Fang Yun slapped the gavel and said, "Guards, take the criminal Gong Wu to the death row. Watch him day and night to prevent him from committing suicide! I will send a letter to the three law divisions and the punishment hall to speed up the review of this sentence and execute him in Ning An County as soon as possible to warn the people that killing a loved one is even more unforgivable! "
"Sir, you are wise!" Yu Ba Chi let out a long sigh and personally took Shopkeeper Gong away.
"I won't accept this! I want to sue … "
"You motherf * cker!" Yu Ba Chi punched Shopkeeper Gong's temple and knocked him unconscious. He ordered the bailiffs to drag Shopkeeper Gong away.
Some officials couldn't help but roll their eyes, but no one stopped them.
"Bah!"
"Bah!"
No one knew who started it, but the people on both sides spat at Shopkeeper Gong.
Fang Yun calmed down and said in a normal tone, "A family is based on blood and ties. It should be the most basic and stable group in the world. If the blood doesn't exist, or if the feelings are no longer there, then the family can be dissolved. However, before it is dissolved, every member should protect the family. If not, morality will be corrupted, human relationships will collapse, and the human race will cease to exist! Relatives hide from each other. If they are not relatives, what should be done? If they harm their relatives, what should be done? Murdering a loved one is an additional crime! By extension, murdering a loved one's relatives should be severely punished, and shouldn't be lightly punished using feelings as an excuse! If the feelings are real, then let the feelings be fulfilled and let the loved one apologize with his death. If the feelings are fake, then even death can't wipe out his crimes! "
"Sir, you are sincere, kind, and righteous!" County Minister Tao bowed.
"Murdering a loved one is an additional crime. This is the true combination of etiquette and law!" The punishment hall's Han Lin nodded in agreement.
Shopkeeper Gong's elder brother stood up and wiped his tears, saying, "I don't know any great principles. Out of brotherhood, I should speak up for him, but … Sir, you are right. A life for a life is a matter of course! Moreover, it is the life of a loved one. "
"Yes. A life for a life is a matter of course! "
Fang Yun looked at Ji Zhibai and said, "The law is nothing more than human feelings. A sentence should be reduced because of kindness and increased because of evil. The local ruffian injured himself by playing with the cow, he did not have any good intention; why would he harm the victim's family to make the local ruffian's evil? The thug killed his wife. His actions were extremely evil, so why did he have to be called kind and be lightly punished? Ji Zhibai, I'm very disappointed! "
"You …" Ji Zhibai's Wen Gongwen's courage was greatly shaken. He did not dare to refute.
Fang Yun cupped his hands towards the sky and said, "The saints have decided to bestow upon you talent. The country was safe and sound. You were given an official position as a dignified Zhuangyuan, but you disobeyed etiquette, inverted benevolence and righteousness, and failed to distinguish right from wrong. You were ignorant and incompetent, and harmed the people and the country! This official will immediately ask the Three Law Divisions and the Punishment Hall to seize your position. You will be conferred a civil position! As for the matter of selling the workshop for personal gain, this official will settle it with you one by one! "
"Fang Yun, you … Wow …"
Ji Zhibai suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and took a step forward like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey. His eyes were filled with hatred, and his fury seemed capable of burning the four seas. However, in the next instant, he turned around and fled like a bird startled by the twang of a bow.
"Kacha …"
Wen Gongwen cracked.
"Pfft …" Ji Zhibai once again spat out a mouthful of blood. He closed his eyes and fell to the ground.
"Lord Ji!"
"Master!"
Ji Zhibai's entourage and subordinates rushed forward. They helped Ji Zhibai up.
Fang Yun sat high up in his seat and looked down. He said, "Doctors from the Medical Hall, please treat Manager Ji. After he recovers, continue to cooperate with this official's trial! Court dismissed! "
Fang Yun slammed the gavel on the table and left the court.
Ji Zhibai pretended to be ill and did not appear for many days. He did not cooperate with Fang Yun's trial.
