Reading guide: There is a lack of candidates for many officials, and there are acting short-term practical teachings, which rely on this to maintain the situation.

The Qing Dynasty was founded, and no one under the king's order survived; Outside Changsha City, halfway out of the city to bite gold.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, can the head of the ruffian death row prisoner really fall to the ground?

Changsha, the city of Hunan Province in early July, is the season of scorching heat waves and butterflies. In the second half of the night, there was a drizzle of rain, and when I woke up in the morning, not only was the air cool and pleasant, but everything was much fresher. It was as if the gods came overnight, yawning inadvertently, and the mortal world was full of spirits.

But the sky was still overcast, and occasionally something damp fell. It's warm and soft, so you can't tell if it's rain or the water droplets formed by the fog condensation.

The Issuance and Examination Bureau is going to kill people again today.

Because the notice was posted on the first day, just after breakfast, Xiangyong had not officially cleared the street, and the people had already walked to the street with goose feather fans.

The person who the Issuance and Examination Bureau wants to behead today is not an ordinary bandit or a suspected bandit, but a well-known Xiebiao Dusi in the provincial capital, a figure that everyone in Changsha fears.

In the provincial capital, the top of the four products is not important. The four grades of martial arts are even more numerous.

In the early years of Xianfeng, Hunan already had 32 candidates for the fourth grade, and the prefect for the fourth grade remained at about 40. Among the alternate Daoists, there were eight who were rewarded with the rank of three ranks, and four who were given the rank of envoys. There are no four hundred, and three hundred cannot be stopped. These were all within the quotas set by the imperial court.

After the Taiping army became a big fight, the Qing Dynasty began to use a large number of troops in various provinces as the situation developed. As a result, the military exploits were rambling to get up, and the guarantee orders of the leading soldiers were also fighting longer and longer.

This has led to the problem of too many officials and too few points. In order to resolve these contradictions, the Qing court adopted the method of rewarding empty tops and yellow coats to boost morale and enhance morale. The ranks of alternate officials in the provinces began to grow without restraint.

By the beginning of the third year of Xianfeng, the number of alternate officials in Hunan Province had far exceeded 700, and it was almost possible to form two cavalry battalions.

After the establishment of the Issuance Examination Bureau, Zeng Guofan selected more than 50 additional commissioners from among these people to serve as temporary errands, which somewhat relieved some pressure on the governor's yamen; After Jiang Zhongyuan assisted in the military affairs of Jiangnan, he entrusted Luo Bingzhang to pick up more than 80 people and rush to Hubei, where he went south with the army to handle the transfer of documents and grain and grass. The pressure on the governor's yamen has been invisibly relieved.

Despite this, there are still more than 500 officials of all sizes who have no vacancies at the top of the list, and there are even more military and military posts.

When these local matters reached the capital, Emperor Xianfeng tried his best to appoint officials in the form of acting after discussing with the ministers of the kings who were close to and trusted around him. Zhang Liangji has been acting governor of Huguang for a long time, but he has not yet been granted; Until his departure, Pan Duo remained acting. It's proof.

There is a difference between teaching and acting. The actual grant is counted as a term of office every three years, and after the expiration of the "great plan" of the constitution, the court will be played to decide the going, retention, promotion, and transfer of officials; The acting is temporary in nature, and the length is not allowed to exceed one year, but it can be as short as a few days. This has enabled many alternate officials, more or less, longer or shorter, to take turns to run errands and not to the point of waiting to die. This is somewhat of a comfort to the alternates.

The Green Camp Capital Division is only a fourth-rank rank, but because it is relied on by the upper constitution, the situation is naturally different from the ordinary fourth-rank rank.

There were a few copies of the complaint against Li Dusi in the first two years, but because most of them became yellow cranes who did not look back after handing them over, and the soldiers were continuous, it was not easy for Beijing to control, so they no longer sued. His daughter was raped by him, and her family moved away from the provincial capital to continue living; The son was crippled by him, and he endured this evil breath, and he did whatever he wanted.

Li Dusi became more and more unscrupulous.

After the establishment of the Issuance Examination Bureau, murder in provincial cities has become commonplace, and the interest of the people in onlookers is almost zero.

But because the person to be killed today was too unusual, the interest of the people in watching was brought up again.

Most people didn't believe the words on the notice, and decided to look at the killing again in serious and detail, just to confirm that the person to be killed was really Li Dusi, or something else.

Several governors of Hunan did not dare to touch Li Dusi's hair, and he was worried about serving the minister, and he was the assistant minister of Hunan League Training, so he really dared to kill Li Dusi?

Even Xiao'er knows that asking Li Dusi is to challenge the co-standard, and it is to challenge Mangui Qingde!

