Yang Qiuchi didn't understand what the concept of "three thousand miles of flow, three years of service, and attachment to the local area" was. Song Zhixian stammered and explained to Yang Qiuchi for a long time, and Yang Qiuchi understood that the main punishment system of Chinese feudal society was divided into five types: flogging, cane, imprisonment, exile, and death.

In ancient China, the concept of homeland was very strong, and it was very painful to leave one's homeland, and the main purpose of exile was to make the prisoner suffer this pain, and at the same time, it was also attached to the penal colony to serve hard labor, similar to the current forced labor in the desert of Xinjiang Province. However, the duration is much shorter than the current prison sentences and life imprisonment.

The five sentences were not deprived of liberty and imprisoned as is the case with the current prison sentences, but only limited personal liberty within a certain range (hard labor ground) and then forced labor. To this is the addition of a punishment that exiles the prisoner thousands of miles away.

This "three years of hard labor and attachment to the locality" means that the period of hard labor in the penal colony is three years, after which the freedom is restored, but the household registration is settled in the locality.

Although in the Ming Dynasty, exile and imprisonment could generally be exempted by ransom, however, in the case of a sentence of exile due to karma, the redemption sentence was not applied. Therefore, although the death penalty of Mrs. Bai's mother and daughter is exempted, it is impossible to escape the living crime.

Li Gonggong's letter said that the place where Mrs. Bai and Bai Sumei's mother and daughter were exiled was Yunnan, and as for the specific place of exile, according to the regulations, after arriving in Yunnan, the local punishment will be determined by the local procurator.

That night, in Mrs. Song's house, Yang Qiuchi set up a few tables of wine banquets to celebrate his marriage with Song Qing.

On the wedding night, Song Qing was really scarlet, proving that she was indeed an innocent woman, and it increased Yang Qiuchi's love for her.

Yang Qiuchi proposed to Mrs. Song to take Mrs. Song to live with him and his husband and wife in Guangde, but Mrs. Song resolutely refused to allow it, saying that it was not appropriate to live with her daughter at her husband's house.

Yang Qiuchi couldn't understand this question, in ancient times, the water spilled by the married daughter, as long as the daughter was married, there was basically no legal obligation with her mother's family (except for mourning), if Mrs. Song wanted to live with her daughter and son-in-law, it would be laughed at.

Song Zhixian also felt that it was inappropriate to keep Mrs. Song as a lonely old lady in Yingtianfu, so he proposed to take Mrs. Song to live in his own house. Mrs. Song did not strongly oppose this suggestion, because Mrs. Song married Song Zhixian's brother, who belonged to the Song family, and now Shuangju Fujun's relatives are also reasonable.

After the persuasion of Yang Qiuchi, Song Qing and others, Mrs. Song finally agreed to move to Song Zhi County and live with them. Yang Qiuchi and Song Qing are very happy, if Song Qingniang lives in Song Zhixian's house, the two families will also take care of each other, which solves a piece of Yang Qiuchi and Song Qing's heart, of course they are very happy.

The next day was the time when the criminal in the rebellion case was executed by Ling Chi, and Yang Qiuchi wanted to go to Beizhen Fusi Prison to see Bai Qianzong, and it was also regarded as seeing him off. According to the regulations of modern society, before the death row prisoner is executed, relatives and friends can visit and see them off, but I don't know if there is such a provision in the Ming Dynasty. After asking Ma Du, I learned that there are also such regulations, and since Mrs. Bai's mother and daughter have been sentenced to exile and are locked in the same prison, according to the regulations, they can also see Bai Qianzong for the last time.

Yang Qiuchi told Ma Du that he wanted to visit the prison, and Ma Du understood very well and offered to take him there.

In the evening of the same day, the sky began to flutter and snow again, and the roads, which had been very dirty, were gradually covered with snow, and all the dirty things became very clean again.

Yang Qiuchi told Song Qing that he and Ma Du were going to Jinyi Wei Prison to bid farewell to Bai Qianzong. Song Qing seemed to have become a well-behaved little daughter-in-law, carefully added a fox fur cloak to Yang Qiuchi, took a warm pot to warm her hands, told her followers to be careful, and sent them outside the courtyard door by stepping on the snow.

Ma Du and Yang Qiuchi took a few entourages and braved the heavy snow to come to the Fusi Yamen in Jinyi Weibei Town.

This is the location of the highest institution of the Jinyi Guard, the high wall is blue tile, and it has been covered with snow at this moment, and several Jinyi Guards wearing flying fish suits and embroidered spring knives on their waists are on guard at the door, and they are really majestic and heavily guarded. Pedestrians are far away.

