Chapter 44: We are professionals in house raiding
Chapter 44: We are professionals in house raiding

"Lin Zhiqi, do you have anything else to say?"

When Ye Xuan threw a whole stack of books filled with his crimes in front of Lin Zhiqi, the local emperor of Shangyuan County finally lowered his head, which he once thought was noble.

"Hmph, I'm going to raid your house now. If you're willing to lead the way, perhaps I can say a few good words for you in front of the emperor, such as saying that you have a good attitude in admitting your guilt." Ye Xuan said teasingly with a smile.

However, Lin Zhiqi just knelt on the ground motionless, his eyes dull and no one knew what he was thinking.

Seeing his expression, Ye Xuan knew what Lin Zhiqi was thinking. Although he was no longer in the mood to tease him, he did not have any sympathy for such a corrupt official.

During the Hongwu period, Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated that anyone who embezzled more than 60 taels of silver would be punished by death.

However, the money reported by the people in the Book of the People in his hand alone was worth no less than a thousand taels. Even if Lin Zhiqi had ten heads, they would not be enough for Zhu Yuanzhang to chop off.

Since he knew he was going to die, Lin Zhiqi naturally would no longer have the motivation to cooperate with Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan didn't take it seriously. When it comes to house-raiding, his buddies are professionals. Why would they care whether you cooperate or not?
At that moment, he waved his hand and took more than a dozen Jinyiwei cavalrymen and rode straight to the outside of the county government office.

It has to be said that our ancestors understood the importance of the avoidance system very early on, so there has been an avoidance system for officials since the Qin Dynasty. Simply put, it is a rule that officials are not allowed to serve in their hometowns.

The term of office of a county magistrate is generally only three years, so few minor officials at the county magistrate level would purchase land and real estate in the place where they take office to prevent difficulties in cashing out when they are transferred.

Lin Zhiqi also did not buy any property in Shangyuan County and usually lived in the back hall of the county government office.

So when Wang Feihu and Song Zhenshan saw that Ye Xuan not only did not go to the back hall, but went straight to the outside of the county government office, they were both a little confused.

"Sir, aren't we going to search the house?" Wang Feihu asked first.

Ye Xuan did not answer but asked: "I asked you to go to the back hall to look for evidence before. Did you get anything?"

Wang Feihu heard this and shook his head in shame.

If Ye Xuan had not successfully persuaded the people of Shangyuan to expose Lin Zhiqi's crimes, their trip would probably have been in vain.

Ye Xuan smiled slightly and said, "Since you found nothing in the back hall, it proves that Lin Zhiqi is very cunning. He did not store the money he collected from the people in the back hall, but hid the treasure somewhere else."

Song Zhenshan frowned and asked, "Your Excellency is indeed a wise man, but in this case, shouldn't we interrogate Lin Zhiqi?"

Ye Xuan curled the corners of his mouth slightly, took out a Book of All Peoples and handed it to the two of them.

What was written on the paper was a case in which a local rich man accused Lin Zhiqi of occupying a villa of his family and begged the court to recover and return it.

As the general flags of the Jinyiwei, they were not stupid people. Wang Feihu immediately showed joy and said, "My lord, are you saying that Lin Zhiqi might have stored the money he extorted from the people in this villa?"

Seeing Ye Xuan nod, Song Zhenshan showed doubt again, "But how can you be sure that Lin Zhiqi only occupied this courtyard, and that he must have hidden it in this courtyard?"

"Hey, Old Song, why do you have so many questions? Don't you trust the adults?" Wang Feihu said impatiently.

"Old Wang, that's not what I meant..." Song Zhenshan was about to explain, but Ye Xuan smiled and interrupted him with a wave of his hand:

"Originally, I was not so sure. Moreover, I have asked the county officials and found out that Lin Zhiqi does have two or three other houses, but he only hides a few women in the house we are going to now."

"Anyway, let's go check it out first."

As they were talking, a group of imperial guards were led by local people to Lin Zhiqi's courtyard. Compared with the back hall of the county government, the courtyard in front of them was not big but very exquisite, and it could be seen that it had been decorated with great effort. Whether it was the wood used for the gate or the glazed tiles on the eaves, it all showed the strong financial resources of its owner.

"This is it, brothers, go ahead!" With a wave of Ye Xuan's hand, a dozen Jinyiwei kicked the gate open with three punches and two kicks like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey and rushed in.

Immediately, a woman's screams and curses were heard in the courtyard.

Someone shouted, "Where did you come from? You know this is the villa of County Magistrate Lin."

"Haha, you broke into the villa of your Lord Lin! The young lady is pretty. Why don't you follow me? I guarantee she will be more powerful than that old man Lin Zhiqi!"

Ye Xuan, who had originally had a calm expression on his face, recognized the voice as Wang Feihu's and immediately became upset.

I didn't realize that Wang Feihu had the potential to be a gangster.

We represent justice and the court, so don't let us act like robbers.

In order to prevent Wang Feihu from continuing to ruin the reputation of the Jinyiwei, Ye Xuan hurriedly stepped into the courtyard.

"Wang Feihu, you bastard, what are you doing here?" Ye Xuan scolded, and Wang Feihu was so scared that he immediately ran away with his head in his hands.

Ye Xuan glanced at the yard and saw seven or eight young women standing in the yard. They were sitting together and looking at Ye Xuan and others who suddenly broke in in horror.

Looking at the cakes and tea on their table, it was not difficult to tell that these women were originally drinking tea and chatting.

"They are quite pretty." Ye Xuan secretly felt sorry for these women.

According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, all the wives of officials who were detained during the house searches would either be sold as slaves or sent to the Jiaofangsi to serve as messengers of pleasure.

These young ladies in front of me are all very beautiful and it goes without saying that they will be sent to the Jiaofangsi.

At this time, Song Zhenshan stepped forward and reported: "Your Excellency, I have learned from the servants in this courtyard that these young women are Lin Zhiqi's concubines."

Wang Feihu, who was not far away, heard this and angrily cursed "dog official".

Just as Ye Xuan said, when it comes to confiscating property, the Jinyiwei are the professionals.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Jinyiwei reported one after another that a large amount of hidden gold, silver and jewelry had been found.

This Lin Zhiqi actually dug a cellar in the courtyard to hide the money he had extorted from the people.

The cellar was hidden very secretly, and a rockery was specially built on top, but even so, it was still found by the Jinyiwei.
According to the final statistics, the attackers confiscated 1,000 taels of silver, 100 taels of gold, a number of antiques and paintings, as well as two property deeds, including this small courtyard.

There are also some quirky stuff, like handicrafts collected from various places, which are not worth much.

Of course, this does not include the seven or eight terrified young women in the yard.

"I didn't expect this bastard to be so greedy!" Ye Xuan sighed.

Shangyuan County is a small county with a population of only over 100,000 and Lin Zhiqi has only been in office for less than two years.

This efficiency in greed for money can be considered very high.

(End of this chapter)