Survival countdown

How to let others move first?

Zhao Baiyu was thinking to himself, and the dark guard breathed lightly, fearing that the loud voice would scare away Mr. Zhao's ideas.

After clapping his hands, Zhao Baiyu stood up and said, "I'm hungry."

Wei Bo: "Let's go eat first."

Dark Guard: "..."

Yan Bing had already entered the room, followed by the servants who brought in the dishes, and quickly spread out the dining table for Zhao Baiyu to sit down and fill his stomach.

"I can't finish things. I should rest and have a meal." Yan Bing said while scooping up the soup, "Well...today's soup is a bit salty, did you put too much salt?"

Salt?

Zhao Baiyu: "Speaking of which, was the salt smuggling case last year closed?"

Yan Bing raised his hand: "I know about this, Fang Xingwen was sentenced to exile for three thousand miles."

"As soon as the case is settled, Shanqian should lead his troops to leave Hongzhou. Once he leaves, the stage that has been set up will lose a corner. We have to find a way to keep him."

His eyes glanced at Yan Bing, and he found that his stature has grown recently, his face has grown, and he has a bit of temperament. He changed his clothes and thought he was some scholar who was preparing for the exam.

Zhao Baiyu was thoughtful: "You don't know the imperial envoy, and the imperial envoy has never seen you, but Zhao Chongjin has seen you."

Yan Bing was full of question marks.

Zhao Baiyu smiled, and knocked on the edge of the bowl with his index finger: "I'll invite a tailor to come this afternoon and make clothes for you."

Yan Bing was confused: "I just made two summer clothes, enough to wear."

Zhao Baiyu: "A man depends on his clothes, and he still has to dress up."

After finishing speaking, he buried his head in his meal with a smile, but Yan Bing was at a loss.

***

Zhao Baiyu didn't really want to have too much contact with the Zhao family, but this matter required Zhao Chongjin's help, so he had to pay a visit. He thought he wouldn't get a quick response, but unexpectedly, the people in Zhao Chongjin's house were very kind to pull him in. Zhao Chongjin also hurried back.

"It's my abruptness to visit, you don't have to worry about me taking the opportunity to provoke you."

Zhao Chongjin's face turned ugly in an instant, "I'm not afraid of your revenge... I'm not guessing that you are narrow-minded—" Some words were hard to say, seeing Zhao Baiyu's puzzled expression, Zhao Chongjin was flustered and sour, and smiled wryly He wiped his face and said, "It's nothing, why are you looking for me?"

Zhao Baiyu: "You told me before that Fang Xingwen robbed a salt well in Jizhou and killed the original owner of the salt well, leaving only a wronged little daughter-in-law...Can you tell me her name?"

Zhao Chongjin frowned: "What do you want to do? If you want to save people, it doesn't matter. I'm afraid it will be very difficult to save people from the salt field. Besides, you are too conspicuous now, and you will be extra vigilant and vigilant in every move. But if you reveal something that you want to save Humanly speaking, the little daughter-in-law may die of illness overnight. I have been stationed in Liangjiang for two or three years, and I am not as good at investigating cases and handling errands as you are, and you are not as good as me in terms of connections. "

Zhao Baiyu frowned and looked at Zhao Chongjin suspiciously, wondering why he was so attentive all of a sudden.

"It's too troublesome. I have no relatives and no reason... If you are involved, a certain conscience will not be at ease."

The four words 'no relatives, no reason' are a blunt knife inserted into people's hearts, sharpened slowly, and the pain is unbearable. Zhao Chongjin couldn't even make a wry smile, so he just lowered his head and said: "Don't be embarrassed, I have it too." Selfish."

Zhao Baiyu thought about it, if Zhao Chongjin really chooses the sixth prince to stand in line, the more chaotic the officialdom in Liangjiang, the more beneficial it will be for him, so he can understand his overly attentive attitude.

"I really want to save the little daughter-in-law and want her to come to Hongzhou."

"Let her come to Hongzhou... Do you want her to sue Fang Xingwen or the government?"

Zhao Baiyu was a little surprised by Zhao Chongjin's keen insight. He pursed his lips and said nothing, which was tantamount to acquiescing. Anyway, any lie can't be hidden from a smart person, so why bother.

