Infrastructure masters in the red building

The people in Wuyuan County spent a night of shock.At midnight, the south gate of Wuyuan County was on fire, and there were rumors that bandits broke through the south gate of the county seat and entered the city.Every household closed their doors tightly, and the whole family gathered together, tremblingly waiting for the dawn.

Zhao Siqiang, the patriarch of the Zhao family, was sitting upright in the Zhao family hall, waiting for the moment when the city was broken.

He kept all the direct branches of the Zhao family in the Zhao family's mansion and took good care of them. Those who were sent out to inquire about the news were all descendants of the Zhao family's side branches.Zhao Siqiang knew that without the protection of this mansion, it would be difficult for people on the street to escape the first round of chaos after the city was broken.

He ordered people to block all the doors with sticks, even if his own people came back, they would never be able to open the door of Zhao's house.He, Zhao Siqiang, has the responsibility to lead the Zhao family through a turmoil—as long as he can survive, the Zhao family will have wealth and power for several lifetimes, not to mention in the south, at least in Wuyuan County.

At that time, who will look at the face of the county magistrate and force his children to take the exam for the diploma of Lao Shizi?

Unexpectedly, there was no chaos in Wuyuan County.

The fire inside the south gate burned for a while, and then gradually extinguished.Tranquility has returned to the county town, but inspections have been strengthened in the streets and alleys, and from time to time a team of yamen servants will pass by the gate of Zhao's house.

The children of the Zhao family who went out to inquire about the news were finally allowed to return to the Zhao family and tell about the situation in the city.

Zhao Siqiang heard: What?The south gate of Wuyuan County has not been breached?

"That's true. Last night, it was said that Master Nanyong Qiannan of the Jiedu Mission's Mansion played a trick of "playing hard to get". The bandit was either wiped out on the spot, or captured without a fight."

The person who came to report the letter was also a descendant of the Zhao family, and his eyebrows were beaming when he said it.

"I heard that Mr. Nan performed bravely last night. A long lance swept across a large area in just a short while. I didn't expect that Mr. Nan was just an ordinary staff member in Mr. Jia's office. brave..."

Zhao Siqiang's face paled in an instant: In this way, the Bandit's knock on the south gate last night was already expected?

Zhao Siqing's relatives had been waiting in front of the hall, and at this moment they pulled the side member and asked, "Did you see your Uncle Siqing?"

The boy shook his head cheerfully: "I didn't see, did Uncle Siqing go to the city yesterday to help defend the city? Then he must have made great contributions..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhao Siqiang suddenly stepped forward and kicked the boy over: "A catastrophe is imminent!"

The whole hall could only hear Zhao Siqiang roaring: "Catastrophe is imminent!"

None of the Zhao family had the consciousness of "a catastrophe is imminent", and they all stood in the hall and watched Zhao Siqiang lose his temper.Zhao Siqing's family helped the side branch boy who reported the letter to him, and immediately cried: "Yesterday, I saw Uncle Siqing go to help defend the city, with wine in his hand..."

At this time, the gate of the Zhao family had been broken down, and the yamen servants from Wuyuan County rushed straight to the hall. Li Youwei, a famous criminal master who showed his might, walked in with square steps, with his hands behind his back, looking at Zhao Siqiang with a half-smile.

"Old Zhao, it's been a long time." Master Li felt that he had been in the Wuyuan county government for so many years, and he had never been as majestic as he is today-it was a great achievement to personally capture the internal response of the bandits in Wuyuan county. It was something he had never thought of before.

The next moment, Zhao Siqiang only took a step forward, his eyes gleamed with a frightening light, full of irrepressible anger and... the despair after failure.

Unexpectedly, it was just one step, one look, which made Master Li stagger in fright, and took a step back.

At this time, a person appeared behind Master Li, with cold eyes and frozen temperament, standing silently behind Master Li, just standing there, stabilized Master Li.

Seeing this, the side branch disciple who was kicked to the ground by Zhao Siqiang earlier said loudly: "Master Nan..." He seemed to have been overwhelmed by Nan Yongqian's superb martial arts and extraordinary courage, and his voice naturally brought admiration Affection.

