"Oh!" The middle-aged man nodded. He knew that there was a dyeing shop under Baofuji Cloth Store. It was not too big. It specialized in dyeing the white gray cloth purchased from the weavers in the countryside and then sold it to some people in the city. It is used by poor people and wealthy families to make clothes. This kind of cloth usually only uses the cheapest black and gray dyes, so the purchase amount is not small each time, but the transaction volume is not large. So the shopkeeper of the dye shop simply handed over this scattered business to his daughter to take care of it, and he never took care of it himself.
After seeing off her family, Wan'er didn't dare to delay for a moment. She quickly took off her gorgeous fox fur cloak, then put on a black coat of coarse cloth, and wrapped a thick silk scarf around her head to cover her entire body. His face only showed a pair of dark eyes, trying his best not to let the acquaintances he met on the road recognize him.
After tidying up, Wan'er picked up a small floral cloth bag. She looked exactly like a village girl who came to the city from the countryside to visit relatives. Then she locked the door of the dye shop, quietly merged into the pedestrians on the road, lowered her head and walked forward quickly. After walking a long way, Wan'er didn't encounter any raids at the dye store. Wan'er secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After thinking about it for a moment, she was about to change her route to the direction of Baofu Ji Clothing Village when she suddenly heard two passers-by say: "Brother. , do you think the new Lord Tongpan in the government office really understands bird language?"
The eldest brother said casually: "Who knows this? Will it be clear if we go and see it?"
Watching the backs of the two passers-by gradually disappearing, Wan'er couldn't help but thought, "Yes, I just heard the news from the duck restaurant clerk that the two businessmen had arrested grandpa and several of his old friends for rebellion." I don’t know anything about the process, so why not go to the government office to find out what’s going on, and then go back to Bao Fuji Cloth Shop to find Shopkeeper Bao to explain the cause and effect clearly!”
Wan'er made up her mind and immediately turned around and rushed to the Xinjing government office.
Seeing the huge crowd inside and outside the court, and people from outside joining in, Ye Duzheng clearly felt that something was wrong. In the past, when Jia Gui was raised in court, not even 10% of the people who came to watch the excitement were present. Today, the new sentence is the first. Once in the hall, so many people suddenly appeared out of nowhere! Then he found a lot of people watching the excitement, staring here, whispering to each other, and even pointing at the main hall with their fingers.
Ye Duzheng couldn't help but glance at Chen Xiaomu sitting in the main hall with his eyes. This glance made him dumbfounded. It turned out that the judge had fallen asleep leaning on the official hat chair at some point, wearing a hat on his head. His futou and black gauze hat slipped onto his eyes, and he was completely unconscious.
This made Ye Duzheng extremely embarrassed. He wanted to wake him up, but he was also afraid that he would reprimand him in front of everyone. If he was allowed to sleep soundly in the court, the news would spread to the higher authorities. Even if he is investigated in the future, he will not be able to escape his involvement!
Just when Ye Duzheng was in a dilemma, the grievance drum rang at the door of the court hall, bang, bang, deafening. Chen Xiaomu was startled by the sudden sound while he was sleeping soundly. He stood up from the official hat chair and said in surprise: "What? sound?"
Everyone who was watching the excitement in the court couldn't help laughing when they heard this. Ye Duzheng had no choice but to smile and said: "Master Chen, someone came to the government office to play drums and complain about injustice!"
"Oh!" Chen Xiaomu blinked, quickly straightened the futou hat on his head, and adjusted his official robe, and then shouted to the yamen below: "Send the person who complained to the court!"
After hearing this, several government servants immediately waved their water and fire sticks to drive away the crowd gathered at the door to watch the excitement, and shouted loudly: "Get out of the way, get out of the way, don't block the way, Lord Tongjian, call the drummer to come in!"
The crowds crowded at the door to watch the excitement suddenly rushed to both sides, and soon a path appeared in the middle. At this time, a handsome middle-aged fat man wearing a square squire hat and a blue robe was walking. Fang Bu slowly walked into the court along the road. Behind him was a servant wearing a black servant's uniform, a servant's hat, and carrying a heavy linen bag on his shoulder. Looking back, he saw another servant wearing the same servant's uniform. , dragging a shabby but very handsome woman in his hand, following closely behind!
