Chapter 230: Returning in vain
Chapter 230: Returning in vain
Chapter 230
The timid villagers turned their faces away and didn't dare to look more.
But because of the hope of tax reduction next year, before getting Zhao Fusheng's order, several people did not leave, but stood next to the coffin with trembling legs.
Zhao Fusheng took a step forward, Lin Laoba and the others breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly retreated to the side.
The corpses in the coffin were overlapped on top of each other, and it was no longer possible to distinguish between male and female, but compared to the skeleton below, the corpse on top of it was obviously wider.
"The envoy of the Demon Suppression Division 43 years ago."
Zhao Fusheng sighed, and his gaze fell on the tall skeleton - what attracted attention was that the skeleton of this suspected envoy had lost a pair of soles from the ankle joint.
She thought of what Old Man Zhang mentioned, after Li Neng led the ghost, he wore a pair of ghost shoes.
After the ghost incense lost the sealing effect, the ghost revived again, left the old tomb, and took the feet of the envoy with red shoes.
As for the other skeleton in the coffin, it should be the body originally buried in the old tomb, and its identity is not known for a long time.
Old man Zhang really didn't lead the wrong way.
"Close the coffin, put the coffin back in the grave, and fill it with earth."
Zhao Fusheng held back the disappointment in his heart and ordered:
"We'll go down the hill when we're done."
Lin Laoba and the others were relieved, and they were busy.
The lid of the coffin was re-covered, and the coffin was carried back into the pit to be planed again.
Everyone was in a hurry to leave, and this digging and putting it was rough and the appearance was not very good-looking.
It's just that the graves here have long been lost to their descendants, and the villagers reluctantly put the graves on the pile, beat them with shovels, and then put them all down the mountain.
"My lord, it's a good thing that this ghost is gone—"
Along the way, Kong Youde was carried by an errand officer, and when he saw Zhao Fusheng's solemn face, he couldn't help but say a flattering word.
"Where's the good?"
Wu Shaochun was still immersed in the chagrin of his own misjudgment, and when he heard this, he said to him: "The ghost has left the seal constraint, which proves that he has been freed, and it is not in the jurisdiction of our Wan'an County." ”
Although Wan'an County is now in decline, there are many villages and towns under its rule.
At this time, transportation and communication were not developed, and most of the villagers were afraid to encounter ghost cases.
If it weren't for Zhuang Laoqi being taken out of the village by Gou Laosi by mistake that day, causing the law of the ghost to be glimpsed by Zhao Fusheng, the harm caused by these two ghost cases would be even greater.
Kong Youde didn't dare to squeak when he heard this.
He also knows the seriousness of the problem.
The ghost flowed out of the closed door village, and the village had not reported the ghost case before, and according to the rules, he, the mayor of the town, had serious dereliction of responsibility.
From the bottom of his heart, Kong Youde felt that he was quite wronged, but where did he dare to talk about this to the people of the Demon Suppression Division, at this time, he was only afraid that Zhao Fusheng would investigate his problem and take his life on the spot.
When he was nervous, Zhao Fusheng suddenly turned his head and asked him:
"Mayor Kong, how many villages are under the rule of Changtiao Town?"
Kong Youde was shouted by her, and he was full of excitement, and hurriedly strangled the officer's neck, and leaned over to Zhao Fusheng:
"If you go back to your lordship, you will govern nine villages together, including Fengmen and Huanggang two villages."
The road down the mountain was not easy to walk, and the legs of the messenger who carried him trembled like chaff, and at this time he strangled his neck with green tendons, and he was panting, and he wanted to curse but could not make a sound, so he had to let go of Tokon Youde's hand, and stretched out his hand to hug the big tree beside him, so that he would not fall to the ground.
The messenger let go, and Kong Youde suddenly fell into the grass.
He was so frightened that he gasped, but he didn't dare to scream, nor did he dare to scold, for fear of staining Zhao Fusheng's ears, so he had to swallow his anger and get up, looking at the errand who was supporting the tree with hatred, and when he turned his head to look at Zhao Fusheng, he was full of smiles.
"What are the main administrative affairs of Changtiao Town on weekdays?"
She asked again.
After the errand officer relieved himself, he was afraid that he would fall the town elder, and if he wanted to step forward and carry him again, Kong Youde was worried that he would make a fool of himself in front of Zhao Fusheng again, so he pushed him away and forcibly followed Zhao Fusheng's side:
"Mainly, when it is time for taxes, people will be sent into the township."
Generally speaking, the disputes, cases and taxes in villages and towns are under the management of the town, but Changtiao Town is located in a remote area, and the bandits are serious, and most of the cases in the village are related to the rape and robbery of bandits, and the town's yamen cannot control it at all.
Most of the government affairs have been abolished because of the bandits, and the only thing they can do is to increase taxes on ordinary people.
"Oh, I see." Zhao Fusheng glanced at Kong Youde meaningfully:
"It's just that they can only manage the good people."
