I

Chapter 534 531 [Still an insurgent]

What bad things the Zheng family had done were quickly discovered by the anti-corruption officials.

It’s not that the anti-corruption officials are too powerful, but that the Zheng family has no obstructions and can even ask passers-by if they are caught!

Of course, it can be considered a cover-up, but he just doesn’t come forward himself. The bad things in engineering are done by the bosses of trading companies; the bad things in bullying and dominating the market are all done by gangsters.

Even if the higher-ups investigate, just throw in a few scapegoats and it will be done.

Among the common surnames in Quzhou, the Xu family is the first and the Zheng family is the second.

That anonymous letter was sent by Xu Huaitou. He reported anonymously to various yamen in Quzhou, but there was no response, so he reported it to Xiaohong.

If Xiaohong doesn't care, just write to Zhejiang No.3 Division.

If the three departments don't care, then they will donate money to the school and get a "Confucian businessman" badge.

Take your waist badge and meet the emperor!

"Master, there's a stranger asking to see him, and he's talking about a big deal." The butler came in to announce, and handed over a greeting card sealed with fire paint.

Xu Huai opened the wax paint on the greeting card and found a brand inside.

On the front it says: Inspector of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, No. 057.

On the back it says: For the exclusive use of honest government, it will be withdrawn upon return of life. Anyone who dares to forge or use it for personal use will be punished for treason.

Imperial envoy?

Or Bai Wuchang?

Xu Huai quickly covered his belt and said happily: "Hurry up and invite me, big business is coming!"

Of course, the anti-corruption officials didn’t know that Xu Huai reported the matter. But they have found out that the Xu family and the Zheng family have been having a lot of trouble in the past two years, and it seems to be caused by a business deal.

Dai Wenmeng and Mei Zhuyou came in hand in hand, the former dressed as a merchant and the latter as an entourage.

Xu Huai had already asked the servant to bring tea, and there was no one waiting in the room at the moment. When he saw the two people coming in, he immediately knelt down on his knees, held his waist badge and said, "Xu Huai, a common man, welcomes the two angels!"

While Dai Wenmeng took back his badge, he helped him up: "Mr. Xu, you are so polite. Your Majesty's rule is that people do not have to kneel before officials."

Xu Huai said with a smile: "Two angels, please take a seat."

Dai Wenmeng sat down to drink tea, as if chatting: "Mr. Xu, don't be afraid. We are here to understand some things."

Mei Zhuyou took out a small notebook and began to sharpen ink.

Xu Huai smiled even more happily: "Lord Angel, please speak."

Dai Wenmeng poured tea with a bowl lid and said, "Do you have a construction company?"

"Yes." Xu Huai replied.

Dai Wenmeng added: "Has your business company competed with the Zheng family for contracting the official residences and river embankments in Quzhou?"

With lightning speed, Xu Huai knelt down again, lowering his voice and crying: "Please make the decision, Lord Angel, to contract those projects. The Zheng family and the government colluded in bidding. How can ordinary people compete with the government? There is also the business of ticket numbers. The Zheng family colluded with the government to accuse my Xu family of tax evasion. The grassroots admitted that they had indeed evaded taxes the first time. But the grassroots had already accepted the punishment and changed their minds, but the Zheng family had to kill them all. The second time they were investigated, the grassroots had absolutely no tax evasion. As a result, the ticket office in the city was forced to close for more than three months. When it reopened in March, most of its business was taken away!"

Private bank accounts and private banks are not completely banned.

However, both bank accounts and banks have to pay deposits to Datong Bank, and there is also a cap on loan interest.

Private banks are mainly engaged in money and grain exchange, deposit and loan business. Due to the existence of Datong Bank, the number of private banks across the country is decreasing day by day.

Private bank accounts are becoming more and more popular!

Especially the Longyou merchant gang, most of which are engaged in long-distance trafficking, the flow of goods and capital turnover are very slow, and often require large amounts of capital advances. When funds are insufficient, external borrowing is necessary.

