When everyone came to the county government office, Magistrate Hu behaved himself and tried the day's cases under everyone's supervision.
Especially A Niu, whom the ancient sage was very concerned about, knelt down in chains in front of the hall.
A Niu is tall, chubby and somewhat honest.
"Sir, this villain is wronged." A Niu shouted loudly.
"Where does the injustice come from? This county magistrate makes the decision for you." Magistrate Hu said with awe-inspiring righteousness.
A Niu said clearly word for word: "The villain was originally a clerk at Cao Yuanwai's silk and satin shop. Yuanwai Cao and his wife looked very similar to each other and lived in different beds, so he made a promise to the villain. As long as he admits that I killed his wife, he will He knew how to spend money to keep me alive. He said that when I came out, he would give money to the villain so that he could support his old mother, marry a wife and have children. The villain was so confused when he saw the money that he agreed. Who would have expected that Yuan Cao would burn the bridge outside the river and wait for me to admit it? He just ignored me and wanted to kill me with the help of Magistrate Hu. I was wronged!"
Magistrate Hu looked at Lu Shouwen and Gu Shengchao: "My lords, it is clear that I have nothing to do with this matter. It was all Cao Yuanwai who concealed the truth and deceived us."
Gu Shengchao was noncommittal, Cao Yuanwai was dead, and the intrigue between him and Magistrate Hu was a thing of the past, as long as he could clear A Niu's name.
"We are new here. Master Hu can just handle the case impartially." Lu Shouwen motioned to Magistrate Hu to continue.
Magistrate Hu looked at A Niu below: "You deceived the superiors and deceived the inferiors. You can avoid the death penalty and cannot escape the punishment of life. I should have given you a hundred big slaps as a warning. I think you are doing this for the sake of my mother and this is your first offender. I will let you go today." You, go home and take good care of your old mother!"
Aniu thanked him profusely, lifted his shackles and left the hall.
There were not many cases today, most of them were trivial matters between neighbors. Magistrate Hu was impartial and handled them reasonably.
After finishing the official business, Magistrate Hu held a banquet in honor of everyone.
The meal was just an ordinary family banquet. Magistrate Hu raised his glass and said with embarrassment: "This is a small county in a poor and remote area with not abundant products. We can only prepare a small amount of wine to entertain the adults. Please forgive me."
Lu Shouwen disagreed and said with some approval: "Since Mr. Hu is the local official, he should be considerate of the hardships of the people and not be extravagant and wasteful. This is good."
"Thank you for your tolerance, sir." Magistrate Hu was frightened, and a secret joy flashed across his face.
After the wine was almost drunk, the banquet dispersed. Magistrate Hu accompanied the envoys and deputy envoys to drink tea for a while, chat about some official matters, and then arranged for a bearer to take everyone back to the inn.
Back at the inn, Lu Shouwen patted Gu Shengchao on the shoulder: "What I saw today is that Magistrate Hu also has clear rewards and punishments. He doesn't look like someone who bends the law for personal gain. The banquet was simple, and he didn't give us any money to curry favor. It seems to Brother Shengchao It’s too much to worry about.”
"I hope so." Gu Shengchao always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't find anything wrong.
At this moment, Tan Ma reported back that the road that had been washed away a few days ago had been repaired and was passable.
Looking at the sunny weather, Lu Shouwen said happily: "We have been delayed for many days. If we notify you, the team will set off tomorrow."
The team had been away from their hometown for many days, and they were very happy to see that they were getting closer and closer to the capital, and that reunion with their families was just around the corner.
Gu Shengchao was concerned about A Niu's family, so he asked Dong E and Wan Yanxi to visit them together.
A Niu's mother and Dong E were on good terms with each other, but Gu Shengchao went there alone for fear that the atmosphere would be awkward and they would not be able to talk together.
After buying some fruits and snacks on the way, Dong E knocked on A Niu's door.
"It's you, come in quickly." A Niu's mother was also happy to see Dong E and held her hand.
The house was still deserted, there was no boiling water, and the dry firewood next to the stove was bought by them yesterday and was not used.
"Where's A Niu? He's gone out?" Gu Shengchao complained in his heart that A Niu didn't help his mother when he came back.
"What?" A Niu's mother didn't seem to understand. "A Niu is still in prison. Do you think there is a way to rescue him?"
Gu Shengchao was confused: "A Niu was let out in the morning, didn't he go home?"
"Impossible." A Niu's mother said resolutely: "A Niu is the most filial person. He never runs around. You must have recognized the wrong person."
strangeness.
Gu Shengchao recalled what happened in the morning to make sure he remembered correctly.
"Auntie, I was at the county government office this morning. The county magistrate personally herded Aniu. He's so big that he won't miss it."
A Niu's mother was relieved: "That means you have really remembered wrongly. A Niu is only a little taller than me. Our family was poor and could not afford to eat, so the child became too thin due to hunger."
I see.
Gu Shengchao finally knew what he was worried about. It was Magistrate Hu who had deceived them. The real A Niu was still in prison, and the one in the morning was fake.
"Ma'am, let's rest for now. We'll go to the county government office to find out more information."
After bidding farewell to A Niu's mother, Gu Shengchao and Dong E explained the situation and planned to go to the county government alone to settle accounts with Magistrate Hu.
"No, Sister Wanyan and I will go with you. I have learned my skills now and won't fill you in with trouble." Dong E volunteered to go together.
After thinking for a moment, Gu Shengchao warned: "You can accompany me, but you two cannot leave. You must go together."
Wanyan Xi's martial arts skills are not bad, Dong E can be her eyes, and the two of them complement each other perfectly.