"It's not easy for the people to sue the officials. I think your purpose should not only be to help the little daughter-in-law of the salt field, but you want to use this to tear apart the officialdom in Liangjiang? The case is mainly aimed at the Gan merchants and Princess Changping. The officials in Liangjiang, including the 38 governments of the four surrounding provinces, who have received money will be more afraid. Once you avenge the people and let the people sue the officials, then most of the officials in the south of the Yangtze River will turn their heads against you, even if you really clean up the darkness in Liangjiang's officialdom, it will be difficult to move forward in the officialdom in the future."

Zhao Chongjin persuaded earnestly: "An official is a gourd connected by a vine. Although the two rivers are far away from the capital, they are actually closely related and closely related. No official in this world dares to raise his hand in front of the gods of heaven and earth. He has a clear conscience. An official with a bad conscience will definitely target an official like you, because you are on the opposite side of them, and you threaten their wealth and life."

Zhao Baiyu: "I don't intend to be an enemy of all the officials, you can rest assured. When I served as an imperial envoy to Huainan, didn't I also think of bloodshed?"

Thinking about Huainan's officialdom, Zhao Chongjin finally felt a little more at ease, but he still hoped that Zhao Baiyu would not take too many risks.

"The people have a grievance, and they should appeal for their grievances. Didn't the imperial envoys go to Liangjiang? Hunting on behalf of the sky, pleading for the people, and now the sharp knife that can tear apart Liangjiang's officialdom is in your hands. You should seize it in time to avoid missing the opportunity."

Zhao Chongjin looked up at Zhao Baiyu, "I understand. Leave it to me, and I'll tell the imperial envoy."

"When a person arrives, find a place to settle down first, and then let the rest take its course."

Neither the Sixth Prince nor Zhao Chongjin is a fool, his intentions are so clearly exposed.

Although they have the same goal, people's hearts are unpredictable, especially Tianhuang Guihua, who is arrogant and arrogant, and found that he might dig a hole and bury him when he found out that he was being used as a gunman.

Moreover, he was not sure what Emperor Yuanshou meant by sending the Sixth Prince to Liangjiang, whether the Sixth Prince's gaining power would threaten Huo Jingtang, everything had to be more cautious.

Knowing that Zhao Baiyu was guarding against him, Zhao Chongjin was not only not sad but very pleased. Walking in the officialdom should be like walking on thin ice to keep himself safe.

***

Jizhou Salt Field.

The supervisor of the saltworks collected the money and looked around: "After the third watch, go to a dog hole in the southeast to pick up people."

The person sent by Zhao Chongjin asked in a low voice: "If you lose someone, will anything happen?"

The inspector of the salt field waved his hand and said, "It's a big deal that someone dies every now and then in the salt field. What's more, Mrs. Yang was supposed to be a dead person. He happened to meet the Holy Lord and gave amnesty to the world. He was lucky to survive, but he was not grateful. Some time ago, I heard that the chairman of the salt merchant was arrested and imprisoned." , clamoring for being wronged, and wanting to overturn the case... Isn't this a joke? If she can overturn the case, wouldn't the county magistrate and magistrate who were wrongly sentenced before have to suffer? So they were beaten severely, and I don't know if they can survive -"

Having said this, the prison officer stopped talking immediately, for fear that the visitor would regret it when they heard that he was a dying person.

Fortunately, the man asked, "Officer, what did you just say?"

The supervisor of the saltworks laughed: "Remember, at midnight, the dog hole in the southeast direction."

People came to respond, and at midnight, I really saw people, but there was a small accident, that is, a little boy was beaten by an official to vomit blood and refused to leave the seriously injured Yang's side, and at this time the patrol team approached.

I had no choice but to give more money, and the two of them took it away together.

During the period, it took some time to treat Yang's injuries, but finally returned to Hongzhou Mansion smoothly, handed him over to Zhao Baiyu, and hid him in a private house not far from the Caosi Yamen.

Zhao Baiyu was stunned as soon as he entered, "Why are there two people?"

