Fang Rucheng pointed at Jiao Mang's arrogant figure walking away from the yamen and looked at Zhan Yunpeng: "You see, I, the county magistrate, am just a figurehead. I ordered his arrest, but who dared? Even if he was arrested, the transport envoy would immediately send someone to take Jiao Mang away."
Zhan Yunpeng pointed at the yamen runners and said, "You are all employed by the imperial court, so why don't you obey the orders of the county magistrate?"
The yamen runners lowered their heads in shame. Fang Rucheng said, "Don't blame them. The last two county magistrates were assassinated and died in an accident. Everyone knows it was Jiao Zifu's doing, but what can we do about it? If I catch Jiao Mang, I'll be next."
Zhan Yunpeng was secretly shocked that this transport envoy had such great power that he actually became the local emperor.
"Why don't you appeal to the court?"
Fang Rucheng sighed. "The imperial court? Do you know where Jiao Zifu came from? Even if we report him to the Purple Palace, the emperor won't be able to do anything. Besides, we all know that the emperor is incompetent and unjust. He defeated the Jin army but then negotiated with the people. What's the point of reporting to such an emperor?"
"Aren't you afraid of losing your head by slandering the current emperor like this?"
Fang Rucheng gave a bitter smile: "You're right. If I can't make decisions for the people, what's the point of being an official? There's no tomorrow, the world is dark, and what does it matter if I lose my head?"
Zhan Yunpeng asked: "After all this talk, you still haven't told me where Jiao Zifu came from. The emperor doesn't even take him seriously."
"The current Empress Dowager is the aunt of Jiao Zifu, the Transport Envoy. Can the Emperor intervene in this matter?"
Zhan Yunpeng hesitated. This was a truly thorny matter. The Emperor had great respect for the Empress Dowager. Even if Jiao Zifu was captured, he probably wouldn't behead him out of respect for the Empress Dowager.
"Does the Queen Mother know what her nephew has done?" Zhan Yunpeng asked.
Fang Rucheng shook his head. "That's unknown. It's said that Jiao Zifu's career wasn't due to the Empress Dowager's connections, but rather his own success in the imperial examinations, which earned him praise. Considering how much the Empress Dowager values him, what good would it do if she knew?"
"You are so confused! The current Queen Mother is very wise and will definitely sacrifice her relatives for the sake of justice. Why don't you write a petition to the emperor?"
Fang Rucheng smiled bitterly and said, "His wisdom and might were all for show. The prefect of Baoding, along with the magistrates of Guiyi and Guixin counties, jointly submitted a petition impeaching Jiao Zifu. As a result, they were both dismissed from office and demoted. The magistrate of Guixin, Zhang Zhi, even died under mysterious circumstances. From that point on, Xiongzhou became Jiao Zifu's lawless territory."
Zhan Yunpeng gasped, having never imagined that Xiongzhou was so dark. The emperor, bearing the eternal infamy, tried to govern diligently, yet his officials acted so recklessly. It was no wonder the people were cursing him.
Zhang Xiaosi, who was kneeling on the ground nearby, was trembling with fear when he heard what the two said. "I won't sue you. It's just bad luck. I don't want to bring trouble to you gentlemen."
Zhan Yunpeng held Zhang Xiaosi down and said, "County Magistrate Fang, immediately send someone to arrest Jiao Mang. Find out if he has any criminal record and hand them over to me for punishment."
Fang Rucheng looked at Zhan Yunpeng suspiciously: "You..."
Zhan Yunpeng reached into his bosom and pulled out an official document: "I am the official appointed by the Emperor himself as the Chief of Criminal Justice."
Fang Rucheng took the official document and read it. He was so frightened that he knelt down to greet him: "I am Fang Rucheng, the magistrate of Xiongzhou County, and I am here to see Zhan Tixing."
Zhan Yunpeng hurriedly helped him up and said, "County Magistrate Fang, just bring Jiao Mang here. I, Zhan Yunpeng, will take care of everything."
