Nancheng, where civilians gathered, was originally the most lively place in the royal capital of Chang'an. The market was bustling every day, with stalls and vendors shouting and people coming and going in the shops. Some of the people in this ancient city The most authentic snacks are hidden in these seemingly chaotic paths.
People originally wanted to live a stable and happy life, but recently this small and medium-sized territory has been very 'unsettled'. These days, officers and soldiers seem to be focusing on this not-so-rich place, and they come here to search every once in a while.
At first, the people came out to join in the fun, but gradually, they discovered that something was wrong. Why were the Shence Camp, Jingzhao Mansion, the Twelve Guards of the Forbidden Army, the Criminal Department and other yamen coming in droves, and even the school affairs office appeared here. No matter how much the people love to watch the excitement, they feel a little uneasy at this time. So many things have happened in Chang'an recently, and it is obvious that these changes are involved. Although the bustle is nice to watch, don't let yourself get caught in it accidentally. Therefore, once officers and soldiers come, the people will close the door tightly.
No, just as the previous wave of officers and soldiers left and before they had even had a cup of tea, another wave of officers and soldiers came in a hurry. The uniforms looked like soldiers of Jingzhao Mansion. The small vendors put away their stalls one after another to make way for the officers and soldiers. This wave of officers and soldiers was coming fiercely. If their stalls were knocked over, who would they talk to? Everyone tidied up skillfully and quickly, and soon the streets became much emptier.
Everyone was holding their own goods and hiding in the store or in the corner. They still couldn't help but crane their heads to see which store would be unlucky today. Officers and soldiers searched many homes these days, rummaging through boxes and cabinets to the point of restlessness, but they never seemed to find what they were looking for. Today, these officers and soldiers came again, and everyone was already accustomed to it. They just hid secretly and watched the development of the situation.
Suddenly, the government officials lined up on both sides of the road with extremely serious expressions. Then an official in official robes was seen riding a horse through the middle of the road. When he arrived at the door of a house, the official got off his horse. Everyone hiding aside tried hard to get a clear look at this slightly bookish official. This official had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and his standard Chinese character face always gave everyone a familiar feeling. Suddenly, a surprised voice broke everyone's silence——
"This person is Zuo Gong... No! This person is Zuo Master!"
"Master Zuo? Which Master Zuo?" Another voice asked in confusion.
"Master Zuo! It's that...Master Zuo!"
The man who recognized Zuo Gongming lowered his voice very low. He really wanted to say the three words "Zuo Gongming", but there were officers and soldiers of Jingzhao Mansion in front of him. At this time, he didn't dare even if he had ten more courages. Call him by his first name.
"Master Zuo...how many adults named Zuo are there in the court?"
"I don't know how many there are, but this one is definitely the most famous!"
"Mr. Zuo...Mr. Zuo..." The man lowered his head and recalled for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and said with astonishment in his eyes: "You are talking about...the one...who took over?" Master Wu’s Master Zuo!?”
"Who else could it be!?"
Zuo Gongming came to Nancheng to make a living when he was down and out, so it was not surprising that these people had seen him. But today Zuo Gongming has transformed into a high-ranking official, and it is the governor of Beijing who is even bigger than the emperor to them. 'Officials - after all, the emperor has no intention of taking care of ordinary people like them, only Jingzhao Mansion will take care of them. The poor scholar who once fell into poverty has now become a high-ranking local official. These people secretly regret in their hearts, regretting why they did not help Zuo Gongming when he was in decline. If he had provided help in times of need, he would be able to benefit from it now.
While these people were feeling upset, the government officials pushed open the door of a house. Everyone cheered up and felt a little surprised. The male owner of this household was originally a thief. He was fished out of a prison cell once. Then he found a serious job with good pay, as if he met a nobleman. Later, he married a wife and had children. , which aroused the envy of the neighbors, saying that there was smoke coming out of his ancestral grave, and he was inevitably going to jail but was living a good life instead. Could it be that this person has 'relapsed' again? Huh, this guy is like a dog and eats shit. What do scholars say? It is said that "it is easy to change in mountains and rivers, but one's nature cannot be changed and eat shit". Even if you live a good life, you still have to steal chickens and dogs. Alas...
Seeing the officers and soldiers coming towards her home, the mistress of the courtyard hurriedly ran out. Where had she, a woman, seen such a battle? I was a little panicked for a while. But she was still calm. She remembered that her husband had told her before that if someone from the government came, they should answer truthfully whatever they asked. There was no need to hide or be afraid.
So, the hostess tried hard to restrain her trembling body and asked tremblingly: "Sir...sir...what are you..."
