Misfortune lies where blessings depend, and blessing lies where misfortune lies!
On this night of April 14th, Liu Yi and others were drinking bottles of wine and chatting about the romance in a small courtyard in Yangle County, Liaoxi County. After being drunk, Liu Yi stroked his shiny bald head. , with a stroke of the pen, there were eight characters on the head: "Xiangshi is a martyr, brave and courageous".
Xiao Yixian chased Liu Yi crazily in the courtyard with few grasses, and the happy time in Wanfo Mountain seemed to reappear.
At about the next day, everyone simply packed their luggage and prepared to leave Yangle County and continue traveling north. When they went out, everyone looked happy. After all, they had eliminated a harm to Yangle's father, so they should be very happy!
Walking on the main street of Yangle County, as the number of people increased, Xia Qing, who was well versed in human relations, was the first to notice something strange. He frowned, put his arm around the dead man Chen's shoulders, and said mysteriously, "I said Lao Chen. , did you see? Although Jin Zhao is dead, instead of celebrating, the people of Yangle County are frowning. Did you kill the wrong person? "
Death Shichen raised his left hand with a broken finger, and patted Xia Qing's shoulder hard, which made Xia Qing's face slap from side to side. Then, he said, "Fart, this Jin Zhao punishes his widowed wife and kills her." Brother, you are poisoning your family and your country. It is true that your virtue is lacking. Even if he had a second life, he also took it away yesterday!"
Xia Qing smiled and said, "Could it be that you killed the wrong person?"
Death Shichen pinched Xia Qing's waist tightly and said fiercely, "Xia Datou, don't doubt my professional and technical level. I have been in the world with my elder brother for more than ten years, and I have never killed anyone by mistake, and I have never misplaced anyone." , Jin Zhao, must be dead!"
Xia Qing asked again. "You saw him die after you hit him in the vitals?"
"That's not true, but since the establishment of I-Chi Hu, the intelligence has always been accurate. I have never killed a person by mistake, and I have never missed a mistake!" Death Shichen was categorical, without any doubt that he had killed the wrong person or left a living person under the sword. .
The two quarreled back and forth until their faces turned red.
Dongfang Chunsheng couldn't stand it anymore, coughed heavily, stepped forward to interrupt the two of them, and said scolding the junior, "What's the fuss about? Don't do it behind closed doors. You can just find someone and ask, and you'll know?"
After the old man finished speaking, he took action immediately. He saw him slowly moving to an old tea man on the corner of the street. When he saw the old tea man sighing, he went up and asked, "Old brother, what are you lamenting about?"
The old tea man glanced at Dongfang Chunsheng and said with a sad face, "If I don't hide it from you, brother, the leader of the Qiling Gang, Jin Zhao, is dead!"
Dongfang Chunsheng hurriedly asked, "Oh? Old brother, didn't I hear that Jin Zhao did all kinds of bad things? Wouldn't it be good for the world if he died?"
The old tea man sighed heavily and said feebly, "What a shame! Are you outsiders?"
Before Dongfang Chunsheng could answer, a group of county soldiers rushed past along the main street. When the old teaman saw this, he immediately kept silent, picked up the tea bag, and hurriedly flowed into the crowd and disappeared.
Liu Yi raised his head slightly and made suggestions to Dongfang Chunsheng who was thinking, "Grandpa Dongfang, there must be monsters when things happen. I'm afraid something is going to happen in Yangle City. Whether you want to stay or go, it's better to make plans early. If you want to leave, Then we need to leave the city immediately. If we want to take care of it to the end, we need to plan carefully."
Dongfang Chunsheng frowned and said, "Go and find out first, and then make a decision."
Then, the old man rolled up his sleeves and walked towards the three-story Xihua Tower. At Dongfang Chunsheng's signal, Xia Qing, Yi Xian and Dongfang Yu carried their luggage and quietly returned to the Sanheyuan.
The Yanxia Inn, which was deliberately set on fire by the Tiger Tiger Gang yesterday, was barely open today after the owner rushed to repair it overnight. However, there was no one in the building and the business was withering.
After Dongfang Chunsheng, Shishichen and Liu Yi arrived at Yanxia Inn, they found a seat by the window on the third floor and stared at the Xihua Tower opposite.