Fang Rucheng walked to the front of the hall and slammed the gavel: "Listen, officers, even if the county magistrate is unjust, I, Fang Rucheng, will definitely arrest this bastard Jiao Mang and bring him back to the capital.
"You all receive salaries from the imperial court, so you should be helping the people. Go and capture the evil thief Jiao Mang!"
Fang Rucheng was timid and cowardly, but at least he still had some conscience. Now that he had the support of the imperial court official, he felt much more justified.
The yamen runners were used to being bullied and had long been dissatisfied with Jiao Mang, the scoundrel. With the support of the Chief Justice, the yamen runners immediately obeyed the order and left.
Bai Wanli was truly unlucky. He was nearly beheaded by Yue Fei, and was subsequently taken to the capital to appeal to the Emperor. Unexpectedly, upon seeing the memorial sent to him, Zhao Huan wrote a single word: "Execute immediately!"
When Bai Wanli received the emperor's reply, he nearly peed his pants. Now, he's staring blankly at the skylight in this prison.
"General Bai, someone is here to see you." The jailer said coldly. For a person who is about to die, the jailer didn't need to be polite to him.
There was a sound of iron chains, and Bai Wanli looked helplessly outside the cell. An old man walked in. He was wearing a cloak, which he opened.
"Uncle, uncle, save me!" Bai Wanli held the prison door railing in surprise and anxiety.
"Open the door!" The old man's tone was full of majesty. The jailer did not dare to delay and opened the cell door and retreated in a hurry.
The old man walked into the prison and looked at Bai Wanli coldly: "I promoted and cultivated you, and finally made you the deputy commander of the Pingding Army. Zhang Yanliang died in battle, and the position of commander of the Pingding Army is definitely yours. You actually caused such a big mess for me. You are really a hopeless case."
Bai Wanli was filled with regret: "Uncle, I know I was wrong. It's all because of Yue Fei. He started as a new official and made life difficult for us. He didn't allow us to forage for crops, and he would behead anyone who touched a straw from the people. What's the point of being a soldier?"
"You're short-sighted!" the old man raged. "Yue Fei is a man of talent. I even have a bit of respect for him. If you follow him, I guarantee you'll achieve great military success. Then I'll put in a few good words for you in front of His Majesty and have you transferred back to a position in the Imperial Guards in the capital. Wouldn't that be a hundred times better than living in poverty in Shanxi? You're a useless piece of shit. What can I say about you?"
"Uncle, I regret this now. Please think of a way to save me."
"Hmph! The Emperor has personally ordered your immediate execution. Who can save you? You knew Yue Fei was highly valued by the Emperor, yet you still went against him. You don't use your brain, so I sent you to the northwest for training. I didn't expect you to be so unimproving."
Bai Wanli's eyes were dull, and he sat down in despair: "It's over, it's over. It's over just like that. I don't want to die, I don't want to die!"
The old man said in a deep voice: "Fortunately, you are lucky. You are not destined to die."
It was like seeing a ray of light in the darkness, or like a drowning man finding a straw. Bai Wanli was overjoyed, his voice trembling: "Uncle, uncle, so the child can still be saved? Who has such great influence to make the emperor rescind his order?"
"Humph, why don't you take a piss and look at yourself? Is there anything on your body that is worthy of the emperor asking for face?"
Bai Wanli was not angry at the scolding. Instead, he was overjoyed: "I'm saved, I'm saved. I don't have to die, haha."
The old man was so disappointed: "If it weren't for the emperor's enthronement ceremony and the general amnesty, you would have gone to hell long ago!"
Bai Wanli clutched the hem of his clothes tightly. "So I happened to be there just when His Majesty issued a general amnesty, saving my life?"
The old man shook him off. "A general amnesty doesn't pardon every crime. If I hadn't gone to His Majesty and then to the Ministry of Justice to intercede for you, you wouldn't have survived! While the death penalty may be spared, your punishment of life is not. I will exile you to Cangzhou and assign you a task there."
PS: It will be recommended on Channel 6 next week, thanks to Huya editor.
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