My bad words were heard by all the civil and military officials in the court

"Debt collection?" Emperor Jingming glanced at the ministers, "Who do you want to collect the debt from?"

Li Zhen: "Mighty General Meng Da."

"This general doesn't even know you, so how could I owe you money?" Meng Da retorted hastily.

Li Zhen looked at him with anger in his eyes: "It seems that the general has forgotten the hundreds of boxes of medicinal herbs you brought with you when you returned home with your family to worship your ancestors five years ago."

Meng Da stood up and said, "Five years ago, I did bring my family back to my hometown to worship my ancestors, but why would I bring hundreds of boxes of medicinal herbs?"

He is not a businessman, why would he carry so many medicinal herbs?

It costs money and effort.

Xu Zhong stepped forward with a smile and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard a little about this matter. I have also seen General Meng's return home that year."

Meng Da looked at the old man with a bad face, but he still said: "Master Xu, please tell the truth."

Xu Zhong stroked his beard.

"These hundreds of boxes of medicinal herbs were indeed transported by General Meng's servants, but as to where they were sent, this old minister has no idea."

"However, not long after the herbs were transported away, three thousand remnants of the previous dynasty appeared at the border of Zhou State. If Marquis Pingqing had not noticed it in time, this border..."

Xu Zhong didn't say anything else, but just mentioned:

"Back then, Pingqing Hou found a few inconspicuous boxes with government seals in the lair of the remnants of the previous dynasty that he had beheaded. They were full of medicinal herbs."

There aren't many medicinal herbs, and it's nothing worth paying attention to.

But the seals...Meng Da listened to Doctor Wang's advice at that time and put seals on all the boxes that were traveling with him.

To prevent loss.

Thinking of Doctor Wang’s identity as a remnant of the previous dynasty, combined with what Li Zhen said today.

What he did at the beginning must have been imitated by others.

It is just to use his name to successfully transport these medicinal materials out!

Thinking of this, Meng Da was frightened and broke out in a cold sweat.

He fell to his knees and shouted:

"Your Majesty, I have absolutely no intention of disobeying your will. Please understand your majesty."

Emperor Jingming looked at his ministers with a complicated expression.

Although he didn't like Meng Da, he was aware of his courage.

They definitely don't dare to betray the court, so these medicinal herbs...

The prince recalled that Ye Shengxin had said before in Zhou Lin's mansion that Doctor Wang would use Meng Da.

He immediately stood up and said, "Father, General Meng Dameng once received the favor of Imperial Physician Wang. Could he have been involved in this?"

"Perhaps the general was used by Doctor Wang."

Finding a lifeline, Meng Da tried hard to recall more details of his return home to worship his ancestors five years ago.

It really made him think about it.

"Your Majesty, my ancestral home is quite remote. When I returned home, I asked Doctor Wang about the medicinal materials to bring with me in case I was not well prepared."

"After Imperial Doctor Wang gave me the prescription and promised to prepare it for me, I only took a few boxes of herbs back home."

Li Zhen handed the deed to Meng Da at the right time.

"General, look here. This is your handprint and your name."

Meng Da took it with trembling hands and indeed saw his own handwriting.

All three pages are filled with his handwriting.

And he owed money not just once, the total amount added up to 30,000 taels.

When Meng Da saw the tenfold compensation, his eyes went dark.

Three hundred thousand taels, why did he owe so much money?

Thinking about the past, he looked at Li Zhen and said, "I gave all the money I used to buy medicine to Doctor Wang and asked him to pass it on to you. Have you ever received any money?"

Li Zhen sneered: "Not even once in the past five years."

"The servants in the general's mansion also threatened me that if I spread this matter widely, my son who is in the army would have no hope of promotion, and my Li family's medicinal fields would be taken away."

Meng Da was angry: "Which servant in the general's mansion is this?"

"Your third concubine's younger brother, the chief guard of the general's mansion."

The third concubine?