The hidden guard who was in charge of the joint inquired clearly, "The older one is the Yang family you are looking for, and the younger one, I heard that the family committed a crime, became a lowly citizen, and wandered from other places to the Jizhou Salt Field. Bless, love like a mother and child." He also talked about how Yang Shi was protected like a wolf cub when he was taken away. "Although he is young, he is a strong man."

Yang is only 24 years old, her hair is already half white, and she looks as old as a woman in her forties.

Her eyes were cloudy, and she said she was complaining about being wronged, and her heart was full of anger. When she was first sentenced to prison, she cried day and night, and almost blinded her eyes from crying.

At this time, she changed into clean clothes, and her demeanor was still the gentleness unique to southern women.

The children beside her have also washed and washed. They are about seven or eighteen years old. They are guarded by Yang's side. Their eyes are fierce and fierce, staring at Zhao Baiyu who entered the room.

Mrs. Yang: "The women pay their respects to your lord, thank you for saving your life."

Zhao Baiyu hurriedly helped him up: "Don't kneel down on me, don't kneel down on me, as soon as you kneel down on me, I'll panic." He helped him to the chair, thought for a while before asking: "Do you know what I'm doing?" Why did I save you?"

Yang: "I would like to hear the details."

Zhao Baiyu, however, was a little hesitant. Asking her to sue Fang Xingwen would be tantamount to setting off an old case, telling others that the murder of her husband was a huge unjust case of collusion between the government and businessmen, which would inevitably implicate the officials of Liangjiang, from the county magistrate to the commander-in-chief. No one would do anything to kill her.

It is impossible to escape the torture to extract a confession if a case is settled. Is it necessary for this poor woman to suffer another cruel and inhuman prison torture?

Zhao Baiyu remained silent for a long time, but Yang suddenly said, "Do you want me to beat the drums and sue Fang Xingwen?"

"you know?"

Yang: "The person who took care of me on the road said that I slipped my tongue."

Even though her eyes were cloudy, she still tried to capture Zhao Baiyu's figure. There were old wounds on her cheeks from being tortured to extort a confession, her mouth was crooked, and her voice was calm and depressed: "My lord, I was still in prison last year. When he was about to follow his family members who died in vain to sue in the underworld, someone told me that a person in Huainan was slaughtered as a white duck, and everyone from the county magistrate to the magistrate, to the third-rank and second-rank officials sentenced him The death penalty has already gone to the execution ground, but there is a Qingtian who rescued him from the executioner's knife and overturned the case for him... Do you know how envious I am? I look forward to it day and night, and I hope that Qingtian will also come to Liangjiang, I can also hear the grievances of the women, and I have come to avenge the grievances of the people."

The room was so silent that even a needle falling on the ground could be clearly heard.

Yang tried her best to open her eyes wide, as if she was looking for her parents who were looking forward to that day and night.

She asked, "My lord, is your surname Zhao?"

The voice is soft and full of hope, vulnerable but indestructible.

She asked: "My lord, are you Xiao Qingtian from Huainan?"

Zhao Baiyu whispered back to her: "My surname is Zhao, and I was an imperial envoy to Huainan."

Yang's expression was stunned, her eyes were wide open, and she could only see a shadowy world, and she could only see a figure standing in front of her with the light behind her back.

She stood up on the table, folded her palms solemnly and in awe, raised her hands above her head, and bowed deeply: "Woman, you have been wronged!"

Zhao Baiyu accepted this obeisance: "Where does the injustice come from? But it doesn't matter."

Then he glanced at the dark guard, the dark guard who had never accompanied Zhao Baiyu in a trial was suddenly blessed, and hurried outside to borrow paper, ink, pens and inkstones, and finally invited a teacher.

The teacher's face was cold and serious, his body was slim, his back was straight, and he had a goatee. He spread out a pen and paper to smear ink without saying a word.

The secret guard went to Zhao Baiyu and said, "Neighbor next door. I said I wanted to borrow pen and ink to help someone write complaints. After hearing this, he said that he used to help people write complaints. Come over to help... Will it delay the matter? Or drive away?"

The teacher who was being discussed looked at his nose, his nose, his nose, and his heart, as if he didn't realize it.

