Chapter 316 317. Appetizer
"Someone come! Catch them!"
If you don't make a sound, you will be a surprise when you do.
Lei Li attacked with lightning speed. Before the prefect Bai Hui and other officials could react, several officials had already been arrested.
The highest-ranking official among these officials was the Tongzhi, who was the assistant to the prefect and assisted the prefect in handling official business. The lowest-ranking one was the director, including the Xuankesi, Shuikesi, Siyusi, etc. Such an action made all the officials panic, feel guilty and angry.
"Your Excellency the Governor!"
As the top official, the prefect Bai Hui acted righteously and saluted respectfully, but his gesture was filled with rebuke. "What do you mean by this? The state has its laws, and the family has its rules. Even though you are the governor, you shouldn't arrest people without reason!"
"You ask me why?"
Lei Li sneered and glanced at the officials slowly, "I want to ask you what you have done! As an official appointed by the imperial court, you knowingly broke the law. Not only did you collude with others, you also harbored thieves and exploited the people!"
"One by one, what crime should be punished?!"
"Why do you say that, Governor?"
Bai Hui, the prefect, was indeed a shrewd and calculating fox. Facing Lei Li's aggressive and confident questioning, he remained calm and asked,
"If there is no solid evidence, please release me and my subordinates, Your Excellency the Governor. We have served the imperial court in governing Baihui. Even if we have no merit, we have worked hard. We cannot tolerate such slander from Your Excellency the Governor!"
"slander?"
Lei Li suddenly glanced at the prefect Bai Hui, his eyes as cold as lightning, "Come here, bring up the evidence that the prefect wants, so that the prefect can hear how these so-called subordinates, who have no merit but have worked hard, act and behave!"
"Yes, sir."
Several minor officials of the seventh and eighth ranks stood out from behind Lei Li, their voices resounding like a bell. They were all eight feet tall, with broad shoulders and strong waists, their eyes like torches, and they all looked at the prefect Bai Hui, holding a thick "certificate of guilt" in their hands.
The first tall official from the left said, "Xu Fuchang, the deputy governor, secretly accepted bribes, embezzled government funds, seized the private property of the people, allowed his family members to ride horses in the downtown area and injure people, and secretly colluded with merchants to use illegal means to compete."
"...the residence exceeded the regulations for fifth-rank officials, violating twenty-three imperial laws."
As soon as he finished speaking, the second bearded official said in a gruff voice,
"The Director of the Taxation Department privately accepted bribes and embezzled government taxes. He also illegally increased taxes on ships, fish and grain, sea voyages, population, and transit customs, among other items. The fish and grain taxes were increased by anywhere from 3% to 10%."
"There are also seventeen other charges, including lax supervision of subordinates, deceiving superiors and concealing the truth from subordinates, and openly soliciting prostitution while on duty."
Then, the third person spoke up, "The Director of the Imperial Examinations Department has disregarded the imperial court's laws and failed to promptly communicate the newly established regulations, such as allowing all men and women to take the imperial examinations. During his tenure, he was perfunctory and careless..."
Every Baihui official who was arrested was charged with a host of crimes, from major to minor, even favoring concubines and killing wives, and harming children were found and counted.
"Who else has anything to say?"
Lei Li said coldly, his peach blossom eyes that always smiled and were full of affection were now like the demons from hell, and every glance was like a nail, firmly fixed on the meridians of the officials.
Who else has anything to say?
Who dares to speak?
Every word and every sentence is crystal clear, and every incident is like a bolt from the blue.
Those who were caught were so scared that they were at a loss and felt hopeless. Those who were not caught but had something to hide were trembling with legs and breaking out in cold sweats. What's worse, some were so scared that they collapsed to the ground, not even daring to raise their eyes.
Prefect Bai Hui was also sweating profusely, but he immediately realized that the governor's move today was not to arrest anyone, but to intimidate them.
This long list of charges is probably a mixture of true and false, and sounds scary when mixed together, but some are probably exaggerated, and some are fabricated out of thin air.
Even if there are really so many, you absolutely cannot admit them now. If you admit them, you will be courting death!
Xu Tongzhi, worthy of being the prefect's second-in-command, was the first to recover and quickly defend himself, "Your Excellency the Governor, you are wrongly accused! I did not seize the private property of the people, and I certainly would not allow my family members to ride horses and injure people in the street! As for the allegations of private transactions and personal gain, that is completely false!"
"My residence is indeed outside the rules, but Your Excellency may not know that this house was built by the previous Tongzhi. I took advantage of it when I took office..."
"I was so absorbed in my duties that I didn't care about material possessions like gold, silver, and houses. I was so careless that I made a fool of myself, the Governor. It's really..."
Xu Tongzhi burst into tears as he spoke, wailing as if it was really Lei Li who had slandered him, and he wished he could die to prove his innocence.
"Since Xu Tongzhi says he's innocent..."
Lei Li suddenly narrowed his eyes, slammed the table, and stood up, saying with great ambition, "Well then! I'll ask Xu Tongzhi to crash himself into the main pillar in this hall and prove his innocence with his death!"
"If this governor finds out that I have not slandered Xu Tongzhi, I will report to the court and His Majesty that Xu Tongzhi's innocence and loyalty are witnessed by heaven and earth."
