The most arrogant in history

Ye Kun laughed:

"What you said does make sense. But some river sand is sold for fifty cents a cubic meter, which is not reasonable. You have to know that river sand is not a rare thing, and digging sand is free, there is only some transportation cost.

I have learned that if you buy river sand from the people and have them take it to the riverside to trade, the price per square meter will not exceed thirty coins. "

Ye Kun already had clear evidence of Ye Qingyang's crime.

Because Gongsun Erniang sent many Mohists to infiltrate the construction team and supervise the construction of the Grand Canal in all aspects.

Ye Qingyang's cousin Huo Feng was the largest private supplier of the Grand Canal. He provided river sand and wood, and was responsible for almost all small tools such as hemp ropes and wicker baskets.

During the construction of the Grand Canal, Huo Feng also opened many temporary restaurants to entertain the technicians and grassroots officials who were building the canal, and earned mountains of silver and money.

According to the secret information provided by Mohist, Huo Feng earned no less than 40,000 taels of gold from the Grand Canal project!

Moreover, Huo Feng was quite cunning. He sent agents to participate in the bidding, while he hid behind the scenes to avoid being seen by others.

Ye Qingyang was not unaware of these situations, but he pretended to be ignorant and helped Huo Feng openly and secretly.

The river sand in ancient times was almost useless and worthless.

It was also during these years that Ye Kun invented cement lime, which required some river sand to make concrete and cement mortar.

However, cement production is limited, and the demand for river sand is also very limited.

With river sand resources everywhere, the price of fifty cents per square meter obviously means there is something fishy!

Ye Qingyang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead:

"Your Majesty, these purchases were jointly reviewed by the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Finance and Taxation. I am the general manager of the Grand Canal, but... I admit that I was negligent and did not understand the prices well enough, which allowed unscrupulous merchants to take advantage of me."

"Alright, Master Ye."

Ye Kun waved his hand and said, "I have a Grand Canal account book, which I will hand over to the Ninth Department later. When the time comes, you can check with the Ninth Department to see how much discrepancy there is between my account book and yours."

Ye Qingyang nodded hurriedly: "I obey your order."

Ye Kun thought about it, and suddenly sighed:

"We have known each other for many years, so I will naturally protect you. But I cannot protect your cousin Huo Feng. Lord Ma Zhao will not let him go. At this moment, you are traveling with me, and Ma Zhao has already sent people to Luoyang to confiscate Huo Feng's property."

thump.

Ye Qingyang knelt on the ground and trembled, "Your Majesty, I am guilty of death..."

Ye Qingyang did not expect Ye Kun's methods.

Not only did they have all the evidence, they also took drastic action and quietly sent people to Luoyang to confiscate Huo Feng's property.

"I said I would protect you. I will protect your reputation and your position. The subsequent projects of the Grand Canal still depend on you to preside over them."

Ye Kun helped Ye Qingyang up and patted his shoulder: "The credit for building the Grand Canal belongs to you. Just for this one great deed, I can forgive your sins. Don't worry, I guarantee that you will have no worries about food and clothing for a hundred years. I also guarantee that your children and grandchildren will be rich and prosperous, and will not suffer from hunger and cold."

Based on his crime, Ye Qingyang could be sentenced to death.

Because he not only colluded with unscrupulous businessmen, but also had many subordinates who withheld food and fodder, falsely reported losses, resold tools, and extorted and embezzled.

There are seven hundred young men in Yejiabao. Following Ye Qingyang for a living, who wouldn't make a fortune?

However, Ye Kun couldn't bear to kill Ye Qingyang because of his contributions and hard work over the years, as well as their old friendship.

Confiscate the property of the relevant personnel, kill a few scapegoats, and let it go.

Ye Qingyang choked up and cried: "I deserve death and have failed the emperor's kindness. I am willing to donate all my property to the court, and from now on I will retire and return to my hometown to reflect on my mistakes."

"That's not necessary. You have to save some money for your retirement."

Ye Kun smiled and said, "That's it. I will take care of other things. You have to continue to preside over the work of the Grand Canal. In my heart, I always think that your merits outweigh your faults and your contribution to the court is indispensable."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Ye Qingyang wiped her tears and followed Ye Kun onto the boat.

When Sang Buyi and others saw Ye Qingyang's expression, they knew what had happened, but pretended not to know.

After another night of sailing, Ye Kun's fleet finally arrived in Luoyang before lunch the next day.

Ye Kun inspected the dock construction and led the crowd to Luoyang City.

Xue Changfeng, the governor of Luoyang, came to greet him with officials of all ranks.

Xue Changfeng was originally a military general. Because he was a little old and had arthritis, Ye Kun took care of him and gave him the position of Luoyang prefect, allowing him to retire and transition.

The law enforcement team sent by Ma Zhao has arrested Huo Feng's entire family and seized and counted Huo Feng's property and real estate.

Ye Kun checked Huo Feng's property list, which included spot gold, silver and copper coins, equivalent to 700,000 taels of silver, as well as three restaurants and seven properties.

These are only Huo Feng’s assets, not including those of his minions.

Ma Zhao said: "Huo Feng has seven capable subordinates. We have all the evidence and have sent people to investigate. There will be results in two or three days."

Ye Kun nodded and told Ma Zhao privately:

"This matter has a huge impact and needs to be properly controlled. I have already warned Ye Qingyang, and he admitted his mistake. So, let's not involve Ye Qingyang. However, all corrupt officials below Ye Qingyang must be thoroughly investigated. Recover the property and sentence according to the law."

Ma Zhao nodded and asked again, "Should we also punish those with less serious crimes?"

"Zero tolerance, maximum punishment."

"The minister obeys the order."

Ma Zhao had an idea, so he immediately called his men to start investigating the case.

The properties of Huo Feng and several of his key subordinates were all confiscated.

Any members of the Ye Family who participated in the construction of the Grand Canal and who had solid evidence of corruption were dismissed and investigated, and the corrupt funds were recovered.

After the case was decided, these people and their families were all exiled to Caoyuan New City, Liaodong, Jizui Peninsula and other places. This was considered exile and also immigration.

Special technical personnel will stay and make meritorious contributions while serving their sentences.

Ye Qingyang was also very considerate and cooperated with Ma Zhao in handling the case and provided relevant clues.

That evening, we had dinner at the Luoyang prefectural government's residence.

Xue Changfeng was extremely terrified and asked in a low voice, "Is the emperor coming to Luoyang this time to investigate Huo Feng's case?"

"How much is this? Is it worth it for me to go there in person?"

Ye Kun smiled: "I came to see the canal and you. How have you been in good health these past two years?"

Xue Changfeng was originally a surrendered general of Xiahou Chang. Later, he played a very important role in the battle to pacify the Central Plains.

Ye Kun still values ​​this person.

It’s just that Xue Changfeng is a little old and his health is not very good.

Xue Changfeng was very touched: "Thanks to the emperor's concern, I have been transferred to Luoyang and away from the military life. My health has improved a lot."

Ye Kun nodded and asked, "How is Luoyang's population and finances compared to ten years ago?"

Ten years ago, Luoyang was still Xiahou Chang's territory.

Xue Changfeng smiled and said, "The population is twice as much as it was ten years ago, and the fiscal revenue is ten times as much as it was ten years ago. But... our expenses are also very high. We have invested a lot in schools, hospitals, scientific research, and road transportation."