The loan review process of Datong Bank is very strict, and the review time is at least half a month.

Therefore, the businessmen of the Longyou Merchant Gang are more inclined to borrow money from private banks.

They have their own set of rules, and they work with each other in the same industry. Each one relies on his own belief and does not establish any written evidence. The water he collects is loosened and loosened according to the market.

In particular, the lack of written evidence caused a great headache for the government, and it became very difficult to determine the amount of tax. But for merchants, there are basically no problems, because the ticket business relies purely on word of mouth. Once the word of mouth is bad, it will be all over.

Dai Wenmeng and Mei Zhuyou looked at each other and felt that they must have gained something today.

The Zheng family took advantage of the government's illegal operations, which resulted in the Xu family's ticket account being ordered to make corrections for three months. For merchants, this is already an undying hatred.

Dai Wenmeng asked: "Why did the Zheng family collude with the government to harm you? Even if they were robbing business, they wouldn't do it so ruthlessly, as they could easily be caught."

Xu Huai sighed: "Oh, it's a long time ago. The head of Zheng's family was named Zheng Hongyi. A business trip to Yunnan went wrong, and his father was sent by his grandfather to solve the problem. At that time, not only the people but also the goods were gone. Zheng My family's business in Shandong happened to encounter the White Lotus Sect's uprising, and several warehouses were robbed. My father...my father, seeing that the Zheng family was in a state of decline, regretted the marriage. My third sister, I should have Married to Zheng Hongyi."

"Keep talking." Dai Wenmeng nodded.

Xu Huai had a constipated expression on his face: "Zheng Hongyi is a narrow-minded person, and he will retaliate for his hatred. He was already a scholar at that time, and the news of regretting his marriage spread throughout Quzhou, and he regarded it as a great shame and humiliation. Alas, he actually gave up the imperial examination and went to the White Lotus Sect to cause chaos. Shandong, which has not yet calmed down, has made a lot of money in a few years."

"When he returned to Quzhou, my father also died of illness. It is better to resolve enemies than to end them, so I wanted to repair the relationship between the two families. The third sister was already married, so I planned to marry the fifth sister to him. Who knows, he I personally held a stick and drove the matchmaker out of the house. After that, I will not stop fighting, and no matter what business I do, I will act against my Xu family."

"When the Datong Army went to Zhejiang, Zheng Hongyi defected to Zhejiang very early and donated a thousand shi of grain as military supplies. His second son, Doctor Zheng from the Ministry of Industry, also collaborated with the Western Zhejiang scholars in the uprising and helped His Majesty seize the throne. We built a county town. Thanks to this contribution, the Zheng family has become more and more prosperous, and their business has completely surpassed that of my Xu family."

Dai Wenmeng subconsciously looked at Mei Zhuyou, both of them understood what was going on.

It turned out that the Zheng family was the first group of people in Zhejiang to seek refuge with the Datong court, and their son even led the scholars to occupy the county seat. This is a great achievement!

With such merit and qualifications, of course many officials in Quzhou Prefecture are acquaintances with the Zheng family. Even the peasant soldiers and peasant associations have many acquaintances of the Zheng family. Some officials turned a blind eye to the Zheng family's crimes, perhaps not entirely out of greed for money, but also because they couldn't save their face.

After all, they and the Zheng family are comrades in arms!

Dai Wenmeng asked again: "What's going on with the Zheng family occupying the Fucheng vegetable market and forcing farmers to sell vegetables at low prices? With the financial resources of the Zheng family, there is no need to do this."

Mei Zhuyou scolded: "Don't lie. Once you are found to be lying, you will be severely punished!"

Xu Huai trembled all over and forced out a smile and said: "That's a branch of the Zheng family. The owner of the family doesn't like the money in the market, but it's hard to say for sure. The Zheng family, like my Xu family, are both from Quzhou. From a wealthy family, there are countless people with the surname Zheng.”

"In other words, occupying the vegetable market and bullying farmers has nothing to do with Zheng Hongyi?" Dai Wenmeng asked.

