Great Sui Guoshi

"Fresh pancakes, fluffy flower cakes..."

"The crimped clay pot can't hold anything, and it can also be used as a chamber pot. That handsome young man over there, don't you want to take a look?"

"Dressing, bronze mirror, high-quality mahogany, which is not eye-catching, and good-looking portraits."

……

Above the hustle and bustle of the street, regular customers come to the room on the second floor of the three-character inn, with the sound of eating.

"Eat more, the food sold by the store in this city tastes very good."

"What to eat more, save some for Liangsheng, Lu Erdan, put your hoof down!"

Amidst the noisy discourse of Lu Pan, Lu Qing and others, Lu Liangsheng opened his eyes, and when he sat up, he realized that he fell asleep on the bed at some point.

Taoist Toad huddled into a lump, basking in the morning light on the desk. Eight big men from Lujia Village gathered around the round table and ordered a lot of meat. Seeing that Lu Liangsheng woke up, the person who sat closest to him tore off a chicken leg and handed it over.

"Liangsheng, here, eat something good early in the morning."

Pressing against the edge of the bed, putting down his feet and putting on his shoes, Lu Liangsheng took the chicken legs and put them on the desk: "I'll eat later, I ate a lot last night, and I don't feel too hungry now."

After saying something, he put on his robe, went to the corner to wash his face, wiped the water stains and turned back.

"Uncle Pan, let's go to the county government office to have a look today, deal with the affairs in the village earlier, and go back earlier."

Lu Pan, who was holding half a chicken, nodded, thought for a while, put down the chicken in his hand, and turned to his eldest nephew, but his brows frowned.

"Liangsheng, in the morning, when I went downstairs to order the waiter to serve the meal, I heard that the diners who came to eat in the restaurant said that Chen Yuanwai's son had died."

Next to it, Lu Qing lifted it up and took a sip.

"If you die, you will die. If this kind of person does not die, God will be blind."

In the corner over there, Lu Liangsheng hung up a towel and sat at the dining table. Someone hurriedly handed over chopsticks and a bowl of gruel. The young man smiled and said, "It has nothing to do with us. When we left, he was alive and kicking. Maybe the girl The ghost is too smart, once we leave, we will kill him in turn to take revenge."

"...Hmm." Lu Pan thought for a while, stretched his beard, picked up the half chicken again, and took a big bite.

"That's right, that's the reason."

As he spoke, he turned his head, lowered his voice towards the other seven people, and added: "In the future, none of us can mention the matter of Mr. Chen's family. Even if we do, don't bring Liang Sheng in!"

After eating a greasy breakfast, the room was also checked out. At this time, the news about what happened to Mr. Chen's family spread early in the morning, and even the forty or so people who participated in it personally told the story of Chen's encounter with a ghost last night. Now that Chen Yaoke died and Mr. Chen was lying ill in bed, he didn't have any scruples.

"You don't know how powerful it is. If there wasn't an expert present that day, I'm afraid that Chen Yaoke would have died on the spot."

The children chased and fought, and the adults in the family scolded them a few words, then turned around and continued to gather together with their neighbors to whisper and discuss the news they had heard.

"Oh, that's because you don't know. That female ghost came back to Fushui County to sing for Chen Yuanwai. I was there at the time. The voice was so beautiful that the singer's bones were so tender."

An older scholar spit on the ground.

"...It's not because of Mr. Chen's son. This man hasn't read many books, but he looks like a scholar. He molests good women everywhere and ruins the reputation of me and other scholars. He deserves to die!"

"I don't know how the county magistrate will handle this matter this time."

"...Are you still catching ghosts and going to jail?"

The streets and alleys, teahouses, and restaurants are mostly small circles like small groups. After all, it is rare for ghosts to kill people. At the beginning, I felt that the Chen family and his son were unlucky. He started clapping his hands and applauding, and ran to the door of the Chen Mansion with a little temper, spitting on the door.

On the way to the county government office with eight people, Lu Liangsheng listened to it for a while, and stopped listening. He walked through the bustling streets and found the county government office. The old servant in charge of the Chen family was coming out of it, with reddish eyes , glanced at Lu Liangsheng and the nine others, and hurriedly left in a carriage.

Lu Pan looked at the carriage going away and also gave a mouthful to the one on the ground.

"It must be that an important person died in the family, so I came to the county government to report to the county government. Why didn't the red pity ghost come to see them? They are also benevolent, willing to do good things, I am—"

"Uncle Pan, don't talk about this for the time being." Lu Liangsheng gave him a wink. The matter has already been settled, so there is no need to discuss it later, so as not to cause complications. He went out twice, and the first trip came to this county with his father Lu Laoshi. I don't have any feelings, just feel that the outside world is bustling and dazzling.

This second trip made him grow up a lot. He saw the spirits who let his group die, and he also saw the hearts of people who were several times more disgusting than spirits.

As for the female ghost, Hong Lian.

Lu Liangsheng sighed, he has done everything he can to help.

