In this era, officials arrived at the yamen very early, and of course they left work early. Generally, the yamen handles affairs before dawn, and rests after noon. Unless there is a special business, there are only officials in the yamen in the afternoon.

Before dawn, Du Zhongxiao arrived at the official hall, and before he could handle official business, Chen Xiliang hurriedly came in. He arched his hand and said: "Jie Shuai, someone just went to the state government to complain, saying that the master's family was selling forbidden things." ”

Du Zhongxiao didn't raise his head: "Businessmen make money in business, and it's nothing to sell prohibited things, just punish them according to law." ”

Chen Xiliang said: "No, someone is smuggling flame nitrate and sulfur to the party!" ”

Hearing this, Du Zhongxiao stood up abruptly and said, "What? This is not a general forbidden, this is a military fund! ”

Chen Xiliang said: "Yes." Zhang Tangying, who joined the army with the manager, received the first complaint and immediately went to the signing hall to find me and asked me to play as the section commander. ”

Du Zhongxiao walked a few steps behind the case, turned around and said, "Order Zhang Tangying to immediately send someone to arrest the prisoner!" Also, bring all the evidence back to the Judge's Office! This is a big case, not an ordinary smuggling contraband! By the way, close the city gates immediately and arrest the people who came to buy goods from the party! ”

Chen Xiliang said yes, and quickly walked out of the official hall to inform Zhang Tangying. The Judicial Yuan is responsible for litigation and handling cases, and Zhang Tangying is in charge.

Du Zhongxiao paced back and forth in the official hall, thinking about it carefully, he was too laissez-faire with Shengzhou's business environment. In the past three years, the main energy has been on the military, and the affairs of the state have been completely handed over to the shogunate, and many people with backgrounds are not afraid. Shengzhou is a frontier land, and the objects of foreign trade are not only the Western Regions, but also the Khitan and the party. For these two countries, border smuggling is impossible to cut off. However, this is the first time to smuggle military funds.

After thinking about it again and again, Du Zhongxiao instructed the soldiers to call Fu Bi, Zhang Sheng, Tian Jing and Li Fugui to the official hall. This is not a trivial matter, and the next thing the imperial court may deal with is the party, and smuggling military funds there is equivalent to collaborating with the enemy.

After a while, several people arrived and sat down in the official hall.

Du Zhongxiao said: "Chen Xiliang came to report just now, and someone first reported that someone in the city was smuggling sulfur and flame nitrate to the party, and the matter was not small. These are not ordinary forbidden objects, they are military funds, and their origin is bound to be a problem. ”

Zhang Sheng said: "The party does not produce sulfur and flame nitrate in the country, and the imperial court is not allowed to sell it there. What is it that makes people so bold? ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "I don't know yet." In the past, we didn't control these strictly, and we didn't check them tightly, and there were always people who wanted to give it a try. I will handle this case strictly, so you don't have to worry. What I'm worried about now is the supplies in the army. Although the management is strict, it is inevitable that some people will want to give it a try for the sake of money. From today onwards, the army will strictly check all kinds of military funds! Li Fugui, you are the person in charge of the military resources of Hequ Road, so you don't have to participate this time, but you can take a look. At the same time, I went to the Western Regions and told Zhang Yu to let him check there together! ”

Several people say yes.

Fu Bi said: "Since the festival marshal entered the river meandering road, the benefits of firearms are known to the world. This is the important weapon of the country, and the imperial court did not strictly manage it before, but it was just a temporary negligence. Now that someone is being smuggled, it is likely that there has been an unknown amount of smuggling before. In addition to the strict investigation of this matter, it should also be played to the imperial court and strictly guarded against it in the world. Flame nitrate and sulfur, it is better not to allow the people to sell casually in the future, and all of them are sold by shopping malls. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "The deputy envoy is right. In recent years, the changes have been too fast, and many policies have not been able to keep up, so we have to take good care of them. When this case is investigated, I will go to the court and collect all the world's flame and sulfur to the mall, and they will sell it. ”

