"Inciting refugees to attack the Earl's Mansion is rebellion. I will file a complaint with the Emperor and make sure Gu Jiu pays the price."
The refugees retreated, and with the support of the Jinwu Guards, Cheng'enbo Zhu Ci suddenly felt confident.
In front of Wei Zhong, the left guard of the Jinwu Guard, he repeatedly accused Gu Jiu of rebellion.
Wei Zhong's eyes were stern. "Lord, calm down. You accuse Madam Zhao of rebellion, but do you have concrete evidence? When I report to His Majesty, I can't just make up a story out of thin air about the Emperor's grandson's wife rebelling. If I'm not careful, I could be beheaded."
This was an obvious threat, telling Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci to be more careful with his words.
What is going on outside the South City Gate? The fight between the Zhu family and Madam Zhao has been in full swing recently, and nothing has escaped the eyes of the Jinwu Guards.
As for the refugees attacking the Earl's Mansion today, it was indeed unexpected.
It was very strange that only a few hundred people attacked an earl's mansion but failed to break down the gate, and no one climbed over the wall to enter the earl's mansion.
I'm afraid the refugees' attack on the Earl's Mansion is fake, but their real purpose is to intimidate the Zhu family.
What good would it do to Madam Zhao if she just made the matter bigger?
Wei Zhong still hasn't figured out the reason.
Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci had a gloomy face.
When he thought about how the Earl's Mansion was almost rushed in by refugees, and when he thought about his own fear and panic at that time, he wanted to skin Gu Jiu alive.
So he must kill Gu Jiu.
"Inciting refugees to attack the Earl's Mansion, what else could that be but rebellion? Lord Wei, are you trying to protect Madam Zhao?"
Wei Zhong's face darkened. "Master, please be careful with your words. You said Madam Zhao was rebelling. Where's the evidence?"
Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci was furious. "Aren't those smashed stone lions outside the gate evidence? Aren't those straw sandals and tattered clothes evidence?"
Wei Zhong's face was gloomy. "This only proves that someone attacked the Earl's Mansion, not that someone is rebelling. Killing officials is a sign of rebellion, killing officials is a sign of rebellion, and if you rebel, you should at least kill an official.
Those people didn't kill any officials, let alone servants. They didn't attack other mansions, and they didn't loot in the market. They didn't cause chaos in the capital. How can this be called rebellion?"
It can only be considered a precision strike, and the target is the Cheng'en Marquis' Mansion.
Zhu Ci, the Earl of Cheng'en, was furious. "What do you mean by this, Lord Wei? You're asking me for evidence for something so obvious? The evidence is right outside the South City Gate. Lord Wei, go check it out! As long as you check, there will definitely be evidence."
Wei Zhong said, "Outside the South City Gate, I will naturally send someone to investigate. But before I do, I would like to ask, Your Excellency, are you sure that the people who attacked the Earl's Mansion are refugees from outside the city?"
Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci asked rudely, "If not the refugees outside the city, then who else? Lord Wei, I am the victim, but you have been interrogating me. What's the reason? What about Gu Jiu? Why don't you interrogate Gu Jiu? She is the culprit."
Wei Zhong said, "Whether Madam Zhao is the culprit or not is not up to your judgment. Since you can't produce more evidence, I will take my leave."
"Sir Wei, I hope you can handle this case impartially. If I learn of any foul play, I will never let this matter go."
Wei Zhong smiled coldly, "Goodbye!"
Wei Zhong led his men away from the Earl's Mansion.
The subordinate asked, "Sir, do you want to investigate outside the South City Gate?"
"Of course we have to investigate. Didn't Lord Cheng En say we'd investigate this thoroughly? Investigate from beginning to end, and don't let go of any clues. Ask the Embroidered Uniform Guard to send over a copy of the case files for those people they arrested a few days ago."
Wei Zhong smiled grimly.
If you dare to boss the Jinwu Guards around, I will kill you.
…
Wang Jiangen returned to his shack with an excited look on his face.
The whole family is waiting for him.
Seeing him come back, they all breathed a sigh of relief, their faces full of relief.
Wang Lian hurriedly asked, "Are you okay?"
Wang Jiangen washed his face and said, "It's okay. Everything went smoothly. We went to the capital and got it done in no time. Look, what is this?"
"silver?"
Wang Lian couldn't believe it.
