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The character of the Minister of Justice Bai Tie is as tough as his name.
Because of his ruthless and impartial character, he has never been very popular.
Qin Mu gave him a house, but because he was an honest official and had an ill mother at home who needed long-term medication, which was very expensive, he could not afford to buy servants, so his home seemed deserted on weekdays.
He has two sons and two daughters. The youngest daughter, who is only twelve years old, has to embroider with her mother and sister to supplement the family income.
When Qin Mu heard that his family was in a bad situation, he gave him some money and property. He not only asked the eunuch to return it, but also immediately submitted a memorial to Qin Mu, saying that he had a salary and could not accept additional rewards without other great contributions. Then he changed the subject and advised that the monarch should not give rewards indiscriminately, otherwise the ministers would not know the gratitude. He quoted classics and scolded Qin Mu fiercely, making Qin Mu feel embarrassed.
In fact, as a Shangshu, as long as he is more relaxed, he doesn't have to worry about money.
Some time ago, the homes of many traitors were raided. Most of these people were from Jiangnan aristocratic families. Among them, countless people wanted to build relationships with Bai Tie by giving him money and gifts, hoping that he could make some concessions. However, all of them were unable to get in. When faced with his iron-faced face, everyone could only sigh in vain.
Now, Li Yin wanted to use the same trick again, but Bai Tie, without blinking an eye, threw down a command arrow and used ten beatings to make Li Yin understand what it meant to be impartial and just.
"I never use punishment to establish my authority when judging cases. These ten strokes of the cane are to punish you for bribing me."
What else can Li Yin say except sighing about his bad luck
After the execution, Li Yin, whose buttocks were bruised, was pulled up again. Bai Tie slammed the gavel and shouted, "Li Yin, I want to ask you, is it you who opened the Sanjiang Silver Shop in the city?"
Originally, such a case did not need to be tried by Bai Tie, the Minister of Justice, in person. It could be handed over to Jiangning County or Yingtian Prefecture. However, because the case was assigned by the King of Qin, Bai Tie did not dare to take it lightly.
Li Yin endured the stinging pain on his buttocks and replied, "Your Excellency, I am just a timber merchant, not a silver shop. The Sanjiang Silver Shop is not opened by me. Please investigate it clearly."
"You are such a daring villain. You entered the hall of the Ministry of Justice and even tried to cheat. If you had no connection with the Sanjiang Silver Shop, would you feel comfortable depositing tens of thousands of taels of silver in a newly opened silver shop?"
"Sir, I am innocent! I deposited the silver in Sanjiang Silver Shop only because the owner, Hu San, promised to give me 1 cent interest. My family has been doing business for generations and I have some savings. I deposited some extra money in Sanjiang Silver Shop. Sir, I just deposited some money in Sanjiang Silver Shop, but I didn't do anything illegal. Sir, you are very observant. If I have lied, I am willing to be punished."
"Why do you deposit silver and take out banknotes?"
"Sir, is this against the law?"
This is definitely not against the law, and it should be encouraged. According to Bai Tie's investigation, Li Yin has no direct relationship with Hu San of Sanjiang Silver Shop.
He deposited the silver into the Sanjiang Silver Shop and went to withdraw the corresponding treasure notes the next day;
In the context of the general distrust of Baochao by the people, his actions were somewhat unusual. The problem was that the court had clearly stipulated that both silver and Baochao were legal currencies, and it was definitely not illegal for people to deposit silver and withdraw Baochao, and you had no right to interfere.
Bai Tie had also interrogated Hu San from Sanjiang Silver Shop before. All Hu San's assets added up to no more than ten taels of silver, but a few days ago he suddenly rented a storefront and opened a silver shop. As we all know, one needs strong financial strength to open a silver shop.
Who among those who run a silver shop is not wealthy
It was strange that a man like Hu San would open a silver shop, but during the trial, Hu San argued that he had little money and it was not against the law to open a silver shop. He promised to pay Li Yin 1% interest and let him deposit the silver, which was also a matter of mutual consent.
As for those who exchanged treasure notes for silver, it was all voluntary. It was just like exchanging copper coins for silver. The exchange rate always changed with market conditions and was never constant.
They were willing to exchange one string of treasure notes for nine coins of silver. That was their business and no one forced them.
In general, the behaviors of Hu San and Li Yin are full of unusualness, and anyone with a discerning eye can tell that something is wrong. The problem is that even if they have engaged in insider trading, they do not appear to have broken the law, and you cannot find evidence.