Meng Da almost lost his balance.

This woman is a maid in the house of Imperial Physician Wang, and is said to have some knowledge of medicine.

He was in poor health at the time, so when Doctor Wang was treating him, he asked him to come and take care of him.

After he recovered, Doctor Wang did not take him back, so he went back to his room.

I didn't expect that this would lead to such a big setback.

The contents of the deed were written in a slightly messy hand. He must have been drunk and unconscious, or he must have been deceived by Doctor Wang's medicine and was tricked into writing it.

He had seen the power of the drugs in the old man's hand.

His face suddenly looked even uglier.

Looking at Meng Da's expression, Emperor Jingming also made a rough judgment.

"Now that General Meng has sorted out the whole story, please tell us."

Ye Xingxin sighed: [System, what am I saying? Doctor Wang is a remnant of the previous dynasty. If he wants to use someone, General Meng is the best candidate.]

Meng Da: “…”

He remembered that she had meant to mock him for being brainless, but now she was really being used...

Meng Da smiled bitterly. Is he really brainless?

The prince saw through his thoughts and gave him a sympathetic look.

Is there any need to say more?

Meng Da took a deep breath.

He suppressed his hatred towards Doctor Wang and told him the whole story.

Li Zhen understood the cause and effect of the matter and did not sympathize with Meng Da at all.

He just continued, "Since the general already knows about this matter, and it is written in black and white as evidence, do you want to compensate me three hundred thousand taels of silver?"

Because there was a contract, and also so that his son would not be excluded in the army.

He almost emptied his family's assets back then.

His son died two years ago, and his parents and wife also died of illness due to the family's decline.

Now, if it wasn’t for earning money for my daughter, I would have a chance to survive.

He would not risk beating the drum and let the emperor make the decision for him.

Looking at his thin daughter beside him, Li Zhen clenched his fists.

If he had had a little more courage back then, he would have been able to expose Doctor Wang's conspiracy.

Their family would not have ended up in their current situation because of losing all their family assets.

Three hundred thousand taels of silver?

Where would he get so much money?

Now that important civil and military officials were present and the emperor was watching him, Meng Da did not dare to be bad and offered a solution.

"Li Zhen, the general's mansion does not have so much money. This general has emptied his family's coffers and sold his land to raise only 100,000 taels."

"Considering that I was also deceived by someone, would you be willing to..." make some concessions.

Li Zhen remained calm: "It's written in black and white. General, please abide by the contract in front of the emperor."

"I lost my son, my mother, my father, and my wife because of this incident. I have been running around for five years, and I only ask for justice."

As he said this, he knelt deeply on the ground, and Li Qiuzhi beside him followed suit.

The father and daughter were extremely determined because they had no choice but to take action.

Meng Da looked up at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, your humble servant...your humble servant..."

He hesitated for a long time, not knowing what to say.

But since the wrong thing was done and losses were caused to the court, this matter must not be allowed to pass.

He first pleaded guilty: "Your Majesty, I have not judged people well and have been deceived by others. I am willing to be punished with a hundred military sticks, and I am also willing to hand over the general's seal and never enter the court again."

"As for the remaining evildoers in my family who aided the tyrant, I will send them to the Ministry of Justice for trial when I return."

Handling it this way should help avoid bringing disaster to the family.

"Let's handle it this way." Emperor Jingming agreed.

He looked at the father and daughter who were still kneeling to him and sighed.

How should this be handled?

Three hundred thousand taels of silver would cost him a lot of money.

Ye Xingxin: [What's so difficult about this? Just follow what's written in black and white. Otherwise, no one will be able to sign a contract with confidence in the future.]

[And when it comes to the law, if the emperor takes the lead in enforcing it, it will surely become a good story.]

The prince and the ministers looked at Meng Da, who looked desperate.

Three hundred thousand.

If Your Majesty listened to Ye Shengxin's words, how long would he have to wait to pay it back?