Noon is getting closer and closer, and the people on the street who are ready to watch the excitement are gathering more and more.

At this time, the originally hazy sky suddenly opened up a little, and a bright and shining sunlight shot out, which was very dazzling.

Xiang Yong of the brigade began to clear the streets, and the onlookers all raised their hearts.

In the Issuance and Examination Bureau, Zeng Guofan gave an order, and some soldiers had already taken Li Dusi, who was disheveled, from prison and tied him into a large wooden cage installed in a carriage. There was a death card on his back, and the wooden cage was surrounded by pro-soldiers.

Two more serious candidates served as supervisors, and the court was set up in a deserted suburb far away from the city.

During the parade, the victims along the way threw bricks and tiles at the wooden cages. After the completion of the four-door tour, countless bricks, stones and other things have been piled up around the wooden dragon, and the number is so large that a small house can be built.

The brigade Xiang Yong cooperated with his own soldiers and escorted Li Dusi to the guillotine slowly.

Halfway along the way, Qingde wore an official uniform, with a single-eyed flower feather inserted on it, rode a tall horse, and led two battalions of soldiers under his command, lined up to block the way.

On the left and right of Qingde, there are more than a dozen war horses at each station, and on them are officials of the same size.

Seeing that the procession marching towards the law field was approaching, Qingde shouted and asked, "Who does the Issuance and Examination Bureau want to kill today?" Is it the Cantonese bandits who invaded the provincial capital, or the local thieves? ”

As soon as he saw that it was Qingde questioning, an alternate who was in charge of the beheading hurriedly got out of the sedan chair, came to the front of Qingde's horse, and said, "It turned out to be Qingxietai." This province was sent to the Issuance and Examination Bureau of the Zeng Daren Committee, and the supervisor beheaded the ruffian association Li Dusi. Please get out of the way and let the prisoner cart pass. If you miss the time, neither Bendao nor Xietai can afford to be guilty. ”

As soon as Qingde heard this, he deliberately asked loudly: "If you didn't hear it wrong, did you mean that the person who was put on the court today was the one who co-bid me?" Could it be that Lord Zeng can't catch the real bandits, and take the number of people who cooperate with me? Someone! Let's take a look, which brother is being held in the wooden cage with my co-standard? How did the Association not know about this? Why is there no text written by the Issuance Examination Bureau? ”

The two officers received the order, struck their horses forward, and circled the wooden cage three times.

As soon as Li Dusi saw the arrival of the co-bidders, tears flowed from his eyes. It's a pity that I bit the wooden stick early in my mouth, and I had the heart to say a few words, but I couldn't make a sound.

The two officers turned their horses and came to Qingde's side, and said, "Lord Yuxietai, the one in the wooden cage is Li Dusi, who is the standard of my association. When Li Dusi saw his humble position, tears fell like rain, and it was clear that he was beaten into a trick. My lord, you have to be the master of the wronged capital! ”

Before the officer could finish speaking, Qingde shouted: "It's the other way around!" Let the bandits ignore it, but they will arrest the people of the co-bid and cut off their heads! I can't do a paperwork, this is worth it! Observe the lord, it is not difficult for you to be old, you let go of the people first, and then follow me to see Lord Junmen and Lord Futai! The lowly must seek justice for the agreement! ”

As soon as the alternate Dao of the prison beheader heard Qingde say this, his heart tightened, but he said: "Qing Xietai is not telling a joke, right? The four gates have been swam, the time is coming soon, but you are old and want to release people! Isn't this nonsense? Hurry up and get out of the way, and let Ben Dao get the job done. As long as the errand is done, you can always find the military gate or Futai, and it has nothing to do with this way. ”

After the alternate finished speaking, he turned around and sat in the sedan chair, and shouted: "Get up the sedan chair!" ”

Qingde laughed and said: "You are just a stinky candidate, and you dare to pretend to be a constitutional platform in front of this association!" ”

After Qingde finished speaking, he turned around and ordered: "Set up the musket!" Dare to rush the road, shoot and kill! Then he instructed the two officers beside him: "You two bring two sentries and horses, and escort Li Dusi to this association!" ”

The two officers were ordered to immediately set up their men and horses and rush forward.

The alternate Dao lifted the sedan curtain and shouted: "Bold Qingde, you dare to defy the royal law!" What is the crime? ”

Qingde glared at him and said, "Observe that the adult's words are fallacious!" It is Lord Zeng who really despises the royal law, not this association! The purpose of this association is to seek justice for the brothers who are cooperating with the standard. What's wrong with that? ”

At this time, a person flew from behind the wooden cage and shouted: "It's almost three o'clock in the afternoon, why don't you move forward?" If you miss the hour, who can afford it? (End of chapter)