I'm really not doing business

Chapter 736: Poisoned Pan Jinlian

"A newly-minted official should not be placed in a low position for examinations. The key to being a good official is to collect taxes. What a bunch of officials, ah." Wang Guoguang took out a memorial and handed it to Zhang Juzheng for inspection.

After reading it, Zhang Juzheng was also confused. He slapped his forehead, leaned back in his chair, paused for a moment, and shook his head helplessly. He reaffirmed that it was more reliable to rely on the wisdom of Your Majesty. This road was much easier and more realistic. It was too difficult to rely on the strength of thousands of people.

This was a very special corruption case. The memorial came from Hai Rui and Li Youzi, the chief censors of the Censorate, and the focus of the investigation was on a corruption case in Suiyuan.

Suiyuan was extremely poor. If it hadn't been for the Suiyuan Chidao, even the people of Guihua City would have had to live like animals, following water. Their production model was mainly nomadic. It had only been five years since the Ming Dynasty conquered Bansheng City, and a corruption scandal broke out!

This time the imperial court did not wait until the civil unrest occurred before appeasing the people, but instead prepared to provide relief for the drought as soon as the rainfall decreased. This naturally required checking the accounts of Suiyuan. After a careful check, they discovered something strange: there was a problem with the taxation in Suiyuan.

It is not easy to learn good things, but it is easy to learn bad things. The men who were leash-horse-riding in the heartland of the Ming Dynasty learned the heavy taxes and levies clearly!
The key point is that the heartland of the Ming Dynasty could not withstand such exploitation, let alone Suiyuan, where the means of production and production relations were extremely unstable, and there was a severe drought this year.

Sanniangzi had about twenty-seven Tartar officials and clerks under her command. Since the tenth year of Wanli, they began to create clever pretexts and put all these exorbitant taxes on the Ming court, saying that the emperor wanted to collect them!
Suiyuan was a place where the Han and the Hu people lived together. It had only been incorporated into the Ming Dynasty for five years, and the people didn't quite understand the rules. In order to live a stable life, they had no choice but to pay the taxes.

As soon as the wool collector Sanniang brought the wool into Beijing, she went to the Censorate and asked General Hai to fight corruption.

Sanniangzi did not ask Suiyuan to conduct its own investigation. She directly asked the Censorate to handle the case in another place to ensure that the case could be thoroughly investigated.

For Sanniang, if she examined herself, the imperial court might suspect that she was secretly accumulating strength and was always ready to restore the glory of the Yuan Dynasty, so Sanniang handed it over directly to the imperial court and brought the wool to the capital.

The case is not complicated.

The first excuse they made up was that all children over three years old on the grassland had to pay a tax, 23 wen Tongbao per person per year, and starting at the age of fourteen, they would have to pay a tax, 120 wen Tongbao per person per year.

Head tax was also a common practice on the grasslands. The Ming Dynasty did not collect this head tax in order to encourage population mobility and reproduction.

There were not enough Tongbao in the heartland of the Ming Dynasty, so where would there be so much money on the grassland? It didn't matter if you didn't have money, cattle, sheep, furs, and livestock could all be deducted. Soon, there would be no difference between the mouth money and the tax. They would all be counted as one tax. Three years old? The baby in the belly was counted as a head tax.

The head tax was only one of the factors. The most important thing was the various levies. The imperial court used the engineering corps to build the highways, but the supporting industries were not like that. The local government offices began to conscript men to do forced labor. In the beginning, it was some work like repairing bridges and roads and bulldozing. Later, it simply became a matter of conscripting men whenever there was work, and they could be exempted by paying money.

These Tartar officials and cruel officials always follow the instructions of the emperor.

For example, in Suiyuan, sweet potatoes were grown in many places, and some people set up potato flour factories, which were not government-run factories. These local tyrants gave the Tartar officials a little silver, and the Tartar officials cracked their whips and went to recruit people. The people had to work for these Tartar officials for as short as three months and as long as a year.

Refusing to hand it in, refusing to work? That's even easier! Take him directly to the monument at the entrance of the village and whip him!

The Tartar officials who collected taxes would beat you to death until you were on the verge of death, and then they would search your home, take away your cattle, sheep, and other livestock, tear down your doors, and even take away the thatch on your roof.

After Pan Jixun entered Suiyuan, he ordered that a boundary monument be set up at the entrance of every village where people gathered. The name of the place was engraved on the boundary monument. In the hearts of the grassland people, this boundary monument represented the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court, and even directly represented the emperor himself.