Someone in the crowd who knew the middle-aged squire immediately turned around and whispered to the people around him: "Who is Huang Qide going to sue this time?"
The people around him pouted at the woman held by the servant, and said disdainfully: "This Huang Quede is not a wasted reputation. He probably wanted to take advantage of Widow Yao, so he came up with some evil idea and sued her. Go to court!"
While he was talking, Huang Qide had already walked to the middle of the court. He did not kneel down and kowtow, but bowed to Chen Xiaomu and said, "Master Tongpan, the student Huang Qide and his servants jointly captured a female grain thief and specially escorted her here." Let the government deal with it!"
As soon as Huang Qide finished speaking, the woman behind heard it and hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed and cried out: "Master! The people's daughter did not steal the food from Master Huang's family. I beg the official to make the decision for the people's daughter!"
"Oh! You didn't steal anyone's food, why did he sue you?" Chen Xiaomu asked.
"This..." The woman's face turned red instantly, her lips trembled slightly, but she could not speak, as if she had something to hide.
Chen Xiaomu took a closer look at the woman in front of him and saw that her body was thin and frail, and she was kneeling on the ground shivering. He pondered for a moment, then turned to ask Huang Qide: "When did she steal your food, and how much food did she steal? Are there any witnesses and stolen goods?"
Huang Qide bent down and cupped his hands: "Your Majesty, I have evidence of the stolen goods!" After saying that, he stepped aside and the servant behind him immediately stepped forward and placed the linen bag he was carrying on his back in the courtroom, and then knelt down and kowtowed. Said: "The villain Wang Chuang goes to see the great master Qingtian and asks the great master Qingtian to make decisions for the people!"
"What's wrong with you?" Chen Xiaomu asked curiously.
Wang Chuang pointed at the woman behind him with a grimace and said: "Master Qingtian, this thief woman is the cook in the mansion. She was on duty at the mansion last night. When she came to the room to deliver food, she didn't know where she came from. I got a pot of wine and said that it was specially reserved for the villain to drink, which made the villain feel happy at the time. But who knows, after the villain drank the pot of wine, he fell asleep in the check-in room until I was woken up this morning and said that a large bag of grain was stolen from the warehouse in the mansion during the night!"
Hearing this, Chen Xiaomu couldn't help but wonder: "Are you saying that this woman deliberately designed this just to steal a bag of grain?"
Before Wang Chuang, the servant, could answer, Huang Qide took over the conversation and said: "Master Tongjian, I can testify to this. This Yao Sanniang was introduced by someone three days ago and came to our kitchen to help cook. Unexpectedly, she just came here." She came to me the next day and asked me to lend her some grain to help her family make ends meet. At that time, because she had only been in our house for a short period of time, Wansheng did not agree to be on the safe side."
After listening to Huang Qide's narration, Chen Xiaomu couldn't help but cursed in his heart that this person didn't even have any humanity at all. This weak woman could be forced to borrow food, which meant that there was no food left in the family. In this cold season, no matter how hungry she is, With my belly full, it’s hard to think about this day.
Looking at the linen bag that Wang Chuang put as evidence in the court, Chen Xiaomu was moved and asked Huang Qide, "Executive officer Huang, are you and Yao Sanniang's family neighbors?"
Huang Qide said with disdain: "Master Tongpan, although I am not talented when I am born late, I will not live in a slum in the north of the city. How can I be neighbors with her family?"
''Well, that was an oversight on my part. Chen Xiaomu said with a smile: "It seems that Huang's family lives in a place where rich people live in the city!" "
Huang Qide said proudly: "My lord, Wansheng opened a bank called Yongchang Bank on Jinshui Street in the city. It is more than ten miles away from the slums in the north of the city!"
Chen Xiaomu nodded and turned to ask Yao Sanniang: "Huang Yuanwai accused you of stealing his family's food. Now that there are both witnesses and physical evidence, what else do you have to say?"
Yao Sanniang had never seen much of the world. At this time, she was completely frightened. She just kept kowtowing to Chen Xiaomu, but could not say a single word. Chen Xiaomu felt a little impatient and wanted to excuse Yao Sanniang, but Yao Sanniang just kowtowed and couldn't even say a word to defend herself. Isn’t this urgent? "
In desperation, Chen Xiaomu had no choice but to slow down his tone and comfort her with a pleasant expression: "Yao Sanniang, don't be afraid. If you have anything to say, just tell the truth. In the court, I will make the decision for you."
