Of course, there are also those who hug Cao Hongshou and Wang Yugui's thighs happily, and they can't see the faces of some people, so they said in a low voice: "Dali Temple just asked Lord Cao and Lord Wang to go to Beijing to do an investigation, maybe they will come back soon." When the time comes, I'll see what happens to you people. ”

When he said this, everyone's necks shrank sharply. Especially like Ma Jian, his face is even pale.

Before these people could show their loyalty to Cao Hongshou, they heard a noisy sound outside, accompanied by a woman's crying and cursing.

Everyone's faces changed, and they hurriedly squeezed out of the gate of the state government, and saw dozens of old people, women, and children wearing linen and filial piety kneeling on the ground, and one of the women held up the paper and said loudly: "The women want to sue Cao Hongshou for corruption and perversion of the law, killing dozens of people. ”

The officials in the state government were horrified.

In the winter of the previous year, when Beijing pulled money to repair the river embankment, Cao Hongshou and Wang Yugui embezzled most of the repair money, forcing young and strong men everywhere to repair the river embankment. Due to lack of funds, food and housing were extremely poor, and finally the river embankment was repaired, and less than half of the young and strong men could go home; Dozens of those who did not return died as a result of the accident, and the rest died of cold and starvation. At that time, the people in Runzhou were full of grievances.

Someone went to Beijing to sue the royal court, but before he went to the capital, something happened, and there was a big change in the family. Some people who have a door really can't stand it, and secretly ask someone to hand the folds to Beijing, but somehow, these folds are nowhere to be found, like sinking into the sea.

In the end, the matter was settled.

The people who died back then were all Zhuang families, who had no power or money, and died down after they had no way to ask for help. They live in scattered places, and it is not easy to inform them and let them come here at this time to complain? The officials of Dali Temple in Beijing, who were born in Beijing, came very suddenly, that is, Cao Hongshou did not even get the news. Now as soon as Cao Hongshou was arrested, these people blocked the door wearing linen and filial piety, which was very strange at first glance, and it made people's hearts chill for no reason.

"Lord Du is too powerful, this is not leaving a way for Lord Cao and Lord Wang...... "An official muttered in a trembling voice.

No one laughed at him, and the others stood there one by one, breaking out in a cold sweat.

waved his hand and let the people of Dali Temple come to catch Cao Hongshou and Wang Yugui; scheming and premeditated, Cao Hongshou and Wang Yugui were investigated early. What did they do earlier to this hard-lined, ruthless person in the background? Give people a cold face, all kinds of cynicism......

"I ......," Yu Huaigu, a Cao official of the Ministry of Works, swallowed his dry throat, "I'm not very comfortable." Master Ma, I will take a leave of absence, go back to grab the side medicine and eat, and I will come back in the afternoon. ”

As he spoke, he arched his hand towards Ma Jian, and saw that the two officials of Dali Temple were surrounded by a group of women and children, and he had no time to pay attention to this side, so he slipped out along the wall.

Another quick-witted official rolled his eyes and said to Ma Jian: "Master Ma, the tax in the market is going to be collected, and I was going to go to the market today, but now I will go over first." ”

Ma Jian's face was full of confusion.

He came to Runzhou to be a fellow intellectual, and his treatment was the same as Du Jinning's at the beginning, and later he compromised with Cao Hongshou a little, so that he could stay in the state government. But because he can't be like Wang Yugui, he is usually treated as an invisible person when he comes and goes. None of these officials in the yamen took him seriously. He is in charge of arresting and stealing, and usually gives orders, but few people can pay attention to him.

Now, the officials called him "Master Ma" one by one, saluted him, and saluted him as a real prefect and a court official from the sixth grade. It's just, why are they all asking for leave to go out?

So is he going to stop it?

Cao Hongshou and Wang Yugui were arrested, Du Jinning was not in the yamen, and now the biggest official in the yamen is his horse sword. If he lets these people go and goes after them, won't he be responsible? The officials of Dali Temple are still at the gate of the yamen, and when they see that they let these people go, will they turn their heads and arrest themselves?

But if he doesn't agree to leave, these people are afraid that they won't listen to him, right?

Ma Jian has a weak personality, and he has been bullied by Cao Hongshou and others in the past two years. At this time, even if he was the only one left in the yamen, the officials did not take him seriously, but just used him as a shield. Later, someone checked it out, or Master Du came to blame it afterwards, and everyone said that they had sued Ma Jian for falsehood.

So everyone just said goodbye, and they didn't need Ma Jian's consent, and before he could speak, the person who should leave walked away.

Watching Yu Huaigu leave, Cao Hongshou's adjutant Zhong Dianshi thought about it, as if he had finally made up his mind, and said to Ma Jian: "I'm going to inspect the cultivated land, and I'm going out of the city today." ”

"Hey, Zhong Dianshi......" Ma Jian wanted to call Zhong Dianshi, but Zhong Dianshi didn't hear it, and went directly into the yamen. There is a back door in the yamen, and usually when Cao Hongshou and Wang Yugui have any inconvenience to enter and exit from the main gate - for example, when the main gate is blocked by people who shout grievances, they will slip away through the back door.

Of course, that door is not allowed to be used by ordinary officials.

Three of them walked at once, and the rest of them were flexible, and they also woke up at this time, and hurriedly pointed to one thing, and finally at the door of the yamen, only Ma Jian and the old official of the Ministry of Industry were left, as well as a few small officials and errands with a very low status who had no sense of existence.

The old official of the Ministry of Industry shook his head, smiled bitterly, and arched his hand with Ma Jian: "Master Ma, the villain has gone in to do something." So saying, he turned and went into the yamen.

Before leaving, he scolded several officials and messengers: "You still don't go in and do things honestly? No matter who is going to be the governor, you need people who do things honestly. It's useless to think about those crooked doors, and it's right to be honest and diligent. ”

Seeing that the little official and the messenger also entered the door, seeing that there seemed to be only one left at the door, Ma Jian hurriedly entered the yamen.

Zhong Dianshi went out of the back door and got into the carriage, only then did he remember that he didn't know where Du Jinning lived, and hurriedly asked his little servant: "Do you know where Lord Du lives?" ”

The little guy shook his head in horror.

Cao Hongshou fell, Zhong Dianshi's status was worried, and he was afraid that his master would spill his anger on him.

Sure enough, Zhong Dianshi scolded him with a stinking face, and shouted: "Go and ask, do you want me to tell you how to do it?" ”

The little servant of the Zhong family had to get out of the carriage and ran outside quickly, thinking to himself: Where does the new Du Tongzhi live, how can ordinary people know? Where is this going to ask for directions?

Thinking of this, he complained in his heart: It's a fellow acquaintance, and the master, as a classic history, shouldn't he have sent someone to inquire about Du Tongzhi's residence a long time ago? I have to persecute him now.

Running out of the alley, the little servant saw Yu Huaigu and the Yu Warden stopped a mule cart and gave the coachman a place name