This boundary marker is the dragon flag that the emperor planted on the grassland!
These Tartar officials dragged people to the boundary marker and beat them, which was clearly an attempt to use the power of the Ming Dynasty to suppress the anger in everyone's hearts.

A beginner in officialdom should not take the examination. The key to becoming a good official is to collect taxes quickly. It means that if you want to climb up the career ladder as an official, you have to learn how to collect taxes quickly.

"Based on my understanding of the grasslands, these Tartar officials have restrained themselves a lot." Wang Chonggu finished reading the memorial and sneered, "Madam Zhongshun is in the capital. If you don't believe me, go ask her. When I was young, I followed my father on business trips and saw countless times with my own eyes, people were hung up and beaten on the grasslands just for a small piece of wolfskin mattress."

"These cruel officials don't dare to go too far now, but they have still been discovered by the court. Your Majesty will definitely not show mercy to them for using your Majesty's name to do such a heinous thing. This is treason, not a crime."

"What's the point? After two or three years of hard work, the money I got was worth at most 140 taels of silver, and I even lost my life."

Greed is actually not a big deal. Zhang Ang, a clerk who worked on the canal construction, was corrupt, but Your Majesty did not punish him. You just confiscated his illegal gains, and the court did not ask for them. You recruited laborers to improve the food at the construction site, and Your Majesty even gave him some extra money.

But these Tartar officials had only one end, and that was death.

"Sanniang said in her memorial that we should restore the laws of our ancestors and skin these cruel officials one by one, stuff them with straw, and place them at the temple gate to serve as a warning to future generations. I think this is a good idea. Sometimes, when the problem is more difficult, it is good to look through the pile of old papers." Wan Shihe talked about Sanniang's opinion.

Wang Chonggu said angrily: "She is a captive. This is the ancestral law of our Ming Dynasty. What is she trying to do? She is just taking advantage of the Han people."

Wang Chonggu is old and has rather rigid and conservative ideas. Even though Pan Jixun is now doing a good job in governing Suiyuan, in Wang Chonggu's heart, these captives are simply afraid. They are only afraid of the Ming soldiers, cavalry, and firearms. They do not wholeheartedly yearn for Wang's rule. Once the Ming Dynasty weakens, who knows what will happen, so he must remain vigilant.

Wang Chonggu had personally led troops in Xuanfu and Datong and fought with these northern barbarians with real swords and guns. He did not regard the barbarians as Ming people at all.

"Including the people, the land and the mines, they all belong to the Ming Dynasty. We are quite magnanimous and are just taking advantage of the laws established by our ancestors. I think it can be approved. If you have no objection, I will post the floating ticket." Zhang Juzheng felt that this was already the territory that was in his hands, and there was no reason to give it up.

As the Ming Dynasty recovered Hetao, Zhang Juzheng finally understood why Emperor Taizu Gaozu used such violent means and skinned and stuffed corrupt officials with straw. If he didn't do that, the people wouldn't know that it was wrong, and these cruel officials wouldn't know how they would be punished. Once the straw man was put up there, everything would be clear.

Just like Shang Yang's reform to move trees and establish trust, there are some money that cannot be touched. If you dare to throw dirty water on the dragon flag, this will be the result.

Use heavy codes in troubled times.

Wan Shihe said very clearly: "Skinning and strawing can only be done by Sanniang."

Your Majesty is a wise emperor. It is more appropriate for Sanniang to bear the reputation of doing such dirty and tiring work and the infamy.

"That makes sense." Zhang Juzheng wrote the floating note and submitted it to the Imperial Study in Tonghe Palace, asking His Majesty to approve it.

Wang Chonggu took out the memorial from the Ministry of Justice and handed it to Zhang Juzheng for circulation. He said with emotion: "I have a case here, which is somewhat similar to the official factory marriage fraud case, but it is a private case."

"Wow, one million and six hundred thousand silver coins!" Zhang Juzheng looked at the case, which was a major case left over from repairing the three former emperors' tombs!
This case really opened Zhang Juzheng's eyes. Because the amount involved was so huge, the local authorities in Fujian did not dare to handle it themselves, so they sent it directly to Lu Guangzu of the Dali Temple. It was a case with far-reaching impact and even gave rise to the maturity of an industry.

Usually, men work outside the home while women work inside the home. In a small peasant economy, the family's money is managed by the wife.

