NCCnovel Chapter 162 The Verdict
Chapter 162 The Verdict
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From the moment He Chengzong learned of Gao Hongtu, he had been pondering how to distance himself from the matter. Hearing the governor's question, he carefully replied, "Your Excellency, Gao Hongtu is a smooth talker. He flatters our Prefect in his daily life, and even sends him local products during festivals. Although the Prefect has never accepted them, he is still grateful for his kindness. This time, he had a dispute with Liu, the Assistant Commander from Qiongzhou, and came to the Prefectural Government for help. As the Prefect, it is your duty to help the people and merchants under your jurisdiction, so you sent me with a few constables to mediate… We have no other dealings with Hongtu Money Shop, and we know nothing about Gao Hongtu's private actions!"
After listening to He Chengzong's explanation, Mu Tianyan remained noncommittal and turned to Liu Ye: "General Liu, what about you?"
Liu Ye smiled and said, "Your Excellency, I have a grudge against this Manager Gao. Back when I was just a commoner, he bullied me and I was powerless to fight back. Now that I am a military officer of the court, it is only natural that I must get my revenge. Of course, I also know that it is wrong of me, as a military officer, to cause trouble in the local area. Please punish me, Your Excellency, I will have no complaints."
Mu Tianyan snorted: "I'll settle your score with you later." He continued to ask Gao Shunqin, "And what business did Inspector Gao go to the money shop for?"
Gao Shunqin felt somewhat uneasy, but outwardly he maintained a calm demeanor: "I was merely passing by when I saw that General Liu was leading troops to vandalize a money exchange. As an imperial censor, I naturally cannot tolerate military officers bullying the common people, so I went in to stop it..."
Zhou Guoxin interrupted him: "Your Excellency, Inspector Gao wasn't there to uphold justice, but rather to stand up for Manager Gao. The two are very close, as evidenced by Lieutenant General Liu and Mr. He from the Prefectural Government..."
Liu Ye nodded: "That's right, Mr. He and I can both testify to that."
Gao Shunqin sensed that things were going in a bad direction and decided to deny everything. He declared, "I will not admit what I said. What can you do about it?"
He said sternly, "That's utter nonsense! I have no connection whatsoever with Hongtu Money Shop, nor have I ever said I would stand up for Manager Gao. The so-called witnesses are just people who are afraid of your power as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and are just saying what you want to hear..."
At this moment, the Imperial Guards in charge of the "search" arrived just in time and handed Zhou Guoxin an account book in full view of everyone. After Zhou Guoxin opened it and "looked" at it a few times, he shouted: "Gao Shunqin, the evidence is overwhelming, do you still dare to deny it?"
Hearing the Imperial Guard commander address him by his name, Gao Shunqin's heart tightened. Without absolute certainty, a mere commander wouldn't dare openly humiliate a mere imperial inspector. What kind of account book did the man hold? What were its contents? And why did it look so familiar?
Mu Tianyan asked, "What evidence is this? Let me see it."
Zhou Guoxin handed over the account books: "Your Excellency, please take a look. These two account books are enough to prove that Gao Hongtu colluded with bandits and secretly aided the enemy. Gao Shunqin is the backer of Hongtu Money Shop. A mere money shop manager would not have such audacity. Therefore, the truth is: Gao Shunqin is the mastermind behind Hongtu Money Shop's collusion with bandits!"
Upon hearing this conclusion, Gao Shunqin was completely stunned. He shouted, "You're making baseless accusations! How could I have instructed Gao Hongtu to collude with bandits?"
Mu Tianyan flipped through the account book, shook his head and sighed: "Inspector Gao, this time even I can't help you. You'd better take care of yourself."