Zhao Siqiang gradually slowed down and said, "Master Li, Mr. Nan."

Master Li was a little embarrassed, but the iceberg face in front of Nanyong said indifferently: "Nan is just an aide in the office of Mr. Jia's mansion."

The despair in Zhao Siqiang's heart was even worse: a staff member under Jia Fang's command without any official position was actually strong enough for this.What was he doing in the first place? He insisted on making trouble with Jia Fang and Yuan Hua.

"Old Zhao, I will invite you to the county government office today. There are many things that need to be clarified in class." Master Li continued in embarrassment.

Zhao Siqiang suddenly became angry again: "So Master Yuan asked me to interrogate Zhao Siqiang?"

Master Li shook his head: "It's not called an arraignment now, it's called... a public trial!"

public trial?Zhao Siqiang was stunned for a moment, and suddenly remembered the last time the Liu family, Liu Shihan and Liu Shilin brothers were "publicly tried" - at that time, he was watching from below, seeing with his own eyes that the Liu family brothers refused to recruit the Zhao family, hoping that the Zhao family would be able to do so in the future. Bao Liu Jiayi Bao.

How ridiculous, now it's finally the Zhao family's turn... Who can the Zhao family ask?

Zhao Siqiang clenched his fists suddenly, he is a master in the Gongmen, and his tracking and concealment skills are among the best, so he may not be able to escape from here.

Unexpectedly, Nan Yongqian only took a step forward, Zhao Siqiang knew that he had no hope, sighed, stretched out his hands, and let the yamen servant brought by Master Li put the wooden shackles on his wrists.

As a result, Zhao Siqiang became the second group of "former" Gongmen in Wuyuan County to be sent to the court. The crime he committed was so serious that everyone was angry.As soon as the news came out, countless people flocked to the county government to attend the public trial.The servants of the county government shouted "Quiet" countless times, and rang the gong several times, and finally made the people in front of the county government quietly listen to the trial.

Most of the people in Wuyuan County were trapped in the city and suffered for several days.Even at this moment, there are bandits surrounding the city, staring at them and refusing to retreat.Under such pressure, Zhao Siqiang naturally became the target of public criticism.If the county government hadn't stopped him, Zhao Siqiang would have been crushed to death by bricks and stones thrown by the people.

Yuan Hua, the magistrate of Wuyuan County, started the trial under such huge "pressure".He kept in mind Jia Fang's request to him through the special case team: the case can only be finalized if the evidence is solid, and the punishment according to the law can win the hearts of the people.

Therefore, the first crime brought up in the public trial hall was contacting bandits.

Yuan Hua showed the letters he had found from the side branch of Zhao's house outside the city, including the letter about "Tonghuan Sanliu".

As soon as they heard the words "Bronze Ring Three Six", the people exploded.In their eyes, as long as it has something to do with the words "Bronze Ring Three Six", it must be a "bandit".

Yuan Hua slapped the gavel and said loudly: "Prisoners have the right to confess to themselves. In this hall, if a prisoner denies confession, others have no right to convict others at will."

The voices of the common people suddenly became quieter, but many people thought, why does Master Yuan want to speak for this surnamed Zhao? Is it really because of the friendship of colleagues in the past that he wants officials to protect each other?

I just heard that Zhao Siqiang laughed in the hall and said: "Everyone knows that I am old Zhao. I don't know a lot of Chinese characters, and I haven't even passed the 'diploma'. The county magistrate uses this letter to testify against me. Isn't it too much?" Look up to me?"

Yuan Hua said calmly: "The common character test in the 'diploma' only needs to recognize a thousand characters. It usually takes about three years for children to receive literacy education to acquire all the common characters. Adults only need half a year for surprise learning. It can even take a few months to pass the test...so how can I know that you didn't recognize these characters in private?"

The people below were a little bit moved after hearing this, but they didn't know that the words of the county lord were meant for them.

