Within half an hour, the prefect of Dengzhou Prefecture was brought over by the guards.
That's right, he was *dragged* by the scruff of his neck!
With the Duke present, why should he be afraid? At worst, the Duke could transfer him to another prefecture afterward!
As a commoner, dragging the official in charge of a prefecture through the streets was a glory he'd never experienced in eight lifetimes!
The prefect of Dengzhou Prefecture didn't dare to resist. As a saying goes, "Seven ranks of officials outside the prime minister's door." He had heard that the Duke of Shenyang and the Protector General were good friends.
If being dragged by the scruff of his neck could resolve such a major incident, he would be willing to be dragged every day.
"My Lord! The prefect of Dengzhou Prefecture has been brought!"
The guard threw the prefect directly onto the cleared space in front of the bank, where the commoners had made way, and then gave Fang Er a military salute.
"The city is deserted, and a large number of civilians are blockading the bank. Are you aware of this matter, my Lord Prefect?"
Fang Er's voice was devoid of emotion, but his gaze was as sharp as a blade.
"Your subordinate, your subordinate went to the countryside to investigate cases yesterday and only returned to the city just now."
The prefect of Dengzhou Prefecture was sweating profusely, bowing his body like a large shrimp as he hastily explained.
"Your affairs, this Duke will not pursue for now. Let us assume for the moment that what you say is true."
"Now, stand up straight and let this Duke see if you recognize these four people."
"Yes, yes, thank you, my Lord!"
The prefect of Dengzhou Prefecture straightened up upon hearing this and looked at the four individuals being held by the Yan Yun cavalry. After a moment of observation, he looked aggrieved and said with a bitter face.
"Your subordinate has not met them. But, but, but Dengzhou Prefecture has over 50,000 registered households, nearly 300,000 people. Your subordinate cannot possibly have met all of them!"
Fang Er glared at him, then said to the four people.
"Speak! Where do you live, how many people are in your family, what are your names! How much national debt do you want to redeem!"
As soon as this question was asked, the expressions of the four people changed instantly. After a while, the first one who was apprehended finally replied.
"I am from Xialin Village, twenty li north of Dengzhou Prefecture. My name is Wu Hangkun. My home, home also has~~"
"My Lord! He is lying!"
Before he could finish speaking, the prefect of Dengzhou Prefecture directly exposed his lie.
"My Lord, I may not recognize everyone, but I clearly remember how many towns and villages there are in the entire prefecture!"
"There is no village called Xialin Village twenty li north of the city!"
Fang Er looked at the other three with a cold smile. "What about you? Where do you live?"
"I, I, I am called Wu E. My home, my home is in Galan Alley on the east side of the city. In my home, there is also, an old mother and two, two younger brothers."
"I, I have five guan of national debt."
The second person panicked and stammered for a long time before finishing his sentence.
"My Lord, there is indeed such an alley," the prefect of Dengzhou Prefecture nodded in affirmation from the side.
"Guards! Go to Galan Alley and check for me if there is such a person!"
Two guards received the order and left the bank, heading towards the alley he mentioned.
Fang Er looked at the remaining two. "Tell me about yourselves!"
After they finished stating their identities, two more guards were dispatched to verify them.
Within an hour, the guards who went to verify the identities returned one after another.
"My Lord, there is indeed someone named Wu E in Galan Alley, but he only has an old mother, no younger brothers."
"My Lord, there is no such person in Luojia Village, thirty li south of the city."
"My Lord, in Wenkou Village, twenty li north of the city, there are two people named Wang Pilu, but their ages do not match his!"
After the guards reported, the four apprehended men were stunned.
"No, thirty li of road, you couldn't have returned so quickly!" Wu E, seeing his identity exposed, exclaimed.
"Slap him!"
"Yes, my Lord!"
*Slap!*
A guard stepped forward and delivered a resounding slap. "You bastard! Dengzhou Prefecture has fifty-two thousand one hundred and twenty-one households. Two hundred and seventy thousand eight hundred and thirty-three people, all registered. It's all on record!"
"Do you think that by saying it's thirty li south of the city, Grandpa has to actually run thirty li to check?"
"You, you, why are you hitting me! I, I, I was afraid of my family's money being targeted, so I deliberately lied, isn't that allowed?"
The beaten Wu E was still trying to argue.
"This Duke has no time to listen to your nonsensical talk!"
"You have one incense stick's worth of time to tell me your true origins and where the national debt you hold came from!"
"Let me tell you, not only can this Duke verify your identities, but the bank also keeps records of the national debt! Every penny is accounted for!"
"You only have one chance. If you speak incorrectly again, you'll spend the rest of your life in prison!"
"Guān Cháng, take them away and question them separately!"
As Fang Er's words fell, one of the four immediately knelt on the ground.
"My Lord, my Lord, spare my life, my Lord, spare my life!"
"This humble one, this humble one is from Daliangzi Mountain outside the city. This is true. It was, it was them, they gave me money and let me come. It has nothing to do with me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, another person knelt down.
"My Lord, I was also bribed by them. It was, it was Wu Hangkun and Wu E. He, they are brothers. They are not from Dengzhou!"
"The national debt in our hands was all given to us by them!"
As soon as these two finished speaking, the entire crowd of onlookers was stunned.
Spending money to have others redeem national debt?
Two brothers, then hired two more people?
If there wasn't something fishy going on here, it would be a ghost!
The commoners, although uneducated, were not fools!
"Fellow villagers!"
At this moment, Fang Er looked at the crowd and shouted, causing the scene to fall silent. Everyone stopped their whispering and looked towards him.
"It is true that the national debt was robbed!"
"But it is far less terrible than you think!"
"The Emperor has already issued an imperial decree for a strict investigation. No matter where the money was robbed by the thieves, it will be recovered!"
"Thirty thousand Protector Army and ten thousand Sky Fire Army have already begun suppressing bandits."
"This time, it is not just about recovering the national debt, but all mountain bandits, local ruffians, and vagrants will be wiped out!"
"The identities of these four people have been made clear. They are deliberately spreading rumors to incite everyone to cause trouble here."
"The sinister intentions of these villains are obvious. They want to cause chaos in the Great Tang!"
"But think about it yourselves, what benefit would it bring you if the Great Tang were truly thrown into chaos!"
"The Three Kingdoms, the Two Jin Dynasties, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, plus the former Sui Dynasty, how many civilians died in the chaos of war?"
"What, have you forgotten the pain of the past after just a few years of good life?"
"This Duke knows that you were also deceived, so I will give you a word of advice."
"A wife, children, and a warm kang, peace is a blessing! Do not lose your minds at the slightest provocation!"
"From the beginning of the national debt issuance, it was clearly stated that the debt period is one year!"
"What, could it be that you all believe that this prosperous Great Tang cannot even survive for a year?"
"If that were the case, would your wealth truly be able to be protected?"
"This bank was established to benefit the common people of the world. If you truly have an urgent family need for money, the bank will not stand by and do nothing, nor will it refuse to help!"
"This Duke will add a rule today: anyone with a severely ill family member or whose children are getting married can mortgage their national debt bonds."
"However, without any special circumstances, you must follow the rules and redeem them after one year."