Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

"Slander?" Fang Zheng Yi toyed with his fan, slightly raising his eyes.

"Do you have any evidence?"

"Fabrication! Are you asking me to prove my innocence?" Anger had overcome Feng Heng's fear, and he roared at Fang Zheng Yi.

"Indeed," Fang Zheng Yi replied casually.

"Abuse of power for personal revenge! This is abuse of power for personal revenge! Even if I offended you before, I will now report you to His Majesty!" Feng Heng continued to roar.

"Why are you yelling? Yelling means you're guilty." Fang Zheng Yi closed his fan, a strange smile on his face: "You say you have no connection with Prince Wu, but I don't believe it."

"I've spoken with Prince Wu, and the scale of his investment in the shipbuilding industry is beyond your imagination. How much silver flows into the Zhou family, and how much of it appears in the market? Would you know nothing about that?"

"The ship Prince Wu uses is no ordinary vessel, so the activity surrounding it must be significant. If no one helped him cover it up, how could it have been concealed?"

Thinking of this, Feng Heng suddenly calmed down, his lips trembling.

Then he forcibly explained: "It's... it's my incompetence, a temporary oversight."

"Oversight? You say oversight, and it's oversight? I think you've governed Yuding City quite well! If this confession is presented to His Majesty, who do you think he'll believe, you or me?" Fang Zheng Yi said.

"Lord Fang... what exactly do you want from me? Isn't this making things difficult for me?" A look of pain crossed Feng Heng's face.

"Xie Xian, bring me those four members of the Zhou family."

Xie Xian nodded and stood up to leave.

After a while, he brought the panicked Zhou family members into the office, where they knelt before Fang Zheng Yi's desk.

Fang Zheng Yi cut to the chase: "How does your Zhou family connect with Prince Wu, and why were you at the Chu family's residence? I came from the capital specifically to uphold justice. You don't need to be afraid of anything; speak boldly!"

The Second Young Master of the Zhou family looked harmless, like an honest man, with rough skin; he looked more like a technician than a young master.

At this moment, his eyes were filled with despair.

Having barely escaped death, he hid in the Chu family's residence, only to be snatched back and forth, finally being押回押回 to the government office. He had long been resigned to his fate.

The Second Young Master of the Zhou family kowtowed, crying: "Lord... I'm innocent, the Zhou family is innocent!"

"The Zhou family has been in the shipbuilding business for generations, but several years ago, someone came to our door and offered a large sum of money to buy us out as an agent for shipbuilding."

"Later, I don't know what happened. That day, I was out with the family's shipwrights buying supplies. When I returned home, the fire had already spread. Fortunately, there was still a vault in the house, and my deceased father was carrying the key. There were many secret letters left in the vault, and only then did I learn that the family was building ships for Prince Wu."

"When I left the vault, I discovered that the agent who had contacted the family was leading a group of warriors searching for survivors. I was lucky to escape by hiding in the vault."

"Later, I couldn't bear the hunger, so I came out, intending to report to the authorities, but I didn't expect to become a wanted criminal."

"After that, I went to the Chu family. I used the vault and shipbuilding technology as collateral to beg Master Chu to save my life... You should know what happened after that, Lord."

The Second Young Master of the Zhou family's tone suddenly became agitated: "Lord! My family must have been killed by Prince Wu!! They are plotting to seize my family's property and murder for wealth! And they colluded with this dog official!"

"Feng Heng! My clan gives you one hundred thousand taels every year. Isn't that enough for you!!"

Feng Heng was shocked: "There's no evidence. Don't talk nonsense! Spreading lies here, I will sentence you to death!"

The Second Young Master said indignantly: "Although I was only responsible for shipbuilding, there are account books in the vault... Everything is clearly recorded in them! Lord, if you don't believe me, I can take you to see them now!"

"Alright, alright, I understand. This official pardons you. Xie Xian, send some people to take them to the inn to rest and take good care of them. Don't let anything happen to them." Fang Zheng Yi waved his hand.

