Du Qi looked at the angry crowd. Even though he didn't know the truth of the matter for the time being, he still felt a little flustered. Guo Xiaozheng's punishment of corruption was indeed beneficial to the long-term development of Jiuquan County. However, this punishment was a little severe. Regardless of whether it was big or small, good or bad, they were all wiped out.
Du Qi raised his hand and gestured for all the people to quiet down. When the people stopped talking, Du Qi ordered, "Dear people, please believe in me. This King will give you an explanation for this matter. "
"Come, inform Guo Xiaozheng to come."
Du Qi directly ordered.
The soldier beside him immediately went to pass the order. After the soldier went to pass the order, Du Qi comforted all the people again, telling them that justice would be served.
Not long after, Guo Xiaozheng came.
Guo Xiaozheng looked extremely calm. He looked at Du Qi and said, "Your humble servant Guo Xiaozheng pays his respects to Your Highness."
Du Qi nodded and said, "Since you're here, you can give an explanation. All the people gathered outside the prince's mansion said that Li Guang, Hu Changsheng, and Zhao Yongfu are innocent. They were arrested because of a small matter. They want me to seek justice for them. "
After a pause, Du Qi said, "You're the person in charge. You know the situation best. You'll explain this matter clearly. Let the people know the whole story in front of all the people. "
Guo Xiaozheng looked extremely calm.
He faced more than a hundred people, and even these people looked at him angrily.
He was still neither servile nor overbearing.
There was no trace of fear or worry.
Guo Xiaozheng smiled and explained, "Your Highness, the reason why Li Guang, Hu Changsheng, and Zhao Yongfu were arrested was because of the news that was announced to the public."
"In fact, it was because it was discovered that Li Guang, Hu Changsheng, and Zhao Yongfu colluded with the bandits and transferred money and benefits for the bandits. This was the fundamental reason. The reason why it wasn't announced before was that it was worried that the impact would be too great and cause a big stir. "
"I didn't expect that all the people would come. All the evidence regarding this matter is in the office, and Li Guang, Hu Changsheng, and Zhao Yongfu have already pleaded guilty. "
"Among them, Hu Changsheng colluded with the Lone Mountain Bandit Ren Qiong. He sent money and food to Ren Qiong. Hu Changsheng bought large quantities of food several times and sent them to Lone Mountain."
"Li Guang and Zhao Yongfu colluded with the bandits of Fulu County. The two of them are in cahoots with the same bandit. Their main task is to purchase the gold, silver, and jewelry sent by the bandits, convert them into food and weapons, and sell them to the bandits of Fulu County. "
"All the discoveries were made through the transportation of food."
"Men!"
Guo Xiaozheng ordered.
Beside Guo Xiaozheng, the accompanying soldiers stepped forward and saluted.
Guo Xiaozheng ordered, "Bring Li Guang, Zhao Yongfu, and Hu Changsheng here. In addition, bring me the evidence of their crimes one by one. The people will seek justice for them, and I will make this matter public. "
The soldier immediately went to pass on the order.
Zheng Li and the rest of the commoners were all extremely shocked.
They were all dumbfounded.
How could this be?
How could it involve colluding with bandits?
But what Guo Xiaozheng mentioned, such as the purchase of food, was something they already knew. Li Guang, Hu Changsheng, and Zhao Yongfu bought large quantities of food and then transported them away. As for where they were transported to, the commoners didn't know. After all, it had nothing to do with them.
Such a thing happened, and the commoners were shocked.
But they faintly believed it.
Because Guo Xiaozheng's words couldn't be spoken without thinking. Not long after, Li Guang, Zhao Yongfu, and Hu Changsheng were escorted here. Moreover, the person who contacted them to transport the food was also escorted here.
Guo Xiaozheng said in a deep voice, "Li Guang, Zhao Yongfu, Hu Changsheng, do you plead guilty?"
