Han Xiong looked like a prisoner who had been arrested and was being escorted, or he was a prisoner. He walked from the direction of Pingmen along the outer city road to Wangjiang Tower in the west. However, those around him were not police officers, but imperial envoys.
The officers and soldiers below.
Although Mr. Han was captured, he was not too worried about what would happen to him. In his opinion, the imperial envoy's mobilization of a large number of officers and soldiers to arrest him was a sign of venting his anger before leaving.
If this was a normal approach, and if the Imperial Envoy had no scruples, it could have been done long ago. Why wait until today?
He, Han Xiong, was not an ordinary citizen. He was a wealthy gentry with thousands of acres of land and hundreds of tenants. His family had just become the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. He also had many friends in Suzhou Prefecture and had great influence.
To put it bluntly, if people like him could be arrested and dealt with casually by the government, the world would have been in chaos.
Even when Wang Jing, the imperial eunuch in the previous chapter, went rampant in Suzhou, he mainly extorted money and treasures, and rarely directly arrested the gentry themselves. People like Fang Yingwu, who still mingled in the circle of civil servants, could not be more cruel than the eunuchs.
So Han Xiong is not too worried about his situation. He just thinks that the imperial envoy wants to vent his anger. He just doesn't know how to vent his anger. Maybe a beating? Maybe a few words of verbal humiliation?
After being taken into Wangjiang Tower and going up to the third floor, Han Xiong was stunned when a circle of people came into view. He didn't understand for a moment why so many local celebrities were here? Later, he suddenly understood and heard that
Envoy Fang Qin is leaving today. Is this supposed to be a farewell?
During the banquet, everyone suddenly saw someone being tied up and pushed in. They were also surprised and subconsciously stopped chatting.
When everyone recognized that this person was Mr. Han Xiong, there was a sudden silence in the hall, and their eyes turned to Commissioner Fang. They couldn't help but think of the "Thank you for your support" that they had said repeatedly before. Could this be the point?
It was the first time for Fang Yingwu and Han Xiong to meet, but they both recognized each other quickly. Han Xiong knew that the young man sitting in the chief seat must be Fang Qin, and Fang Yingwu also knew the person who was kidnapped at this time.
It must be Han Xiong.
Fang Yingwu drank slowly, chatting and joking with him in a relaxed manner. It seemed that he didn't take Han Xiong to heart at all, and just let him stand at the door.
After a while, Han Xiong felt very embarrassed standing here. However, he saw a dozen local celebrities in the hall. The key was that they would naturally speak for him, so he became more courageous.
He took the initiative and said, "I wonder why Mr. Fang is here without authorization and sent officers and soldiers to arrest me and bring him here?"
Fang Yingwu put down the wine cup, chuckled a few times and said: "Previously, I didn't want to get involved with the rumors and wanted to avoid going abroad. However, everyone here here strongly advises me not to lose big things because of small things. If I abandon the official position for personal reasons, I will suffer."
Taught a lot.
Therefore, with the strong support of all the gentlemen, I have decided not to look forward or backward, and for the sake of official business, I cannot care about myself. When it is time to face the problem, face the problem head-on!
You spread rumors and caused trouble in an attempt to get me to take action, and you almost succeeded. With the advice of all the gentlemen, I woke up early, and I will not let shameless scoundrels like you succeed even if you fight for your own reputation!"
Han Xiong sneered a few times and asked again: "May I ask, what rumor do you think I have made?"
Fang Yingwu did not answer. The content of the rumor was not pleasant to tell. Han Xiong was just a rhetorical trick before his death struggle. There was no need to be fooled. Did he still want to say in public that he was "obsessed with women to take revenge on the squire"?
"Why do you dare to say that I'm spreading rumors without evidence?" Han Xiong saw that Fang Yingwu seemed to be giving in verbally, so he quickly shouted.
Afterwards, he cupped his hands to everyone in the banquet and asked for help: "I would like to ask you all to comment. Mr. Fang's actions today are too wanton and arrogant. Please keep your innocence!"
As soon as he came in and saw the locals there, he had this idea in mind.
Fang Yingwu laughed loudly. "Han Xiong, please stop playing such childish tricks. Who among you here dares to stand up and guarantee that the rumors are not spread by Han Xiong?"
Everyone looked at each other for a few times, and after careful consideration, no one came forward to identify and vouch for Han Xiong. Who knew what traps and risks there were? Everyone knew that Han Xiong had created the rumor, so they had to identify it for him. In case they were finally deceived.
What to do?
Moreover, standing up at this time is tantamount to openly slapping the imperial envoy in the face. From the current point of view, this imperial envoy is very sophisticated, so don't provoke him if you can.
What's more important is that the imperial envoy's luggage is still on the boat at the dock. If he just leaves because he feels unhappy, and then recruits a eunuch, there will be no place to cry.
Han Xiong waited and waited, but no one stood up to speak for him. This made Mr. Han feel cold. How could the situation be like this? For the first time, he felt that things might not be within his control at all.
After Fang Yingwu looked around, he stared at Han Xiong again, "Look, there are fifteen people here, but none of them dare to say that the rumor has nothing to do with you!
The eyes of the masses are sharp. You are all local well-known people. Even they think you are spreading rumors. What else can you say to defend yourself?
So it’s not that I have identified you as the person who spread the rumors, but you all here have identified your crime, so don’t try to muddy the waters!”
What kind of unreasonable approach is this? Han Xiong was stunned, and everyone was silent, or at a loss, not knowing how to react is the correct way.
Fang Yingwu thought to himself and said: "Since everyone thinks Han Xiong is guilty, I should also follow the public opinion survey and collect evidence..."
He called Wang Ying over and said, "Han Xiong can't do everything by himself. There are always people who run errands for him. Send a message to the county government and go to the Han family to arrest a group of people for interrogation. The evidence will always be obtained from the mouth of the "qingren"
, so that I can give an explanation to everyone here!"
Although he has followed Fang Yingwu for many years, Wang Ying still feels that he has to admire him. Some time ago, Fang Yingwu said that he wanted to "submit submission and fight against rebellion." He was still confused. But today's situation is not just about obeying submission and fighting against rebellion.
Contrary?
Han Xiong immediately panicked. He had no confidence in his servants. And he suddenly understood the truth. What Fang Qinqin wanted to deal with him was not lack of ability and determination, but reputation! Now he had a reputation inexplicably!
If officials arrest Jin gentry at will, it will be cruelty and will cause dissatisfaction and resistance from the local people; if officials blatantly arrest Jin gentry because of women's sex, the impact will be even worse, and if the trouble gets bigger, it will definitely affect their future.
But what if this gentleman spread rumors first and was jointly "accused" by local celebrities later? Officials only need to follow the trend. Anyway, everything is backed by "public opinion". Even if the Han family is destroyed, then the king's laws and regulations will be blamed
No.
Thinking of this, Han Xiong broke out in cold sweat and his whole back was wet. Suddenly he remembered something. Did Fang Yingwu deliberately lure him to spread rumors? From the moment he seemed to have the upper hand in public opinion, he fell into