Thinking about it, he walked up the steps of the yamen, bowed to the guards on both sides, and explained his purpose of coming.

"Brothers, we are from Lujia Village, Qixia Mountain. We came here two days ago, and the pleadings were handed over. It's about a dispute between the two villages over irrigation of farmland."

The officer glanced at the young man who spoke calmly and without timidity in front of him, and nodded: "It's you, I just heard about it from the old Zhao who was an officer yesterday."

"Speaking of it?" Lu Liangsheng was a little puzzled.

"The handwriting is beautiful!"

The officer smiled and pointed to the side under the eaves of the yamen: "You wait there for now, I will go in and report to the master."

It turned out that it was because of the pleadings he had written before, and Lu Liangsheng didn't know whether he should laugh, and imitated the other party and cupped his hands.

"Then trouble this big brother."

The guards carried water and fire sticks and stepped into the gate of the county government, but did not go to the front court, which is the place where trial cases are held on weekdays. The magistrate, the county magistrate, and the county magistrate each occupy one, and the master book and pawns have another.

When the officer came over, the little official and the arrester were busy coming and going. Before, the county magistrate and the chief secretary were troubled by the haunting, but now the man died suddenly. It was rumored that the ghost killed him, so we can only put it aside for the time being. , Let the pawns go to investigate, but they can't find the murderer, so it happens to be handled as a headless case.

"If it's like the rumors in the market, the county not only doesn't care about the death of Chen Yaoke, but also wants to drink a ladle!"

"The county lord has a jealous temperament that is hard to change. If he is recalled to Nanchen in the future, he may have to change it, lest he offend others and be demoted."

In a room on the left side of the side yard, there are two tables facing each other. On the head of the door, a county magistrate in official robes, about forty or so, is talking angrily and slapping the table. On the contrary, it is quite generous.

On the opposite side of the conversation, there is an older man with him, who is the director of Fushui County. Because the county is not big and there are not many official duties, there is no county magistrate or magistrate. The county magistrate is in the same room, so it is easy to talk about official business, and there is no need to summon back and forth, which seems so cumbersome.

The county magistrate took a sip of tea and picked up a pen to correct official affairs.

"Let's demote. Beijing officials are not as happy and happy as they are now. It's just that in this place, the ghosts and ghosts are making people want to break their heads..."

The old man over there smiled and said: "It's like this in many places. Since Chen Yaoke is dead, let the people below investigate. It's fine if they can't find out. It's hard to explain such weird things. The county lord With me, if you have that leisurely mind, why not deal with the business affairs that have been squeezed in the past two days first."

As he said that, he put away the official business that had already been approved in front of him, reached out to pick up the unprocessed complaint on the other side, looked at the content on it, and suddenly laughed.

The county magistrate raised his head: "Is there a problem with it?"

The old man put down the complaint and shook his head.

"The content of this paper is simple and unpretentious, just like a story written in a school for the first time, but this word is comfortable to read. It's a good word... Well, it was written by Lu Liangsheng. It's a good name."

"Oh? If the old man can admire it, this county would like to see it."

The county magistrate came over, took the paper, read it up and down, and couldn't help but nodded: "It's really a good handwriting, every stroke is not messy, neat and powerful, but unfortunately it's too neat, like Like imitation, lifeless."

While speaking, there was a knock on the door, and the county magistrate turned his head: "What's the matter?"

"Reporting to the county magistrate and master, Lu Liangsheng from Lujia Village in Qixia Mountain came to the county government to sue the dispute between the two villages."

The county magistrate put down his hands, looked at the old man, and laughed.

"Heh...he just came when I mentioned him. I really want to see what the person who wrote this word looks like."

The latter also laughed, then got up and walked out.

Chapter 23 Book Giveaway

"Liangsheng, you said that you will be promoted later, and the county magistrate will intervene in our village, will you be punished?"

On the eaves outside the yamen, Lu Pan and the others are tall and powerful, but standing outside this court, they are somewhat nervous. People see officials, and their momentum is three points short.

He carefully looked at the door over there: "I don't know if the people from Beicun will come, but Youli is taking the lead."

"Uncle Pan, if you are facing them, there is nothing to be afraid of."

Lu Liangsheng tidied up his robes, although they were a bit worn out, they looked energetic on him, and then he touched the silver taels in the package.

"It's a big deal, but we can't argue, let's make a concession and compensate them with the crops in the field."

Lu Qing crossed his arms and shouted loudly.

"Then we have to fight first. It's hard to plant, and it's just given to others, so it doesn't hurt in my heart!"

"That's right, let's make it clear to them first, so as not to think that the water in our village is really cut off!!" Others also said one after another. As soon as their voices stopped, one of them, Lu Erdan, turned his face away. Lower your voice: "Look, the people from Beicun are here."

Two men came from the street, one was thin and had a mustache on his lips, and the other was tall and dressed in a white jacket. When they came, they also saw Lu Liangsheng and nine people under the eaves.

Without speaking, he stood under the eaves on the other side.

