Hearing the case

It was not until Li Zhi returned to the city of Guangzhou and personally sought out Dang Renhong to invite him to jointly preside over the trial that Dang Renhong learned of Li Zhi's actions in profound shock.

After a bout of panic, he said to Li Zhi with a face full of anger, "Has Your Highness ever considered this old official's feelings by acting in such a manner?"

Li Zhi replied, "Master Dang, pray calm your anger. This Prince has just received numerous reports and is well aware of the gravity of the situation; thus, in my haste, I had no time to ponder further."

Dang Renhong said, "Even if there are reports, how can Your Highness arrest people at will without any investigation?"

Li Zhi said, "Master Dang may set your mind at ease. All the informants have already been placed under this Prince's control. Should there be any false accusations, this Prince will naturally punish them severely without leniency."

Hearing these words, Dang Renhong could not help but constrict his pupils.

Li Zhi's words were a clear indication that both human witnesses and physical evidence were already fully secured at this moment.

In other words, the impending interrogation might merely be a formality.

Immediately following this, Dang Renhong thought of an even more terrifying possibility.

That was, Li Zhi likely intended to pursue this matter to the very end.

At this thought, cold sweat instantly broke out all over Dang Renhong's body.

No one knew the extent of corruption among the officials in Guangzhou better than he did.

He knew what the consequence of pursuing the matter to the end would mean.

Contemplating such a dreadful outcome, Dang Renhong's complexion suddenly turned ashen white.

Following closely, he suddenly spoke in a loud voice, "For Your Highness to carry out a massive crackdown on the officials within Guangzhou City without consulting this official—how am I to face my colleagues henceforth?"

His voice was very loud, and his purpose was precisely to notify the people within the Governor-General's Mansion to urgently dispatch messages outward.

At this moment, the thought of murder had indeed arisen in his mind, and he was prepared to mobilize the more than ten thousand garrison troops to rebel together.

The officers among the garrison troops had all followed him for many years.

Not a single one of these men had clean hands.

As long as they received the news, they would undoubtedly rush back to Guangzhou City at all costs.

Dang Renhong's plan was well conceived.

However, he severely underestimated Li Zhi's intellect.

At this moment, the entire Governor-General's Mansion was under the surveillance of the Dragon Cavalry Army.

No one could even dream of leaving this place easily.

Hearing Dang Renhong's words, Li Zhi said, "Master Dang need not be so agitated; this Prince is also doing this for your consideration."

Dang Renhong angrily said, "How does Your Highness acting without informing me constitute consideration for this official?"

Li Zhi said, "Master Dang is the chief official of this region; you ought to recuse yourself from such matters of your own accord. Does not my action spare Your Highness from embarrassment?"

Dang Renhong sneered, "If that is the case, this official should not participate in the trial at all."

With these words, he cupped his hands to Li Zhi and said, "This official takes his leave now to avoid falling under the suspicion of interfering with the trial."

Having said this, he flicked his sleeves and turned around, preparing to leave the Governor-General's Mansion.

Li Zhi spoke from behind him, "Even if Master Dang does not participate in the trial, I fear you should not leave the Governor-General's Mansion at this moment!"

Hearing this, Dang Renhong paused in his stride.

With his back to Li Zhi, he spoke angrily, "Does Your Highness truly suspect that this official would deliberately bend the law for personal gain?"

Li Zhi said, "This Prince does not suspect Master Dang; everything is merely being handled according to procedure."

Dang Renhong took a deep breath and said, "What if this official insists on leaving?"

Li Zhi said, "Master Dang is most welcome to try, and you will naturally know the outcome when the time comes."

Dang Renhong was both alarmed and infuriated at this moment.

He had not expected Li Zhi to act with such resolute ruthlessness, leaving him not a shred of face.

He stood in place and took several deep breaths, but ultimately did not dare to put it to the test himself.

A short while later, Dang Renhong turned to face Li Zhi and asked, "Surely it is permissible for this official to attend the trial merely as an observer."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Of course. This Prince originally came to invite Master Dang to jointly preside over the trial."

