RPAGF Chapter 689 Punishment
Chapter 689 Punishment
During the years he spent in Ci County, he was only an inconspicuous county magistrate, a small official.
In the eyes of a serious official family, it may not mean anything.
But for the local people, the county magistrate is the second in command of the county. Apart from the county magistrate, the county magistrate is the most powerful.
Therefore, on weekdays, Fang Ziqi, the county magistrate, is also very powerful, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he is half a local emperor.
In addition, with Zhang Ping'an's background, the county magistrate will not touch him easily, and will not miss out on any lucrative job.
After a few years, it turns out that his job as a county magistrate is really comfortable. It is no worse than being an official in Lin'an, and he is even more comfortable than in Lin'an.
But because of this, Fang Ziqi had quite a few tricks that could be caught.
Although he prides himself on being smart, he is usually cautious in this regard.
But what the officialdom lacks the least is smart people. As the saying goes, when a goose passes by, it leaves a sound; when water passes by, it leaves a trace.
As long as he did it, it was inevitable that he would be noticed by those who were interested.
When Zhang Ping'an left office, the person who took over his position as the magistrate of Ci County was his classmate Li Chong, who was a smart man.
Later, this person continued to work in Ci County for quite some time.
When he left later, he also recommended his own people to take over.
Therefore, Li Chong knew the situation in Ci County very well.
When Zhang Ping'an was returning from the capital, he sent a letter to Li Chong, hinting at his intentions.
Li Chong and Fang Ziqi did not have a very deep friendship, and the other party was just a small fry, so he was naturally willing to do a favor and make friends with Zhang Pingan.
Therefore, Zhang Ping'an obtained a lot of evidence from him about Fang Ziqi's corruption, bribery, withholding of labor and materials, and even fabricating positions and drawing salaries without working.
These alone are enough to kill Fang Ziqi, the fifth brother-in-law.
What's more, there is Zhang Ping'an's insider who stayed in Ci County.
The two sides have been in intermittent contact, and he has also obtained a lot of strong evidence from Mr. Mai.
Although Mr. Mai doesn't seem to talk much, he has always been a decisive person. Ever since he made up his mind to follow Zhang Ping'an, he has been very attentive to everything Zhang Ping'an tells him to do.
He would report on the situation in Ci County from time to time.
Zhang Ping'an had a rough idea of what Li Chong and his successors had done in Ci County.
This is also one of the reasons why Zhang Pingan decided to write to Li Chong.
When Wu Ya lived with Fang Ziqi in Ci County, she was bullied by the concubine Lan and felt like a dumb person eating bitter herbs, unable to express her pain.
If Lord Mai had not found someone to spread the news that County Magistrate Fang's family was not upright and showed signs of favoring his concubine over his wife, Wu Ya would have had a much worse time.
Not to mention returning to Lin'an to seek support from Zhang Laoer and buying a house to live in alone.
But Wu Ya is still unaware of all this.
In fact, to some extent, Wu Ya is really lucky!
When discussing the divorce, Zhang Pingan did agree to exchange evidence of corruption for a divorce letter so that both sides could part ways amicably.
However, he had the remaining evidence handed over to the authorities, so it could not be considered a breach of promise.
Even if he is not beheaded, he will be exiled three thousand miles away.
All of this was true, not something he had fabricated, so Zhang Ping'an felt justified in his revenge.
Just think of it as getting rid of harm to the people!
As for the other members of the Fang family, they were not much better. Although the eldest brother of the Fang family was in official circles and made some money, he did not have a proper rank.
It would be easier to crush him.
When Shangguan called him into the study and saw the other party's serious expression, the eldest brother of the Fang family knew that the situation was not good.
The result is exactly as expected!
He was not surprised to hear that he was going to be dismissed.
But when he heard that he would be sent to prison and spend the rest of his life, the eldest brother of the Fang family could no longer sit still.
He immediately knelt on the ground and begged bitterly.
He was a man of good sense, and while kowtowing he promised, "Sir, since I have been with you for so long, please help me and let me go. I will repay you by working like a slave in the future."
"Really? I have no shortage of cows, horses, and other things around me!" The other party glanced at the eldest brother of the Fang family, then sat on the armchair and said slowly.
"Sir, I won't waste my time on empty talk. As long as you can help me get through this, I will give you all my wealth! Please! I was blinded by greed and was confused for a moment!" The eldest brother of the Fang family kowtowed to him with an extremely humble attitude as he spoke.
In fact, Shangguan's description of the consequences as so serious also has some meaning in this regard. It all depends on whether the other party knows how to behave.
"Alas, I am not a heartless person. You have followed me for so long, so please stand up and talk to me first," the other party sighed hypocritically.
After the two of them pulled each other for a few more times, the other party seemed to have done enough.
