From the Yuan Dynasty to the Zheng Dynasty, there was a cockfighter in YuanZhou, known as the Cockfighting Lang. He was idle, neither in business nor in work, and every day he held a large rooster and called a group of young people on the street to fight cocks in the market. After winning the money, he called friends and went into the tavern to guess the order.
Cockfighting Lang has a rough temperament and is competitive, and those floating prodigal children in the city must let him score three points, and the ordinary citizens are even more respectful of him.
At that time, the Taishou of Yuan Prefecture was a clean and honest government, good at observing the sufferings of the people, handling civil disputes and lawsuits very strictly, and the people loved him very much.
In this year, there was a man surnamed Zang who was a young man who became a minister of imperial history and was going to visit Yuan Prefecture.
Yuan Zhou Taishou felt that he was senior and old, and had some contempt for Zang Yushi. Xin said that he was coming, and smiled in front of everyone, "Isn't this Bu Yushi the son of Lao Zang?" ”
A person who liked to manipulate right and wrong told Zang Yushi what Taishou said, and Zang Yushi was very angry and wanted to punish Taishou well, but there was no proper excuse for a while.
Coincidentally, there was a villain in Yuanzhou City, because he usually oppressed the people, he was often punished by Taishou and held a grudge against Taishou. Hearing that Zang Yushi hated Taishou, he sent a generous gift to Zang Yushi and falsely accused Taishou of accepting his bribe.
The villain's false accusation is right in the arms of Zang Yushi. He also did not investigate, and immediately took advantage of the privilege of killing and seizing on behalf of the emperor, arrested Taishou, tortured him severely, forced Taishou to write a false confession, and removed Taishou from his official position.
The people of Yuan Prefecture were very angry, but there was no way to defend Taishou.
One day, cockfighting lang roamed the streets with his hands behind his back. The residents knew that he was very capable and could do things that ordinary people could not do, and deliberately provoked him with words: "You are very brave in your daily work, but you only bully the poor and weak." The villain, who has money, frames him for being too conservative. Taishou was dismissed from his official post, and the people of Yuanzhou lost their beloved parents and officials, do you want to be really a big husband, can't you reach out and manage a tube, and export your anger for Taishou? ”
Cockfighting Lang patted his chest and said, "Okay, you wait and see!" ”
Having said that, he went to the place where the people who had worked hard lived, beckoned the able-bodied young men to concentrate, and immediately dozens of people responded. He told everyone to follow him with a stick in his hand, shouting, "Let's go and get angry for Taishou!" ”
At this time, the villain who falsely accused taishou was wearing luxurious clothes, riding a high-headed horse, and carrying a few slaves to show off his might in the street. Cockfighting Lang led the crowd to stop him in the street.
Cockfighting Lang ran over and pulled the villain off the horse, lifted the stick and beat him. The villain's entourage saw that they were crowded, bluffed a few times, and slipped away.
Cockfighter stripped off the villain's clothes, led the crowd to tie the villain's hands behind his back, hugged him in front of the horse, and pushed him around the street, while forcing the villain to shout himself: "This is the end of false accusations!" "Take a step, shout, and beat with a stick if you don't shout." The villain's back was beaten to death.
When the son of the villain heard that his father had been beaten and was tied up and paraded in the streets, he gathered more than a hundred children and servants of the family to rob his father. People on both sides, armed with sticks in their hands, confronted each other on the street, watching a group fight about to take place.
Cockfighter Lang stepped forward, pointed at the nose of the villain's son in front of everyone, and said, "If you want your father to die, come and fight with us!" Don't want your dad to die, just honestly wait at home. When we're done on the street, let your dad go back, he can't die. ”
The son of the villain, fearing that the poor workers had killed his father, did not dare to move again, so he returned with his retinue.
The streets and alleys of Yuanzhou were crowded with people watching the villains roam the streets, and the whole city was full of joy and thunder, and everyone clapped their hands and applauded. The county officials were worried, afraid that so many people would gather together and make trouble, and rushed to the government to report.
The officials in Yuan Prefecture's capital were already holding grievances for Taishou, and the cockfighting lang's handling of the villains in this way could be said to be right in their arms, so they said to go and see, in fact, no one went to interfere at all.
The procession circled around town for a day. The villain was tired and hungry, and the stick wounds on his body were so painful that his legs could not move, so he had to plead bitterly for the cockfighter to spare his life.
Cockfighting Lang let people drag him to the door of his own house, pushed him behind his back, made him kneel on the ground, pointed his head with a stick, and counted down: "You are also a citizen of Yuan Prefecture, you are an unruly person, but you resent being too obedient to punish you." Too defensive to punish you, that is the law of the land, how can you blame him? You falsely accused Taishou of being too defensive, and the people of Yuan Prefecture lost a respected parent official. You deserve to die for your sins, and today you spared the life of this dog for the time being. In the future, if you can't change your ways and do evil deeds, I will lead someone to burn down your house and kill your whole family!" ”
The villain's former mighty wind had long been thrown to a hundred and eighteen thousand miles away, and he lay on the ground and prostrated his head, saying in a loud voice, "Don't dare anymore, don't dare anymore!" Cockfighting Lang took a bad breath out of his heart, so he stopped pestering him and let him go back.
Cockfighting Lang was angry for Yuan Zhou Taishou, and the people of Yuanzhou clapped their hands and applauded, and Cockfighting Lang asked everyone: "Is it enough to avenge Taishou like this?" ”
The group said: "Although it is gratifying that you have done this, but the grievances of Tai Shou have not been justified, and you cannot be reinstated as an official, what is the use?" ”
Cockfighting Lang thought for a moment and said, "Yes! Let me think of another way. ”
The next day, he connected many pieces of paper and made a huge banner five feet wide and two inches long, on which he wrote a large "Qu" character, held it up with two long bamboo poles, and together with his partner, he traveled a long way to Jinling and went to Jiangdongnan Road to yushitai to make a complaint for Taishou.
Unexpectedly, the commander of the Imperial Observatory did not accept it at all and drove them out.
Cockfighting Lang refused to give up, and the people who came with him paraded in Jinling City every day holding up the word "Qu", constantly shouting: "Zang Yushi is greedy and perverts the law!" Yuan Zhou is too defensive! The Imperial Observatory is not for the people! ”
The governor of the Imperial Household Bureau, fearing that this matter would not end well, quickly sent someone to chase the cockfighting lang back and accepted their complaint.
Xing Yushitai sent people to Yuan Prefecture to investigate, and the villain was afraid that Cockfighter Lang would rectify him again, and did not dare to lie, and told the truth about what Taishou had done. Xing Yushitai reported to the imperial court, restored the official position of Yuan Zhou Taishou, and Zang Yushi was demoted three ranks in a row.
For a time, the reputation of cockfighting lang bravery and righteousness spread throughout the north and south of the river.
References 《書博鸡者事》