These words silenced the villagers, the errand and Kong Youde, and no one dared to say anything.
Zhao Fusheng's purpose was not just to mock, after she finished speaking, she turned her head to look at Old Man Zhang:
"Zhang Laosan."
"Zhang Laosan is here—"
Old man Zhang squeezed through the crowd and leaned towards Zhao Fusheng's side:
"My lord, here I am."
"Zhang Laosan, you have led the way meritoriously, and provided key clues, I will reduce your half-year tax for the Demon Suppression Division next year."
As soon as Zhao Fusheng's voice fell, Old Man Zhang's eyes suddenly flashed with water, and he was so excited that he could barely stand firmly.
"Kong Youde is also here, and he will record your names and the reduced taxes when he returns to the town later."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you."
"Thank you, sir."
Lin Laoba and the others were overjoyed and thanked them one by one.
"Zhang Laosan, what do you do at home on weekdays?" Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly and chatted with Old Man Zhang.
Old man Zhang was exempted from taxes at this time, and he was extremely happy in his heart, and as soon as Zhao Fusheng asked, he immediately replied:
"I have a lot of things to do every day, I have to get up before dawn to clean up my land, adults don't look at the farming at this time, but there is a lot of work to do, before planting seedlings and planting, I have to compost and loosen the soil, and trim the house."
In his spare time, he had to go to the river to help his wife cut and weave linen to meet the annual cotton and linen tax that the women had to pay.
At the same time, he had to cut bamboo and other baskets, carry baskets and other things, and carry them to the long strips outside the town to squat and sell them when he arrived at the market.
Sometimes, if you are lucky, you can sell some of it, but if you are unlucky, you will be paid in full at once when you meet a tax collector - not to mention nothing, and if you are unlucky, you will have to be kicked a few times.
"It's not easy." Zhao Fusheng sighed.
Old man Zhang also nodded:
"Yes, it's not easy-"
"I'm so busy, and I still have time to eavesdrop on the East and West families."
Zhao Fusheng's words immediately made Old Man Zhang blush.
Wu Shaochun couldn't hold back, and laughed out loud.
Lin Laoba and the others also felt funny, and the atmosphere of the team was relaxed because of Zhao Fusheng's casual and relaxed jokes.
Old man Zhang was a little embarrassed after being teased at the beginning, but he was very thick-skinned, and quickly adjusted himself, and when he heard the words, he also laughed with 'hehe':
"Adults are really good at joking, what does it take to listen to gossip-"
"Indeed."
Zhao Fusheng nodded in agreement:
"It's your talent."
Old man Zhang didn't understand what 'talent' was, but he vaguely felt that Zhao Fusheng was praising himself, so he couldn't help puffing up his chest proudly and nodded:
"That's, that's."
"How much money do you make a day by doing this on weekdays?" Zhao Fusheng asked.
Old man Zhang replied:
"I haven't counted a day, but I can still have something to eat, if it's cutting hemp and weaving baskets—" Speaking of this, he hesitated slightly:
"Why do you want to make two or three pennies—"
"Have you ever considered doing something else?" Zhao Fusheng asked again.
"What else to do?" Old man Zhang was stunned when he heard this, "We croppers rely on the land to eat, what can we do without farming......
After he finished speaking a little dazed, he suddenly trembled and thought of a possibility:
"Your Excellency, spare your life—"
"Good and decent, what kind of life do you spare?" Zhao Fusheng saw his inner thoughts clearly, but pretended not to hear what he meant, and asked him with a smile.
"Isn't your lord trying to take my family's land? My family—"
That's the case in the closed village.
Whether it's a house or a field, it's who is strong and who speaks.
There are many and strong children in the family, such as the old man Zhang's family, who encroached on the territory of Guo Wei's family step by step, and finally expanded their own house, because the Guo family was weak and the Zhang family was strong - fully showing that the weak eat the strong.
But compared with the seemingly domineering Zhang family and the Demon Suppression Division, the old man Zhang's family is not worth mentioning.
Zhao Fusheng took Guo Wei in, and made it clear that he wanted to help the Guo family get ahead and get angry, but at this time, he suddenly mentioned that he wanted to do something else, could it be that he was hinting that he wanted to rob his land?
Old man Zhang's face changed greatly.
"The field is yours, how could I rob you for nothing?" Zhao Fusheng said with a smile.
Her words made Old Man Zhang's heart feel slightly relieved.
He and Zhao Fusheng have not been together for a long time, but since they got along with each other last night in the ghost case, this adult of the Demon Suppression Division is not very old, but he is not angry and arrogant, and his momentum is very unusual.
And she talks about credit, and the few promises she made to him counted.
ate a bag of corn from his house, and asked Kong Youde to give him ten cents - the old man Zhang's face was pale and pale, and he was suddenly suspicious: Could it be that he received the money himself, which caused this adult to be unhappy?