Zhao Baiyu looked back: "No need."

Yang opened his mouth to Chen Yuan: "Yang, a man from Jizhou, Jiangxi, on the fifth day of August in the 18th year of Yuanshou, sued Fang Xingwen, the chairman of the Hongzhou Salt Chamber of Commerce, for extortion, murder and silence..."

He was overjoyed to see Yanjing, murdered him, robbed him of his private property, falsely accused innocent people, colluded with corrupt officials, lynched Yang to extract a confession, tortured him into a trick, and made him suffer innocent injustice.However, the death penalty can be avoided, but the living crime cannot be escaped. He was imprisoned for two years and then sent to work in Yanjing.

The white bones have been wronged for five years, the gold is bought and turned around, and Dou E's blood is secretly gushing in the salt pond.

The pleading paper is less than two hundred, and every word is crying blood.

Yang covered his face and cried bitterly many times, and the hidden guard couldn't hide his anger, but the teacher was quite calm, with a steady hand, and his pen did not tremble.

Zhao Baiyu handed her the pleading paper: "If you are willing to believe me, I will do my best to rehabilitate you."

Yang: "The women of the people have no possessions and are alone. Why are they afraid of losing their trust?"

Zhao Baiyu: "You go and knock on the grievance drum at the magistrate's office in Hongzhou, hand over the pleadings, and ask questions anyway, as long as you remain silent."

Yang's: "Follow orders but be careful."

Zhao Baiyu: "Since ancient times, when a case is settled, it is bound to be lynched to extract a confession. Are you afraid?"

Yang has the firmness and calmness of never regretting death: "If I was afraid, I should have been slapped to death as early as when I was falsely imprisoned, and blood would be splashed in the court, and the conscience of those corrupt officials would be tortured! I would also ask the gods and Buddhas , why is the law of heaven unfair!"

"The imperial envoy is in Hongzhou at the moment, and the officials in the mansion are most afraid of making troubles at this juncture, and they dare not beat them easily. However, the officials and officials are defending each other, and Shangui is still in Hongzhou, and they may put pressure on the prefect of Hongzhou. You are the one who will take the blame Before overturning the case, you have to go back to the prison, and there are countless ways to make people die silently in prisons, which cannot be tested by others."

Yang: "Are women afraid? I refused to plead guilty during the first two years in prison. They pinched my fingers, broke my leg bones with a stick, and beat my mouth...My lord, have you ever heard of pressing a sack? ?”

Zhao Baiyu nodded.

He had worked in the Yamen of the Kyoto Prefecture, and of course he knew that this was the jailer's preferred method of killing people. They pressed sacks on the prisoner's body and restricted his breathing. Usually, within two or three hours, the prisoner would be breathless in his sleep, without any trauma at all.

"I was crushed through a sack, and almost drowned in a salt well. I narrowly escaped death until now. I am still alive, and God will give me justice!"

Yang smiled and cried.

Zhao Baiyu, the dark guard and the teacher all walked out of the courtyard in silence, and when they sent the teacher home, they asked him his name.

The teacher waved his hand: "Unknown, what are you doing here? Just do me a favor."

The dark guard watched the figure of the teacher disappear behind the green trees and white walls, and muttered, "Really so warm-hearted?"

"Perhaps justice is at ease." Zhao Baiyu told Yang to protect him with him if he goes to jail. "People are forced to die, and they can do anything. I can't let people really die in prison."

***

The grievance drum at the gate of Hongzhou magistrate's yamen was sounded early in the morning, and Guan Wenbin, who was sleeping soundly, was shocked to the bed, and hurriedly came to open the hall. At this time, a group of watching people gathered at the gate.

Snapped!

Guan Wenbin patted the gavel: "Who is under the hall to sue this official?"

Mrs. Yang submitted the paper, and Guan Wenbin was so frightened after reading the paper, he quickly winked for the teacher to see.The master read the ten lines at a glance, and was shocked.

After thinking for a while, Guan Wenbin grabbed the gavel and patted it down: "Bravely committing a crime, escaped from prison privately, and dare to sue for leave and disturb the court? Come on, pull down and beat twenty boards, put in prison, and choose another day Send it back to Jizhou!"

