Xian Xian

Chapter 144: Public and private

Li Chaoge arranged for Jin Wuwei to patrol outside Zhang’s mansion. Sure enough, there was no movement this night. Early the next morning, Li Chaoge left Shendu with some people and went to Qingyun Village.

It took half a day to ride from Luoyang to Qingyun Village. When Li Chaoge arrived at Qingyun Village, it was already late afternoon. In the winter, the wind was tight, and Li Chaoge got off his horse, his cloak shook with hunting noises.

At the end of the year, Qingyun Village was very depressed, and there were almost no people on the road. Li Chaoge knocked on the door of a house and showed the Town Demon Division token and said: “Shendu? Town Demon Division investigates the case.”

In the past, after Li Chaoge reported his name, both his subjects were very cooperative, but this time, when the other party heard that they were from Luoyang, they were so scared that they would close the door immediately. Li Chaoge’s eyes were quick to use his sword to stop him, and he looked at him coldly.

The subordinates in front of me met him, and he stepped forward and sternly rebuked: “Where can you be brazen, dare to be disrespectful to the commander?”

Li Chaoge raised his finger and motioned to his subordinates to withdraw. Li Chaoge retracted his sword, holding his arms, and slowly said, “I’m just here to ask something, but I don’t mean anything else. If you cooperate, I promise not to embarrass you.”

The farmers inside the door will look at them suspiciously: “Really?”

Li Chaoge nodded. When the farmer saw them and their group wearing black uniforms that were majestic and upright, the headed woman looked slender and slender, but she could easily hold the door. The farmer knew that it was useless to block herself, so she could only open the door obediently.

After Li Chaoge came in, he asked: “You just heard about Shendu? Why are you so nervous?”

This year, the empress changed the name of the East Capital Luoyang to the Capital of Gods, and all the court documents have been renamed, but there are all the people called the Capital of the East and the Capital of Gods. The farmer stood in the yard and said in a restrained manner: “My lord, forgive me. Cao Min just heard that the adults came from Dongdu, and thought that he was driving people for Zhang’s family.”

Li Chaoge raised his eyebrows and asked, “Who are you driving?”

The farmer drooped his face and said, “The Zhang family has issued an expulsion order and let us move out before March next year.”

There are many servants of the Town Demon Division who came from farmers. When they heard this, they couldn’t help frowning: “Moving? Where is the land here? What can I rely on for food after moving away?”

“I don’t know what the adults? The Zhang family has already bought all this area.” The farmer opened the door and pointed it out to them, “All these dry and paddy fields outside belong to them, listen. It is said that the Zhang family will build a village here, collect rent in autumn and winter, and come here to escape the heat in summer.”

Li Chaoge had heard that the Zhang family wanted to annex land outside, but he didn’t expect Qingyun Village to be one of them. Li Chaoge asked: “They took the land away, how do you make a living?”

The farmer smiled bitterly: “Our ancestors have been farmers for generations? What else can we do besides farming? Those who have a way to follow their children? Daughters move to the county town, but those who have no way? Go to neighboring villages to join relatives, even relatives? No. , They can only sign a tenant farmer contract with the Zhang family to grow land for the Zhang family and earn some food for themselves.”

Once these lands belonged to the peasants themselves, after paying the royal taxes, the rest belonged to them. But once you become a tenant farmer, you are farming for the owner. If you are less punished, you will get all the more to the owner’s family. You can only earn a small amount of food for a whole year of hard work. If you have a lot of people in your family, you can’t save anything all year round, and you can only repeat your work day after day. If you encounter some natural disasters, you can only wait to starve to death.

Not only the Zhang family, but also the rich and powerful families in Luoyang annexed the land. Those noble women in Beijing get married, and there are hundreds of acres of land in the dowry. Could it be that they are the ones who planted this land? Isn’t it all? It’s the blood and sweat of squeezing the peasants.

The attendant asked, “How much did the Zhang family spend on your land?”

The farmer reached out and compared the number: “Five pennies per mu of land.”

“What?” The attendant was shocked, “Only Wuguan? Is this? Isn’t it deliberate? Isn’t it forcing people to die? What is the money for Wuguan?”

If you give a lot of money, you can use this as the principal and go to the county town to do a little business. However, Zhang’s family of five quintessence of money has taken away the peasants’ money for generations of food. After this? The money is spent, what should these peasants do?

