After ending his conversation with Cai He, Fang Yun immediately ordered his private soldiers to inspect the granary to avoid any problems.
Buying old grain to replace new grain and earning the difference in price was a common tactic used by the Granary Inspector. There were even some who directly sold large amounts of grain and burned it before the inspection.
Although the Heavenly Counselors personally participated in the handover and Ji Zhibai did not leave behind any problems, it was now necessary to inspect the granary again.
When they arrived at the county yamen, Fang Yun sat in the main hall. He did not immediately begin the inspection, but instead closed his eyes to rest.
In the corner of the hall, there was a large pile of documents and account books.
Ao Huang floated in the air and asked curiously, "Fang Yun, how did you dare to capture so many workshop owners? Are you sure there's something wrong with them? "
Fang Yun casually said, "If I killed them all, there would definitely be some who were wrongly accused. However, if I killed them one by one, there would definitely be fish that escaped the net."
Ao Huang felt a chill in his heart and said in shock, "The officials of Ning An County are so corrupt. How can it still function?"
Fang Yun sneered, "Those high-ranking officials boasted that it was their work. It's true that they did contribute, but it wasn't much. The reason why Ning An County is still functioning well is because of the border army protecting the country. The second reason is that the people of Jingguo are hardworking and kind. Those who cause trouble are in the minority. The third reason is because of the hard work of those low-level bailiffs and constables. In the end, the credit goes to those officials. "
"Now that you mention it, it does make sense. You're indeed full of evil tricks. There are no accusers, no evidence, and the accounts of the most problematic people were probably already prepared before you took office. Naturally, you can only talk to them and not interrogate them. However, I still feel that you went overboard by killing those seven people. "
Fang Yundao said, "Jingguo's laws clearly state that if you use force to fight against an official, you can kill him on the spot in order to avoid accidentally injuring the civilians. Furthermore, if you instigate the workers, it's a crime on top of a crime. Think about it carefully. If they dare to beat up an official, what else do they not dare to do? "
"That's true. Some people rely on their connections to the imperial family and aristocratic families. They're used to being tyrannical and have completely forgotten the laws. They're the ones seeking death. He couldn't blame anyone else. One of the Elementary Scholars actually dared to write the Yi Shui Song in front of the officials. If they did not kill him on the spot, if he suddenly went crazy, who knows how many people would die. However … In any case, you won't be able to shake off your reputation as a ruthless official. "
Fang Yun looked at the azure sky outside the door and said slowly, "If I had enough time, I would use the most gentle method to improve it. However, time waits for no man. I don't have that much time to resolve one conflict after another, nor do I have the time to reason with them one by one. I can only tell them legally. What should I do? He shouldn't have done anything! And tell them the price of their actions! "
Ao Huang was silent for a moment before he slowly said, "You don't have to shoulder so much."
"I just want to do my best," Fang Yundao said.
"Alright. Aren't you going to talk to them yet? "
"Let's wait a little longer. They haven't thought about it enough yet. They don't have enough fear and anxiety," Fang Yun said calmly.
"You're right. Then the problem now is how to find evidence of those workshop owners' crimes. If there's no conclusive evidence, they won't confess, "Ao Huang said.
Fang Yundao said, "These days, I've quickly gone through the documents and account books of the past six months. I've memorized all of them and found many problems. You'll know when the time comes. "
"Alright!" Ao Huang said as he flew above the documents and account books. He casually took out an account book and flipped through it. After just a dozen pages, he felt dizzy.
"What the f * ck is this? This dragon's head hurts from reading it! It's not like this dragon hasn't learned the Thirteen Scriptures, but what are these? I'm not reading anymore! "Ao Huang said as he distanced himself from the documents.
After waiting for a full two hours, Fang Yun finally invited the workshop owner of the Flaming Flower Workshop.
The workshop owner had a wooden face. He looked extremely calm and was dressed in a gorgeous silk robe. He used his right hand to stroke the dragon and phoenix jade pendant on his waist. Fang Yun looked carefully. He sensed that the jade pendant wasn't an ordinary item. When he thought of the workshop owner's background, he understood.
