Chapter 106 Even the emperor is one of our own, so why are we so scared! (Please subscribe!!)
Soon, Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi were taken to the Tai Chi Hall.
The two men were wearing prison uniforms, with their hands and feet shackled, and their faces were full of sorrow.
Although Ouyang Lun had told them not to worry too much and that the problem was not serious this time, the two of them were still beating drums in their hearts when they saw the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty and the aloof Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.
You know, they knew that Lao Zhu was Zhu Yuanzhang, but Ouyang Lun didn't know!
If Ouyang Lun's assessment is wrong, then the two of them will probably have to explain themselves today.
Wait, why didn't you see Ouyang Lun? What about others? Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi looked around, but neither saw Ouyang Lun, and couldn't help but become more panicked.
They don't have Ouyang Lun's eloquence, and what they originally discussed was that Ouyang Lun would be the one to talk to the ministers, and they would just be the assistants. But the result hasn't started yet, and the main attacker hasn't arrived yet. They just rely on the two of them as assistants. Taking another look, Hu Weiyong, He Bo, Chen Ning and Tu Jie, who had recovered from their injuries, looked at them with evil smiles.
To be finished!
This is the thought that was born in the two people's minds at this moment.
"The guilty minister Li Fuyuan (Wu Jingzhi) bows to your Majesty, long live your Majesty!"
After the ceremony, Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi raised their heads and looked quietly at Zhu Yuanzhang, only to find that Zhu Yuanzhang actually winked at them.
what! ?
There was no murderous intent in His Majesty's eyes, and he winked at them. What did this mean? and many more!
Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi seemed to have thought of something.
After all, His Majesty is a member of the investment group, and they have also played together in heaven and earth, and played in the Lucky Gambling House. They have three major relationships in life: they have fought together, studied together, and... Thinking of this, the originally despairing eyes of Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi began to look hopeful.
Although Ouyang Lun didn't come.
But we still have Lao Zhu, who is one of our own!
Even the emperor is one of our own, so why are we so scared? Thinking of this, Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi straightened their waists and raised their heads slightly by fifteen degrees. In an instant, they regained the magnanimity of the third-grade border officials of the Ming Dynasty.
"Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi, together with the three departments of the Zhongshu Provincial Department, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Yushitai, have verified that you and others colluded with Ouyang Lun, the prefect of Yong'an Prefecture, to amass more than 800 million taels of silver, engage in corruption, accept bribes, and form cliques for personal gain. Is this possible?"
Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon chair and asked in a deep voice.
brush-
All the civil and military officials in the Taiji Hall focused their attention on Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi. Everyone knew very well that the next answers of these two people would determine whether many people's heads would stay or go.
Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi looked at each other, then nodded to each other.
"To your Majesty, this matter is a slander!"
"I and others are loyal to the Ming Dynasty, and they plan for the people and the Ming Dynasty. How can they be corrupt, accept bribes, and form cliques for personal gain!"
Wu Jingzhi was the first to speak.
"That's right, the ministers acted openly and aboveboard." Li Fuyuan glanced at Hu Weiyong and other officials, and said solemnly: "There must be some people in the court who are jealous of the development of Yong'an Mansion, and they can't use coercion or inducement in private, so they use such dirty methods. Dirty tactics!"
"Your Majesty, please take a closer look at this matter!"
As soon as this word comes out.
All the officials in the main hall looked stunned.
Everyone thought that Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi would defend themselves, but they didn't expect that they would respond so neatly.
The smiles on the faces of some officials who had nothing to do with them grew stronger, and they all looked at Hu Weiyong, wanting to know what would happen next.
But what is disappointing is that Hu Weiyong, who is standing at the front, has a calm face, as if this matter has nothing to do with him.
As expected of a prime minister, he is so calm! Upon seeing this, Lu Chang, Youcheng of Zhongshu Province and the chief trial officer of the Yongan corruption case, was about to speak. However, before he could speak, Shi Hebo, the imperial censor, jumped out first, pointed at Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi and said coldly: " Bold Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi, you dare to quibble in front of His Majesty, you are simply seeking death!"
"How dare you say that we slandered you! We were ordered to go to Yong'an Mansion to investigate. The stock exchange really exists. People buy and sell stocks on the exchange, but there is no record in the government's books. People use real money to buy stocks, then you Tell me, where does this money go?”
"This is 800 million taels of silver! It is enough to pay the taxes of the Ming Dynasty for four to five years. As far as I know, the local people have invested almost all their life savings in the stock market. Once the money disappears, the stocks in the hands of the people will be lost." It will become a pile of waste paper, and Yong'an Mansion will fall into chaos!"
"This responsibility must also be placed on you!"
The voice fell.