In Haicheng County, Zhangzhou, there was a fisherman named Tang Si. Later, when he became rich, he changed his name to Tang Zhihan. Since the opening of the sea in the second year of Longqing, he began to work hard on the sea. At that time, Tang Zhihan was only sixteen years old. After twenty years of hard work, Tang Zhihan had become the largest maritime merchant in Zhangzhou, and the general manager of Yuegang Ocean Trading Company, which was almost equivalent to Sun Kehong's status in Songjiang Prefecture.

Tang Zhihan is in his prime, just 36 years old this year, and he is brave and fighting. He led the Yuegang merchants to fight against the Songjiang Ocean Trading Company several times and never lost the upper hand. During the Chinese New Year last year, on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, Tang Zhihan struck the injustice drum in front of the gate of Zhangzhou Prefecture.

When the prefect of Zhangzhou Prefecture, Lu Cheng, heard that Tang Zhihan came to beat the drum, he didn't even care about the New Year and carried the very embarrassed and dying Tang Zhihan into the government office. You should know that two-fifths of the tax revenue of Zhangzhou Prefecture was paid by Yuegang Ocean Trading Company, and since the opening of the sea, Tang Zhihan had never owed taxes.

When Tang Zhihan entered the government office, he had only one shoe and his body was covered with bruises. It turned out that he was beaten out of his home.

"Tang Zhihan's wife was not a second wife who came in later. She was a wife who had lived through thick and thin together. How did this end up with her husband being kicked out of the house?" Wan Shihe took a look at the memorials and his jaw dropped in surprise. Tang Zhihan often appeared in memorials to the court, but he ended up like this.

Wang Chonggu looked at Wan Shihe and added, "Tang Zhihan used to go out to sea all year round and was not at home. When he came home, he gave the silver to his wife Liu and kept it at home while he went out to work hard again."

The memorial was not detailed enough. Wang Chonggu knew more. Tang Zhihan was not weak at all. Rowing a boat was a hard job in those days. He was small and weak, and could not get on the boat. Tang Zhihan got married at the age of sixteen and went on board the boat not long after. It was normal for him to go home once a year, not to mention once every two or three years.

It was only in recent years that Tang Zhihan gradually became a ship owner and no longer had to go to sea himself.

Liu, his wife who had shared the hardships of life, could not bear it any longer at home, so she had a brief affair with another man, and this relationship lasted for more than ten years.

All the silver that Tang Zhihan brought back home was given to his wife Liu, who then gave the silver to her adulterer. Over the years, Tang Zhihan never lacked silver from home, so she never asked about it.

Wan Shihe read the memorial again and asked in surprise, "So last winter, Tang Zhihan had to take money from home to do business and donate money to the court to fight the Japanese pirates in Korea. When the family ran out of money, Tang Zhihan realized that something was wrong?"

Originally, if Tang Zhihan just wanted to do business, the silver that Liu left in the mansion would be enough. However, Tang Zhihan wanted to donate 100,000 taels of silver to the government office, only then did he realize that there were only a few thousand taels of silver in the mansion.

"He is so careless! How could he not find out after such a long time?" Zhang Juzheng was also amazed. It was really strange. Liu's disguise was so good, but no one in the mansion told him? How could this person be taken advantage of for more than ten years?

Wang Chonggu shook his head and said, "No, the accountant in this mansion has told Tang Zhihan more than once, but Tang Zhihan is soft-hearted. He feels that he has worked hard in his early years and has let his wife and children suffer a lot of grievances. Therefore, he always scolds and favors Liu for such idle gossip. After one or two times, no one dares to mention it again." "Tang Zhihan's first wife Liu has replaced the entire mansion with her own people. Over time, no one mentions it anymore."

Wang Guoguang frowned and said, "Then why is it that in the memorial of the Ministry of Justice, Liu accused Tang Zhihan? And the prefect of Zhangzhou, Lu Cheng, wanted to convict him? This doesn't make sense!"

The most exciting part of the case has come. No matter how you look at it, Tang Zhihan is the victim, and after being beaten like that, Tang Zhihan has become the sinner!
How much money did Lu Cheng, the prefect of Zhangzhou Prefecture, receive to make such a judgment against his conscience!
Wang Chonggu said with his hands in his pockets: "Tsk tsk, it is said that women have the most vicious hearts."