"Your Majesty, are you Zhao Yong?"
Zhao Yong cupped his hands towards Fang Yun and said, "This lowly official Zhao Yong greets Official Fang! A few days ago, this lowly official sent a letter to the young royal prince of Prince Qingyang's Estate. The young royal prince said that he must listen to the county magistrate and would never make things difficult for the county magistrate. After all, this lowly official was given the surname Zhao by the old prince, so I naturally have to listen to the young royal prince. Therefore, when the county magistrate said that he wanted to talk, this lowly official didn't resist at all and obediently came here. "
Ao Huang snorted. Even he could tell that Zhao Yong was obedient on the surface, but in reality, that wasn't the case.
Zhao Yong didn't have a rank or a civil position, but he called himself a lowly official. Naturally, he had a noble title. No matter how low it was, he was still an official. Zhao Yong said that he was given the surname by Prince Qingyang, so his status was naturally higher than others. He also said that he sent a letter to the young royal prince to show that he had a deep relationship with the young royal prince. Ordinary people couldn't directly send a letter to the young royal prince.
Fang Yun acted as if he didn't hear anything and asked, "Last year on the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, it was the dry season of the Yishui River. You used the reason that the cotton ginning workshop was slow to ginning as an excuse to buy a hundred thousand catties of lint from elsewhere. Then, you sent it to the cotton ginning workshop to be turned into cotton wool and used to make quilts. One catty is sixteen taels, so a good quilt needs at least five catties of cotton. This hundred thousand catties of cotton can be used to make twenty thousand cotton embryos to be used as quilts. Am I wrong? "
Zhao Yong was stunned for a moment, then he counted with his fingers for a while before saying, "The county magistrate is right."
Ao Huang rolled his eyes at Zhao Yong. Fang Yun, on the other hand, felt that it was normal. Mathematics wasn't particularly valued in the Saint Origin World. Zhao Yong wasn't an accountant and didn't have a civil position. Naturally, it would take him a long time to calculate.
Moreover, Zhao Yong had other things to think about.
Fang Yundao said, "The Cotton Ginning workshop has eight hundred people. In a day, they can make twelve thousand catties of cotton. This hundred thousand catties of cotton took eight days to complete. Am I right?"
"I don't remember much about this matter, but it does take around eight days to make a hundred thousand catties of cotton." Zhao Yong said.
Fang Yun added, "That's under the condition that all eight hundred people are present, so it would take around eight days. If there are only three hundred people, how many days would it take? Let me calculate. If eight hundred people can make twelve thousand catties of cotton a day, then three hundred people can make four thousand five hundred catties of cotton a day. It would take around twenty-two days to make a hundred thousand catties of cotton. Am I right? "
Zhao Yong was stunned. He stared at Fang Yun, unable to say a word.
Fang Yun suddenly slammed the gavel and said, "Zhao Yong! This official asks you. The documents of the Cotton Ginning workshop clearly state that starting from the first day of the twelfth lunar month, more and more workers went home to celebrate the new year. On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Cotton Ginning workshop had less than three hundred workers! When the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month began, there were less than a hundred workers every day! Tell this official, with such a small number of workers, how could you make a hundred thousand catties of cotton in eight days? Could it be that you crossed the river of history and entered the future, borrowing the wooden drum cotton ginning machine that Bensei had just finished developing? "
Ao Huang suddenly realized what was going on. It seemed that Zhao Yong had made a hundred thousand catties of poor quality or old cotton and sold it to the Cotton Ginning workshop that he managed at the price of high quality cotton. Then, there was a fake manufacturing process in the accounts, and he sold it at the price of high quality cotton. He made a profit from this.
Because the process was fake, he had to choose the days when there was insufficient work to make the fake cotton ginning dates. This was because the days when there was sufficient work to produce real cotton, which was recorded in the accounts.
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