Then, pretending to be thoughtful, he continued with an embarrassed look, "Forget it. Since we've been colleagues for so many years, I'll help you smooth things over. But there's no guarantee it will work! Oh, this really puts me in a difficult position!"
"It's better than going to jail for the rest of your life! Thank you, sir!" Although the eldest brother of the Fang family knew that the other party was hypocritical, he could only express his gratitude with a look of gratitude on his face.
The two sides have reached a preliminary consensus on this matter.
The other party was also very rude. Without saying a few words, he waved his hand and started to drive people away: "Alright, go back and raise the money quickly. It will be useless if you are too late! I am taking risks here!"
"Hey, hey, thank you very much, sir. I will go back right away," the eldest brother of the Fang family said repeatedly.
Before leaving, he hesitated and turned back, tentatively asking, "Sir, I want to die with a clear mind. I wonder if you can tell me why..."
Before the eldest brother of the Fang family could finish his words, Shangguan knocked his teacup heavily, raised his eyebrows, and snorted coldly, "What? Are you suspecting someone is harming you? Even now, you still haven't reflected on your actions. I think your death is not unjust!"
Seeing that the other party was about to get angry, the eldest brother of the Fang family didn't dare to ask any more questions. He quickly apologized and carefully retreated.
But he became even more certain in his heart that someone was targeting him. There were very few clean officials in the officialdom, and it was not normal at all to single him out!
After a non-stop journey home, the eldest brother of the Fang family decisively asked his family to sell all their belongings and raise money through connections.
Old Mrs. Fang looked confused, but she still asked about the situation patiently. She was relieved to know that no one in the clan would be punished, but then she became worried.
She knows too well the importance of money!
The eldest sister-in-law of the Fang family has always been a person who values money the most. Naturally, she was unwilling to accept the offer. She shouted with reluctance, "I have no money. You can take whatever valuables you have at home. You talk about exile, but I think that's just a scare. We are all officials in the officialdom. Who dares to say that he is completely clean? That's just a lie. At worst, we will die together!"
Upon hearing this, the eldest brother of the Fang family turned around and slapped his wife harshly. "You little woman with long hair and short knowledge, what do you know? You think dying isn't fast enough, right?"
"This is a different time now. Now it's obvious that someone wants to mess with us, and it's quite powerful. The most urgent thing is to get through this first. As long as there is a green mountain, there will be no shortage of firewood!"
As the eldest brother of the Fang family spoke, he was already as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing around in the hall.
He had a feeling that this matter had something to do with the youngest and Li.
"By the way, quickly send a letter to Ci County and ask the youngest brother to see how the situation is going there!" The eldest brother of the Fang family thought about it and turned around to give another order.
Although the eldest sister-in-law of the Fang family was crying tears of grievance after being beaten, she saw that Brother Fang was really angry and did not dare to provoke him.
He covered his face and whispered a response.
By the time the letter from the eldest brother of the Fang family arrived in Ci County, Fang Ziqi's case had almost been tried.
The death penalty can be avoided, but the living punishment cannot be escaped, and the clan will be exempted from punishment.
In the end, he was sentenced to exile three thousand miles away and his property was confiscated to fill the government treasury.
Fang Ziqi saw the letter from his eldest brother just before he was exiled, and it immediately confirmed his previous guess that it was indeed the Zhang family's doing.
He hated it so much at this moment!
If he had known the outcome would be like this today, he would definitely not have written the divorce agreement so easily.
Even if Zhang Ping'an is a second-rank official, throughout history, there have been many noble ladies with more prominent family backgrounds than the Zhang family who have been suppressed by their husband's families.
If he was determined not to divorce, he would lose face and make a big fuss about it until everyone in Lin'an knew about it.
The Zhang family may not be able to do anything to him.
Maybe he would still care about his face and maintain a superficial peace.
Why did he believe the other party's lies at that time?
Unfortunately, it was too late to regret now. Fang Ziqi could only swear in his heart that he would never let him make a comeback, otherwise he would make the Zhang family live a life worse than death and regret what he did today.
But he never thought that Zhang Ping'an did nothing except ordering people to hand over the evidence of his crime.
Everything that happened today was entirely his own fault!
No one forced him to embezzle, no one forced him to accept bribes, and no one forced him to draw a salary without working!
Without cause, there can be no effect!
The eldest brother of the Fang family, knowing that Fang Ziqi had been exiled, dared not be careless.
After spending all his wealth, he finally found a safe place for himself and moved to the county town below with his family.
As for his youngest brother, he really was powerless and couldn't do anything about it!
Old Mrs. Fang cried and cried, but she knew that the situation was stronger than she was, so she could only think about her youngest son every day.
Poor couples have many worries. Their lives now are completely different from those in the past.
Having lost their luxurious life of fine clothes and delicious food, the Fang family now has a large family to support, so conflicts are inevitable.
Old Mrs. Fang didn't know that her bad days were still ahead!