Time: 2010-11-2111:55:03 Words: 11590
twenty
The edge of the typhoon swept across D City. There was a heavy rain yesterday, but the rain had stopped today. It was still cloudy and cold.
The Great Party promoted that the People's Republic was led by the working class and based on the worker-peasant alliance. The men and women of D City all wanted to run to the factory. As a worker, he was dignified and walked on the streets with a valiant and spirited face. Hua Shijie thought that Guanghua Clinic's license had been revoked, and it was not a good thing to sit at home. He might as well take advantage of the silk factory's recruitment to sign up. If he was a furnace worker, he would be a furnace worker. They were all working class. Who knew that his other four friends had all been accepted, but he was not on the list. It was said that he was influenced by his second brother. Brother was brother, and brother was brother. Moreover, his second brother was wronged. He was not convinced and went to the silk factory to find the person involved in the enrollment. It was fine if he didn't ask, but the more he asked, the angrier he got. The student recruitment officer didn't explain anything and only smiled at him. It wasn't like he was mocking him, but it wasn't like he was mocking him. It was an indescribable humiliation. This made him harden his heart. He would risk his life to turn over Second Brother's case and then enter the factory again. He would risk his life to be the leader of the workers and deal with this batch of people who were in charge of recruiting students. He would see that you bastards would bully people indiscriminately in the future.
He had just reached the main road at the foot of Golden Goose Mountain, not far from the silk factory, when he bumped into Fei Guixiang, who was walking towards him. Her face was full of joy, and she was so happy that she walked like a butterfly fluttering in the flowers in spring. When he went to register that day, she was there too and ignored him. It was he who deliberately said,"You're the top female scholar. You're dressed up so beautifully!"”After teasing her, they went to the front and laughed at each other for a while.
Fei Guixiang stopped and asked,"You must have taken it."”
"What right do you have to say that I'll definitely take it? Immortal."
"Those guys that day, you're a decent person!" Fei Guixiang said confidently. Enemies."
"Little vixen, you have good eyesight.”
"Night Bodhisattva, your grandmother doesn't recognize plants but human heads. Hey, why did you go back? I gave you a day off?”
Hua Shijie turned his head to look at the tall chimney of the silk factory and said disdainfully,"Others treat it as a treasure, but I see it as grass. Who cares!”
"Alright! The magistrate is waiting for you to receive the seal!" Fei Guixiang came to a realization and continued,"Is it because you're too long and too short? They didn't know how high they were. It was strange that the officials of Huizhou didn't recognize treasures! -- Sigh, the agricultural machinery factory was about to hire people. As long as there was life, there was hope.”He looked at his watch and saw that it was already nine o'clock. He quickly walked toward the silk factory.
Hua Shijie walked into the city wall of the Great South Gate and saw a dozen people gathered in front of Ziyang Temple, making a ruckus. When he walked closer, he saw the fruit store owner, Xu Jingfu, and Song Jingzhong's mother arguing. It was hard to tell that this usually amiable and quiet old lady would not give in when she was in a hurry. She held the walking stick with both hands and looked up at Xu Jingfu."What right do you have to stop me from talking? If you feel that your ancestors are glorious, then tell everyone about this matter. Your Xu family has the most money. You can buy that script, but you can't shut everyone's mouth! I'm going to skin your ancestor's face!”
Hua Shijie knew that Mama Song was talking about the lawsuit between the Xu and Cai families during the reign of Emperor Daoguang. Xu Jingfu abided by the instructions of his ancestors: No one was allowed to talk about this case again to protect the family's reputation. Mama Song was also a person who guarded her family. Recently, she had only appeared on the streets to tell the story of the past because of the Hua family.
Xu Jingfu was also so angry that he lost his mind. Relying on his own ability to respond, he argued irrationally,"I just won't let you talk nonsense! This matter was all fabricated by your Cai family. Your blackmail failed and you slandered my Xu family's ancestors.”He gritted his teeth and pointed at Mama Song's nose.""Don't think that I'm afraid of your son just because he's a wanderer. Heh, he has three friends, I have four. "I'm warning you, if you keep talking about this, I'll-" He didn't expect Hua Shijie to be standing behind him. Before he could finish speaking, his fingers had already touched Mama Song's nose, and Hua Shijie, who had walked out from behind, pinched them tightly. Xu Jingfu screamed in pain. Hua Shijie was just angry that he bullied the old man and didn't want to make things difficult for him. He let go and said with a smile,""I'm not afraid of smashing my teeth. Don't eat tofu. Bullying an old man, what dignity do you have? She said that her story had nothing to do with you. You said that she made it up. Could it be that you were someone who came back to life during the Daoguang Era? Don't you have enough stories? Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself? You're so shameless that you're going to give face to the dead in your ancestral grave!”
When Xu Jingfu saw that it was the third son of the Hua family, he remembered the relationship between Song Jingzhong and the Hua family. He also understood the intention of this Song wife to tell stories along the street. He endured the pain and sneered,"Tell the government if you have the ability!" Then, he waved his injured hand at Hua Shijie.”Holding her sore hand, she walked away angrily, ignoring the ridicule of the people behind her.
Hua Shijie also understood Mama Song's purpose for telling this story, and he was grateful. He couldn't bear to see this staggering old woman running around for his family's matters. If anything happened, he would let Brother Song down and advised her to go back.
