The next morning, the magpies chirped in the branches, and the morning light reflected obliquely from the high wall of the courtyard, illuminating the courtyard with warm colors.

In the wing room, Liu Ming wanted to cover his head and continue to sleep for a while as usual, but when he thought that he had promised He Zhixian to listen in the public court today, his heart was cold, and he suddenly fell asleep, and jumped up to prepare to wear clothes and hats.

Next to the bed was a set of light gray straight Zhuzi deep clothes sent by He Zhixian yesterday. After putting it on, Liu Ming looked at himself in front of the bronze mirror, and found that he suddenly lost a little greenness and more old-fashioned maturity, quite like a county scrivener.

After taking a sip of a bowl of steaming millet porridge, his stomach warmed up, he cleaned up a little, and then went out to run to the county office.

This Fei County Government is not as brilliant and majestic as later generations imagined, on the contrary, it looks dilapidated and old. Because the officialdom of the Great Song Dynasty did not have a stable fund for the maintenance of the county government, every time the lower-level officials had to report to the higher-level officials before they could allocate funds, but if the reports were too much, the higher-level officials would be left with the impression of "extravagance", which would affect the performance evaluation. Therefore, after a long time, everyone tacitly did not go to repair the government, and the dignified officials of the imperial court were willing to work in this county government that was as old as a warehouse.

There are three arches outside the yamen, a loyal and honest square in the front, a pastoral love square across the street in the east and west, there are two or three layers of roofs, there are diagonally bracing pillars on both sides, tall and magnificent.

Bypassing the Holy Oracle Pavilion in the center of the county government square, we came to the gate guarded by the stone lions, and the gate was already crowded with ordinary people watching the verdict, and the line dragged on for a long time until the end of the street.

"Young Master Liu......"

"Liu Xiaoxianggong ...... early"

In this team, there were many people in the Liu Mansion who were free, and they rushed to greet Liu Ming and said, "Come, Young Master Liu, come to me, my position is relatively high." ”

"We'll be lined up here in two hours, if you go to the back, you won't necessarily be in the middle when the case is heard."

In the face of those enthusiastic subordinates, Liu Ming nodded slightly, and then walked to the two public officials at the door, took out the waist card in his arms to show the other party, and the two officers hurriedly politely stepped aside and asked Liu Ming to enter.

The lobby of the county government is located in the courtyard of the second entrance, and a fixed screen is used in the center of the lobby to block out a "warm pavilion" with three partitions and an open front. The screen is generally painted with a blue sky and a red sun. The floor of the warm pavilion is slightly higher than the floor of the lobby paved with blue bricks, and the floor is paved, and the chief's office and seat are placed in the center. There are four treasures of the study room on the official case, a red pen and an ink pen, which must be issued with a red pen when the county exercises power.

While Liu Ming was observing, the empty county government had already heard the sound of footsteps one after another, and eight officials with killing sticks came out one after another, chatting with each other enthusiastically about the flower wine they drank yesterday or the trivial things at home.

Then Yang Liwu and Master Wu walked out side by side.

"Lord Yang......" Liu Ming took the lead and walked to Yang Liwu's side.

Yang Liwu glanced at Liu Ming, a pair of snake eyes showed a strange gaze, and grinned: "Isn't this Xie Yuanlang Liu Gongzi?" ”

The master of the king on the side also smiled and said: "Young Master Liu, it's really not simple. He has been praising you. ”

"Don't dare to be." Liu Ming arched his hand.

"yes." Yang Liwu smiled, "I'm afraid it won't be long before the positions of our old guys will be removed?" ”

Liu Ming's legs weakened, and his face was nervous: "Lord Yang...... No kidding. I'm going to tell He Zhixian that if I don't do this book, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it......"

Yang Liwu looked at Liu Ming, and said with a yin smile: "Xie Yuanlang, you can't pick on someone like this." ”

Master Wang stroked his beard and smiled: "I said, Liwu, don't scare the young man." ”

Yang Liwu laughed, he looked at Liu Ming and said, "Xie Yuanlang, you and I are poor in the same county, and I hope to get along happily." ”

These words were said in a high-sounding tone.

Liu Ming nodded and stopped talking.

He secretly wiped his sweat, and other officials in the county government were easy to say, but this Yang Liwu spoke in a weird manner, which made people unpredictable.

Every time he met Yang Liwu, he had to show a part of his cowardice to paralyze the other party. But this Yang Liwu always looks like he has something to say.

He didn't bother to guess anymore, the soldiers came to block, and the water came to cover the earth. Anyway, I have to complete the plan as soon as possible......

"He Zhi County has arrived!" Someone called in front of the ya. The officers and scribes immediately straightened their spirits and prepared to greet the magistrate.