At that time, if farmers don’t want to starve to death, they can only sign a tenancy agreement with the Zhang family, and their ancestors will work for the Zhang family for generations. The Zhang family? It is clearly a forceful takeover, deliberately forcing others to become tenant farmers. The attendant was filled with righteous indignation, and said, “Does the county magistrate in Dayuan County take care of it? Five rans of money for one acre of land is simply deceiving.”

The farmer shook his head: “How dare the county magistrate offend the Zhang family. The magistrate took the money from the Zhang family, and then? Let the Zhang family invite someone to come over and evaluate our village’s fine paddy fields and black fields as sandy land. Zhang family excuses sand. The land is inferior and can’t grow anything? We only pay for five pats. We don’t want to. We went to the county for a good opportunity. The county magistrate closed the door and ignored it. I heard that some people went to Dongdu to complain about grievances, but it’s a pity that even Jing Zhaoyin Didn’t even go in, he was driven out by officials.”

The attendant listened to be angry, but no one could do anything. Since ancient times, officials have protected each other, how can one fight against a group? Moreover, it was the Zhang family, the elder brother of Zhang Yanchang, the queen’s heart and liver treasure. Don’t talk about these? These farmers, even if they are high-ranking officials in Luoyang, who dare to say?

After listening to Li Chaoge, he was silent for a moment, and said: “The queen set up a bronze female in the capital, among which there are redressers. If you feel wronged, you can go to the capital to deliver the redress letter. The queen will never ignore it when she sees it.”

The farmer shook his head as soon as he heard it: “I heard that there were brothers in the Zhang family who were serving the queen in the palace. We filed a complaint with the queen. Wouldn’t we make ourselves suffer?”

“No.” Li Chaoge untied a token and handed it to the peasants. “Since the empress is enthroned and proclaimed emperor, she has the courage to be an emperor. I believe she can deal with it impartially. If someone stops you on the road, you will give it to them? Show this? A token.”

The bronze female was set up in front of the Duanmen. Although it was said that the world is welcome? Wanmin reflected his opinions to the queen, but not everyone can walk safely in front of the bronze female. With Li Chaoge’s token, at least these farmers will not be embarrassed on the way to redress their grievances.

Li Chaoge can only help them here.

The farmer vaguely realized that the lady in front of him was extraordinary, and quickly accepted it with gratitude. After learning about the land, Li Chaoge asked, “Is there a family named Shi in your village?”

“There are several households surnamed Shi in our village.” The farmer said, “My lord, what do you want to do with this?”

Li Chaoge motioned to the attendant to take out the portrait and asked, “Do you know this? A person?”

The farmer recognized it for a while and said, “This? It seems to be the grandson of Granny Shi’s family? It’s called Shi Yang.”

Li Chaoge’s heart chuckled softly, and as expected, Shi Xuguang used a fake name. Li Chaoge asked again: “Is Shi Yang in the village now?”

The farmer shook his head: “No, it seemed that I went to the city to beg for a living. This? This child has been very competitive since he was a child. He helped his family cultivate the land during the day and reads books by himself at night. This is more productive than our children. I also thought about beating my daughters-in-law. Give it to him, it’s a pity that something happened to his grandmother, and their whole family has moved out.”

Li Chaoge’s eyes moved slightly and asked, “What happened?”

“Before the Zhang family came to buy land in the village, he, grandma didn’t want to, and had a conflict with the Zhang family. He broke his leg after being pushed, and got hot and went away in a few days. At that time he happened to be out of town. I left my relatives, and when I came back, I didn’t even see him the last time of his grandmother. After that, their family moved out. I heard that they have a distant relative, one in Dongdu. The big family acted as the door of the house and introduced him in.”

When Li Chaoge heard the key words, he immediately connected a line in his mind: “Door? Room?”

“Yes.” The farmer nodded, “East Capital? There are many big families. That distant relative stayed in East Capital for several years and accumulated some contacts. It just so happened that Shijiadi was gone. Granny Shi spent a lot of money on funerals. There are still several younger brothers and sisters under the Shi family. The two eldest have reached the age of relatives. The Shi family needs money everywhere, so Shi Yang followed his relatives to Dongdu to earn money.”

