Han official!

Chapter 78 Letters
At sunrise (6:45-7:30), a carriage from the county prison appeared on the road outside the city gate. The driver was a bearded man named Mang Tong.

Mang Tong was wearing a fine linen robe, with an iron mallet on his waist. He sat on a screen, holding the reins in his hand to drive the carriage, and headed towards Liushi, one of the nine markets in Chang'an.

Inside the carriage, Yi Zong, wearing an iron crown and black clothes, was kneeling in the middle, holding a scroll of Qin Dynasty bamboo slips, carefully studying the Qin Dynasty laws, and looking at various harsh tortures with bright eyes.

The man kneeling on the left is Guo Jie, who is thinking about how to capture Wan Zimeng, the flag chief of Liushi, and take away the Hexi horses that are urgently needed by the people of Jincheng.

Zhang Qian knelt on the right side, looking down at a map drawn on silk, which showed the layout of Wan Zimeng's house, and thought about what would happen if he encountered the danger like last time.

Where can one person kill to break the deadlock?

"Brother."

Wei Guang was wearing a lace robe, with a two-foot sword inlaid with gold and silver on his waist, and an iron halberd with the word "卜" in his hand. He was riding the famous horse Chizhu from Princess Pingyang's residence, and followed the carriage with a proud face.

He said happily, "The shepherd slave said that Wan Zimeng spent a huge sum of money to buy a batch of Hexi horses, totaling thirty horses. In addition, there is a famous horse named Hongque, which is in no way inferior to the Stanley horse in Princess Pingyang's residence."

Guo Jie took a look at the majestic Stanley.

This time we went to Liushi.

It is inevitable to win.

When he learned that Wan Zimeng had secretly sold horses to the vassal states with the surname Liu, he immediately found Yi Zong and went to Zhang Tang's place to sit.

When Yi Zong returned to Gaojie Duting, he was holding the bamboo slips from Liushi in his hand.

As early as when Qiu Jing's clan was executed, Chang'an Ling Zhao Yu said that Wan Zimeng, the flag chief of Liushi, should be strictly investigated.

Yi Zong went to Zhang Tang's place and asked to be allowed to go to Liushi to inspect the prison.

He took the bamboo slips from Zhang Tang on the spot.

No questions were asked.

This really surprised Cao Zei, Yu Sikong and other Cao officials.

As long as it involves criminal justice, Zhang Tang has always been meticulous and will inquire about every little thing in detail.

Punishment is the most important weapon of a country.

Don't be careless.

"Thief!"

Yi Zong clutched the Qin bamboo slips tightly, furious. "Wan Zimeng dared to smuggle horses without recording them in the horse register. This is a serious violation of Han court law, allowing them to be transported to other states. Wan Zimeng's crimes are extremely heinous and cannot be forgiven lightly. He should be stripped of his rank."

Rib pulling is a form of torture that involves pulling out tendons and bones.

Just hearing it makes one's heart tremble.

Wei Guang knew very well how important the thirty Hexi horses were to the people of Jincheng, and was worried that Yi Zong would enter his private horses into the official horse register.

In this way, the private horses became official horses and could no longer become Guo Jie's private property, let alone be transported to Jinchengli.

Wei Guang reminded him, "Brother, you also want to smuggle horses. Um... No, they can't be included in the horse register anyway, and the Hexi horses will have to flow into Jinchenglu."

If Wan Zimeng was captured, dozens of Hexi horses would be at Guo Jie's disposal.

The Hexi horses became Guo Jie's private property.

It will not be recorded in the horse registration list and will not violate any laws.

There was no difference between the actions of Guo Jie and Wan Zimeng.

Yi Zong's expression straightened: "Captain Guo is devoted to the country. He privately purchased Hexi horses and sent them to the border just to resist the Xiongnu. As a gentleman of high moral character, he should be granted a hundred acres of land."

Wei Guang was speechless.

Oh.

Wan Zimeng violated Han law by illegally trading horses, which was an unforgivable crime, and he was sentenced to the cruel punishment of whipping.

When it comes to Guo Jie, he becomes a gentleman of high moral character and is even granted a hundred acres of land.