He Zhixian was wearing winged black yarn, wearing a green official robe, and soap shoes, but when he came, he looked a little hurried, and he couldn't help but look out of the door.

"Your Excellency," Yang Liwu stepped forward and said softly, "Your ......Excellency, don't worry, although the new Lord Zhizhou is good at paying a private visit, but the thirty-six counties under the rule of Qingzhou may not be able to inspect Fei County." ”

He Zhixian has not yet ascended to the court, his head is already full of sweat, and he said with a solemn face: "Although this is the case, I heard the news of Lord Tongju that Lord Zhizhou will be investigating government affairs near Fei County today and tomorrow...... This head extension is also a knife, and the head shrinkage is also a knife, so it is better to come quickly. ”

This He Zhi County, who entered Mongolia at the age of eight, was admitted to the Juren at the age of the weak crown, and was known as a prodigy in his hometown. He once swore to learn from Fan Gong when he was young, "the worries of the world first, and the joy of the world after the world". When he first arrived, he was diligent in government affairs, and he wanted to make some achievements in prison cases, but his radical actions offended the governor at that time and were not promoted.

In the eight years of his career in the sea, the Japanese devils have been defeated, and our He Zhi County has not yet been promoted, and he has entered middle age, discouraged, and his mind is all about fighting grass and gambling crickets, as well as playing with flowers and butterflies. The concubines are accepted one after another, but the court rarely comes. After being mixed up like this for a while, I lived a stable life, anyway, I couldn't hear the people's complaints. However, Shangfeng has changed dramatically, and the new governor Wang Su, a member of the Beijing Ministry who was degraded from the Qingli New Deal, was extremely dissatisfied with the neglect of government affairs by officials of Qingzhou, and began to conduct private visits to inspect the counties.

He Zhixian complained bitterly in his heart, and when he heard the news released by the judge, he was about to find out about the county, so he had to go to the court.

In the hall where the mirror was hung high, He Zhixian fell into a shocking tree, shouted "ascend to the hall", and the two classes of errand officers shouted in a low voice, "might--"

This first case was the case of a monk killed by a monk named Wang Gui Temple, which caused a sensation in Fei County when the case occurred.

"Take Wang Gui!" He Zhixian cheered up and commanded.

Suddenly, Wang Gui, who was dressed in a prison uniform and had shackles on his hands, was brought up, unkempt, and naturally suffered a lot.

"You are Wang Gui?" He Zhixian narrowed his eyes.

"The grass people are kings." Wang Gui knelt on the ground.

"Good you Wang Gui'er, since the ancestor of this dynasty, you have promoted Buddhism and bathed in Qinghua. You are so bold that you dare to kill the monks in the temple, it is really hateful! He Zhixian said loudly.

He Zhixian just wanted to close the case quickly, but he didn't expect that as soon as Wang Gui opened his mouth, he would have a headache.

"The grass people are wronged." Wang Gui'er cried hoarsely, and her nasal voice dragged on.

How can he know where the county is willing to listen, this wooden chair is becoming more and more uncomfortable, making him feel bad and thinking that you are wronged? Lao Tzu is still wronged. Eight years, I haven't been promoted, eight years, don't mention it.

"What are you wronged?" He Zhixian said impatiently.

Wang Gui'er raised her head and cried, "Parents are on top, and the grass people can explain it." On that day, the grass people had just returned from visiting relatives at their cousin's house, and it was getting late, and it was drizzling, and the ground was muddy, and it was really difficult to walk. Adults, the grass people have always been timid, and they dare not walk at night, so they have to find shelter from the wind and rain. After walking more than ten miles, I found a small temple, and there was only one monk in the temple, who kindly stayed with the small people, and the small people were very grateful. In the early morning of the next day, the little people were worried about their home, so they hurried away, who knew that they met a yamen official on the road, stopped the villain, and asked where the villain came from, and the villain said that he had come back from visiting relatives yesterday, that it was too late, and that he had stayed overnight in the temple. Take the villain back to the temple to check. The villain didn't think much about it at the time, so he followed his grandfather back to the temple, but he didn't expect it...... The monk who received the small people has died next to the Buddha statue! ”

Wang Gui'er lay on the ground and shouted, "Master, the villain really doesn't know who killed this monk, but these two grandfathers insisted that the villain killed him and escorted the villain to the county." The villain is really wronged. ”

"Wronged?" He Zhixian sneered, "If you didn't kill the person, why is there blood on the back?" ”

"Lord Mingjian, the villain spent the night in front of the statue last night, and the monk's blood flowed onto the villain's body and stained it. When the villain got up early, it was still late, and he had to hurry home, so he didn't pay attention. Wang Guier said.