"Last spring, Liu lied to Tang Zhihan and had a fake divorce because the Governor's Office had decided to reduce the tax on new woodworks on Jilong Island by half in order to develop Jilong Island. This was originally intended to encourage Fujian merchants to go to Jilong Island to develop new woodworks, supply more wood to the shipyard, and develop Jilong Island."

"Liu used the tax reduction as an excuse to persuade Tang Zhihan to divorce her. Tang Zhihan did not suspect anything and transferred all the family businesses to Liu's name. The newly opened woodworking shop did benefit from the policy and the tax was indeed favorable, but Tang Zhihan was left penniless."

"After Liu and Tang Zhihan divorced, she immediately married the adulterer she had been dating for more than ten years. They had a marriage certificate from the government, three matchmakers and six betrothals."

"Tang Zhihan wanted money for business and for donations to aid Korea in its fight against the Japanese invaders. The government had no money, so Liu decided to go all out and made an appointment with the adulterer to stage a drama of catching the adulterer in pairs. The evidence was irrefutable, and according to Ming Dynasty law, he should be beaten to death. If Tang Zhihan hadn't been a sailor and had gained a lot of strength, he would have deserved to be beaten to death."

Wan Shihe stretched out his hand and said blankly, "No?! Wait a minute, Grand Secretary, let me sort it out. This victim Tang Zhihan, it's ok for him to have nothing, how could he become an adulterer?"

Tang Zhihan's transformation from husband to adulterer was the result of him falling into a trap carefully designed by Liu, and he was almost beaten to death in the end. Liu could be described as the reincarnation of Pan Jinlian. Moreover, compared with the drama of Pan Jinlian poisoning Wu Dalang, this Liu was even more vicious in that Tang Zhihan confirmed his identity as an adulterer and was almost legally beaten to death!
Tang Zhihan's parents were killed during the Japanese invasion, and Tang Zhihan had a younger brother who starved to death. Their Tang family didn't even have a single relative, so Tang Zhihan was lucky to have acquired some strong kung fu skills while working on a ship. The frightened Tang Zhihan ran directly into the government office to seek refuge. He didn't dare go anywhere else, and he couldn't even trust his brothers in life and death.

This is why the case was brought to the imperial court. In addition to the huge amount of money involved and the bad impact, another reason is that according to the Ming Dynasty law, Tang Zhihan deserved to die. He was an adulterer, and everyone knew that he was innocent, and according to the law he deserved to die.

Everyone in the entire Zhangzhou Prefecture knew how the Tang family made their fortune. Tang Zhihan was also a legendary figure. It was common knowledge that Liu was Tang Zhihan's wife. In the past, everyone envied Liu's good luck for marrying Tang Zhihan. Now, everyone had seen the result of giving all the family money to his wife, and everyone was waiting for the court's judgment.

Although Lu Cheng, the prefect of Zhangzhou Prefecture, made a judgment according to the law, it was ultimately the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice that intervened. It would be a huge joke to judge according to the law in a rigid and dogmatic way, the Ming Dynasty law.

Pan Jinlian has been scolded for so many years, but compared with Liu, she is like a white lotus.

Wang Chonggu sat up straight and said, "This matter is not over yet. As soon as Tang Zhihan's incident happened, it immediately caused an uproar. Not to mention Zhangzhou Prefecture, even the sea merchants in several Maritime Customs Offices began to check their own silver and money. If they hadn't checked, they wouldn't have known that at least seven sea merchants with assets of more than 200,000 silver silver in the five Maritime Customs Offices were almost emptied."

"The powerful and wealthy people in Jiangnan put their silver directly into the Huitongguan Post Office of each Maritime Customs Office and exchanged it for acceptance bills. The family accounts used to be managed by their wives and accountants, but now they are all managed by accountants in various places. They are afraid of following in the footsteps of Tang Zhihan. It would be humiliating and losing money, but it would also be a waste of their lives. That's not worth it."

Liu single-handedly promoted the construction of the Ming Dynasty's financial system. Even the tax auditing by the Tax Audit Office became much easier. This was not promoted by the imperial court, but by the powerful and wealthy businessmen who looked for auditors everywhere. The five Maritime Customs Offices could only reluctantly launch auditing businesses one after another.

The imperial court wants a total of 6% tax, and Liu not only wants money, she also wants her life!
And this is not an isolated case. There are already seven people who have conducted self-investigations and ran to the government office to appeal for justice.