Many officials were filled with outrage.
"audacious in the extreme!"
"You can use a piece of waste paper to defraud people out of their money. This is no longer corruption, but murder!"
"Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi are people who have read poetry and books, but you actually did such an unscrupulous thing."
"Your Majesty, is there any need for a trial? Just pull them out and behead them!"
"We have to recover the stolen money and kill them again."
"Your Majesty, the general is willing to lead his troops into Yong'an Mansion and dig three feet into the ground to find the tens of millions of stolen silver!"
Many generals stared at Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi fiercely. It seemed that as long as Zhu Yuanzhang gave the order, they could rush forward and tear the two men into pieces. Of course, did they really care about the people or were they interested in tens of millions of taels of silver? It's hard to judge.
Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi simply stood up, one looked at the civilian officials on the left, and the other looked at the general on the right.
They almost roared in unison: "We are not corrupt!"
"If you want to add guilt, there is no excuse for it!"
Although there were only two of them, their momentum was not lost at all.
Seeing that the two of them were still so stubborn, many officials were stunned, but soon began to accuse loudly.
"The evidence is conclusive, and you dare to quibble!"
"Stubborn!"
"Stubborn!"
"Beheadings, ransacking homes, and annihilating three tribes!" Li Fuyuan: "Is the evidence conclusive? That's nonsense! You want to convict just because there are no records in the account books. You guys are so loud!"
Wu Jingzhi: "Hmph! Your Majesty didn't even say that you would behead people, confiscate your homes, and annihilate three tribes. You just said it first. Why, are you your Majesty?"
Seeing that the solemn Tai Chi Hall had turned into a place of quarrels in the market, Zhu Yuanzhang frowned deeper and deeper. Finally, he couldn't bear it anymore and shouted loudly: "That's enough!"
"If you make any more noise, I will pluck you all clean and throw you into the market so that you can fight as much as you want!"
quiet--
The Tai Chi Hall, which was still quarreling one second, was so quiet the next second that one could hear the heartbeat and breathing.
After everything quieted down, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi, "Since you said you were not greedy for the money, then you should explain clearly in front of all the civil and military officials, where did the money go?"
"Why don't Yong'an Mansion and the Chief Secretary of Beizhili have relevant records?"
"If you are unjustly accused, I will naturally clear up your grievances. If you are really corrupt, I will definitely skin you and stuff you with grass to warn the Ming Dynasty officials!"
Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was like a bell, and his momentum was overwhelming. It made all the officials in the court breathless, and Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi even sweated on their foreheads.
Although they and Zhu Yuanzhang were both shareholders of the Ocean Fleet and once again visited the heaven and earth, they also remembered that Zhu Yuanzhang was an emperor who had zero tolerance for corrupt officials and had no mercy in killing corrupt officials. If he really couldn't explain it well, he would still have to behead him. It's useless even if it's one of our own!
call--
Wu Jingzhi took two deep breaths and plucked up the courage to say: "Your Majesty, the stock exchange has indeed gathered 800 million taels of money, but... these do not belong to any one person, but to the people of Yong'an Prefecture and those who buy and issue stocks. .”
He Bo heard this and said coldly: "Still quibbling, we all understand what you are saying, you just need to tell us, where are these 800 million taels of money?"
Wu Jingzhi said truthfully: "Deposit everything in the 'Kaiping Silver Cabinet'."
"Haha!" He Bo laughed, "Your Majesty, all your lords, must you have heard that this 'Kaiping Silver Cabinet' apparently belongs to a businessman named Di Hu, but in fact, Ouyang Lun is the major shareholder. In other words, this 'Kaiping Silver Cabinet' belongs to Ouyang Lun, and the 800 million was deposited in the 'Kaiping Silver Cabinet'. Isn't this a typical case of left hand and right hand, and all ended up in Ouyang Lun's pocket!!"
"Now the facts are very clear. It is Ouyang Lun who has been corrupt and accepted bribes. As long as the Kaiping Silver Cabinet is seized again and the accounts of the Kaiping Silver Cabinet are obtained, not only can the 800 million taels of stolen money be recovered, but also Li can be found out. How much profit have been divided among officials like Fu Yuan and Wu Jingzhi!"
After hearing He Bo's analysis, even Zhu Yuanzhang turned gloomy.
"Wu Jingzhi, Li Fuyuan, what else do you two have to say?"
Li Fuyuan calmly explained: "Your Majesty, there is no need to seal the Kaiping Silver Cabinet. We have already brought the accounts of the Kaiping Silver Cabinet!"
After speaking, Li Fuyuan took out a thick account book from his chest.
"It records the transactions related to the Stock Exchange since the establishment of the Kaiping Silver Cabinet. It can be seen from the ledger that no one has touched a single point on it except for normal stock transactions. money!"
