After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Li Yuntian accompanied Chen Ningning and Zheng Wanrou to stay in Yangzhou City for a few days, and then Chen Ningning and Zheng Wanrou left Yangzhou on the same day, Chen Ningning went north to Shanxi, and Zheng Wanrou went south to Zhejiang to be busy with the business of the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce.

On the night of the two leaving, Li Yuntian led Xie Heng and Han Liang to Yangzhou Wei Prison, although he was outside to accompany his wives to enjoy the mountains and rivers these days, Xie Heng and Han Liang were busy dealing with matters related to Zhao Wenju's case.

With the unremitting efforts of Xie Heng and Han Liang day and night, the two finally handled the case of Zhao Wenju properly, killing those who should be killed, exiled those who should be exiled, and those who should be sentenced to imprisonment.

Yangzhou Wei Prison, a wing room.

After the two brocade guards brought Zhao Wenju from the cell, they bowed to Li Yuntian and left, leaving Zhao Wenju, Li Yuntian, and Li Manshan in the room.

"Boss Zhao, I haven't seen you for a few days, you seem to have lost some weight, is it that the food in the cell is not palatable?" Li Yuntian glanced at Zhao Wenju, whose hair was neatly combed, and asked with a smile.

After this period of time in prison, Zhao Wenju seems to have seen a lot, and also looked down on life and death, and began to pay attention to his appearance under the care of his family, and did not need to wear a cloak.

To tell the truth, although the food in the prison is not as good as the delicacies that Zhao Wenju ate before, it has caught up with the level of ordinary people in Yangzhou, plus Zhao Wenju has now disregarded life and death, the so-called wide heart and fat body, not only did not lose weight but also gained some weight.

"Master Hou can give preferential treatment to sinners, and sinners are grateful." Zhao Wenju threw his hand to Li Yuntian when he heard this, and said solemnly, it is unique in Daming to be able to eat such a delicious meal in the prison, and the Jinyi guard guarding the cell did not harass him and his family, otherwise the female dependents in the family will inevitably suffer the fate of ****, which makes him quite grateful in his heart.

"Boss Zhao, you and I both know what is going on with you, are you really willing to be this scapegoat?" Li Yuntian smiled slightly when he heard this, and asked quietly.

Zhao Wenju didn't expect Li Yuntian to say such vague words, and he was stunned, in his opinion, Li Yuntian's visit to Yangzhou this time was just a formality, how could he really delve into the inside story of the two Huai Salt Road's greed for ink? Otherwise, how could he have been interrogated only twice, and he had not been tortured to extract a confession?

As a high-ranking deacon of the Salt Merchants Association, Zhao Wenju knows very well that once the lid of the Lianghuai Salt Road is pierced, it will become a shocking case of the Ming Dynasty, and I am afraid that even Li Yuntian will not be able to bear the severe consequences it brings, so he naturally has to avoid it.

"Master Hou, sinners know that they are guilty, but they want to die, and they have nothing else to wish." Then, Zhao Wenju's eyes dimmed, thinking that Li Yuntian was just a routine inquiry, so he smiled bitterly and knelt down at Li Yuntian.

"Boss Zhao, you must know very well that it is difficult to escape Ling Chi's execution with your guilt."

Li Yuntian had long expected that Zhao Wenju would be charged to death, so he was not in a hurry, he looked at him unhurriedly and said, "But there is one thing you don't know, the combined net worth of you and Zhang Gui is enough to withstand the taxes of the Ming Household Department for a year, which has made the emperor angry about the Lianghuai Yandao case, I am afraid that your family will be implicated, and it is inevitable that you will die at that time." ”

Hearing that his family was inevitably dying, Zhao Wenju, who was kneeling there, couldn't help but tremble when he heard this, as if his heart was touched.

"Maybe you hope that someone will intercede with you, but this official can sue you, those people now wish that this matter would be settled sooner, and no one wants to be involved in this kind of case involving a huge amount of corruption."

