"What are you talking about? I don't understand. Wasn't the mistake I made the granary fire? I know nothing about anything else you're saying. Did you get something wrong?" Li Xiang felt something was amiss after hearing their words, but he still refused to admit it, feigning an innocent expression.
"Stop pretending. We've already learned everything. The people here to arrest you are all ability users. You should understand this once you see it. This is to prevent you from resisting, after all, you are also an ability user!" Qu Zhaoqian said slowly.
Li Xiang still looked bewildered. He hadn't known that his past actions would be exposed, and it seemed like he hadn't heard any rumors. If the higher-ups really wanted to arrest him, why hadn't any of his old friends informed him?
In the end, his entire family was confusedly sent into the car. Li Xiang was also given an injection, a tranquilizer. A large dose of anesthetic was injected into his body, making him limp and weak. He leaned against the seat and fell asleep in the car.
Besides his family, many other people were also held accountable. Numerous hotels were sealed. Once anyone was found to be feeding animals with grain, it was clear they must have collaborated with Li Xiang. There was no mistake in arresting such people directly, as in this era, those who could obtain grain could not have grown it themselves.
Thousands of people were rounded up and locked into vehicles. The convoy advanced towards Yuzhou. As these people were arrested, many in Jiangyang learned the news. From tomorrow, they would welcome their new city lord, and they would only need to work to exchange for grain.
Many people jumped for joy the moment they heard this news. They were starving and wanted to find work to support themselves, but there was no work available. Therefore, they could not obtain grain, and even if they wanted to receive relief, it was impossible.
The people here were truly suffering, so they could only toil every day just to get enough grain.
Furthermore, when people learned that Li Xiang had been arrested, they became so excited that they started setting off firecrackers. They knew that many people starved to death because of this scoundrel Li Xiang. He had not implemented the policy of work-relief, and he had stopped distributing grain. If families had grain, they could still eat something, but those whose homes had run out of grain for a long time, with no source of food, ultimately had only one outcome: starvation.
Therefore, even though Li Xiang was a confidant of Shen Feng, countless people resented him, and this hatred even extended to Shen Feng. Countless people had opinions about Shen Feng.
But now, this villain had been arrested, and they finally felt that justice had arrived. Although this justice had come too late, it was indispensable. Without this justice, the entire society would descend into chaos.
"I knew Lord Fengshen would stand up for us. Now that this scoundrel has been taken away, we will get grain. In the future, we will surely be able to return to our past lives!" someone said at this moment, their face filled with joy.
However, not everyone agreed with this statement. Someone immediately said, "Don't think too much about it. Li Xiang is indeed a scoundrel, but don't forget one thing: he is also Shen Feng's confidant. Although he has been arrested now, for us, it's just a change from one leader to another slightly better one. Our surrounding environment hasn't changed much, and in the end, Li Xiang might not even die."
Upon hearing this, the people nearby disagreed. "How could there be no consequences? So many people have starved to death. If nothing happens in the end, then there truly will be no justice!"
Everyone had a simple understanding and instinctively felt that someone had to be responsible for the many people who had starved to death. If this matter ended just like that, there would be no fairness in the world.
However, some people who considered themselves adept at political maneuvering said, "None of this matters. I suspect that Shen Feng only dealt with Li Xiang because this incident has become too big, and the higher-ups had no choice but to handle it!"
This explanation was quite popular, as many people held the belief of "better safe than sorry." Shen Feng was also very good to his former subordinates. As long as they did not rebel, he never punished them severely. At this moment, it was generally impossible for Shen Feng to kill a loyal subordinate.
Therefore, after considering this, everyone said, "What will happen in the future is hard to say. We can only sit back and watch!"
The people ultimately chose to wait and see the subsequent developments, wanting to know if Shen Feng would actually kill people, especially his former confidant. If he truly did that, it would be quite remarkable.
After arriving at the prison, Li Xiang couldn't figure out one thing: why had he been exposed? Why, after all his efforts to keep things secret, did his superiors still find out? Moreover, he had destroyed the evidence, so how could they find concrete proof to arrest him?
"It must be that many disaster victims ran around and revealed these situations. But the city lord definitely has no evidence to identify me. I already burned down the granary, so he has no evidence to kill me. I must have strong psychological fortitude to get through this." Thus, Li Xiang initially made this deduction in his heart.
The reason the higher-ups learned about the situation in Jiangyang was entirely because those disaster victims ran around, which is how the higher-ups learned about these circumstances. But as long as he insisted he was unaware, he would at most be charged with dereliction of duty, not killed. If he admitted to embezzling grain, the consequences would be severe!