"This case cannot be simply dealt with in a perfunctory manner. My opinion is that this case should be thoroughly investigated and the relevant criminals should be escorted to Beijing for investigation." Zhang Juzheng made a cautious decision and sent the case to the court in Beijing for trial to thoroughly clarify the matter before taking any action.

Firstly, this matter was of great importance. These sea merchants were the new bourgeoisie. If they were not handled properly, they would become disunited. Moreover, Tang Zhihan was not an ordinary person. He was the general manager of Yuegang Ocean Trading Company, who was directly appointed by the Ministry of Revenue. Tang Zhihan had more than 700 ships under his command, which mainly transported timber to and from Daheigou.
Secondly, it is for the true fairness and justice of the law. We cannot just muddle through it because it is troublesome. A large amount of silver flowed into the Ming Dynasty. We must improve the law and promote the construction of the legal system.

In any case, this case cannot be judged in Zhangzhou, otherwise it will cause unrest and he, as the prime minister, will not be able to escape the blame.

Zhu Yijun, who was in the imperial study, received the memorial and looked at the two cases.

Regarding the first case, Zhu Yijun gave severe punishment to the twenty-seven cruel officials who carried dragon flags and large banners, created various pretexts, levied heavy taxes, and exploited the people. In addition to beheading, the other punishments were skinning and stuffing straw.

This was not a question of how much corruption was involved, but for the sake of local stability. Faced with this problem, Zhu Yijun had no good solution and directly asked for the imperial edict. Although it was brutal, it was effective.

Zhu Yijun was not afraid of being scolded. He didn't care who took the blame. If Madam Zhongshun refused, then he would take it.

Zhu Yijun seemed particularly confused about the second case.

"Feng Daban, this Tang Zhihan is a good man, right? He doesn't even have a mistress, right? Does he?" Zhu Yijun asked uncertainly.

"Your Majesty, Zhangzhou Prefecture has conducted a comprehensive investigation on Tang Zhihan. It is true that he did not have any mistresses. He even refused to visit prostitutes when he went out to sea for fear of bringing back any disease. He had no mistresses and no children. But this adulterer used Liu's money to keep two mistresses, and they are causing trouble now." Feng Bao replied immediately. Feng Bao had a comprehensive understanding of the case from the Ministry of Justice.

Zhu Yijun continued to ask while holding the memorial: "Are there any conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law? Such conflicts exist in the royal family, and naturally also in the folks. Are they serious?"

Feng Bao immediately said, "Tang Zhihan's parents died in the Japanese invasion. Tang Zhihan's village was massacred. He had no uncles. The two brothers hid in a cesspool and managed to survive. The younger brother was three years old and died of starvation not long after."

"Tang Zhihan was about to donate money to the court to fight against the Japanese pirates, but he found out that the money was gone. That's why Liu decided to kill Tang Zhihan to eliminate the trouble once and for all. Is that right?" Zhu Yijun asked again.

Feng Bao said confidently: "When Tang Zhihan heard that the court was going to destroy the Japanese, he went to the government office to ask. The prefect of Zhangzhou, Lu Cheng, reported to him that Tang Zhihan said at the time: If I don't avenge my parents' blood feud, I'd be unworthy of being a son. I hate that I am weak and can't join the navy and the Beijing camp. I am willing to spend all my family wealth to support them. This is a national and family feud, so of course I have to avenge it. But when he went back, he found out that there was no money in the government office."

In Lu Cheng's memorial, it was written that Tang Zhihan was a man of integrity, but when he suddenly heard that the imperial court was really going to destroy Japan, he cried like a tearful man.

"Your Majesty, I learned from the Northern Pacification Office that Tang Zhihan's fleet cooperated with the Luzon Governor's Office and the Songjiang Navy to suppress pirates several times, transporting grain, silver and gunpowder without any problems." Feng Bao added some details. Tang Zhihan was able to become the richest man in Zhangzhou Prefecture because he was very versatile and had connections everywhere.

"This Tang Zhihan doesn't visit prostitutes, but he gambles or smokes? He gambles, or smokes opium? He's been overseas for many years, and there are many opium dens in Davao City." Zhu Yijun thought of a possibility.

"No, Tang Zhihan's business is very clean, and he probably doesn't smoke opium. Tang Zhihan went to the government office to seek asylum and has been detained for four months. If he smoked opium, the people in Zhangzhou would not dare to deceive the court. Moreover, if Tang Zhihan smoked opium, his body would be in poor condition, and it would be impossible for him to escape after being trapped and beaten. I don't think so." Feng Bao had not collected any information in this regard and expressed his guess.

