When Chen Yuan got out of Jinyiwei's prison, he went to see Zhu Di and pleaded for Yang Dao and Tong Manzhi.

Zhu Di was stunned: "They want to kill you, can you repay your grievances with virtue?" ”

"Your Majesty, the minister is a grass people, how can he deserve to die, his father is kind to the minister, grievances and grievances, and the minister can't say clearly, please look at the face of Master Yang and forgive Yang Dao's capital crime."

Zhu Di sighed: "These days, I have wronged you." ”

"Thunder, rain and dew, they are all Jun's grace, doing things for the emperor, and the ministers are not wronged."

Zhu Di nodded guiltily and said, "Since you plead, it's okay, just forgive them." However, they can avoid the death penalty, but the living sin cannot be escaped. Yang Dao was punished to the imperial tomb for three years, and as for Tong Manzhi, he flowed three thousand miles, was assigned to Qiongzhou, served for three years, and was attached to the local area. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Come on, I'm going to Shandong on an errand soon, and I'll patrol Shandong for me. Not to mention official business, come, the Western Regions just offered some snacks, go, accompany me to taste it. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Chen Yuan didn't understand what the concept of "three thousand miles of flow, three years of service, and attachment to the local area" was. When he left the palace, he asked Wang Zhen, Wang Zhen explained for a long time, and Chen Yuan understood that the main punishment system of Chinese feudal society was divided into five types: flogging, rod, imprisonment, exile, and death.

Qiongzhou, to modern times, is a holy place for winter, in the early years of the Ming Dynasty, is the place where the plague is prevalent.

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 bear this pain, and at the same time, it was also attached to the penal colony to serve hard labor, without enough food, clothing, and severe beatings by the servants. 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 exile and imprisonment in the Ming Dynasty could generally be exempted from punishment by redemption, Tong Manzhi was a criminal with no family and no background, so it was impossible for anyone to redeem her. Therefore, although the death penalty is forgiven, the living sin cannot be escaped.

Chen Yuan was on official business, and stayed in Shuntian for three days, during which he went to visit Jianfu, and Jian Yi saw that his prospective son-in-law agreed to his plea, so he was happy to turn a blind eye.

The two of them talked to me for a while, and Chen Yuan reluctantly left. Now Dong Mingyan is about to give birth in two months, and it is not suitable for marriage, so the wedding with Jian Yixuan will naturally be postponed.

The weather in May changed as it was, and that morning, it began to rain heavily again, and the roads were muddy.

At noon, after the rain stopped, Chen Yuan took Chen Xun, a member of the household department, and walked to Shandong. Chen Xun was the deputy sent to him by Zhu Di.

"Xiaguan Chen Xun, I've seen my lord." Chen Xun's grade is not as high as Chen Yuan, and he is a deputy, so he is a little flattering to Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan smiled and greeted kindly.

Chen Xun saw that his boss had no shelf, and said enthusiastically: "The adult's surname is Chen, and the lower official's surname is Chen, five hundred years ago, maybe we were a family." ”

Chen Yuan is a kind person, and he also smiled and talked to him about the family tree.

Chen Xun said excitedly: "In this way, we are peers, I am five years older than you, so I will make a big noise and tell you to retreat." ”

"Brother Dezun."

"Okay, retreat, I'm the first time I'm on a mission, I'm very nervous, retreat, you're more stable than me, what's the matter, it's all up to you."

The two of them said that they had left Suncheon for two hundred miles.

On the way, they saw several brocade guards dressed in flying fish suits and carrying embroidered spring knives at their waists to drive the prisoners, fierce and vicious, and pedestrians saw that they were far away.

Chen Yuan also does not sympathize with these prisoners, the wicked have their own evildoers.

was about to move forward, but suddenly a prisoner fell to the ground, and immediately attracted the angry scolding and beating of the brocade guard.

Chen Yuan's eyes were sharp, and he found that the person was actually Tong Manzhi.

