It has been almost half a year since He Zhong came to Suzhou. The common people felt that the prefect was indeed a clean official, abolished some miscellaneous taxes, and replaced six or seven incompetent officials, and the people's lives were relatively stable. However, robberies and homicides have not been eliminated, especially in the north, boats close to the Changshu boundary river and villages along the river are often accidents, and strangely, not a single case has been solved. Thinking of this, Guan Zhong was very anxious.
The common people's ideas are rather naïve, and they always think that since the prefect is a clean official, sooner or later the robbers will be caught. But recently, the tone of the people has been a little different, they heard that the prefect wants to give the wife a birthday, and they feel that this qing official has only been clean for half a year, and now it is also changing. This time to do shou, but also sent some posts, is not this borrowing the topic to ask everyone to give gifts? It seems that this prefect is not much different from the previous ones.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Lady Of The Situation</h1>
There is also a lot of discussion in the official arena. It seems that it is not okay not to worship the birthday and not to give gifts, but how to give this gift? After sending a generous gift, I was afraid that the situation bell would put out the face of the Qing official, and a few high-sounding words would make you uncomfortable. Sending some shou peach shou noodles, probably will not play the official style, but I am afraid that other people will give generous gifts, which will offend the prefect. Those officials whose hands and feet were very unclean were the happiest, they thought that the prefect had received the gift this time, and they could still let go of the work in the future, setting a precedent for themselves, and would they ask others about these things again?
The commanders of the guards who received the invitation from the bell were happier than they were when they received the emperor's holy will. They were all military attachés, and they usually had no chance to contact The Situation Clock, and there was no way to win them over, and now they were ready to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to collude with the Condition Clock. In the future, the Emperor of Heaven is far away and can do whatever he wants. In particular, Zhen Haiwei commanded Chen Xuan, who often sent ships to send people out to harass him, and he divided the looted property in half of it, and the rest was for the small leaders and soldiers to share. Recent robberies on the river surface and along the coast were committed by people he sent out, and those murders were also committed by people he sent out. Although these cases were not seized, Chen Xuan was somewhat weak-minded and wanted to take this opportunity to probe The Tone of the Situation Bell to see if he had any doubts about the Wei Institute. So it also came earlier.
Figure | clock
Today, Guan Zhong dressed well in the morning, calmly paced in the study, and then came to the second door to greet the guests.
In the flower hall, there is a middle hall of "Oriental Shuo Stealing Peach", lined with couplets of "Furu East Sea" and "Shoubi Nanshan". Again was a pair of big red candles flying gold, and the cigarettes were swirling. This shou hall is very stylishly arranged. In the courtyard is a class of bamboo drum music, a guest, just play a bit.
Mrs. Guan never appeared, and after the guests arrived one after another, Mrs. Guan still did not come out. Some guests thought that the banquet was about to start, and they were calculating in their hearts, and they did not know whether to eat Suzhou cuisine today or Jiangxi cuisine with the flavor of the prefect's hometown.
Standing in the middle of the flower hall, Zhong Zhong looked at Chen Xuan, arched his hand at everyone, and said: "Forty years before the inner people, I am grateful to all the lords of the WeiShou and the lords of Zhixian for coming, and I am deeply grateful to you." In ordinary times, it is really not easy to have such an opportunity to speak freely, since it is a group of talents, I have one thing to ask you. ”
At this time, Chen Xuan was already a little impatient. He had probed the tone of the condition clock several times, but the condition clock always ignored it and did not respond at all. He just wanted to eat the banquet earlier and go back. Hearing The situation clock say the word "please" was very disgusting. He replied fiercely, "If you want to ask anything, ask!" I Chen Xuan is a rough person, and I don't know what it means to ask for advice!"
