Chapter 285 Embezzlement Case

Lu Qingqing first went to the prison to see the mountain people.

A hundred people were suddenly crammed in, seven or eight in one cell. It was stuffy, damp, cold, and smelly, filled with cries of pain.

There were no furs to keep warm, and no warm rooms.

Their rheumatism flared up completely.

"Let us out...let us out, let us go home, we want to go home..."

"You can't go back. The mountain stronghold has been razed to the ground. The fences that kept wild animals away have all been torn down. It was never a suitable place for people to live." Lu Qingqing said expressionlessly.

She saw that when these people heard this, they all panicked, and many of the numb, paralyzed people got up.

Gradually, anger and hatred appeared on his face.

"Witch! You're a witch! We only kidnapped a woman, we never took anyone's life!"

"You deserve to be struck by lightning and burned to ashes!"

"Why should our home be destroyed? It can't be destroyed, it can't be..."

“That’s not home, that’s a cage,” Lu Qingqing said.

"Your illness is due to living in the mountains for too long."

The mountain dweller retorted, "No! Back when we had a female doctor, we didn't get sick. If we felt unwell, we would just take medicine, and our parents were all perfectly healthy!"

They must have prescribed medicine to expel dampness, so that the condition wouldn't worsen to the point of deformity.

These mountain people are very stubborn, and they look at Lu Qingqing as if she were their enemy.

"I'll give you one more chance. Tell me where all your money comes from. Don't tell me it's from the game you hunt and sell; you even wear the furs of those animals."

If you speak out, you will not be exiled, and you will be given a legitimate status to live with dignity.

That doesn't seem to have any appeal.

Magistrate Xu was right; they didn't want to come down the mountain, they just wanted to stay there.

"Let me remind you, exile is more cruel than beheading. Out of your hundred or so people, if thirty of you survive, it will be a blessing from your ancestors. When you arrive at the place of exile, you will have to do hard labor. In less than a year, the whole army will be wiped out."

He became a pile of bones; all his money, his home, everything he wanted to keep in life vanished like smoke.

After Lu Qingqing finished speaking, she looked at everyone's expressions and understood the dejection of Magistrate Xu.

It was truly like talking to a brick wall; they wouldn't listen to reason.

However, judging from their expressions, something was definitely going on.

However, those children probably didn't know anything, staring blankly at the adults.

"We've already said it, we found our money by chance in the mountains. That's all we had, and we divided it all up. There's no silver left!"

"Alright, here's your chance. Have a safe journey." Lu Qingqing turned around.

After taking two steps, a hoarse voice came from behind:

"If I tell you, can you cure our illness?"

"Chief!"

"Chief!"

A group of voices tried to stop them.

“My son…” the old woman shook her head at him, warning him in a low voice, “Before your grandfather was beheaded, he said that only when the whole family is united can they truly find a way to survive. You…”

Listening to their whispers, Lu Qingqing grew impatient and took another step.

They were given the opportunity, but they didn't seize it; they were courting disaster.

She refused to believe that such a small counterfeit could not be found by searching inch by inch!

The chieftain shouted again, "I'll talk! But if I do, you must cure our illnesses and then stop exiling us!"

Lu Qingqing turned around: "I can let you go, but the disease can't be cured. You'll never get better. But as long as you don't live on the mountain, at least the child won't get this disease again."

Remember this! You're not just kidnapping one person! Your ancestors were sinful! You've enjoyed the benefits of sin, and that makes you sinful too!

Handing over the items is your way of atoning for your sins, not a bargaining chip for you to use!

Don't take our leniency for granted; you have no right to make demands!

Everyone was stunned by Lu Qingqing's sharp words and stern expression.

The chieftain's eyes flashed rapidly, and after a long while, he said, "In the center of the village, our villagers hold their wedding ceremonies under that tree. That tree is a sacred tree that is thousands of years old. The center is hollow, and the silver is inside, all inside."

The tree in the center of the village?

Lu Qingqing had seen it.

A very large red-skinned banyan tree.

This tree is native to the south, and it is almost non-existent in the north at this time of year, so many people don't recognize it.

It wasn't easy for it to grow that big. Lu Qingqing had circled around it at the time. It would probably take five or six people to hug it. Mo Lang also dug around it a few times.

So it was hidden inside the tree?

"Are you sure it's true?"

"It's true, all our silver is there."

Lu Qingqing looked at the village chief, then at the nodding villagers.

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

wrong.

Wherever there are people, there will be conflicts; no matter how united they are, they are not a family.

These hundred or so people are not from the same family, so how could they leave their silver so carelessly and no one would steal it?

"I've already told you, you have to let us go."

"Don't worry, if you're not lying to me, I'll release them."

However, if you are hiding something, then my words will not stand!

This is your last chance. Have you said everything?

The chieftain lowered his head, and after a couple of breaths, finally said, "I've told you everything."

Lu Qingqing didn't say anything more and strode out of the cell.

At the corner, Magistrate Xu immediately followed.

"Miss Lu, you're really something! You actually managed to find out! I'll call for help right away, let's go up the mountain now!"

"My lord, you're thinking too simply. Even though a thousand-year-old tree is thick, it's not completely hollow inside. How much do you think it can hide? I reckon it's just used as a sacrifice."

Too.

Magistrate Xu's happiness level dropped by half.

"You'll know once you go up the mountain."

"Sir, a message has been sent by carrier pigeon—" a yamen runner came running over.

Magistrate Xu's eyes lit up, "They've arrived!"

"What's here?"

"I asked my friend about the corruption case from seventy years ago. He works at the Control Yuan and is very familiar with historical materials..."

Magistrate Xu's voice fell silent as he stared at the letter, as if he had seen something terrifying.

“Miss Lu…you’re right, we can’t let go of that tree.”

Five hundred thousand...five hundred thousand in disaster relief funds! How dare they!"

"How could that be? With so much silver involved, how could the imperial court possibly let this go!"

Lu Qingqing snatched the letter and read it quickly before she understood it.

The crimes were committed by three families.

All three families have fallen into decline and are being ostracized by the new elites in the capital.

So they conspired to embezzle 500,000 taels of disaster relief funds.

When the truth came out, the court only recovered 400,000 taels of silver, while the remaining 100,000 taels were used by three families to cover up the losses.

Later, the heads of the three families were beheaded, and their families were exiled. Some escaped during the exile and their whereabouts became unknown.

A year later, counterfeit silver suddenly appeared in circulation in various places. The counterfeit silver was even official silver with markings!

The investigation led them to the disaster relief funds.

Only then did they realize that the 400,000 taels that had been recovered were fake! The forgery technique was so sophisticated that the ratio of silver to lead, the firing temperature, and the polishing were all perfect, even fooling the silver inspector.

But it was too late to investigate further.

The question now is how much silver they actually have left.

However, one thing is certain: that ancient tree is absolutely impossible to let go of!

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