Today's Xihua Tower did not disappoint the three people who came specifically to investigate. It seemed more lively than yesterday.
The entire Xihua Building has changed from red silk to plain white. The circle of red lanterns originally hanging on the eaves of the top floor have been replaced by white silk plain lanterns. The two stone lions in front of the door are hung with white linen strips. The flagpole next to the stone lions , hanging long soul-calling flags, gently rising and falling with the wind, as if to soothe Jin Zhao's soul.
The window on the third floor of Xihua Building is wide open, and you can clearly see from the outside that this place has been converted into a mourning hall overnight. The room is filled with curtains that connect the sky and the ground. A huge word "Dian" is placed on the wall behind the coffin, which is very impressive. Eye-catching, there are two words on both sides of the word 'Dian', which are "virtue will last forever" and "character will last forever". The three people looked numb.
Why! How will a person be judged by the world after a hundred years? Sometimes, I am afraid it is just a piece of paper or a mouth from future generations!
Jin Zhao's red and white incident is not unusual, but what is strange today is the long line of people queuing downstairs in Xihua.
A large case was set up in the center of the two stone lions in front of the door. Two members of the Qiling Gang, dressed in dark blue clothes and hanging blue cloth on their arms, were sitting next to the case, looking down on the ragged people in front of them.
The common people seemed to know the 'rules' very well. They spontaneously lined up in a line. The common man standing in front of the case had a grimace on his face and placed the package in his hand on the case. One of the beggars helped the people open the package and looked to the left. After looking and taking a look, it was recorded that another member of the Qiling Gang gave the person who handed in the items a round plate the size of a small helmet, made of wood and painted with the word "begging" engraved in the middle. Relieved and grateful, I ran away!
The items handed in were moved into the house by the other beggars standing beside them.
In this cycle, the people placed their objects, food, and supplies on the table in an orderly manner one by one, waiting for the inspection records. The people who passed the inspection showed relief, as if they had escaped life or death.
The three people's eyes were facing each other. This thing was simply bizarre!
Seeing this, Death Shichen felt a little unsure. He asked doubtfully, "Could it be that... I really killed the wrong person?"
After running away for half a year, Liu Yi's clear eyes seemed to have something more, which was the wisdom that an adult should have. He comforted the dead man Chen and said, "Master, please don't belittle yourself. Yi'er looked at these people with a bitter expression on their faces when they presented gifts. , there was no feeling of sadness at all, but he was grateful when he left. From this, Yi'er deduced that Jin Zhao is undoubtedly a villain, it is true that the master killed Jin Zhao, and it is also true that there is another mystery behind the Qiling Gang!"
Dongfang Chunsheng looked at Liu Yi deeply and said bluntly, "Yier, you have such scheming and vision at a young age. I don't know how my apprentice Liu Quansheng educated you, let alone whether it was good or bad! "
"Hey! Grandpa Dongfang, it's not a bad thing to have a wise heart, but it's a bad thing to have a thief's heart!" Liu Yi tugged on Dongfang Chunsheng's sleeves to act coquettishly, making Dongfang Chunsheng helpless.
During the conversation, suddenly, Xihua burst into tears downstairs.
The three people's thoughts drifted back to the case, and they saw two strong men from the Qingling Gang, taking the ragged commoner in front of the case aside and slamming him to the ground. The Qingling Gang member in charge of the inspection let out a cold snort. , threw the twenty white barbarian heads placed on the table on the commoner who fell to the ground, and said scornfully, "Do you think the Begging Gang is just a beggar? Twenty barbarian heads are just like protecting your life? Bah, the same thing I'm afraid your mouth will be dirty when you talk! This person doesn't deal cards."
Hearing the words 'no cards', this thin man felt as if he was hit by five thunders, and he slumped to his knees. Then, he immediately crawled in front of two disciples of the Tiger Exiling Gang, and howled, "Uncle! Uncle! I beg you." Please, please, please give me a sign! My family is poor, and these twenty barbarians are already the rations for me, my wife and my children for a month! Uncle, uncle, please give me a sign! I can make cows and horses for you, even if you give up your family status and become a slave, that’s fine!”
The thin man lying on the ground kowtowed regardless, even if he knelt down and bled, he didn't notice it. The blood, tears, sweat and muddy water in early spring were mixed together, which made people moved.