Ignoring Chen Xuan's remarks, he said to everyone with a very grim face: "It has been more than half a year since I took office. The lives of ordinary people are barely passable, and there are not many who are desperate to take risks. The commanders of the various health posts have also vigorously straightened out military discipline, and the social order is much better than before, and the people can live and work in peace and contentment. These are the merits of the great masters commanded by the guards, and I will certainly play the holy ones and reward each one. ”
Picture | clock image
Hearing this, Chen Xuan couldn't help but blush, but he quickly calmed down and said one after another: "I don't dare to be rewarded for my meritless deeds." In his heart, he thought that Guan Zhong did not pay attention to the recent robberies and murders at all, so he concluded that Guan Zhong would not be suspicious of chen Xuan's head, and his expression seemed to be more relaxed than just now. Guan Zhong also said: "What I want to ask you adults for advice is that there are still frequent robberies and murders on the river recently, I don't know if you adults have heard, these cases do not come out of the water, the murderers do not arrest and arrest, I am not willing to eat, I can't sleep at night, I am sorry for the imperial court, and I am sorry for Li Min." People have the same heart, and I think all adults think the same way. ”
Chen Xuan also pretended to be calm, and quickly picked him up and said, "Yes, if these cases are not broken, our hearts will not be settled."
Guan Zhong nodded, pointed his hand at Chen Xuan, and said, "If Lord Chen cares about the place like this, things will be easy to handle." It seems that it is not difficult to solve the case. ”
Guan Zhong sneered and said quietly, "This is not a joke, the case is definitely going to be solved." Now there are not only clues, but also witnesses. It was not the great thieves of Jiangyang who committed the crime, but the thousand households, hundreds of households and soldiers of the guardhouse, and it is said that they were still under the orders of the commander. ”
Without waiting for Guan Zhong's words to finish, Jin Shanwei commanded Wanfu to immediately interject and said, "Lord Guan, I have never given such an order, and the thousand households, hundreds of households, and soldiers under me have never gone out to rob them." If you don't believe me, you can investigate. To tell you the truth, before lord Guan came to Suzhou, I did not discipline the people in the health center strictly, and they went out to steal chickens and dogs. Later, the adults came to Suzhou to take care of things, and soon, Lord Zhou was appointed as the inspector of Ying Tian, and our health center from top to bottom never dared to go out to cause trouble. Li Changlin, the commander of the Taicang Guard, also had to declare to The Situation Clock that his men had not robbed.
Picture | sculpture of the clock
At this time, Chen Xuan, who was originally more active, suddenly seemed to have lost his soul, and his face was hot and cold, which was very unpleasant. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say. I felt that the situation was getting worse and worse for me. He relied on having the great eunuch Wang Zhen in the imperial court as a patron, and he simply played a rogue. He rolled up his sleeves, pointed at Guan Zhong's nose and scolded: "Surnamed Guan, you don't have to be ignorant of current affairs, I Chen Xuan came to pay homage to Shou today, because I can look up to you and give you a little face." If you don't put out the banquet, you are still in the second place, nonsense, the officers and men of the guard station robbing people and killing people, is this not a blood mouth spewing people?"
Guan Zhong did not pay any attention to Chen Xuan's rambling scolding at all, and still calmly said to everyone: "I also know that most of the officers and men of the health center obey the law and abide by the law. Gentlemen, that is why we must find out this black sheep. Otherwise, none of you will be able to wash yourself clean. ”
Wan Fu, Li Changlin, and others all said, "That's true."
Picture | portrait of Chen Xuan
Chen Xuan stood up, intending to slip outside, and as soon as Guan Zhong waved his hand, sixteen warriors came in outside. Chen Xuan's face turned pale for a while, and the green tendons on his forehead protruded high one by one. Then it gradually flattened down again, and its face changed from pale to livid, like a defeated rooster. He sat down and half-slumped his ass on the chair he had been sitting on. It seems that he has just had a fierce ideological struggle, trying by all means to escape from this very unfavorable situation, but he just can't think of a way. "Some time ago, I personally inspected the river and witnessed the wrongdoing of these bandits. I was almost killed by them. At that time, the staff was uneven, so they had to go unpunished, but I found this clue. At present, one of the leaders captured by the Suzhou Government Servant is here, and all the adults will know it when they recognize it. "After saying this, he instructed his family to send a message to the prisoner and bring the prisoner."