While the two men were speaking, the Dragon Cavalry Army had already brought in all the culprits and witnesses.

They were awaiting only Li Zhi's command to begin the trial.

After inviting Dang Renhong to take his seat, Li Zhi immediately picked up a dossier and began to read.

A short while later, he spoke up, "Bring in the culprit, Qin Liang."

Xue Li, standing nearby, shouted in a loud voice, "Bring the culprit Qin Liang to the hall..."

Shortly after the voice faded, a culprit dressed like a petty official was dragged forward.

At this point, his limbs had turned completely limp, leaving him at the mercy of the two Dragon Cavalry soldiers who dragged him along.

As soon as the Dragon Cavalry soldiers released their grip upon reaching the hall, the man collapsed limply to the ground.

Then, without waiting for Li Zhi to question him, he hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, begging for mercy.

He kowtowed and wailed, "Spare my life, Your Highness! This petty official will never dare do it again!"

Seeing him in this state, Li Zhi could not help but find it rather amusing.

He had never imagined that the very first culprit he interrogated would put on such a performance.

Thus, feigning a stern expression, he picked up the gavel from the table and struck it down forcefully.

Unfortunately, failing to control his strength properly, the resulting sound was somewhat too loud.

Not only did it startle the kneeling Qin Liang into a shudder, but it also gave Dang Renhong, who was sitting nearby, a jolt.

To cover up his embarrassment, Li Zhi asked with a deliberately furious expression, "Who is kneeling before the hall?"

This question momentarily stunned Qin Liang, who thought to himself: Shouldn't you be calling me by my name directly?

Nevertheless, he obediently replied, "Reporting to Your Highness, this petty official is Qin Liang, a minor official of the Municipal Supervision Bureau."

The Municipal Supervision Bureau was responsible for overseeing commerce, standardizing weights and measures, and determining product quality.

Though it did not hold the power to set prices, it could influence prices through its appraisal of product quality.

Consequently, it was a breeding ground for corruption.

Hearing Qin Liang's reply, Li Zhi continued, "What crimes have you committed? Why don't you confess truthfully?"

Thereupon, Qin Liang poured out his committed crimes like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

These included accepting bribes, forcing buying and selling, assisting merchants in counterfeiting, passing off inferior goods as superior ones, and so forth.

Holding Qin Liang's dossier in his hand, Li Zhi checked them off item by item.

These were all gathered by the Dragon Cavalry Army.

Beside him, Liu An was recording Qin Liang's confessions item by item.

Upon reaching the end, Li Zhi discovered that the crimes Qin Liang confessed to were several items more numerous than those gathered by the Dragon Cavalry Army.

Most importantly, even so, Qin Liang still had not confessed to the crime of bribing his superiors.

This infuriated Li Zhi.

What he needed was Qin Liang's confession regarding bribing his superiors; otherwise, how could he investigate further up the chain?

Therefore, as soon as Qin Liang stopped speaking, Li Zhi struck the gavel once more.

After startling Qin Liang into another jump, Li Zhi asked, "Audacious Qin Liang! Even at this juncture, do you still dare to conceal things? Do you think this Prince dares not subject you to torture?"

Qin Liang hurriedly cried out, "Spare my life, Your Highness! This petty official has already said everything he should; there is truly not the slightest concealment!"

Li Zhi said in a deep, stern voice, "You still dare to argue with me? Why have you not spoken of bribing your superiors?"

Li Zhi's words were completely devoid of proof.

Yet his expression was enacted with such convincing realism that it seemed as though he truly possessed evidence of Qin Liang's bribery.

Even Dang Renhong, sitting to the side, was taken in by his performance.

Let alone Qin Liang, who was already nearly frightened to the point of pissing his pants.

And so, this unfortunate coward, without even waiting for Li Zhi to apply torture, proceeded to denounce his superior.

To Li Zhi's greatest surprise and delight, this fellow had actually hidden a record of bribes.