"...But since you don't believe that this letter is related to you, then come and listen to what the person who wrote this letter has to say."

Yuan Hua patted the gavel, ignored Zhao Siqiang's astonished eyes, and invited the Zhao family who lived outside Wuyuan County to come out, and then explained in detail how Zhao Siqiang sent people to deliver the message. How to get rid of their contact with the bandits in other states and counties, and how to set a date for the bandits to "go down the mountain".

Zhao Siqiang was so shocked, it was naturally because the branch of the Zhao family lived in a place that was not even within the jurisdiction of Wuyuan County.If Wuyuan County relied on itself, there would be no way to "invite" this family.

In addition, he kept in touch with the other party, until the bandits killed Wu Yuan City, the two sides broke off contact for a short time.All the previous communications were normal. Who would have imagined that the Zhao family had already been invited here by Wuyuan County without anyone noticing.

When it was heard that these bandits were recruited by Zhao Siqiang by writing a letter, the people guarding outside the county government became angry again.In the turmoil of the crowd, Yuan Hua had no choice but to spend some time to maintain order, emphasizing that everyone should listen patiently, and all the bad deeds of the Zhao family will definitely be brought to light.This is better outside the lobby.

The evidence of Zhao Siqiang's "collaboration with the bandits" is conclusive. Although he himself denied it, the county lord put the matter aside for the time being and turned to the trial of the Zhao family's "spreading rumors" in the city.

One by one the children of the Zhao family were escorted up, and honestly explained how they spread rumors in the city, instigated the people to rush to the county government, rob Mr. Yuan Hua, and "dedicate" it to the bandits, so as to keep Wuyuan County safe.

During the trial, Yuan Hua, the magistrate of the county, had a rare moment of humor, and said: "You can even say such rumors. I am not a peerless beauty. I am afraid that you will be dismissive if you donate it to bandits."

The people were all happy immediately, and there was a lot of laughter in the hall.Ever since the bandits broke out in the south, the atmosphere in the county has been tense, and there was a rare moment of relaxation. Everyone laughed and imagined the always upright and solemn Master Yuan Hua as a peerless beauty out of thin air.

But Zhao Siqiang couldn't laugh - these Zhao family children were all released by him, but most of these people had disappeared for a few days, but he was too busy planning last night's "big event" and had no time to take care of it.

Or maybe he didn't care at all.Anyway, they are not direct descendants, and all of them are chess pieces that are only used once, and thrown away as soon as they are used.

But if he had been able to ask about the whereabouts of these children one day earlier, he might have found that they had already been targeted, and the county had already targeted the Zhao family.

If he had discovered this earlier, he would have to stop his horse from the brink, or make things worse—he would never have ended up in the current situation.

But now it was too late for him to regret it, because the county magistrate Yuan Hua passed on the witness to the court, and the witness was Zhao Siqing who went to the south gate to defend the upper city last night.

Once Zhao Siqing went to the court, he was like pouring beans, explaining all the tasks he received yesterday, including bewitching the guards in the city with medicine and wine, and then setting up a rope ladder to pick up the bandits. They went to open the south gate together, welcomed a large number of bandits into Wuyuan County, set fire, burned, killed, robbed...

This once again caused public outrage, and even the county magistrate Yuan Hua barely managed to stop the agitated people.The yamen servants held water and fire sticks to stop them, but one slipped through the net and rushed straight into the hall of the county yamen, grabbed Zhao Siqiang and bit them desperately. With marks and teeth marks, he was almost bitten off a piece of flesh from his face.

But Zhao Siqiang's face was covered with blood, but he turned his head and glared, staring at Zhao Siqing without blinking, as if asking: You coward, how dare you... how dare you betray the Zhao family?

Under Zhao Siqiang's prestige, Zhao Siqing suddenly flinched, realizing that he had sold out the head of the Zhao family, and a look of panic suddenly appeared on his face.

But Zhao Siqing immediately calmed down and looked at Zhao Siqiang calmly: "Brother Patriarch, I understand now that you have been firmly holding that position, but in fact it is only for the children of your direct branch. The lives of us are in your eyes Here, I’m afraid they are all like grass.”