Mama Song was unwilling to leave. She sat on the stone steps and wanted to continue telling the story, but she urged Hua Shijie to leave. Someone had already reported to Song Jingzhong, who was drinking tea in Joy Pavilion, that Xu Jingfu had bullied his mother. When this filial son heard this, he rushed over in one breath and only looked for Xu Jingfu in the crowd. Someone told him that Hua Shijie had already beaten them away. He looked at the place where Xu Jingfu went and said hatefully,"This beast, I won't forgive you!" He then cupped his hands at Hua Shijie." Thank you, little brother!”After much persuasion, she helped her mother back.
Hua Shijie thought about what Xu Jingfu said as he walked. It seemed to have inspired him. He thought why not tell the story to Mayor Wang. If he could listen, he could slowly and tactfully lead her to his family's matters. If he was disgusted by it, he could retreat or not. He had been forced to the edge of the cliff to fight to the death! He walked into the town government office, but he didn't see the mayor or the documents. He only saw Wang Meifang reading a book on her desk. When Wang Meifang saw him ask, she raised her head and smiled gently."They're all out on business. Please come back in the afternoon.”He lowered his head to read her book again.
Hua Shijie knew that Mayor Wang had a daughter who was very beautiful. He heard that her mother was very ugly, but her ugly mother gave birth to a beautiful woman. This daughter was very elegant. She rarely went out to play on the streets and did not like to talk much. However, he had never met her before. Now that he had seen her, he thought to himself," She lives up to her reputation." Although she smiled slightly, he could already see her gentle and elegant temperament. He deliberately flipped the book she was reading and said,"What book are you reading?"
Wang Meifang hurriedly moved her hand away from the book and placed it behind her back. As if she was afraid that he would grab her hand, she smiled shyly. Her fair and clean face immediately blushed, but she did not answer.
Hua Shijie saw that the book was titled " Popular Philosophy " by Ai Siqi. "You like this kind of book?"”
Wang Meifang only said slowly,"Dad said that everything here is about the revolution." Have you seen it?"
Hua Shijie shook his head and said frankly,""I don't study philosophy, so I'm afraid I can't understand it. Don't laugh at me. I even read novels occasionally. I only like playing basketball and swimming. Do you like it?"
Wang Meifang shook her head and looked at him. She only said,"Sit down!" Then, she lowered her head and read her book again.
Hua Shijie wanted to chat with her a little more, but seeing her like this, he ruined his mood and left. He walked aimlessly. For some reason, Wang Meifang's big, sparkling eyes kept flashing in front of his eyes. He inexplicably felt a sense of deja vu.
Hua Shijie stopped in front of the Confucius Temple. There was an open space across the road in front of the temple. There were six tall cypress trees planted there. The branches and leaves are luxuriant. The trees were full of white cormorants, and they had built many nests. It was almost the home of the cormorants in the city. The cormorants relied on fishing for food. There was a lot of bird droppings on the ground under the tree. Over the years, it emitted a fishy smell. As a teenager, he would often lie down and catch little cormorants. After getting off the tree, he didn't play with it himself. Whoever wanted it could take it away. Later, when his sister-in-law found out, she advised him not to do this sin again. How long can a little cormorant live without its parents? He thought of himself. He couldn't cry with a stick, but he threw himself on his sister-in-law and cried. Since then, he had never climbed up the trees here again. However, every time he passed by, he would stand and watch the cormorants fly, listen to the cormorants call, smell the fishy smell, recall the fun of pranks in his youth, and silently pray for the reproduction of the bird race. He felt that there were fewer cormorants than before. People did not hunt these birds. It was said that their meat was not fat and fishy. Perhaps they had moved somewhere. Just as he was thinking about it, Hui Lian walked past him and called out to him. He asked her if her brother was at home, and she said that she was chatting with Mayor Wang at home. I'll go buy some wine and have lunch at my house. When he heard this, he immediately left.
When Mayor Wang saw Hua Shijie enter, his smiling face darkened.
"Is Mayor Wang still angry with me?" Hua Shijie said with a smile.”Seeing that Mayor Wang did not say anything, he did not think much of it. He did not ask whose cigarette it was and picked it up to smoke, deliberately trying to make Wang Fuxing laugh. "Mayor, you have good eyesight. Let me see what kind of material I am. I don't believe it. After studying medicine for a few years, I still don't know where my lungs are. The blind man said it was a latrine pit board, but I didn't want it. He couldn't let others pinch his nose and say,'Stinky!'The fortune-teller and the blind man did not believe it. They counted for themselves. If they counted too high, they would not dare. If they counted too low, they would not. Mayor, everyone says that you can tell if a person is talented or not just by looking at them. Give me your opinion. I'll believe it if you make doors or floors. Ai, it's strange that the angrier you are at me, the more I admire you.”
Wang Fuxing also smiled and said,"I think you can do anything. It depends on what you like to do."”
Hua Shijie understood Wang Fuxing's words and continued,""That's true. If I meet a good master who recognizes me, I might be a pillar even if I don't have to be a pillar.”He also talked about how the town's officials had been concerned about the people's resistance to Taiwan in the past few days. Although it was also hearsay, he said it as if he had seen it with his own eyes.
Huimin usually liked to listen to Hua Shijie's conversations. Whatever came to his mouth, it was a colorful and lively scene. Even the dead became alive. Today, when she saw Hua Shijie laughing and joking when he came in, she actually forgot to pour him tea. She only remembered when Hua Shijie finished talking and picked up his teacup to drink. She patted her head, went to get a cup, picked up the teapot, and poured tea.