Li Yuntian knew that Zhao Wenju had been hit in the soft underbelly by himself, so he said in an orderly manner, "This official can clearly sue you, many officials in the Lianghuai Salt Road have already submitted documents to this official to severely punish you, and want to draw a line with you, do you have to think about it, who in the imperial court will intercede for you, a salt seller who traffics in illicit salt?" ”

Hearing this, Zhao Wenju couldn't help but ooze beads of sweat on his forehead, Li Yuntian's words were like a sharp sword into his heart, he knew that what Li Yuntian said was right, maybe someone in the court would speak for the officials who committed crimes in the Lianghuai Salt Road, but he was just a lowly businessman, who would plead for him as a trader?

Originally, Zhao Wenju pinned his hopes on Chen Guangzong's secret operation, so that he could open up to his family from Li Yuntian, but now it seems that Li Yuntian was not affected by Chen Guangzong, otherwise there would be no previous conversation.

But even so, Zhao Wenju did not dare to disobey Chen Guangzong, the huge power behind Chen Guangzong was something he could not fight, although he confessed the inside information of the two Huai Yan Dao to his family to find a way to live, but how could the forces behind Chen Guangzong spare them, I am afraid that they will inevitably die at that time, perhaps worse than being beheaded by the imperial court.

"Boss Zhao, it is rumored that the second son did not go to Huguang, can you tell the official where he is?" Li Yuntian knew that Zhao Wenju had scruples in his heart, and after a deep groan, his words turned around, and asked quietly.

"Lord Hou, the last time the sinner saw the dog was when he left Yangzhou, as for where he went, the sinner is not clear." Zhao Wenju had already been asked this question when he was in prison, so he was already prepared in his heart, and replied in a deep voice after steadying his mind for a while.

"As far as this official knows, Boss Zhao loves the second son the most, and the second son also has the talent to do business, and in time, he may be promoted to the vice president of the Salt Merchants Association."

Li Yuntian did not ask about Zhao Dengyu's whereabouts, but praised Zhao Dengyu, and then said meaningfully, "Pity the hearts of parents all over the world, even if you die when you encounter danger, you must leave your life to your children!" ”

"Master Hou, the sinner really doesn't know where the dog is, if he knows, he will definitely sue Master Hou." Zhao Wenju heard the meaning of Li Yuntian's words, and suspected that he had hidden Zhao Dengyu, so he knelt on the ground and said, all his hopes now are on Zhao Dengyu, and he would naturally rather die than confess Zhao Dengyu's whereabouts.

"Boss Zhao, I heard that you once saved a cloth merchant named Chen Lan in Shaoxing Mansion before, so you must have a good personal relationship with him." Li Yuntian glanced at Zhao Dengyu and asked slowly.

"Hou ...... Master Hou! Zhao Dengyu's body trembled when he heard this, and he looked up at Li Yuntian with a shocked expression, never expecting that Li Yuntian would find out about Chen Lan's body.

"Boss Zhao, let's see if this is the second son's thing." The corners of Li Yuntian's mouth showed a subtle smile, and he waved his head to Li Manshan, who was standing aside, and Li Manshan then walked over and handed a jade pendant to Zhao Dengyu.

"Master Hou, how are you now?" Zhao Wenju recognized this jade pendant at a glance as Zhao Dengyu's belongings, and his expression immediately became flustered, and he looked up and asked Li Yuntian in panic.

"Boss Zhao, rest assured, the second son is fine now, and his wife and children are also safe now." Li Yuntian smiled slightly, and said to Zhao Wenju in a deep voice, "Boss Zhao, this official can tell you the truth now, this official came to Yangzhou this time to clear the stubborn disease of the Lianghuai Salt Road, you are just a scapegoat thrown out by them, this official will give you a chance, as long as you can atone for your crimes, this official can intercede with the emperor, and extrajudicial mercy will let you reunite with your family." ”

"Master Hou, do you really want to attack the two Huai Salt Roads?" Zhao Wenju's eyes suddenly flashed with a shocked look when he heard this, Li Yuntian's move was undoubtedly a big hornet's nest, and if he was not careful, he would suffer from it.