Dong E nodded in agreement: "No problem, I'll just be with Sister Wanyan."
The county town is not big, so the three of them walked for a short time to the outside of the county government office. Dong E held Wanyan Xi's hand all the time, for fear that the other party would be blind and not find her after they separated.
"What are you doing? Outsiders are not allowed to enter the important place of the Yamen." The Yamen servant on duty had a arrogant attitude and pulled out his sword and stepped forward to stop him.
Gu Shengchao didn't say much. He kicked him aside and the three of them rushed in.
How can ordinary government officials be a match for three people? A few people can't stop them at all.
However, after searching the entire county government office, Magistrate Hu could not be found.
"Tell me, where did Magistrate Hu go?" Gu Shengchao asked one person.
The man hesitated and hesitated, as if he was worried.
The ancient sage relied on his luck, and a stream of true energy flowed into the person's meridians. The meridians went retrograde, making the person suffer unbearable pain and life was worse than death.
"I said, I said."
The man couldn't bear it and had to call him truthfully: "Magistrate Hu should be at Xiaoyaoyi in the north of the city. He is usually there."
"Take us there." Gu Shengchao let him go.
There was a stable at the county government office, and the four of them each rode a fast horse and went straight there.
It only took a cup of tea. Looking from a distance, I saw a deep house compound with the three characters "Xiaoyaoyi" written on the plaque at the door.
There was a faint, melodious and ethereal singing voice of Sizhu coming from inside.
"My lord, please atone for your sins. The county magistrate will definitely cause trouble for me if you leave. That Xiaoyao Post was originally an inn, but the county magistrate occupied it and converted it into his own private residence. I have brought the place to you. Sir, please let me go."
Gu Shengchao understood the Yamen servant's difficulties and waved him away.
"Brother Gu, what should we do?" Dong E asked.
Gu Shengchao said disdainfully: "I don't believe that a small county town can hide dragons and crouching tigers. You two will follow me together in a while. Don't leave and act alone."
"Understood." Dong E immediately took Wanyan Xi's hand and stood behind him.
Gu Shengchao used his "Nine Heavens Blue Falling Palm", smashed the door with one palm, and broke in first.
Qiu Mandrill in the Four Kings Valley has taught him his lifelong skills. After this period of hard training, he has become much better.
Hearing the noise, Xiaoyaoyi's guards and thugs swarmed out and surrounded them due to the large number of people.
Gu Shengchao just used his fists and kicks, and those people were beaten until their noses were bruised and their faces were swollen, and they fell to the ground wailing.
"Humph, a bunch of losers." He was about to continue rushing in.
A person flashed out from behind the Moon Gate nearby and snorted: "Huh, what a bunch of trash."
The man didn't take any steps at all, and he stopped Gu Shengchao in a flash.
"Stay and pass my test first."
The man's voice was a bit shrill, like a eunuch in the palace.
Gu Shengchao looked carefully and recognized that this person was Jia Quan whom the mission met in a coal mine on their way to Beihu. Just because the mine supervisor recognized him, he left without saying goodbye, with no intention of meeting him here.
"Farewell to the coal mine, Mr. Jia is here well." Gu Shengchao bowed his hands and saluted.
Jia Quan was stunned for a moment, then he lowered his face and said: "Eunuch Jia has been dead for a long time, and now only Jia Quan is a useless person. Since we know each other, please ask the strong men to return the same way, and just pretend that nothing happened today."
"What if I don't leave?" Gu Shengchao said with a smile.
Jia Quan clenched his fists, his joints cracking: "Then don't blame Mr. Jia for being ruthless, just wish yourself well!"
Gu Shengchao was puzzled: "What benefits did County Magistrate Hu give you to make you work for him wholeheartedly?"
With a wry smile, Jia Quan shook his head and said, "What benefits did you gain from this? Why did you come here to die regardless of your own life?"
The ancient sage Chaoyi said righteously: "For the sake of the country's justice and the demands of the people, I cannot allow people like Magistrate Hu to do evil and satisfy their own selfish desires without caring about the lives and lives of the people."
With a burst of disdainful laughter, Jia Quan seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world: "The emperor is the most respected person in the world. Is it the king's land in the world? Is it the king's ministers who are on the shore of the land? But what I saw in the palace was all intrigues. , rape and robbery. No one can tell who is right. Here, Magistrate Hu treats me with special respect and respect as a guest. I am no longer a useless person, so I will naturally go through fire and water for him. Am I wrong too? "
Gu Shengchao thought of the absurd things the old eunuch Wen Zhe did in the palace, and was deeply moved. He was speechless in response to Jia Quan's rebuttal.
He was deep in thought when a strong wind hit his ears. When he looked up, he saw Jia Quan's huge fists waving, like a pair of big hammers hitting him.
Jia Quan was caught off guard and took the lead in launching an offensive. Gu Shengchao had no choice but to dodge sideways and use the "Nine Heavens Blue Falling Palm" to fight with him.
For safety reasons, no one is allowed to carry sharp weapons in the palace, so their kung fu focuses on fists and feet.
The two of them were going back and forth, and it was hard to tell the winner for a while.
Jia Quan's pair of fists were powerful and heavy, and each blow was extremely powerful.
The ancient sage's "Nine Heavens Blue Falling Palm" palm technique is exquisite. You don't have to confront him head-on. You can easily resolve it with one or two amounts of gold, and it can last a long time in terms of physical and internal strength.
Seeing that the situation was becoming more and more unfavorable to him, Jia Quan couldn't help but become anxious. He jumped up high with a loud shout, and his whole body was like a hill heading towards the ancient saint to overpressure.