Shen Huilian came back from buying wine. Wang Fuxing stood up to leave. Huimin held on tightly. Hui Lian tactfully closed the door. Wang Fuxing was too embarrassed to spoil the mood of his siblings, and he was the one who had agreed to stay for dinner, so he could only sit down again.
Hui Lian served a plate of pork stir-fried mussel, a bowl of stir-fried snail with sauce, a bowl of clear river eel, and a bowl of fried broad beans. The broad beans were grown by Huimin using the empty space behind his house. Other than the pork, he did not have to spend money on anything else.
Wang Fuxing had been very angry ever since Hua Shijie had spoken against him. If Zhang Haitao hadn't stopped him, the police would have arrested Hua Shijie. Recently, the Huimin siblings had repeatedly interceded, and his anger had dissipated a little. He had considered it calmly. This Hua Shijie could be surprisingly good, but he could also be extremely bad. He could be pulled up and pushed down. However, the problem was not only education, but also Hua Shijie's own hard work. He had said those words to urge Hua Shijie. The " Third Son of the Hua Family " would understand. Knock him and let him figure it out himself. If he wanted to drink, he would drink. He wasn't afraid of being criticized by others. Zhang Haitao still refused to make things difficult for the Hua family. There must be a reason. Although he didn't say it, he knew in his heart that the other party was an old revolutionary and had stronger principles than him. However, although he drank a lot, he did not talk much. After all, he still had to be wary of Hua Shijie.
Hua Shijie rambled on and on until he reached the topic of 'The Story of Black Bones.' He said,"Mayor, I know very well about the current situation in D City. In our local dialect, no one can hide from you even if they catch a flea in their bed, and no one can hide from you even if they fart in the corner of the door. This town had existed for thousands of years. Even if there was one in ten years, there would be hundreds of stories. There was not a single one that was not pleasant to hear. Some even made up a show and acted it out for everyone to see. There was a show that mocked the lawless sins of the rich people here. The rich people were afraid and paid to buy the script for the show, but they were not allowed to act. Feudal landowners were such bullies. They did bad things and didn't let others say anything.
Wang Fuxing had indeed not investigated the history of D City. When he heard Hua Shijie's words, he thought to himself that if the big landlord did not allow him to talk about it, it must be about the poor suffering and being bullied. He could use it to educate the masses. He wanted to hear it, so he wanted Hua Shijie to tell him about the story of 'The Story of Blackbone'.
Hua Shijie first distributed his cigarettes and filled everyone's glasses with wine before he began to explain in detail. During the reign of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty, there was a rich man surnamed Xu here. He had a lot of property, and most of the real estate in Jiaxing Prefecture belonged to his family. He was old and childless, and he married a beautiful young prostitute in Yangzhou as his concubine. He was anxious and afraid that no one would send him to the funeral, so he brought the youngest son of his brother from far away in Anhui over. Who knew that Young Master Xu and this prostitute were childhood sweethearts? Because this concubine had followed her parents to Yangzhou since she was young, her parents had died one after another, leaving behind an orphan who was sold to a brothel. When lovers met, it was inevitable to reminisce. Elder Xu was old after all, how could he deal with this young concubine? Elder Xu wanted to have a grandson and was busy getting a wife for his stepson. He picked the Cai family's daughter. Although the men and women of the Cai family were familiar with the scriptures, they were extremely poor. Elder Xu wanted the daughter of the Cai family to be well-educated and polite so that he could help his stepson protect the large family property that he had ruthlessly plundered.
Mrs. Cai was beautiful, but her stepson really liked the new and disliked the old. The concubine was angry and resentful. She was worried that Xu Yang would die and that her stepson and his wife would become a family. She would have nothing to lose and her life would be miserable. Taking advantage of Elder Xu's illness, he took all the property rights into his hands. Elder Xu did not carry a grandson, so he closed his eyes and left. The stepson saw that the property rights were all in the hands of his mistress's stepmother. Moreover, this stepmother was young, so he could forget about being in this family for the rest of his life. For the sake of the family property, he fawned over his stepmother. Elder Xu was already dead, so he had no more worries. The Cai family's daughter advised her husband not to be so ridiculous. Otherwise, once the clansmen knew that they had reported it to the government, the mother and son had committed adultery. According to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, they would be sentenced to death by a thousand cuts. Let her be the stepmother. The husband did not listen to her advice. He was the heir for this family property and was even more attentive to his stepmother.