For a moment, I couldn't find any words to describe him.

Fortunately, although Yi Zong had been with Zhang Tang for a long time and gradually became a cruel official, he knew the priorities and had no intention of confiscating dozens of Hexi horses.

"Second brother, remember this."

Guo Jie instructed, "To apprehend Wan Zimeng this time, we need to find two crucial pieces of evidence. One is the correspondence between Wan Zimeng and Liu An, the King of Huainan, or any officials of Huainan."

Before the invention of paper, the Han people used bamboo, wood, and silk to make foot-long wooden tablets.

Used for letters, notes, and correspondence.

There are several specifications of wooden slips, generally about one foot in length, so they are called chidu.

It is also called chisu, chihan, chidu, chili, chijian, chihan, chishu, etc. Chidu was the earliest and most commonly used name, so letters were called chidu.

Zhang Qian's gaze fell on a side room on the map. "This side room is where Wan Zimeng stored his wooden slips and silks. It probably contains the letter my brother mentioned. He might have kept it with him at all times, fearing his secret would be exposed, so he could destroy it."

Only fourteen years had passed since the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms.

The chaos caused by the Liu clan princes was still fresh in our minds, and the government strictly prohibited the flow of Hexi horses into the Liu clan princes' states.

Only the letters between Wan Zimeng and the State of Huainan were obtained.

Only then can it be confirmed that he had close contacts with the Huainan State.

"Second."

Guo Jie continued, "We also need to find the person who illegally sold horses to Wan Zimeng."

The collateral is the contract certificate during the transaction.

A long bond is called a pledge, and is used to purchase horses, cattle, etc.

Short coupons are called "ji" and are used to purchase weapons and rare items.

The transaction contract signed by the buyer and seller is collectively called a pledge.

"Only the horse dealer's agent."

Yi Zong frowned and said, "Wan Zimeng is no fool. He obviously wouldn't leave any written records of any transactions with the officials of Huainan State. The mere pledge of the smuggled horses is probably not enough to convict Wan Zimeng."

The Wan family of Liushi was well-known in the neighborhood of Chang'an. Many officials and common people in the eight streets and nine alleys had heard of the reputation of the powerful Wan family.

Wan Zimeng has served as the flag chief of Liushi for many years and is known for his shrewdness. He will not keep him and the Huainan Kingdom as hostages.

Establishing a pledge is a transaction.

Offer it.

This is the favor Wan Zimeng wants.

Guo Jie knew very well that things that didn't cost money were the most expensive in the officialdom. If a businessman gave one million, the policy he wanted was worth at least ten million.

Wan Zimeng obviously wanted a favor from Liu An, the King of Huainan.

There were only pledges for privately traded horses and letters between Wan Zimeng and officials from the Huainan State.

Wan Zimeng cannot be convicted.

"It doesn't matter."

Guo Jie said confidently, "My friends, don't forget to tell us that the officer who inspects Wan Zimeng's prison is the Chang'an magistrate, not Zhang Tang, the Chang'an lieutenant."

Any law is based on the principle of presumption of innocence.

The presumption of innocence means that in criminal proceedings, if the criminal facts of the offender are unclear and the evidence is not accurate or sufficient, and guilt cannot be proven conclusively, the offender should not be held criminally responsible and the principle of non-prosecution should be followed.

Zhang Tang was a disciple of the Legalists and a staunch supporter of Han laws.

Zhao Yu was different, he was a pure cruel official.

Moody.

Zhao Yu’s principle is to presume guilt.

As long as there is evidence that a person is guilty, regardless of whether the chain of evidence forms a complete closed loop, that person is guilty.

Yi Zong was overjoyed: "My brother-in-law really understands the superiors' intentions. As long as we get the letter and the pledge, we can arrest Wan Zimeng. Once he falls into our hands, we'll torture him until he confesses!"

Guo Jie, Zhang Qian and Wei Guang could only mourn in silence for Wan Zimeng.

He fell into the hands of Yi Zong, who was skilled in Qin Dynasty torture.

Life is better than death.

(End of this chapter)