It is said that Cao Cao led a group of twelve heroes and traveled at dawn and overnight for more than one day. When they arrived in Dengzhou, it was already November 10th.
At this time, shortly after noon, Cao Cao and others were very hungry and thirsty. Seeing the city in sight, they all said happily: "Let's find a hotel first and have a big meal, and then it's not too late to go find Sun An and Song Jiang."
Before he finished speaking, he saw hundreds of men and women pouring out of a path in the diagonal thorn, thirty or twenty of them were businessmen, and the rest were all dressed up as villagers, and they were all men of varying lengths and shorts. The leader The four of them carried two steel forks with great enthusiasm, with heavy baggage tied to them.
Behind the two horses sat an old grandfather and a middle-aged rich man. Behind them were two poles, lifting the two naked men like pigs. In addition, there were many broken household items. Everyone asked people to move or carry them, and went to the city in a noisy way.
The two men who were being carried were so angry that their faces turned red and they kept shouting: "Mr. Mao, Mao Zhongyi, you and your son are so unkind and bully their neighbors for the sake of wealth. What kind of skills do you have? You rely on me, a big insect, and you submit to my brother as a thief. If I don't die this time, I swear I will never leave your family."
The middle-aged man was furious after hearing this and cursed: "You two bastards, don't you know that my brother-in-law is the sixth case of Kongmu in this state! Even the prefect of this state is a frequent visitor to my Mao family. You don't want to rest with me." ? I want to kill you two first."
He ordered: "Stop their mouths, and then ask me to listen to them fart, and you will be held accountable."
After hearing this, the villagers quickly took off their stockings and stuffed them into the mouths of the two men. The two struggled desperately, but were helplessly tied up tightly. Each received several heavy blows. In the end, their mouths were forcibly gagged, and they could only utter With a whimpering sound, Mao Taigong and his son looked at it and laughed.
Lin Chong and Hua Rong couldn't help but frown. When they were about to ask, Cao Cao secretly stopped him and said, "Don't interfere in a hurry. Follow them and wait and see what happens." .”
There were thirteen of them in his party, so unhurriedly, they hung behind Mao Taigong's team and watched them carry people into the city and arrived at the prefect's Yamen, leaving the villagers outside. The Mao family father and son, Since then, a group of people have entered.
When Cao Cao saw it, he greeted everyone to dismount, and waited at the gate of the state government office, asking Jiao Ting and Zhou Tong to buy some snacks to satisfy their hunger.
The officer heard, why is our old Cao waiting at the door?
It turns out that according to Song law, the county magistrate of Fanzhou must sit in court to write documents in person and is not allowed to leave the office at will. The construction of this government office is also very particular. It faces south and has two walls built diagonally along both sides of the gate. If the gate is open or closed, the two walls are like extensions of the door panels. This is the so-called "yamen opens to the south".
After entering the gate, there are the main hall, the second hall, and the third hall in order. All major ceremonies or major cases will be heard in the main hall. There is a fence outside the door, and ordinary people can listen to the trial outside the fence; the second hall handles household marriages, land, etc. Detailed private cases involve family privacy, so no one is allowed to attend; as for the three halls, they are where officials live and work, and the common people are not allowed to enter.
Like Mao Taigong and his son, they brought a crowd to capture someone, and the momentum was huge, so they must be tried in the lobby, so Lao Cao was outside the door and made a special trip to wait and watch.
Not long after, Jiao and Zhou brought back four large food boxes, containing various snacks, including pine nut cakes, bean cakes, lily honey porridge, etc., which are all local specialties of Dengzhou. Several people devoured them. When I came back, I was sipping honey porridge to moisten my throat when I saw the officials moved several fences to block the outside of the hall. Everyone knew that a case was about to be tried, but they saw the men of the Mao family village crowding forward and standing outside the fence. A weatherproof one.
Cao Cao laughed and said: "No wonder I brought many people here to isolate the public. This family is really good at planning."
After hearing this, everyone secretly scolded Mao for being cunning. Zhou Tong wanted to show off as a hero and yelled, "His grandma is so shameless!" He walked over and spread his arms. How could those villagers withstand his strength? Immediately he stumbled and was forced to get out of the way.
