Chapter 515 516 Cheng Family
"Cheng Xu was taken to Chengjia Village by Cheng Shan and locked up. I have sent people to rescue him. There are also two little girls locked up in the woodshed in the inner courtyard.
The servants said she was the third wife of the Cheng family. The servants also said that the third wife of the Cheng family was a concubine, while the eldest and the second wife were legitimate children. The second wife and the third wife had always been at odds with each other. They also said that Mr. Cheng had ruined the third wife's wife. "
After Zhaocai said this, he turned around and glanced at Cheng Shan disdainfully.
Zhou Jia looked at Cheng Shan in surprise. He didn't expect that the handsome Mr. Cheng would do such a terrible thing.
An hour later, the guards came in from outside with a young man covered in blood, and reported to Zhou Jiachen: "Sir, Cheng Xu, the third roommate of the Cheng family, has been brought here."
When Zhou Jia saw him coming in and looking at the Cheng family, he laughed and walked up to Cheng Shan and his wife, "Mr. Cheng, eldest lady, God has eyes, and so do you today," and then knelt down and looked at the sky. , "Father, mother, do you have spirits in the sky to see it? Those who harmed you have all received their retribution, wu... wu..."
Mr. and Mrs. Cheng Shan and dozens of members of the Cheng family looked at Cheng Xu angrily. Cheng Shan's eyes bulged with hatred and he cursed angrily: "You bastard, you are the one who stole everything."
"The Cheng family should have fallen long ago." Cheng Xu got up from the ground with tears on his face and kicked him in the face. "The Cheng family is a dirty evil ghost cave, and you are just an evil ghost wearing human skin. , I can’t wait to eat your flesh and drink your blood, just wait! You evil ghosts are just waiting to be exiled, and the high-ranking ladies are waiting to live in the Priest’s Square for the rest of their lives!”
The eldest wife of the Cheng family looked at Cheng Xu and cursed viciously: "You will not die well, your mother, that slut, will be cannoned and burned to hell..."
Cheng Xu rushed over angrily, grabbed her bun and knocked her to the ground, then stepped on her face. "You are the one who is going to be burned in hell," he said, leaning over to whisper in her ear. He said in a cautious tone, "Just wait, I will redeem the two young ladies you pampered and raised and send them to a private house in Xicheng. Don't you often threaten my sister like this? I will let your two daughters Do it there for the rest of your life.”
The eldest lady sobbed and her eyes were splitting. Cheng Shan and the men from the Cheng family roared and struggled to hit Cheng Xu, but Zhou Jiaren restrained them.
Cheng Shan growled at Cheng Xu: "You are a bitch who eats everything inside and outside. If I had known, I would have chopped you up and fed you to the dogs."
Cheng Xu let go of the eldest lady and walked up to him, punching him on the bridge of his nose. Cheng Shan was in unbearable pain and tears and nosebleeds flowed out.
Cheng Xu glanced at him contemptuously, let him go, walked to Zhou Jia, knelt down and kowtowed: "Sir, please let me go out to find my sister and Aunt Qiong, and come back immediately if you find me."
Zhou Jia looked at him with sympathy and said warmly: "Your two sisters are still waiting for you inside. You go and see them first. I have asked the woman who reported the news to take them to a safe place. I’ll have someone call her over later.”
"Thank you, sir." Cheng Xu kowtowed to Zhou Jia, then stood up and staggered towards the inner courtyard.
Zhou Jia asked the officers and soldiers to take the Cheng family away and take them to the government prison.
The Cheng family members were tied up in a group and escorted to the government office by officers and soldiers. The people who came after hearing the news threw rotten vegetables at the Cheng family members.
Some old people pointed at them and said, "You guys are in this situation too! God's law is clear, retribution is coming, retribution is coming!"
Some people also brought some bad guys who were hiding in the nest, and threw them at the Cheng family, hitting Cheng Shan and several men, making them stink all over.
It wasn't until someone rushed forward to tear and scratch that the officers and soldiers stopped them.
