The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

Shi Ju first pulled several people, but they refused to come forward. Only two teenagers couldn't break free and were dragged over reluctantly.

One of them said loudly: "Wang Tu first insulted Xu's mother, and then knelt down and begged Xu Zhong for mercy. How can such behavior be called a man? Being killed is purely self-inflicted! What can I ask?"

Another provocatively squinted at Xun Zhen: "Xu Zhong has already run away. If you are not afraid of death, go after him!"

Xun Zhen said in his heart, "Looking at the bad attitude of these two young people, Xu Zhongzhen is quite popular among the local people."

"East."

Shi Juxian blasted away the audience and said, "It should be going to Xu County."

"Xu County?"

"Xu Zhong was originally from Xu County, and he moved to the local area only after his father's generation. He has many relatives in Xu County."

Xun Zhen raised her eyes to the east.

Shi Juxian smiled and said, "Don't look at it, you have already run far away, and you can't catch up on horseback."

Really hard to catch up.

After the crossing, Xun Zhen found that the current climate is warmer than before the crossing, the population is less, the local mountains and forests and grasses have not been developed enough, and there are many wild forests. As far as the eye can see, at the end of the field, is a dense forest. There is a small hill on the edge of the woods. There are rivers flowing through the hills, and the water and grass are lush at the bends of the river.

In such a geographical environment, when the criminals have fled, even if the whole pavilion is sent out, it will be difficult to achieve results after a day or two.

"Apart from his mother, does he have any other relatives in his family? Does he have a wife and son? ..., does he have a brother?"

"Uncle Bo Zhongji". "Xu Zhong" means "Second Xu", and there must be a brother above.

Shi Juxian replied: "Xu Zhong is not yet married. As for the elder brother, there is one, but he died a long time ago. He died within two years of his birth. . . . There is a younger brother below."

"Brother?"

"Yeah. However, his younger brother is different from him. He likes to read and has a soft temper. ... By the way, I heard that his younger brother also studied in the county.

There are many sages in the Xun clan, and many people come to learn from their teachers. Even in this county, at least half of the scholars came from the disciples of Zhu Xun. Apart from being a little surprised that a "ranger's younger brother" was so devoted to learning, Xun Zhen didn't take it seriously and asked, "Where is his younger brother now?"

"Should be at home."

"Do you know where his home is in Dongxiang Pavilion?"

"knowledge."

"Then I'll trouble you to lead the way and lead me to his house to have a look."

"Is Chief Ting going to seal up his property?"

According to the law, in serious criminal cases, one must "receive his wife, son, wealth, and land", that is to say, he must conjoin his wife and son, and seal up his family property.

"It is the power of the county to seal up family property, how can I be the head of the pavilion?"

"Does that mean you want to go to his house to catch him? He definitely won't hide at home!"

Regardless of whether Xu Zhong would hide at home or not, if he wanted to investigate the case, he had to visit his house. Xun Zhen made a random excuse and said, "My son murdered and desperately wanted, and his mother didn't know it. I'll go and comfort his mother."

Cheng Yan found a wooden board in the market, and invited two people to come to help, put Wang Tu's body on it, and was about to return to the pavilion. He heard Xun Zhen's words and asked, "Xun Jun, do you want to? shall I accompany you?"

"No. You just move Wang Tu's body to the pavilion."

The two teenagers who had been arrested earlier stared at Xun Zhen with resentful expressions on their faces.

Xun Zhen smiled at them without hesitation, and got on his horse.

…

There was no concept of "village" at that time. Below the county are townships. Depending on the size of the township, there are several pavilions in each township.

The township is mainly in charge of household registration, and the pavilion is mainly in charge of public security.

Further down is the "li", the smallest administrative unit.

Xu Zhong's family lived in "Dongxiang Pavilion Dawangli", because it was out of bounds, so Xun Zhen went to Dongxiang Pavilion first to say hello to the local pavilion chief. Unfortunately, it happened that the pavilion was taking a rest and went home.

The surnamed Cheng in the booth was very enthusiastic. When I heard that it was for Xu Zhong, and then I found out that Xu Zhong had killed someone, his face immediately turned cold. After dawdling for a while, he refused to take Xun Zhen to Xu Zhong's house.

Shi Juxian said quietly to Xun Zhen, "Mr. Ting, Xu Zhong is famous in the village, and Lao Cheng is his thief. The two have a good relationship. You can't expect him to cooperate. It's impossible."

Xun Zhen made a decisive decision. Anyway, Shi Juxian knew Xu Zhong's home and was not afraid that he could not find the door, so he left immediately.

…

After leaving the Dongxiang Pavilion and walking on the road, Xun Zhen couldn't help but sigh.