"Bastard!" He Zhixian ran out of patience and scolded, "Wait for the people, the physical evidence is conclusive." But it's a fluke, it seems that you can't recruit without a big punishment. Come on, put a stick on my left and right! ”

"Your Excellency." Yang Liwu stepped forward and glanced at He Zhixian.

"What?" He Zhixian asked.

Yang Liwu looked left and right, cautiously walked to He Zhixian and whispered, "My lord, today is different from the past. Wang Gui'er, I know, usually timid as a mouse. Now he knows that he will be tortured, but he still insists that he did not kill people. I think...... There's something strange about it. If you bend in the hall and make a move, then ......"

He Zhixian responded, "Hmph, do you want this county to retry the first trial?" ”

This Yang Liwu has been in charge of the prison lawsuit for more than ten years, and he can be regarded as a front-line person, he suggested: "My lord, the lower official still recommends going to the temple to investigate the scene. ”

He Zhixian is a person who is very afraid of trouble, and he also hopes to finish the case as soon as possible and go home to see his concubines, so he is reluctant to say, "This bloody clothes are also available, and the time is also consistent, do you still need to go to the scene?" ”

Yang Liwudui said with a smile, "If it is a weekday, the little one will naturally do it for the adults, but today, if there are the eyes and ears of the King of Zhizhou among the onlookers, this ......"

This sentence reminded He Zhixian, and he immediately ordered to prepare to go to the scene to investigate.

So the county government immediately prepared a sedan chair, and four public servants opened the way, He Zhixian sat in the sedan chair, and as for the other officials, they had to follow behind on foot. And the people were even more interested when they saw that they were going to investigate the scene of the murder.

When I arrived at the temple, I saw that the things in the temple were crooked, the Buddha statues were decayed and corrupted, and the statues on both sides had collapsed.

Yang Liwu inspected the scene of the murder, and there was indeed a bloodstain in front of the Buddha statue.

"If this Wang Gui'er harmed someone, why is there no blood in front of him, just a piece behind him? Moreover, the deceased suffered a knife wound, and Wang Guier should not have had a murder weapon at that time. Yang Liwu reported to He Zhi County.

When He Zhixian heard this, his head hurt, and he said, "Then you say that there are so many doubts, the murderer is not Wang Gui'er, who is it?" ”

Yang Liwu responded: "The lower officials don't know for the time being. ”

At this time, the people were all stopped outside the temple, and only a few scribes followed He Zhixian to the scene.

Yang Liwu, the old prisoner, was stuck, and the others didn't know what to say. Yang Liwu swept to the gate of the temple, and saw that Liu Ming was carefully observing the situation in the temple, so he immediately raised his hand and asked the messenger to let Liu Ming in.

"Xiao Ke, did you find anything?" Yang Liwu's toad looked at Liu Ming.

"Lord Yang, let the students investigate again." After Liu Ming finished speaking, he continued to look down at the clues at the scene, and after a while, he went around to the back of the Buddha statue, and suddenly his pupils shrank, as if he had seen some evidence.

Then, at his feet, he came across another thing, and when he took it out and looked at it, he thought that he had no place to find it in his iron shoes, and he took no effort to get it, and quietly pulled it into his sleeve.

At this time, the scene had been surveyed for an hour, and the people who were stopped at the door saw a few officials looking left and right, and they didn't see any moths, and they were a little impatient, and some were thinking about going back to cook raw rice, so they wanted to disperse.

"Liu Ming, come here." He Zhixian beckoned to Liu Ming.

"Your Excellency." Liu Ming sang a promise.

"Like Yang Liwu, do you think that this mastermind was not Wang Gui'er's doing?" He Zhixian asked.

"My lord, the mastermind is definitely not Wang Gui'er." Liu Ming said firmly.

"Really?" He Zhixian was puzzled, and then realized his gaffe, cleared his throat and said, "This county has long thought that this is not Wang Gui'er's doing. I just don't know where to start......"

"Your Excellency...... It's not difficult, can you summon the carpenters from the county? Liu Ming said.

"Carpenter? That's why ......," He Zhixian said.

"If the adults trust the students, they should be recruited first and let them do some work. The students now have some judgments, but they need to be further confirmed. Liu Ming did not reveal his thoughts.

If someone else was so ghostly in front of He Zhixian, he would have been scolded by him a long time ago, and it was normal to even beat him with a few sticks. It's just that this Liu Ming is different, Fei County's once-in-a-lifetime Xie Yuanlang, no matter what, he has to give the other party a face.

"That's fine...... He Zhixian put his hands behind his back, "As long as this case can progress, it's up to you." Then he commanded in a loud voice, "Come...... If I gather the carpenters of the whole county, it means that the Japanese prefecture wants to repair the prefectural government, and everyone is invited to work, and the winner can take care of the prefectural government repair business. ”