The silence and noise inside and outside the court were in sharp contrast. As time passed by, Mo Qi, who remained silent, spoke.
He stood up, looked at Su Qi'an calmly, and said softly.
"I only want to be wise and have an arrogant personality. I didn't expect that when I get old, I will be used as a pawn. I will capsize in the gutter. I admit it."
"As a great scholar, even if I have become an official, I will inevitably cause harm to the people of Dongzhou. I will immediately write to the court and request your Majesty to punish me. Of course, if the supervisor wants to hold me accountable, I will suffer the same and will never complain. .”
"Yes, there are three of us who are willing to accept the responsibility." Qin Xiao and three others stood up at the same time.
Qin Xiao looked at Su Qi'an and added, "The four of us will leave Luyue County from now on and live in seclusion in the mountains and forests until we die of old age. This can be considered as compensation for the harm that the four of us have done to the people of Dongzhou."
After saying that, Mo Qi and Qin Xiao bowed their hands to Su Qi'an, then turned and left.
No one present stopped the departure of the four great scholars.
The weight and status of these four people cannot be stopped by anyone, and the four people have already made their stances.
To be honest, the attitude of the four of them was quite ruthless. They personally wrote to the court and asked for punishment. Su Qi'an admired their proactive attitude of pleading guilty.
Not only that, after the punishment is over, the four of them will give up everything in Dongzhou, live in real seclusion in the mountains and forests, and vow not to leave until they die.
This is equivalent to completely cutting off all contact with the outside world and giving up the many honors and honors he has gained over the years.
Being able to make this kind of determination shows that the four of them are sincerely repentant.
According to the identity and status of the four people, there is no need to be like this. They did not actively participate in planning to harm the people of Dongzhou. The mistakes they made were just being used by others. Under their banner, the benefits they received were only daily. Supply rations.
Even if he informed the court, he would still be remembered for his many years of service to the Great Liang and his hard work and merit without being punished.
Like Su Qi'an, it is even more impossible to jail Mo Qi and Qin Xiao and impose severe punishments.
If these four people are all imprisoned, then Zeng Mo, Han Cheng and others must not be cut to pieces in court?
This was not a troubled time, and such harsh criminal laws would not be used. As long as the four great scholars did not really hurt innocent people and persecute the people, other things were just trivial matters, and they were exempt from criminal law.
Mo Qi and Qin Xiao knew it, but even so, they were still in the deepest self-punishment.
This is the true Confucian who is worthy of their status as a Confucian.
Su Qi'an did not stop the self-punishment of Mo Qi and Qin Xiao. Even if he stopped, it would be useless. With the four people's temperament and their own arrogance, no one could change what they decided.
The four of them did this not only as a punishment for themselves, but also with another purpose. They used the four of them to kill chickens and scare monkeys, to frighten the officials in Dongzhou, and to invisibly build momentum for Su Qi'an. It also meant that the four of them turned around in time and provided the last point to Su Qi'an. help.
Su Qi'an naturally understood what Mo Qi and Qin Xiao meant, and he was very grateful.
Before arranging this game and triggering the four elders of Dongzhou, Su Qi'an muttered a little, fearing that the fourth elder would insist on one way and end up in trouble. If this happened, he was afraid that he would really break up with the fourth elder.
Su Qi'an was even ready to take out the Master's Order and forcefully order the four elders, but now it seems that the four elders still remember their status as great scholars.
Turning back in time and lending a helping hand, Su Qi'an was completely relieved of her worries.
During this purge of the Houjiu County of Dongzhou, the people who were most afraid of were not the local officials, let alone Zhou Zibin and Feng Nan. It was these four elders. Fortunately, the matter was resolved smoothly in the end.
Watching the four elders leave, the atmosphere in the court was obviously much more depressing. These four elders were their trump card.
I still had a little hope, but who would have thought that the Fourth Elder would be so cruel to me. Not only did he punish himself and confess his crime, he also gave up all his honors and was banned from leaving the mountain ever since.
After the four elders left, Feng Nan's heart felt cold. He knew that if he continued to delay, it would only become more detrimental to them. It was time to make a decision.
his eyes
There was a flash, and after a brief silence, he looked at Su Qi'an and cupped his hands.
"I didn't expect that in Dongzhou, the place we manage, such unbelievable evil things would happen. It really brings shame to the officials of Great Liang."
"Now that the supervisor has evidence of the crime, we will definitely cooperate with the eight county guards on how to deal with it. Of course, as the governor of the state, I am also responsible if something like this happens to the people below."
"I am willing to accept all punishments without any complaints."
"We are also willing to be investigated by the supervisor. If we are guilty, I will plead guilty!"
Not long after Feng Nan finished speaking, all the jury officials around him stood up one after another, then knelt down to Su Qi'an and expressed their opinions.
The look on his face was so sincere. Even if Su Qi'an killed them, these officials had no resentment.
After the jurors knelt down and expressed their opinions, the anger outside the courtroom obviously subsided a lot.
