The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 184: Shocking tactics of spitting blood

Ever since the words "so that Turks will only find you" came out from the courtyard, the guards at the gate of the Duhu Mansion became obviously a little distracted. They retreated by the door one by one, listening to the sounds coming from the courtyard with their ears pricked up. The idlers took the opportunity to take a few steps closer to the fence gate. The situation in the yard was continuously reported from their mouths to the back. Countless comments and exclamations spread like ripples throughout the crowd. However, when the legendary cattle thief was finally dragged up by a tall middle-aged man, all the idle men opened their mouths for a moment, but no sound came out.

 There was no indication of age or height. The man who was dragged out was almost only a human figure. The original color of the robe can no longer be seen, and the tattered strips are stuck together. The long hair scattered and the blood stains make the face even more horrible to look at. Even looking at it from a distance is enough to make people fall. Take a few breaths of cool air.

With a "pop" sound, the middle-aged man threw the cattle thief with blood on his face just one step away from Zhang Er. Zhang Er was dissatisfied and wanted to ask a question, but as soon as he glanced over, he subconsciously immediately He turned his head, but the frightening smell of blood still penetrated his nose fiercely, making him shiver involuntarily.

Qu Chongyu also took a step back, frowning and looking at Pei Xingjian, "How could this person... be like this?"

Pei Xingjian raised his eyes and looked at Agu who had brought the man over, "Why is this thief so injured?"

Agu crossed his arms and replied, "Qi Changshi, this man is a man of martial arts. When I brought him to justice, I had to break his legs. Just now he was talking nonsense again, so I had to give him a few lessons." "

Qu Chongyu glanced at Agu, and then at the thief on the ground who seemed to have only one breath left. He felt very suspicious. He had already sent people to keep an eye on Pei Xingjian's servants and followers, as well as everywhere in the Duhu Mansion. Someone was guarding him, and he still had some memories of this middle-aged man. He remembered that he was a coachman that Pei Xingjian brought from Chang'an. He didn't usually go in and out with him, but where did he catch this thief? And he was brought into the Protector's Mansion silently! Does Pei Xingjian still have such capable people under his command?

Wang Junmeng had already come out of the house. When he saw this scene, he frowned and hurriedly waved for the person to come over. After whispering a few words, the person hurriedly took the order and left.

Pei Xingjian didn't seem to care very much. He just nodded, looked at the thief and asked loudly, "Where are you from? Are you willing to plead guilty now?"

The thief's voice was also very hoarse and unclear, but he could barely understand it, "The younger one is from Xizhou. The younger one pleads guilty."

Pei Xingjian nodded with satisfaction, and then asked, "Since you plead guilty, where are the more than 20 calves from various villages in Xizhou that you stole?"

The thief stretched out a **** finger without hesitation and pointed directly at Zhang Er beside him, "All my calves are in his house! The twenty calves in his house are all small gains."

Zhang Er was so frightened that he almost jumped up, "You are talking nonsense! I don't recognize you at all, let alone your calf! You, why are you slandering others?" Then he looked at Pei Xingjian and Qu Chongyu eagerly, "Prince Mingjian, Changshi Mingjian, don’t believe this man’s nonsense! I have never seen him before!”

Qu Chongyu raised his eyebrows in interest, but Pei Xingjian's voice suddenly became stern, "Zhang Shanyuan! You didn't buy those twenty calves from a shepherd, and you couldn't get market coupons. If their origins are unknown, they are naturally stolen goods." ! Now that there are all the witnesses and physical evidence, if you still deny it and can't explain it, will you take it seriously that the law of the Tang Dynasty can't punish you?"

Zhang Er had been upset since he heard that he was going to be handed over to the army. The **** finger in front of him made him lose his soul. Hearing this angry shout, he couldn't care about anything anymore. He shouted, "I say, I say! These twenty calves are not stolen goods, but are the offspring of my nephew Qiao Liu's herd. I was greedy when we were not together and wanted to take advantage of all these calves, so I made up the plan to buy them." From the lies told by the Turkic shepherds to what this cattle thief said, they are all false accusations. I will never accept the stolen goods. I hope the chief will see clearly!"

