"It's really not necessary. Thank you General for your concern. I can handle it well."
"explain."
Originally, he wanted to say a few words to pave the way for his next words, but Xu Da suddenly trembled, and Zheng Xiong had no choice but to speak with a simple word, and said a little embarrassedly.
"I know that the general knows that I have met a woman I like in Yanmen and have made a lifelong promise. If I don't pay a betrothal gift immediately, the lack of money will make the general laugh."
"Oh, Zheng Tiling is not married yet?"
"Wei Zeng, my family is urging me. If I don't find a suitable one, I want to do it as soon as possible."
"I know some officials in Yanmen. Whose girl is this?"
"Not from an official family, but from an ordinary family, over there in Yingxian County."
The older Xu Da showed different enthusiasm for the private matter of Zheng Xiong's marriage. Perhaps the common discourse between men cannot avoid this.
"At what age do you want to be married as a legal wife?"
"About the same age as a lower official, in his twenties, he has three matchmakers and six appointments, and he is the official wife of the matchmaker."
"This general, I want to say, a girl from an ordinary family should be married as a concubine. At your age, you should marry someone who is well-matched and have someone to help you."
"By the way, aren't you in Yanmen? How did you meet the girl from Ying County?"
Um, this is hard to answer. You can’t just say that you skipped work and traveled to get acquainted with her!
After thinking about it, I decided to tell the truth. There were many people who knew the details. I was running my own affairs beautifully, so it shouldn’t be a big deal if I skipped work!
"Well, some time ago, when I had nothing to do, I went to Yingxian County to relax, and I happened to meet him. After going back and forth, this matter was settled."
"You are very courageous. Who gave you the right to wander around wherever you wanted during your tenure?"
After listening to Xu Da's slightly indifferent question, Zheng Xiong didn't know how to answer for a while. He was joking and laughing just now, and fell out of favor at every turn. For a while, he couldn't figure out Xu Da's original intention.
Should you punish the crime or punish yourself? The crime of dereliction of duty is still quite serious. It mainly depends on the person. Whoever handles it will always give different results.
"The lower official knows that he is guilty and asks the general to punish him."
When the matter is brought up, it means standing at attention and being beaten. There is no point in quibbling, but it makes people disgusted.
Xu Da looked at Zheng Xiong who was asking for forgiveness. He didn't say a word and just drank tea with a cup in hand. After a while, he spoke.
"There are three kinds of unfilial piety. The greatest is not having an heir. Please tell me first whether you met me before walking to Yingxian County or after you went to Yingxian County."
Simple options, but their meanings are completely different. Before, it was easy to say, and it was reasonable and excusable.
But it was different after that. Skipping work at work was a matter of attitude, so you need to bear responsibility for the possible consequences.
"after."
Zheng Xiong replied honestly, and he didn't bother to lie about this matter. One lie requires countless lies to make up for it, just like a matryoshka doll, very tiring.
Besides, if the army returns triumphantly, they won’t be able to kill themselves!
"Do you know how to punish dereliction of duty?"
"Punch the board."
"Other places can fool you, but not in my army. I won't let you off the hook."
"Tell me, has anyone told you about this and advised you."
"Zhang Titiao learned about this and warned him, but he has never been there since."
"It's not bad. I think you can handle the situation. You know your mistakes and can correct them. You can still save others. I think you made a great contribution to treating the wounded soldiers in Yanmen. I will punish you with ten sticks this time to serve as a warning. You can be convinced."
"This official deserves this punishment, please accept it."
Fortunately, it was just ten sticks. This thing shouldn't kill anyone. Zheng Xiong was a little lucky.
If you come to ancient times like the Ming Dynasty, you can experience the taste of a staff.
"Well, here comes someone."
"General."
"Take Zheng Ti down and give him ten sticks in the campus as a warning to others."
"yes."
When the soldier saw Zheng Xiong's ignorant and stupid eyes with a hint of curiosity, he felt a little strange in his heart.
After seeing Zheng Xiong's small body, he had to think carefully about how to fight.
After all, they were civil servants. The doctors led by Zheng Xiong treated many wounded soldiers. Xu Da was not sure what to do. If he was killed, it would be hard to explain, so he secretly returned to the camp and asked Xu Da for instructions.
"General, how can we fight? Let's go all out. With Zheng Ti's body and ten sticks, I'm afraid we can beat him to death."
"A small punishment but a big warning, just don't break the bones."
"yes."
After receiving Xu Da's exact order, the soldier felt confident and brought Zheng Xiong to the school grounds.
After waiting for a while, when some people gathered in the school grounds, the guard in charge of the prison announced Xu Da's order.
"According to the order of the general, Huimin Pharmacy has appointed Zheng Xiong. During his tenure, he neglected his duties. He is now responsible for ten sticks as a warning to others. I hope you will take this as a warning."
"Raise the staff."
The guard winked at the execution soldier, and the cooperative soldier immediately understood the meaning and pinned Zheng Xiong on the execution table.
Not taking off Zheng Xiong's pants left a trace of dignity for Zheng Xiong and also reduced some damage to Zheng Xiong.
The person involved didn't feel it, but felt it was a novel experience.
The executioner didn't feel anything. Anyway, he couldn't be beaten to death. At most, he would suffer some physical pain.
But the soldiers watching in the audience didn't know the details above. They looked at Zheng Xiong's small body and said immediately.
"Wait, is there any misunderstanding?"
"No, you also want to come up and have a hard time."
"I don't want to, but Zheng Tiling saved many of our brothers in Yanmen. In previous years, I don't know how many people would have died in the end. Even if he did, the credit is even greater. Are these ten sticks too much?"
"Don't even look at it. Is Zheng Tiling a man who can bear these ten sticks?"
Zheng Xiong was quite touched by the first few words, but it was the last words that made Zheng Xiong break his guard.
Can't you just talk nicely? What do you mean by your disdain? During this period of running exercise, I have developed a few muscles, but why can't I do it?
"Whether you can afford it or not, it's the general's order. If you have any questions, go to the general. I'm only responsible for completing the general's order."
"Wait a minute, let's go find the general and ask. Don't make a move yet."
After finishing speaking, without waiting for the prison guard to speak, he led a group of people to Xu Da's camp in a hurry, leaving an empty school ground behind.
The prison guard saw that there were only three or two big cats and kittens left, looked back at Zheng Xiong, and waved.
"Execution."
The confused Zheng Xiong was completely confused and said to the guard.
"Don't you wait?"
The guard rolled his eyes. He was afraid of beating you to death. It was understandable that his life was at stake, but he wasn't going to kill you. Why wait? Let's finish the fight early and call it a day.
"No wait, the general's order cannot be changed. The execution will be carried out."
The execution soldier on the side picked up the stick and pointed it at Zheng Xiong's butt.
(End of chapter)