"The annual tax revenue of the Ming household department is only three million taels of silver, and the tax silver lost in the two Huai Salt Road is at least five or six million taels a year. Li Yuntian nodded, and looked at Zhao Wenju solemnly, "This official has already made a life and death certificate for the emperor before leaving Beijing, and he vows not to return to Beijing until the two Huai Yandao greedy ink are investigated!" ”

Hearing this, Zhao Wenju looked at Li Yuntian dumbfounded, not to mention the Ming Dynasty, since the Tang Dynasty, the wind of greed for ink has prevailed in the Lianghuai Salt Road, and the kings of all dynasties have also sent people down to investigate, but the results are all over, and some people even died for it, Li Yuntian, as a dignified Zhenwu Marquis, has no need to provoke this mess, but Li Yuntian has made up his mind to thoroughly investigate the Lianghuai Salt Road, which makes Zhao Wenju surprised.

"Boss Zhao, this official knows what you are afraid of, but this official can sue you, if you make a great contribution in this case, this official can protect you from death and place you and your family in a safe place."

Li Yuntian saw Zhao Wenju looking at him with a stunned expression, knowing that Zhao Wenju was stunned by what he had just said, and said with a stern expression after a deep groan.

"A safe place?" Zhao Wenju couldn't help but come back to his senses when he heard this, and had to say that the transaction Li Yuntian proposed was very tempting, but then he shook his head and looked at Li Yuntian with a wry smile, "The sky and the earth are big, I'm afraid there will be no place for sinners and their families at that time!" ”

"The two capitals and fourteen provinces may not have a place for you, but the Ming still has territories overseas, and this official can send you and your family there, so that no one can find you." Li Yuntian smiled slightly, and said to Zhao Wenju in a deep voice, he knew that this matter was Zhao Wenju's last knot and must be opened.

"Overseas territories?" A suspicious look appeared on Zhao Wenju's face, he had never heard that Daming still had territory overseas.

"I have built the Old Port Propaganda Division on Sumatra Island in the South Seas, when the Three Treasures Eunuch went to the Western Ocean, he had defeated the sea bandits in the South Seas, and this official has emigrated nearly 10,000 people to the Old Port Propaganda Division, and will immigrate another 100,000 in the future, so that the Old Port Propaganda Division will become a solid fortress for my Ming Dynasty overseas, where no one can recognize you."

Li Yuntian bowed slightly, and explained to Zhao Wenju in an orderly manner, not to mention that Zhao Wenju is a businessman, even the officials of the imperial court have rarely heard of the Jiugang Xuanwei Division, and even fewer people know where it is.

"What does Master Hou want sinners to do?" Zhao Wenju had heard of Sumatra Island and knew that it was the location of the Three Buddhas Kingdom, so he gritted his teeth after a deep groan, and looked at Li Yuntian solemnly.

If he can live in seclusion on Sumatra, the power behind Chen Guangzong will be beyond the reach of the whip, and it is obvious that Jiaozhi, Guangxi and the Xuanfu Division of the old port are Li Yuntian's territory, and under Li Yuntian's protection, the safety of him and his family in Sumatra can be sufficiently guaranteed.

If other officials made such a promise to Zhao Wenju, Zhao Wenju would not believe it nine times out of ten, but Li Yuntian's reputation for keeping his promises is not good, and in addition to the preferential treatment of those prisoners in the prison during this time, Zhao Wenju naturally trusts Li Yuntian.

In the end, no one wants to die, especially a rich person like Zhao Wenju is even more unwilling to say goodbye to the fancy world in front of him in advance, and now that Li Yuntian has given Zhao Wenju a way to live, he naturally wants to give it a go.

Hearing this, the corners of Li Yuntian's mouth couldn't help but show a smile of relief, it seems that Zhao Wenju has made the most correct choice, and with Zhao Wenju's help, it will undoubtedly make his follow-up plan much simpler.