It is not the first time that he has seen the power of a ranger. There are many young chivalrous young men in the city, but none of them can compare to Xu Zhong. The "seeking thieves" of the great pioneers of history, Cheng Yan, Chen Bao, the wicked boy, and Dongxiang Pavilion, all praised him and put their heads in their ears.

He sighed and thought: "The power of one person, down to Qianshou, up to the pavilion, a small rural chivalrous man has such power!"

The "Dawangli" where Xu Zhong's family is located is adjacent to the Dongxiang Pavilion. After getting off the official road and turning to the village road, after walking for a while, surrounded by wheat fields and trees, a settlement appeared in front of you.

The "li" is mostly rectangular, and there are also squares. For the convenience of management and theft prevention, there are walls outside. In the countryside, some trenches have been dug. If there are walls, there will naturally be "inner doors" for people to enter and exit. The big "li" has four doors, and the small "li" has two doors.

"The King's Lane" is not big, with only two doors. Shi Juxian was in the front, Xun Zhen led the horse in the back, and the two entered the door.

Inside the door, two men in black were squatting in the shadows by the wall and chatting. When they saw Xun Zhen, they both stood up. One of them came up to meet him with a smile on his face, and said, "Shi Lang, why are you here?" Obviously know Shi Juxian.

Shi Juxian ignored him and said to Xun Zhen: "Ting Chang, this is the Great King's Li. He is the Lijianmen."

"Lijianmen" is responsible for the opening and closing of the inner door, and also supervises the entry and exit of residents and outsiders, and has a very low status.

After introducing Xun Zhen, Shi Juxian said to the man, "This is the pavilion chief Xun Jun. Xu Zhong committed a crime and killed someone, and Xun Jun will go to his house to see it. . . . Hurry up and inform your lieutenant!"

The man jumped and said: "Xu Lang killed someone? Oh, he killed Wang Tu? I said, why did he take a knife when he went out in the afternoon! ... I didn't see it at the time, he was still smiling. Talk to me for a while!" He couldn't help but regret, "If I had known it earlier, I would have stopped him no matter what!"

"Why are you so noisy! Hurry up and find your elder brother. Xun Jun and I will go to Xu's house first."

"Yes Yes."

Shi Juxian took Xun Zhen into the "li".

In the end, it is a rural place, not as good as a county. The roads in each "li" in the county are very straight. From this door to the opposite door, the residential houses are distributed on both sides of the straight road. .

The road in the "Great King's Lane" is neither smooth nor straight. The houses on the side of the road were not neat, some went out forward, some leaned back, and some people splashed water in front of their doors and stepped on the mud.

There are about 40 or 50 residents in the house, and most of them have their doors closed.

Passing by two open doors, an old woman was sitting under a tree and weaving things with strips; a family had two children playing with water and mud in the courtyard.

Seeing this scene, Xun Zhen recalled inappropriately when he was a child, and remembered that when he was young, he used to play mud and sand with his friends. Walking in the quiet, the walls are yellow and the trees are green, the young and the old are leisurely, the sun is shining on the body, and in a trance, he has a sense of time and space.

…

"Master Ting, this is the Xu family."

Shi Juxian stopped in front of a house.

From the outside, the house is not only small, but also very dilapidated.

The earth-rammed courtyard walls are not high, and they are not painted with lime, and the yellow mud is exposed outside. The two short wooden doors have not been renovated for a long time. They were cracked by the wind and rain, and the paint has also fallen off. The black and white pieces are like big faces.

Xu Zhong, who is famous in the countryside, is so cold and bitter at home?

This is completely different from what Xun Zhen imagined. If it wasn't for Shi Juxian to lead the way, he would have thought it was a mistake: "Xu Zhong's family is so dilapidated?"

"Xu Zhong likes to help others, and when he hears that someone's family is in trouble, he will help with all his money. Every time he gets money, except for his mother's food and his younger brother's education, all of them are scattered to help people in distress, and of course there is no money left. Repair the house."

"I see."

In Xun Zhen's eyes, Xu Zhong's image became plump little by little.

"He has a strong promise, is benevolent and filial, is famous in the village, and is in a hurry. Although he is only a country man, he should not be underestimated. If he has the opportunity, he may not be able to achieve a great career." Touching the situation, but at this time, after hearing about Xu Zhong along the way, and thinking of the "big plan" he planned, an idea came to mind.

Shi Ju stepped forward to knock on the door, and after a while, he heard someone in the courtyard ask, "Who is it?" It was a man's voice.

Shi Juxian knew Xu Zhong and came to Xu's house, so naturally he also knew his younger brother. He whispered, "This is Xu Zhong's younger brother Xu Ji." He answered loudly, "I, Shi Juxian."

"Squeak", the courtyard door opened, and a boy came out.