At this time, the commanders of all the health posts were tense, even Wan Fu and Li Changlin, although they did not order the thousand households to rob, they were also worried that the thousand households and the hundred households would go out to get extra money by themselves, and Chen Xuan was even more panicked, sitting as if his ass had a needle, and his eyes were black. The iron rope "Lang" sounded, and the messengers brought in a middle-aged man, and as soon as he entered the door, he knelt on the ground and bowed to everyone. The commanders of the weishou looked at it, Oh, it turned out to be Qin Bing, a thousand households of the Zhenhai Weiwei Station, and the red people under Chen Xuan.
Qin Bing's legs trembled and his eyes squinted. When he found out that Chen Xuan was present, he thought that the savior had arrived, and he kept raising an eyebrow at Chen Xuan, hoping that Chen Xuan would say good things for him.
Picture | (present) Suzhou Ancient City
Chen Xuan was anxious, and suddenly, calculating his heart, he decided to make this Qin Bing a sacrifice as his own life-saving straw. He pretended to stand up, pressed his hatred for the situation clock, and seemed to say very bitterly: "Lord Situation! This person's name is Qin Bing, and he is a thousand households under me. His duty should be to prevent thieves and thieves, to protect good people, and he could not imagine that he would actually do such a crime today. Knowing the law and breaking the law, of course, it is necessary to strictly punish the crime with the first degree. I asked the prefect to behead Qin Bing, infuriated by the common people. As for chen xuan, I have not been able to manage the officers and men under my command well, and I should also be punished, and I will certainly play the role of the saint and wait for the fall. ”
Chen Xuan thought that this set of words was comprehensive and quite proud.
And The situation Zhong had conceived countermeasures in advance for any tricks that Chen Xuan might play, and at this time, of course, chen Xuan would not be allowed to slide past like this. He said, "Lord Chen is so strict with himself, he really has the style of an ancient gentleman. Qin Bing's should be cut and wrought, it is not difficult to do, and there is no need to be in such a hurry. If things are not fully understood, we will behead people, how to write on the case file reported to the imperial court? I was born as a scribe, but I had never done such a document, and I still hoped that Lord Chen would give me advice. ”
Qin Bing, seeing Chen Xuan turn his face at a critical moment and not recognize anyone, knew that he didn't have much hope of survival, strengthened his courage, and scolded loudly: "Chen Xuan! Every time I go out to commit a crime, it is your order, and the stolen property and women are sent to you first, and it doesn't hurt to kill some people in order to kill them', this is what you said to me yourself. Do you want to shirk this responsibility? Where in the world is there such a cheap thing? I have been sentenced to beheading, and you will not be sentenced to hanging, and all the bad things you have ordered me to do. ”
When Guan Zhong asked Chen Xuan what else to say, Chen Xuan bowed his head and pondered for a while, and said fiercely: "Today in your hands, you have the upper hand." However, you four-pin civilian official can't control my four-pin military attaché. Besides, in the DPRK, I am not without a patron, and Wang Zhengong will speak for me. Am I really afraid that such a small prefect as you will not succeed? Could it be that you have more power than Duke Wang Zhen? Today you have offended me, and you will not regret it in the future, and at that time, you will kneel and plead, and I will not take you. ”
Paintings by officials such as | Guan Zhong
The large and small civil and military officials present were somewhat shaken to hear Chen Xuan say Wang Zhen's name. Some people are worried about the situation clock, afraid that things will not end. Some people also feel that if they are involved in this dispute, there is only harm and no benefit, so it is better to get out as soon as possible, and it is better not to be guilty of two sides, and in the future, the imperial court will inquire about this matter, or it is better to shirk responsibility. So I got up and wanted to say goodbye. At this time, the situation bell was not in a hurry, and the situation of the Pan family and the messengers moved the offerings in the Shou Hall and the gifts sent by the people a little, that is, the edict issued by Emperor Xuande to the situation bell was read by Wu County. All those present knelt down to listen. This edict mainly said that Suzhou was the province with the most money and grain in the world, and its political affairs were also particularly busy, so it gave Guan Zhong the power to act cheaply and let him vigorously rectify the administration of officials and money and grain. The last few sentences are "to visit illegal civil and military officials and civilians, arrest them on the spot, and those who are heinous are first beheaded and then played." Everyone heard it very clearly. When Chen heard this, he panicked, knowing that his life was in danger, and collapsed on the ground.
