The old farmer reported the case: the cow was cut off by someone, and Bao Zheng said: If you want to catch the murderer, kill the cow first!
A "Three Heroes and Five Righteousnesses" and a "Bao Gong Case" have already penetrated the image of Bao Qingtian into the hearts of everyone in the folk. Bao Zheng was born in the second year of Emperor Zhenzong of Song's Xianping (999), and in 1027 he passed the jinshi examination and was appointed as the dali commentator, serving as the zhi county of Jianchang County. Bao Zheng was still a very filial piety, because his parents were old, Bao Zheng requested to take up a job near Hefei, so he changed the tax reduction to Hezhou.
Once an old farmer beat a drum to report that his cattle had been cut off their tongues. Ancient cattle, but the property of a family, is too useful, people are very important. Most importantly, cattle are tools for farmers to work, indispensable livestock. Bao Zheng nodded when he heard this, and then told him to go back and kill the cattle and take the beef to the market to sell, and within a few days the murderer would come out on his own. In the Song Dynasty's laws, killing cattle was a felony, but with Bao Zheng's words, the farmer was relieved to do so.
The next day, a farmer from the same village as him came to report that this man had violated the law and killed cattle privately. Bao Zheng, on the other hand, rebuked him: What is cutting the tongue of the cow and telling him. Then "bootleged". Finally the thief confessed. It turned out that when Bao Zheng heard about this. It has been understood that the intention of this man who cut the tongue of the cow is not the cow, but the farmer, after all, if the tongue of the cow is cut off, then the cow will either be starved to death or killed by the farmer. That's why Bao Zheng issued this order to attract the murderer to throw himself into the net.
In the end, the prisoner was convicted of deliberately slaughtering cattle and beheaded according to law, the old farmer was found not guilty, the proceeds from the killing of cattle and meat were attributed to themselves, the ordinary people who learned the truth clapped their hands and applauded, and the old master of Qingtian cracked another case.