Xun Zhen looked at him and saw that he was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a pale complexion, a very low stature, and a very thin stature. He was wearing a black Confucian clothes, which was loose and slouchy, as if he was wearing a short bamboo pole, and he held a roll of bamboo slips in his left hand. Maybe I was reading a book just now.

"It turned out to be Shi Jun. My brother went out and hasn't returned yet. ..., who is this?"

"My new Ting Chang, Xun Jun. We are here because of your brother. He killed Wang Tu!"

"what?"

"Crash", the bamboo slip in Xu Ji's hand fell to the ground: "Kill, kill, kill Wang Tu?"

The courtyard was too small for horses to enter. Xun Zhen handed the reins to Shi Juxian, ordered them to be tied outside the door, and said cheerfully, "You don't have to be afraid, I'm not here to handle the case, I just heard that your mother is old. , so come and see her."

Xu Ji recovered, gave a bow, and said, "I have seen Xun Jun."

Xun Zhen supported him, bent down by the way, picked up the bamboo slip, and a sentence jumped into his eyes: "Qian: Yuan, Heng, Li, Zhen."

This is the first sentence of the opening chapter of Yi. Unconsciously, he thought: "It's just a coincidence." He smiled, "Are you reading Yi?" Pointing, "Yuan, Henry, Li, Zhen. My surname is Xun and my name is Zhen, and the word 'zhen' is exactly the same. from here."

Xu Ji has buried his head in his study all the year round, and is not very good at dealing with people. At the same time, he heard that his brother murdered, and the six gods had no masters. He took the bamboo slips, and Nuonuo responded.

Xun Zhen looked at him carefully, and said, "I heard that you studied from all the sages in my clan? Who did you learn from?"

"Mr. Erlong."

"Two Dragons", namely Xun Zhen's cousin Xun Rui.

Xunli's eight brothers are all talented and are called "Eight Dragons". Xun Qian ranked second, so he was honored as "two dragons". At present, among the Xun clan, he is the most prestigious, and he has the most disciples. Although Xun Zhen lived with him for one mile, he couldn't know his disciples well, and smiled: "Erlong is my father and then I follow him. In this way, you and I are not outsiders."

Xun Zhen looked at the courtyard and asked, "Is the old lady at home?"

"exist."

"Please take me in to see you."

Xu Ji's teacher was Xun Zhen's follow-up father, and he couldn't shirk this request, so he had to let the door open.

The yard is not big, with three earthen houses. In the corner of the courtyard next to the toilet, a row of vegetables has been prepared, but it has not yet germinated, so I don't know what to plant.

The door on the left was half-closed, and some movement was heard inside.

Xu Ji hesitated, and said, "My mother is old and can't be frightened. Xun Jun, please don't mention my brother for now. If you have any questions, just ask me, and I will tell you everything I know."

"Okay, okay. Don't worry, I won't tell you."

Xu Ji asked him to wait in the courtyard. He entered the house first, and after a while, he came out again and invited him and Shi Ju to go in.

Xun Zhen stepped over the threshold and entered the house. It's warm outside, but cool inside.

He closed his eyes, and after getting used to the dark light, he watched again.

The house is narrow, the ground is black soil, there are no bricks, and it is full of potholes. There is a wooden bed and a simple desk. There was a pottery bowl on the table, the side of the bowl was broken, and there was a small half bowl of water in it.

Other than that, nothing else. A real family.

An old woman was sitting on the bed, with needles and a short coat in her hand, and when she saw Xun Zhen and Shi Jujin coming, she wanted to get up.

Xun Zhen hurriedly stepped forward, held her down, and said with a smile, "Junior, why do you need to be polite?" He glanced at the needles and shorts, and asked, "You're mending your clothes? The light in the room is not bright, so you can see clearly. Is it?"

Mother Xu wiped her eyes and said, "I can see clearly, I can see clearly!" She picked up the short jacket and said, "If only the middle man in my family could be like Saburo! Look, I can't wear one piece of clothing. It broke in a few days, and I don't know what I've been doing all day. ..., according to Saburo, Xun Jun and him are classmates?"

The old man was a bit rambling, and his articulation was not very clear, and Xun Zhen couldn't hear a few words clearly. After listening to the old man's words, he glanced at Xu Ji. Xu Ji's face was reddish, restrained and uneasy.

Xun Zhen thought in her heart, "This young man is quite quick-witted. He should be afraid that I will mention Xu Zhong, so he first reported my family name for me, pretending to be a classmate."

Although it was a false claim, he didn't come here for "inquiring about crimes", and he was not angry, he said: "Yeah. I just got the appointment of the county magistrate and became the head of Fanyang Pavilion, so I came to see your old man at home. "

"As the head of Fanyang Pavilion? Well, it's promising."