Thinking of this, he couldn't bear the pain and wanted to return the money in full, and was about to speak, but he heard Zhao Fusheng say again:
"Mayor Kong mentioned the problem of tax revenue in the town."
Old man Zhang was worried at this time, wiped the cold sweat on his forehead, and nodded, not knowing what she meant.
"Every year, the town will send people to urge taxes, I thought about it, I think you are a manufacturable material, I want Mayor Kong to recruit you into the town, let you be in charge of the tax affairs of Huanggang Village, what do you think?"
Zhao Fusheng smiled and said his inner plan.
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone's reaction was mixed.
This is not the first time that Wu Shaochun has accompanied Zhao Fusheng to handle a ghost case.
But when the ghost case in Kuailiang Village, he was still a novice, and he had almost no room for him to play, he only heard Zhao Fusheng interrogate Zhuang Laoqi and Gou Laosi throughout the whole process, and the end of the case was also the main reason for Zhao Fusheng.
The situation of the Guo family in Fengmen Village is different.
Although the case is still led by Zhao Fusheng, Wu Shaochun also joined it, and the stove ghost transformed by Guo's father was finally subdued by him, and that sense of accomplishment naturally does not need to be mentioned.
Wu Shaochun even participated in two ghost cases, and he also tasted some flavors.
Zhao Fusheng is thoughtful, and there must be a reason for what he says and asks.
She didn't find Old Man Zhang for no reason, but based on Old Man Zhang's voyeuristic, stingy, and stingy character, she accurately found him and asked about the Red Shoe ghost case, and gained something.
Now she suddenly mentioned that she wanted to arrange work for Old Man Zhang, which was obviously not a temporary decision.
Why did Zhao Fusheng let Old Man Zhang go to Huanggang Village to collect taxes?
The town of Nagajo has a difficult tax collection, but the servants have been passed down from generation to generation, and there is no shortage of people to do it.
Each of these errands was the same as Cao Dazong, who went out to run errands with his elders when he was young, and was already familiar with the villages and towns.
But at this time, Zhao Fusheng Leng might as well say that he wanted to add people, and send an irrelevant old man from Fengmen Village to Huanggang Village to collect taxes......
Old man Zhang ran rampant in Fengmen Village, bullying Guo Wei, but when he arrived in Huanggang Village, he was a little insect that anyone could step on.
Zhao Fu sent him to Huanggang Village before his death, and the next day his body was afraid that his body would appear in an unknown old grave in the mountain behind Huanggang Village.
There are many graves on the mountain, and after the killing, the corpse is thrown into the old grave, and the god does not know it, even the county that judges the case like a god has a headache.
……
All these situations show that Old Man Zhang is not a suitable candidate for tax collection, Zhao Fusheng is as wise as a torch, it is impossible for her not to know this.
If she understands this and still asks Old Man Zhang to do this, it proves that Old Man Zhang currently has a characteristic in her eyes.
Wu Shaochun quickly thought of Zhao Fusheng's previous exaggerated old man's words: his talent belongs to him.
What is Old Man Zhang's talent? Blindly inquiring, secretly peeping, listening to people's parents and westerners, knowing people's privacy.
Thinking like this, Wu Shaochun quickly thought of his eyebrows.
Zhao Fusheng is most concerned about ghost cases.
Her current concern must be the Red Shoes ghost case.
According to Old Man Zhang, the Red Shoes Ghost case originated in Huanggang Village - that is to say, Zhao Fusheng wanted to send Old Man Zhang to Huanggang Village to collect taxes, and found out the specific news of the Wu family's old wealth and concubines!
Wu Shaochun guessed the clue, and the whole person was indescribably comfortable and happy.
Old man Zhang hasn't figured out the inside story yet.
In his opinion, Zhao Fu was still asking him about his daily work one moment before his death, and the next moment he said that he wanted him to do something else, and suddenly said that he was going to let him go to Huanggang Village to collect taxes.
Although he has never done tax urging, he has paid taxes all his life, and he has also dealt with Cao Dazong, so he knows what is going on.
The town's errand is a lifelong iron rice bowl!
Old man Zhang first had a greedy thought, and his face showed brilliance, but before he nodded, he immediately figured out the stakes.
What Wu Shaochun wanted, he also thought of.
Huanggang Village is not a good place, and the villagers there are extremely vicious, and none of them are easy to mess with.
How dare he, an old man with no background and no ability, collect taxes from those murderers?
"I-"
He flinched, and was about to shake his head to refuse, but heard Zhao Fusheng say:
"As for the bandits in Huanggang Village, you don't have to worry, I went to Fengmen Village this time for this matter."
She turned her head to look at Kong Youde:
"After we go down the mountain, we will go to Changtiao Town immediately, you recruit errands, all the clues related to the bandits are written down and drawn, and then Shaochun and Man Zhou will follow me into the mountain, and I will 'clean' the bandit villages entrenched near these two villages in one fell swoop."