The disciple of the Qi Ling Gang did not show any kindness. Instead, he winked at the strong men standing on both sides of him. The two strong men picked up the thin man and dragged him further away from Xihua Tower.
I saw him standing there blankly, not daring to walk or get close!
This process repeated itself in front of the building. After about an hour, the case was closed in front of the door and everyone dispersed, and silence returned.
The thin man, who was watching from afar, tiptoed to pick up the cold hair that was scattered on the ground. While picking it up, he cried and muttered, "You must let your wife and children have a full meal before leaving! I, I I can’t bear it!”
The thin man wrapped his head in a rag and hid in the street. Then, a loud cry of "Ah" came from the street.
When the thin man woke up, he found himself on top of a soft cave.
In front of him, six people, two dogs, and a bird were looking at him. He was so frightened that he trembled all over. He immediately sat up, pointed at a bald head and asked, "You, you, you, are you?" Who?"
Dongfang Chunsheng's brows relaxed and he comforted softly, "Young man, don't be afraid. My name is Dongfang Chunsheng. A group of us traveled here. I just saw you suddenly 'fainted' in the alley, so I helped you back!"
"Ah! I remember, someone knocked me out! Did you save me? Thank you so much!" After the thin man recovered, he immediately stood up and thanked everyone, but he didn't know that the person who did it was everyone in the room.
After the thin man regained consciousness, Xia Qing started chatting and asked carelessly, "Brother, what are you doing in Xihua Tower today?"
"Hey, when a person is about to die, he doesn't even care about this mouth!" The thin man paused and said miserably, "My name is Zhang Dalun. I come from a poor family. I have a wife, two children, and several acres of land. In the past few years, the imperial court has lightened taxes, and the county magistrate has been considered benevolent. In addition, I have been working hard. After several years of hard work, human farming has turned into cattle farming, and the thatched house has turned into a brick house. I am living a promising life. Son."
At this point, the thin man's eyes suddenly sparkled, and he said, "A few years ago, Jin Zhao succeeded the leader of the Qiling Gang and General Le Er Zouma Wu Ci. I don't know why, but this..., this is the price of food in Liaoxi County. , just descending slowly, one stone of grain can't be sold for less than five baht, and I have worked hard for a year to cultivate the land, but I can't even get back the seed money. Later, these bastards from the Qiling Gang came up with something. With the poll tax, my small life is really unsustainable. I sold my cows five years ago and my house three years ago. Last year I even mortgaged my land to a wealthy family and became a tenant. I have lived such a virtuous life. , I don’t know why!”
Zhang Dalun couldn't control his emotions and burst into tears suddenly. Everyone was silent, sighing or sympathizing.
Zhang Dalun continued to choke up and said, "You guys don't know something. My neighbors also went to nearby counties or Liaodong County to sell grain. However, they either encountered robbers or encountered disasters on the way. I also thought about leaving here. , but where can we go on this journey? There is an old saying that 'although the five flavors are sweet, it is better to eat rice and millet first'. Although wandering is unrestrained, it is not worth guarding a few acres of land to be practical!"
"Yesterday, I don't know which hero killed the evil thief Jin Zhao. It was really refreshing. Just when I wanted to celebrate secretly last night, I received a notice from the Qiling Gang to 'harvest spring fat'."
Harvest spring fat? What does it mean?
Zhang Dalun looked at everyone's confusion, wiped his nose, and explained, "Oh! That's it. In recent years, the Eastern Border has been quieter, so General Wu Ci divided his troops into two parts every year to fight in Liaoxi County. In military exercises, swords have no eyes, and injuries will inevitably occur during the exercise. This "harvesting spring fat" is to ask everyone to pay tribute to the Begging Ling Gang. If the tribute is qualified, we will be given a "Begging" sign and hang it on the front and back of the door. The officers and soldiers are I won’t bother you during the drill! I personally saw a house without a sign being ‘accidentally killed’ by Le Er, and the whole family was dead!”
...
"It's hateful, it's extremely hateful. Western Liaoning is not a fertile and prosperous land, yet the people's wealth has been plundered! How can it be unreasonable? How unreasonable!"
After sending Zhang Dalun away, Dongfang Chun blew his beard angrily and glared. His wrinkled face turned from red to white, then red again. He felt unhappy in the house. Dongfang Chunsheng ran to the yard and cursed. Fortunately, this Sanheyuan is located in a remote area. , otherwise it will definitely cause trouble.
