"Present it!"
Without needing anyone to verify, Liu Shanqing was an expert in land deeds himself.
Since they had already arrived, and at this point, the couple was still stubbornly refusing to admit defeat, he naturally wouldn't be polite any longer. He immediately ordered the land deeds to be brought over.
The bailiffs standing nearby dared not delay. Someone stepped forward, took the land deeds from Zhe Rong's hand, and placed them before Liu Shanqing.
After carefully comparing the hidden markings and feeling the texture of the paper, Liu Shanqing began to examine the handwriting.
When he saw the names of the buyer and seller, he was suddenly stunned.
The seller was Lin Ling Su, and the person responsible for the transaction guarantee was Nie Shan, the Junior Magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture...
The most sickening part was that if one calculated carefully, the transaction date was exactly the day before Han Mo's flood release.
At this, Liu Shanqing fell completely silent.
If these deeds were genuine, it would mean Han Mo was using his own land for flood release...
Whatever he did on his own land was none of their business...
"Lord Liu, these deeds have been in my possession for several years without being touched. The items he presented cannot be real!" Wang Daolu said with a sinister chuckle.
"Lord Liu, can you not tell if these things are real or fake at a glance?" Li Jixian asked casually, noticing Liu Shanqing's dazed expression.
"M-My Lord..." Liu Shanqing truly didn't know what to say. This brat was clearly doing it on purpose! If you had this stuff, why didn't you bring it out earlier? Why all this fuss?
"Why are you hesitating? Looking at you now, how can you be considered an official of the court! Bring these items here for me to see!" Li Jixian couldn't help himself, seeing his stammering. After all, in his view, victory was within reach, and this young man was faltering at this moment. It was just a land deed, what was so difficult about it!
Since Li Jixian had spoken, the bailiffs could only steel themselves, take the land deeds from Liu Shanqing, and place them before Li Jixian again.
After repeating Liu Shanqing's process, Li Jixian was also dumbfounded... This was a huge trap! Now he understood, Xu Churen was clearly here to watch the two of them make fools of themselves today!
"My Lords, you can't even distinguish the authenticity of a land deed? If you really can't, I suggest you send someone to Bianliang City to inquire with the guarantor." Bianliang City? Guarantor? Hearing these words, the brilliant smile on Wang Daolu's face suddenly froze. An unrealistic possibility immediately popped into his mind. That was over 3,000 mu of prime land! And what was most precious was that these 3,000 mu of land were contiguous! Even for truly wealthy families, such good land was rare. After all, the Great Song Dynasty did not suppress land accumulation, and even ordinary people had a folk saying: a thousand years of land changing eight hundred masters. To buy such a large plot of land, thousands of mu connected together, was almost impossible. Could it be that that immortal Lin in Bianliang City could really sell such a good piece of land to Han Mo for nothing?
"Lord Li, why don't you say something? They're asking you! If your subordinates aren't enough, I can lend you a few orderlies..." Xu Churen said, lowering his head to take a sip of tea. The tea seemed to suit his taste; after a light sip, his face immediately showed an expression of disgust and intoxication.
"N-No need..." Li Jixian said with a bitter smile, then trembling, he continued. That was Lin Ling Su! Moreover, the guarantor was Nie Shan, the Junior Magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture, and it even bore Nie Shan's personal seal. Forget Han Mo, even Li Jixian himself wouldn't dare to forge such a deed. This was true subversion from the roots! All their efforts for so long were just a play for others.
"My Lord, the land deeds I have are all genuine!" Seeing the bitter look on Li Jixian's face, Wang Daolu's heart sank.
"Men, seize this sorcerer who falsely accused an official of the court, give him thirty heavy planks, and escort him to the Daolu Division for investigation!" After gritting his teeth fiercely, Li Jixian could only bow his head and admit defeat... After days of struggle, a lawsuit they thought was a sure win had now ended in a complete defeat. Everything had returned to square one, but the problem was, they had no time left to devise other methods. After the bailiffs dragged Wang Daolu away, Li Jixian looked as if he had aged ten years, his body even beginning to stoop.
"Lord Li, before I leave, I have a word of advice. I hope Lord Li will consider it!"
"Indeed, the younger generation surpasses the elder. I shall listen attentively!" Li Jixian said with a bitter smile. He had lost this move, and from beginning to end, he had been led by the nose by Han Mo. Now that the matter was irreversible, even though he knew Han Mo was somewhat showing off, he could only endure it.
"The Master said, to know one's mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue. My Lord, you are also a learned scholar, do you not understand such simple reasoning? If my Lord takes another step forward, I fear that a single misstep will lead to eternal regret, and looking back, it will be a hundred years of suffering!" Han Mo said, then cupped his hands towards Xu Churen before looking again at Li Jixian and the despairing Liu Shanqing.
"Since the matter here is concluded, and you have come all the way to Yuancheng, I will be the host tonight. Let us not return until we are drunk!" Han Mo had said what he needed to say, and Xu Churen didn't say much more. If Li Jixian could truly abandon the wrong and turn to the right now, it would be of great benefit to Xu Churen's complete control of Hebei Road. After all, the situation in Hebei was complex. Even if these people were all purged and replaced, it might not be done any better by the newcomers. Instead, if he went all out to eliminate them, it might provoke them to fight to the death.
"My Lord, what do we do next?"