At this time, there was chaos in the bandits' den.

The corpses of the bandits were lined up, and their families threw themselves on the corpses and wailed.

The bandit leader had his arms cut off, and at this time he was lying on the ground helpless, and beside him, a woman held the child and kept kowtowing and begging Xiao Rui.

"Do you know who the people of the yamen who colluded with him are?" Xiao Rui asked.

The woman had tears in her eyes and said, "Good man, the women of the people know, know." ”

"Can't tell!" The leader of the bandits vomited blood, his voice was hoarse, and his face was very pale from excessive blood loss.

The woman kowtowed and said: "Good man, the woman can say anything, only beg the good man to spare me and my son, we are willing to enter the yamen and surrender, my son is so young, the woman doesn't want him to die before he grows up, we would rather be slaves to atone for our sins, accept the punishment of the court, and definitely spare my life..."

As soon as these words came out, the bandit leader closed his eyes, and two tears fell.

Xiao Rui agreed: "Okay, as long as you tell me the truth, I won't kill the women, children and children present, as for how the court will deal with you, it depends on the laws of the court." ”

"Thank you, thank you." The woman thanked her for her kindness, and then said: "The one who reported to my man was Ma Dong, the distant nephew of the county governor of Qiuyang County, who was in charge of the capture of Qiuyang County, and my man was familiar with him when he was young, and sent him a lot of gold and silver, it was him, it was him... I've seen him with my own eyes! ”

The bandit leader on the ground suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes showed consternation, but he disappeared in an instant, but unfortunately Xiao Rui was looking at the woman and didn't notice.

"What you say is true?" Xiao Rui asked.

The woman said earnestly, "How can I not tell the truth, good man? My man can't be saved, and if I lie again, my child and I won't be able to save our lives. Good man, what I said is the truth, if you don't believe it, you go to the official now, I am willing to testify in court, I just hope to survive, woo..."

Xiao Rui turned his head and looked at the women and children who were crying around him, so he discussed with Zhuge Liuying: "If you don't let Wu Zhanfa report the case, the rest of the matter will be handled by the county magistrate of Qiuyang County." ”

"It's good!" Zhuge Liuying nodded.

Wu Zhanfa immediately went to report to the official.

On the other side, the woman put her arms around the bandit leader and wept incessantly, bleeding profusely and eventually losing his life.

Zhuge Liuying went to release the innocent passers-by who were locked in the iron cage, they also cried with joy when they learned that they were saved, grateful to Xiao Rui and Zhuge Liuying for saving their lives, if it wasn't for Zhuge Liuying's stopping, some passers-by would have rushed up to teach the families of those bandits.

It didn't take long for the county commander, county magistrate, lord Bo, and county lieutenant of Qiuyang County to come in person, and also brought the arrest and the officials.

The county order is already an old dragon clock, and when he heard that the bandits who had plagued Qiuyang County for many years were uprooted, he was instantly full of energy, and a big stone in his heart finally fell, and he could go home to retire with confidence.

The arresters and officials immediately took control of all the bandits' families, and those who were locked up were properly treated.

The old county order thanked Xiao Rui for his help, and said: "Three, the imperial court has ordered that the local government can apply to the imperial court for rewards for the encirclement and suppression of bandits and bandits. ”

Xiao Rui shook his head and said, "Lord County Commander, you're welcome, we are doing it with a gesture, but that woman said the people in the yamen who gave them the news, and the county commander can't let it go!" ”

"What? Is there someone in the county government who colludes with them inside and outside? It is no wonder that every encirclement and suppression has been fruitless. The old county commander was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.

"Who is it?" The old county commander roared.

Who knows, the woman who was arrested and quickly controlled struggled and cried: "My lord, we are willing to make meritorious service for our crimes, it is Ma Dong, the head catcher who caught fast, and it is the letter from him who reported it." ”

Behind the old county commander, the county lieutenant's hanging heart fell suddenly, and he immediately wiped his sweat, stepped forward and hugged his fists: "My lord, Ma Dong is really bold to collude inside and outside, his subordinates are going to arrest him!" ”

The old county commander nodded and said, "Where did he go?" I won't run away. ”

"My lord, Ma Dong has recently contracted a disease, so he didn't come to Yamen to order, don't worry, I'll arrest him now!" The county lieutenant shouted loudly, patting his chest for assurance.

The county commander waved his hand and asked him to go and get someone immediately, then turned his head to look at Xiao Rui and said with a smile: "Three friends, please also move to the county office, some confessions still need to be completed by three people, and the rewards of the imperial court still need to be applied." ”

"Good!" Xiao Rui didn't want to reveal his identity, and he was covered in blood, so he should clean it up well, so he could only delay it for another day.

When I returned to Qiuyang County, the county was crowded with people, and when I learned that the bandits outside the county had been exterminated, the people of the entire county were singing and dancing, and when Xiao Rui and the three entered the city, the people cheered respectfully, making Xiao Rui feel the blessings of the people.

The old county magistrate personally arranged for the three of them to live in the county office.

Xiao Rui took a bath, and the master of the yamen came to inquire about what happened, so that he could write a confession and report it to the city, and at the same time apply for a reward from the imperial court for the three of them.

However, Xiao Ruiming said that he had something to do and needed to go to the capital, and the old county commander regretted that he could not keep the three of him for a long time, so he took out two hundred taels of silver from the county government as a reward from the court and gave it to Xiao Rui in advance.

Xiao Rui didn't shirk it, and smiled happily, otherwise it would make the old county commander suspect the intentions of the three of them.

On the other hand, the county lieutenant arrested Ma Dong and confessed to what he had done, and the families of those bandits would also be imprisoned, and according to the law, the least that awaited them was to cut off their household registration, get tattoos on their bodies, and become slaves and border gates.

Early tomorrow morning, Xiao Rui and the three of them will prepare to return to Beijing.

Night.

In the county jail, the wife of the bandit leader was kept in a separate cell.

Late at night, the county lieutenant walked into the prison alone to see her.

"Brother—" The woman cried out with tears in her eyes.

The county lieutenant comforted: "Sister, I have wronged you." ”

"You want to avenge Lao Zhao." The woman said with red eyes, "Fortunately, the three people did not cut down the grass and eradicate the roots, otherwise the child and I would not have survived." How is Ma Dong there? ”

The county lieutenant said: "Ma Dong has contracted a vicious disease, and I have already made him take all the charges, and no one knows that I am involved." No one knows that you are my sister-in-law. You stay here for a while, and I'll find a way to get you out. As for Lao Zhao's death... The martial arts of those three people are not simple, and they have to be considered in the long run. ”

The woman said with red eyes: "Brother, back then, you and Lao Zhao killed the county lieutenant who took office, and you pretended to be the county lieutenant to take office, and Lao Zhao fell into the grass, you can't help but avenge his revenge." ”

The county lieutenant's eyes narrowed and he was silent for a long time.

Unexpectedly, the woman continued: "Brother Yi, my sister has nothing else to ask for, but to avenge Lao Zhao, kill the person who killed him, and then let me and my son be safe and sound, otherwise the evidence you left behind when you killed people, my sister dare not guarantee that even if I die, those evidence will not be leaked!" ”

The county lieutenant breathed for a moment and stared at the woman in front of him.

After a long time, the county lieutenant smiled and said: "Sister, don't worry, Lao Zhao is my sworn brother, how can I not avenge him?" Calm down, I'll come to you with the murderer's head! ”

With that, the county lieutenant left.

The woman staggered to the ground, her face full of hideousness, just covered with tears.