Earlier, an errand boy nailed Chen Xuan to shackles and put him in prison with Qin Bing. Prepare for a retrial at sunrise.
Pictured| Clock Memorial Hall
Guan Zhong instructed the family to set up two tables of homely meals, and after entering the table, Guan Zhong ate and talked, and told the ins and outs of this matter.
It turned out that Guan Zhong had long paid close attention to these robbery and homicide cases. He talked to Liu Zhengyan of Changshu County many times, and this Liu Zhengyan was more than sixty years old, more confused, and always answered what he asked. And it's endless, and it doesn't solve the problem at all. Later, he also visited several victims and the families of the deceased, and only then did he have a little eyebrow. As a result of the visit, we knew that the robbers were all large gangs, most of them came and went on large black-painted ships, sometimes there was more than one ship, and the strangest thing was that they called themselves "Jinyi Guards Catching Thieves". The situation Zhong felt that the suspicious point of the matter was clear, and it was unlikely that the robbers would have such a large number of people and such a large ship, but the style of this ship was exactly the same as that of the guardhouse, and where in the world was there such a clever thing! However, there is more than one health center, and how to check the law is very nerve-wracking. Kuang Zhong decided to go to the river surface in the Changshu area to inspect it once, but Mrs. Guan was afraid of danger and did not approve of it. Kuang Zhong was still determined to go, thinking that Lady Guan's words were also reasonable, so he ordered Wu County's canonical history Feng Liuxiong to bring twelve strong servants, change into plain clothes, and ambush the three villages by the river, even during the day, without looking at each other and not letting people know. In case there was a disturbance during Zhong's visit, Feng Liuxiong came to meet him.
Figure | Zhong Statue (Qing Daoguang Seven Years "Five Hundred Sage Statues of Canglang Pavilion")
Here Madame Guan xiang again told the family member Who accompanied Guan Zhong out, and asked Guan Xiang to be bold and careful and protect the master well.
Both Kuang Zhong and Guan Xiang changed into green clothes and hats, hired a small boat, and spent two days in Baitang and the river, finding nothing. Guan Xiang wanted to persuade Guan Zhong to go back to Suzhou and say again, but Guan Zhong said, "It's only been two days of hard work, what are you in a hurry?" Now it's time for us to wait for the robbers, and the robbers won't wait for us. You can't do it without patience!" Guan Xiang didn't say anything more.
On the morning of the third day, the river was covered with a thick white mist. It seems that there is rain and there is no rain, and people's faces are not necessarily clear to face. Looking at the river from the boat, three or five feet away is filled with water mist, and it is not clear at all.
Hearing the sound of shouting and shaking and bracing poles, the clock hurried out of the ship's barn. I saw a large black-lacquered ship descending the river from upstream. Guan Zhong first thought that the guard station had come out to patrol, and was trying to take a closer look, but unexpectedly a roar came from the big ship: "The ship of the Jinyi guards catching the adults is coming, and the small boat is not quick to stop and wait for the search."
Pictured | Zhong pretending to be Mr. Word-Measuring in order to explore the truth
Guan Xiang was a little squirming. The clock whispered to him, "Calm down." There's something I'm going to deal with. We came out to make private visits just to find clues so that we could track them down. Wouldn't it be better to meet them now? ”
Without waiting for an answer, the big boat threw an iron chain with a hook on it, and at once pulled the small boat to the side of the big boat, pulling it too fast, almost overturning the boat in the river. Then two people jumped out of the big boat, one taller in front of him, holding a flapping knife, with a fierce glint in his eyes. The one in the back is thinner, with eyebrows hanging upside down, and the spiritual temperament is not full.
The questioning bell with the big knife said, "Look at you who are panicked, you are not a good person."
Kuang Zhong said, "I am a pilgrim from Jiuhua Porcelain Village on Guanqian Street in Suzhou, and I came out to collect the bills."
