was full of prisoners.

After a while, he was taken to the court to await trial, and was to be brought to court directly.

He hadn't heard any news about such a large-scale arrest before, which meant that the arrest operation started last night.

In the corridor, I listened to the verdicts of the previous three cases, including witnesses, evidence, and confessions, and the verdicts were successfully completed.

How could such a thing be achieved in just one night? How could it be possible for the yamen runners and clerks in Jingzhao Prefecture!

Even if officials from the Ministry of Justice were transferred, it is impossible for him not to have heard anything about it.

Considering the destruction of Chengyuan, he already had a firm guess in his mind.

Xuanji Guard, there is no other possibility!

Before the class, Wang Chong had already figured this out, but he was not sure to what extent the Xuanji Guard had mastered it.

The yamen runners on both sides did not tolerate him at all and threw him to the ground as they did before.

He landed on his knees, the pain shooting through him, and he couldn't help but groan.

"Wang Chong, do you admit your guilt?"

Questions came from above from Deng Hongyi, the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chen Yu squeezed into the crowd and was not with the people from Huichun Hall. He tried his best to listen attentively.

Wang Chong knelt on the ground, his eyes evasive, "I...I don't know!"

Deng Hongyi glanced at the hall, his voice was calm and emotionless.

"Someone has accused you of lending money at high interest rates, exploiting people, destroying their property, and even forcing them to death. Is this true?"

Wang Chong immediately lowered himself, his voice carrying just the right amount of grievance:

"Your Majesty, please be wise! My humble family has been running a pharmacy for generations, and we have always been honest and trustworthy, dealing honestly with everyone. All the neighbors can testify to this.

Sometimes I do lend some money to my neighbors to help them out in an emergency, but that is out of kindness, and it is normal to ask for some interest.

As for forcing someone to death... this... this is truly a huge injustice!"

Deng Hongyi said nothing, but turned his gaze to the chief clerk beside him.

The chief clerk understood and unfolded the document. His voice was clear and loud, and every word was as sharp as a nail:

"From the third year of Taiwei until now, there have been more than twenty loan documents using land, houses, livestock, and even human lives as collateral.

Among them, those with a monthly interest rate of 3% only have 3% and the rest are all above 5%!

What's more, for example, the tenant farmer Tian Saburo borrowed three shi of millet, but the contract stated that "six shi of millet must be returned in the autumn, which is not enough to compensate with the land."

Only three months after the contract was signed, the interest was compounded and all three acres of land in Tian Sanlang's family were transferred to Wang.

Tian Saburo himself was so depressed that he committed suicide by jumping into the river in the twelfth month of last year. His body floated on the Ji River three days later.

The chief clerk's voice continued, becoming increasingly cold and stern:

"Further investigation revealed that Li Ada, a carpenter in Guangdefang, borrowed two strings of cash for his mother's medical treatment. The contract stated 'monthly interest of six cents, for a three-month period'.

When he was unable to repay the loan when it came due, his entire set of carpentry tools, which he relied on for his livelihood, was taken away, and his ancestral courtyard was also used as collateral.

Upon hearing the news, Li Ada's mother became extremely ill and died that night!

Li Ada himself is now wandering the streets and has disappeared!"

"What's more!" The chief clerk's voice suddenly rose, filled with anger.

"In order to collect a debt owed by the widow Zhao Zhou, he actually ordered scoundrels to throw filthy things into her house in the middle of the night.

They smashed doors and windows, harassed Zhao Zhou day and night, and frightened her to the point of illness.

His six-year-old son was so frightened that he had a high fever for three days!

How is this behavior different from robbery and banditry?!"

The anger outside the hall finally broke through the repressive dam and turned into a surging wave of sound!

"A six-cent monthly interest rate?! This is like sucking my bones!"

"Tanabe...what a kind person..."

"Carpenter Li's craftsmanship is excellent... He emptied out all his belongings..."

"How pitiful is the Zhao family's sister-in-law... an orphan and a widow..."

"How can this be called a pharmacy? It's clearly a skinning shop in front of the King of Hell!"

"My Lord! We cannot let this wicked wolf go!"

Countless fiery gazes, like sharp arrows, shot towards Wang Chong, who was kneeling in the hall.