Seeing the angry looks of the villagers, Zhou Tong sneered and showed off his former strongman-like demeanor - raising his arms, pushing out his chest, twitching his eyes, and turning his mouth down, making a fierce look. As expected, wherever those big eyes stared, Zhuang Ding lowered his head.
Shocked by the young man, Zhou Tong turned his head, bent his legs, bent his waist, and arched his back, and instantly transformed into a streetwalker. He said with a flattering smile: "Brother, come quickly, you can only see clearly from here."
Cao Cao and the others all laughed and walked up, without even stretching out their arms or showing off their wrists. Just the momentum of the crowd made the villagers turn pale and couldn't help but retreat to avoid them.
Cao Cao stood at the front and looked up the hall. Under the plaque of "Mingjing Hanging High", the magistrate of Dengzhou was sitting high. On the shorter seat on the right, Liu'an Kongmu Wangzheng was sitting. On both sides of the hall, the government officials held their own weapons. Water and fire sticks stood there, and steel forks, packages, and tattered household items were placed on the ground.
Further down, on the left are Mao Taigong and his son, and on the right are the two men who were brought up, naked and tied up, with their mouths stuffed full of socks.
Cao Cao got closer this time and looked at everyone's faces carefully, and couldn't help but wonder: Huh? It turned out to be two of his brothers. It was strange. How did these two people get to this point?
Then the prefect yawned slowly, touched the gavel tree, and knocked weakly. The officials on both sides hit the ground with their sticks at the same time, and shouted: "Might... Wu..."
After the official shouted, the magistrate looked up at the roof and asked casually: "Who is here, and what is the complaint?"
Taigong Mao cheered up, stepped forward, gave a deep salute, and said with a flattering smile: "Return to your lord: The younger one is Zheng Mao Shan from Mao's village outside the city. Next to him is Mao Zhongyi, the dog. They are all subjects of your rule. Today I will complain in court. , the complaint was made by two local strongmen, Xie Zhen and Xie Bao, who broke into my house for no reason and wanted to rely on the big bugs shot by my house. They also took advantage of the situation to rob my house of property and broke some items in the house. Fortunately, the officials sent the gentlemen to inspect the countryside and caught them. These two thieves were escorted to question him about his charges."
His son Mao Zhongyi also helped: "Sir, big bugs have been hurting people frequently recently. Hunters and Li Zheng in each village have been issued tiger hunting certificates. Dozens of men in my village have worked hard for many days to shoot a big bug." , Unexpectedly, after hearing the news, these two strong thieves came to the door, demanding for it, and taking the opportunity to rob the house. His two nicknames are "two-headed snake" and "two-tailed scorpion", which are the most vicious. Sir, please see, that The two steel forks were his murder weapons, and everything in those houses was smashed to pieces by him. There was two hundred silver in the package, which he robbed."
The prefect looked listless until he heard the word "silver", and then he perked up and went to see the Kongmu Wang Zheng: "Is there only two hundred taels of stolen goods?"
Wang Zheng smiled and said: "I heard something wrong. I clearly heard it was four hundred taels."
Mao Zhongyi said quickly: "Four hundred taels, exactly four hundred taels."
The magistrate bared his teeth and smiled, straightened up, slapped the gavel tree hard, pointed at Jie Zhen and Jie Bao angrily, and shouted: "In broad daylight, homes and houses are being robbed. If the officials hadn't arrived early, wouldn't you be planning to kill people? Unexpectedly, The people in Dengzhou are enjoying their work and the world is at peace, yet you are the two thieves! Now both people have stolen the goods, what do you say?"
Xie Zhen and Xie Bao were filled with anger when they heard them confusing right and wrong. They roared desperately, their faces and chests turned red.
The prefect made a gesture of listening: "Huh? Oh? Really? That's it! You two have also admitted to the crime of 'a gangster, each holding a steel fork, thus robbing property', then it will be simple."
He nodded towards King Kong Mu and said: "Well, since they are all willing to admit it, they can be considered a good man and do a good job. After all, he will be a good man again after eighteen years! You wrote a confession and asked him to sign it, and take two sides of twenty-five pounds." Put him on death row and put him in the prison first, ready to be executed."
