Chapter 217: To be guilty of

The entire terrain of Kaiyang County is high in the south and low in the north, with Qinling Mountains in the south, while a marsh in the middle runs across the entire county, and a tributary of the Jing River to the north. It is precisely because of the irrigation of these two rivers that makes Kaiyang County spread endless wheat fields, and has always been a grain-producing land in the Guanlong area. At that time, Wei Jiansu also took a fancy to the fertile land here and moved his family here.

Like other aristocratic families, their land is also distributed on both sides of the Lishui River in the form of a farm, and is managed by a dedicated person. Among them, there is a farm on the banks of the Lishui River, twenty miles west of Kaiyang County, called Shengfengtianzhuang. This is the most fertile farm in the Wei family. It has 5,000 hectares of land, nearly 1,000 slaves, and countless tenants. Every year, the hard work of farmers provides countless grains to the Wei family.

On the ninth day of the first lunar month, this day is the day for farmers to worship the sky. The sky is still bright, and the villages on both sides of the Lishui River are starting to get busy, praying devoutly to God for good weather and weather in the coming year. Next to Shengfengtianzhuang, there is a Dongguo Village, a medium-sized village with more than 200 families. Most of the people in the village are tenants from Shengfengtianzhuang. The men in the village gather at the Tianzhuang Villa on the north bank of the Lishui River at the fourth hour. This is actually the warehouse of the Tianzhuang Villa. The high walls surrounded dozens of huge warehouses and were guarded by hundreds of servants. There are also many houses for the managers of the Tianzhuang Villa and the people in it.

Before dawn, a bell rang, and the gate of the other courtyard opened. Groups of farmers gathered from various villages rushed out. They carried cattle, horses, flour and other offerings, and walked devoutly towards the altar on the north side of the Lishui River. Several priests in white clothes walked solemnly at the front of the team.

On both sides of the hundreds of miles of Baishui, there were many scenes of farmers spontaneous sacrifice to the sky. It was not until noon that the sacrifice came to an end, and the villagers began to return to Dongguo Village one after another.

At the same time when the villagers went to worship the sky, several horse-riding men came to Dongguo Village. Judging from their outfits, the leader was fat and round, smiling, wearing a long breasted robe, and soft-footed head, as if he was passing by. The younger ones behind them were all dressed up in short clothes, and they were all energetic, as if they were his followers.

The village is very quiet at this moment. The men went to the river to worship the sky, and only some women, children and elderly people were left behind. Every household was busy making lunch. Several people asked for clearing the road and came to the village chief's home. The village chief's home was next to the village, and you could see the farmyard from afar. Like traditional houses, the village chief's home also surrounded a yard with dirt walls, which was no different from the ordinary farmyard. However, there was a century-old old locust tree in the yard. Although it was winter, the huge canopy covered the entire cottage.

The gate of the yard was not closed, and there was only an old man chopping firewood in the yard. A follower stepped forward and asked, "Can Village Chief Wang be at home?"

The old man put down his hatchet, looked at them suspiciously, and said, "I am, what's wrong with you?"

At this time, the fat man with round face stepped forward and bowed and smiled, "We are here in Jincheng County. I heard that Kaiyang County has achieved good harvests, so I wanted to come to the village to collect some surplus grain. I wonder if it is convenient for Village Chief Wang?"

"What's the use of a good harvest?" Village Chief Wang sighed, and shook his head and said, "The rent of tenants has increased by 10% this year, and many families have difficulty in making a living. It's just the New Year, so there will be no surplus grain for sale. You can go to another place to take a look!"

"Then can we drink some water?"

"Then please come in!" Village Chief Wang took out a few small stools, placed them under the locust tree, called everyone to sit down, and brought a few large thick porcelain bowls to put them around, poured some hot water for everyone.

"My surname is Wang, and my family is ranked third, so the village chief will call me Wang Sanlang." The fat businessman pointed to the people behind him again, "They are all my friends."

"It turns out it's Manager Wang, I'm so respectful." The village chief poured himself a bowl of water and sat down.

The fat businessman took a sip of water. When he saw that there was no one in the house, he asked with a smile: "Today is the day to worship the sky. Why didn't the village chief go and leave it alone to stay at home."

"My legs are old and I can't get it anymore. My son went for me. My wife and wife went to the other courtyard to help cook." Village Chief Wang said, while secretly looking at these people. Although they claimed to be merchants who bought rice, they always felt that they were not as smart as merchants. Especially a few followers, each with a burly body, with a long knife on his waist and a straight back, with a cold look on his face. None of them sat down. It was more suitable to say that they were soldiers. Thinking about the recent changes in Longyou, Village Chief Wang felt a little wary and repeatedly warned himself not to talk nonsense.

"The village chief has always been a local from Dongguo Village!"

"Yes! I've been born and raised here and have lived here for more than 60 years."