Soon, there was a sound in the courtroom: "Shengtang!"

The sound of more than a dozen wooden sticks hitting the ground crackled, and an officer came out from the door and waved to Lu Liangsheng and the others, as well as the people from Lizheng and Beicun over there.

"Everyone, come in."

Lu Liangsheng nodded to Lu Pan and the others, and walked into the court together, standing between the guards on both sides, and then, Lizheng brought in the people from Beicun.

No one on the two sides spoke, and after a short while, two figures turned around from the back hall, one of them in an official robe walked up to the first seat and sat down, the other was about fifty years old, sat down at the small table at the side, picked up a pen and ink, but smiled He looked at Lu Liangsheng in the hall.

Looking at the old man, the young man could probably guess the identity of the other person, and bowed his hands politely.

"Lujia Village, Lu Liangsheng has seen the master book."

The old man behind the small table nodded back with a smile, looked the young man up and down, "What a young man."

In the hall, Lizheng and the man from Beicun were inexplicably flustered when they saw this. If Lujiacun got in touch with the head secretary and the county magistrate, they would lose. .

The old man seemed to know them, smiled, and waved to the two of them.

"The county lord judges the case and always handles it impartially. If the village where the boy lives really has misbehavior, he will never cover it up and rest assured."

On the first place, the county magistrate looked carefully and stroked his beard.

"As it is."

In fact, the so-called court proceedings are nothing more than the county magistrate accompanies Lord Wang to come over to see the young man in front of him. There are disputes between the two villages over the river water every day. If they are all brought to the court, then he basically doesn’t have to do anything. up.

What's more, in this matter, it's hard to say who will win and who won't. The river flows out of the mountains. If we really want to solve it, we can send a messenger to bring people from Lizheng and two villages to the mountains to find out and bring it to the court. It's a bit of a fuss.

As soon as the county magistrate had finished speaking, Li Zheng stepped forward and bowed his hands in the hall: "Qi Xianzun, the two villages go up and down, and there is only one river in Qixia Mountain. It has to pass through Lujia Village first, and then go back to the downstream. In the past, the two villages have fought many times over the water for irrigating the farmland, but this time, they must have held a grudge and cut off the upstream water, so that the downstream water level is less and it is difficult to store water."

The man from Beicun also nodded and echoed, "That's right, county lord, the crops in our village's fields are not growing well this year, and the harvest is naturally much smaller. The women and children in the village may starve in winter."

The county magistrate raised his hand to let the two stand up straight, and turned his gaze to Lu Liangsheng.

"What's your rebuttal?"

Lu Pan and the other eight clenched their palms behind and urged in a low voice: "Liangsheng, the magistrate is asking you something, hurry up and don't let them take advantage of you."

In front, the boy was also organizing his words, and after a moment, he arched his hands in salute.

"Reporting to the county venerable, the river that goes around the two villages originally flows out of the mountains. If it is said that the water in Lu's village is cut off, they can come and check it out, but why didn't they come and just ran to the county lord?"

As soon as the words fell, Li Zheng hurriedly yelled out: "That's because the people in your village have always been arrogant, we are afraid of being beaten! Now in front of the county lord, how dare you quibble!"

Lu Liangsheng pursed his lips, let go of his clenched fingers, and laughed.

"Whether it's fierce or not, have you seen it? There is no conflict between the two. If people from Lujia Village beat you and then go to the county government to file a complaint, then we will have no words to quibble, isn't that the reason? Then today There is no need to go to the court to ask the county magistrate to discuss the matter, and just issue the verdict directly."

Those who were being questioned there were speechless.

... This boy's handwriting is good, and his mouth is also powerful.

In fact, the magistrate already had an outline and orientation in his mind. This kind of thing should not be too embarrassing in the first place, so he reached out for the gavel.

"This county decides..."

"County Honor!"

At the same time as the final words were said, Lu Liangsheng suddenly interrupted, took half a step forward, and bowed his hands to the county magistrate and chief secretary.

"Reporting to the county lord and master, Liang Sheng wants to make peace with this matter."

"Oh?" This surprised the county magistrate and the old man over there, and even the men in Lizheng and Beicun were taken aback.

After a while, Lu Liangsheng's voice continued.

"Beicun's harvest is not good this year. Although it's not bad for my Lujia Village, the two villages are adjacent to each other. If women and children in the village starve or even die because of the harvest, I would be very unbearable. If the two villages share the burden, even though they won't be full There is no need to die, and..."

Lu Liangsheng raised his head and looked at the man in Beicun.

"...Moreover, the two villages have accumulated grievances for many years, and they can become more or less harmonious."

Lu Pan and Lu Qing also had expressions of shock on their faces: "Liangsheng...you..."

On the other side, the man from Beicun opened his mouth slightly, and before he could react for a while, he opened and closed his lips a few times, not knowing what to say.

Just heard a bang in the hall.

The gavel fell, and the county magistrate sat there, looking at the boy, and the old man behind the small table showed an approving smile on his face.