Cai Nv was both sad and frightened, so she wanted to kindly persuade her mother-in-law, who was only three years older than her. It was not easy to say it out loud. He had to take care of his mother-in-law's face. She finally came up with a wonderful idea. She carefully made a pair of embroidered shoes that did not distinguish between left and right and specially gave them to her mother-in-law. The concubine saw that the flowers on the shoes were really embroidered too well, and the shoes were also exquisitely made. She liked them in her heart. After trying it on, she realized that this pair of shoes did not differentiate between left and right feet. He asked his wife why. Cai Nv smiled and said,""Granny, as long as you walk steadily, even if your shoes are crooked. The mother-in-law understood that her daughter-in-law already knew about her adultery with her stepson and wanted to use this pair of shoes to tactfully persuade her. She was both ashamed and grateful. Do not want Cai female found her mother-in-law bed with her husband's shoes, the account was put down again, the original husband yesterday said to add Xing to pay the bill but to the mother-in-law's room to fool around, a moment of anger and hatred, want to open the account. Granny hurriedly stopped him with a smile. The stepson also made up his mind and walked out of the tent. He thought that since things had come to this, he might as well make it clear. He wanted to make this stepmother his secret concubine. In this society, which rich man didn't have three wives and four concubines? It was so grand that no one would criticize it. Seeing that it was really her husband, Cai Nv was angry, hateful, and ashamed. She didn't want to say anything else and wanted to run back to her room to cry. The stepson was afraid that his wife was going out to spread the news, so he chased her out of the room. Seeing that his wife was approaching the stairs, he picked up the bucket beside him and threw it at Cai Shi. It hit Cai Shi's head and she fainted on the ground. Her husband saw that her head was bleeding and she was unconscious. If he saved her, he would cause trouble. He wanted to kill her. He picked up the bucket and pressed it against Mrs. Cai's neck, strangling her to death. By the time her stepmother came, it was already too late. She complained that her stepson had acted rashly. A life was at stake. How could her family let it go?
In order to protect her lover's life, she had to take out a large amount of silver. On one hand, she held a funeral for Cai's daughter and reported it to the Cai family, saying that Cai's daughter had died of a sudden illness. On the other hand, she gave a generous gift worth thousands of silver to the magistrate of D County, using the excuse of celebrating the magistrate's mother's 60th birthday. Although he had died of a sudden illness, there had to be a basis. His stepson remembered the famous Chinese doctor in D City who loved alcohol as much as his life. He invited him over overnight and first drunk the doctor with a hundred-year-old wine before asking him to treat the Cai family. When taking the pulse, the concubine hid behind her trusted servant girl and used her own hand to replace Lady Cai's hand. The doctor was drunk and his eyes were blurry. He could no longer distinguish between the ugly and the ugly. He said that the patient was just shocked and did not have a serious illness. One dose of medicine could cure the illness. Just as he was about to make a prescription, the concubine first toasted a few cups of wine. She forced the doctor to drink until he was drunk before urging him to prescribe a prescription. When the doctor was giving the prescription, the concubine saw that the blood-stained Dou Dou had not been cleaned up yet. She quickly signaled her trusted servant girl to clean up the Dou. The servant girl was also frightened and ignored it. The concubine could only shout anxiously,"Fight!" Only then did the servant girl react. This shout was heard by the doctor beside him, and he even mistook it for "croton". The drunk man was already indecisive, so he casually asked himself,"Croton, how much?" The concubine didn't know much about Chinese medicine and thought that the doctor was asking about the remuneration. She quickly took out a piece of gold and placed it on the table."One tael." The doctor was also drunk and thought that he was answering himself. He read the prescription," One tael of croton." After the prescription was written, his stepson asked someone to send the doctor home in a sedan chair.
Cai Nu's three brothers brought their wives to mourn and asked their brother-in-law about their sister's illness. His brother-in-law was momentarily speechless. After thinking for a while, he said that a famous doctor had diagnosed an epidemic disease. It was fierce and had no effect on medicine. The three Cai brothers felt that something was amiss and quietly asked their sister-in-law to examine the corpse of the younger sister to see if there was anything unusual. The sister-in-law took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to the girl's face and uncovered the loincloth covering her face. She saw that there was a purple-blooded wound on the girl's left forehead, and when she looked closely at the girl's neck, there was also a purple wound. She quietly told her husband and two uncles what she had seen. The Cai brothers concluded that their sister did not die of a sudden illness. From the signs they saw, she died from an injury. However, usually when her sister came home, she would always say that the husband and wife were loving and that the in-laws were favored. There might not be any verbal fights, so she would ask her brother-in-law nicely. The stepson only insisted that he had died of a sudden illness. The Xu family used the excuse that the plague was contagious and wanted to immediately bury the female corpse in the coffin. The Cai brothers firmly opposed it, claiming that they had to find out the cause of death before they could enter the coffin. A daughter who married off was like water that was poured out. When she got married, she had to follow her husband. Everything had to be arranged by her husband's family. Seeing that the Cai brothers were suspicious, the Xu family forced Cai into the coffin, closed the coffin lid, and sealed it. In a feudal dynasty, even if you were reasonable, you were guilty of opening a restaurant.
The Cai brothers suspected that there was fraud and went to the county government to complain. This county magistrate was not a bad official, he was also from the imperial examination. The day before yesterday, he received such a heavy gift from the Xu family. Today, he came to the Cai family to sue the Xu family. He knew that the Xu family was cheating, and the Cai family was in the right. However, he did not dare to accept the case. The Xu family had a lot of money. If they dared to bribe him, they would definitely dare to bribe their superiors. Today, they were enforcing the law impartially, but in the future, they would retract their confessions. The plaintiffs would not be the only ones who would be unlucky. Even a small seventh-grade official like him would be unlucky. If it was light, he would lose his official position, and if it was serious, he would be punished. However, he had helped the Xu family to frame the Cai family because he couldn't bear it and was afraid that the Cai family wouldn't accept it. He understood that although the Cai family was poor, they had a lot of talented people who were willing to give in to benevolence. From the words, it was obvious that it was not a rumor. This would be an endless lawsuit. Anyone who got involved would be confused by the lawsuit. He retreated bravely. After looking at the words, he had an idea. He put down the words, pretended to be heartbroken, and pretended to faint. When he returned to the inner court, he asked his confidant to return the confession to the Cai brothers, saying,"Master's heart disease has relapsed and he will come to complain another day." On the other hand, he asked for the Xu family's generous gifts to be returned, saying,"Old Master's mother's birthday is over, we can't take advantage of it. "Thank you for your kind intentions, I appreciate it," he hurriedly wrote a letter of complaint and sent a fast boat to the government office overnight, asking the government office to allow him to temporarily report his illness and go home.