Zhu Yuanzhang quickly looked through the account books, and then handed the account books to Lu Chang, Youcheng of the Zhongshu Province, and Guo Zi, the Secretary of the Ministry of Accounts.
"Lü Chang, Guo Zi, you are professional in looking at the account books. You two can see if there are any problems."
As a result, Lu Chang and Guo Zi went to check on the spot.
Come here for about a quarter of an hour.
Lu Chang and Guo Zi came to the same conclusion: there was no problem with the ledger, and there was no sign that the money on the stock exchange's books had been divided.
After hearing this conclusion, Zhu Yuanzhang's face looked a little better.
Naturally, Hu Weiyong noticed it and immediately gave He Bo a look. The latter spoke again: "Hmph! Do you think you can get away with the crime of corruption and wealth accumulation with a ledger?"
"The Kaiping Silver Cabinet belongs to Ouyang Lun. It's easy for you to fake the accounts. No matter how you argue, you can't change the fact of corruption!"
"If His Majesty hadn't known the truth and asked Mr. Lu, Mr. Guo and me to investigate, you don't know how long you would have been able to deceive me!"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, "You must explain one thing clearly, and that is why you deliberately concealed things about the stock exchange?"
Li Fuyuan rolled his eyes at He Bo, "Your Majesty, we have never concealed the stock exchange. Anyone who has been to Yong'an Mansion should be able to hear people discussing stocks. Even outsiders who want to buy stocks can You only need to open an account at 'Kaiping Silver Cabinet' and you can purchase it!"
"Your Majesty, please be aware of this!"
Forehead. Okay, I can testify to this.
"As for the fact that He Yushi keeps saying that Kaiping Silver Cabinet and the Stock Exchange are the private properties of Prefect Ouyang, this is even more wrong. Let's talk about Kaiping Silver Cabinet first. Prefect Ouyang is indeed the major shareholder of Kaiping Silver Cabinet, but he has already been with Kaiping Silver Cabinet. Di Hu signed a contract to give up the management rights of the Kaiping Silver Cabinet and only enjoy the profits. I have also brought the contract with you this time, please take a look at it."
Li Fuyuan took out several contracts and said, "Not only Kaiping Bank, but also Imperial Grilled Fish, Zhonghua Grain Industry, etc., Prefect Ouyang is only an investor and does not participate in the daily management of the business. All businesses in Yong'an Mansion are It is managed by actual managers. You can confirm this by just asking any businessman in Yong'an Mansion."
"Let's talk about the stock exchange. This is a semi-official organization. Normally, Yong'an Prefecture will send officials to supervise and review the exchange to ensure the fairness of transactions."
"In addition, He Yushi just said that the account books just now were all fake. He didn't go to the stock exchange to see it in person. Every transaction in it was announced and everyone knew about it."
"Both Kaiping Bank and the stock exchange have complete systems. The people inside strictly follow the rules and regulations. Every transaction and every account is authentic and trustworthy."
"If there is something fishy about Kaiping Bank and the stock exchange, wouldn't the eyes of the hundreds of thousands of people in Yong'an Mansion be as good as the eyes of He Yushi?"
Li Fuyuan finished his speech in one breath, which was extremely enjoyable.
He Bo was stunned speechless.
Wu Jingzhi then spoke, "Your Majesty, gentlemen, the reason why the stock exchange brings together so much money but the tax revenue of Yong'an Mansion has not changed significantly is also very simple, that is, during the stock trading process, there is zero tax rate!"
“If there is no tax, there will naturally be no tax revenue.”
"This is also a strategy of Prefect Ouyang. It is mainly to cultivate the habit of buying stocks among the people. Now more than [-]% of the people in Yong'an Prefecture have opened stock trading accounts at Kaiping Bank. Next, they will collect taxes. The tax rate is roughly It’s three thousandths, and the name is—stamp tax!”
After listening to Li Fuyuan and He Bo's explanations, Zhu Yuanzhang and all the officials slowly understood.
The ledgers, contracts, and evidence were all laid out, and looking at the confidence of Li Fuyuan and Wu Jingzhi, everyone began to believe that they were not corrupt.
But the tax rate of three thousandths is too low!
He Bo sneered: "It's almost 5000 million taels of silver, and the tax rate is three thousandths, which is only 15 taels of silver. You are just sending away beggars!!"
Li Fuyuan rolled his eyes at He Bo again and said calmly: "He Yushi, if you are not good at arithmetic, you can go back and learn it again. Who told you that according to the tax rate of three thousandths, you only have 15 taels of silver a year? of?"
"How much is that?"
(End of this chapter)