Ding Tian's Ancient Life

The old Ma's family really spent a lot of money.

The dowry alone is 86 liters, the most in common people's homes, and there are 5000 taels of silver at the bottom of the box, and [-] pieces of silk and satin each!

There are also two shops, three carriages, six dowry maids, and four servants.

There were also a few boxes left over, and the whole city was a sensation.

Ding Tian also saw the groom, Guan'er, a very handsome young man with a happy face... a bit reluctant.

This is not willing to get married?

Ding Tian was patted on the shoulder, Ding Tian turned his head to look: "Why are you here?"

Ding Tian can use the respectful address "You" to Prefect Du, that's because Prefect Du is much older than him at first glance, and has a close friendship with the original owner's father, and fought side by side, so he must respect it.

But with Wang Zuo...he didn't respect him a bit.

Probably because there is only a four-year age difference between the two of them. He has seen this Quanguo before, and he ordered him to take a bath, so... If you want to talk about fear, it is gone now, only the same generation On the subject, and this person just ate the vegetable cake he made yesterday, and he was picky about how hot he baked it, and it was all mushy.

He still eats five or six sheets if it's mushy... If it's not mushy, does he still have anything to eat?

"Come and see the fun." Wang Zuo stood beside him.

Ding Tian is currently wearing a short dress, but the material is good, and it looks like a rich man's clothes for the convenience of movement.

Look at Wang Zuo again.

Needless to say what he is wearing, just looking at the young man's appearance and his bearing, it is not something that ordinary people can support, not to mention that Wang Zuo has at least thirty people around him, all of them are tall and powerful. , surrounded him in casual clothes, now including Ding Tian.

"What are you watching? You don't know anyone." Ding Tian looked at Wang Zuo's expression: "Besides, you don't look like you are here to watch the excitement."

"What does that look like?" Wang Zuo looked around and found that many people were looking at the guy on the horse with envy.

"It seems that someone owes you [-] yuan, and you are here to collect the debt." Ding Tian curled his lips and pointed around: "The kind that also brings its own thugs, and if they don't have money, they will drag other people's wives and daughters to cover their debts and leave... .”

It made Wang Zuo seem like a big bastard.

"I would like to... But, now is not the time." Wang Zuo was not unhappy, and he was also a little curious. When he was in Beijing before, he had seen married women, but not on such a small scale, obviously not many The dowry, these ordinary people are very envious.

Ding Tian originally wanted to ask: Then when is the time?

The running water banquet over there has already started, so Ding Tian no longer has that leisurely mind, and squeezed forward: "I'm going to eat the flowing water banquet, do you want to go?"

In fact, he did it on purpose, because he was sure that Wang Zuo would not eat it!

As a result, Wang Zuo squeezed forward with him: "Come and sit with you."

Then Wang Zuo's guards got excited... Who can overwhelm this group of them?

Ding Tian was escorted by them smoothly, occupying a table... There are ten people at a table, whichever is "perfect"

meaning.

Ding Tian occupied a table, and there were Wang Zuo, Wang Fugui, Liu Wenbin, and six guards. The other guards occupied the tables on both sides of the table, and they sat quite close to each other. But after the food was served, they Ding Tian ate happily alone.

This is not right!

"If you don't eat, there is a problem at first glance!" Ding Tian pointed at them and said, "Eat, this flowing water table is made from a big pot of vegetables, if you don't eat it, you won't eat it!"

There was no way, it was really strange not to eat, so everyone started to eat, only two guards did not eat, Wang Zuo did not eat, Liu Wenbin took two bites, said the taste was good, and it was over.

Wang Fugui ate a chicken drumstick and stopped eating it: "It's too greasy and a bit salty."

"If it's not salty, it's not tasty enough!" Ding Tian ate it happily: "If you don't eat it, I'll eat it!"

He was full after eating half a roast chicken, because he ate it with steamed buns, so he was full naturally, but he also ate two.

Among other dishes, the cold dishes are particularly refreshing, probably because they are greasy.

Across the two tables are Ma Laoliu's family, Mrs. Jin's grandfather and grandson, Zhao Laosi came, Zhao Zhang did not come, and did not let the children come.

It is understandable that Ding Tian asked Mrs. Zhao and Zhang to take a day off to cook some food at home and spend a quiet day with the children.

Zhao Laosi eats chicken like he cannibalizes people, his simple and honest face has long since disappeared, and he looks fierce as if looking for bad luck, but for the first time, Ma's running water table opened 66 tables, so many people, they deliberately I found a secluded place, so I didn't attract anyone's attention. After all, the people who come here to eat the flowing water banquet are basically ordinary people.

It's not worth the Ma family's distraction to care about these unimportant idlers on this important and long-faced day.

On this day, the Ma family is full of vigor.

To the prefect Du who came to congratulate him, although he greeted him with a smile, his attitude was thought-provoking; the congratulatory rituals of the prefect Du were also very simple, two bolts of red silk, six taels of silver as a gift, that's all.

Master Du, who came with him, took two liang of silver for the happy money, and then, as if he was afraid of losing money, he kept picking up vegetables during the meal, as if he was so hungry, and wanted to put the "happy money" The posture of eating back.

The wedding banquet they eat is of course different from the flowing water banquet outside. The flowing water banquet has four dishes and one steamed bun. Their wedding banquet has eight dishes, plus one soup, and one staple food. The staple food is jujube steamed buns.

Because this steamed bun is red, it is more festive.

It's just that the behavior of the guests is not festive at all!