She used to be born in Qinglou, and later in Wang Bin's house, because of her outstanding appearance, she circled in front of high-ranking officials and nobles, and did not do individual work, and this exile also cost half her life.

Chen Yuan shook his head, how could he see her here, with a weak woman like her, how could she get to Qiongzhou, and bury her bones on the ground.

Sending the Buddha to the west, he called Chen Xun and beat the horse together.

Tong Manzhi wore heavy chains on her hands and feet, her hair was unkempt, and her face was dirty. Although it was May, it was still a little cold when it rained, and she was very thinly dressed, shivering from the cold, staring at the ground with dull eyes, and letting the jailer scold.

"Stop." Chen Xun drank loudly, he knew that Chen Yuan was moved by compassion.

"Yo ho, you dare to take care of Jinyiwei's affairs, who are you?"

They didn't buy Chen Xun, and they looked arrogant.

Chen Xun was furious: "I am Chen Xun, a member of the household department, you are so bold to abuse a weak woman, although she is a prisoner, she has also been punished by the laws of the country, how can you be lynched?" ”

"Yo, the household member Wailang, what a big official."

"You-" Chen Xun was so angry that he almost couldn't breathe in one breath.

"Really? I remember when Lord Yuan first took office, he repeatedly ordered that he should not act arbitrarily and ruin the reputation of Jinyiwei, why, didn't you hear it? ”

A few Jinyi guards who were still arrogant just now sighed in their hearts, and the head slapped the person who spoke just now back two steps: "Bastard, how do you speak." ”

He covered his hot face and was very aggrieved, and said in his heart: Boss, wasn't you the most fierce scolding just now, and I was still thinking about how to subdue this coquettish woman halfway through.

The leader bowed his body and flattered: "It turned out to be Lord Chen, the little ones have eyes and no beads, damn it, damn it." ”

"Do you recognize me?"

"Of course, Lord Chen is famous, and he has a very good relationship with our commander Lord Yuan, and the little one is fortunate enough to meet the adult, so he knows it."

God has a divine way, and ghosts have a ghost way, Chen Yuan didn't want to worry about these little ghosts, and said: "It's good that you know me, this woman, you-don't have to embarrass him too much." ”

The leader's name is Yang Sanlu, when he heard Chen Yuan say this, his heart was like a mirror, he thought that Chen Yuan had fallen in love with this woman, and he felt a pity in his heart, but his identity was very different, he didn't dare to fight with Chen Yuan, and sighed regretfully.

Immediately let people help Tong Manzhi up, no longer embarrassed.

Chen Yuan nodded, said no more, and left.

Tong Manzhi slowly raised his dull gaze, looked at Chen Yuan, and did not speak.

In despair, I thought I was going to die, but I was unexpectedly let go by Chen Yuan, like a person who was about to drown, and his dancing hand touched a big log. However, she didn't want to grab the log.

She has gone through too many life and death tribulations and the hardships of being taken advantage of, and she has become numb to life and death.

Chen Yuan went to Shandong, but he was not in a hurry, so he deliberately walked slower, and Yang Sanlu followed behind unhurriedly with more than a dozen prisoners who were assigned to Qiongzhou.

————

Two days later, in the evening, Yang Sanlu asked his subordinates to take Tong Manzhi to a room, wash up, and change clothes. Thin cotton tight-fitting jacket, covered with armor, a light red silk tied around the waist, wearing a moon-white bottom shirt, light makeup, pink complexion, eyebrows and cheeks, eye waves, extraordinarily beautiful.

Yang Sanlu's eyes straightened when he saw it, he looked like a meat ball, and said with a smile: "Beautiful, really beautiful, alas, no wonder you have fascinated many ministers, even Lord Chen is moved by you." ”

Tong Manzhi's body trembled a little, sure enough, these dog officials, who are willing to save themselves, are not greedy for their own bodies.

"Don't look like a chaste martyr, who doesn't know your past, serve Lord Chen well tonight, maybe you still have a way to live, dare to be half-hearted, hum, I won't let you go to Qiongzhou."