Zhu Shuban lightly stepped on the threshold of the study, and saw that more than a dozen people in the room were gathered around the table to discuss, and at this time, all of them looked straight at him, and no one spoke.

Zhu Shuban felt uncomfortable, so he had to ask hard: "When will the county master come?" ”

"It's not a decent person to ask for it, and it's here in a moment," said the torturer standing up, "but what do you have around your waist?" ”

"It's not ...... A sword? Zhu Shuban opened the corner of his clothes, untied the sword, and showed it to them.

The scrivener of the torture room walked around him and asked coldly: "We are all lowly officials, where did this thing come from?" ”

Zhu Shuban nervously tightened his face: "This was handed over to me by the people from the Inspection Department yesterday, I think the texture is good, so I wear it on my body, is there a problem?" ”

"Of course there is a problem!" The clerk of the torture room shouted and snatched the sword away, "For this thing of unknown origin, it should be handed over to the magistrate and the storage department first, how can you be allowed to swallow it privately!" When the big thing is done, the first one to ask you about your sin! ”

After that, he took advantage of the situation to pull the scabbard, revealing the seven big characters faintly engraved on the back of the blade: 'Xuanhua Governor Zhang Chenghuai', which made his face pale with fright, and hurriedly retracted the scabbard, turned his head and said to everyone: "This object is very suspicious, put it in the inner room and hang it first." Then he pretended that nothing had happened, and told someone to take it elsewhere.

Zhu Shuban sat down for a long time, and didn't talk to everyone for a few words, when he heard a clear voice outside shouting: "What's going on in the yamen?" ”

Fortunately, they all understood, so the secretary of the torture room took the lead and hurriedly greeted each other outside the door: "County master, the big thing is not good!" Master Dong issued a document ordering us to pay more than 200,000 taels of silver within a month, and to recruit people to build the city, otherwise we will be punished for 'disobedience' and be punished to the end!" ”

"I think Dong Sheng wants to take the opportunity to eliminate dissidents, control the border passes, and make problems for us!" Someone else said this, causing an uproar around them.

Seeing such a scene, the magistrate was obviously panicked, grabbed the arm of the torture room clerk and asked, "Is this true?" ”

"If it's not true, why are so many of us together!" As he spoke, the secretary took out the note, "This is written by Dong Sheng himself, and it was received by Cun Siban yesterday, and he instructed the villain to hand it to you." ”

The magistrate took a look, it was indeed Dong Sheng's handwriting, and it was not bad at all.

"Do the people know about this?" In addition to being terrified, he did not forget to ask about it.

"The Deposit Division has sent someone to read it out in the market, and the people suddenly boiled, making a storm in the city, and the order was unstable, and the inspection department arrested one yesterday."

Zhixian shook his head and said: "The people's anger is so great, it must be impossible to execute; But Dong Jianjun's attitude is so eager, I can't afford to offend. Do you want the official to sit back and wait for death? ”

Seeing that the time had come, the secretary of the criminal department persuaded him: "In fact, the secretary of the criminal department can't get used to that Dong Sheng, and proposes to close the city gate and cut off the money and food, so that Suidi will be chaotic without a fight, and Dong Sheng will be charged with losing his land." As soon as he's gone, we'll be relieved. ”

Zhixian looked at everyone, hesitated for a while, and then stomped his feet and said: "He Dong Sheng treats me unkindly, and I don't have to think about him." That's all there is to it for now! You quickly send someone to ask for the ban and discuss it in the study! ”

The secretary said: "Without further ado, your Excellency should make all preparations first, declare martial law, and do not sit at the yamen and wait in vain." In case this is a missed opportunity, it is too late to regret it. ”

The magistrate nodded again and again, and immediately ordered the military room to draw up a document and transfer troops to martial law. Zhu Shuban thought that it would be safer to go to the inspection department in person, and with everyone's unanimous consent, he went out with the criminal room secretary office and went their separate ways.

"You're finally here!" Zhixian looked forward to Cunzhao like his parents, and immediately knelt down respectfully to him, "I hope you can save my life!" ”

Now Cunzhao was already full of spring breeze, bent down slightly, helped him up and said: "I am here for Huai'an, why bother to make this great gift." I don't know if the barracks can transfer people? ”

"I sent a small official to the inspection department, but I still haven't come back yet. He's really slow. Zhixian looked out the window, his eyes anxious.

"I have to say that his actions are extremely suspicious," the Torture Room Clerk's Office listened to the words of the magistrate, and his doubts deepened, "He also brought a sword just now......

"Sword?" Cun Zhao stood solemnly, "Trouble lend me a look." ”

The secretary office walked into the back room, and immediately came out with a sword in his hand, Cun Zhao glanced at it with cold eyes, and was secretly surprised: "This is not the sword that Zhang Chenghuai is wearing, why did it end up here?" Could it be ...... Dong Sheng has already sent him here, one step ahead of me? His heart rang out uncontrollably, and his expression was a little weird, and although he was still smiling, he was extremely stiff.

He stretched out his hand to take the sword, looked at it several times, and then snorted coldly, pretending not to know: "What's so strange about this thing?" ”

"You should take a look out of the sheath."

Cun Zhao glanced over: "What's on the sword?" ”

The secretary said loudly: "Engrave the name of Zhang Dudu!" ”

When the magistrate heard this, he suddenly raised his head and looked at Cunzhao. Unexpectedly, the latter was unhurried, put the sword aside, brushed his sleeves and laughed a few times: "Zhang Dudu's sword is not like this. I'm afraid someone is just scheming to scare me. Don't let it mess with your mind, and do great things. ”

The magistrate and others have great trust in Cun Zhaona, and naturally obey the order: "Cun Si Forbidden Fruit has insight." Not sure what to do next? ”

Cun Zhao walked quickly to the gate and looked around, convinced that there was no one, and then came back to say to everyone: "Just send a document from the county to describe Dong Sheng's tyrannical behavior, but don't say Cun's name, just say that you did it alone." Otherwise, when the people who call the leaf thief find out, they will scold me as the eyes and ears of the Chen Party, and if they investigate again, the matter will be ruined. ”

The magistrate felt that he was reasonable, but he was afraid that he would not be able to bear this great responsibility, so he called the clerk of the torture room to draft the documents and sign them together. Cun Zhao crossed his legs, broke his fingers and counted something, his eyes wandered around, as if he no longer cared about their affairs.

I don't know how long it took, but Cun Zhao's ears suddenly heard the sound of footsteps, getting closer and closer; He stopped his movements, and the pen of the magistrate next to him stopped.

"What a bold man! Dare to carry out a private conspiracy behind the back of Dong Jianjun, can he resist the decree! ”

I saw Zhang Chenghuai striding in and Dong Sheng one after another, and more than a dozen soldiers from the inspection department followed, and immediately surrounded the study on all sides, and no one was allowed to escape.

"Take it for me!" Cun Zhao's face changed suddenly, and he yelled at the magistrate angrily, "I knew that you didn't look like a decent gentleman, and now that everyone has all the evidence, what else do you have to say!" ”