The thrower said, "Oh! No wonder your Jiangxi tone is particularly heavy, it turned out to be Jiuhua Porcelain Zhuang" He pointed his finger at Guan Xiang again and asked, "What about you?"
Guan Xiang replied, "He is a courtier, and I am a buddy." The sound is very different from usual, some vibrato. ”
The thin man was very delicate, and he said to the person who carried the flapping knife, "Who knows if they are the people of Jiuhua Porcelain Village?" Maybe it's the bad guys, they can't say it themselves. Don't let the bad guys slip through the cracks. ”
Pictured | stills of Mrs. Zhong Zhong
The thought of raising the knife was also correct, and he interrogated it. He first interrogated the history of the porcelain shop and the variety of colors it operated, and Kuan Zhong knew a little about it, and seemed to have read it in books. He said, "Jiuhua Porcelain Village has been open for eighty years. The business is not big or small, we are out to collect the bills, you all know that the porcelain village is an authentic Jingdezhen porcelain, the real is as light as jade, white as snow, thin as paper, sound like a rock! ”
Unable to find a suspicious point, the thin man said again: "Who has the leisure to listen to your greasy mouth and slippery tongue." I ask you, is it really a collection of accounts?" The clock replied, "It's really a collection."
The one who raised the knife said, "I like to meet the collectors, whether it is true or not." With that, I started to search my body. The situation bell said: "I came out and collected more than forty taels of silver and hundreds of pieces of money, but yesterday I met a robber at the foot of wolf mountain, and I snatched all the silver and ledgers." Please let us be the masters. I don't know where the Gate of the Jinyi Guards arrested the Adult! We want to file a complaint. ”
The two men searched and talked, saying that they wanted to inquire about who had done the case at the foot of wolf mountain, and were ready to go to talk about it, and the silver must be divided in half, otherwise they would use force. They searched the bell, the situation and the ship's purse, and even turned over every piece of the ship's cabin, and only two and a half pieces of silver were found. So he called "obscure" again, scolded the sky for a while, scolded the mother for a while, and then went back to the big boat.
When the big ship was far away, Guan Zhong let the ship dock, and it just so happened that Feng Liuxiong also brought someone to inspect here, and Guan Zhong ordered him to pick up some broken silver for the boat's family, and returned to Suzhou City with Feng Liuxiong.
Picture | Gong Ancestral Hall
In The judgment of the situation, there is no doubt that the case was done by Wei, but it is not known which one is the weishou. It is not known whether the commander of the guard house participated in such a campaign. Further investigation is intended. Since Guan Zhong himself had many official duties and could not often go out to make private visits, several local officials were arranged to pay attention to the entry and exit of the personnel and ships of each guardhouse. In the city of Suzhou, Feng Liuxiong and Guan Xiang paid close attention to the large and small mansions commanded by Chen Xuan, Wan Fu, Li Changlin, and several other commanders to see what was going on. As the days passed, not a small amount of information was known about their actions, but major clues could not be found.
One day, Guan Xiang finally found that the man carrying the throwing knife on the ship of the "Jinyi Guard Catching the Adult" had drunkenly entered the residence of Chen Xuan's little wife near the Canglang Pavilion. The situation was reported and feng Liuxiong was instructed to lead a group of people to secretly surround the house, so as not to scare the snakes. The clock stipulates two rules: if this guy comes out during the day, he will still track him in the back, watch him go there, nailed and cannot be released. But don't arrest him, because as soon as the news spreads, things will not be easy. If after dark this guy comes out alone, then immediately start, don't let him shout, and arrest him.
Later, this guy didn't come out until after dusk, and Feng Liuxiong asked Xiang Xiang again, did he really recognize it? Guan Xiang said, "It is indeed this person, and I know him when he burns it to ashes." In this way, Feng Liuxiong asked someone to go up and cover the man's mouth with a piece of cloth, and the other two people handcuffed him left and right, and dragged him away. There was not a single shout from the arrest, and neither the nearby residents nor the passers-by knew it had happened.
Because of the seriousness of the case, Zhong Zhong personally interrogated him overnight.