"Slow down." The master hurriedly grabbed Guan Wenbin and whispered a few words in his ear: "My lord, don't forget the imperial envoy's private visit, maybe in the crowd of onlookers under the hall."

Guan Wenbin was so frightened that he raised his head and looked at the crowd, and found that there were quite a few people with imposing appearances and cold faces, who looked like imperial envoys, and broke out in a cold sweat: "No more beatings, no more beatings." His voice was lowered , Asked the master: "If I remember correctly, this case is Tang Tixing, the former magistrate of Jizhou and the current Jiangxi criminal envoy, as well as the former criminal envoy, the current Guangdong appeasement envoy, and the Shanshuai envoy. Which case can I afford?"

Master: "Oh, my lord! This is a case in Jizhou, what are you taking from yourself! Put him in prison temporarily, and write a letter to the prefect of Jizhou to let him take over the case. How should the sentence be, will it be possible?" Offending people is all his business."

Guan Wenbin was overjoyed: "It makes sense."

They interrogated Mrs. Yang according to the procedures, but Mrs. Yang kept silent. Guan Wenbin was so angry that he wanted to hit her several times, but was stopped by the master, saying that it was a good thing for her to keep silent, and he would not be implicated in the outcome of the case. body came.

Guan Wenbin lost his temper and ordered Yang to be imprisoned and hastily left.

***

"Corrupt officials, it's just as Goro said, a nest of snakes and rats, it's impossible to take care of this unjust case."

Huo Zhaowen, who was pretending to be an ordinary wealthy businessman, was going to turn around and leave, but when he heard this sentence, he lost interest and stopped the person to ask: "Little brother seems to have a different opinion on this case?"

The person who was also hiding in the crowd watching was Yan Bing. He was wearing a shirt today and dressed as a scholar. People who didn't know the details thought he was a young man from some family who came to watch the excitement after school.

"Who are you?" Yan Bing was quite vigilant.

Huo Zhaowen: "I'm from Dingzhou."

"To do business?" Yan Bing suddenly realized: "You are Beishang!"

Huo Zhaowen smiled, taking it as acquiescence, and brought up his opinion on the case just now.

Yan Bing spat at the gate of the magistrate's yamen, turned his head and said to him: "I will be a good person today, and I advise you, if it is not necessary, don't deal with these dog officials, lest one day you will be eaten to the bone. Not left."

Huo Zhaowen: "I'm new here, I really don't understand the situation here, so please enlighten me."

Yan Bing looked at Huo Zhaowen, hesitated for a moment and said: "Well, you should be a good person because of your good looks. Let's put it bluntly, do you know that the president of the Salt Gang was arrested in the case of smuggling salt? I heard that the smuggling of water transport was detained for [-] years. Is it the cargo of the ship?"

Huo Zhaowen: "Aren't the cases closed?"

"That's the tip of the iceberg! The water in these two rivers is very deep. Someone tried to stir it into it, and it took a lot of effort to stir up a small vortex, let alone turn the river and the sea." Yan Bing said pretending to be profound. In the end, he still didn't hold back and told the truth: "Just now that Mrs. Yang sued the case of murdering her husband in Yanjing, Jizhou five years ago, which is actually a serious case of injustice!"

Huo Zhaowen knew about the strange case of Yanjing in Jizhou: "Since it's a strange injustice, and now I'm suing the officials, it's fair for me to take care of Wenbin's work. How come you have become a nest of snakes and rats?"

"Which officials are not colluding? Let me tell you, this case cannot be overturned. Let me tell you again, Yang will be sent back to Jizhou in a short time."

Huo Zhaowen: "According to the law, it should be sent back to Jizhou for interrogation."

"When we arrive in Jizhou, it's uncertain whether Mrs. Yang will live or die."

Huo Zhaowen showed an angry look: "Do you still dare to kill people to silence them? The imperial envoys are watching them."

"So what? After all, the imperial envoy is just a foreign goose, which can beat local snakes? Moreover, the imperial envoy is making a lot of fanfare, but at the same time he does not show his face. Fool it-"

"presumptuous!"