When Wang Zheng heard what Shangguan was saying, he wrote a confession without adding any details, and asked the official to take it. He asked for the explanation of the treasure and the explanation of the treasure. He clenched his fist tightly and refused to let go. Several officials were sweating profusely and could not pull his hand away. Wang Zheng said coldly: "Why go to all this trouble? How can we not beat the bones of such a thief? He will be beaten to death. Of course I'm willing to make a pledge."
When several officials heard this, they raised their water and fire sticks and were about to hit them, but they heard two voices ringing at the same time: "Wait a minute!"
One of the calls was naturally from Lao Cao, but the prefect and Liu An Kong Mu had no time to pay attention to him at the moment, because the other "wait a minute" came from the back hall.
The two turned around quickly, only to see a short official with a dark face walking from the back hall to the front of the hall. He said unhappily: "Brother Zhou, it's too sloppy to decide the case like this. How can the two defendants not let go?" Did he say something?"
When Prefect Zhou heard this, his expression also darkened, and he said anxiously: "Brother Song, you are the chief of the Military and Horse Division, and you are in charge of military affairs. Do I need you to teach me when I am deciding a case? Your hands are too strong. How long is it?”
Cao Cao calmed down some of his restless brothers and was not in a hurry to speak. He had corresponded with Li Jun before. It was said that Song Jiang's reputation spread throughout Dengzhou, and his face was sold in the official circles. He could make the final decision on all matters in the state than the prefect. However, looking at the situation at this moment, something is not quite right.
Song Jiang didn't look at the door at all, nor did he notice Cao Cao and others. When faced with the prefect's criticism, he was neither humble nor arrogant. He pointed at the top of Prefect Zhou's head and said loudly: "Although civil and military professions are different, they all work for the country and the people." Making the decision, on this road, we can reach the same goal through different paths. Although I dare not stretch my hand, Brother Zhou should not be too courageous. Don't forget the words 'a mirror hangs high above your head'!"
Magistrate Zhou was furious when he heard this. He clapped the gavel and jumped up and shouted: "Song Jiang! Zhou has tolerated you for more than half a year. Do you really think that Zhou is afraid of you? What Zhou is afraid of is Gao Qiuye behind you." ! Now that Gao Qiu is dead and the big trees have fallen, you still dare to be arrogant like a hozen. Aren't you afraid that I will write a letter to Lieutenant Liang and take away your clothes?"
Cao Cao immediately understood in his heart that because Gao Qiu died, the Fuzhou brothers lost their backing, so Prefect Zhou emboldened himself. It sounded quite coincidental that Liang Shicheng, who succeeded the Taiwei, should be his backing.
Seized the title?
These words touched Song Jiang Ni's skin, and Song Jiang suddenly turned down his face and said angrily: "It's all treacherous villains like you who have ruined this country. If you want to take away my title, I'll peel off your face first!" "
As he spoke, he jumped up, rushed to Xie Zhen and Xie Bao, bent down, pulled out the obstruction in their mouths, and said loudly: "Brothers, don't be afraid. I, Song Jiang, am here today and I must make decisions for the people. You Just tell me the truth!"
Xie Zhen and Xie Bao were two people whom Lao Cao had already registered with Song Jiang and told him to win over. Over the past year, Song Jiang had a lot of contacts with them, and they both admired Song Jiang's loyalty very much. Now, Seeing Song Jiang openly confronting the state officials for his own sake, he couldn't help but burst into tears.
Xie Zhen shouted: "My brother knows how he behaves. Have we ever bullied others? That tiger was actually shot by my brother after lying in wait on the mountain for three days. It rolled down the slope. We went to Mao's backyard to beg for it, but he deliberately delayed and let us have tea and rice before taking him to the backyard. Although the big insect was gone, the flattened grass on the mountain was still stained with spots. How could the bloodstains be faked? He also verbally abused me, saying that my brother had robbed him during the day. We were so angry that we broke the tables and chairs in his foyer, so why did we rob him of a penny?"
Jie Bao said: "My brother and I were about to report to the official, but his son came with many officials, saying that his father must have been deceived by his servants, and he deceived me and my brother with thousands of words. He went back to his house, and suddenly shouted, "Let's do it. Dozens of people swarmed us, and my brother and I were caught off guard by him, and he took off our clothes and escorted us here."
