This was fortunate that it was not wartime, otherwise he would surely have misunderstood this as provisions prepared for a rebellion!
That night, he didn't sleep at all, seething and dreaming of how to deal with this bastard.
Punishing him too lightly wouldn't quench his anger, but it wouldn't be a capital offense.
He had to make him pay a heavy price, make him remember it for a lifetime, and when he next reached out to embezzle, make his own hands tremble.
The next day.
After breakfast, he went straight to the county yamen and began by investigating the shopkeeper's case. Outside, a line of victims still stood waiting.
Most people had been framed and lost some money, but thankfully, no lives had been lost!
Fan Zehao slammed the gavel, acting as magistrate for the day, and sternly questioned Wang Liang, "Do you admit to all that they've said?"
Wang Liang, kneeling on the ground, glanced at them. He had indeed done what they said, but he truly didn't know how much money they had lost in the process.
With so many lice, he was no longer afraid of being bitten. Since he was already in this predicament, what difference would admitting to it make?
So, he nodded and said, "I admit it!"
With a single word of admission, the matter was settled. At the same time, he ordered the yamen runners to go outside and announce if anyone else had been swindled by Wang Liang.
The yamen runners obeyed and called out for a while. Only when they were absolutely certain no one else remained did they return to the yamen and report, "No one else!"
Fan Zehao nodded. He took out some silver notes and a chest of silver, and after tallying the amounts reported by the victims, he confirmed there was enough to compensate them.
He then handed the silver notes and silver to the scribe, instructing him to handle the matter discreetly. The remaining silver was to be deposited into the county yamen's treasury!
After compensation, other matters remained, which had nothing to do with the shopkeeper.
As for how Wang Liang would be sentenced, Fan Zehao had spent the entire night considering it. Looking at the wretched Wang Liang, he said, "Considering that you did not cause any loss of life, I sentence you to five years of reform in a harsh and remote land. Your wife, children, and all dependents will be released back to their village!"
"Your property, after compensating the victims, will have all remaining silver confiscated to the state."
As these words fell, Wang Liang instantly collapsed onto the ground, his body seeming to have lost all strength.
He was dragged away. No one knew what was going through his mind. However, when the victims heard that they would receive their compensation, they danced with joy, so much so that they almost broke into song and dance on the spot. If the occasion had been less solemn, they might have even hugged and celebrated together!
Their elation was evident on their faces. After cheering, they knelt and kowtowed to Fan Zehao, expressing their sincere gratitude.
With Wang Liang's affairs concluded, the remaining matters concerned the injustices and false accusations that had been handled by the former magistrate. There were still over a dozen other victims.
Among these, the most serious was a case of forcible abduction of a woman leading to her death.
This was the only homicide case in the town. Fan Zehao chose to handle it first. As he opened his mouth, the scribe had already meticulously organized all the case files and handed them to him.
"These are the testimonies from when this case was reviewed some years ago. Later, for certain reasons, it was... I found these last night!"
The scribe's phrasing of "last night" was rather euphemistic, but the fact that he had kept the old case files of this matter spoke volumes.
Fan Zehao glanced at him without saying much and re-examined the parents of the victim. Based on their testimony, he compared it with the old files, and they were consistent with the previous statements.
He then questioned the defendant, who stubbornly insisted that the woman had seduced him, wanting to enter his mansion as a young lady and thus deliberately luring him to bed. However, due to rumors and gossip, she had ultimately hanged herself.
The narrative seemed plausible, but there were still many loopholes. Fan Zehao spent the entire day conducting investigations and had tentatively formed evidence of his crime, but a key witness was still missing.
That evening, the door to their inn was knocked upon. The visitor was a man with a limp, and his first words were, "I know you are a prince. I only want to ask you one question: if I can prove that Liu Laizi forcibly abducted a woman and forced her to her death, can he be sentenced to death!"
Fan Zehao's brow furrowed. He looked at the elder, who was in his fifties, and hesitated. "If it can be proven that he caused her death, then a life for a life. If anyone provides false testimony, they will also be punished accordingly. The severity of the punishment can be great or small. The law is not to be trifled with, nor is it a tool for revenge!"
The old man understood. He knelt tremblingly and kowtowed three times to Fan Zehao, "This old man can swear to the heavens that if I speak a single false word, may I choke to death on my food, drown in my water, break my neck falling, be hit by a carriage when I go out, and in short, may I die a terrible death!"
Such a poisonous oath.
Anyone else might have believed such a dire oath, but he did not believe in any oaths; he only believed in evidence.
Fan Zehao helped the elder up from the ground. "If you speak the truth, and my investigation confirms it, then I, this prince, can also swear to the heavens that I will administer justice impartially and will absolutely not shield any wrongdoer!"
The old man heaved a long sigh upon hearing this, and with tears welling in his eyes, he nodded heavily at him. "Good, this is truly wonderful. My daughter will finally see justice!"
With that, he turned and hobbled away, saying nothing more!
Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion. "What did that old man mean?"
Zhao Jiaqi was also unclear. His words were disjointed. She speculated inwardly, "Could it be that the old man's daughter was also...?"
"You mean, assaulted by Liu Laizi?"
Zhao Jiaqi did not speak but blinked her eyes twice. This was her guess. Whether it was true or not would depend on whether the old man would appear in court.
All of this was mere conjecture for now.
The next day.
As soon as the court session began, and Fan Zehao had just taken his seat, the drums outside began to sound. The yamen runner, with Fan Zehao's permission, went out and, seeing an old man, brought him in.
When the man hobbled in, Fan Zehao finally saw clearly that it was the one who had sought him out last night!
Behind him followed a veiled, frail figure, trembling slightly, afraid to look up or remove the felt hat on their head.
Both knelt down. Fan Zehao, seeing that the old man was elderly and disabled, allowed him to rise and speak while standing.
"Your Highness, this humble subject is a villager from Gangshang Village. My name is Liu Daqing, and this is my daughter, Liu Rui. My daughter and I are here to accuse Liu Laizi of forcibly abducting a woman, forcing her into prostitution, and attempting to burn my daughter to death. Fortunately, my daughter was lucky and escaped from the fire. She has been living in hiding for three years!"
As he finished his statement, his voice trembled. The woman behind him began to cry softly, sobbing.