"I came in a hurry, and I didn't bring anything with me." Xun Zhen looked at the room and asked casually, "Is second brother not at home?"

"I went out in the afternoon and said that I will be back later. Does Xun Jun also know Zhong Lang?"

"How many times have I met? ... I heard that the old man has relatives in Xu County? I may go to the Xu County government office next month. Do I need to bring anything?"

"Xu County? There are a few relatives, Zhonglang's uncles are all there. However, I am old, and my legs are tired, so I don't walk much these years. Last year, there was an epidemic, and I didn't dare to go out. , I haven't been there for more than a year.... They are all old relatives, and they have nothing to bring." Mother Xu narrowed her eyes, looked behind Xun Zhen, and asked, "Is it Shi Lang who is standing behind?"

"The old lady's eyes are so good, she is Ju Xian!" Shi Ju Xian stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the ground.

"Get up! Get up!"

Xu Ji helped Xu's mother to lift Shi Juxian up, and said to Xun Zhen: "Xunjun came to my place for the first time, do you want to go out for a walk?"

Xun Zhen knew what he meant, but she was afraid that "it's too much to say something wrong".

As he was about to leave, he looked at Shi Juxian, looked at Xu Ji, thought about Xu Zhong's power, and thought about the purpose of his coming to be the pavilion chief, and said to himself: "'God doesn't take it. Take the blame'. When I first came into office today, I encountered this murder case. I thought it was unlucky at first, but now it seems to be luck!" He made his first decision after taking office as the pavilion chief.

He was not from his mother-in-law, so he made a decision and acted immediately, ignoring the dust on the ground, and bowed to the ground uprightly, and gave a big gift to Xu's mother.

Mother Xu hurriedly said, "What is this!"

"When I was a classmate with Xu Lang, I always admired Xu Lang's filial piety and eagerness to learn. This worship is not only worshipping the old lady..." He paused and said meaningfully: "It is also worshiping the old lady to teach Two good sons."

…

After leaving the hospital, he ran into two people, one was the ward of the ward, and the other was the chief of the local ward.

Xun Zhen stopped them and said, "The old lady is old, you can't be too bothered, you don't want to go in." She said to there, "I am the head of Fanyang Pavilion, I don't care about you coming here, but the murder case is serious. , When I return to Benting, I will definitely report to the official temple. It is expected that after receiving the report from the county, someone will come down soon, and they will definitely come to Xu's house. You need to prepare. "

There should be a long line.

Xun Zhen turned to Xu Ji again and said, "Do you know where your relatives in Xu County live?"

Xu Ji hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Xun Zhen couldn't help laughing. With this expression, anyone could tell that he was lying! Knowing that Xu Ji didn't answer honestly, he didn't ask questions.

He took some money from his waist, handed it to Xu Ji, and said, "Your brother murdered and implicated the family. Your mother is old and cannot be allowed to suffer. I don't bring much money. take it."

Xu Jizhang Er King Kong was puzzled and didn't know which Xun Zhen sang? Not only him, but everyone from UU reading www.uukanshu.com Shi Juxian is also at a loss. According to the law, Xu Zhong's case was to seal up his family property, but why did he keep money instead?

Xu Ji was terrified and refused again and again.

Xun Zhen said sarcastically: "Since you are under the tutelage of Mr. Erlong, you are your own family. A man should be arrogant and straightforward, how can you act like a daughter? ... If you don't want it, I will tell the old lady, Xu Zhong will be killed. people!"

Xu Ji had no choice but to accept it.

Xun Zhen smiled back and said, "That's right. Xu Zhong's crime is his business, and the old lady cannot be affected."

…

Saying goodbye to Xu Ji and the others, Xun Zhen and Shi Juxian returned along the original road, went out of the inner door, and turned to the official road. Shi Juxian couldn't help but ask, "Master Ting, why don't I understand what you mean?"

"I don't understand? What do you understand?"

"I don't know if you want to arrest Xu Zhong or not."

"Needless to say? Of course I want to bring him to justice!"

"You have to put it before coming to Xu's house. I believe it; now I don't believe it."

"Why?"

"I'm a little confused."

"tell me the story."

"First, why do you bow down to the old lady? Second, Xu Ji is clearly lying, why don't you ask?

"Three, you first told the governor that you would report the case to the county government, and then asked Xu Ji if he knew where their relatives lived. Why do I think you're not asking for the address, but a hint. Sooner or later, his county will send someone to Xu County to arrest him and remind him to go to Xu County to report the news? Finally, why did he keep the money before he left?"

"Didn't I say it? Xu Zhong committed the crime, it was his fault, and his mother cannot be implicated."

"What about the third rule?"

"You think too much."

This answer seemed to make sense, but Shi Juxian always felt that something was wrong. When asked again, Xun Zhen just laughed and refused to answer.