The officers and soldiers in front of him had fierce looks on their faces, as if they were eating people without spitting out their bones. Seeing that there were only women here but not the man he was looking for, he couldn't help but feel impatient and angry. He was about to scold the woman in front of him and ask. But at this moment, he suddenly felt his arm being tapped. When he turned around, he saw his immediate boss standing behind him expressionlessly, gesturing for him to get out of the way. As a result, the officers and soldiers immediately changed their faces to extremely flattering smiles and obediently moved out of the way, allowing Zuo Gongming behind them to step forward.
Zuo Gongming was born in civilian life, and he had read all kinds of things in the world when he was living among the people. Therefore, he had some empathy when facing such ordinary people. Looking at the shivering woman in front of him, he tried his best to ask calmly: "Where is your man?"
The woman looked at the ferocious officer and soldier's attitude toward the gentleman and guessed that the man in front of her must be a high official. This high official's square face looked extremely decent, and his demeanor and behavior were far from those vulgar ones. The yamen servant suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of security in her heart. She knelt down in front of Zuo Gongming with a plop and cried -
"My lord - our family is an honest family and we don't dare to commit trouble! You can't catch a good person by mistake! My lord -"
"Master Zuo is asking you a question! What do you look like crying!" When the officer and soldier saw that the woman was about to grab Zuo Gongming's clothes, he immediately stepped forward to scold him as his loyal protector.
Zuo Gongming looked at the sobbing woman and waved his hand to signal the officer and soldier to retreat. When the officers and soldiers saw this, they immediately took a step back and stopped making any sound. Later, Zuo Gongming bent down and helped the woman up, and said patiently: "Don't be afraid. I have something to ask your man. Go and call him out."
There is indeed something different about this senior official. The other officers and soldiers are like wolves and beasts, but this one is extremely gentle and approachable. Since this senior official is the master, there should be no problem...
The woman thought so in her heart, so she whispered to Zuo Gongming: "My man is in the house...I...I will call him right now!"
After saying that, the woman hurriedly turned around and ran towards the house.
When she walked to the door of the house, the woman banged the door hard and kept shouting: "Mr. sir! Come out quickly! There are many officers and soldiers coming to our house and they want to ask you something - come out quickly -"
'Bang bang bang——'
The knocks on the door kept ringing, but there was no response from inside the house.
The officers and soldiers behind Zuo Gongming were about to break through the door, but Zuo Gongming stretched out his hand to block him.
'Bang bang bang——'
The woman's knocking on the door became louder and louder, but there was still no response from inside.
Gradually, the woman also felt a little strange. Logically speaking, the man should have heard such a loud noise in the courtyard even if he was not deaf, but now the door has not been opened. There must be something abnormal!
Could it be that...he had known that officers and soldiers would come to his door, so he ran away? Thinking of this, the woman pushed the door hard, only to find that the door was locked from the inside.
The woman turned her head to look at Zuo Gongming with some guilt, with a hint of fear and a hint of help in her eyes.
Zuo Gongming noticed something strange, and he said to the officers and soldiers behind him: "Knock it away!"
"yes!"
The officer and soldier shouted very loudly because he finally waited for Lord Zuo's order and finally had a place to use himself. He rolled up his sleeves and ran to the door of the house, pulled the woman away, spat twice and stepped back. step, and finally sprinted towards the door.
There was just a "dong--" sound, and the door of the house was forced open. The officers and soldiers rushed too hard and had no time to stop. As soon as he rushed into the house, his head seemed to hit something. The woman also did not see clearly the scene inside the house at first. After the officers and soldiers broke in, she took a small step forward and looked inside the house carefully. When she saw the scene in the house clearly, she was shocked by everything in the house. She couldn't believe her eyes. When she reacted, she rushed forward with a cry of "Wow--" and burst into tears.
Zuo Gongming and other officers and soldiers noticed something strange and stepped forward. When they took a closer look, they saw a piece of white silk hanging from the beam. Under the white silk, a man was hanging in the air. It looked like he had been breathless for a long time.
Zuo Gongming reacted and quickly ordered the officers and soldiers to take the person down. The officers and soldiers pulled away the woman who was tightly hugging her husband's legs, and worked together to remove the body and lay it flat.
"Ms. Gong——Ms. Gong——"
The woman cried extremely miserably. Her cry attracted a child. When the child saw the scene in front of him, he said "Wow--" and then ran forward and knelt in front of the man's body. cried——
"Daddy - daddy -"
One child and one child were crying in agony. Their voices were extremely sharp. They came from the small courtyard and resounded throughout the street. People watching the excitement outside the house crowded in and waited for so many days to finally get some movement. Naturally, they couldn't let go of such an opportunity. The officers and soldiers held up sabers and spears to block the outside of the house, trying their best to stop the onlookers, fearing that they would rush into the yard if they didn't use any force.
After a general inspection of the body, an official quickly ran back to Zuo Gongming and said, "Sir, preliminary inspection shows that this person committed suicide."