"I also ask Your Majesty to grant me a plaque inscribed with the words 'Incorruptible Minister.' This Governor will personally deliver it to Xu Tongzhi's home and be present to offer condolences at his funeral."
"this……"
Xu Tongzhi immediately felt like he was being roasted on a fire. He was really afraid that he would be killed if he hit the car, but if he didn't hit the car, it would make the matter even more obvious, and his innocence would be exposed.
After receiving the veiled glance from the prefect Baihui, Xu Tongzhi gritted his teeth and wanted to bang his head against the pillar. Then he heard the tall official who had spoken first say loudly,
"Your Excellency! I suddenly remembered that I had invited Baihui's most famous doctor to the hall. As long as Xu Tongzhi doesn't die immediately, I guarantee that he will bring him back to health!"
"good!"
Lei Li laughed heartily, patted his watch in praise, and encouraged him, "Don't worry, Xu Tongzhi, go ahead and hit him. If you're wounded and brought to the prison, I'll make some concessions and have a doctor come into the prison every day to check Xu Tongzhi's pulse. I won't let Xu Tongzhi die tragically in prison with no one to collect his body."
"After all, the case hasn't been fully investigated yet. Whether it's confiscating the property or beheading someone, we have to give Xu Tongzhi an explanation..."
"Oh no, it's better for Xu Tongzhi to die, otherwise he won't be able to get the plaque issued by the court. Xu Tongzhi can meet his ancestors in the afterlife and stand up straight."
These words were like knives stabbing into Xu Tongzhi's heart, piercing him to pieces. He almost died from the breath he took.
...It's really unbearable.
"Xu Tongzhi! Xu Tongzhi..."
"Hey, he's not really dead, is he? This is a good way to die. It saves him from hitting a pillar and spilling blood. I have to clean it up."
This was the last sentence Xu Tongzhi heard before he fainted, and it immediately made him even more angry.
—
certainly.
This is just the appetizer.
None of the high-ranking officials are good. The ones we catch are just small shrimps. We also need to catch the big fish behind them - the big fish hidden in the court.
However, Lei Li's move almost broke the mentality of all the officials in Baihui, and Lei Li also separated the few Xu Tongzhis he had captured, preparing to sow discord among them and defeat them one by one.
At the Director of the Taxation Department's place, Lei Li's men used words to bewitch him while torturing him.
"Xu Tongzhi has already put the blame on you, saying that you deceived him, deceived your superiors and subordinates, secretly increased taxes and used public funds for personal gain, and you were the one who arranged for the merchants to give bribes..."
The director of the Taxation Department has been immersed in wealth, sex and luxury for many years. He is used to flattery and easily gets carried away. He is also very easily influenced and has the weakest will among those arrested.
When he was first arrested, he was the one who reacted the most strongly to the charges, so he was waterboarded.
They tied him up on a bench with his back facing up, and dripped water on his forehead. In the silent space, there was only the sound of dripping, dripping, dripping, and even the slight vibration of the water drops on his forehead was clearly noticeable.
After being locked up like this for two days and with a few words of provocation, he confessed everything without any threats or inducements.
The director of the Propaganda Department was more stubborn. His crime was actually the least serious and the lightest. In the final analysis, it was just taking money and not doing anything.
But no matter how stubborn his temper is or how hard his bones are, they are not as hard as a beheading knife, not to mention that it is not just his head that is being chopped off.
"Director of the Education Department, we don't really want to embarrass you, but the court and the emperor have been very strict about education. Basic education in Baihui has been left in such a state that there aren't even any schools. If we don't find someone to take the blame, the governor and the prefect won't be able to explain themselves..."
"Xu Tongzhi is the prefect's man. The prefect has the support of important figures in the court. Even the governor has to give him some respect."
"You, just go on the road peacefully with your family!"
And the Director of the Prison Department...
"Prison Division..."
The interrogator touched his chin pretentiously and said casually, "It's useless, just kill him."
Director of the Prison Department: “???”
He was horrified. The Director of the Propaganda and Taxation Department lived next door to him. The prison was not soundproof. He could hear them using threats and inducements against the two directors. Why didn't they use inducements and inducements when it was his turn?
He doesn't want to die alone!
"It doesn't matter if you die or not, what difference does it make?"
The interrogator sighed and said casually, "The governor is impatient and doesn't like to investigate cases. He lets his subordinates do these things. You are sentenced to death anyway, so why waste our energy?"
"You mean Xu Tongzhi? Xu Tongzhi's nephew was riding a horse and injuring people in a busy city, but you ordered him to be released. You are not Xu Tongzhi."
“I don’t want to die!”
The head of the prison department immediately said, "I'll tell you everything I know. Can you let Xu Tongzhi die with us? He collected the most money among us. Even the prefect didn't get as much as him!"
"How is this possible?"
The interrogator feigned surprise and angrily said, "You lied without even thinking! The prefect informed our governor. He accepted tens of millions of taels of silver. That's tens of millions of taels!"
"Tongzhi Xu even lived in the mansion that was given to him by his predecessor. How could he be so rich?"
“It’s true!”
The head of the prison department was anxious and said, "I have a ledger here! It records all the bribes we received. Xu Tongzhi really took the most. He should be the first to die!"
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