"Why? No matter how you look at it, Tang Zhihan is a good man. Why has he become an adulterer now?" Zhu Yijun asked in a daze.

A perfect victim.

"From all aspects of the information we have received so far, there is only one reason: Liu thinks Tang Zhihan is too honest." Feng Bao answered this question.

There was no other reason. Tang Zhihan devoted himself to his career. A man from a fishing village didn't understand anything about romance and was naturally very boring. As Tang Zhihan made more and more money, Liu's horizons were broadened and she naturally became a little proud. Relying on Tang Zhihan's trust, she did these things.

"Honest? Should I be bullied if I'm honest?!" Zhu Yijun sat up straight and said to Feng Bao, "Take all of this to the capital for questioning. I personally think Tang Zhihan is innocent. I will immediately send a decree to Zhangzhou Prefecture. If necessary, the coastal defense inspectors will help the local authorities investigate. We must make sure everything is completely clear!"

On April 17, all the criminals were escorted to the capital. The coastal defense inspectors even mobilized hydrofoil sailboats to urgently send all the criminals to the capital.

After the criminal arrived in Beijing, the Prime Minister and the Second Prime Minister immediately went to the Imperial Study in Tonghe Palace to meet His Majesty.

Zhang Juzheng said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I asked Shen Shixing. Because sea merchants risk their lives at sea, the captains and sailors are all brothers who are willing to die together. If the ship sinks at sea, everyone will die. Tang Zhihan is very loyal. He has 700 ships and nearly 2,000 sailors. The captains, mates, and bosses on the ships are all sworn brothers. This situation is completely different from the partners of inland merchants."

Doing business at sea these days is completely different from doing business on land. You have to risk your life anytime and anywhere, especially when the Japanese threat had not yet been completely eliminated. Encountering Japanese ships meant a life-and-death battle. Now that Tang Zhihan has been taken to the capital, the brothers who had experienced life and death ordeals at the time are all looking at the court's decision.

"Last winter, before the Chinese New Year, at the boat meeting ceremony, Liu still participated as Tang Zhihan's wife. The boat meeting included boat selection, water testing, general boating, worshiping Mazu, boat racing, sending of wormwood, banquets, and night operas. Liu acted as the eldest sister-in-law in all of these activities." Wang Chonggu added the details. It was not that Tang Zhihan was blind, but that Liu was really bad.

"What you two mean is that if this matter is not handled properly, it might lead to a farce of officials forcing the people to revolt?" Zhu Yijun asked.

"That is indeed what I meant. This is also the reason why the court refused to open the sea in the past. These sea merchants can turn from merchants to bandits in just a moment, and many of them are bandits themselves, just rabble. If Tang Zhihan is really wrong, or if he bullies a decent family and is beaten to death by the husband, it is his own fault. These sailors who risk their lives on the sea must accept the truth." Zhang Juzheng answered His Majesty's question very clearly.

If not handled with care, the officials will force the people to rebel. Tang Zhihan was killed for raping someone else's wife, and these grassroots sailors accepted it. However, he was almost beaten to death in his own home, on his wife's belly, and should be executed according to the law.

That logic cannot be explained in this way no matter what.

If pirates really do occur, it will be a serious matter. The Ming Navy will certainly be able to suppress them. However, Tang Zhihan's fleet had helped the Ming Navy suppress pirates before, and the sailors of this fleet were also treated as pirates and suppressed. This is not reasonable.

"There are many twists and turns in this matter. From all aspects of investigation, it is clear that Tang Zhihan was wronged, very wronged. On December 23rd last year, when the boat met, all the brothers were still wishing each other a happy new year. But on the 25th, the eldest brother became an adulterer." Wang Chonggu did not put the blame on Liu, but directly produced relevant evidence such as the tax accounts of Zhangzhou Prefecture, the Coast Guard Inspection Office, and the Tax Inspection Office to prove that before the 25th, Tang Zhihan and Liu were still de facto husband and wife.

Zhu Yijun asked sternly, "What do you think the deputy assistant should do?"

Wang Chonggu immediately said, "First, check the taxes. They are a fake couple who are faking a divorce and cheating on the preferential tax rate. We need to check the taxes and classify them as a real couple before we discuss other matters."

(End of this chapter)