"I understand this, so naturally it is impossible to work for you again."

"Master Yi Ran said that I am a tainted witness, and I have no blood on my hands, so I can make amends. My wife has been picked up from the Zhao family now, and 'Dicui Pavilion' will guarantee my family peace."

Zhao Siqing spoke extremely smoothly, it should be because he believed in what he said.

And Zhao Siqiang almost wanted to vomit blood: this Zhao Siqing was the most powerful person around him, and he never regarded Zhao Siqing as a chess piece—although he never regarded Zhao Siqing as a direct descendant.

Zhao Siqing only left the Zhao family for one night, and all the respect and trust he had in him before disappeared without a trace.

What exactly is "Dicui Pavilion"?What kind of magical power does the other party have that can completely change a person's mentality in such a short period of time.Zhao Siqiang really couldn't figure it out.

But as soon as he turned his head, he saw two brothers Liu Shihan and Liu Shilin kneeling in the hall, and they suddenly gave birth to sympathy--wasn't the Liu family also sold by their own children who were dissatisfied with the direct branch?

When the Patriarch of the Zhao family thought of this, he burst out laughing and said, "I understand, the magistrate of the county, who dared to settle the case with your county, relied on instigating the dissatisfaction of the direct branch and the side branch, and took advantage of the dissatisfaction of the side branch, fabricating evidence, and framed the case. branch--"

His face was covered with blood, but he laughed loudly. This appearance looked extremely terrifying.

Yuan Hua, the county magistrate, was not angry at all, and said slowly: "From the perspective of this county, every branch of each family is qualified to extend its descendants and establish a family business. Each of them is their own direct branch, so where does it come from?" What is the difference between the direct branch and the side branch?"

What I said, the common people listening in the hall, as long as they belong to the side branch, feel comfortable in their hearts, thinking that the county magistrate has a level of speech.The direct branch is somewhat unhappy, but in this situation, who can take care of the other branch's affairs, it would be good to take care of their own.

What Yuan Hua said today, together with the policies of Taoyuan Village, will further promote the development of the family structure in Wuyuan County from extended family to nuclear family in the future, but in this lobby, no one can imagine that far-reaching.

At this time, a county official came and whispered something in the county magistrate's ear.Yuan Hua slapped the gavel immediately, and shouted: "Okay, Zhao Siqiang—nearly [-] shi of grain were confiscated from the Zhao family's family. Your Zhao family had already made up their minds, whether Wuyuan County was besieged and ran out of food, or Bandits have entered the city, and your Zhao family can live behind closed doors, relying on these grains, you may be able to support it for a year or so. It's a pity that your Zhao family is wrong."

Saying that, Yuan Hua stood up and said loudly: "I announce that all the food stored in Zhao's house will be confiscated and put into the county treasury. People who have no food can come to the county treasury every day to receive rations!"

This time, there was thunderous cheers in front of the county government, the Zhao family fell down, and everyone was full. The four thousand shi of grain was enough to support the people in Wuyuan County for several days.

Amidst the jubilation, Zhao Siqiang's face was covered with blood, but his back molars were grinding to a rattling sound.

Suddenly, Zhao Siqiang looked up to the sky and laughed loudly: "Four thousand stones, four thousand stones, hahaha..."

The cheers in the hall gradually died down, leaving only Zhao Siqiang's laughter echoing in the Wuyuan County Yamen.Everyone was baffled and didn't understand what Zhao Siqiang was laughing at.

"Hahaha, I said the county magistrate, the county magistrate, don't you understand even today?"

Amidst Zhao Siqiang's laughter, the county magistrate Yuan Hua's face turned green.

"Do you think that this banditry was really caused by my Zhao family? The county magistrate, the root cause is still on you, on the Lord Jiedushi behind you."

"With this banditry together, it is impossible to stop..."

"What can four thousand shi of grain do?"

"When the city is broken, you, and the poor people in the hall, will be the same as my Zhao family, hahahaha..."