Xu Liang waited until dawn and never received any news about Tan Zhisheng's concubine and Yahuan. When the March sun was just warm, a magistrate came to the county government and informed Xu Liang that He Tongju was going to open a court to decide the case today, and asked the chief bookkeeper to come over to hear the trial as soon as possible.

He Tongju is about to do it.

In the hall of the Jianchang County Ya, both sides were full of officials on duty, the parents and officials of Jianchang sat together, and He Tongju and Hong Tui of Nankang Mansion sat in front of the desk, with a solemn face.

Xu Liang leaned into Wang Zhixian's ear on the side, and asked in a surprised whisper: "County Zun, which one is this singing?" ”

Wang Zhixian shook his head, "I don't know either." ”

"Ahem." He Tongju coughed lightly twice, and said loudly: "Ladies and gentlemen, this official and Lord Hong have stayed in Jianchang for many days, and they originally planned to go back to Nankang Mansion tomorrow, but two days ago, two women stopped in front of the official sedan chair and shouted loudly, asking the official to redress her grievances!" ”

When He Tongju said this, he sighed lightly and said: "Alas, originally this was a lawsuit in Jianchang County, and it was inconvenient for the official and Lord Hong to ask, but after listening to this woman's appeal, he was taken aback, if what the woman said was true, this fact is not trivial." It was only yesterday that the official verified some things, and now I have summoned you to try the case together. ”

"Lord He," Wang Zhixian asked aloud, "I don't know who sued and what happened?" ”

He Tongju glanced at Xu Liang, who was sitting precariously, and chuckled: "When the official brings the plaintiff, you will know as soon as you ask." Come on, take the plaintiff Tan Zhongshi. ”

"Take Tan Zhong's!" With a long shout, two officials led a woman in red into the lobby. I saw that the woman was about thirty years old, dressed in a red and bright palace dress, willow eyebrows, peach blossom eyes, a slender figure, and a worried face.

"The folk woman Tan Zhong has seen the adult." The woman said with a light salute.

"Hmm." He Tong judged and asked, "Tan Zhong, when the Japanese officials heard your grievances and tried them in court today, you will tell you about your grievances that day again." ”

"Yes." Tan Zhongshi responded, looked up at the officials in the hall, his eyes stopped at Xu Liang, his face gradually showed resentment, pointed at Xu Liang, and said in a sobbing voice: "Qi all the adults, the people's wife Tan Zhong's, originally the third lady of Tan Zhisheng, the second master of the Tan family, married into the Tan family, husband and children, strict women's morals, the Tan family was originally the largest household in Jianchang, and the women were able to worry about food and clothing. Without food and clothing, he has been displaced ever since. ”

"It turns out that you are Tan Zhisheng's widow!" Wang Zhixian seemed to recognize the third lady of the Tan family, and exclaimed: "The Tan family was raided that day, and I heard that Mrs. Tan took her family back to her parents' house. Alas, the two brothers of the Tan family were killed, all of them were to blame, fortunately, the court was lenient, and the crime was not as good as the family, the third lady had no place to live, and the official sighed when he heard it, but the Tan family really deserved it, and the third lady came here but who else to sue and what? ”

"Not bad." Jianchang County Cheng Lu Chengyuan also responded: "The Tan family's banditry, the evidence is accurate, the court has already made a conclusion, the third lady, if you still want to defend the Tan family, it is nonsense." ”

"Eh, why don't the two adults listen to Tan Zhong's grievances?" He Tong judged, "Tan Zhong, this official is in charge of you today, but if you have grievances, it doesn't hurt to say it directly." ”

"Master Xie." Tan Zhong's family gave another salute, got up again, stretched out his hand and pointed at Xu Liang with a sad and indignant face, and shouted: "Ladies and gentlemen, whether the Tan family has any bandits, as a female generation who does not know how to do things, naturally dare not assert that today, the women of Jianchang sued Xu Liang, the chief secretary of Jianchang and the patrol battalion, to raid the Tan Mansion, privately embezzle and confiscate the silver, deceive the court, and are suspected of deliberately framing the Tan family. Please make decisions for the women. ”

Before the words fell, everyone was shocked. Wang Zhixian exclaimed: "Tan Zhongshi, do you have evidence, falsely accusing the court officials is a serious crime!" ”

"Tan Zhong's family, the Tan family's bandits, have already reached a conclusion, and they have to say it again." Lu County Cheng said.

Xu Liang sat in the seat, like an old monk, without saying a word.

Tan Zhong's family is a woman who has lived in the mansion for a long time, and she is not deeply involved in the world, and when she saw the stern questions of Jianchang Zhixian and County Cheng, she was timid in her heart and already panicked.

Syllable! He Tongju has been paying attention to Tan Zhong's expression, and when he saw this situation, he made a shocking sound and relieved Tan Zhong's siege. "Tan Zhongshi, you said that you want to sue Xu Liang, the chief secretary of Jianchang, for embezzling and confiscating silver taels, is there any evidence? You can rest assured, as long as the evidence is true, this official will make the decision for you. After speaking, he sneered and squinted at Xu Liang.

