What's even more outrageous is that when his elder brother Fang Yan saw that he had become the prefect, he also had ideas and asked Fang Zhiyi to help get him into the garrison in Qingzhou. Fang Zhiyi thought it was not a big deal and agreed.
Fang Yan had done nothing wrong, but relying on his status as the "prefectural elder brother", he quickly became a captain. He was domineering in the army, withholding military pay, beating and scolding soldiers, and even allowing his soldiers to rob people's homes. The people dared not speak out.
As Fang Zhiyi's official position became higher and higher, he had more and more "friends" around him.
Officials at all levels and wealthy families in the city surrounded him every day and flattered him to the point of being dizzy, but Fang Zhiyi still remembered that he was an official, so he closed the door to visitors and had no idea that these people turned around and tried to curry favor with his family members. Over time, a strange phenomenon emerged. Although Fang Zhiyi was the prefect, everyone with a discerning eye knew that the person who had the final say in Qingzhou was his father, and he was just a decoration.
In the 17th year of the Jinghe reign, a severe drought struck the northwest, destroying all crops. Countless people were displaced and fled to Qingzhou, seeking food. However, the local officials and merchants colluded with the local government to drive up food prices. A bowl of porridge cost one tael of silver, forcing many people to trade their children for food to survive.
Fang Zhiyi heard about the drought and wanted to open the granary to provide relief. Fang Hongyuan was impressed by the father's words and told him to focus on government affairs while he would arrange for people to do the work. Fang Zhiyi was touched that his father was thinking so much about him. He didn't see that the grain in the granary was transported into the Fang family's granary in carts, while the victims had only stale rice covered with sand and chaff to eat. The water in the pot was so clear that you could see a person's reflection in it.
Later, some people felt that they could not survive in the city and wanted to escape to the south together. Fang Yan was afraid that they would talk nonsense on the way and reveal the affairs of Qingzhou, so he led his army to intercept them.
On the official road outside Qingzhou City, Fang Yan ordered an arrow to be fired, and countless unarmed victims fell in a pool of blood, their cries and screams echoing through the sky. Someone told Fang Zhiyi about this, and Fang Zhiyi was shocked. He hurriedly asked his elder brother about it, but Fang Yan lied and said that "the victims gathered to cause trouble, and they had no choice but to take action." Fang Zhiyi actually believed him and praised Fang Yan for his "courage."
In the winter of the eighteenth year of Jinghe, the old emperor passed away and the new emperor Xiao Jing ascended the throne.
The new emperor was different from the old emperor in his leniency. He had heard about the chaos in Qingzhou a long time ago and realized that Fang Zhiyi had a huge influence and was involved in many relationships. After he ascended the throne, he secretly made arrangements to eradicate this force in one fell swoop.
But Fang Zhiyi didn't notice it at all. He still read and wrote every day, and went out for an outing and wrote poetry from time to time. As for government affairs, his father specially arranged people to help him deal with them. This fairy-like life was so comfortable.
However, Fang Hongyuan, the old fox, began to panic when he saw the new emperor's swift and decisive actions. He secretly summoned Liu and his two sons to discuss how to leave a way out.
The day before the new emperor took action, Fang Hongyuan suddenly brought Fang Yan and Fang Heng to the capital to ask for an audience with the new emperor. He also handed over a stack of evidence, which contained all the things done by Fang Zhiyi and his men, as well as the accounts of the Fang family using Fang Zhiyi to obtain private benefits. However, all the places involving Fang Hongyuan, Fang Yan and Fang Heng were tampered with by him, leaving only Fang Zhiyi's name, and some bad incidents were simplified into insignificant trivial matters.
Fang Hongyuan knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face, and said, "Your Majesty, I have failed in my parenting, allowing my rebellious son Zhiyi to commit such acts of corruption and abuse of power, harming the people. He has become increasingly outrageous, and I simply cannot bear to see him suffer any more. I have come here today to expose him, willing to sacrifice my own family for the greater good and uphold the law!"
The new emperor looked at Fang Hongyuan meaningfully and finally pardoned them.
At the same time, the wealthy families, gentry and local officials in Qingzhou also received Fang Hongyuan's message. These people were afraid of death and saw that Fang Hongyuan had turned against them. They immediately wrote letters to the emperor, accusing Fang Zhiyi of corruption, bribery, abuse of power and harming the people. There was solid evidence for every case.
Fang Zhiyi was still waiting for his father and brother to return to the prefectural government office, but he didn't expect that the people waiting for him were the imperial guards. When the cold iron chain was put around his neck, he was still confused: "Are you mistaken? I am Fang Zhiyi, the prefect of Qingzhou. I have done nothing wrong!"
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