xymnovel Chapter 58 The Seven Deadly Sins
Chapter 58 The Seven Deadly Sins
The deafening explosions outside Jeju City kept the city's residents awake all night.
Some people peeked through the crack in the door and discovered that the people patrolling the street were not soldiers, but strangers dressed in reddish-brown outfits, all of whom looked very energetic.
The people didn't know what had happened and dared not go out.
Around 9 AM, people started beating drums and gongs on the street, and the people began to peek through doors and windows.
"The Liangshan rebels took over Jizhou, punished corrupt officials and tyrants, and did not harm the people."
The people were shocked. It turned out that the Liangshan bandits had attacked Jizhou. They never expected that Jizhou would change dynasties overnight.
The people were deeply moved by what the Liangshan soldiers said.
Under normal circumstances, when bandits invade a city, the first thing they do is plunder property, women, and even massacre the entire city for three days and three nights.
But now there's no movement at all; no civilians have been injured, and no family has been robbed.
Furthermore, many people witnessed Wang Lun of Liangshan punishing the tyrant Du family in Jizhou half a year ago.
The bandits of Liangshan were good people.
"Jeju Prefect Chen Fang has embezzled public funds and oppressed the local people. His crimes are heinous. He will be beheaded at Caishikou at noon, after his crimes will be read out. Everyone is invited to come and witness this."
"when--"
The sound of gongs carried far and wide.
At the same time, ten such groups were spreading the word in the city.
It is human nature to love watching a spectacle, and after thinking it over, the people came out of their homes one after another.
After all, given the current situation, the bandits of Liangshan have indeed not used their knives to harm ordinary people.
It was noon, and the market was already crowded with people. The soldiers of the Liangshan Flying Tiger Army were there to maintain order, which looked quite comical. The soldiers were all young women getting married, and this was their first time doing something like this. They didn't know how to maintain order, so they just stood there watching the people around them pointing and gossiping.
A group of people rode in on tall horses. The leader was Wang Lun, followed by Lin Chong, Yang Zhi, Wu Song, Lu Zhishen and other leaders, looking very imposing.
Behind them, Flying Tiger soldiers were escorting a group of prisoners, led by Prefect Chen Fang.
Some commoners recognized that among the prisoners were the prefectural judge, judge, magistrate, and military advisor of Jizhou Prefecture, as well as Huang An, the militia commander.
Among the prisoners was Wang Shi, the county magistrate who had been brought from Yuncheng. He and Lei Heng were drinking in a tavern when Chao Gai arrived with his troops. He was so frightened that he dared not resist and was captured alive by Chao Gai.
Among these officials were those who had harmed the interests of the people. Some people began to curse and swear, and some even picked up stones from the ground and threw them at them.
This greatly excited the Liangshan leaders and soldiers. So this is what it feels like to punish corrupt officials, and the people actually support it so much.
Under the onslaught of gravel, vegetable leaves, and rotten eggs, all the officials bowed their heads deeply.
At the front, the prisoners were pulled out in a line and made to kneel down before the people.
Wang Lun smiled slightly and gestured for Shi Wenbin behind him to step forward.
Shi Wenbin stepped forward with a bitter face, paused, and took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, which was covered with dense writing.
"I trouble Magistrate Shi to read out the charges." Wang Lun, mounted on his horse, stood tall and met Shi Wenbin's evasive gaze.
After half a night of searching, the search of Prefect Chen Fang's home revealed countless valuables, totaling over ten thousand strings of cash, far exceeding the wealth in the Jeju Governor's treasury.
Prefect Chen Fang was undoubtedly a corrupt official.
Wang Lun then asked Shi Wenbin to write down the charges. Shi Wenbin had no choice but to submit to the authorities. On the other hand, he was an honest and upright official who had long disliked the prefect. He was happy to see Liangshan punish the prefect Chen Fang, so he wrote down the charges with a flourish.
To everyone's surprise, Wang Lun made him read out his crimes in public.
Now he was truly bound to Liangshan, becoming a member of Liangshan.
