Daming: The system rejected my request for salted fish

Chapter 1021

And now he was wearing a piece of usurped clothing embroidered with gold thread, which could be said to have reached the point where he was unable to defend himself.

In this situation, if you continue to argue, you will definitely face severe punishment.

His Gong family is not a noble family, and Gong Honghai has no achievements. As long as the government wants, they can use any criminal law.

He had been living a life of luxury since childhood, but he was frail and could not withstand the tiger bench or chili water, let alone the splint.

Gong Honghai thought very clearly that this matter could not be hidden anyway, and he would have to confess it in the end.

Rather than confessing after suffering a lot, it is better to tell everything early, at least you will feel better.

It has to be said that as a businessman, Gong Honghai is very clear about the pros and cons.

Therefore, facing Zhu Zongshan's questioning, Gong Honghai gave an answer immediately without any hesitation.

"My Lord, these clothes belong to me. The crime of usurpation is mine alone, not my family's."

Upon hearing this answer, Zhu Zongshan was stunned, but then he understood why Gong Honghai was so straightforward.

Knowing it was impossible, he tried to take all the blame on himself to protect his family and the continuation of the clan.

But Zhu Zongshan would not believe his one-sided words, so he gave the order immediately after he finished speaking.

"Come here, carefully check all the prohibited clothing to see if it is real!"

At the command, the bailiffs in the hall immediately took action and began to check the clothes one by one.

What is surprising is that after comparison, although these clothes are of different styles, they are all the same size.

In other words, what Gong Honghai said was true, and he was the only one in the Gong family who committed the crime of usurpation.

The evidence was conclusive, the main culprit cooperated in confessing, and there were no other problems. Zhu Zongshan had never tried such an easy case before.

So he raised the gavel on the table again and slammed it.

boom!

"The prisoner, Gong Honghai, has confessed to the crime of usurpation and is immediately imprisoned to await the Ministry of Justice's sentencing!"

Generally, minor crimes are tried and sentenced by local government offices, such as imprisonment, beating, and fines.

However, if it is a serious crime, such as one punishable by exile or death, it needs to be submitted to the Ministry of Justice for approval and process.

Although what Gong Honghai committed was not an unforgivable crime, it was indeed a serious crime that violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty.

Such a serious act of usurpation as his must be punished by exile, so Zhu Zongshan suggested that he be detained first and wait for the Ministry of Justice to make the decision.

Gong Honghai was taken to the prison by the yamen runners, and all the evidence was collected. Only Wei Wu and Zhu Zongshan were left in the court.

However, neither of them spoke. Wei Wu held the teacup and sipped the tea carefully, while Zhu Zongshan sat on the chair and wrote furiously.

Wei Wu knew that he was writing a memorial to be submitted to the Ministry of Justice for approval, so he did not interrupt him.

About ten minutes passed like this. Zhu Zongshan put down his pen, picked up the memorial and blew gently on it.

Only after the ink had completely dried did he shout out to the outside of the door.

"Somebody come!"

"Wait a minute, my lord!"

As soon as Zhu Zongshan finished speaking, Wei Wu, who had been silent all the time, suddenly interrupted.

Hearing this, Zhu Zongshan turned around and looked at Wei Wu. Just at this moment, a yamen runner walked in from outside the door.

Zhu Zongshan waved his hand at him, signaling the yamen runner to leave, and then whispered to Wei Wu:

"Sir, what are your orders?"

Wei Wu nodded and pointed at the memorial in Zhu Zongshan's hand.

"Master Zhu, this should be the file to be sent to the Ministry of Justice in the capital, right?"

"That's right. Gong Honghai's offense is serious and he deserves exile, so the Ministry of Justice must approve it."

Zhu Zongshan had nothing to hide from Wei Wu and told him directly, but Wei Wu laughed as soon as he finished speaking.

Just when Zhu Zongshan was confused, Wei Wu stretched out his hand and said:

"Master Zhu, why don't you send this file up? How about giving it to me first?"

Zhu Zongshan frowned and did not hand the file to Wei Wu directly. Instead, he asked tentatively.

"Sir, why do you want this file?"

"Nothing much. I'll take it to talk to Gong Honghai later. Maybe we can get something out of it."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zongshan not only did not hand over the file, but also retracted his hand.

"Sir, Gong Honghai has committed a grave crime. This crime is unforgivable, and you cannot use it as a bargain!"

"Hahaha, Master Zhu, you think too much."

After hearing what Zhu Zongshan said, Wei Wu laughed for a while, and then he explained:

"Master Zhu, I never said I wanted to exonerate Gong Honghai. I just wanted to take this opportunity to give it a try."

"Yesterday I summoned those wealthy merchants and gentry to discuss the issue of the land tax. If nothing unexpected happens, they should discuss it privately."

"I want to know if Gong Honghai is one of them. If so, can I get something out of him?"

Having said that, Wei Wu slowly stood up and looked directly into Zhu Zongshan's eyes with his clear eyes.

"These wealthy merchants and gentry will definitely not sit idly by and watch the implementation of the land tax system. They will definitely try to make some tricks in it."

"If we can get some information from Gong Honghai, at least we won't be too passive when they cause trouble."

"As for your concerns, Master Zhu, there's actually no need to worry about me using this as a bargaining chip to make deals with Gong Honghai."

As he spoke, Wei Wu pointed at the file in Zhu Zongshan's hand again, and then continued:

"This file can be written on as long as you have paper and a pen. Does that mean that after I take it away, Master Zhu can no longer write?"

Zhu Zongshan thought about it and realized that it made sense. It was just a file, and it wouldn’t matter even if it was really taken away.

Anyway, the official seal is in his hands. At worst, he can just write another one. Gong Honghai cannot escape punishment because of this.

Zhu Zongshan probably guessed what Wei Wu wanted to do. It was obvious that he wanted to dig a hole for Gong Honghai to jump into.

Although this method is not very clean, Zhu Zongshan himself probably would not choose to use this method.

But after all, it was not his decision as to the matter related to the land tax distribution, so he could not say anything about it.

In addition, Gong Honghai himself was a criminal, so Zhu Zongshan simply handed the file directly to Wei Wu.

"Sir, when are you ready to go to the cell? I will arrange for someone to take you there."

Wei Wu chuckled, shook his head and said:

"Don't be in a hurry. Let him get used to the harsh environment of the cell first. It will help him open up."

Zhu Zongshan thought about it and it made sense. How could these spoiled people stand the environment of a prison cell full of rats and cockroaches?