When the Xu family saw that the magistrate had returned the gift and was about to return home, they knew that things were not good and hurriedly arranged for them to go to the magistrate's yamen. The concubine learned the name of the magistrate. It turned out to be her old client when she was a prostitute in Yangzhou. This client was also the magistrate of Jurong County at that time. He often went in and out of brothels in plain clothes and liked him very much. She also wanted to become a concubine, but because of his corruption and perverting the law, she was reported, cut off her position for the people, and fell into Yangzhou. She didn't forget her old friendship and gave him everything she had accumulated in her life. She wanted him to regroup and re-enter the officialdom. The two of them parted in tears. He swore that if he had any achievements in the future, he would come to Yangzhou to redeem her as his wife. He had been gone for half a year and there was no news of him. The Xu family came to Yangzhou to do business. They admired her beauty and did not hesitate to pay a large sum of money to redeem her. The madam was jealous of money and forced her to follow Elder Xu. She thought to herself that since she had such a relationship with the magistrate, he would definitely help her when she asked him for help. The concubine personally brought the money to see the magistrate. As she expected, the magistrate agreed. She didn't know that this magistrate had other plans. He wanted to get back at her and was jealous of her wealth. The prefect allowed the magistrate of D City to report his illness and went home. He also sent his proud subordinate, the magistrate of Wukang, to manage the affairs of D County and told the concubine how to treat him.
The concubine returned to D City and prepared ten thousand taels of silver to send to the magistrate of Wukang. This magistrate was bought for three thousand taels of silver. He bought an official position for money, to get people's money and help people eliminate disasters. The moment the Cai family's confession entered the court, the magistrate looked serious. After reading the confession, he pretended to be angry and kept saying that he wanted to avenge the Cai family. A clap shocked the hall, immediately took the accused Xu family stepson to the hall for strict trial. The stepson calmly told the confession that the magistrate had taught him in the court, saying that his wife had indeed died of a sudden illness, with a famous doctor as evidence, because the Cai family wanted to use this to threaten Xu Jiaqiang to borrow silver. It was common for relatives to come and go. It was not human to make trouble with them. The Xu family could not tolerate it, and the Cai family flew into a rage out of humiliation and sued the officials for framing them. I hope you can make decisions for the people. When the magistrate heard this, he didn't even ask if the Cai family was telling the truth. He slapped the gavel and accused the Cai family of not being able to blackmail and frame a good person. Not allowing the Cai family to distinguish, sentenced the Cai family to blackmail money and falsely accuse good people, should have been severely punished, but considering that the Cai family recently died relatives, lenient punishment, twenty strokes of the board, as a warning. If you stir up trouble again, you will be severely punished. A case of injustice ended in confusion. The magistrate easily earned ten thousand taels of silver. After deducting the three thousand taels of silver he had spent on buying an official position, he had earned seven thousand taels of silver. Where else could he find such a good deal? He thought to himself, If there is such a cheap deal again, I will put up a notice. This lord is as clear as water and as clear as a mirror. If there is injustice, come and complain. This lord will enforce the law impartially to avenge you. The notice only lacked one sentence,"Don't come in if you have reason and no money!"
The Cai family had lost their sister, suffered a beating, and had a bad reputation for blackmailing. How could they lose face? The entire clan was unconvinced and went to the government office to hand in the complaint. The magistrate complained that the magistrate was muddle-headed and should have pretended to comfort the Cai family to persuade them to calm down. You gave him twenty big boards, isn't it adding fuel to the fire? Since the complaint had already come, how could he ignore it? He racked his brains to think of a proper mediation in his court, so that the waves would calm down from then on. After pacifying the Cai family, he said that this case was not ordinary and temporarily retreated. He waited for the residence to investigate openly and secretly before conducting another trial. Then, he found the Xu concubine and interrogated her in detail. He heard from his concubine that he had also invited a famous doctor to check his pulse and prescribe a prescription, so he asked her to take out the prescription to check. This magistrate was also a scholar of the imperial examination and knew a little about medicine. When he saw the prescription, he laughed out loud. Wasn't this famous doctor a scapegoat who didn't need to ask any questions to get himself killed? Concubine asked him why, he said that since he is a famous doctor, how can he not know the medicinal properties, symptoms for fear, how can he mistakenly use croton. Croton was a laxative. Even if one were to take one ounce of croton, it would cause diarrhea and death. Wasn't this a famous doctor who had misused violent medicine to kill someone? With this prescription as evidence, how could the Cai family not be convinced? After some comforting and convincing, everything would naturally calm down. The plan has been decided, immediately go to the court to deal with the case, call the plaintiff and defendant to the court. He first asked Madam Cai in a friendly manner before interrogating the defendant, Madam Xu, severely. When the Cai family saw this, they felt that this magistrate was really like the plaque hanging on the court that said,"A bright mirror hangs high." The prefect asked the Xu family what evidence they had to ask the doctor for treatment. The Xu family said that they did. They invited