On the third day of the eighth month, Gong Wu was executed by a thousand cuts in Ning An County. Tens of thousands of people watched and it caused a sensation for a while.
On the seventh day of the eighth month, Fang Yun began to fully investigate the serious case of the workshop sale. Subsequently, documents that shocked the people were revealed one after another.
Xingyuan workshop, worth thirty thousand taels, was sold at three thousand taels.
Ping Ming workshop, the original workshop owner did not have to pay a single copper coin. The workshop owner who was in charge of management only had to fork out a portion of his income for the next few years to pay for it.
Long Cotton workshop, sold to the workshop owner. The workshop owner did not have to pay a single copper coin. He pawned the machinery and deeds to obtain a sum of money out of thin air and bought the workshop.
Solid iron workshop, valued at the price of its construction 20 years ago. Its debts were greater than its assets, so it was given to a prestigious family for free.
Northern Grain Workshop …
Many workshops were sold under Ji Zhibai's leadership by various "clever" means under the slogan of serving the country and the people. There was no supervision and no accountability. Those workshop owners who had messed up the workshops easily brought them back to life after purchasing the workshops. They made huge profits and became Ji Zhibai's political achievements.
When they saw the shocking documents, the people of Ning An County realized that Ji Zhibai's speech last year about how he wanted to deal with the corrupt officials and how he wanted to reform Ning An County with a death wish was nothing more than a bureaucratic lie to deceive the people.
The court examination was less than a year old, so Ji Zhibai could not possibly focus on long-term development. Thus, he sold the workshops to bribe the officials and nobles of Ning An County. This removed all the problems from the court examination and left his name in Ning An County.
Almost on the same day that Fang Yun announced these documents, all the neutral officials in Jingguo, including the so-called Qingliu Imperial Censors, suddenly started to criticize and accuse Fang Yun. They felt that Fang Yun should not have announced these documents to the entire county. They felt that he was causing trouble and causing internal strife.
How could the people know what the officials were doing?
Many officials were outraged.
The Left Prime Minister and his ministers sat calmly and didn't take any action because they knew that Fang Yun could only influence one county. Most of the people in Jing Kingdom and even the human race couldn't understand what the bureaucrats were doing. They would only be deceived by the bureaucrats who were good at flattery and acting. Unless they couldn't live anymore, they would never take action.
The officials had an unspoken consensus that as long as the people did not rebel, they could do whatever they wanted.
On the 10th of August, this matter was published in the Wen Pao. However, Fang Yun's report was greatly edited out. It only mentioned that Fang Yun was meritorious in governing Ning An County and that Ji Zhibai should be punished severely. There was no mention of the details of how the workshops were sold.
After praising Fang Yun, the people of Sheng Yuan Continent put this matter to the back of their minds.
In Ning An County, Fang Yun still insisted on 'positive reforms'. However, in the human world, 'negative reforms' were always carried out silently. The officials and the nobles continued to eat away at the country's wealth.
On the twelfth of the eighth month, the Punishment Hall and the Three Law Divisions jointly issued a decree. Ji Zhibai was stripped of his official position for dereliction of duty, selling off state-owned workshops, and many other crimes. He was banned from being an official for the rest of his life, and was also banned from entering the Holy Academy and the Imperial Academy.
On that day, Ji Zhibai's guts were shattered. He vomited blood and fainted.
On the 15th of August, it was supposed to be the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival for family reunions. However, Ji Zhibai sat alone in an armored ox cart and stared blankly at the full moon outside the window.
The moonlight was cold, but Ji Zhibai's heart was even colder.
"Master, we have arrived at the North Gate of the capital."
"Okay."
Ji Zhibai replied casually. Suddenly, his vision blurred and Fang Yun's face seemed to appear on the full moon.
Ji Zhibai clenched his fists and tears welled up in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "Fang Yun, today you have shattered my guts. September will be your time of despair! I will wait in the capital for the end of your court examination and listen to the sound of your guts being shattered! "
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