Han official!

Chapter 66: Progress of Buying a Title to Atone for Sins

When Yu Sikong saw the look of shock on Guo Jie's face, he had expected it and couldn't help but laugh.

Only a few people dared to enter Guo Jie in Kunchi.

There are also times when I feel scared.

"Captain Guo should know that the emperor is currently building a garden."

The prison official, treating Guo Jie as one of his own, whispered the truth, "Building the gardens will require the occupation of a considerable amount of land belonging to the nobles and powerful. Zhang Shou, a relative of the Zhang family, happens to have a field within the designated area for the gardens."

He glanced around and lowered his voice, "Zhang Shou relied on his status as a relative of the Zhang family and his father being Zhang Ao, Marquis of Xuanping, one of the eighteen newly appointed marquises, to demand an exorbitant price, selling one acre of land for a whopping gold."

The Eighteen Marquises were initially determined to be the eighteen people who were considered to have made the greatest contributions and had the strongest abilities in establishing the Han Dynasty after Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, unified the country.

Marquis Xiao He of Yong, Marquis Fan Kuai of Wuyang, and Marquis Xiahou Ying of Ruyin were all among the eighteen marquises initially appointed.

Guo Jie knew the nobility of the Zhang family, the in-laws, and that Zhang Shou was the second generation of a noble family. He was shocked that his entire family was purged by the cruel official Zhao Yu.

However, when he heard that Zhang Shou sold the land for a sky-high price of one gold.

Guo Jie shook his head and said, "You're courting death. There are always some who rely on their prominent status to act lawlessly. That's because they haven't encountered someone of higher status. Blocking the construction of the garden is equivalent to hindering the emperor's plan to attack the Xiongnu in the north. No wonder he was captured."

Fields are divided into thin fields, medium fields, and beautiful fields.

The market price ranges from over a thousand coins to three or four thousand coins, depending on the fertility of the land.

The market price of thin land is the lowest, only worth a thousand coins.

Meitian has the highest market price and can be sold for as high as four thousand coins.

"Lead Certificate for Buying Land by Fan Li's Family in the Han Dynasty" records: five acres of land, the price per acre is three thousand coins, totaling fifteen thousand yuan.

The "Land Purchase Certificate of Wang Weiqing of Han Dynasty" states that the price per mu is 3,100 coins, totaling 9,300 coins.

Zhang Shou's suicide reminded Guo Jie of another nobleman who was convicted for his land during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.

Prime Minister Li Cai.

Li Cai occupied 20 mu of Yangling Mausoleum of Emperor Jing of Han, but actually stole and sold 3 mu, earning more than 400,000 coins.

In the Western Han Dynasty, one hectare of land was fifty mu, not one hundred mu as in modern times, and the price of each mu of land was two thousand six hundred coins.

A prime minister was questioned because of his 150 acres of land and ended up committing suicide.

"Let me go, my father is the first marquis."

"It was initially decided that the eighteen marquises would be united as one. Aren't you afraid of retaliation from Marquis of Ling, Marquis of Ruyin, and the other eighteen marquises?"

"Release me immediately, there will still be a chance for easing the tension!"

The deposed Marquis of Lechang, Zhang Shou, always called himself the Marquis when he spoke and the Eighteenth Marquis when he kept silent. He was usually arrogant and domineering, and did not take the small Chang'an Ling Zhao Yu seriously at all.

"what!"

The most frightening thing about Zhao Yu was his mood swings. One moment he was overjoyed to have captured his relative Zhang Shou, and the next moment he took the iron hairpin from his hair and stabbed Zhang Shou fiercely.

He listened to Zhang Shou's screams and felt that the lingering sound was even more beautiful than the poetry and music of Yuefu.

The music Zhao Yu liked to listen to most was the screams of officials being tortured.

The higher the status and official position.

The more beautiful it sounds.

Zhao Yu grabbed Zhang Shou, who had fallen to the ground, and dragged him out of the gate by his hair. "I suspect you are colluding with Tian Dian and kidnapping and selling off the doctor. I will bring you to the Chang'an government office for immediate trial and confiscation of all your property."

Guo Jie knew very well that the last sentence was the key point.

Zhang Shou didn't need to pay a single gold coin for the land, let alone a three-zhu coin.

Already got it.