Wang Chong collapsed to the ground, his forehead resting against the blue bricks and trembling, but the panic in his eyes was not visible.

There are more than twenty cases that have been handled over the years, which shows that the other party's methods are indeed powerful, but also very hasty.

With the means of Xuanji Guard, they shouldn't be able to find out only this.

Wang Chong's disguised sorrow and grievance peeled off, revealing his pale complexion and unconcealable panic underneath.

He raised his head suddenly and argued sharply:

"Sir, it is only natural to pay back your debts!

If they cannot pay back the debt, using land and houses to pay it off is also done according to the deed.

As for Tian Sanlang and Li Ada’s mother…what does that have to do with me?

"As for the affairs of the Zhao Zhou family... I know nothing about them! Those scoundrels must have taken advantage of the situation to cause trouble!"

"What a natural thing!" Deng Hongyi's voice was already filled with thunder and lightning.

He suddenly grabbed a contract from the desk, and with a flick of his wrist, the paper contract unfolded like a funeral banner, displaying it before Wang Chong and the people outside the hall.

"This is the contract! The one who signed it, Zhang Aniu, the husband of Zhang Liushi, wants to borrow two dan of millet from you.

The contract states that the monthly interest rate is 7%, the term is three months, and the principal and interest must be repaid in total of 4.2 shi of millet upon maturity.

If it is insufficient, I will compensate you with the two mu of paddy field outside the east wall of my house."

"When the contract was signed, Zhang Aniu was ill and unconscious in bed, so his wife Zhang Liushi took his fingerprints.

Now Zhang Aniu has died of illness and his land has been seized by you.

Her young son was seriously ill and dying. Zhang Liu begged you to give her medicine to save his life, but you turned her away, saying that "the land should have been used to pay off the debt long ago"!

Wang Chong!

Deng Hongyi's voice was like thunder.

"The interest on this contract far exceeds what the law allows, and they are taking advantage of someone's vulnerability and threatening the sick and weak!

According to the "Miscellaneous Laws" in "Explanation of the Laws of Ganlu", if public or private individuals contribute money or property, it shall be based on private contracts and the government shall not be involved.

The monthly interest rate shall not exceed 6%, and even if it is accumulated over many days, it shall not exceed double.

Your monthly interest rate is 7%, which is more than double the interest. It is illegal!"

"As the owner of a medicine shop, you should be helping the world and doing good deeds.

However, you pretend to be benevolent and virtuous, but in reality you act like a tiger or a wolf.

Privately lending heavy debts, taking interest without permission, exploiting the villagers, and taking away people's land and houses!

Moreover, he forced Tian Sanlang to death, angered Li Ada's mother to death, harassed and intimidated the orphans and widows of Zhao Zhou, and left Zhang Liu's young son to die without a care!

Such a heart is worse than that of a snake or scorpion!"

A solemn and murderous atmosphere filled the hall.

Wang Chong collapsed to the ground, shaking like a sieve, his lips trembling and unable to utter a single word.

Deng Hongyi raised the gavel high in his right hand and brought it down with a loud bang.

“Bang!”

"According to the Miscellaneous Laws in the Commentary on Ganlu: If a person is convicted of a crime based on corruption and the stolen goods are found, they shall be returned to the official or the person responsible.

Those who have paid the fee, or those who die or are exiled, will not be taxed; the rest will be taxed."

Deng Hongyi's voice, with its awe-inspiring authority that could decide life and death, was clearly imprinted in everyone's mind.

"Also, according to the Household and Marriage Law: Anyone who falsely claims public or private land...or steals and trades it...will have the seedlings and the money used to purchase the land annexed to the landowner."

"The criminal Wang Chong violated the law to profit, exploited people cruelly, forced people to death, and disturbed the good. His crimes are extremely serious! Sentence:

First, all contracts for illegal and heavy debts will be invalidated.

All land, houses, tools, livestock, etc. that have been seized by profiteers shall be returned to their original owners.

Secondly, all the illegal high profits collected and the confiscated property, except for paying the official fines, will be used to compensate the victims' families such as Tian Saburo, Li Ada, Zhao Zhou, and Zhang Liu, as compensation for funerals, relief, and medicine!

Third, although his crime is not punishable by death, his intention is worthy of death.

According to the law, one hundred strokes of the cane!"