When Tan Zhongshi heard this, he seemed to have found the backbone of the heart, and then fell to the ground towards He Tongju, and said in a crying voice: "The folk women didn't know about this matter, but a while ago, they happened to hear the officials of the Jianchang County Ya say that the confiscated silver reported that day was only more than 20,000 taels, and the folk women became suspicious, and the other folk women didn't know very well, but the folk women were the third lady of the second master of the Tan family, and the people next to them didn't know, and they still knew how much property the Tan family had. Not to mention only 20,000 taels, even if it is doubled, it is more than this number. The woman then thought that the Tan family was raided by the Xu family, and it must have been the Xu master who had swallowed the rest of the silver taels, and he searched the Tan family, perhaps because of the Tan family's property, and any bandits might have been deliberately planted. That's why the women have the courage to sue the master! Please ask Lord Qingtian to be the wife of the people and the master of the Tan family! ”

"Tan Zhongshi, you get up and speak." He Tongju frowned, stared at Tan Zhong's family, and asked, "According to what you said, how many properties does the Tan family have?" ”

Tan Zhong's upright body couldn't help but tremble, raised his eyes to look at He Tongjuan, and said hesitantly: "At least forty or fifty thousand taels...... In short, it is definitely much more than 20,000 taels. ”

He Tongju's brows furrowed even more, and he raised his voice and said, "How much?" ”

"Forty thousand...... No, fifty thousand taels. ”

"How much?"

"Fifty thousand taels!"

Several jurors in the lobby listened to He Tong's judgment and the plaintiffs in the audience to ask and answer, and couldn't help but look at each other with strange faces. Hong Tuiguan, who was sitting on the same stage with He Tongju, had a hot face, pulled over the shocking wood, and said, "Tan Zhong, your grievances are known to the official and Lord He, so please step back for the time being." ”

"Yes." Tan Zhongshi was led to the side by two officials. He Tongju's eyes were like knives, chasing the red back, and he scolded in his heart: There is not enough success, and there are more failures!

Originally, He Tongju agreed with her that the Tan family's property was worth at least 80,000 taels, and this amount was checked by He Hong and Zhang Zhendong, the president of the Jianchang Chamber of Commerce.

He Tongju turned to look at the defendant Xu Liang, who was like an old monk, sneered, and asked, "Master Xu, what do you say about Tan Zhong's accusations?" ”

The focus of everyone fell on Xu Liang again.

Xu Liang took a deep breath, patted his official robe, got up and left his seat, stood in the center of the hall, and arched his hand to He Hong and the two on the stage, and said with a sad face: "I can't imagine that the lower officials are dedicated to the public, and their patriotic heart can show the sun and the moon." When it comes, it is still criticized and hated. ”

Xu Liang's eyes were red, and he arched his hand to the surrounding Jianchang jurors, and said: "Lord He, Lord Hong, black is black, white is white, and the lower officials have always been upright and frank in doing things." In the case of the Tan family's bandits, Master Gang Lu also said that it was a matter that had already been decided, and the lower officials would not repeat it. As for how much property the Tan family copied out, and whether the lower officials embezzled it privately, these things don't count just based on this woman's words. If the lower officials are not mistaken, the cash of the silver confiscated is more than 21,000 taels, and there are many fields, deeds, and shops that have not been realized. As for what this woman said, it was completely random speculation, and it was nothing! Please take a look. ”

In fact, Xu Liang reported to Wang Zhixian that the amount of confiscated silver and objects was completely more than this amount, but Xu Liang knew that the amount reported by Wang Zhixian to Nankang Mansion was roughly more than 21,000 taels, and he knew that at this time, he had to unify the caliber with Wang Zhixian no matter what, otherwise, if he opened his mouth indiscriminately, it would pull the entire Jianchang County into a dangerous situation.

Wang Zhixian and Lu Xiancheng were very nervous from the moment Xu Liang spoke, their eyes were always staring at Xu Liang, and when Xu Liang finished speaking, they couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

When Tan Zhongshi heard this, he immediately became anxious, and stood up and shouted, "Lord He, this person is lying!" The first family of the Tan family Jianchang is more than 20,000 taels ......"

"Third Lady!" Xu Liang turned around and interrupted Tan Zhong's words: "This official knows that the Tan family was copied, and the third lady has been deeply affected, and this taste has also been experienced by this official back then, he is not clothed, he is not hungry, and he is blinded and bullied by others all day long...... The qiē suffered by the third lady was more or less due to her own official. ”

Xu Liang's eyes were filled with tears, his voice was choked, and he looked at Tan Zhong's face full of shame: "The third lady suffered a qiē, although the official did not come in person, he felt the same way. Now, you have been deceived by traitors, and you have jumped out to falsely accuse this official of corruption and dereliction of duty, and this official ...... Although the official is very aggrieved in his heart, but! I won't blame you! Even if it turns out that you are a false accusation, this official will never hold you responsible. It's just the third lady...... If you sue the official, you have to come up with definite evidence, but you can't listen to other people's rumors, otherwise, the official's reputation will ...... But it's ruined! ”

Xu Liang's words, the more he spoke, the more emotional he became, the more aggrieved he became, and in the end he was almost speechless. Hearing this, Wang Zhixian, Lu Xiancheng, Jiang Dianshi and others looked sideways and covered their faces with their hands, and they didn't know whether they were moved or disgusted.

On the stage, He Hong and the others listened with a blue face. He Tong snapped, slapped the shocked wood again, and Sen Ran snorted coldly: "Master Xu, based on Tan Zhong's words alone, naturally nothing can be explained, but this official has also found other witnesses. After speaking, He Tongju smiled proudly and said loudly: "Come on, bring Zhang Zhendong, president of the Jianchang Chamber of Commerce, to the hall for questioning." ”