Chapter 44: Before the Wind Rises
Listening to this familiar line, Lu Heng looked at the subtle changes in the expressions on the faces of Huang Shilang and Zhang Mazi with great interest, and felt more and more interesting about these two.
The real reason for today's banquet was that Zhang Muyi gave Huang Shilang a dismount when he came to Goose City, and slapped the fart of Wu Zhichong, the head of his regimental training.
Huang Shilang was naturally not to be outdone and fought back.
He used the reckless and immature bandit Xiaoliu as a breakthrough, and Sun Shouyi, the owner of the cold powder stall who was rescued by Zhang Muzhi, as a chess piece, and played a trick, wanting to hit the prestige of Zhang Muzhi, the fake county magistrate.
So, the bandit Xiaoliu ate a bowl of cold noodles, but when Sun Shouyi collected the money, he didn't say that Xiaoliu ate two bowls of noodles.
Wu Zhichong, the head of the regimental training team, and Hu Wan, the big housekeeper of the Huangfu, one of them sang with a white face and the other with a red face, and they were stunned by the word "fairness" that Zhang Muzhi once said.
In the end, Xiao Liu was angry and took powder by caesarean section in public to prove his innocence, so he died.
Hu Wan couldn't escape and was caught red-handed by Zhang Muzhi. In order to survive, this person told his identity as the chief housekeeper of the Yellow Mansion.
Xiaoliu's death completely intensified the contradiction between Huang Shilang and Zhang Muzhi. When Huang Shilang learned that Hu Wan had confessed his name, he seemed very angry, but this anger was more of a question of Hu Wan's loyalty, rather than a fear of Zhang Muzhi.
Therefore, he told Hu Qian, another of his henchmen, the three options to face Zhang Muzhi next: treat, behead, and accept as a dog.
It can be seen that Huang Shilang actually has no psychological pressure on killing Zhang Muzhi.
But in the end, he chose to have a treat, which is very intriguing.
In the face of an enemy who is obviously going to kill you, when the contradiction is completely intensified, you can kill but not kill, but choose to have a banquet, what does Huang Shilang want to do?
Test?
The temptation is inevitable, and the purpose of his temptation is twofold, first, he wants to know if Zhang Muzhi is Zhang Mazi? Second, he wanted to know what the original Zhang Muzhi and the current Zhang Mazi wanted to do when they came to the city to be the county magistrate?
When bandits and bullies meet, you live or die; When revolutionaries and betrayers meet, it's still life and death.
No matter what his identity is, Huang Shilang asks himself if he and Zhang Muzhi are a life-and-death situation. Huang Shilang has strong power, Zhang Mazi also has a group of brothers in the Tiger Roaring Mountains and Forests, and no one is bad, at least on the cards, it seems that they are evenly matched.
That being the case, everyone can shoot and kill with a knife, but you Zhang Mazi chose to venture into the tiger's den and became the county magistrate under Huang Shilang's nose, what kind of medicine are you selling in this gourd?
With Huang Shilang's caution and profundity, when he couldn't figure out the motive and purpose of something, he would never act rashly, so there was tonight's banquet.
Therefore, as soon as he opened the banquet, he used the death of the bandit Xiaoliu to stimulate Zhang Mazi, wanting to stimulate Zhang Muzhi and find out his flaws.
I killed your righteous son, and deliberately provoked you to your face, if you can bear this, then you have a more important purpose than hatred.
So Huang Shilang stared at Zhang Muzhi's eyes while speaking. But he was destined to be disappointed, Zhang Muzhi's expression was unwavering, and he didn't make half a wave because of his words.
The two looked at each other for a moment, Huang Shilang suddenly smiled, nodded slightly to Lu Heng and said, "I don't know if you are handsome, can you deign to be a witness for the two of us?" ”
"Witnessing?" Lu Heng asked.
"Yes, bear witness." Huang Shilang said, "After the handsome man is a famous family, Huang is 10,000 at ease with you, and I believe that you will be able to achieve the word fairness." ”
Lu Heng raised his eyebrows, and said with a smile: "Master Huang is very well-informed." You just said that you want me to be the wrong person and cut off your head? ”
Huang Shilang said: "If the death of the sixth master is really instigated by me, Huang is willing to surrender to the law." ”
"What if not?" Lu Heng asked.
"If it's not me, it's to insult my reputation and deceive the county magistrate!" Huang Shilang turned his head to look at Zhang Muzhi, raised his hand and waved, and the curtain at the other end of the room suddenly opened, revealing three people who were tied up and kneeling on the ground.
These three people are the parties to this incident - Sun Shouyi, Wu Zhichong and Hu Wan.
Huang Shilang pointed at these three people with the tip of his knife, his momentum increased sharply, and said, "Then you cut yourself!" Either three lives are worth one, or report me at any time, and I will die at any time! ”
He turned around and stared at Zhang Muzhi with eagle-like eyes.
Lu Heng glanced at the three of them, the burly man should be Wu Zhichong, the head of the group training, and the creamy little boy with oily hair and flour should be Hu Wan, these two people looked solemn, but looking at their eyes, they were not afraid at all.
Is it not afraid of death?
Lu Heng knew that they were not afraid of death, but they knew that they would not die at all.
On the other hand, Sun Shouyi in the middle, at this moment, the two forces are trembling, and his face is full of desperate earth gray. Although he was cowardly and stupid, he also knew that he was involved in the murder of the county magistrate's son, and no matter what the outcome was, he was bound to not survive tonight.
Zhang Muzhi looked at Huang Shilang quietly, still without saying a word.
Huang Shilang turned his head and respectfully handed the short knife to Lu Heng: "Handsome!" ”
Lu Heng took it, played with it and said leisurely: "Master Huang, I heard that a short knife is used for self-cutting, and a long knife is attributed to the wrong person." ”
"Really?" Huang Shilang's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly laughed, he picked up the long knife on the shelf and threw it at Lu Heng.
Lu Heng took it with his backhand and threw the short knife to him.
"Dashuai is really good!" Huang Shilang looked at Lu Heng, "You can be my mischief at any time." ”
"No hurry!" Lu Heng saw that Huang Shilang waved his hand to let the curtain be pulled up again, blocking the three tied people behind the cloth, and was about to sit down, when he suddenly spoke.
"Oh? What else does the marshal have to say? Huang Shilang asked with a smile.
"Master Huang asked me to witness this matter, which is Lu's honor." Lu Heng said, "However, Lu has always liked to go further. ”
Huang Shilang's face became serious and asked, "How do you want to enter?" ”
"You are the defendant," Lu Heng pointed at Huang Shilang, and he turned his head and pointed at Zhang Muzhi, "You are the plaintiff." ”
Finally, he pointed to himself: "Well, I'll be a judge." ”
"Uh-huh, I think it can!" Zhang Muzhi, who had never spoken, suddenly lit up his eyes, "Master Huang, you don't trust me, and I don't trust you, but we both believe in Lu Dashuai." Lu Dashuai is a judge, I think it's very suitable! ”
Huang Shilang stared at Lu Heng with a smile for a while, then suddenly clapped his hands and said, "Okay, the master is as he pleases, just do what Lu Dashuai says!" ”
Lu Heng looked left and right, and said with a smile: "Since the two of you agree with me to be this judge, then when I announce the verdict in court, don't blame me for being ruthless." ”
The two glanced at each other, clasped their fists together and said, "Never regret it!" ”
"Okay, two, please take a seat!" Lu Heng smiled and made a gesture of invitation like a master.