For so many years, I've only seen copper coins, never silver. With the Wang family's standard of living, they couldn't earn silver at all, so copper coins were good enough.
Wang Jiangen grinned, "One tael of silver, the boss's hard work fee. Now I have the money to move."
Wang Lian carefully picked up the silver, and imitating the shopkeeper, she put the silver to her lips and bit it, grinning, "It's real silver."
"Of course the silver the boss gave me is real. And it's all official silver, weighing a full ounce. One ounce of silver is worth one ounce. Look at the bottom of the silver, there's words printed on it."
Wang Lian turned the silver over and saw that there were indeed three words printed on it. Unfortunately, the words knew her, but she didn't know how to read.
With this little silver, the family's livelihood was no longer a problem, and they also had enough money to buy two decent pieces of furniture when they moved to their new home.
…
Li Sheng received one tael and five cents of silver from the accounting office.
He was the team leader, responsible for leading a team of thirty people to attack the Earl's Mansion. Afterwards, he was responsible for organizing everyone's retreat and avoiding capture by the Jinwu Guards.
Therefore, his reward was five denarii higher than others.
As soon as he came out of the accounting office and turned a corner, he entered the sales office.
"I'm buying two houses."
He was thinking about his wife, children and the elderly. Once he found them, they would have to have a place to live.
One ounce and five qian of silver were used to buy two rooms. The remaining five qian of silver was saved to buy cloth to make new clothes for the children.
The sales office is deserted these days.
When people are in panic, no one comes here.
There was only one guy guarding it, just for show.
When the guy heard someone was buying a house, he was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses.
"You, you, you want to buy a house?"
Li Sheng nodded, "Yes. I want to buy a house in Lane 15."
The clerk came to his senses and quickly looked up the house registration form. "All the houses in Lane 15 have been sold."
Li Sheng frowned.
The clerk continued, "You can buy a house in Alley 13 or 12. It's only a tael more expensive, but the house is bigger and has better light."
Li Sheng thought for a moment and asked, "Can I see the house?"
"Sure! Do you want to see it now?"
Li Sheng nodded.
The guy took the key and took him to see the house.
The guy was very curious, "Why do you want to buy a house at this time? Aren't you worried? No one has bought a house in the past few days, and some people even asked about checking out."
Li Sheng grinned, "I believe the Dong family will definitely be able to overthrow the Zhu family."
"Ha ha……"
The guy laughed. "You've got good eyes. Let me tell you something: the construction site will resume work in three to five days at most. Buying a house now is a wise move!"
When Li Sheng heard about the resumption of work, he felt full of energy. "Can we really resume work in three to five days?"
"I heard what the higher-ups said, how could this be false? Just wait and see, the Zhu family is like grasshoppers in the autumn field, they won't be able to jump for more than two days."
Li Sheng chuckled.
…
Both Gu Jiu and Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci wanted to make a big deal out of this, and so, the matter really did get out of hand.
Two days later, Wei Zhong put the investigation report in front of the emperor, and the emperor was so angry that his face turned blue.
"This is simply nonsense! Call Cheng Enbo and Gu Jiu to me."
Chen Dachang accepted the order and told his men to quickly bring Gu Jiucheng Enbo into the palace.
While reading the investigation report, the emperor asked Wei Zhong about the specific situation.
"Is it true that refugees attacked the Cheng'en Marquis's residence?"
"It's basically true. On that day, people who looked like refugees entered the capital through both the East and West Gates, but the people from the Marquis of Cheng'en's mansion were unable to come forward to identify them."
"Why can't you identify it?"
"At that time, everyone in the Earl's Mansion was terrified. No one noticed what the people outside looked like. Moreover, none of the people who attacked the Earl's Mansion climbed over the wall, so they had no chance to come face to face with the people in the Earl's Mansion."
The emperor sneered, his expression filled with disdain. "Incompetent! Useless! Just a few refugees burst through the door, and you've frightened everyone so much they dare not even show their faces. Since no one has pointed the finger, how can you arrest them? How can you be sure it was truly done by the refugees?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am incompetent and have not found any solid evidence. If Your Majesty allows, I will lead my men to the South City Gate to arrest him. I am not afraid that he will confess after three blows."
"Ridiculous!" the emperor shouted angrily.
Wei Zhong quickly pleaded guilty.
