The main entrance of the Ning An County yamen was wide open to the south, and there were only two people sitting in the hall.
Both of them were wearing scholar robes, and one of them was sitting on the main seat in the main hall. He was about 40 years old, and he was the newly appointed prefect of the Green Crow Prefecture and the acting county magistrate of Ning An County, Fei Chang. He was smiling at Ji Zhibai, who was sitting on his left.
"Brother Ji, why don't you sit here with me, and I'll listen from the side. Although I've been a scholar for many years, I've only been an assistant official in the provincial yamen and the capital. This is my first time governing a place. You, on the other hand, used to govern Ning An City and held an important position in the Ministry of Personnel. You're much more experienced than me. "
Ji Zhibai's fair face was pale, and he still hadn't recovered from the shock of having his scholar's courage shattered. His eyes were filled with worry.
Ji Zhibai smiled and said, "Brother Fei, you're too kind. Although I was in the limelight back then, the Notre-Dame has already ruled that I'll never be an official, can't enter the Notre-Dame, and can't even enter the Hanlin Palace. The chances of me being promoted are pitifully small. Plus, my scholar's courage has been damaged, and my future is ruined. I can only be an assistant now. Brother Fei, don't judge me with your old eyes. "
Unexpectedly, Fei Chang said seriously, "Brother Ji, you're wrong. Back then, I offended the previous Right Prime Minister and was demoted to the yamen. I became a laughingstock and stayed there for three years. Fortunately, you saved me. Not only did the Left Prime Minister entrust me with important tasks, but he also directly appointed me as the prefect of the Green Crow Prefecture, making me an important official and bringing honor to my ancestors. I, Fei Chang, will never forget this great kindness. In my heart, you'll always be Ji Zhibai. "
"Sigh." Ji Zhibai shook his head lightly.
Fei Chang said, "Fang Yun is dead, so the Notre-Dame's ban will definitely be loosened. In three to five years, the Zong family will definitely let you redeem yourself and lift the ban. Moreover, Fang Yun is dead, so the Zong Sheng's path will be unimpeded. Once the Zong Sheng becomes a quasi-saint and pardoned the world, I'm afraid a single word from him will restore your scholar's courage. "
Ji Zhibai's eyes flashed with joy. Then he smiled and said, "Yes, that scourge Fang Yun is finally dead! As long as he was dead, everything would be resolved. My master has already decided to hand over all matters in Ning An County to me. Once you have the chance to rise again, you will definitely continue to use me. "
Fei Chang's eyes flashed with worry as he said, "Fang Yun is extremely popular in Ning An City, and Liu Yu was established by him. In his words, Liu Yu is a typical character and role model. Defeat Liu Yu. It can indeed damage Fang Yun's reputation, but if it's not handled well, it might lead to a mutiny. "
Ji Zhibai gently shook his head and said, "Once upon a time, there was a Han Lin who, under the guise of being drunk, said at a literary conference that it was very simple for the government to govern the common people. The bottom line was that the common people would not rebel. It's not like we're cutting off their livelihood, nor are we starving them. At most, they'll just wait and see for a while. They would also gradually lose the will to resist. What's more, we have solid evidence for punishing Liu Yu. "
"You're right. The evidence is genuine. Regardless of whether it's the Notre-Dame or the Three Law Bureaus of Jingguo, they will all admit to it."
At this moment, the bailiffs outside escorted Liu Yu to the main entrance.
Fei Chang officially opened the trial and signaled for the bailiffs to bring Liu Yu in.
Fei Chang slammed the gavel and shouted, "Who is in the trial!"
Liu Yu was dressed in a child's robe and had a white beard. He looked dispirited and his eyes were red and swollen, but his gaze was abnormally spirited.
"If you don't know who I am, how did you capture me?" Liu Yu sneered.
"Impudent!" Fei Chang was furious.