The methods of the cruel official Zhao Yu began to show.

"You're looking for death." Guo Jie, accompanied by guards wearing red sashes and armor, escorted Zhang Shou's clansmen to the Chang'an prison. He shook his head again, "An official's worst fear is to obstruct national policy, and even worse is to provoke the Discipline Inspection Commission. The cruel official Zhao Yu is far more ruthless than the Discipline Inspection Commission."

Many of the relatives by marriage in the clan were grief-stricken and stared at the cruel officials Zhao Yu and Zhang Tang with gritted teeth.

The two must be impeached in front of the emperor.

Little did they know that the cruel officials Zhao Yu and Zhang Tang were not afraid of impeachment at all.

"Haha."

A familiar voice appeared at the door of the Chang'an Lingshe. Sang Hongyang, wearing a red and black sable-tail crown, walked into the Lingshe with great joy: "What a good luck! Using the kidnapping and selling of the doctor to arrest the foreign relative Zhang Shou is indeed a brilliant plan."

It is easy to say "arrest the in-laws", but there are only one and a half people in the world who have the courage to do it.

One is Zhao Yu, who has no bottom line.

Half of it was Zhang Tang, who had to violate the laws of the Han Dynasty.

If it comes to violating the Han laws, Zhang Tang is even more resolute than Zhao Yu.

Sang Hongyang held two official robes in his hand and handed them to Zhao Yu and Zhang Tang, who were discussing how to torture Zhang Shou in Lingshe.

This immediately aroused the envy of Guo Jie, Zei Cao, and Yu Sikong.

Two embroidered dresses.

It means that Zhao Yu and Zhang Tang have obtained an identity directly indicated by the embroidered clothes.

The officials directly appointed by the embroidered robes were of very low rank and were not permanent officials. However, these people were specially selected by Emperor Wu of Han to handle special cases. They took orders directly from the emperor and were directly responsible to him.

The Jinyiwei of the Han Dynasty.

Guo Jie looked at the two embroidered clothes, and the image of a political ATM machine emerged in his mind.

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, can be described as a cold political machine.

He put in merits and achievements, and in return he gave out official positions and rewards without any stinginess.

If you put the crime of dereliction of duty on the list, he will spit it out and execute the person by beheading without any mercy.

Fair and just, without cheating anyone.

"You are also a frequent visitor to Lingshe."

Sang Hongyang turned to look at Guo Jie and laughed, "This is the first time I've seen a village headman who isn't an official in the government or an assistant to the Chang'an magistrate, yet he's able to enter the magistrate's private quarters directly."

"hehe."

Zhao Yu stroked his mustache and smiled. "Twenty thousand dan of millet have been delivered, for a total of forty thousand dan. If they cannot enter my residence directly, I would be too harsh on my subordinates. Not to mention me, Minister Sang came here half for Guo Jie."

"Of course."

Sang Hongyang rubbed his tired temples and said, "You know, I'm desperate for money. Twenty thousand shi can solve the immediate urgent need. It's good to confiscate it in Kunchi."

He immediately took out a scroll of bamboo slips and handed it to Guo Jie, smiling broadly. "This is a letter promising five hundred acres of land. If you give it to the prefectural temple in Longxi Commandery, you'll receive another five hundred acres. I've heard that the land around Jincheng is abundant, so this reward is quite substantial."

The market price of one mu of good farmland is four thousand coins, and five hundred mu of farmland is twenty thousand dan of millet.

The 20,000 dan of grain that Guo Jie had handed over was returned after a round of trading. At the same time, he bought a title to atone for his sins and was valued by Sang Hongyang, Zhao Yu, and Zhang Tang.

A huge profit.

What a bargain.

Zhang Tang continued, "The letter you submitted has been sealed. You've bought titles to atone for four more lives. From the letter, it's clear that they're all criminals who deserve to be killed. There's no need to worry about buying titles to atone for too many crimes and causing dissatisfaction with me and Lord Zhao."

Before leaving, Sang Hongyang patted Guo Jie's shoulder and said, "I hope you can buy more titles to atone for your sins. The more the better."

Guo Jie was at a loss whether to laugh or cry as he watched Sang Hongyang hurriedly take away 20,000 dan of grain from the Chang'an government temple.

The progress of buying a title to atone for sins has reached 12%.

(End of this chapter)