When the second-rank minister of the court was in charge of all important military and political affairs in Jianghuai, four county officials and one from the county were directly dismissed from their posts and imprisoned.
This is equivalent to the first, second and third leaders in Lu'an County being all dismissed.
Under such circumstances, how could the people who were summoned dare to be so presumptuous? Almost all of them were pale and timid, and their bodies were shaking as they knelt there.
After an interrogation, each of these people vomited faster than the other. Who was crazy and dared to take responsibility? They clearly explained what they knew and didn't know. There were many people begging for a lighter sentence.
Throughout the afternoon, there was a thick pile of testimonies, and the hands of the clerk responsible for recording them were almost numb.
These things are enough to establish the Lu'an Dam corruption case.
Zhang Jingrui didn't pause at all. After dinner, he had the master, Bo Lu Renyou, taken out of the prison and interrogated overnight.
Because he still has many things to deal with.
In the hall, elite guards stood on both sides.
Lu Renyou was brought in with his hands and feet in chains.
The reason why he was the first to interrogate him was because he had already done some investigation and understanding, and it would be easier to break through.
After Lu Renyou entered the lobby, before he could salute, Zhang Jingrui said coldly: "Kneel down."
The latter did not dare to refute, and when he knelt down, he made the iron chain clank.
Zhang Jingrui has always been straight to the point when it comes to this case, and it was the same this time: "Lu Renyou, when it came to building the Lu'an Dam, you, as the head of the county, was in charge of the gold and silver expenses. You requested funds from the county, and it was you who went back and forth. Did you run away?"
"Yes." Lu Renyou couldn't push this aside. Of course, in his heart, he was just asking for funding.
"How much money did the county allocate to you for this project?"
"Six hundred thousand taels of silver."
"How much of this money did you spend on the Lu'an Dam?"
"It was all used up, and there was even some shortage. Later, some was transferred from the county treasury to complete the project." Lu Renyou said confidently: "If you don't believe it, you can read the official documents. The gold and silver consumption during this period are all there." Detailed accounts.”
"Bold thief!" Zhang Jingrui slapped the doorman: "You dare to talk cleverly in front of me! Do you think that your fraudulent official documents can deceive me!? Do you think that without conclusive evidence, I will take you into custody? Come here!?”
He raised his head and said, "Show him!"
The guard was ordered to take out several testimonies and show them one by one in front of Lu Renyou.
The latter looked up. The more he looked, the paler his face became. Finally, he was breaking out in cold sweat and his body couldn't stop shaking.
Zhang Jingrui's voice came again: "It seems that you and other dog officials are corrupt and perverting the law, preying on the common people. Because of their own selfish interests, they caused the dam to burst and harmed tens of thousands of people. They are worse than pigs and dogs!"
"You beast in human skin! You are worthy of wearing this official uniform! You are worthy of being among the scholars! You are also worthy of living in the government hall with fear!"
"Even if I don't accept you, God will accept you!"
The more Zhang Jingrui talked, the angrier he became. For a good official like him, who has the people at heart, his emotions are understandable.
Lu Renyou was kneeling there, sweating like rain.
Zhang Jingrui continued: "The things you have done are all horrifying, and they are all cruel and cruel to the people. Today, you will be honest and give your own account. If not, you and the other three tribes will be treated lightly!"
"Ah!?" Just as he was drinking, Lu Renyou was so frightened that he couldn't help but trembled: "Your Excellency, the guilty officer."
"Shut up!" Zhang Jingrui interrupted sharply: "You have the nerve to be promoted to an official position! Now that the Holy Apostle is here, His Majesty's divine power is coming, that's when you and the thieves will be shattered to pieces!"
Lu Renyou was paralyzed.
Zhang Jingrui said: "In the Lu'an Dam corruption case, the existing evidence is enough to behead you! Next, if you make a false statement, I will immediately put you on death row, and you will not be given the opportunity to be tried in court again." you!"
"Yes, yes, my lord, may I ask, I will tell you everything I know." With so many testimonies already there, Lu Renyou still dares to make nonsense, let alone say that he is the guilty judge.
"Let's start from the beginning, including the Lu'an Dam bill, how you embezzled water conservancy project funds, how you colluded, and deceived the superiors and concealed it!"
Under questioning, Lu Renyou could no longer take any chances and began to stutter out the whole story.
From the initial funding, to getting rich, scheming and colluding, colluding with the Huainan Zhongshu to record things, cutting corners, demolishing the east to make up for the west, and then later the embankment burst incident, and so on.
This time, there was more than one person responsible for recording the documents. There were two people, each with a case in front of them, writing quickly.
It wasn't until a long time passed that Lu Renyou finished speaking. Zhang Jingrui first turned his head and looked at the scribe who had recorded the records, and then said seriously: "Lu Renyou, are the above facts true?"
"It's all facts, not a single lie." Lu Renyou said.
"Then how did Wang Shaocheng die?" Zhang Jingrui asked again.
Lu Renyou swallowed and said, "Wang Shaocheng was originally on the same boat as us, but after the dam burst, he refused to attend the meeting. Instead, he collected the original official documents and wanted to write to the county to report the matter. So. So.”
At this point, seeing that he couldn't say anything for a long time, Zhang Jingrui said: "So you conspired to kill him and put all the blame on him?"
"Yes, yes." After Lu Renyou finished speaking, he hurriedly said: "But I didn't kill the person, it was Gao Xian Cheng, he did it! He also proposed the assassination! Wang Shaocheng's matter has nothing to do with the villain, Master Shangshu ."
Of course, Lu Renyou knew that his life was at risk. The reason why he was doing this now was because he wanted to reduce the crime as much as possible so that his family would not be implicated.
"Okay!" Zhang Jingrui stopped: "You guys got together and plotted this matter. Even if you are not the principal culprit, you are still an accomplice! How can you escape legal sanctions! Now I only need to ask you to answer, and explain it honestly and clearly. Maybe it can alleviate the crime!”
"Yes, yes, I understand." Lu Renyou leaned on the ground tightly.
There was no suspense in the ensuing interrogation. Lu Renyou could be said to be pouring beans. Even some of their private gatherings were clearly stated.
After the interrogation was over, the scribe also handed the recorded official documents to the table.
Zhang Jingrui picked it up, looked at it carefully one by one, and finally handed it to the guard and said to Lu Renyou: "Sign and stamp."
The guard came closer with pen, ink and official documents. Lu Renyou took them. After confirming that his confession was correct, the hand holding the brush began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Your crimes are so heinous that death is not a pity! Think of the people in Lu'an who were killed by you!" Zhang Jingrui glared angrily.
Lu Renyou's body was shaken, and he signed his name tremblingly. He wrote three words, as if all the strength in his body had been drained, and then pressed his own fingerprint.
(End of chapter)