Liu Yu snorted coldly. He said, "Old Man knows your intentions very well. Isn't it because Fang Xusheng died and you want to take revenge on him? Yes, I'm one of his subordinates! If he's alive, I'll serve him in this life. If he dies, I'll serve him in the next life! I don't have time to waste here with you. Hurry up and decide the case. "
Fei Chang suppressed the anger in his heart and looked at Ji Zhibai. He said, "I don't know the style of Ning An County, so I've asked my assistant, Ji Zhibai, to assist me in the trial. Ji Zhibai, I'll have to trouble you. "
Ji Zhibai nodded and said, "I'll obey."
After he finished speaking, Ji Zhibai looked at Liu Yu and said coldly, "Liu Tongsheng, let me ask you. Back then, Fang Yun captured a large number of cotton workshop owners. One of them was called Hong Liao. Do you remember him?"
"Of course I remember. I heard that Hong Liao had a good relationship with some officials. Oh right, when Old Man heard this rumor, it was when County Magistrate Ji was still in office. "Liu Yu looked at Ji Zhibai mockingly.
Ji Zhibai said, "Back then, Hong Liao depreciated a batch of machinery that was eighty percent new and then secretly sold it to private workshops for a profit of eight thousand taels. Is this true?"
"It is true." Liu Yu said.
"Yesterday, someone reported that you and Hong Liao worked together. You received money from Hong Liao and helped him embezzle the county's machinery. Is this true?"
"Nonsense! Because of this, Old Man hasn't seen Hong Liao for a long time! "Liu Yu said.
Ji Zhibai smiled coldly and threw a stack of documents to Liu Yu.
Liu Yu hurriedly took it and looked at it carefully. It actually contained Hong Liao's confession. After Hong Liao embezzled eight thousand taels, he took out half of it to bribe people. Of the eight thousand taels, he gave twenty taels to Liu Yu and his apprentice.
After Liu Yu finished reading, he was angry and anxious. He said angrily, "That twenty taels was clearly a reward given to me by the county's workshops. How can you say that it was a bribe?"
Ji Zhibai threw out another stack of documents.
Liu Yu hurriedly looked at it and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.
These documents were all confessions, and they were the confessions of Liu Yu's apprentice. Back then, someone had mentioned it in front of Liu Yu, saying that these were Hong Liao's hush money. However, they couldn't do anything about it and could only tacitly ignore it.
Liu Yu's face alternated between green and white. He sighed heavily and said, "Old Man has indeed heard about this. Back then, my family was seriously ill and I really didn't have any money. I didn't care how you convicted me. Old Man doesn't care, but that twenty taels of silver, Old Man took them with a clear conscience!"
After he finished speaking, Liu Yu straightened his back.
"A clear conscience? Ridiculous! Then what about these? "
Ji Zhibai said and threw another stack of documents to Liu Yu.
Those documents were the confessions of Liu Yu's apprentice. Liu Yu once took some of the workshop's scrapped materials home and made them into furniture or farming tools. He sold them himself.
Liu Yu was silent for a moment and said, "Those scraps will be shipped away and discarded. They aren't worth much in the first place. That's why I picked some usable items. You said that I embezzled the workshop's materials. I have nothing to say. "
"These, these, take a look for yourself!" Ji Zhibai didn't even say anything and threw a thick stack of documents in front of Liu Yu.
Liu Yu quickly read, his eyes dim. He remembered many things. He felt that one of his apprentices was pitiful and used his connections to send him to a more profitable workshop. He also made mistakes in his work, causing some machinery to be damaged.
After reading less than a third of the documents, Liu Yu threw the documents in his hands to the ground and said, "You can convict me. These are all facts. Old Man can't deny it."
Ji Zhibai said, "You clearly made mistakes and were extremely despicable. However, you joined forces with Fang Yun to deceive the world. This is truly a heinous crime! However, I'll give you a chance because you're old and weak. You have a lot of people in your family. As long as you write a confession and admit that Fang Yun gave you benefits for his political achievements and ignored the law, we'll let bygones be bygones! "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
