Chapter 700: A story of a man dying for money
At present, the Pei Mansion has been surrounded by a net, with fifty black-armored soldiers guarding inside and outside.
Not to mention the Pei family, even an ant would have a hard time crawling out.
Inside the Pei Mansion, there were cries everywhere.
Except for the seriously injured Mrs. Pei, the rest of the Pei family's daughters-in-law were beating their chests and stamping their feet in the house, crying and wiping tears.
They didn't know about the rebellion at all, until the mansion was sealed, they understood the truth, and each of them felt cold all over, as if the sky was about to fall.
"Treason, this is a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your clan! Father-in-law, you are so confused, aren't you asking us to die with you!"
"Woo woo, I'm not even thirty yet, I haven't seen my son grow up yet, I don't want to die."
"I am the most wronged, I am the youngest in the family, my child is less than two years old, and you promised me the 200,000 taels of silver if I gave birth to a son, but you haven't redeemed it yet, and you want to drag us to hell, you old man, you are so bad!"
Several women cried and made a fuss at the same time, and even the black armored soldiers patrolling the courtyard couldn't stand it.
They wanted to eat melons at first, but after listening for a while, they felt their ears were going to explode.
There was no way, they quickly tore off a little underwear material and stuffed it into their ears, and the world finally quieted down.
The mansion was in chaos.
The common people passing by outside, not knowing the inside story, were also shocked to see the heavy guards.
"What happened to Lord Pei? Didn't the old lady just celebrate her birthday?"
"Yes, the Pei Mansion is one of the richest and most prestigious families in the whole capital. What happened to his family? How come we didn't hear about it?"
When Xiao Nuobao jumped off the carriage with both feet, he just happened to hear this and couldn't help thinking about it. That
's right.
Whether it's reputation or wealth, the Pei family is the top among officials.
What else is Mr. Pei dissatisfied with, and what else does he want that is worth it for him to take risks?
Just at this time, the neighing of a fast horse was heard, and it was Jiang Fengze and Xiao Lanyi who came together.
The two of them, along with the soldiers, had come to interrogate the Pei family.
Seeing his sister wearing a cream-colored dress, standing in front of the door with a thoughtful look,
Jiang Fengze's sharp eyes softened immediately, "It seems that my sister is also interested in this interrogation. Lanyi, let someone bring in the torture instruments. We will interrogate them in Pei's mansion first, so that Nuobao can be interrogated more easily. We don't need to rush to take them back to the Ministry of Justice."
Soon, Jiang Fengze stepped forward and took Nuobao's hand, and the brother and sister went to the main hall of Pei's mansion.
Mr. Pei was not in the bedroom at this time.
He had changed into a decent set of clothes and was sitting upright on the armchair in the lobby, holding up a cup of Tieguanyin and blowing the tea slowly.
After hearing the footsteps, Mr. Pei raised his head calmly and smiled.
"Why, the princess and the uncle came together? Are they here to question or arrest? I didn't expect that I can be so respectable." Old Pei took a sip of hot tea, not showing any panic.
At this moment, he was no longer the good-natured man he usually was. Instead, he looked calm, with a bit of solemnity between his eyebrows.
Xiao Nuobao was a little surprised and frowned.
For some reason, she felt that Old Pei was a little different from usual.
At this time, Jiang Fengze spoke coldly, "Looking at you like this, I know you are ready to go. I also forgive you for your old age and do not want to use torture. I advise you to confess as soon as possible."
Old Pei was still looking at the tea, his voice was extremely old, "Yes, I am indeed involved in the Gu family's treason. Master Jiang, you don't have to waste your words. If you want to sign a confession, I am willing to cooperate."
Xiao Nuobao knew it was him.
But he didn't expect that he would recognize him so quickly, and there was not even a trace of dying resistance.
"Why?" She couldn't help but clench her fists, a little angry, "Minister Pei, you are already a second-rank official under my father. Even if the Gu family really succeeds, they will never give you a higher official position. Why do you want to betray!"
"Why?" Old Pei raised his cloudy eyes and looked at Nuobao helplessly.
"Then has the princess ever heard that the world is bustling for profit?"
Old Pei stood up, his tone bitter and unwilling, "I have been an official for decades, never standing out, and trying to hide my shortcomings when encountering things. After a lot of hard work, I have accumulated a lot of wealth in my old age."
"But, overnight, the national teacher suddenly took back my Pei Mansion's fields and farms in the name of occupying land. How can this old man be willing?" Old Pei suddenly became excited and his face turned red.
Xiao Nuobao was startled. He
had never thought of this...
Previously, dozens of officials including Master Pei were punished by Mu Yihan for hoarding a large amount of land, which caused the poor people in the capital to have no land to farm. At the same time, he also issued an order to deprive them of their ill-gotten wealth.
Afterwards, these farms and fields were distributed to the landless people one after another.
For a time, many poor people finally had their own land.
But every time Master Pei saw these fertile lands, he felt heartbroken.
"Those originally belonged to me. Why should I give them away for free just because they are poor!" Master Pei shook his head unwillingly, and the wrinkles on his face were exerting force.
"Gu Changying promised me that as long as her uncle becomes the emperor, she will give me a thousand acres of fertile land in the future to ensure my wealth for generations!"
"For me, changing the emperor can return my wealth to my family. What's wrong with that?" Old Pei held back his breath and laughed uncomfortably.
Jiang Fengze could no longer bear it, and finally stepped forward and said, "You still have the nerve to feel wronged? You old thing who only knows how to smooth things over in the court and save money among the people. Those manors and lands were deliberately designed by you to get them at a low price!"
"The court just took them away, and didn't even demote you. Why are you still not satisfied!" Jiang Fengze clenched his fists in anger.
Xiao Lanyi was so angry that she wanted to jump up and down, but considering the beautiful jade pendant she had just changed, she was afraid that it would be bumped, so she had to restrain herself.
"Although the court has taken your estate, it is only 80% of your family's land. The remaining 20% is enough for your family to squander for a lifetime. You are too greedy!" Xiao Lanyi frowned and cursed.
Old Pei smiled bitterly twice, raised his head and looked at the huge mansion, and the old man was swaying.
"Things have come to this point. I have gotten what I wanted, but I have no regrets, and I don't want to regret..." He murmured as he walked out.
Jiang Fengze frowned and said directly, "Come on, tie him up and hand him over to the Ministry of Justice for punishment."
Looking at the stumbling back of the old man in front of him, Xiao Nuobao lowered his little face and felt sad.
I thought that this sixty-year-old man suddenly committed a rebellious act, maybe there was some inside story.
Unexpectedly, in the end, it turned out to be a cliché story of people dying for money and birds dying for food.
It seems that no matter how much experience a person has or how high his position is, he cannot escape the word "greed".
The little fat girl was a little depressed, and it was like she had been taught a lesson.
Perhaps, this is human nature itself, and it is also the inferiority of human nature.
Jiang Fengze exhaled a foul breath and touched his sister's head. "Okay, since this old guy has confessed, the rest will be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for trial. Go home, sister."
Xiao Nuobao nodded her head and was about to start walking.
However, just as she walked out of the door, suddenly, she heard a thump behind her and someone kneeled.
Then, a pair of old hands suddenly grabbed Xiao Nuobao's short legs!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
