The Prodigal Son

"Lord Qin, something terrible has happened!"

In the morning, Qin Yu hadn't even finished his breakfast when Fu Mingzhu rushed in with two letters in a panic.

Depend on!

What happened again?

Can't a person even catch their breath?

Qin Yu put down his chopsticks and looked at Fu Mingzhu, whose face was full of panic. "Has there been a rebellion somewhere, or has another governor been killed?"

Qin Yu's question immediately stunned Fu Mingzhu.

Sir, are you really this calm even when talking about rebellion?

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

As he spoke, Qin Yu reassured Fu Mingzhu, "Don't worry, the sky won't fall!"

At present, in his eyes, apart from the fact that Bei Qi broke through the northern and northwestern defense lines of Da Ning, there was really nothing else of great importance.

As for the Liangjiang region and the Hai and Yuan prefectures, even if rebellions occur, it will not be a major issue!

Fu Mingzhu was stunned for a moment, then finally came to his senses, "Last night, Prefect He and Commander Miao of the County Garrison committed suicide out of fear of punishment..."

"What?"

Qin Yu suddenly raised his voice, staring at Fu Mingzhu in astonishment, "You're not going to tell me that it was their assassins who tried to kill me, are you?"

If that's the case, then he'll have to shift his suspicions to the historians!

Sacrifice the pawn to save the king!

"No, no..."

Fu Mingzhu quickly shook his head, "They committed suicide because they violated many laws of the court, failed the emperor's grace, and were afraid of being punished by the court! This is their suicide note..."

As he spoke, Fu Mingzhu handed the two letters in his hand to Qin Yu.

Qin Yu took the letter, opened it, and quickly scanned through the two people's suicide notes.

In their suicide notes, the two confessed to various crimes, mainly embezzlement.

Secondly, there are those who force women into prostitution, engage in favoritism and corruption, and suppress and harm colleagues who refuse to collude with them.

They felt they had failed the emperor's grace and were willing to die to atone for their sins, only begging Qin Yu to show mercy and give their families a way to survive...

Their suicide note was written with great sincerity, and at first glance, it seemed as if they had a change of heart and committed suicide out of shame.

In reality, he knew his crimes could no longer be hidden and wanted to use his own death to secure a way for his family to survive.

snort!

They've certainly got a good plan!

Qin Yu sneered inwardly and immediately ordered Fu Mingzhu: "Summon all the principal officials of Jiangning Prefecture to the Prefectural Governor's Office for a meeting!"

"yes!"

Fu Mingzhu accepted the order and then asked, "So, how should we handle the matter concerning these two?"

"Am I not dealing with this matter right now?"

Qin Yu glared at him, "Go now!"

Fu Mingzhu dared not ask any more questions and quickly withdrew.

After a moment's thought, Qin Yu ordered Shen Jue to send someone directly to take over the county troops.

Before long, apart from the two who committed suicide out of fear of punishment, more than twenty officials from various government departments arrived at the scene.

Qin Yu summoned officials at all levels early in the morning. They didn't know what important matter it was, and many of them were secretly worried, fearing that this ancestor might take two people out to kill if he was displeased.

Qin Yu sat in the main seat of the governor's mansion, holding two suicide notes in his hands. "You both know about the two men who committed suicide out of fear of punishment, right?"

Everyone nodded, unsure of what Qin Yu was up to.

"This is their suicide note!"

Qin Yu had the will circulated among the crowd, then said, "They say they know their sins are grave and wish to atone with their deaths, pleading with me to spare the lives of their families! Do you think I should spare their lives?"

When Qin Yu asked them this question, everyone looked at each other in confusion.

In the end, everyone's attention fell on Fu Mingzhu, the acting prefect.

Under everyone's gaze, Fu Mingzhu almost jumped up and cursed.

Why the hell are you all staring at me?

I'm asking you a question!

After a moment's hesitation, Fu Mingzhu was forced to speak first: "In my opinion, one should take responsibility for one's actions! Since they have confessed and accepted their punishment, let's give their families a way out, and also uphold Your Excellency's reputation for benevolence!"

Hearing Fu Mingzhu's words, many people secretly gave him a thumbs up.

No wonder he was able to become the acting governor.

He not only pleaded for the families of those two people, but also gave Qin Yu a huge accusation.

"Lord Fu is right! I also believe they should be given a way out!"

"Yes, their crimes are theirs, but their families are innocent."

"Innocent? What innocence? They embezzled and broke the law, didn't their families benefit? Didn't their families bully the weak by taking advantage of their power?"

"Yes, didn't their families know they were embezzling and breaking the law? Why didn't they uphold justice and turn against their own relatives? I think their families are accomplices! According to the imperial law, they should be executed or exiled!"

"That's not how it works. These are turbulent times, so it's better to avoid trouble!"

"Yes! Beyond the law, there is also human compassion! Giving them a way out is also to show officials in other places the benevolence that extends beyond the law..."

Soon, the officials below started arguing.

Most people believe that the families of the two individuals should be spared.

However, some people still believe that collective punishment should apply.

According to the laws of the imperial court, we should do it the way it should be done!

These people were either excluded and unable to enter the core circle of Fangzhou, or they were people who stuck to their principles and never took a penny.

Previously, these people were not well-liked.

But now, the tables have turned!

It's time for them to stand up for themselves!

If we don't stand up for ourselves now, when will we ever stand up for ourselves?

Did he commit suicide out of fear of punishment in order to ensure the safety of his entire family?

Then what kind of punishments did the imperial court enact, such as executing the entire family or exterminating nine generations of relatives?

"alright!"

Qin Yu raised his hand to stop the crowd, and slowly stood up. "I believe their families cannot be forgiven! I even believe they are threatening me with death, coercing my will!"

Upon hearing Qin Yu's words, an official quickly interjected, "Sir, they certainly didn't mean that, they just..."

"Let me finish speaking!"

Qin Yu stopped the official, his gaze slowly sweeping over the group of officials, and said sternly, "In my opinion, they keep saying they're admitting their guilt, but they don't even have a basic attitude of admitting guilt!"

"They're dead now, but their cases haven't been properly investigated. What could have been a lead that led to further investigation ended with them!"

"What talk of atonement with death? It's nothing more than a way to escape the court's punishment and interrogation!"

"If I were to let their families go, I would be condoning such behavior!"

"I'll say it again: if you're going to confess, you need to have the right attitude!"

"I am not an unfeeling person. As long as the person who confesses shows the right attitude, I will show leniency when necessary!"

"But if anyone wishes to end their life, I wouldn't hesitate to add another layer of punishment to their offense!"

Qin Yu's voice was strong and clear.

Every word struck the hearts of everyone like a heavy hammer.

At this moment, they finally understood why Qin Yu had summoned them.

beat!

Qin Yu was clearly telling them, "Don't even think about ending it all with your death!"

How domineering!

They didn't even give him the chance to commit suicide out of fear of punishment!