Qu Chongyu was about to speak, but he was stunned after hearing Zhang Er's words. He suddenly came to his senses, his brows were full of annoyance, and he couldn't help but said in a deep voice, "Zhang Qiwei, you can think about it carefully before you reply! "

Zhang Er waved his hands and nodded again, "Xiaoguan, I have thought about it clearly. I am really just confused for a moment and wanted to steal my nephew's calf. I have never teamed up with others to steal cattle. I will never do it again." How could you dare to do such a thing? Your Majesty, please believe me this time! You won’t dare to do it again after you are dismissed!”

Qu Chongyu closed his eyes slightly and held a breath in his chest. He couldn't spit it out for a long time, and his face turned a little pale. In the curtain tent, the officials of the Protectorate Palace looked at each other and shook their heads. There were two from the Zhang family in Dunhuang who were eager to find a crack in the ground and crawl in. Zhu Que couldn't help but clapped his legs and sighed, "Pei Changshi has great tricks!"

Pei Xingjian let out a soft breath and glanced at the faces of everyone in the courtyard. He saw that the Zhang clan members were all ashamed and annoyed, the scholars had happy smiles on their faces, and the cattle dealers and veterinarians, Most of them had curious and funny faces, but some had indifferent faces and eyes full of ridicule. He couldn't help but smile, waved to Acheng and gave a few instructions in a low voice, then turned back to look at Zhang Er, "Zhang Qiwei, this time Have you really thought clearly? These calves are indeed born from your nephew Qiao Liu’s herd.”

 Zhang Er nodded, "That's true. I'm just obsessed for a moment, and I won't dare to say another false word. I'm willing to return all the calves to Qiao Liu. I just ask the superior to trust me this time and spare me this time!"

Pei Xingjian nodded silently and suddenly said to the cattle thief, "Qiao Liu, how do you think this matter should be resolved?"

 The yard suddenly became quiet, Qiao Liu? Who is Qiao Liu?

The cattle thief stood up and spat out the two dried dates in his mouth. His voice became clearer, "Thank you, Chief Shi Mingcha. It is really a helpless move for the student to sue my uncle. As long as my uncle is willing to return ten dates to me." Niu Calf, let the student pay off the loan debt and the medicine money owed by my father. I beg Chang Shi not to hold my uncle accountable." He took out a cloth from his bag and wiped the blood on his face with a few strokes. He pushed his hair back, revealing an upright face.

Zhang Er sat on the ground, staring blankly at his nephew who suddenly appeared in front of him, unable to say a word.

Pei Xingjian nodded and looked at Qiao Liu with a smile, "Very good. I wonder how much money you still owe for medicine?"

Qiao Liu replied respectfully, "Qi Changshi, the student has sold the cattle, and now he only has thirty cents left. If he can get ten calves back, it will be enough to pay off the debt."

Pei Xingjian pondered for a moment. After sitting back at the high desk, his voice was solemn and he said, "Zhang Qiwei, for the sake of your nephew Qiao Liu interceding for you, I will not pursue the matter today. These twenty calves are sentenced to death." You give everything back to Qiao Liu! Besides, you are an honorable official of the Tang Dynasty. Wouldn’t you be devastated by doing such a thing? The water conservancy work in Shangxian Township this year must be shouldered by you. You must benefit the village and do more righteous deeds to make up for today’s mistakes!”

He glanced indifferently at the five people who testified, "You five people cannot distinguish between right and wrong, and are lawless. Since you have come to the Protectorate, you can't come in vain. Each of you will pay six cents of money to replace Qiao when you return. Sixth, after repaying this debt, Li Zheng and Bao Chang will be replaced by a virtuous person from now on!"

Zhang Er breathed a sigh of relief and nodded vigorously, "I obey, thank you, Chang Shi, for your forgiveness!" The five people looked at each other and nodded one after another, each with a sad face: If I had known this, why did I do it in the first place!

Several scholars in the courtyard looked at each other and laughed with a "ha" sound. Someone shouted, "Pei Changshi is like a **** in solving cases! We are so impressed that we fell into admiration!" The crowd outside the courtyard also burst out violently. Cheers and cheers gradually filled the whole street with joy. Listen to the sound of laughter getting louder and louder. Although Zhang Er and others all had gray faces, the smile on Qu Chongyu's face became stiffer and stiffer.

A servant walked quickly to Wang Junmeng and reported in a low voice: "Ming Mansion, my subordinates have checked, and it is true that no one came in or out of the Duhu Mansion today." Wang Junmeng looked at Qiao Liu in the yard, and waved his hand impatiently - indeed No outsiders came in, it was just the plaintiff who was disguised. But what is the use of knowing this now?