a famous doctor from D City. The evidence was the prescription he prescribed. The magistrate asked where the prescription was. Madam Xu presented the prescription. The magistrate looked at the prescription in a daze and asked Madam Xu if she had brought a famous doctor with her. Madam Xu said that she was invited and waited outside the yamen. The prefect said to summon a witness. This famous doctor was really a wine gourd. He was standing outside drinking wine. When he heard the summons, he walked into the court with a wine pot in his hand and recited Li Bai's poem,"" You must drink 300 cups at once, and when the gold is gone, it will come back again." When the magistrate saw this, he secretly found it funny. He thought, Since you came here muddle-headed, I'll send you back muddle-headed. When you see the King of Hell, you won't even know how you died muddle-headed! When the doctor heard the yamen runner's shout, he knew that he had arrived in the court and hurriedly knelt down. The magistrate asked him,"You're a famous doctor in D City." The famous doctor said that I am a famous doctor passed down from three generations. The magistrate asked,"On a certain day, did you go to the Xu family to treat my daughter-in-law?" The famous doctor said that it was true. The Xu family even treated me to wine. It's a good wine. The magistrate was afraid that the Cai family would hear the meaning behind the word 'wine', so he quickly stopped the famous doctor. He asked again,"Since you've pressed my pulse, how is it?" A famous doctor said that he would prescribe a prescription after taking the pulse. The magistrate showed the prescription that Madam Xu handed over to the famous doctor and said that this was the prescription that you prescribed? When the famous doctor saw the prescription, he said that the prescription was indeed mine, and the handwriting was also mine. The magistrate asked him to read out the prescription. As the famous doctor read the words "one liang of croton", he was so scared that he woke up and fainted. Even the people who came to listen outside the hall began to cheer. " One liang of croton " was clearly a lethal medicine. A famous doctor could kill! It was written in black and white, and the famous doctor could not distinguish it even if he was covered in his mouth. He couldn't explain why he would write "croton" and "one liang" in the soothing-the-mind medicine. He could only admit that he had made a mistake in his drunkenness in order to avoid the death penalty. He also begged the Cai family for mercy. How could the magistrate let him go? He was sentenced to death and reported to the Ministry of Justice for approval. He would be executed after autumn. And blame Xu should not appease famous doctor, conceal the truth, fine silver three thousand two. He reprimanded the magistrate of Wukang for his carelessness in handling the case, indiscriminately using prison words, and mistakenly hitting the plaintiff. He was punished for three months, commended the Cai brothers, and rewarded Cai with three thousand taels of silver. The spectators clapped their hands and praised him. The magistrate was about to order the court to retreat and end this lawsuit. However, the Cai brothers did not appreciate it. They did not accept the reward and raised doubts in the hall. The famous doctor claimed that he had made a mistake after drinking and said that the Xu family had invited him to drink good wine. After all, was he invited to drink before or after the diagnosis? It is said that he died of croton by mistake, and an autopsy can prove it. The famous doctor sobered up a little after this question. After thinking about it carefully, he remembered that he had to drink first before taking the pulse. When Cai Shi heard this, she knew that there was a fraud and decided to ask the magistrate to open the coffin and examine the body. The audience outside the hall felt that it was reasonable and started to coax again. The magistrate thought that if he did not verify it, it would make the shrewd Cai suspicious and would definitely report it to the provincial capital. Although the Fan Tai was his teacher, it would not be embarrassing. If he agreed to Cai Shi's autopsy, he would definitely find out the injuries. Even if his teacher was covering up for him, he would still be able to use his words to affect his future advancement. It would be better to secretly instruct Madam Xu to bribe the coroner and tamper with it to report that she was "unharmed" to shut Madam Cai's mouth. He was the one supervising the test, so what was there to be afraid of? Therefore, the court agreed to open the coffin and examine the corpse. However, there was a condition. It was disrespectful to heaven and earth to see the female corpse again after opening the coffin. It was disrespectful to the deceased to let everyone see the female corpse naked. It was a stain on her purity. Therefore, if there was no injury after the autopsy, the corpse could only be cremated to apologize to heaven and earth and return the purity of the deceased. Moreover, Cai was unreasonable, disturbed the court, and slandered officials. She should also be punished. The Cai brothers agreed one by one and made a pledge.
Madam Xu bribed the coroner with one thousand taels of silver according to the magistrate's instructions. Although this coroner was recognized as a veteran, he was timid and cautious. He was afraid of the current officials, the Xu family's wealth, and the Cai family's power. They could only adopt a method that allowed them to advance and retreat. During the autopsy, they reported that there was no reason. When they burned the corpses, they smeared rice vinegar on the injured joints of the corpses. After burning, they secretly hid the injured bones of the deceased. The corpses had been examined and proved that there were no injuries. If a famous doctor kills someone, the magistrate will act according to the rules. If the white bones turn into charcoal, the Cai family will no longer have the heart to overturn the case. When dealing with the Cai brothers, he also left some leeway. Logically speaking, the three Cai brothers should have been sentenced to prison. However, the eldest brother was only sentenced to three months of imprisonment, thinking that the case was over.
