Chapter 300 Well Prepared
The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery was completely unaware, and he regarded Wang Qi as if he were a clown. "What evidence do you have left? Bring it out! I want to see what else your men have prepared to frame me."
Hearing him slandering and framing others on the left and his expression being so calm, not looking like he had done anything wrong, all the officials looked at Wang Qi with suspicion.
Could it be that someone is deliberately plotting against you or suing the wrong person?
Wang Qi lowered his head, hugged the bundle tightly, and a look of struggle and hesitation flashed between his brows.
Seeing him like this, Xie Hui reached out to grab the bundle.
If it's just a small token, there's no need for this bag. There must be other things inside.
Wang Qi just stopped him for a moment and then let go, allowing Xie Hui to pull him away easily.
Xie Hui glanced at him and opened the bundle.
All the officials stretched their necks to look.
Marquis Zhongyong also looked over.
There was a booklet in the bundle. Xie Hui's face changed drastically after flipping through a few pages. He looked deeply at Marquis Zhongyong and handed the booklet to the emperor.
The loyal and brave Marquis's gaze followed the book to the emperor, and a bad premonition emerged in his heart.
At the same time, Chu Liuzheng found the answer that made the Loyal and Brave Marquis so cruel and ruthless in killing people like slaughtering chickens.
[Holy crap! The Loyal and Brave Marquis actually discovered that the iron ore mine was concealed and illegally mined by the village for almost five years!]
Xiao Jingfan's grip on the account book suddenly tightened.
Chu Liuzheng was stunned.
[This isn't just one or two years, it's five years! Five whole years!!! How could such a big iron mining operation be hidden from the authorities? Is the Shisong County magistrate just there to do nothing?]
She flipped through the pages quickly.
[Uh... well, the county magistrate is indeed one of the loyal and brave marquis's followers. Almost all the surrounding officials have been bribed by the loyal and brave marquis's mansion. That area has become a one-man show for the loyal and brave marquis's mansion. No wonder they were able to conceal such a major incident as the massacre at the farm and close the case as an accidental fire.]
The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery chose to slaughter the village because the current county magistrate was about to be transferred, and the new one was a thorn in his side, unyielding and unresponsive. If the new magistrate took office, the illegal mining of the iron ore would surely be discovered, and if it were brought to the attention of the tyrant, his family would be exterminated.
Chu Liuzheng watched and felt something was strange.
[That's not right, doesn't the Loyal and Brave Marquis know how to count? ]
There's only one new county magistrate, and there are over 300 people in Dongjing Village. Wouldn't the common practice be to kill off all the disobedient and uncooperative new county magistrates until someone who's willing to obey and cooperate emerges?
Even if they were killed all together, they wouldn't be able to kill as many as three hundred. With the network of connections the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion has cultivated over the years, killing a few county magistrates wouldn't be enough. Even if they were murdered, they could easily handle it. And they could still continue mining the iron ore afterwards. No matter how you look at it, killing the county magistrates is more profitable.
The more Chu Liuzheng thought about it, the more he felt that there was something fishy going on, and he couldn't help but glance at the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery below him.
How could a Marquis Zhongyong not think of something that even she could easily think of?
[There must be something else going on here! ]
She rolled up her sleeves in her heart and plunged into the melon field.
Big news here I come!
After Xiao Jingfan finished flipping through the account book, his face was so dark that it was unsightly.
He swung the account book down with force, hitting the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery on the forehead accurately.
The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery didn't dare to dodge, and took the blow head-on. He knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down."
"Calm down?" Xiao Jingfan was furious. He picked up the paperweight on the table and threw it at him. "You've been illegally mining iron ore for five years. Li You, do you want to rebel?"
As soon as the word "rebellion" was uttered, all the officials were frightened and knelt down in unison.
The silence in the hall made the sound of the paperweight hitting the body seem particularly loud.
The paperweight was made of iron and wood and was very heavy. It hit his body like a big club, causing the loyal and brave marquis to groan in pain.