Yao Sanniang seemed not to have heard and was still kowtowing. Chen Xiaomu sighed and said, "Yao Sanniang, you have to listen carefully to my question. Who else is at home in your family now, and where is your husband?"
Yao Sanniang paused after hearing this, raised her head and was about to reply. At this time, Huang Qide rushed to the side and said to Chen Xiaomu: "Oh, Lord Tongpan, Yao Sanniang's life is quite miserable. Her short-lived husband was recruited by the imperial court to fight in the army a few months ago. I heard that he died in the battle. Over there in Cicada City, a child under three years old was left with a blind old woman to feed! I also heard about this from the middleman, so I took her in because I thought she was pitiful. Who would have thought that something like this would happen? It seems like this Good people can't do anything good!" Huang Qide shook his head as he said this, with a look of regret on his face.
After listening to Huang Qide's narration, Chen Xiaomu immediately stood up from the official chair, walked around the case table in front of him, came to Yao Sanniang, bent down, pulled her up from the ground with both hands, and told the yamen standing behind him: "You guys go quickly. Come over here with a cushioned chair. Neglecting to take care of the families of these martyrs who fought for the country is a serious dereliction of duty by our government! Later, all officials of high rank in the new capital government office will have to spend at least 500 yuan each. Come with the money and give it to Yao Sanniang to take home and support your family!"
Chen Xiaomu's operation not only flattered Yao Sanniang, but also made her think that she was living in a dream. Even the melon-eaters who crowded at the door to watch the excitement were deceived. You must know that this military household has always been the same as a happy household, a beggar household, a companion, and a servant. They are those who have no tiles on their heads and no ground under their feet. Untouchables, forced to make a living, join the army and exchange their lives for money to support their families. Therefore, as long as the family is a military household, they are embarrassed to go out and meet people!
But now when the newly-appointed Lord Tongpan comes, he will lift military households to the sky. Not only will they be allowed to sit on cushioned chairs, but he will also announce in front of the audience that from now on, all family members will be killed in the army. , or if there are family members of soldiers who are serving in the military, and they go to court to litigate a lawsuit, no matter they are the plaintiff or the defendant, they do not have to kneel before the trial officer, and they are not allowed to use punishment at will!
As soon as Chen Xiaomu said these words, the people watching the excitement below suddenly started to rush in and out like a pot. Some were unconvinced and jealous, and some were happy and grateful. The ones who were hit hardest were actually those who had achieved fame and did not kneel before officials. They are the type of scholar who did not expect that they had worked hard for ten years to gain a superior status. Now they are worse than a lowly military household. You can imagine the resentment in their hearts!
Su Xingran and others who were mixed in the crowd below for a private visit were immediately dumbfounded. Even Zhuge Chengdu, the Taiwei who was in charge of military matters, complained softly: "This is simply a blatant transgression. How dare he, a small sixth-grade local official, dare to Is there any royal law for going beyond the imperial court without authorization and promulgating such a big thing?"
Su Xingran's face was as dark as water at this time, and his chest was heaving violently. It was obvious that he was burning with anger. Upon seeing this, Wei Wen quickly came out to put out the fire, patted Zhuge Cheng on the shoulder, smiled at him and whispered to him: "Master Zhuge, can you have some city government?" ? Don’t forget that we are conducting a private visit incognito. If you make such a noise, if your identity is exposed, there will definitely be trouble! "
Zhuge Cheng thought about it. He encouraged the emperor to come to the new capital office today mainly to clear his new wife's uncle and aunt of the crime. He couldn't be too quick and ruin his own affairs.
Huang Qide, who was standing in the court at the moment, looked at Yao Sanniang, who was shivering and sitting on a cushioned chair, and his lungs almost exploded with anger. Originally, he was a scholar and did not have to kneel when he came to the court to meet officials, but now everyone has The lowly soldier who looked down on him actually took advantage of him. The huge gap in his heart made him unbearable!
Therefore, Huang Qide angrily asked Chen Xiaomu: "Master Tongpan, I didn't expect that after ten years of hard study, I got the honor and fame, and now I am not as good as a lowly military household. Could it be that Master Tongpan is not a scholar, but a scholar?" I also climbed up from these lowly positions, so I feel sympathy for them!"