After all, Ma Du is already the deputy Qianhu of the Jinyiwei Thousand Households of Yingtianfu, and he is considered a middle-level leading cadre of Jinyiwei, so he didn't bother to speak, and the jailer took Yang Qiuchi and the others directly to the Imperial Prison. However, the retinue cannot enter, and can only wait outside.

The edict of Fusi in the northern town of Jinyi Weibei in Yingtianfu was dedicated to the detention of court officials who were captured by Jinyiwei, and it was a semi-basement building, with thick granite paving on the ground and walls. Descending into the cell, it was eerie, and a cold atmosphere and ghost floated around.

Yang Qiuchi and the others first went to visit Mrs. Bai and Bai Sumei, and brought them with them to bid farewell to President Bai Qian.

The janitor took Yang Qiuchi and Ma Du to the women's prison, and asked them to wait in the class room, and he went to pick up the prisoners. After a while, I heard the sound of Ding Ling dragging the chain on the ground. When the door opened, two women walked in. It is Bai Qianzong's wife and daughter Bai Sumei.

I saw that her mother and daughter were wearing heavy chains on their hands and feet, their hair was unkempt, and their faces were dirty. In the cold winter, her mother and daughter were both dressed very thinly, shivering from the cold. Staring blankly at the ground.

Yang Qiuchi's heart was sour for a while, and he stood up and shouted, "Madam Bai...... Miss Sumei! ”

Madame Bai slowly raised her dull gaze and looked at Yang Qiuchi. When she saw Yang Qiuchi clearly, her eyes suddenly lit up, her lips trembled, she took a step, and fell to her knees with a loud voice: "Young Master Yang......, please ......, save Mei'er's life...... let her be your concubine...... You can be a cow or a horse, so please be kind and save her one more time. The words were crying and kowtowing again and again.

Yang Qiuchi hurriedly stepped forward to support Mrs. Bai: "Madam Bai doesn't have to be like this, get up and speak." But Madame Bai refused to get up, but still lay on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, crying and begging Yang Qiuchi to save her daughter.

Hearing this tone, Mrs. Bai and her mother and daughter didn't know that their mother and daughter had been sentenced to exile, and thought that it was a summary execution.

Yang Qiuchi has saved Bai Sumei's life three times, and in Mrs. Bai's mind, Yang Qiuchi is omnipotent and has great powers, so she advocated marrying her daughter to Yang Qiuchi at the beginning. Now in despair, I thought that the mother and daughter would die this time, but unexpectedly saw Yang Qiuchi again, like a person about to drown, and his dancing hand touched a big log.

Yang Qiuchi raised his eyes and looked at Bai Sumei, who was still standing aside, only to see that her expression was indifferent, still looking directly at the ground, and did not look at them, as if this matter had nothing to do with her. It seems that he is either a monk and a fool, or he is stupid after experiencing this big change.

Mrs. Bai stood up crying, pulled Bai Sumei with tears on her face and said, "Mei'er, you quickly kneel down and beg Yang Gongzi." Hurry up! ”

Bai Sumei was already shivering from the cold, her face was purple, but she gently broke free of Mrs. Bai's hand and smiled faintly: "Why mourn in life, why suffer in death?" My son has already died, so what's the point of dying again? ”

It's over, this Bai Sumei has been stimulated too much, I'm afraid it's really stupid. Yang Qiuchi thought to herself, seeing that she was too cold, she hurriedly took off her fox fur cloak and walked over to gently put it on Bai Sumei.

Bai Sumei looked at Yang Qiuchi gratefully, and said softly, "Thank you, Young Master Yang." But he took off the fox fur cloak and put it on her mother, Madame Bai.

After Bai Sumei saved her surname three times in Yang Qiuchi, a heart was already tied to Yang Qiuchi. After being rejected by Yang Qiuchi, she was sad and desperate, cut her hair and became a nun, thinking of taking refuge in the Buddha, but she didn't expect to experience great changes again. It's just that she has experienced too many life and death tribulations and emotional hardships, and she has become numb to life and death.

Seeing that Bai Sumei refused to plead, Mrs. Bai knelt down again and begged Yang Qiuchi to save Bai Sumei, but Yang Qiuchi grabbed her.

Ma Du said on the side: "Madam Bai, you don't have to worry, Yang Gongzi has already helped you with the matter you just begged for, and now the imperial court has pardoned the death penalty of your mother and daughter and changed the sentence to exile." ”

When Madame Bai heard this, she was surprised but a little incredulous, raised her head, and looked at Ma Du: "Master Ma, you, are you telling the truth?" "At the beginning, Madame Bai had seen Ma Du in Yunya Mountain and knew that he was the official of Jinyiwei.

"It's true, Yang Gongzi has been busy with your affairs for the past two days, so he didn't come to visit you until today. After Yang Gongzi's dredging, the court has changed the sentence. I should have been able to notify you today, why haven't we notified you yet? Ma Du looked at the janitorial guard next to him with some confusion.