The deceased Shi Chen was stunned, was he happy or sad after killing Jin Zhao? I'm afraid even he himself can't figure it out.
Yi Xian had never seen Dongfang Chunsheng lose his temper before, so he was so frightened that he hurriedly hid in the house and started chanting sutras.
Among the group of people, only Liu Yi and Xia Qing were considered sober. He walked to the courtyard and said, "It's a blessing, not a curse. It's a curse that can't be avoided. Lao Chen killed Jin Zhao, and he was very happy. But he didn't expect that Jin Zhao was just a chess piece. The real mastermind behind the scenes still wanted to find this person." General Wu Ci was delighted. Humph, each and every small-armed general gained arrogance from far away at the border, a troop of soldiers and horses gained confidence, and the eagle-clawed lackeys gained ground energy. That’s why we have this foreigner’s wild and unscrupulous character. This act of virtue, this matter... is very different from what Lingyuan encountered!"
"Boss Xia, are you saying that we shouldn't interfere with official matters?" Liu Yi frowned. Although there was no anger in his eyes, his tone was obviously dissatisfied.
Before Xia Qing could say anything, Dongfang Chunsheng immediately stood up and angrily said, "It's a joke, the world belongs to everyone in the world. When there is injustice, you should live and die for the sake of profit. How can you avoid it because of misfortunes and blessings?"
Over the past few months, whenever Dongfang Chunsheng lost his temper, Xia Qing would always laugh it off.
But this time, Xia Qing was unusually unsmiling. She glanced at him, raised her brows, and said, "Since ancient times, chivalrous people have used martial arts to violate the ban, and Confucianism has used literature to disrupt the law. How can the court order officials to kill at will? What if? Lao Chen went to assassinate Le Er. Regardless of success or failure, once this trend spreads, it will definitely lead to endless disasters. Jianghu is all about Jianghu. If you kill Jin Zhao, you will kill him. The court rarely pays attention to Jianghu fights, but if everything crosses the red line, forget about it. Whether to do good or to do evil, the "Han Code" does not talk about human relationships."
Death Shichen immediately refuted, "It is the style of our generation to draw a sword to help when there is injustice on the road. If you don't draw a sword for him when you see an injustice on the road today, if you encounter injustice tomorrow, who will draw a sword for you?"
Dongfang Chunsheng said angrily, "The imperial court, the imperial court, the governor of Liaoxi County has not even been seen until now. Where did the imperial court come from? This Le Er is just like the princes in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. How can it go on like this? Today Le Er is But if you sell grain to other countries, will you sell land, soldiers, and the country the next day?"
People will always lose their minds in anger. Xia Qing did not continue to argue with Dongfang Chunsheng. She turned around and asked the dead Shi Chen, "Old Chen, you are in the realm of city destruction and can take the head of an enemy general among thousands of armies. Can you do it?" ?”
There was an embarrassed expression on Death Shichen's face. He sighed to himself and said with a sad face, "Regardless of good and evil, the generals of the border army and the generals of the armed forces must be at least Zhongzhongtui Monument level or above. Those who have to lead an army must mostly use force. If you know the details of the opponent, you can be 40% sure of assassinating him. If you break through with a single sword, I am afraid that I can only barely break through one army of soldiers and horses at the level of breaking the city. Moreover, Ichiro General or Colonel Fortunately, Lieutenant, I can say that this general is personally appointed by the emperor and holds the appointment edict. If he is killed, I am afraid that the Tiger Gang will be removed from the world."
It seems that even as powerful as the tiger-blaming gang, they are no match for the emperor's wrath.
The small courtyard fell silent for an instant, and even the two big yellow dogs knew what was happening and were lying in the corner.
"Huh? Grandpa Dongfang, you just woke me up. Yangle County is the county seat of Liaoxi County. Such a big thing has happened. Where is the county governor now?"
Liu Yi suddenly spoke, but it was like a bolt from the blue, breaking the situation. As the head of a county, why didn't he come out to calm the people's complaints?
Before everyone could come to their senses, Dongfang Chunsheng, who had been in a rage all his life, slammed the door and left. It seemed that the Lord Sheriff was going to suffer!
