Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Master Qi's face instantly turned purple, and the anger in his heart was boiling like a volcano. From childhood to adulthood, no one had ever dared to talk to him like this! With gloomy eyes, facing her mocking gaze, Master Qi's anger once again boiled. Master Fan hurried forward to hold his trembling hand, and smiled apologetically: "Young Master misunderstood me..."

"What misunderstanding? You want to get clues from us without paying anything. How can such a good thing happen?" Master Qi shook off his hand, puffed out his chest and sneered, "The Datong Law has long said that people over the age of seventy can be redeemed for crimes. I'm already seventy-eight this year, so I won't say anything. I'll pay whatever I have to pay!"

Mr. Fan quickly glanced at Chen Shao, then at Li Tianliu, and said in a fake tone, "Why are you doing this?"

Master Qi put his hands behind his back and snorted coldly.

How could Li Tianliu allow him to be so arrogant? He raised his foot and walked towards him. Master Qi was still very afraid of him. He subconsciously took two steps to the side, then straightened his chest again, looking like he was ready to sacrifice himself.

Chen Shao stopped him when he was about to draw his sword. In the smug look of Master Qi, he mocked, "The Datong Law does have a provision that anyone who is over 70 years old and under 15 years old, or who is blind in one eye or has one of his limbs amputated, can be redeemed for a crime less than exile. But it also stipulates that this law does not apply to those who commit capital crimes, treason, rebellion, and collective punishment, as well as those who are exiled even if they are pardoned for making animals, cutting people apart, or killing three members of a family. How many heinous crimes has the Qi family committed? Do I need to read them to you one by one?"

Master Qi's face turned pale and blue, "Don't think that you can talk nonsense just because you are from Duke Chen's Mansion!"

Seeing his timid appearance, Chen Shao couldn't help laughing. Since she was appointed as the Dali Temple Minister, how could she be unprepared? Comparing laws and regulations with her is simply a joke! No longer paying attention to him, Chen Shao turned his gaze to Mr. Fan: "Do you always answer my questions, or do you do the same as him?"

Master Fan avoided Master Qi's gaze, bowed his body, and after a flattering salute, he quickly told the real reason why they came to Hongyuan County. After speaking, he paused for two breaths, and then added: "Our father was not the first person to steal the burial objects of the Xinping King's Mausoleum. Before our father, there were already dozens of robbery holes in various parts of the Xinping King's Mausoleum. Our father also gambled with the fathers of the Wei and Jian families in the gambling house. The amount he won was too large. The fathers of the Wei and Jian families could not provide so much money as collateral, so they took this news to exchange. Our father was also curious for a while, so he did such a stupid thing."

The tomb of Prince Xinping was robbed, and more than one person robbed it. Hearing this news, Chen Shao was even more shocked than hearing about the prince's party of the previous dynasty. Prince Xinping, that is the tomb of the younger brother of Emperor Yongping and the uncle of the current emperor. Seventy years ago, Prince Xinping died of a sudden illness while inspecting Jiangnan. His body should have been buried in Xinping County, his fiefdom. Because Prince Xinping could not bear the border war and the waste of money and labor for him, he specifically instructed to be buried in Yuhang County before he died. Prince Xinping loved the people like his own children during his lifetime. Most of the property of the palace was used to help the people. The rich burial objects were either gifts from Emperor Yongping or spontaneous donations from the powerful and wealthy businessmen who received his favor.

Such a person, only 70 years after his death, his burial objects were repeatedly stolen...

Chen Shao's heart sank again and again. The huge Datong was destitute of treasury due to frequent wars. Officials were like termites, and the rebels were like poisonous snakes. Now even the royal mausoleum was stolen and no one reported it... Is it really possible to save such a broken country? Chen Shao's eyes fell on Master Fan, Master Qi, the steward behind them, and the Yulin Guards, Li Tianliu and others. Looking at their different expressions, she had doubts for the first time.

Li Tianliu's expression was also very ugly. His ugliness was not due to his doubts about Datong and himself, but anger. The small Hongyuan County contained so much filth, what about other counties? You know, Datong has more than 300 county governments!

"Immediately arrange for someone to secretly go to Yuhang County and guard the Xinping Royal Mausoleum in secret," Chen Shao gathered his heavy thoughts and calmly instructed Li Tianliu, "Send another letter to the Crown Prince, informing him of the theft of the Royal Mausoleum and asking him to arrange for someone to check the amount of stolen property in the Royal Mausoleum!"

After Li Tianliu left, Chen Shao turned his gaze back to Master Fan. Master Fan's face was pale, his lips were trembling, and he felt a little regretful. Chen Shao didn't care what he thought, and asked bluntly: "Besides the Wei family and the Jian family, who else has robbed the royal tomb?"

Mr. Fan hesitated and said, "Who else? I don't know..."

"I don't want to hear the answer, and you don't really know it either." Chen Shao interrupted him coldly, "Back then, your father was expelled from the family for stealing the royal tomb. Something must have leaked out during the theft. When escaping, even if it was for self-protection, your father couldn't have failed to secretly check who had stolen the royal tomb before."

Master Fan was speechless, and after a while he answered: "There are also the Yang family, the Dongguan family, the Hu family, the Yan family, and the Ji family."

Among the fourteen famous aristocratic families in Yuhang County, nine of them participated in tomb robbing!

very good!

Chen Shao's heart sank again, and he spread a few scrolls of imperial edicts on the coffee table, and asked coldly, "There are a total of fourteen noble families in Yuhang County. Apart from your Fan family and Qi family, which other families have defected to the prince's party of the previous dynasty?"

The autumn heat was fierce, but the night was quite cool. The wind found its way into Zhongyong Hall from all over the courtyard, washing away the heat of the day and making Mr. Fan's hands and feet cold. He quickly looked up at Chen Shao and saw that she was looking at him leisurely, waiting for his answer. Mr. Fan panicked and blurted out, "Which other families are there? I don't know..."

"I said, I don't want to hear that you don't know the answer either," Chen Shao interrupted him calmly, "Since you have surrendered to the Prince's Party of the previous dynasty, you may not be very clear about the true power of the Prince's Party of the previous dynasty, but you must be clear about which forces in Yuhang County have surrendered to him like you. Since you know it, don't challenge my patience again and again. Otherwise, I don't mind asking someone else. And I don't need to remind you what it means to ask someone else."

This is a threat.

But so what?

Both the Fan family and the Qi family have been destroyed by her. Unless they are over ninety years old, their life or death is just a matter of her words.

Master Fan suppressed the sadness in his heart and said: "Except for the Cen family, the Chu family, the Sheng family, the Weng family, and the Ji family, the other nine families have already surrendered to the princeling party of the previous dynasty."

"In other words," Chen Shao said angrily, "the nine noble families that stole the royal tombs have all surrendered to the prince's party of the previous dynasty?"

Although he didn't want to admit it, it was the fact, and Mr. Fan replied nervously, "Yes."