Li Guang clenched his teeth and said, "Guo Xiaozheng, you are Ping Xiwang's lackey. You used to be Jinshan's Shen Biao's military counselor. Now that you are Du Qi's lackey, do you really think he can trust you? You are a bandit, and you will be a bandit for the rest of your life. It's impossible to wash away your identity. "
Speaking up to here, Li Guang turned to Du Qi and shouted, "Du Qi, Zhao Yongfu and I are indeed in contact with the bandits of Fulu County. Let us go if you know what's good for you. Otherwise, you won't be able to bear the consequences if the entire Fulu County comes to kill you. You must know that there are thousands of bandits in Fulu County. You won't be able to bear it. "
Zhao Yongfu also shouted, "Du Qi, we didn't do anything out of line. We just sold some food to the bandits, that's all. Saying that we colluded with bandits is actually Guo Xiaozheng's slander. We just want to make money. We just want to earn some money, so what's wrong with that? You'll only anger the bandits of Fulu County by capturing us. It's not worth it, nor is it worth it. "
Hu Changsheng said, "Du Qi, I'm different from Zhao Yongfu and the rest. Saying that I colluded with bandits is too much. I'm just a merchant. I sold food to Du Shan's Ren Qiong just to make money. "
Guo Xiaozheng said coldly, "Selling food is the same crime as colluding with bandits. Bandits are wreaking havoc and countless people are dying unnatural deaths. You're still aiding the evildoers. Your crimes are punishable by death. "
At this moment, all the people were dumbfounded.
They were even more listless.
They were here to support Hu Changsheng, Zhao Yongfu, and Li Guang, hoping that Du Qi would give them justice. Who would've thought that in the end, the three of them were actually aiding the evildoers?
Even if Hu Changsheng and the rest had brought many benefits to the people in their respective areas. The problem was that they colluded with bandits and helped the evildoers. This was something unacceptable.
Du Qi didn't say a word.
He was observing the people's every move.
Du Qi nodded when he saw that the people's emotions had stabilized. "I believe that there's nothing more to say about Li Guang, Zhao Yongfu, and Hu Changsheng's crimes."
"They colluded with bandits, they deserve to die!"
"It's a matter of course for merchants to earn money when doing business, but merchants also have to pay attention to the principle of a gentleman's love for money. If a merchant doesn't even have a basic bottom line and does all kinds of business and earns all kinds of money, then it's inappropriate. "
"Bandits wreak havoc, and the lives of the people are difficult. Aiding the evildoers is equivalent to slaughtering the people. Therefore, Li Guang and the other two must be killed. I believe that any of you have any objections to this point? "
Du Qi's voice was deep and loud.
Everyone heard it loud and clear.
"No!"
The people shouted in unison.
At this point, they really had nothing to say.
Du Qi nodded. When he looked at Guo Xiaozheng, there was an additional hint of approval in his eyes. He didn't expect that Guo Xiaozheng would be able to find out about colluding with bandits when investigating corruption. It was indeed quite good.
Du Qi waved his hand and said, "Alright, all of you are dismissed. I'll immediately arrange for people to take over your respective areas and ensure that there won't be any problems. "
Zheng Li had also lost his confidence. He could only bow to Du Qi and hurriedly take his leave.
Du Qi swept a glance at Li Guang and the other two, then his gaze landed on Guo Xiaozheng again. "Mister Guo, I'll leave it to you to deal with Li Guang and the other two, as well as the other corrupt officials."
"Yes!"
Guo Xiaozheng immediately replied.
Then, Guo Xiaozheng said, "Please don't worry, Your Highness. I know my limits."
Du Qi nodded.
However, he smiled, because the meaning behind Guo Xiaozheng's words was quite thought-provoking. Those words were definitely directed at Liu Zhengxi. Only Liu Zhengxi had been by Du Qi's side before this, and had said that Guo Xiaozheng was too strict in his handling of matters.
After Guo Xiaozheng left, Liu Zhengxi said with an ashamed expression, "Your Highness, I've misunderstood Guo Xiaozheng. I made a mistake, please punish me."
Du Qi said, "You're just thinking about the bigger picture. There's nothing else, go about your business."
"Yes!"
Liu Zhengxi turned and left.
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