 After a long time, the cheers outside gradually stopped. Pei Xingjian glanced at Acheng in the crowd and said loudly, "Today, the case of cattle fighting has been solved, and the case of cattle stealing should also be solved! Now that the crown prince has been established, he is offering amnesty to the whole world. It is a time for the whole world to celebrate, and I have already figured it out. Today, the cattle thief is in this courtyard. In consideration of the great kindness of the Emperor, I am willing to give this person a chance to change his ways. As long as he comes out on his own within three counts, I will pardon him. He will not suffer the punishment of rod and exile!"

The noisy courtyard immediately fell silent, and everyone was surprised. The students and the Zhang clan looked at each other with frowns, and then looked at the cattle dealers and veterinarians with suspicion. Even the government officials looked at each other. After being stunned, everyone in the yard looked around: Are the cattle thieves in the yard? But everyone in this yard has a background. Who would be a cattle thief?

Outside the courtyard, the crowd held their breath after whispering for a while: Pei Changshi used such a clever trick to force the Zhang family to admit in front of his nephew that he was greedy for his family's calf. It was a method like a man of heaven. , can we really count the cattle thieves today? How can it be? Qu Chongyu frowned slightly and scanned the faces of everyone in the courtyard. He saw expressions of surprise, confusion, and uneasiness on everyone's faces, but he couldn't see many clues at the moment. The officials in the curtain could no longer sit still and left their seats one after another.

Pei Xingjian stood up slowly, with a determined smile on his face. He looked calmly at the crowd in the courtyard who were a little commotion but did not dare to make any sound. He stretched out his first finger and said, "One!"

Outside the curtain, Zhu Que murmured in a low voice, "What is Chang Shi going to do again?" Pei Changshi's chain of tactics was indeed amazing, but his actions at this time made people a little confused. Maybe he can really figure out the cattle thief...

The inside and outside of the courtyard had long become silent, and Pei Xingjian's not-too-loud voice seemed extraordinarily clear, "Two!"

A breeze blew by, and the sound of curtains fluttering and clothes hems fluttering could almost be heard clearly in the yard. The guards outside the fence gate all turned their heads and looked into the yard with wide eyes. Even the idlers were unconscious. He came up to them and couldn't remember to scold them.

Seeing Pei Xingjian smiling slightly, he was about to extend his third finger. Among the crowd in the yard, a figure suddenly took a step forward and knelt in the middle of the yard. "I am the person who stole the cattle. Please forgive me!"

After a moment of silence, a scream of "wow" was centered at the gate of the Duhu Mansion and quickly spread throughout the entire street. Children jumped on the high wall especially enthusiastically, "He's out!" "Cow thieves" It’s really a debut!”

The people kneeling in the yard lowered their heads deeply, and their hands on the ground were trembling slightly. However, the messy and shabby clothes still made several colleagues shout out, "Han Si, it's Han Si!"

"Han Si?" Hearing this name, the crowd outside the hospital started to commotion. In Xizhou City, this Han Si is considered the most famous person. He comes from a medical family, but his parents died young and he usually works as a doctor. He earns a living as a veterinarian, and is known for his good craftsmanship and reputation as a weird person, but his family is also known for being poor. He is a solitary man who keeps his appearance and does not interact with his neighbors. If people from Xizhou ask him to tend cattle and sheep, he will not go six or seven times out of ten. However, when those shabby Hu herdsmen find his home, he But he followed immediately every time. Naturally, everyone doesn't like this kind of behavior.

There were several victims in the crowd who had had their calves stolen from their homes. They had come here specially after hearing the news in the past two days, and they stamped their feet and cursed, "I wonder who stole my calves? It turns out it was this guy who killed me with a thousand swords." You guys have a grudge!" They crowded to the front and shouted impatiently.

The man named Han Si slowly raised his head, his young face full of sadness. But when he heard the shouting and scolding, he turned his head and glanced a few times, and his face became a little more angry.

Pei Xingjian looked at him calmly, "Since you have come out, tell me your name, the crime you committed, and where are the calves you stole?"

Han Si calmed down and spoke with a slight tremor in his voice, "I, Han Jingzhi, am a veterinarian in Xizhou City. Since November last year, I have stolen twenty-two calves from various villages in Gaochang County. They are all... dead. The cow bones were buried near my cowshed at the southwest end of the valley below the city."