The janitor hurriedly explained: "Master Ma, the document for the revision of the sentence has already come down, and it happened that the brothers were having dinner, and I was thinking that I would inform them about dinner, but you just happened to come." ”

Hearing the proof of the janitorial, Madame Bai knew that it was true, and in addition to being excited, her whole body was paralyzed, she fell to the ground, and cried loudly.

When Bai Sumei heard that she and her mother had been exempted from the death penalty, her emaciated figure shook slightly, raised her eyes, and looked at Yang Qiuchi, revealing a trace of gratitude. After all, life is precious, and even a monk will not give up life easily.

Yang Qiuchi squatted down and comforted Mrs. Bai. Bai Sumei also squatted down and supported her mother. After Mrs. Bai's mood gradually stabilized, Bai Sumei and Yang Qiuchi helped her up.

After Mrs. Bai expressed a series of gratitude to Yang Qiuchi, she asked, "How is our master?" His eyes were full of expectation, hoping that Yang Qiuchi would have great powers and save Mr. Bai Qian.

Yang Qiuchi didn't know how to tell them that there was nothing he could do about it. Ma Du said on the side: "Mrs. Bai, Yang Gongzi has done his best, but he can't help Mr. Qian. However, Mr. Qian's Ling Chi has been changed to a decisive decision, so that Mr. Qian will suffer less. ”

Madame Bai cried in despair, and Bai Sumei also shed tears with a gloomy expression.

Yang Qiuchi said: "Mrs. Bai, tomorrow Mr. Qian, they will be executed, let's take you and Miss Sumei to see Mr. Bai Qian, and say goodbye to her." ”

Madame Bai and Sumei Bai nodded gratefully.

Ma Du asked the jailer if he could take the handcuffs and shackles away, and the jailer said that since the sentence had been commuted to exile, he could not wear torture instruments in the cell according to the law. He took out the key and opened the handcuffs and leg irons of the two.

Yang Qiuchi and Bai Sumei supported Mrs. Bai, and under the leadership of the janitor, they walked through the long corridor and walked towards the men's prison. From time to time, I heard the wailing, groaning, or painful screams of the prisoners in the cells passing by. Madame Bai showed a look of horror on her face, but Bai Sumei still looked indifferent, as if she hadn't heard it.

When I came to the cell of Bai Qianzong, the prison for serious prisoners on death, the cell was very dim, damp and cold, and the bars of the cell were densely blocked with iron rods the thickness of a child's arm. In this cold winter, the hand is cold and biting on it.

Inside the cell there is a cage made of pig iron. Bai Qian was imprisoned in this cage. He was originally burly and strong, but he had been tortured to the point that he didn't look like a human or a ghost.

Madame Bai slammed herself on the fence and cried, "Master...... Lord......"

Bai Qian always turned his head with difficulty, and when he saw Mrs. Bai clearly, he called out repeatedly: "Madam! Madam! ”

When Bai Sumei saw her father's miserable appearance, tears finally fell, holding on to the iron fence with her hands, and shouted sadly: "Daddy......"

Bai Qian always heard Bai Sumei's call, and was even more excited: "Mei'er, Mei'er!" You're here too? How are you guys? Don't cry, Mei'er doesn't cry......" Speaking of the back, it was also old tears, and the words were choked and difficult to hear.

According to the regulations, the relatives of the condemned prisoner can be released from the cage when they meet and say goodbye, but they can only meet each other through the fence in the prison, and the handcuffs and leg irons cannot be opened.

After Bai Qianzong was released from the cage, he staggered to the iron fence, grabbed the hands of Mrs. Bai and Bai Sumei, and the three of them cried together.

When their crying stopped, Yang Qiuchi shouted, "Master Qian." ”

Mr. Bai Qian had already seen that there were two people behind Mrs. Bai and them, because the light in the prison was dim, they couldn't see clearly, and they thought they were janitors, but now when they looked closely, they found that they were Yang Qiuchi and Ma Du.

The execution was going to be carried out the next day, Bai Qian always understood that they were here to see him off, and he committed a major crime of rebellion, but Yang Qiuchi and they still came to see him off, and this affection was enough to make this iron-clad man shed tears.

Madame Bai said: "Master, Yang Gongzi has already moved on to change the capital crime of me and Mei'er to exile. ”

Bai Qian was always surprised, looked at Yang Qiuchi, suddenly knelt on the ground, and kowtowed again and again: "Young Master Yang, thank you for saving their mother and daughter again." ”

Seeing them in such a miserable situation, Yang Qiuchi had no sense of accomplishment in his heart at all, and he didn't know what to say at the moment.

(To be continued)