The emperor angrily shouted, "Work has ceased outside the South City Gate. The refugees have lost their income, and public sentiment is running high. Are you trying to incite a rebellion by arresting people at this time?"
"I am a fool. Fortunately, Your Majesty has enlightened me, and I almost made a big mistake."
When Wei Zhong apologized for his crime, he did not forget to flatter the emperor and make him feel comfortable.
No wonder he could become the emperor's number one lackey. He really has some skills as an official.
The emperor snorted, his expression softer than before.
"You're good at arresting people and investigating crimes, but when it comes to reading the public's mind, you still have a lot to learn."
"Your Majesty, I will follow your instructions. Do we need to continue investigating the case of refugees attacking the Earl's Mansion?"
The emperor slammed the investigation report onto the desk. "With no one accusing you and no concrete evidence, what are you investigating? Do you, the Jinwu Guard, have so much free time?"
Wei Zhong laughed inwardly, but looked apprehensive. "I am a foolish servant. This is the Earl's House, after all. I am worried that Earl Cheng'en will complain to Your Majesty about the fruitless investigation."
The emperor's face darkened. "I will give him a chance to speak today. I also want to hear what he has to say."
…
Gu Jiu refused Liu Zhao's company and followed the eunuch into the palace alone.
When he arrived at Xingqing Palace, as expected, he met Cheng'enbo Zhu Ci.
Gu Jiu smiled at him and saluted him, "Junior greets Uncle. How are you doing recently?"
Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci ignored her without any hesitation.
Gu Jiu felt wronged and said to the eunuch: "My uncle is my elder, I don't mind."
Upon hearing this, Marquis Cheng'en Zhu Ci flew into a rage. "Gu Jiu, you're inciting refugees to attack the Earl's Mansion. What are your intentions? When I see His Majesty, I'll definitely report you."
Gu Jiu blinked, "Uncle, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. I advise you to take back what you said."
"Don't even think about it!"
"No noise!"
Attendant Shen came out and said, "Master, Madam Zhao, please come in. His Majesty is inside. Please be careful with your words and don't shout too loudly."
Gu Jiu bowed and said, "Thank you, Attendant Shen, for the reminder."
She was very polite and courteous to everyone.
"Uncle, please go first." Gu Jiu said to Cheng'en with a smile.
Cheng Enbo snorted coldly and walked into the hall first, followed closely by Gu Jiu.
Minister Shen found it interesting and thought to himself that Earl Cheng En would probably lose this round.
He instructed the eunuch, "When Cheng Enbo comes out later, remember to return the money to him."
The eunuch was surprised.
Minister Shen smiled and didn't explain further.
…
Inside the main hall.
Gu Jiu bowed.
It was really not convenient for her because she was pregnant.
The emperor saw that she had worked hard, so he showed mercy and "granted Madam Zhao a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
As the emperor's uncle, Cheng Enbo was naturally given a seat.
But he was very excited, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
"Speak!" the emperor said concisely.
Cheng Enbo said loudly, "Your Majesty, Madam Zhao has instigated refugees to attack the Earl's residence. This is clearly a rebellion. Your Majesty, please order a thorough investigation of this matter and sentence Madam Zhao to death!"
The emperor's face was grim, and he glanced at Gu Jiu, "Gu Jiu, you heard it, didn't you? Cheng Enbo said you were rebelling, do you want to defend yourself?"
Gu Jiu bowed and nodded, "My granddaughter-in-law wants to defend herself. Lord, you keep accusing me of inciting refugees to attack the Earl's Mansion. Do you have any witnesses? Do you have any physical evidence?"
Cheng Enbo was very excited. "If it wasn't you, who did it? Only you could do such a crazy thing. You are clearly seeking revenge. You are angry that I suppressed you, so you took such a crazy action. Gu Jiu, you still don't plead guilty?"
Gu Jiu sneered, "What crime should I confess? What crime have I committed? My uncle said I was guilty right away, but he couldn't produce any witnesses or physical evidence, and he still forced me to confess. Are you the law of the Great Zhou, or your words?
Whoever you say is guilty is guilty. You are more powerful than the laws of the Great Zhou. The laws of the Great Zhou at least require physical evidence to determine who is guilty. But you, on the other hand, just rely on your mouth and you are so unwavering in your judgment!
“You, you, you…”
Cheng Enbo was extremely angry. He pointed at Gu Jiu and his mind raced, trying desperately to find something to hold against Gu Jiu.