The Cai brothers always felt that there was a fraud in the case. How could he find out that there was no cause when he saw the wound clearly? He looked for a coroner again, but who knew that he had already hidden in the mountains and felt even more strange. The second and third brothers discussed again and reported to the provincial capital. The Fan Tai found the disciple magistrate to talk, and the magistrate explained the case in detail. The military governor was also a veteran of officialdom. He had seen the Cai family's reasonable words and heard the suspicious points of the disciple burning the body. It was because he had promoted the disciple and had recently reported the disciple to the court. He could not slap himself and be guilty of failing to report. Second, he was happy that the Xu family had sent tens of thousands of taels of silver. They had done everything they could to judge the case and maintain the original judgment. Why not? Even if the Cai family refused to accept it and reported it to the Ministry of Justice, one was that they had the disciple's record, two was that the Xu family had plenty of silver, and three was that the body had been incinerated and could not be examined again. No matter how capable the Cai family was, they couldn't overturn this iron case. In order to prevent Cai from reporting to the Ministry of Justice, the military governor also pretended to go to the court to hear the case publicly. The plaintiff, the defendant, the magistrate, and the magistrate were all brought to the court. Like the magistrate, they reprimanded Madam Xu and reprimanded the magistrate. In the end, they determined that the magistrate had tried the case properly and the corpse had been examined. What else could they do? The Cai brothers were sentenced to be unreasonable and falsely accused the court of appointing officials. The crime was unforgivable, so of course, he left some leeway and only sentenced the second son of the Cai family to half a year in prison. He wanted to warn his third brother not to be foolish and repeat the mistakes of his two brothers. He also ordered the magistrate to execute the foolish doctor immediately to prevent him from retracting his confession.
Who knew that this third brother had the most stubborn temper. He saw that his sister had died in vain and his two brothers had been detained. How could he bear the humiliation and close the door to guard himself? A real man's ambition was clear when he studied. He thought that he had put up with all kinds of hardships and studied hard for ten years in order to obtain fame, punish evil and promote good, eliminate evil and violence, and save the people. Today, he couldn't even clear up his own family's unjust case. How could he talk about serving the country and the people in the future? He knew that the Xu family relied on their wealth to win over the officials and bribe the treacherous officials, but they did not dare to fight the evil tiger and eliminate the greedy wolf. What kind of man were they? Today, even if I have to die, I will avenge myself and report to the Ministry of Justice. The day before he was about to leave, his old friend, the abbot of Cixiang Temple, specially rushed over. They first asked him about his plans, then looked at the complaint he had written. After discussing it with each other, they added: " Gold buys the blue sky…" Then tell him that the Crown Prince's study companion is my best friend before I became a monk. He is upright and hates evil as his enemy. I will look for him first when I go to the capital. You can give my letter to him and listen to his arrangements. After saying that, she gave him the letter. His relatives gathered the silver and sent him on his way. The crown prince's companion read the abbot's letter and was filled with righteous indignation. He asked for the complaint he had written and repeatedly praised it for its good writing! Only then did I know that the horse recommended by my old friend was indeed a rare good horse. The companion estimated that the Xu family must have already cleared the Ministry of Justice, and the case had involved many officials in Zhejiang, which was unusual. He should be cautious. He told him that he would do his best to help, but since the case had already alarmed the court, it was the Cai family's luck that the case was approved. If it was not approved, he would definitely die. And the disaster will affect the Cai family, you should think deeply. He said that I made this move after careful consideration. On the day of departure, I had already set aside life and death. How could a real man endure shame and seek peace? His companion praised him for his magnanimity and courage. He arranged his accommodation and told him to stay in seclusion and wait for orders at any time.
The companion first looked for a close friend of the Ministry of Justice to inquire about the inside story. Sure enough, the Xu family had already persuaded several high officials of the Ministry of Justice. As long as Cai entered the hall of the Ministry of Justice, she would die on the nail board before she presented the complaint. Companion reading told his best friend, this case is indeed strange injustice, when the people as the most important, and discuss how to let the emperor personally manage the case. The reading companion said that I will handle the emperor's side, and the matters outside the palace will be arranged by you. The companion took the opportunity to tell the Crown Prince about the case. The two of them discussed. The Crown Prince wanted to accompany him to read and put the complaint in the book he read every day. Then, he would pretend to be sick and let me speak in front of Father. The companion did as he was told.
One day, the emperor went to the inner garden to play. When he saw that the crown prince did not study hard, he asked him why. Only then did he know that his companion was sick. Asked what illness, the crown prince said only see accompany reading all day sigh, do not know what illness. The Emperor entered the study and sat down at the desk where his reading companions usually sat. He casually flipped through the books on the desk. Flipping through the book, he found the complaint paper in the book. After reading it carefully, he slammed the table in anger. Thinking that the case was not clear, the Qing Dynasty would definitely be defeated in the hands of this group of corrupt officials, he called the companion to ask why he did not report such a big case to me, but pressed the complaint paper in the book. Accompanied by reading on the play said, because this case involves a wide range of people, day and night thinking, dare not easily disturb the emperor, is wandering around. Since the emperor already knows, please make a wise decision. The emperor asked, is the snitch your friend or relative? Accompanied by reading back to the play is not relatives and friends. The emperor asked how this complaint came into your hands? I was introduced by my friend. The emperor asks what kind of person your good friend is? The companion read: My good friend is a Buddhist disciple. He is upright and never asks about the affairs of the world. He thinks that this case is deeply wronged and will endanger the country, so he tells me about it. The emperor thought that even the monk who had nothing to do also had compassion, but he thought that the case was deeply wronged, so he secretly sent the imperial envoy to Zhejiang to investigate the truth of the case and quickly returned to the capital to report that I wanted to personally investigate the case.
