Actually, many people thought the matter was over at this point, after all, Old Sun had suffered such a great loss.
With the money gone, the grain still had to be sold at a low price. All the previous efforts, schemes, and tactics had been in vain, leaving them in this predicament.
It can only be described as extremely tragic.
He actually regretted it very much.
Because the grain was in his hands, even with sweet potatoes, potato seeds would no longer be able to fetch a high price for the grain he held.
But even if it's sold at a low price, it can still be sold later, instead of losing three thousand taels of silver for nothing like this.
Three thousand taels of silver is no small sum. And now they have to sell this grain to Zhu Yunwen and the county government at an even lower price, which is a losing proposition no matter how you look at it.
But what can Old Man Sun do now that things have come to this?
It's already come to this point, is there any way to regret it now? There's no going back.
And so it is.
Old Sun then signed the agreement with the county government on the spot.
He sold all the grain he had to the county government at a price lower than the market price, sometimes even twice as low.
This is to prevent any potential disasters in Hekou County in the future, and to be used for disaster relief.
At this point, at least Teacher Sun felt that the matter was resolved and there were no further problems.
However, just as he was about to leave, Zhu Yunwen's face darkened, and he slowly spoke:
"Is Old Master Sun planning to leave like this?"
Old Master Sun turned to look at Zhu Yunwen with a puzzled expression and said:
"Your Highness, is there anything else?"
Zhu Yunwen revealed a cold smile and said:
"Of course there are things to do. We still have some issues to resolve."
Old Master Sun asked in confusion, "What is it that His Highness the Crown Prince is referring to?"
Zhu Yunwen stared at Old Man Sun, wondering if he was pretending to be confused or if he had really forgotten.
So he said, "Old Sun's memory isn't very good, perhaps it's because of his age. Well then, let me remind you properly. Sweet potato and potato seeds in Hekou County have been disappearing one after another, and they've been dug up even after being planted in the ground. This case is still unresolved."
Old Master Sun was stunned for a moment, then looked at Zhu Yunwen and said:
"Your Highness, please investigate this case as you see fit. It has nothing to do with me, does it?"
"Hehe, it's alright? Old Master Sun is quite open-minded. Whether it's alright or not is not up to you. Since you have some free time today, Magistrate, let's hold court! I will personally handle this case. Would Old Master Sun like to come along?"
When Old Sun heard this, his heart skipped a beat. He knew that Zhu Yunwen had not forgotten about this matter.
It seemed that this was the time to address the issue, and he suddenly felt a little scared.
If he had lost the struggle for food, he might have lost some money and food. But the disappearance of these sweet potato and potato seeds would have been enough to cost him his head.
So he had to be nervous, because it was a matter of life and death.
But he still forced a smile and said:
"Since His Highness the Crown Prince wishes me to visit the Great Tang Dynasty, then so be it."
With that, he headed toward the main hall, and Zhu Yunwen snorted.
A moment later, in the county government's examination hall, Zhu Yunwen sat in the main seat, with the county magistrate sitting below him.
In the main hall, Old Sun also had a chair and sat listening.
Zhu Yunwen slammed his gavel, and the bailiffs on both sides shouted:
"mighty……"
Outside the yamen, a large crowd of people had gathered to watch. Zhu Yunwen began by saying:
"Today, I, the Empress, will hear the case of the unexplained disappearance of sweet potato and potato seeds in Hekou County. Bring the culprit to the court!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several key members of the Beggars' Gang were brought in by the yamen runners.
This happened after Zhao Qingzhu injured them, and the county magistrate sent people to arrest them.
Furthermore, a large quantity of sweet potato and potato seeds were found in their possession, indicating that Mr. Sun's plan had not succeeded.
Everything is still under Zhu Yunwen's control!
Upon seeing those key figures from the Beggars' Gang who had established their headquarters in Hekou County, Old Sun's brow furrowed.
However, he remained very calm, as if he didn't recognize these members of the Beggars' Sect.
The members of the Beggars' Sect immediately set their sights on Old Man Sun.
After several members of the Beggars' Sect knelt down, Zhu Yunwen spoke calmly:
"Why are you people stealing the sweet potato and potato seeds of the common people? What is your intention?"
Below, several members of the Beggars' Sect were quite frightened by Zhu Yunwen's imposing presence. They had never seen such a scene before.
The person seated above was, after all, the renowned grandson of the Ming Dynasty emperor. Therefore, under such imposing presence, one of the elders could only speak:
"Your Highness, we were instigated and took bribes to do this..."
Zhu Yunwen said, "Oh? Go and tell us who instigated you, who you received benefits from, and who made you do this?"
The old beggar immediately pointed at Old Sun and said:
"It was him, this man, a wealthy man from Hekou County, who gave us a lot of money."
"We are members of the Beggars' Guild, and we usually struggle to get enough to eat and wear. If we were to receive such a sum of money, we would naturally be willing to do anything for it."
Zhu Yunwen narrowed his eyes and looked at Old Master Sun. Old Master Sun then suddenly stood up and said:
“Your Highness, he is slandering me. I don’t even know this old beggar. He himself said that I am a wealthy man in Hekou County, while he is just a beggar. How could I have any connection with him?”
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