After hearing this, Song Jiang sneered repeatedly, looked at Magistrate Zhou and said, "How?"
Magistrate Zhou rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "What do thieves say? Song Fuzhou, what do you ask me? These two thieves call you brother, but so what? No wonder they are so bold that they dare to commit crimes in their hometown. It turns out that behind the scenes With you as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Horses, I have a great backer! You call yourself thieves, how can you fool me? Come on, catch me this madman who is causing trouble in court and shielding strong men!"
Song Jiang's heart trembled, and he secretly cried out: I'm too much! I heard a report from some idlers about the arrest of my brother, so I hurried over, but I didn't expect that this guy had openly turned against me, and he didn't bring anyone with him, so I was going to suffer a huge loss!
He shouted loudly: "Who dares to come forward!" He pulled out the clothes-pressing knife from his belt, and with two swipes, he cut off the rope of Jie Zhen Jie Bao, thinking that these two are very capable, and they should be able to protect me!
However, when I looked at it again, I saw that the hands and feet of the two brothers were numb, and it was difficult to struggle to get up. However, they had been tied up for too long. For a moment, the blood flow was difficult to connect. Then he was frightened. He raised his short knife horizontally, blocked it in front of them, and shouted: "Common people, I am Song Fuzhou. Go to the military camp and ask someone to rescue me."
He thought to himself that in the past year, he had made many friends and made money easily, and there must be people who were willing to help him. He only had to support him for a while, and when Kong Ming and others came to kill him, he would have no worries, so he slowly got to know this dog official.
Suddenly I heard a calm voice outside the door shouting: "Master Song is strong-willed and strong-willed. He does not hesitate to offend the magistrate for the sake of justice. Such a good official, we and the people will definitely help him!"
Song Jiang was overjoyed and thought to himself that I am indeed highly respected among the people. He suddenly felt that the voice sounded familiar. When he turned around, he saw that it was Cao Cao who was looking at him with a smile. The faces next to him were even more familiar. He suddenly felt reassured and started laughing wildly.
Magistrate Zhou was so panicked by his laughter that he smashed the gavel tree: "What are you waiting for? Go and catch this person!"
I heard a handsome man outside the door shouting: "Let's see who dares to touch my brother!" He kicked the fence into pieces, took off his spear from behind, and strode to block Song Jiang. Song Jiang felt extremely happy, and then She hugged the man from behind and said with a smile: "Brother Hua Rong, you want to harm your brother!"
Lin Chong came in with a spear in hand and said with a smile: "Unexpectedly, Brother Song Jiang is indeed a good official!"
The three Ruans each drew their steel swords and burst into laughter: "All the officials in the world are like brothers, but they are not in the world of Gongming?"
Xu Guanzhong, Luan Tingyu, Shi Wengong, etc. all also gave up: "A good official scolds a bad official. We have only seen this kind of scene in dramas. Brother, it is an eye-opener for us."
Cao Cao walked over slowly, patted Song Jiang on the shoulder and said, "Brother, Brother Yu has never misjudged anyone. Just because you told that guy not to forget the four words Ming Jing Gao Hang, you are worthy of your official status!"
When Song Jiang was patted by him, he felt that his bones were a few taels lighter. Suddenly, his eyes became hot, and he felt a surge of pride in his chest. He nodded heavily, strode forward, kicked over the prefect's desk, and shouted angrily: " You are such a bad official, Mr. Song will take off your official robe today, which will cause great harm to Dengzhou."
Magistrate Zhou saw Hua Rong, Lin Chong and others being so impressive that his legs were weak from fear, and he forced himself to say: "You are a warrior, you dare to say such things, are you going to rebel?"
But I heard Cao Cao say calmly: "It was the Mao family and his son who rebelled. These two framed Jie Zhen Jie Bao, and were discovered by Mr. Zhou in court. In anger, they actually killed the officials. Haha, thanks to General Song's rescue, he killed them in time." I will kill his father and son to avenge you, my lord."
When the Mao family father and son saw him confusing right and wrong, their livers and gallbladders were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground with fright, and their feces and urine suddenly flowed out.
This is exactly what is said: Confusing black and white with empty words, this Tao is also applied to other bodies. Evil people want to be punished by evil people, and Lao Cao punished traitorous officials based on his words.
(End of chapter)