When had they seen this scene? These officials in the court accounted for at least 80% of Dongzhou.
If they are all convicted, it will not only be a huge sensation in Dongzhou, but also the news will be sent back to Kyoto, which will probably cause shock.
If it was just a simple shock, it would be nothing, but if Su Qi'an really did this, the back nine counties of Dongzhou would definitely fall into turmoil immediately.
At such a critical juncture, replacing 80% of the officials at the rear in one go would cause chaos.
Su Qi'an would not be stupid enough to do such a thing, and this was not the purpose of his efforts to set up a trap for such a long time.
Clearing them all in one go was really cheap for them. These people are still useful to Su Qi'an for now.
From a certain perspective, Feng Nan's move was indeed very high. He took the initiative and was willing to take responsibility, which actually reduced his own pressure.
He also knew that if Su Qi'an cleared them all at once, Dongzhou would definitely fall into chaos. In order to seize the initiative a little bit, he would not fall into too much passivity.
Taking the initiative to plead guilty is the best policy.
Although this move was somewhat risky, I have to say that Feng Nan made the right bet this time.
Seeing everyone's attitude, Su Qian looked pleased and said quickly.
"I am very pleased that Mr. Feng and his colleagues have such an attitude, but this matter needs to be dealt with in a long-term way. For now, we should first deal with the corruption and perversion of the law by Zeng Mo and the eight county governors of Hancheng. What do you think?"
"Since the supervisor has spoken, we will obey your orders."
Feng Nan clasped his fists and nodded repeatedly.
The officials behind him also expressed no objection and then stood up one after another.
The atmosphere in the courtroom was obviously much more harmonious.
The tension just now disappeared, as if nothing happened.
Not only that, as the officials stood up, Su Qi'an and Feng Nan expressed their opinions in front of the people outside the court.
The evil deeds done by the eight county guards in the local area will never be tolerated because of their deep background and high status. They will investigate to the end and sentence them as they should, and they will definitely be fair to everyone.
All the people were excited and shouted.
Compared with the excitement of the people, Zeng Mo and Han Cheng, who were controlled and speechless in the court, fully understood that they had been betrayed by Feng Nan.
To save themselves, sell them outright.
The eight people were very angry and agitated, and they kept struggling. No matter how hard they struggled, it was in vain. At Su Qi'an's signal, Zeng Mo and Han Cheng were taken away directly from the court hall by Dongshan Army soldiers.
Along the way, the people cursed each other, and some even threw vegetable leaves. Amidst the loud curses, the figures of the eight people were gradually drowned...
As the eight people were taken away, the court was no longer so noisy. Feng Nan withdrew his eyes and raised his hands to Su Qi'an.
"Inspector, I think this matter is almost settled. If nothing happens, I will resign and have to inform Mr. Zhou Mu about this matter."
"Yeah, that's right. By the way, you forgot to tell me that I really have something to trouble Mr. Feng."
Su Qian's words
Relaxed, but Feng Nan's heart tightened when he heard it, but his face did not change. He cupped his hands and said, "Sir, if you have anything to do, as long as I can do it, I will definitely do it."
"This envoy's inspection during this period, in addition to uncovering the illegal activities of Zeng Mo, Han Cheng and other eight county governors, also found the granary they built privately. After a rough tap, no more, no less, exactly one hundred thousand Shi, I don’t know what Mr. Feng thinks…”
"My official feels that these 100,000 yuan of grain and grass are illegally obtained and should be returned to the state capital. However, the war on the front line is urgent right now. I think it is better to requisition it and transfer it to the front line. It can also be considered as compensation for the rear."
Feng Nan's eyes flashed, and he gave the solution directly without hesitation.
"Is it really okay to do this? I wonder if you adults have any opinions." Su Qian said thoughtfully.
The officials behind them shook their heads repeatedly, with serious expressions on their faces, and said, "The frontline has paid too much, and it is only right for the rear to provide some food and grass, so how can we have any objections."
"That's right. If anyone has an opinion, I will be the first to object. I hope the supervisor will not worry about it. We fully support this matter."
"In this case, I will follow what my colleagues said, which is really troublesome for you."
Feng Nan and other jury officials shook their heads quickly, and they all stood on Su Qian's side. The negotiation between the two parties was called harmony.
Those who can participate in the jury do not know how to watch their actions. Calling it a discussion is just an attempt to drag them into trouble.
To be honest, they had to do it if they didn't want to. Eight county governors were found guilty of corruption and perverting the law. It was foreseeable that it would definitely shock Dongzhou.
If the investigation continues, will they still be able to escape? Although Feng Nan took a risk just now and resolved the crisis, half of it was due to Su Qi'an's proactive concession, which gave them a chance to breathe.
This opportunity is not given in vain, it must be repaid. It has been prepared for so long, and now is the time.
If they refuse stupidly and stay away, they will never get out of this courtroom at this moment.
This inspector's ruthlessness was no joke. After seeing his attitude towards the four elders of Dongzhou just now, they were somewhat afraid of Su Qi'an.
This inspector has something in his hands.
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