Some of the scribes sent by the government began to count the belongings and record them one by one, while others were sorting out the letters and account books.
Looking at those things, Zhou Jia thought to himself: Your Majesty has become rich again, and the Treasury of the Ministry of Revenue is getting fuller and fuller. He also said that Dayong has no money and that all the money is in the hands of corrupt officials and wealthy people.
Wu Tongpan came to Cheng's house and reported to Zhou Jia: "Master Zhou, the search of Magistrate Feng's house has been completed, and his family members have also been imprisoned."
Zhou Jia nodded, "This is the fate a corrupt official like Feng Qing deserves."
Wu Tongpan felt the same and said, "My lord, that's what you said."
The two of them looked at the mountains of gold, silver, jewelry and jades piled up in the yard, being loaded into wooden boxes one by one by the officers and soldiers. The large wooden boxes gradually filled the yard, and several boxes were also filled with account books and letters.
Wu Tongpan secretly said: People in Yuezhou say that the Cheng family is rich, and this is indeed true. These gold and silver treasures are more than the taxes of the entire Yuezhou government in several years.
Cheng Xu came out with two frightened girls. Zhou Jia said to him: "This place will be sealed off. You can take away the belongings and servants of the third room of the Cheng family. You can take your two sisters to resettle them first." Okay, let’s go back to the government office for questioning.”
Cheng Xu gratefully took his sister and bowed to Zhou Jia and Wu Tongpan, "Sir, don't worry, I will go to the government office after I have settled my sister."
Zhou Jia looked at the small courtyard in front of him with a headache, but walked in anyway.
After entering the house, he saw the eldest prince lying on the bed, lifeless, and two women kneeling below him who were crying.
Zhou Jia said to the officers and soldiers following him: "Take the two of them to the government prison and hold them in separate cells. The person on the couch will buy a good coffin to restrain him."
After the officers and soldiers responded, they took the two women away.
Zhou Jia returned to the post house and began to write a memorial to report to the emperor the situation in Yuezhou and the news that the eldest prince had committed suicide by taking poison.
After asking the secret guard to send the memorial away, Zhou Jia thought to himself: After the trial of Cheng Jia and Magistrate Feng is completed, he can take them back home to reunite with Yu'er and the children, and return to His Majesty.
Zhou Jia interrogated the two Cheng brothers overnight. Cheng Shan denied the crimes committed by the Cheng family and cursed Zhou Jia, saying that he had framed Zhong Liang. It was not until Zhou Jia slapped the evidence on his face that he stopped talking and remained silent. He refused to admit that he made weapons privately and put all the blame on the steward.
The second roommate of the Cheng family put all the blame on the eldest room. The two families complained about each other and fought in the prison.
When Cheng Xu went to the government office and accused Cheng Shan of secretly operating iron mines and making weapons, Cheng Shan still denied it, arguing that Cheng Xu was taking revenge for personal gain.
After Chushan returned to Yuezhou with the weapons and the manager's confession, Zhou Jia saw it recorded that the Cheng family had made tens of thousands of weapons in the past two years, as well as various types of armor. Most of the weapons shipped out were stored in In the cellar of Chengjia Village, more than 40 corpses of miners who died were found in the pits.
After leading people to take out the weapons from the cellar in Chengjia Village, Cheng Shan bowed his head and confessed when the evidence was in front of him. However, he refused to admit that he colluded with General Zou to commit rebellion. He only admitted to secretly forging weapons and colluding with Feng Qing to sell iron ore.
There was no solid evidence that Zou Shenjiang had colluded with the Cheng family, so Zhou Jia could only take him into custody and wait to report it to the court for disposal.
One after another, people complained to the Cheng family for allowing their servants to seize the property, as well as the miners and blacksmiths who were deceived into the mountains, as well as the miners who died.
Zhou Jia reported Cheng Shan's confession and Feng Qing's corruption and bribery, which opened the door for the Cheng family, to Kyoto and waited for the emperor's decision before taking people to various counties and towns to investigate.