As the most familiar leader of this case, Du Chong naturally began to attack directly.
Hearing him say this, Zhao Ji's heart couldn't help but clench.
Cai Tao was dead, and it didn't matter whether such a person was present or not.
However, Han Mo Ke was completely different!
This was the prime minister candidate he had prepared for his descendants. If this kid were to fall here today, it would truly be a loss outweighing the gain.
"Lord Du, your words are unreasonable. I was sent to confiscate property, not to be an accountant for their family..."
In response to his deliberate attack, Han Mo skillfully deflected.
In such an occasion today, this guy didn't dare to deal with Cai Tao directly, but instead targeted himself. This was clearly trying to bully him as a soft persimmon!
"You!"
After being rebuffed by Han Mo, Du Chong's expression immediately turned ugly.
If it weren't for being in the Golden Hall, he would have wanted to slam the table.
"Lord Du, do you have any other evidence in your hands?"
After glancing at the proud Han Mo, and then at the documents submitted by Du Chong, even Emperor Zhao Ji was not optimistic about him.
Just as Han Mo said, when court officials confiscated property, they only cared about how much land, how much property, and how much gold and jewelry there was. They had never heard of having to settle with the families whose property was confiscated about which were this year's income and which were last year's accumulation!
"Replying to Your Majesty, this minister, this minister has letters found by the Imperial Authority Fan Welfare..."
After clearing his throat somewhat awkwardly, Du Chong quickly spoke again.
"May I ask Lord Du, are these letters you mentioned written by me to Huang Qian Shan?"
As soon as Du Chong finished speaking, Han Mo directly turned the tables.
"This..."
"Is it or is it not?"
"No..."
"Since they were not written by me to Huang Qian Shan, could they be written by the remnants of the Pu family to Lord Huang?"
When Han Mo said this, Cai Tao's lips had already curled into a cold smile.
Who was Huang Qian Shan?
Up to now, this guy was just a mere prefect.
To put it bluntly, if such a small figure were to be placed in ordinary times, even kneeling to lick Cai Tao's shoe soles, they would still have to see if Cai Tao was willing!
Even if the people of the Pu family wanted to find someone to appeal to, they wouldn't find such a useless person!
"Not that either..."
"Then what you're saying is really interesting! Since it wasn't written by the aggrieved party at the time, nor was it written by me to Huang Qian Shan, then based on a few letters of unknown origin found in his residence, Lord Du wants to interrogate me, an official of the imperial court, in the Golden Hall?"
After Han Mo finished speaking, Liang Shicheng felt like applauding him.
He had to admit that this kid's mouth was indeed not ordinary!
"This, this..."
Seeing his speechless appearance, Cai You couldn't help but frown.
This guy usually seemed quite shrewd, but why was he so useless at critical moments?
Just last night, this guy had vowed to him, patting his chest, and guaranteeing that he would give Han Mo a hard time in court today.
But who knew that after less than two rounds, this guy was already showing signs of defeat!
"Lord Han, Lord Du, since these pieces of evidence have been presented, there must be a reason. Why should Lord Han be so sharp-tongued and harsh in front of His Majesty?"
Du Chong was already on the verge of collapse. Fan Zhixu, the Minister of Justice, could only come forward to rescue the situation at this time.
"That's right. No matter how you say it, Lord Du is a senior official and your superior. Lord Han's aggressive approach is indeed unbecoming of a gentleman!"
Since Cai You's people were charging ahead, Wang Fu was naturally happy to cheer from the rear.
"You speak so lightly. My lords, have you forgotten that Lord Du was not just having a simple conversation just now?"
Seeing them rush out in a swarm, Cai Tao naturally couldn't watch Han Mo bear the brunt of the attack alone.
After all, in this matter, his Cai family owed Han Mo a great favor!
If he watched and did nothing, and Han Mo fell into trouble, he would also be doomed.
"Scholar Cai, you are mistaken. What do you mean by 'not a simple conversation'? Lord Du is merely assisting His Majesty in questioning. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"Enough!"
Seeing them start to bicker again, Zhao Ji, who was getting a headache, angrily slammed the table again.
"We are guilty!"
With the emperor losing his temper, the officials could only bow their heads and plead guilty.
"Cai Tao, I ask you, is the matter stated in this letter true? Did your Cai family and the Pu family have business dealings before?"
Zhao Ji was not interested in these superficial matters. What he wanted to know was whether this money actually existed and whose hands it was in at this moment.
"This..."
Seeing his silence, Wang Fu's lips licked with excitement.
He could almost not wait to hear Cai Tao say no!
There was nothing to argue about in this matter. As long as he dared to say so, Wang Fu would have plenty of ways to confirm his crime of deceiving the emperor!
"Don't stammer here. Just tell me, yes or no!"
As he thought of the stack of dunning documents on his desk, Zhao Ji felt a headache. His questioning naturally left no room for him!
"Replying to Your Majesty, as far as I know, there was indeed..."
After weighing the pros and cons, Cai Tao finally gritted his teeth and said.
Upon hearing this, the officials in the hall immediately began to whisper. Although they might not have the courage to attack, they could still point and comment from within the crowd.
"What is the annual profit from the business between the Pu family and the Cai family? Is there an approximate figure?"
After confirming the first piece of information, Zhao Ji, with a grim expression, asked the second deadly question again.
"This, this minister is not clear. This minister serves his father every day, and is not involved in the family's business..."
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Cai Tao stammered again.
After listening to their conversation with the emperor, Fan Zhixu's hand hidden in his sleeve began to tremble with excitement.
Now, only the final push was needed!
"Replying to Your Majesty, if you want to ask about this matter, this minister is very clear!"