"At Fantai, everyone is almost here."
After the chief of Zhengjia Village and several clan elders were brought, the chief secretary bent down and whispered in Hong Chengchou's ear.
"Let's get started!" Hong Chengchou said as he sat on his seat.
The chief clerk nodded and walked to the edge of the wooden platform alone.
Looking around at the villagers under the wooden platform, he coughed, opened his arms and made a downward movement, and said loudly: "Quiet, everyone, be quiet."
The noisy discussions among the villagers below the wooden platform gradually became quieter.
Faced with officials, the villagers were naturally afraid, especially when there were many tiger-shaped flag soldiers holding weapons around. The timid villagers had been trembling with fear even after they came to Mutai.
As the surroundings became quiet, the chief clerk asked again: "Zheng Chuan, Zheng Quanyou, Zheng Quanliu, Zheng Zhengang, are you here?"
"Xiao Lao is here."
"Xiaomin is here."
The eldest son of Zhengjia Village, the clan leader and several clan elders stood up.
The chief clerk glanced at them and said, "Are you four the clan leaders and clan elders of Zhengjia Village?"
"It's the little old man."
"It's Xiaomin."
Several people chatted honestly. The one who called himself Xiaolao was the eldest son of Zhengjia Village, and the remaining three all called themselves Xiaomin.
In the past, they could dominate in front of the villagers of Zhengjia Village, but in front of officials, even in front of the officials in the yamen, they did not dare to be arrogant.
To put it bluntly, they can only show off their power and do whatever they want in Zhengjia Village. No one will take them seriously outside Zhengjia Village.
"Do you know the crime?" The chief secretary looked at the Zhengjia Village clan chiefs and several others under the wooden platform and asked sharply.
"The little old man is wronged!" The elder hurriedly cried out for himself.
The faces of the Zhengjia Village patriarch, the third master and the fifth master showed panic.
"Do you know the crime?" the chief clerk asked again, and his eyes were mainly on the patriarch, the third master and the fifth master.
The head of the Zheng family knew that he could not escape, so he stood under the wooden platform and said, "I wonder what crime Xiaomin and others have committed? Please make it clear to Chief Li."
Chief Li said condescendingly: "Do I need to tell you one by one about the things you have committed? Don't think you can hide it. Now that what happened to you has happened, come and take down the three of them." !”
Several soldiers came over from the wooden platform and controlled the head of the Zheng family and others.
"You're wronged!" the head of the Zheng family yelled at Hong Chengchou who was sitting on the wooden platform, "Xiaomin and others abide by the law and always obey the orders of the Yamen. They have never done anything out of the ordinary. Please give me a warning!"
"What an injustice!"
"Unjustly accused!"
The third master and the fifth master cried out for themselves one after another.
On the contrary, the eldest uncle on the side was not controlled by the soldiers of the Tiger Flag, perhaps because he was too old or for some other reason.
Chief Li looked back at Hong Chengchou behind him, and found that the other person had not forgotten to glance here, and understood that the other person did not want to waste time on such a small person.
Knowing what he meant, he immediately said: "After verification from Xin'an County, the three of you, in the name of the farmers' association, secretly devoured the land distributed to the people by the Tiger Flag, and used the excuse of farmers and soldiers to support your own thugs and carry out the murder on the people of Zhengjia Village. You bully and force the villagers to work for you and your family unconditionally, do you have anything to explain for this?"
"It's unfair! It's unfair!"
The chief of Zhengjia Village knew that the matter could not be concealed, so he had no choice but to cry out for injustice.
Chief Li looked at the three people under the wooden platform and said, "Since there is nothing to say, let's implement the new laws of Xin'an County."
"Push them all down and wait for disposal."
With a wave of Master Li's hand, several soldiers stepped forward to tie up the chief of the Zhengjia Village and the third and fifth masters, and escorted them out.
No matter how much the Zhengjia Village clan chief and the others complained, the soldiers escorting them would not care so much and dragged several people away from the wooden platform little by little.
When the villagers of Zhengjia Village around Mutai saw this scene, they fell silent.
Maybe I have been bullied by these people in Zhengjia Village for too long, and I have long forgotten what resistance is. Even if the people have been arrested, no one dares to resist, and they watch everything happening in front of them in silence.
The eldest uncle is also an authoritative figure in Zhengjia Village.
Although he was not arrested like the other three, his face looked as pale as paper at the moment, and the back of his clothes was soaked with cold sweat.
"Sir, save us! At this time, sir, you can't just die without saving us!"
The third master among the three people who were dragged away saw that he was about to be dragged far away. He immediately shouted for help and looked at a certain place on the wooden platform.
"Bring this person back!" Hong Chengchou said to Director Li.
Chief Li shouted to the soldiers who were taking away the Zhengjia Village patriarch and others: "There is an order from the vassal to bring these people back."
The patriarch of Zhengjia Village and the third and fifth masters were brought back again.
"Ask him, who is the gentleman he just mentioned?" Hong Chengchou explained.
Director Li walked to the edge of the wooden platform, looked at the third master of Zhengjia Village who had just asked for help, and said: "Zheng Quanyou, who is the gentleman you just called? What is the relationship between him and you?"
The third master lowered his head and said nothing.
"Since he doesn't want to say it, how about you two?" Chief Li's eyes fell on the Zhengjia Village patriarch and the fifth master.
No one answered for a while.
Chief Li frowned and said: "It doesn't matter if you want to hide it, but you have to think clearly. Once you are taken away, based on what you committed in Zhengjia Village, you will only be executed. When the time comes, your heads will be hung on the Let us serve as a warning at the gate of the city. Of course, if you can tell the mastermind behind it, you may be given a lighter punishment and save your life. Think carefully about your choice!"
After speaking, he did not rush and gave a few people time to think.
The expressions on the faces of the Zhengjia Village patriarch, the third master and the fifth master were uncertain as they made their final struggle.
"If you don't want to say it, I will." The third master suddenly said, "The person who is connecting us behind the scenes is the teacher in the yamen. He sent someone to deliver a letter to us, saying that as long as we follow his instructions, we will be able to serve as officers and soldiers in the future. If we come back, we will not be held accountable for being a bandit, and we will be promised a place in the six rooms in the Yamen."
"That's nonsense. When did I ever say such things to you, let alone send someone to contact you?" Half a hundred old men suddenly stood up on the wooden platform and shouted harshly. They immediately faced Hong Chengchou, bowed slightly and said, "Please Hong Chengchou." Fantai Mingjian, these people are just biting students randomly in order to survive."
When the third master under the wooden platform heard this, he immediately quit and retorted loudly: "Don't pretend to be a good person here. If it weren't for being bewitched by you, how could we secretly take back the allocated land? Just because there are people in the yamen You are covering up for us so we dare to do this.”
"Nonsense, you are biting wantonly without any evidence." The teacher's sinister eyes were fixed on the third master who was biting him.