"For more than sixty years? The village chief should know a lot of things." Manager Wang stood up and walked to the far door with his hands behind his back. He looked at the villa of Shengfengta Village for a while, then walked back slowly, glanced at the village chief, and suddenly asked, "I remember that this area used to be military farms by the imperial court, and the land should be owned by the government. When did it become a farm?"

The village chief suddenly jumped in his heart. He waved his hands in fear, "I don't know about this, don't ask me! Don't ask!"

"It's fine if others don't know, but the village chief can't make it right if they don't know." Manager Wang's face sank, and he said to Village Chief Wang coldly: "I advise you to tell the truth!"

Hearing this threatening words, the village chief's face changed drastically. He took a step back suddenly, staring at the so-called businessman and said, "Who are you?"

"Didn't I just say it? We are from Jincheng County." Manager Wang smiled faintly, made a gesture to the entourage behind him, and one of them went to close the door, while the other people slowly moved closer to the village chief by pressing the handle of the knife.

"What do you want to do?" Village Chief Wang retreated in horror. He had already understood that these people were probably from the government to investigate the affairs of the Wei family, and he had been targeted by them long ago, and he was caught while the men were not in the village.

"Since the village chief refuses to say it, we have to invite you to Jincheng County." Manager Wang waved his hand and said, "Take it away!"

Several followers stepped forward and twisted the village's arms, hugged him firmly like iron pliers, and grabbed the thin village chief like a chicken. Seeing that they had opened a sack, Village Chief Wang was so scared that he shouted in a trembling voice: "Let's go!"

"Let him go first!" Manager Wang walked slowly to him and said with a cold smile: "I'm going to hide it from you. We have invited many people away. Many of them have broken arms and legs. If you cooperate well, you will not only not suffer, but also have rewards. But if you are stubborn to the end, then your fate is only one word, think about it yourself!"

Village Chief Wang heard their words and had to leave no matter what he said. Now, he couldn't escape this difficulty. He thought about it and gritted his teeth and said, "I know what you are talking about. To be honest, I don't know what happened in the middle. I can tell you one person that he not only knows very clearly, but he may have evidence in his hands."

"Who is it?"

After saying that, he could not stop talking. The village chief sighed and said, "It's Manager Zhao Da from Sheng Toyota Village."

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Manager Zhao was in his early forties, and his father and grandfather were all servants of the Wei family. He served Wei Yan since he was a child. After Wei Yan became the head of the family, he also followed the family and dogs to rise step by step. He was sent to Sheng Toyota Village as the manager five years ago.

Here, he was the local emperor. Not only were more than a thousand slaves and hundreds of tenants allowed him to slaughter him, but the food he embezzled for loss every year made him a rich man. Year by year, his property expanded rapidly like his body.

Five years ago, when he first took office, he was a lonely man as thin as a bamboo pole. Five years later, he was as physical as a bear and had a lot of wives and concubines. Today is the day to worship the sky, and he did not go to sacrifice. For him, the quality of the harvest has nothing to do with him. The collapse of the Wei family means that his good days will come to an end. Although he has the responsibility to defend the Wei family's property, his own too much property has left most of his sense of responsibility.

At this moment, Manager Zhao was lying in the room with his fat body and counting the account books, calculating his remaining property in the farm. His wife was also busy packing a ingot of gold and jewelry into the box. They bought a large amount of land and houses in Xiangyang County. In just a few days, they will flee to Xiangyang.

At this moment, the window suddenly opened, and a gust of cold wind blew in, blowing the list he had just sorted out everywhere. Manager Zhao was busy grabbing the list, while shouting unhappily: "Madam, go and close the window!"

But after shouting twice, his wife could not be heard. Manager Zhao looked up unhappily and cursed: "You are deaf..."

But she found that her wife was trembling all over, pointing at the door in fear, and couldn't even shout a word from her mouth. As soon as Manager Zhao turned around, his body suddenly froze.

I saw that at some point more than twenty men in black clothes appeared at the door, holding sharp steel knives in their hands, staring at them coldly like wild beasts who discovered their prey.

"You... are you, who are you?" Manager Zhao, who has always been famous for his ability and eloquence, suddenly became seriously stuttering, "You, what do you want to do?"

At this time, a fat and round-faced man walked out from behind the man. He glanced at the two of them coldly and said, "We are the internal affairs camp of the Xiliang Army. We are here to investigate the Wei family's invasion of the imperial court's military farm. You can go with us!"

Manager Zhao seemed to have stepped into a deep abyss. He knew that the Wei family had collapsed, and Zhang Huan would never let go of the property that the Wei family could not take away, but he didn't expect that they would come so quickly. Will they still come back alive when they go there?

At this moment, Manager Zhao remembered the property he had not enjoyed yet. He still had a long life and his own women. They were going to divide their property and run away with the wild man.