The common people probably don't know about Prince Wu's rebellion. These survivors of the Zhou family are just shipwrights, so it's normal that they don't know the inside story.

But now, whether they know the inside story or not is no longer important. What's important is that they know how to build ships, and that's enough.

"Do you have anything else to say, Lord Feng?"

"Slander! This is blatant slander! The confession is all fake. Has Your Lordship ever seen a fictitious account book?" Feng Heng's face turned red, and his neck was thick as he tried to struggle.

"That's about enough. Is this even interesting to you? With this evidence alone, killing you ten times wouldn't be too much." Fang Zheng Yi leaned forward, resting on the table, looking at him mockingly.

"Tell me, how much money have you embezzled over the years? If you tell me, I'll spare your life," Fang Zheng Yi said with a smile.

Seeing his relaxed attitude, Feng Heng suddenly deflated, collapsing to the ground and laughing bitterly. After laughing for a while, he lost his mind and murmured, "Two hundred seventy thousand taels."

"That's not right. You're given one hundred thousand taels every year, but you only have two hundred seventy thousand taels?" Fang Zheng Yi asked.

"I have to bribe people above and below, and I also like antiques and calligraphy, so I spent a lot," Feng Heng said indifferently, having given up all hope.

"Then... do you want to live?" Fang Zheng Yi said softly.

Feng Heng suddenly raised his head, his eyes lighting up! His heart was instantly filled with ecstasy!

Buying life? Is this guy greedy?

"Lord, you also want to..."

Fang Zheng Yi sat up straight and smiled slightly: "If you don't take it, and I don't take it, how can we all make progress together?"

Feng Heng nodded repeatedly: "Yes! Yes! Yes! Lord Fang is absolutely right! Then please, Lord Fang, handle these two hundred seventy thousand taels on my behalf. I still have some antiques at home..."

"Aside from that, sign and stamp first," Fang Zheng Yi added.

Feng Heng immediately felt a little desperate again.

Are you playing me? This confession is all framed and slandered. If I sign it, I'm dead for sure?

"Don't feel wronged. Those things, if I say you did them, then you did them. Signing it will give me leverage, and I'll give you a way out. If you don't sign, you'll die. It's up to you."

"I'll sign! I'll sign!" Feng Heng's mind raced, and he felt there was nothing to think about. He hardened his heart and signed.

After Fang Zheng Yi put away the confession, he said: "Sit down. From now on, we're all on the same side. Starting today, whatever I ask you to do, you will do for me. Do you understand?"

Feng Heng sat back in his original position, still in shock: "Then what does Your Lordship want me to do?"

"I spared your life because you've governed well. You'll leave those two hundred seventy thousand taels for the Chu family. The Chu family is indebted to me, so consider it my thank you gift."

"Of course, they're not getting this money for nothing. Prince Wu is on the run, and the court will definitely send people to chase him down, so good ships will naturally be needed."

"Therefore, I need you to stay here and supervise the construction with peace of mind."

Feng Heng was shocked. Two hundred seventy thousand taels, just given away like that?

"Lord, you're not taking a single cent of that money?"

"I'm not taking a single cent. Two hundred seventy thousand taels might not even be enough to build ships, but you can spend it first. I will report to the Emperor and allocate silver to you."

"Then my matter..."

"Don't worry. Since you have no connection with Prince Wu, then I will naturally restore your innocence." Fang Zheng Yi waved his hand: "You can go down and rest first. There's nothing for you to do here. Send the silver to the Chu family in a few days."

After Feng Heng left, Xie Xian walked to Fang Zheng Yi's side and said worriedly: "Lord, he's considered an accomplice. The Embroidered Uniform Guard has just been established. Shouldn't we report to His Majesty?"

Fang Zheng Yi smiled wryly and shook his head: "There's no way around it. If you want to get things done, you're bound to get your hands dirty. I'll go back and persuade His Majesty, but time is of the essence. Some things are better done sooner rather than later."

"Have the brothers send a group of people back to Haiyuan City to escort the silver back to the capital. Let's also pack up here, make the arrangements, and then we'll go home."

......