Tian Jingdao: "I heard that the party has cast a lot of cannons in recent years, but there is only a lack of gunpowder. Smuggling these things there will be trouble in the future. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Don't worry too much, compared with those used in the military, there are not many of these things in the people, how many can be sold to the party?" The reason for the severe punishment is to make an example for everyone, telling them that these things can't be done. Here in Shengzhou, because when they occupied, there were too few local aborigines, and they were all battalions and fields from the mainland, and the management was not strict. In particular, the merchants who opened shops here from other places were given all kinds of preferential treatment by the government without strictly supervising them. I only know that there is profit here, but I don't know that there are many things that cannot be done. ”

Fu Bi said: "It's good to have such a thing, otherwise we won't be in the dark?" Ordered the personnel of this state to strictly investigate, and in our investigation army, it is nothing more than a strict defense. The party has cast cannons, and there is not enough gunpowder, so it is not a big problem. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded and discussed with everyone how to arrange the follow-up investigation.

In the early morning, Shen Yuanwai was sleeping peacefully at home, when dozens of soldiers suddenly rushed in and pulled him out of the bedroom. The concubine who was sleeping on the side was so frightened that she shrank in the corner of the bed, looking very frightened.

Zhang Tangying personally led the team, looked at Shen Yuanwai, and said in a deep voice: "You are the owner of Yuelai Freight Yard?" By the way, there are also Yuelai shops. ”

Shen Yuanwai nodded: "Yes, these are small properties under the name, I don't know what happened?" ”

Zhang Tangying said: "What do you do when you ask so much?" Catch it back to the yamen first! Send someone to watch over this place, and no one is allowed to go out! ”

The soldiers around him promised. Zhang Tangying ordered someone to take Shen Yuanwai and hurried back to the manager's house.

When he arrived at the Minister's Hospital, Zhang Tangying was promoted to the hall and ordered Tan Shilang to be brought up.

Seeing Tan Shilang, Shen Yuanwai only felt that his head was buzzing. This child was hired by himself from Bingzhou and brought here, and he was given a five-year deed. He is very good at work, but he is not very easy to manage, and he often causes a lot of trouble. Shen Yuanwai is strictly controlled, except for the fixed salary, because he hates Tan Shilang's liking to make trouble, he usually does not reward money. Last night, he begged for a reward from himself, but he didn't give it, so he went to the yamen to complain before he expected.

Zhang Tangying pointed at Tan Shilang and said, "This is the little guy below you, have you admitted your mistake?" ”

Shen Yuanwai nodded: "Yes, this is a small one hired from Bingzhou." At that time, he said that he would work with me for five years, and when the time came, he would pay for his passage home. And what shall he accuse me of the Lord? ”

Zhang Tangying said sharply: "In ordinary cases, slaves are naturally not allowed to sue the master. However, in this case, you smuggled forbidden items out of the country, which is strictly forbidden by the imperial court! Sulfur and flame nitrate are all forbidden items in the imperial court, and they are not allowed to be sold privately in Shengzhou City, but you dare to sell them to the party! ”

Shen Yuanwai listened, and his face immediately turned pale. These are not forbidden items in the mainland, but Shengzhou strictly prohibits them, and they are sold abroad, so I am afraid that this time I can't take it lightly. This Tan Shilang, if he wants a reward, he didn't expect to come to the first place.

At this time, the law forbade a slave to sue his master, otherwise he would be punished severely, and his master's sin would not be punished. But that being said, it depends on what the master's sin is. For example, if it is a felony such as plotting against the great rebellion, or the master is a servant, etc., the slave is still allowed to sue the master. Moreover, since the founding of the country, there have been many cases in which officials have used slaves to sue their masters and punished their masters for serious crimes.

Zhang Tangying said: "In your Yuelai freight yard, a large amount of flame nitrate and sulfur have been raised, and the facts are there. And Tan Shilang confessed, you have to sell these goods to people from the party, but this is true? ”

Shen Yuanwai hurriedly shouted wronged: "How can the little one know that it is the party who buys the goods?" There is a grievance in this fact! ”

Zhang Tangying sneered: "When the prisoner is brought in, he will naturally know." What difference do you recognize and don't recognize! ”