"This matter of assault, I shall temporarily set aside. I only ask you, is it true that you encroached upon the private property of the Shenxiao Wanshou Palace?"
Pang Yue coughed dryly and immediately changed the subject. Regarding the assault, they had no evidence, and these Daoists had been cooped up in the Transportation Bureau for two days without managing to sketch a single likeness.
If they were to continue making trouble over this matter, it would likely drag on until next year without any resolution.
Therefore, at this moment, they could only focus their attention on the issue of encroaching on private property.
The Shenxiao Wanshou Palace, after all, was a royal Daoist temple.
Its assets were the assets of the imperial family. As long as this charge could be substantiated, Han Mo would at least not escape the charge of great disrespect.
This single charge alone was enough to seal Han Mo's fate.
"Lord Pang, although you are a superior official and the adjudicator of the Transportation Bureau, you must speak with evidence. You accuse me of encroaching upon the private property of the Shenxiao Wanshou Palace; do you have any proof? If you do not have proof, then you are slandering me. Do not forget, according to the laws of the Great Song, slander is punishable by reprisal!"
Seeing that this old fox was personally engaging him in a confrontation, Han Mo naturally had no intention of being polite.
"You surnamed Han, those dozens of mu of riverbank land have been dug up and made unrecognizable. How dare you still deny encroaching upon the private property of the Shenxiao Wanshou Palace!"
Seeing Pang Yue about to be at a disadvantage, Wang Daolu quickly stepped forward to help.
"Riverbank land?"
Finally, the real issue was brought up, and a peculiar smile immediately appeared on Han Mo's face.
Looking at the smile on Han Mo's face, Wang Daolu's heart sank. Could it be that this brat had some hidden trick up his sleeve?
"That's right, the land by the riverbank!"
Wang Daolu said through gritted teeth.
"Is there such a thing?"
Pang Yue sneered and asked.
"If you are referring to the land by the Wei River, then indeed there is such a matter. All the corvée laborers in the county are busy working there now!"
Han Mo coughed dryly and said casually.
"Since that is the case, guards, strip him of his official robes and clap him in irons and jail!"
Pang Yue let out a sinister laugh and waved his hand.
The constables behind him immediately crowded forward, surrounding Han Mo as if facing a formidable enemy.
"Hold on!"
Just as Lü Ying hesitated whether to intervene, Han Mo shouted.
"Encroaching upon royal land is a crime akin to deceiving the emperor, an act of great disrespect. Surely you understand such matters?"
Pang Yue asked with a sinister grin.
"Lord Pang, I do not understand your accusation. When did I ever tell you I was encroaching upon royal land?"
Han Mo retorted with a smile.
"Did you not just say it yourself? The land by the riverbank!"
Wang Daolu now hated Han Mo to the bone. Before Pang Yue could speak, he could not help but interject.
"That's right, the land by the riverbank. I have indeed decided to return it to the river channel, and we are currently in the process of doing so. However, who told you that this land is the private property of your Shenxiao Wanshou Palace? Do you have the land deed?"
After listening to Han Mo's words, Wang Daolu was stunned.
They had always been accustomed to arrogance and tyranny in Neihuang County. Whatever they desired, they would seize through various means.
As for the land by the riverbank, it was originally an unclaimed wasteland.
Upon discovering its exceptional fertility, he had directly led men to enclose it.
The subsequent prefects, when repairing the embankment, had simply blocked off that land from the river, completely separating it from the river channel.
Given their overbearing nature, they had never thought of obtaining a land deed.
As for the Transportation Bureau, Pang Yue, after receiving the case and understanding the situation, immediately treated it as a treasure.
Under normal circumstances, one would indeed need a land deed to accuse someone of encroaching upon private property.
Especially when the accusation was against their own parental official. Without concrete proof, one would likely not dare to file a complaint at the Transportation Bureau.
At first, he had intended to inquire about the details, but upon seeing Wang Daolu's injuries, his mind was so startled that he completely forgot about this matter.
Now, with Han Mo bringing it up, he immediately looked at Han Mo with the expression one would have when looking at an idiot.
The atmosphere on the scene suddenly became peculiar, with both Pang Yue and Han Mo regarding each other as if they were fools.
As for Wang Daolu, the aggrieved party, he was completely bewildered.
Land deed?
What was that?
"Daoist Wang, show him the land deed you have!"
Amidst this strange atmosphere, Pang Yue finally could not resist. He let out a cold laugh and said to Wang Daolu.
"I..."
"What is it? You're not going to tell me you don't have the land deed, are you? If you don't have the land deed, how can you prove that this land belongs to you?"
Seeing Wang Daolu stammering, Han Mo said with a beaming smile.
"I..."
"What is it? Hurry up and produce the land deed!"
Pang Yue was becoming impatient.
"I, I... That land does not have a land deed..."
"What did you say?"
Upon hearing his words, Pang Yue felt like slapping him to death.
Could this fellow have been deliberately set up by Han Mo to frame him?
For such a significant matter, he didn't have a land deed!
Seeing the smug smile on Han Mo's face, Pang Yue suddenly understood. This brat must have investigated this matter long ago and was deliberately waiting for him here.
"Daoist Wang, since you do not have a land deed, how can you prove that the land is yours?"
"Who in Neihuang County does not know this?"
Wang Daolu said through gritted teeth.
"If you put it that way, then this matter is indeed interesting. Here are all the tax records from previous years in this county. For the land you are referring to, it has never paid a single copper of tax to the imperial court in the past decade or more! Furthermore, in this county's cadastral register, that land is not arable land; it is marked as the Wei River channel!"
Han Mo said with a cold laugh, pointing directly at the two ledgers placed on the desk beside him.
At this, even Pang Yue's lips twitched uncontrollably. This matter was now thoroughly ruined...
"I..."
"What are you? You claim you were beaten, and I personally sent people to find a painter to sketch the assailant, even preparing to report it to the Court of Judicial Review myself. If you show no gratitude, you then take wasteland that was originally a river channel and falsely accuse me? Let everyone present judge, are you even human?"