Seeing that Li Yin was indeed quibbling, Bai Tie smiled coldly and said, "Don't think that I can't do anything to you. You know, you are not committing an ordinary crime. Hu San corrupted the Qin Dynasty's currency system, and you are an accomplice. Both are serious crimes that will lead to the confiscation of property and the extermination of the clan.
Li Yin, do you know why you were not tried in Jiangning County or Yingtian Prefecture, but were brought directly to the Ministry of Justice? If it was a minor crime, you would not be qualified to enter the Ministry of Justice. If you still have a fluke and think that the person in the Ministry of Works can protect you, you are very wrong. "
Li Yin, who had been very calm, was shocked and his face changed drastically when he heard the word "Ministry of Works" coming out of Bai Tie's mouth.
Bai Tie stared at him closely, and when he saw his strange expression, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This was like a gamble. He cheated and took the risk of saying the words "Ministry of Works". If his cheat was right, Li Yin would be in a state of panic. If his cheat was not right, it would be difficult for Li Yin to speak again.
Li Yin is a timber merchant and currently the largest supplier of timber used in the palace. The Ministry of Works is in charge of construction and procurement matters. It is very likely that Li Yin had a secret deal with officials of the Ministry of Works to get this huge procurement business.
Moreover, Bai Tie had thoroughly investigated Li Yin's background and found that he was a pure businessman. Apart from officials from the Ministry of Works with whom he had business relations, he had no dealings with other officials. This was why Li Tie dared to use the "Ministry of Works" to defraud him.
Li Yin was torn between inner and outer feelings. Sweat broke out on his forehead in the cold weather. He gritted his teeth and said, "My Lord, I... I supplied the timber needed for the imperial palace. I won the purchase and sales contract at a preferential price. There was no corruption or malpractice. Please investigate it clearly.
"What happened to Hu San is none of my business. I deposited my money in Sanjiang Silver Shop just for the one cent interest. As for withdrawing the treasure notes, it was because I wanted to carry them with me when I went out to purchase timber. That's why I asked for the treasure notes."
"Li Yin, do you think everyone else is a fool? With your family background, would you be so eager to deposit tens of thousands of silver into a newly opened silver shop with which you have no connections? Li Yin, you really won't cry until you see the coffin! Then you can wait for the severe punishment of the state law. Come on, take him away and bring Hu San to court."
When Li Yin saw that Bai Tie didn't seem to care whether he confessed or not, he became panicked.
Thinking that he would be taken directly to the lobby of the Ministry of Justice, the matter must be very serious. He really couldn't bear the pressure, and hurriedly struggled to say: "Sir, I... I confess, please be lenient..."
Bai Tie signaled the yamen runner to stop, and said calmly: "Tell the truth. If you tell a lie, your crime will be even more serious."
"My Lord, I will tell you everything... My Lord, I have been in the timber business for half my life. The reason I was able to take over the timber business of the imperial palace this time was because my asking price was relatively low. It was not obtained through bribery. Things were going well until two days ago..."
"What happened the past two days?"
“Your Excellency, a few days ago, a man who called himself Zhou Ding came to me and told me that if I still wanted to do the timber business for the imperial palace, I should deposit my silver into the Sanjiang Silver Shop as he said, and then withdraw the Great Qin Treasure Notes.
When I pay for goods with other merchants, we always transfer money through Huitong Bank. Withdrawing Daqin Treasure Notes will not affect me much. I just need to deposit it into Huitong Bank, so I did it. "
"Who is Zhou Ding?"
"I don't know."
"Is it not clear that you will do as he says? You still want to deceive me!"
"My Lord, I really didn't lie to you. I really didn't know who Zhou Ding was, so I sent someone to follow him and found that he was drinking tea with... with the housekeeper of Deng Zhongnan, the doctor of the Ministry of Works, in a teahouse. I... that's all I know. My Lord, I confess everything. I really confess everything."
"What does Zhou Ding look like? Where does he live?"
"Your Excellency, I don't know where Zhou Ding lives. He is in his thirties, about seven feet tall, with a square face, thick eyebrows and a square mouth. The rest... I really don't know the rest, Your Excellency!"
Bai Tie frowned. He had basically guessed the ins and outs of the matter. Now all the clues fell on this Zhou Ding, and this Zhou Ding was most likely using a pseudonym.
It is obvious that someone asked Zhou Ding to come forward because he did not want to be implicated. Therefore, it can be seen that it would be difficult to find this person named Zhou Ding based on Li Yin's vague description.
"Come on, ask the painter to draw a portrait of Zhou Ding based on Li Yin's description."
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ps: Thank you for the generous reward from the Yellow Emperor of China, I am filled with gratitude... ...
.(To be continued..)
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