But he no longer cared about the pain in his body and cried out, "Your Majesty, I did not do this. I am wronged."
Xiao Jingfan glared at him coldly: "It's clearly written in the account book, and it's also stamped with your private seal, Li You. How have I wronged you?"
The Marquis of Zhongyong picked up the account book from the ground and looked through it for a moment, then looked up at the emperor. "Your Majesty, my personal seal was lost four years ago. To prevent it from being used by someone with ulterior motives, I specially replaced it with a new one. It's slightly different from the original one, so please understand."
As he spoke, he took out a small seal from his sleeve pocket and held it above his head along with the account book.
Xiao Anzi came down, took the seal and account book, and presented them to the emperor.
Xiao Jingfan dipped the seal in red mud, stamped it on the paper, and compared it with the seal on the account book.
Private seals are mostly in seal script, which not only engraves the name but also uses suffixes or palindromes to highlight the identity and trustworthiness. This private seal of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery is no exception.
At first glance, there is no difference between the two seals, but if you look closely, you will find that the vertical stroke of the character "李" (you can't type it out, please imagine the seal script yourself) on the new seal is a little shorter, and there is an inconspicuous plum blossom seal next to it. If you don't look carefully, you might think it is not printed.
Even though the difference is small, the two stamps are indeed different.
Staring at the fresh stamp on the table, Xiao Jingfan almost sneered out loud.
[Oh my! At first glance, there's almost no difference between the old and new seals. It's enough to fool people. No wonder the Loyal and Brave Marquis is so confident.]
Chu Liuzheng looked at the relatively calm Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery below and wanted to pick up another paperweight and smash it down.
A scumbag!!
Xiao Jingfan ordered his men to show the account books and seals to all officials.
Dong Yi and the Dali Temple Minister looked at it very carefully, thinking that the private seal of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery was lost at a very timely moment.
When the evidence was presented, officials who were on good terms with the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery immediately stepped forward to speak for the Marquis.
"Your Majesty, the loyalty and righteousness of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery have been passed down through the generations, and their unwavering loyalty is testament to the sun and the moon. Please do not trust the words of these villains and discourage the loyal ministers!"
"Your Majesty, this man has falsely accused the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery without any evidence. He should be severely punished to prevent others from following suit."
"Your Majesty, this boy may have someone behind the scenes directing him, and this should be thoroughly investigated."
"His Majesty……"
…
Seven or eight officials stood up one after another to speak for the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, as if it would be against the will of heaven if Xiao Jingfan did not immediately beat to death Wang Qi, the commoner who dared to falsely accuse the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery.
Wang Qi bit his lip tightly, hatred and confusion intertwined in his eyes. He didn't understand why the account book he had fought so hard to protect suddenly became useless.
Didn’t that person tell him that as long as he had this account book, he could confiscate the property of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery and exterminate the entire family?
"Boy." Xie Hui suddenly squatted down and whispered, "If you don't want to die and want to avenge the whole village, then quickly bring out the other evidence."
Wang Qi looked at him and shook his head.
I don't know if there's no other evidence or if there's some unspeakable reason.
Seeing him like this, Xie Hui didn't say anything more.
Dong Yi and the Dali Temple Minister exchanged glances and thought to themselves, why did Commander Xie, who was known for his warm and hard appearance, suddenly start meddling in other people's affairs?
The officials of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's mansion clamored for the emperor to severely punish Wang Qi. Each of them wanted to make the decision for the emperor, while the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, the person involved, played the role of an innocent and aggrieved little pitiful person.
The incident happened suddenly, and Xiao Jingfan had no clue for the time being. He was just thinking of using a delaying tactic to investigate it thoroughly when suddenly the Yulin Guards came to report, and someone struck the drum to report the incident.
My ministers, you look at me, and I look at you.
What a good day it is today, even people are coming to file complaints.
I've seen everyone's responses. If you don't mind, I won't use a new chapter title next time I update. ^v^
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