Unexpectedly, Gu Jiu took the lead and said, "Your Majesty, my granddaughter-in-law wants to sue the Zhu family of Cheng'enbo Mansion. The Zhu family evaded taxes, and the amount involved is huge, involving a loss of over one million taels of tax. Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly."
"How dare you!" Cheng Enbo was shocked.
"Shut up!" The emperor pointed at Cheng Enbo and shouted angrily.
Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci was frightened and his face turned pale.
As soon as the emperor heard about the loss of millions of taels of tax, his face changed.
What does the emperor hate most?
What I hate most is someone trying to steal the talents of the Great Zhou.
Those who evade taxes are the most hateful in the eyes of the emperor.
There is huge resistance in the court, making it difficult to carry out tax reform.
But it does not mean that the emperor will sit idly by if someone reports tax evasion.
The emperor's face was gloomy. "Gu Jiu, you said the Zhu family evaded taxes. Do you have any evidence?"
Gu Jiu affirmed, "Yes! Your Majesty, please summon the tax officer from the Ministry of Revenue and Lord Xu from the Left Guard of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to the palace. We conducted a joint tax inspection a few days ago, and they have all the evidence and account books."
The emperor's face darkened. "Send the tax officer of the Ministry of Revenue, Xu Xianzhi, to the palace."
Chen Dachang received the order and quickly passed it on.
Zhu Ci, the Earl of Cheng'en, panicked. "Your Majesty, I also want to report Gu Jiu for tax evasion."
Gu Jiu looked at him with pity in his eyes. "Your Highness, you may not know this, but all the businesses under my name have been paying taxes in full since the first day of business. The tax officer of the Ministry of Revenue has a detailed tax list. Haven't you heard about it?"
"Impossible!" Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci shook his head repeatedly.
Gu Jiu sneered, "Thanks to my uncle, because of your malicious suppression, the tax paid by my property this month will probably be reduced by half. The tax officer must hate you to death."
Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci's face changed drastically.
Gu Jiu suddenly raised his voice, "Your Majesty, your grandson's wife has something to say."
"explain!"
Gu Jiu said loudly: "Cheng Enbo deliberately sabotaged the Nanchengmenwai project, deliberately inflated the market price, and disrupted the market. This caused the Nanchengmenwai construction site to stop working.
Thousands of young and strong refugees were left without work, thousands of families were forced to lose their livelihoods, and tens of thousands of refugees were starving and freezing. If this situation continued, tens of thousands of refugees might rebel and kill officials, attacking the capital and causing immeasurable damage to the entire city.
"Cheng Enbo is fully aware of the grave consequences of this matter, yet he continues to act recklessly, relying on his wealth. Sun's wife sees that he is clearly intent on forcing the refugees outside the city to revolt. He is a man of wicked ambition. For money, he would not only sacrifice his life, but he would even sell out the imperial court, the Great Zhou, and even His Majesty."
As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere in the hall became tense and could break at any time.
Chen Dachang carefully observed the emperor's reaction.
The emperor was clearly on the verge of a rage.
Cheng Enbo's face turned pale, and he reacted instantly. He pointed at Gu Jiu's nose and cursed, "You are slandering me. I have no grudge against you, why do you want to harm me?"
Gu Jiu sneered and said softly, "Are you sure you have no grudge against me? Let me remind you, you admitted that you suppressed me before. How come you deny it in the blink of an eye?
My jewelry store, pharmacy, grain store, cloth shop, and construction site are completely out of stock. My guys have nothing to do and are losing thousands of taels every day. Is this what you call having no grudges or hatred?
Do I have to wait until my uncle takes my property and then kills me before I can be considered as a grudge? I am so sorry, I am not a bullied daughter-in-law. I will not take the initiative to offer my right cheek to be hit when my left cheek is hit. I have disappointed my uncle!
"Your Majesty, the situation between you and Madam Zhao is just a simple business competition, not what she said. Your Majesty, please do not listen to him!"
Cheng Enbo knelt on the ground and cried bitterly.
He is also smart.
Seeing that he was about to lose, he decisively changed his strategy and started pretending to be old, weak and sick.
It is human nature to admire the strong and pity the weak.
The weaker side naturally receives more support and sympathy from others.
But, the person they are facing is the Son of Heaven?
Is this trick sure to work?
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