The court fell silent for a moment, everyone glaring angrily at Li Ru below. The Northern Xiongnu and the Han Dynasty were sworn enemies.
Sensing the gazes of the crowd, Li Ru said softly, "I have not had any private dealings with the Xiongnu!"
Upon seeing the letter in Xun Shuang's hand, Li Ru was only slightly surprised before realizing that someone had framed him.
For a moment, Li Ru's mind raced. Who was trying to frame him? A powerful family? Or those influential figures?
"Hmph~ Still dare to argue? Bring the person up here!"
Xun Shuang snorted angrily and then looked outside the hall.
As Xun Shuang finished speaking, Li Ru couldn't help but turn his head to look. He saw a middle-aged man being brought in. This man was one of Li Ru's most trusted subordinates when he was in Heyang.
Xun Shuang: "Do you recognize this person?"
Li Ru nodded, "I recognize it!"
"It's good that you recognize it!"
Xun Shuang then looked at the middle-aged man and asked, "Tell me, what have your county magistrates done?"
"promise!"
The middle-aged man then recounted in detail how Li Ru framed the powerful figures of Heyang and how he embezzled a share of the trade market.
"Has he ever engaged in any private transactions with the Xiongnu?"
The middle-aged man glanced at Li Ru and nodded. "Yes! At that time, Magistrate Li sent someone to make contact with the Xiongnu, promising to sell them grain and salt at a low price, and also secretly traded a batch of fine iron."
"What? There's refined iron too?"
Xun Shuang exclaimed in surprise, then looked at the middle-aged man. He was puzzled as to how things had turned out this way, and asked coldly, "Do you have any evidence?"
"The Xiongnu gave Magistrate Li two hundred taels of gold, all of which I have kept safe!"
After saying this, the middle-aged man took out a wooden box from his pocket and handed it to the yamen runner beside him.
Li Ru, standing to the side, stared in disbelief at his former subordinate. He never expected that this person would frame him. For a moment, Li Ru felt as if he had fallen into an icy hell.
Looking at the neatly arranged gold inside the wooden box, Xun Shuang glanced at Li Ru with a complicated expression, because the value of the gold was exactly the same as the contents of the letter!
"Now that we have both witnesses and physical evidence, the evidence against Li Ru for colluding with the Xiongnu is conclusive. I hereby pronounce judgment!"
Just as Xun Shuang was about to deliver the verdict, a guard suddenly walked over in a hurry, leaned close to Xun Shuang's ear and whispered something.
Xun Shuang nodded slightly, glanced at Li Ru lying on the ground, then stood up, looked at Li Ru, and said in a deep voice:
"Li Ru colluded with the Xiongnu and secretly traded fine iron with them. His crime is unforgivable and he should be sentenced to death."
However, considering that you are a disciple of the Emperor and have rendered meritorious service in governing Heyang and gathering refugees, you are spared death but instead given twenty strokes of the cane and exiled to Youzhou to be incorporated into the border army's suicide squad!
As soon as Xun Shuang finished speaking, several yamen runners came forward and pinned Li Ru to the ground.
The executioners showed no mercy, each blow striking Li Ru hard. Li Ru kept his eyes closed and gritted his teeth, not uttering a single cry of pain. He felt as if each blow was hitting not his body, but his heart.
A hint of pity flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes. He lowered his head, unable to bear looking at Li Ru's miserable state any longer. Thinking of his wife and children, he could only sigh softly in his heart.
After the execution was completed, Xun Shuang looked at Li Ru and asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"
Li Ru struggled to lift his head and look towards the palace, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
"Injustice..."
His voice was very soft; everyone only saw Li Ru's lips move, but no one could hear what he said.
Xun Shuang then ordered a physician to provide Li Ru with basic treatment, and then ordered him to be escorted to Youzhou.
Wearing shackles, Li Ru followed behind several yamen runners, walking shakily towards the outskirts of Luoyang. The entire journey, from entering to leaving the city, took only an hour, yet his life had undergone such a tremendous change.
The locals and roadside vendors who witnessed this scene also gathered around, pointing and discussing it animatedly.
Citizen A: "Which corrupt official has been arrested this time?"
Citizen B: "I don't know, he looks quite young, and his clothes aren't that fancy!"
Citizen C: "Judging from their appearance, they must be the scholars newly promoted by the Emperor, right?"
Vendor: "I think I've seen this person before. He is indeed a scholar promoted by the emperor. They even bought things from me before!"
Among the onlookers, several students exchanged glances, and one of them suddenly shouted at Li Ru: "His Majesty has appointed you without regard to convention, yet you have disregarded His Majesty's grace and committed all sorts of crimes after only a few days in office!"
"Yes! This heartless bastard deserves to be beaten!!"
Another student stood up, shouted, and threw the rotten vegetable leaves in his hand at Li Ru's face.
"Hit him!!"
With someone taking the lead, apart from a few students, the rest of the people picked up whatever they could find and threw it at Li Ru.
As Li Ru walked, he heard the curses of the students and the common people, and heard things being thrown at him from time to time. He felt only desolation and walked towards the city gate with lifeless eyes.
"As long as I live, one day I will make you pay the price you deserve!"
At this point, Li Ru was certain that someone had bribed or coerced his subordinate to frame him.
As Li Ru left Luoyang, he couldn't help but turn back to look at the city. He knew that the emperor must have secretly protected him, otherwise, given Xun Shuang's personality, he would never have spared his life. If he wanted to prove his innocence to the emperor, he had to rely on himself.
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