Chapter 1417: Making a Name
Chapter 1417: Chapter 1417: Making a Name
Iron is a military resource, always controlled by the court, and if merchants want to trade pig iron, they must report to the government office.
The Su Family reported, but the reported quantity was incorrect, only reporting three hundred and forty jin, whereas the pig iron blocks found amounted to more than one thousand three hundred jin, over a thousand jin extra!
Selling one thousand jin of pig iron privately, according to Criminal Law, is enough to raid the Su Family three times over.
Squad Leader Wei was almost crazily happy, he didn’t expect to find evidence of Su Family’s crime, quickly ordered to seal the warehouse, sent a Government Official back to the government office to report, and he himself led other Government Officials straight to the Su Family.
Elder Su was at home worrying over whether to spend silver to redeem sin for Ms. Lin Su and the others, when Squad Leader Wei and the others barged in. He quickly asked, "Squad Leader Wei, why have you come suddenly? Could it be that the Lin Family has already paid the sin redemption silver, and Brother Tong’s mother and son can come out?"
Squad Leader Wei laughed, "Elder Su, your information is really not up to date. Your good son-in-law Lin Youfu has been arrested, and we are here to arrest the men of the Su Family, hurry and come with us to the government office!"
"What do you mean?" Elder Su was more and more confused, could it be: "Lin Youfu committed other major crimes, and the Su Family is implicated and the house raided because of him?"
Thump, thump, thump!
Elder Su was so angry he kept thumping the ground with his cane, cursing, "Oh you, Lin Youfu, never shown it before, you’re actually a wicked beast!"
Then hurriedly said to Squad Leader Wei, "Squad Leader Wei, the Su Family is a family of good deeds, disdains associating with the Lin Family, I have already severed ties with the Lin Family, expelled Ms. Lin Su from the clan, the Su Family has nothing to do with the Lin Family, please investigate carefully, Squad Leader Wei!"
"Investigate carefully?" Squad Leader Wei almost laughed to death, "Elder Su, you are really good at shirking responsibility, but unfortunately today we come to arrest your whole family for reasons unrelated to the Lin Family. What your family has committed isn’t minor, and it’s yet unknown who implicated whom between your two families."
"What do you mean?" Elder Su was shocked, "Our Su Family’s business is all in the open, the children of the Su Family are all good, no one committed any crimes!"
Squad Leader Wei: "You say no one committed crimes; does that mean no one committed crimes? Did you know underneath the floor of the Su Family’s dock warehouse hides more than a thousand jin of pig iron? More than a thousand jin, it’s not excessive for the whole family to be beheaded!"
Then said, "Didn’t expect, your Su Family is so bold, forgot the Tong Family’s affair? Think the Junior Minister killed too few Tong Family People, the Su Family wants to help round up the number?"
Elder Su heard and his old face turned pale, almost fainted, "What, there’s pig iron in the Su Family’s dock warehouse?!"
The Su Family did conduct business with pig iron blocks, but only helped the officials and noble families transfer iron blocks, the family itself did not dare sell privately.
"Innocent, innocent, the Su Family did not privately hide pig iron!" Elder Su cried out with tears, shouting his innocence.
Squad Leader Wei didn’t care, directly ordered Government Officials to bind him, "Elder Su, don’t shout innocence, pig iron was found in your warehouse, shouting until your voice breaks won’t help, hurry and come to the government office with us."
Dozens of Government Officials acted swiftly, soon bound the men of Elder Su’s family.
But Su Da was not present.
"Where is Su Da?" Squad Leader Wei asked, "He’s the eldest grandson of the Su Family, more important than other grandsons, must find him."
But Su Da seemed to have vanished into thin air, the Government Officials searched the Su Family’s house, manor, shop, separate yard, everywhere still no sign of Su Da.
"Heh, no need to say, definitely fled in fear of crime." Magistrate Shi immediately ordered to close the Linhe Prefecture City Gate and seal the crossing docks, personally led the search in Prefecture City and the dock.
Searched day and night, finally found Su Da disguised as a fisherman on a fishing boat.
Su Da was brought back to the government office, Magistrate Shi immediately held the court session, after a round of severe punishment, Su Da couldn’t endure and confessed everything.
The pig iron in the Su Family’s warehouse was indeed hidden by him.
Someone told him, the world is chaotic now, the rich households in Jiangnan urgently need pig iron to forge weapons for self-defense. After the Tong Family was raided, a batch of pig iron was left; as long as he dared, secretly resell it to Jiangnan, he could earn tens of thousands of taels of silver.
"That person said, the Tong Family People are all dead, Junior Minister also returned to the Capital, the Tong Family’s affair is completely over, and just after the Tong Family’s case was closed, now is when the officials are the most lax in controlling iron blocks, seize this chance to quickly resell the pig iron, and get rich."
Su Da said everything, finally cried out, "This commoner’s been deluded, will never dare again, beg you, my lord, spare this commoner once."
Finished speaking, he was kowtowing heavily.
Magistrate Shi sneered coldly, "Su Da, the crime you committed, not even my Prefecture, nor Junior Minister, can help you, asking for mercy is useless."
Then said, "You only say you were deluded by someone, then who is the one who deluded you? Aren’t you afraid of death, deliberately naming a mastermind to try to escape guilt?"
"No, this commoner is not lying, beg Magistrate to not kill me!" Thinking of the whole Tong Family being dragged off for execution, Su Da was terrified to death, incessantly begging for mercy.
Elder Su was so angry he nearly passed away on the spot, being held to kneel in court, he yelled at Su Da, "Stop speaking nonsense, quickly name the person who gave you the pig iron, let you resell it, what their name is, where they are now!"
Only that person is key for the Su Family to redeem guilt, otherwise all faults will be pinned on Su Da, and the fate of the Su Family will be the same as that of the Tong Family.
Su Da, hearing this, quickly shut his mouth, kept calm after a moment, recalled and provided a name and address.
Magistrate Shi immediately sent people to find, but that place was a Daoist Temple, there wasn’t the person Su Da mentioned, and after searching, no pig iron was found.
Returning people reported the findings to Magistrate Shi, Magistrate Shi was very upset, ordered beatings for Su Da.
However, Magistrate Shi believed Su Da was not lying, the mysterious person does exist, but had already escaped, they were chasing a shadow.
No choice, they had to blame everything on Su Da, with Su Da taking the fall, the Su Family was ruined.
Lin Guangtong, Ms. Lin Su, Lin Yueyun in prison upon hearing the news, all couldn’t bear the blow, fainted one after another.
Only Aunt Feng went insanely happy, never expected it, just a few nonsense words, the government office actually uncovered such a major secret iron selling case against the Su Family.
She redeemed herself from crimes, she redeemed herself!
"I made a contribution, I want to see Magistrate, I want to get out!" Aunt Feng shouted in the cell, but unfortunately, she shouted until her throat was hoarse without meeting Magistrate Shi.
Only after she compelled with headbutting the wall, did she get a reply from Magistrate Shi.
Squad Leader Wei came to the cell to tell Aunt Feng, "Magistrate said, among those children there was a girl who was an official’s daughter, you and your sibling trafficking official’s family members, added crime level, even if you contribute can’t absolve the crime. Stay quietly, wait until after February second next year to be executed."
About to be New Year, before New Year and during the first month they wouldn’t execute, all beheading works would be postponed until after February second when the dragon raises its head.
See, how benevolent the government office.