Qu Chongyu's face was gloomy and he raised his eyebrows. Just as he was about to speak, Pei Xingjian raised his voice and said, "Bai San, take a few servants who know the place and go to the Han family's cowshed to take out the cow bones and see if the numbers are right!"

Bai San received the order and casually ordered a few guards. Just as he was about to go out, he saw that the row of guards at the door had been squeezed to the fence gate by the crowd. Bai San shook his head, turned around and walked towards the back door of the yard.

Xizhou City is built on a high platform on a cliff. The steps below the city gate are steep. Unless the suspension bridge at the south gate is lowered, it is difficult for cattle and horses to enter the city. Therefore, many cowsheds and horse pens are built on the highlands outside the valley, and there are also dedicated personnel. There are many horse pens but not many cowsheds, so it is not difficult to find them. Seeing that a government official was going out of the city to pick up the cow bones, many people followed him and ran out of the city in a noisy manner.

In the yard, Han Jingzhi was reporting the time, place and number of stolen cattle one by one, and his voice gradually became calmer. The clerk was busy writing notes at his desk. He stopped for a while, then went down to ask Han Jingzhi to sign and have his fingerprints pressed. He turned around and gave his hands to Pei Xingjian respectfully.

Pei Xingjian glanced at the confession and nodded silently. But Qu Chongyu couldn't bear it any longer, took a step forward, and said coldly, "Han Jingzhi, as a veterinarian, you don't help others to save cattle and horses, but steal other people's calves. I don't know why?"

Han Jingzhi raised his head, his face flushed slightly, "I'd like to inform you that veterinarians also need to dress and eat. When these people ask me to treat cattle and horses, they are all in a hurry, and they have to use the best medicine. But once I cure them, , instead of complaining that I took action late, they just said that it was just a coincidence that I was delayed and refused to pay the medical fees, and some even did not pay the medical fees. The dozen or so families I stole cattle from all owed me the medical fees in the past few years. The cost of medicine! I am really angry..."

One of the other veterinarians said loudly, "Jiang Shi, you have heard of these things. What Han Si said is indeed the truth. Those people did rely on his expenses." The so-called sympathy for the same sick, usually They didn't like Han Si here either, but at this time they had to come forward to prove it. In Xizhou, veterinarians are far less noble than doctors. When they encounter unreasonable cattle and sheep owners, they are often helpless. Han Si had no one in the family and had to change his career to become a veterinarian. He was a monk halfway. In addition, he was not good at speaking, had a weird temper, and lived in a single household, which made him more likely to be bullied.

Some of the victims at the door were startled for a moment, and some cursed loudly back, "Han Sizhi killed two of my cows, so I didn't teach him how to pay for it, and I still have to pay for the medicine!"

Pei Xingjian said calmly, "Han Jingzhi, although you stole the cattle for a reason, and it deserves an amnesty, I have promised that you will not be punished, but you must pay back the difference between the calf and the medical fee to these dozen families."

Han Jingzhi thought for a while, his face looked a little bleak, "I will sell my ancestral home when I go back to pay the debt!"

Pei Xingjian glanced at the people at the door who were still cursing endlessly, and said in a loud voice, "Come here, write down the ins and outs of this matter clearly, along with the list of those who have lost their cattle, copy out a copy, and post it at the door of the government office, so that you can teach me. Everyone in Xizhou knows it!”

The shouting and cursing at the door suddenly stopped, but bursts of laughter broke out from the crowd behind them. Many people in the yard had smiles on their faces. Pei Xingjian smiled and looked at Zhu Que, a member of the judicial army. "The case has been cleared up at this point. As for the aftermath, how about we ask the army to handle it?"

Zhu Que nodded his head, "Don't worry, Chang Shi! Leave these trivial matters to your subordinates!"

Seeing Zhu Que taking Han Si and others down with the yamen servants, and a group of students and squires in the courtyard led by the yamen servants out of the back door of the yamen office, the officials in Xizhou could no longer bear it and gathered around them. Those who are impatient will say to Pei Xingjian, "Pei Changshi, we can clearly see the previous case, but what happened next...how did you calculate that the four Han people will definitely show up in court today?"

There was not much expression on Qu Chongyu's face. His eyes slowly turned from the cheering and admiring crowd outside the door to the admiring Xizhou officials in the courtyard. A mocking smile slowly appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he was about to turn around and leave. , suddenly hearing this, couldn't help but pause.

Hello, I coded five thousand words, I’m so diligent! Well, I confidently continue to ask for pink votes for support...

 (End of this chapter)