Ding Tian was alone. He had eaten and drank enough and returned home with a belly full. After walking for so long in the middle of the day, he was sweating all over. The water was laid out in the morning and placed in the yard to dry. It will be hot now, take a shower, change clothes, lie on the mat, and when the breeze blows... he fell asleep.

The family came back one after another, and they were not empty-handed. They either carried a small cloth bag with white steamed buns on the running water mat, or a kraft paper bag with roast chicken inside, except that a leg was missing. Son, the one missing a wing.

They were all packed and brought back from the flowing water mat... Well, after warming up at night, eat as usual.

This is the frugal virtue of Lao Ding's family.

The next day Ding Tian had breakfast, but Wang Zuo didn't come. After Ding Tian went on business, he heard someone beating drums ahead.

In the ancient case-handling procedures, this "beating the drum to complain" is the first step.

Beating the drum to raise the hall is a form of the ancient litigation system.

That is to say, if the public is in an emergency and cannot write a complaint in time, they will go to the gate of the county government to beat drums and complain. The lobby has been determined by the government since the actual report.

It's a bit like when you go to a hospital, you don't need to wait for registration in the emergency department, and patients can go to the doctor directly. It's for convenience, and for some unexpected reasons, this convenience is given.

Drumming was originally used to announce the dismissal of the hall officials. The hall officials are the chief officials sitting in the hall, such as county magistrates, such as prefects. In the previous dynasty, that is, in the Ming Dynasty, they came down as an emergency and could not write a complaint. The people complained about their grievances and used it.

Otherwise, if ordinary people want to file a lawsuit, they must first submit a certificate.

If the ancient yamen needed the chief officer to handle the case, they would order the officer to beat the drum, and then bring the plaintiff and defendant to the main hall for interrogation and judgment.

That is to say, it is generally not so fierce to "beat the drums to complain", but all the cases that can "beat the drums to complain" are major and important cases.

This early in the morning, just as I was on a business trip, I took a sip of the first cup of tea... I didn't even eat the mung bean cake, so someone beat the drums

The whole government office started to move, and everyone ran to the third hall with serious faces. This is a big deal!

How many years has no one in the government office "beat the drums to complain"?

"The last time someone played drums, it was three years ago. As a result, the guy who played the drums was directly beaten by the prefect at that time. The [-]th squad was directly beaten. He didn't ask the case, and he disappeared..." Old Zheng uncle said Walking towards the third hall, he said to Ding Tian, ​​"I don't know what the case is this time."

"It must be a big case if you can beat the drum and complain." Ding Tian also chatted with Old Uncle Zheng as they walked, "Are the four in the prison okay?"

"Well, to be honest, I have to squat for two years, and now I am clean and working every day, and I can enjoy myself." Old Uncle Zheng was also very emotional. If someone else was in charge of the cell, the four would probably have to be locked up. People stepped into the mud.

Although I am working every day, I eat well, dress well, and work is not very tiring. What else is there to worry about?

There is even a chance to take a shower every day, because it is hot in summer, the yard is exposed to the sun, and the prison guards use it for showering, which is not bad

The four of them rushed together.

This day, Old Uncle Zheng never dared to dream about it before!

The two of them were talking, and they arrived at the third hall. They were from the prison side, and it was not convenient for them to stand in the hall, so they gathered around outside to listen to the case, which was okay.

The master is about to come out, and there are already yamen servants standing on shift, shouting "mighty".

There are two people kneeling in the hall, one is wearing more expensive silk clothes, the other is wearing ordinary linen shorts.

Both of them were kneeling, proving that no one has a reputation, otherwise they should stand.

As soon as Prefect Du came over, he frowned when he saw the two of them. He was followed by Master Du, and when he saw that the magistrate had already sat down, he stood beside him, and yelled rather pretentiously: "Who is the plaintiff? Report your name! Who is the defendant? What is the complaint? Tell me everything!"

Who knew that the guy in luxurious clothes was the first to speak, pointing to the man in short clothes, he said: "My lord, the youngest Xu, the peasant, sue this third son for stealing my farm cattle!"

"My lord, my lord!" Zhang San'er quit: "My lord, the grass people didn't steal his family's farm cattle, it was he who gambled and lost to the grass.

The farmer is willing to bring a farm ox to pay off the gambling debt, but the cow was brought in for one night and disappeared the next day. My lord, the grass people want to report to the police, and the farm cattle of the grass people are lost!The grass people suspect that Xu Laosan stole it! "

Zhang Saner, the defendant, became the plaintiff, and Xu Laosan quit. The two knelt in the hall and cried out for injustice. They were both defendants and plaintiffs.

Ding Tian's eyes widened: "I didn't see it, this person is honest and has a good tongue."

"Zhang San'er, a well-known old man, lives by gambling every day. The land at home is rented out, and he doesn't work in the fields. He only has an old house. He looks simple and honest, and he relies on this With a simple and honest face, I don’t know how many people have been cheated. That youngest Xu is a wealthy family who migrated from other places. I became a small landlord, and I thought that the men in the three Northeast prefectures were all poor ghosts, and they yelled and drank six times a day, which made people angry. This time, it’s okay, and Zhang Laosan was tricked into the pit..." The old man Uncle Zheng is really the encyclopedia of Beifeng Mansion. He knows everything.

But the two people in the hall accused each other of being cattle thieves and themselves as victims.

In the end, Prefect Du slapped the gavel, and both of them shut up: "Since you both blamed each other, then both of you were accused

They are also the plaintiffs, and they are temporarily put in prison. I will ask someone to investigate, who is the owner of this cow! "

The two snorted unconvinced at each other, but Prefect Du left the two of them to Ding Tian's care: "Temporarily put them in custody and wait for the follow-up investigation."

"Yes, my lord!"