The main entrance of the Ning'an County Government Hall was open to the south, and there were only two people sitting in the hall.
Both of them were wearing Jinshi robes. One was sitting in the main seat in the main hall. He was about forty years old. He was the newly appointed prefect of Qingwu Prefecture and acting magistrate of Ning'an, Fei Chang. He was smiling at Ji Zhibai who was sitting on his left.
"Brother Ji, I think it would be better if you sit here with me and I can listen. Although I have been a Jinshi for many years, I have only served as an assistant official in the state government and the capital. This is my first time to be in charge of a place. You have been in charge of Ning'an City and held an important position in the Ministry of Personnel. Your experience is far better than mine."
There was no trace of blood on Ji Zhi's fair face. The blow of shattered literary courage had not yet healed, and there was a hint of sadness between his brows.
Ji Zhibai smiled and said, "Brother Fei, you are too polite. Although I was very successful in the past, the Holy Court has ruled that I will never be an official, nor can I enter the Holy Court, let alone the Imperial Academy. My chances of being promoted to Imperial Academy are pitifully small. In addition, my literary talent has been damaged, and my future is ruined. For now, I can only be a staff member. Brother Fei, please don't look at me with the old eyes of the past."
Fei Changyan said seriously, "Brother Ji, you are wrong. Back then, I offended the former right prime minister and was demoted to the Qingshui government office. I became a laughing stock and stayed there for three years. Fortunately, you, my fellow villager, saved me from danger. Not only did the left prime minister entrust me with an important task, but this time he directly appointed me as the prefect of Qingwu Prefecture, making me an important official and bringing honor to my family. I, Fei Changyan, will never forget this great favor. In my heart, you will always be that Ji Zhibai."
“Alas…” Ji Zhibai shook his head slightly.
Fei Chang said: "Fang Yun is dead, so the ban of the Holy Court will certainly be relaxed. After three to five years, the Zong family will definitely let you make up for your crime and lift the ban. Besides, Fang Yun is dead, the path of the Zong Sheng will be unimpeded. Once the Zong Sheng is promoted to the sub-sage, a general amnesty will probably restore your literary courage with just one word from the Holy Family."
Ji Zhibai's eyes flashed with joy, and then he smiled and said, "Yes, Fang Yun, the evildoer, is finally dead! As long as he dies, everything will be solved. My mentor has decided that all the affairs of Ning'an County will be handed over to me. Once there is a chance to be reinstated, he will definitely continue to use me."
Fei Chang's eyes flashed with worry, and he said, "Fang Yun is very popular in Ning'an City, and Liu Yu was established by him... In his words, he is a typical figure and role model. Defeating Liu Yu can indeed hit Fang Yun's reputation, but... if it is not handled properly, it may cause a mutiny."
Ji Zhibai shook his head slightly and said, "Back then, a Hanlin, under the influence of alcohol, said at a literary meeting that it is very simple for the government to govern the people. The bottom line is that the people will not rebel. We are not going to cut off their livelihoods, nor are we going to make them hungry and cold. At most, they will wait and see for a while. Once we are firmly in Ning'an County, they will gradually give up their rebellious intentions. What's more, we have a basis for punishing Liu Yu. The evidence is solid."
"You are right. The evidence is genuine. Both the Holy Court and the Three Law Courts of Jingguo will admit it."
At this moment, the guards outside escorted Liu Yu to stand in front of the main gate.
Fei Chang officially opened the court, and then signaled the bailiffs to bring in Liu Yu.
Fei Chang slammed the gavel and shouted, "Who is standing in the hall?"
Liu Yu was dressed in the clothes of a student. His hair and beard were all white, his face looked gloomy, his eyes were red and swollen, but his gaze was unusually bright.
"If you don't know who I am, how did you capture me?" Liu Yu said with a sneer on his face.
"How outrageous!" Fei Chang was furious.
Liu Yu snorted coldly and said, "I know your intentions very well. Isn't it because of the death of Saint Fang Xu that you want to take revenge on him? Yes, I am his subordinate! While he is alive, I will serve him as my master in this life; if he dies, I will be his slave in the next life! I don't have time to waste with you here, hurry up and judge the case."
Fei Chang suppressed his anger, looked at Ji Zhibai, and said, "I don't know the situation in Ning'an County, so I ask my staff Ji Zhibai to assist me in the trial. Ji Zhibai, thank you very much."
Ji Zhibai nodded and said, "I will obey your orders."
After saying that, Ji Zhibai looked at Liu Yu and said indifferently: "Liu Tongsheng, let me ask you, Fang Yun arrested a large number of cotton workshop owners that year, one of whom was named Hong Liao, do you remember?"
"Of course I remember. I heard that Hong Liao had a good relationship with some officials. By the way, when I heard this rumor, County Magistrate Ji was still in office." Liu Yu looked at Ji Zhibai with sarcasm.
Ji Zhibai said, "Is it true that Hong Liao scrapped a batch of 80% new machinery and then secretly sold them to a private workshop, earning 8,000 taels?"
"It's true." Liu Yu said.
"Yesterday, someone reported that you worked with Hong Liao and that you had accepted bribes from Hong Liao and helped him embezzle county agencies. Is this true?"
"Nonsense! Because of this matter, I haven'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 a closer look and found Hong Liao's confession on it. It said that Hong Liao embezzled 8,000 taels of silver and used half of it to bribe people, and 20 taels of silver was given to Liu Yu and his apprentice.
After reading it, Liu Yu was furious and said, "That twenty taels of silver was clearly a reward given to me by the county workshop that year. How can it be called a bribe?"
Ji Zhibai threw out another stack of documents.
Liu Yu hurriedly checked and found cold sweat oozing from his forehead.
These documents are confessions, and they are the confessions of Liu Yu's apprentices. At that time, someone mentioned to Liu Yu that these were simply Hong Liao's hush money, but everyone was powerless and could only acquiesce and ignore it.
Liu Yu's face turned pale and blue, and he sighed heavily, saying, "This matter... I have heard about it. My family was seriously ill at that time and had no money. I... That's it. I don't care how you convict me, but I have a clear conscience for taking the twenty taels of silver!"
After saying that, Liu Yu straightened his back.
"A clear conscience? Ridiculous! What about these?"
As Ji Zhibai spoke, he threw some documents to Liu Yu.
Those documents contained the confessions of Liu Yu's apprentices. Liu Yu once took some scrap materials from the workshop back home, made them into furniture or farm tools, and sold them himself.
Liu Yu was silent for a moment, then said, "Those scraps will be transported away and discarded. They are not worth much, so I picked out some usable ones. You guys accused me of embezzling materials from the workshop, but I have nothing to say."
"These, these, take a look for yourself!" Ji Zhibai said nothing and threw a thick stack of documents in front of Liu Yu.
Liu Yu read quickly, his eyes dim. He remembered many things. He felt sorry for one of his apprentices and used his connections to send him to a more profitable workshop. He also made mistakes at work, causing damage to some mechanisms...
After reading less than a third of the document, Liu Yu threw it on the ground and said, "You guys can convict me. These are all facts. I can't argue."
Ji Zhibai said: "You have made numerous mistakes and are extremely despicable, but you have joined hands with Fang Yun to deceive the world. This is truly a heinous crime! However, considering your old age and frailty, and the large number of people in your family, I will give you a chance. You only need to write a confession, admitting that Fang Yun gave you benefits for political achievements and the imperial examination, and disregarded the law, and all past matters will be forgiven!"
(To be continued.)