Xu Huai said with a smile: "How can it be irrelevant? The tribe is using his name to bully and dominate the market in Quzhou. Zheng Hongyi is not deaf or blind."

"This guy calls himself a hero of Datong. He tells everyone he has led a horse for Your Majesty. How can he lead a horse for Your Majesty? His Majesty's army passed by Quzhou, and he led a horse to His Majesty. Your Majesty didn't even think about it at that time. Sora sees him.”

"But he can scare many people by saying this. The newly arrived officials also think that he is a popular person in the emperor's heart, and they dare not easily make trouble with this guy. In addition, his fourth son, He married the daughter of Mr. Li Ge's nephew, and his second son was promoted to the rank of doctor by His Majesty, making Zheng Hongyi even more arrogant."

"Once, he even told people that the surname of this world is Zhao, and the surname of this Quzhou is Zheng. He said that he had made great achievements in the new dynasty, and even if His Majesty came in person, he would not punish the Zheng family for trivial matters. The Zheng family has committed evil deeds. Not only does he not restrain himself, but he is also extremely protective of his shortcomings. When a tribesman was arrested, he spent money to fish him out."

In other words, Zheng Hongyi did not make a penny by occupying the vegetable market and oppressing the farmers, and even gave money to the tribesmen who broke the law.

This person seems to act boldly and lawlessly just for pleasure and face.

Mostly because of his personality, otherwise he wouldn't have given up the imperial examination and went to do business in war-torn Shandong just because his engagement was annulled. After making a comeback, he refused the woman's advances and was unwilling to marry another sister. He even beat the matchmaker and broke up with the Xu family.

For Zheng Hongyi, his face is beyond compare, and he also has face to protect his tribe.

Dai Wenmeng asked again: "It was not Zheng Hongyi himself who cut corners on contracted projects?"

Xu Huai explained: "The only businesses that Zheng Hongyi personally dealt with were the bank account and jewelry business. He didn't bother to take care of other small businesses. Contracting government projects and deducting workers' wages were all done by his brother-in-law. His brother-in-law also worked under the guise of When Zheng Hongyi found out about the evildoers of the Zheng family, instead of punishing him, he always protected him."

"Besides, what other crimes have the Zheng clan committed?" Dai Wenmeng asked.

Xu Huai said: "I heard about a murder case. After drinking, his brother-in-law accidentally beat the person to death on the spot after a quarrel. This guy spent a lot of money to ward off the disaster and spent a lot of money with the victim's family. . He also spent money to hire someone to scapegoat him, and then bribed judges at both levels in Quzhou Prefecture and Xi'an County. In the end, he only sentenced the scapegoat to be exiled to Taiwan."

Mei Zhuyou sighed: "It's a murder case. Do you know the name and address of the victim? We will investigate later."

Xu Huai must have inquired secretly, and immediately said: "The sufferer is Shu Shouyi, nicknamed Shu Da, who lives in Pinglefang. He is a drunkard who likes drinking. The two angels went to Pinglefang and found out where this person lived after asking. He died Later, my wife Fan had remarried and moved to Zhupeng Town in Longyou County. The fifth family in the east end of the town was a blacksmith."

Dai Wenmeng said with a smile: "You can inquire clearly. Is there any murder case in the Zheng family?"

Xu Huai said: "I heard it too, but I don't know whether it is true or not. There was a man named Sun in the Zheng family who went out to sell goods and never came back. The Zheng family claimed that this man Sun was killed by local soldiers in Guizhou. But When the fellow who went with him came back, someone vaguely revealed the truth. He said that fellow Sun had dirty hands and feet, swallowed more than ten taels of silver, and was beaten to death by Zheng Hongyi's nephew."

Mei Zhuyou asked: "What is the name of Zheng Hongyi's nephew? Where does he live? What is Mr. Sun's name? Where does he live?"

Xu Huai quickly told the details.

Before and after, a total of six murders were reported!

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like