The imperial envoy was ordered to leave the capital and secretly went to Zhejiang. He disguised himself and went on a private visit along the way to D City. After climbing up the mountain, he finally found the coroner and the magistrate who reported the illness, and found out the truth of the case. He brought along witnesses and material evidence and quietly returned to the capital to report.
The Emperor wants the Ministry of Justice to handle this case. The Ministry of Justice brought Cai's brother and sister-in-law, Xu's mother and son, and the officials involved in the case to the capital. The Ministry of Justice held a public trial, and the Emperor personally supervised the trial. Cai's third brother rolled the nail board to complain. Witnesses and material evidence were present, and the injustice was revealed. The eldest and second sons of the Cai family were released, the stepson and concubine of the Xu family were beheaded, and dozens of officials from the provincial government to the county magistrate were either demoted or exiled. Only the wine gourd doctor died in vain. The emperor saw that the three sons of the Cai family were outstanding in literary talent and courage, so he gave them official titles. It was said that after he became an official, he was indeed honest and loved the people like his own children.
Hua Shijie's mouth was already dry from talking. He picked up the teacup and took a few sips before saying,"Mayor, this is one of the four great mystery cases of the Qing Dynasty,'The Story of Black Gu'. Because of the death of people, it is also called "The Story of Fighting." Mayor, don't you think the rich Xu family is detestable? That doctor was muddle-headed and pitiful! The Cai family is innocent!"
The story went on for more than three hours. Because of the twists and turns of the plot, Hua Shijie also painted the shape and voice, and spoke vividly. Everyone was addicted to listening and did not feel that it took a long time.
When Wang Fuxing heard this, he also felt that this story was not bad and was very moving. If there was no feudal emperor, this case would have educational value. We can't possibly promote the feudal emperor. When he heard Hua Shijie's last few words, he felt that Hua Shijie had other intentions. It seemed that he wanted him to help overturn the case. He was a little disgusted. "What do you mean by telling me this story?" she asked indifferently.”
"What do you mean?" Hua Shijie smiled. Telling stories is telling stories."
Wang Fuxing didn't say much and stood up to leave.
When Shen Huimin heard Wang Fuxing's rhetorical question, he also came to his senses. After Wang Fuxing left, he patted Hua Shijie's chest and said,""Little Uncle, you're really smart. You're an intellectual after all. You know how to use your brain, beat around the bush, and use other people's stories to say what you want to say. Town Mayor Wang was a good official. If he had thought it through, he would really have become the imperial envoy. You're right. This method of yours is really good. I'm impressed.”
Hui Lian also took the opportunity to criticize her brother,"You only know how to praise him for being an intellectual. He's smart and has many ways." The intellectual is also a result of studying culture. Who would have a headache like you when you talk about studying culture? You're so lazy to study culture. You only think that other people's rice is fragrant and don't want to work hard on your own. You'll be useless for the rest of your life!"
Huimin said,"Do you think I'm cut out for studying? No flower can be carved on tofu, and no pillar can be made of reed. Good girl, don't make things difficult for your brother.”
Hua Shijie also advised Huimin,"I see that you're not stupid. If he learned some culture and was both civil and martial, he would really be a talent who would be a general.”He then said to Hui Lian,"If the monkey doesn't drill into the ring, why don't you sift the gong a few more times?"”
Hua Shijie had wanted to go out for the whole day. He was afraid that his sister-in-law would miss him again and was in a hurry to go home. Just as he arrived at the office, he saw a few young and strong men suddenly put down the watermelon baskets on their shoulders and walked towards him aggressively. Xu Jingfu was following behind. He already understood in his heart. He thought that it was really a narrow road for enemies. He had chosen to take this road and bumped into them. There were four or five of them, and I was alone. If I fought them head-on, I would definitely suffer. If he turned around and fled immediately, he would be laughed at by Xu Jingfu in the future. As the saying goes, to capture a thief, one must first capture the king and defeat Xu Jingfu. They would not let him take advantage of them and save trouble in the future. After that, he ran towards the Yang family's house. Qingxi River was only ten meters away, and Ah 'Bao's house was on the other side of the river. Once he made up his mind, he decided to wait for them to come over.
Xu Jingfu had been harvesting watermelons here. When she saw Hua Shijie coming over from afar, she remembered that he had broken a finger in the morning, so she wanted to settle the score with him. The people who carried the watermelons were all farmers from Pinghu. If he wanted them to beat him up and vent their anger, they would run to Pinghu. He walked in front of everyone because he had more people. He first asked Hua Shijie if he would pay for the medical expenses and nutrition fees if he broke his finger.
Hua Shijie smiled and said that he didn't have that much money. Even if he did, he would rather buy steamed buns to feed the dogs.
Xu Jingfu became even angrier when he heard that. He sneered and was about to call for the people behind him to make a move. Unexpectedly, Hua Shijie aimed two punches at his chest and pushed him hard, causing him to fall on all fours. While the people behind were busy helping Xu Jingfu up, he ran into the alley and walked to the river. When they were about to get close, Hua Shijie jumped into the Qingxi River and dived all the way to the Ah 'Bao River Port. He stuck his head out and walked to the river port. When he saw Xu Jingfu standing on the other side with his hand on his chest, he laughed and shouted,"Xu Jingfu, your chest hurts too much. Quickly go and apply the ointment. If you're happy, you can call me tomorrow!”After saying that, he laughed out loud and went into Ah 'Bao's house.
The hearty laughter echoed in the air above the Qingxi River.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。