"Hey? Why are you angry? It's not about you."

Huo Zhaowen: "...I mean, corruption is rampant in the officialdom, it's unavoidable."

Yan Bing shrugged: "Anyway, our Wulang saw it clearly and didn't want to get involved in the muddy water. It's a pity that Mrs. Yang will die unjustly in prison sooner or later. The case that can uproot Liangjiang's officialdom will be destroyed and wiped out."

Huo Zhaowen's face was gloomy, and there was anger in his heart, and he also felt contemptuous of Yan Bing, a scholar who was short-sighted and ignorant of good and bad.

Yan Bing waved his hands and walked forward, parting ways very simply.

Zhao Chongjin on the other side came to Huo Zhaowen, and saw Yan Bing turn his back quickly from a distance.

Huo Zhaowen: "You know him?"

Zhao Chongjin: "The book boy next to Zhao Baiyu treats him like a younger brother, and is going to send him to the scientific examination."

Zhao Baiyu?

Thinking of what Yanbing said just now, Huo Zhaowen immediately understood: "It seems that Zhao Baiyu also knows about this case, but he shrinks his hands and dare not take any more risks." It's time to go to fight the grass to scare the snake, and he should have seized the case that was going to kill him, but he retreated instead?"

Zhao Chongjin knew that Zhao Baiyu had taken the initiative to take over the unjust case of Yanjing in Jizhou, but he subconsciously concealed it, and only said: "Zhao Baiyu doesn't seem to have a character that would shrink back."

Huo Zhaowen: "The grain merchants went on strike and there was no way to buy grain. Although it was resolved, it still hurt him and let him know that he was afraid. Besides, there is Changping here. I guess it is because of this family relationship."

When Changping was mentioned, Zhao Chongjin felt disgusted, and even reduced his loyalty to Huo Zhaowen.

"Since you treat him like your own brother, you may know more about the inside story of Liangjiang's officialdom." Huo Zhaowen stepped forward, "Go, go and make friends with him."

***

At the tea stall in the bazaar full of fireworks, Zhao Baiyu carried Huo Zhaowen and others who hurried past him on his back, drank tea with a smile, and said to Wei Bo, "I'm hooked."

Wei Bo: "The imperial envoy noticed the case, which is one step closer to cleaning up Liangjiang's officialdom."

Zhao Baiyu: "Yan Bingxing, you are not afraid in the face of danger, and you can scare people with your boastful talk."

After drinking tea and throwing down the copper coins, Zhao Baiyu and Wei Bo left the downtown area.

***

As soon as Guan Wenbin sat down to catch his breath, someone from Tang Tixing came to him and asked him about the details of the unjust case in Yanjing, Jizhou.

Guan Wenbin pretended to be in a dilemma, and he hesitated for a while before saying that the case was not under his control.

Unexpectedly, the person sent by Tang Tixing said directly: "You must take care of this case."

Guan Wenbin was stunned: "Why? Can you tell me the reason for the dismissal?"

"The current prefect of Jizhou doesn't know what is good or bad. Last year, he proposed to reverse the case, but was dismissed by Tang Tixing. If it is sent back to Jizhou, the situation may get out of control." It must not be an injustice!"

Guan Wenbin moved his lips: "Yeah, but people come to me to sue, and according to the law, they have to interrogate... and the imperial envoy is still in the mansion, so maybe he will just watch how the officer handles the case. If there is something wrong with it, he will die Isn't it me?"

"If Tang Tixing, Shan Shuaishi and others are involved in the case, you will indeed die."

Guan Wenbin was so frightened that he swallowed his saliva, his face was full of bitterness, and he couldn't get off the tiger for a while.

"Could it be that there has never been an unjust, false or wrongful case in the hands of Mr. Guan? Did you kill someone?"

Guan Wenbin's expression was embarrassing, and he didn't dare to categorically deny it.

"Presumably, there are many deadly methods in the prison where the adults are in charge."

--------------------

The author has something to say:

Sue the officer: what do you want to sue me?

(But now it seems to have another meaning, that is: Why did you sue me? I personally prefer this meaning, which has a kind of absurd drama.)