At this moment, Li Xiang was lying on a platform in the prison. There were many chains on this platform, binding him tightly. He had also been injected with a sedative, which prevented him from moving freely. He spent more than half of his time in a daze. In this state, it was not easy for him to escape, as his ability was not combat-oriented.
"I want to see the city lord! I am being framed! I want to see the city lord and appeal my grievances!" Li Xiang shouted loudly in the prison, alarming many guards outside. When the guards came over and saw his condition, they started discussing something in low voices.
"Just stay put. The city lord will personally interrogate you in a few days. As for these few days, some friends will come to see you. Don't get too excited then. If you have any thoughts of escaping, we have snipers. If you run out of the prison gate, we'll shoot you dead with one shot," the guards replied after conferring.
"What old friends will come to see me?" Hearing this answer, Li Xiang felt a glimmer of hope. If someone could visit him, he could seek help.
"You'll know when the time comes. But don't worry, you're the only one receiving this treatment. Your family members are all staying in other rooms. Apart from not being able to move freely, they are all fine," the guard replied.
A few days later, an old friend visited Li Xiang every day. Li Xiang also met with old friends he hadn't seen in a long time. They all looked serious, and they carried various kinds of delicacies with them.
"Li Xiang, I didn't expect you to have committed such a crime. It's not easy for us to help you. May you rest in peace. This is the 'Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate' that I brought for you. Although you can't leap anymore, it's still my token of affection. Eat this fish, and you can swim across the River Styx!" Yang Chang appeared and said.
"Yang Chang, we are old classmates! Hurry up and see, help your brother out of consideration for our shared time at school. I will be eternally grateful for your great kindness!" Li Xiang said excitedly at this moment.
"Actually, I was trying to help you before, but you were too heavy and had been in the water for too long, so I couldn't pull you out. To be honest, the city lord was considering giving you a chance to live, but you didn't seize it!" Yang Chang said with regret.
"When did he give me a chance? He sent people to arrest me, and I never heard him say he wanted to give me a chance to reform. This must be a mistake!" Li Xiang felt the situation was too bizarre. He hadn't received any warnings, so when was he given a chance to reform? He didn't understand at all.
"A few days ago, someone from above needed to investigate the granary. This was a reminder for you to quickly make up for the deficit in the granary. If you couldn't, you should have confessed. Considering your intention to reform, the city lord would have considered exiling you instead of killing you. But now, it seems you didn't seize this opportunity!" Yang Chang explained.
"How was I supposed to know this was an opportunity for me? I thought it was just a routine inspection. Please tell the city lord to give me another chance. I will definitely seize it this time. Please, old classmate!" Li Xiang said, tears streaming down his face.
"It's a pity you have no more chances. During this time, we old friends have also discussed and will send you off. Each of us will bring a portion of food, and after eating it, you will feel no regrets in life. As for your family, we will try our best to protect them!" Yang Chang said with a regretful shake of his head and then left the room.
Li Xiang's chains were then unlocked, leaving only shackles on his feet, still fastened to the concrete platform. His hands and upper body were now free to sit up. He watched as the person in front of him left, ultimately leaving a dish of braised 'Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate' on a nearby table. The entire carp was presented in a C-shape on the plate, with a bowl and chopsticks beside it.
Only then did he finally despair. He realized that all his previous actions had been discovered, and he had failed to grasp the opportunity that had been given to him. He was likely in dire straits now, but he still had to meet the city lord, where he could plead his case. He still had one last chance.
"Since the city lord already knows about my past actions, he will surely see my behavior in prison. Now I must show a proactive attitude of admitting my mistakes. Then, when the city lord sees how sincerely I repent, he will surely soften his heart and let me go!" Li Xiang thought of this, so he immediately picked up the 'Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate' from the table and began to eat, contemplating how to present himself effectively.
Previously, Li Xiang had harbored a侥幸心理 (jǐngxìng xīnlǐ -侥幸心理), thinking that the city lord definitely wouldn't know the specific situation in Jiangyang, which is why he decided to stubbornly refuse to admit guilt. But now, after learning the specific details from others, Li Xiang understood that the other party knew everything. If he continued to refuse to plead guilty, it would only anger the city lord.
Therefore, in the following days, every time an old friend visited him, Li Xiang would put on a show of repentance. He would weep profusely in front of these old friends and the guards, his tears soaking his clothes, even sobbing uncontrollably and speaking in broken sentences.
People couldn't help but shake their heads when they saw him like this. This person, who was once a figure of some importance, had now become a prisoner. Truly, life was unpredictable.