He had studied diligently since childhood and came from a respectable family; how could he possibly become a bandit?
After struggling with his inner turmoil, he saw Lu Zhishen and Wu Song riding up and surrounding him from the left and right.
Shi Wenbin looked at Lu Zhishen on his left and then at Wu Song on his right. His thin body was like a chick. He could only sigh softly and slowly unfold the paper in his hand.
"Chen Fang, the Prefect of Jeju Prefecture, held a high position in the imperial court and enjoyed the benefits of the common people, yet he betrayed his public duty for personal gain, and his evil deeds were so numerous that they were too many to count."
As soon as he spoke, the people quieted down and listened attentively.
"His first crime was dereliction of duty and negligence in governing the country. He failed to repair the damaged city walls, did not dredge the blocked ditches, and did not provide adequate disaster relief, leaving the people suffering from fire and water without his care. He indulged in excessive pleasure and neglected government affairs for a long time."
As he read, Shi Wenbin's voice grew louder, his reading rhythmic and passionate.
"The second crime is abusing power and violating the law, disregarding human life. In the course of litigation, without investigating the facts, relying solely on conjecture, or using torture to extract confessions, or accepting requests from powerful figures, distorting the truth, causing innocent people to be wrongfully imprisoned, while the wicked go unpunished."
These words sparked a commotion among the crowd, many of whom had relatives who had suffered injustice.
"The third crime is the imposition of exorbitant taxes and oppressive policies that cruelly oppress the people. In addition to the taxes levied by the imperial court, miscellaneous taxes are privately established, and land taxes and commercial taxes are arbitrarily increased. The people are made to extort money under various pretexts. The people toil all year round, but all the money goes into their pockets. They struggle to make a living and are full of complaints."
The people's complaints grew louder; the heavy taxes levied by the imperial court had already fueled their resentment.
"Fourth crime: embezzlement and misappropriation of public property. The government treasury's money and grain are meant for public use, but he used public funds for private gain, falsely reporting expenses for repairing government offices, embezzling overpriced supplies, and squandering public funds into his private residence. Now, his private residence has been searched and found to contain tens of thousands of strings of cash."
The people were utterly astonished by the sheer amount of money—ten thousand strings of cash—they couldn't even begin to comprehend it. They only knew that the prefect was indeed a notorious corrupt official.
"Fifth offense: forming cliques and eliminating dissidents. In officialdom, they exclude those who disagree with them, fabricating charges against them and ostracizing them. Their cronies are arbitrarily promoted and placed in important positions, leading to corruption in local administration and the collapse of discipline. They are truly traitors to the country and a great scourge to the people!"
After the five charges were read out, Shi Wenbin breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling incredibly relaxed.
Wang Lun smiled and said, "Gentlemen, the Liangshan righteous army is now occupying Jizhou to rid the country of traitors and the people of harm. But as you have heard, we will not harm the people, nor will we take a single needle or thread from them. Please rest assured."
The people applauded and cheered, and Wang Lun's image became lofty in their hearts.
"This Shi Wenbin was originally the magistrate of Yuncheng County. He was diligent in his duties, loved the people, and was honest and self-disciplined. I trust him completely, and everyone else trusts him too. Now I have appointed him to temporarily serve as the prefect and handle the affairs of Jizhou."
After Wang Lun finished speaking, he looked at Shi Wenbin with a smile.
Shi Wenbin was dumbfounded and at a loss for words.
The cheers from the people grew louder and louder, and they all looked at Shi Wenbin with respect.
After a long silence, Shi Wenbin finally nodded: "I will obey the chieftain's orders."
When Zhu Tong and Lei Heng saw that Shi Wenbin had also surrendered, they stepped forward and knelt down.
Wang Lun was overjoyed. He glanced at the surrounding people and said in a deep voice, "The former prefect Chen Fang and his thieves are truly hateful. They will be beheaded and their heads displayed to warn others."
The prepared executioners stepped forward, their blades flashing as they beheaded the prefect and his men.
The people of Jeju City cheered loudly, as if it were a festival.