Picture | the "Fifteen Guan" propaganda poster condition clock
The prisoner probably drank some more wine at night, and was not yet fully awake, although he was shackled and did not seem to care much. He was told to kneel, and he knelt down, but his head and neck were still tilted up, and he looked like he did not want to bow his head and accept his sins.
He swept his eyes into the horizontal, the person sitting on the top of the public case and asking the case was somewhat familiar, and he could not remember where he had seen it, and then he thought about it carefully and thought about it. Did the eyes read it wrong? This was no one else, it was the pilgrimage of Jiuhua Porcelain Village that I had met on the boat that day. He felt that this was really strange, how could a courtier become an official in a few days? Thinking so in his heart, his mouth rushed out: "Aren't you the porcelain farmer who collects the bills?"
Only to hear someone shout a "slap", he was slapped twenty times to the left and right, and the Venus in his eyes shot randomly.
Guan Xiang shouted, "The strong man dares to be brazen again, this is the public court of the Suzhou prefect, and he does not bow his head!" When the guy heard the words "Suzhou Prefect," it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured down on his head, and the person was half shorter and more awake for a long time. Looking around with wide eyes again, the vermilion hard head card of the "Four Pins Zhengtang" was particularly bright against the light of the lamp candle. It seems that the official who asked the case would not be a courtier of the porcelain village, but indeed a lord of the situation. Looking at the person standing next to the adult, he was also very familiar, and it turned out to be the "guy" of the "porcelain village". For a moment, I didn't think about what was going on, but my head and neck didn't get up, so I obediently bowed my head and knelt down, kept prostrating my head, and even said, "The little man should be damned."
The bell slammed the shocked hall wood and asked, "Who is the strongman's surname?" In which health center to eat food? How many times have the fake 'Jinyi Guards Arresting Adults' robbed and murdered outside? Where is the stolen goods stored? One by one, come quickly. ”
Figure | Zhong's "Poetry of Refusal of Etiquette"
The prisoner knew that it would be useless to hide anything in front of The Situation Bell, so he told the story of The Robbery and Murder on the river surface, which was ordered by Zhen Haiwei's commander Chen Xuan to order his men to rob and kill people on the river. The prisoner, who claimed to be surnamed Qin Bing, served as a thousand households in Zhenhaiwei and had been following Chen Xuan for six or seven years. What to do? Nominally responsible for leading the boats to the river to salvage scattered timber, in fact, there are not so many scattered timber to salvage, every time they go out, they are pretending to be "Jinyi Guards Catching Thieves", seeing money grabbing money, seeing people robbing people, if the other side resists a little, they will kill it, and the corpse will be thrown into the Yangtze River. Adultery is even more endless. Chen Xuan had four little wives, two of whom were snatched.
After the matter was clearly asked, Qin Bing was taken into custody.
Kuang Zhong and Feng Liuxiong discussed how to arrest Chen and bring him to justice. Guan Zhong believes that if this matter is not done well, serious consequences will occur, and in the future, the public security of Suzhou Province will no longer want to live in peace. Therefore, we must catch Chen Xuan by surprise, and after being caught, we will not be afraid of him making any more trouble.
Send someone to the guardhouse to capture, of course, he has thousands of people in his hands, twenty or thirty large and small ships, and he will never tie his hands and capture them. When the two sides fight, the local area suffers, and the imperial court will be alarmed.
Figure | The Tomb of the Clock
Asking Chen Xuan alone to come to Suzhou Mansion and then arrest him was also a way. But this will inevitably arouse his suspicions, he will not be hooked, and it will be even more difficult to deal with in the future. Finally, I came up with a way to pretend to be a substitute for Mrs. Situation.'" The posts were scattered to the civil and military officials, and this Chen Xuan really came to the plan. Of course, he couldn't come and go. Mr. Kuan repeatedly apologized to the civil and military officials. Saying that Madame's birthday had already passed, it did not alarm any relatives or friends. Now is a stopgap measure to use at a time when it is unthinkable. As for the birthday gifts sent by everyone, all of them have not been moved, and they are all sent back one by one by the Suzhou government in their original form. After this incident of counting and capturing Chen Xuan, the illegal disturbance of the civil and military officials of Suzhou Prefecture was less frequent
【End】