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The more he thought about it, the more scared he became. His whole body was shaking like a sieve. He rushed onto his box filled with gold and burst into tears, "My gold! My life root!"

At this time, seven or eight big men rushed up, tied his wife into rice dumplings in a few seconds, stuffed them into a sack, and then searched them carefully in the room, searched them out of the property he had already packed in advance, including his house deed and land deeds in Xiangyang, dragged him away, and snatched him away the box filled with gold.

Manager Zhao had stopped crying and stared blankly at the accumulation of five years that he had been searched for. He was completely desperate, as if he was demented. It was not until several people approached with a rope with a grin that he suddenly woke up and kowtowed and begged for mercy, "Mr. Jun, I am willing to say, I am willing to say everything, I am only asking you to spare my life!"

Several big men ignored him and began to tie the ropes into the meat. Manager Zhao howled like a pig, "Lot deed!" He suddenly remembered the opportunity to make meritorious performance and shouted wildly: "I know the title deed. The title deeds in the manor were hidden in the basement. I will take you there!

"Let him go first and let him lead the way!"

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On the 11th day of the first lunar month, in the headquarters of the Jincheng County Jiedushi, the adviser Du Meixing rushed into Zhang Huan's room. He placed a thick stack of testimony and evidence collected from various places in Longyou in front of Zhang Huan, and smiled proudly: "It's legitimate, we can do it!"

Zhang Huan looked through the testimony with interest in his eyes full of fingerprints. He smiled at Du Mei with satisfaction and said, "You are doing this very well. Now I see how their Wei family explains to the world."

At this time, Du Mei hesitated and said, "It's not only the Wei family, Li Qiao from Shunhua County, Ma Lin from Anding County, and even the Xin family from Anding County have privately occupied the imperial court's military farming. If this matter is too much, I'm worried that they will not be able to get out of touch. Moreover, during the Anshi Rebellion, the military farming in Longyou has basically been abandoned. If it is really pursued, it may be difficult to convince people."

Zhang Huan smiled faintly and said, "If you want to add a crime, why don't you worry about it? We are just making an excuse. Since their Wei family did not occupy the land with righteousness, what's wrong with me replacing it as a military field? Furthermore, we can kill two birds with one stone and take the opportunity to seize the local power of these wealthy prefectures and counties."

As he said that, Zhang Huan turned to a page in Kaiyang County, and also accused the Wei family of taking possession of the family when the farmland was deserted. There were seven or eight fingerprints on it, all of which were the testimony of Li Zheng, the village chief and others.

After reading it once, Zhang Huan said coldly: "Kaiyang County is the Wei family's nest. I will go to deal with this matter in person. Other places will proceed simultaneously as planned. I will take back all the Wei family's land and arrest all the Wei family members!"

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On the 13th of the first lunar month, the governor of Kaiyang County was still Wei Du. Although all the Wei family members had moved to Hanzhong, Wei Du was the official appointed by the court. Before the imperial court ordered, he was still the highest administrative officer of Kaiyang County and the parent official of hundreds of thousands of people. However, the patrol troops coming and going on the streets of Kaiyang City are no longer the army of the Wei family.

Wei Du was walking back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. These days, Wei Du felt a little relieved. He received a notice from the head of the family, Wei Yan, and the court had decided to transfer him to Ruyang County as the governor. After the new governor came to handle the handover with him in early February, he could set off and leave Longyou.

Wei You was both expectant and worried about leaving Longyou. Under the surveillance of Zhang Huan's army, he felt like he was in pins and needles every day, and even had the idea of ​​retiring due to illness and returning home. Now he can finally be transferred. This is a beautiful thing he has been looking forward to for a long time, but after he left Longyou, what should the Wei family do in Kaiyang County? Whether the new governor can protect the interests of their Wei family has made him very worried.

After thinking for a long time, he decided to write a letter to the head of the family first so that he must get the support of the court and take practical measures to protect the Wei family's land in Longyou.

At this moment, fierce footsteps suddenly came from outside the door, and then his followers shouted, "What are you going to do?" With just a moment, the shout stopped abruptly.

Wei Du was surprised. He put down his pen, but before he could stand up, he kicked open with a 'bang!', and dozens of fully armed soldiers poured in from outside, surrounded him with swords, and immediately filled the small room.

"What are you going to do?" Wei Du was furious. He stood up suddenly and stared at the soldiers fiercely, "This is the governor's yamen, you must not be arrogant!"

At this time, a general walked into the door. It was Li Shuangyu, a military envoy from Longzhou. He held a military order and bowed to Wei Du and said, "Someone accused the Wei family of invading the military field while the national crisis. It has been initially verified that most of the Wei family's land in Longyou were military farms from the former imperial court. The Jiedushi had ordered a comprehensive investigation of the matter. In order to prevent the governor Wei from interfering in the investigation of the case, he specially asked the governor Wei to temporarily go to Jincheng County to avoid suspicion."
To be continued...