Li Chaoge knows all these things, high-level courtyards need a lot of manpower to hold banquets. These people are too expensive to raise at home, but not enough manpower will show fear at the banquet, so high-level large households will set up At the banquet, a group of streamers will be recruited and will be dismissed after finishing the banquet. Gao Men? The mistress does not see foreign men, and often recruits people through introductions by acquaintances. Shi Yang was led by relatives to work, and then introduced to Zhang Yanyi’s house by others, which made sense.

Li Chaoge had already made a decision in her heart. She held the attitude of verification and asked, “What is the appearance of the distant relatives of the Shi family?”

The farmer scratched his head and gestured uncertainly: “I’ve seen it from a distance before, as if this? So tall, about the same age as me, dark and thin.”

Li Chaoge listened to his description and confirmed that it was the person guarding the side door of Zhang Mansion. She originally thought it was a night watchman, but she didn’t expect it to be a side door gatekeeper.

Li Chaoge took out several portraits and asked, “Which one?”

The farmer recognized it for a while and pointed to one of them. Li Chaoge looked at it and found it completely matched. Li Chaoge asked people to put away the portrait of the person at the side door, and asked the farmer: “Do you know how many people?”

The attendant held the portraits of the night-watcher, Shi Yang’s roommate, and Aunt Gongsun. The farmer looked at it for a long time and shook his head: “I don’t know.”

What should Li Chaoge ask? After finishing the question, he left after speaking in Mandarin as usual. How many of them went out, the attendants walked behind Li Chaoge, and said inexplicably: “Commander, since Shi Xuguang has something to do with the side door, why don’t the villagers know the night watcher? It stands to reason that they are all? They should be a group. of.”

Shi Xuguang and Zhang’s family had a grudge, but they still entered Zhang’s family for part-time work, with very suspicious motives. At the same time, he can write and know the door and room of Zhang Mansion guarding the side door. All kinds of coincidences overlap each other. It is really impossible to make people believe that he is innocent.

Side door? It’s understandable for people to lie, but why should Shi Xuguang’s roommates also cover up for him? Even if the people guarding the side door quietly open the door to Shi Xuguang, how do they know when the door is dozing off?

The attendant originally thought that these people were a gang, but the villagers did not know the roommates and night watchers. This? It’s very strange.

Li Chaoge said: “Don’t draw conclusions too early, and ask more.”

However, Li Chaoge asked several villagers. Everyone knew Dao Shi Yang, who was a little strange to the side door, and didn’t know the night watchers at all. After Li Chaoge turned around, he was helpless to confirm that the Night Watcher and Shi Yang really had nothing to do with him.

It was getting dark early in winter, and Li Chaoge asked after a round of questions. The sky was already dark. They went to stay in the nearest Dayuan County, and will investigate for half a day in Dayuan County tomorrow. They will leave for Luoyang at noon, just in time to return to the Town Demon Division before they disperse the government.

The next day, Li Chaoge didn’t find any useful clues in Dayuan County. After eating, he set off for Beijing.

The weather was bad on the road, and when Li Chaoge entered Changxia Gate, it was two quarters of Shenshi. Li Chaoge rushed to the Demon Division of the Town, but the road was blocked by the crowd. The crowd was dense and noisy, Li Chaoge had to stop his horse.

The subordinate? Pulled the horse vigorously, frowned and said, “Who is causing trouble in the capital of God?”

The crowd gathered in one direction, and more and more people gathered, and there were constant screams from inside. Li Chaoge took a look, then stepped down and said, “Go and take a look.”

The people outside wanted to know what happened inside the Tao, and they squeezed in desperately. The people inside were backing away, making a mess with each other. They suddenly felt air-conditioning behind them, and the people on the periphery turned their heads cursingly. When they saw the clothes of those behind them, they immediately silenced, and quietly stepped aside.

Li Chaoge went all the way unimpeded and quickly walked inside. Li Chaoge thought that someone was gathering to make trouble, but when she really saw the situation inside, she couldn’t help frowning fiercely.

Shi Xuguang, or Shi Yang was **** in front of Zhangfumen, with an iron clip in his hand. Lai Junchen sat on the large armchair and asked slowly, “Say, the one who writes at Zhangfumen? Is it you?”

Shi Yang gritted his teeth and refused to say. When Lai Junchen saw this, he sneered and ordered: “Pull.”

The cool officials on both sides immediately tightened the iron clamps, Shi Yang suddenly cried out, and the roots of his fingers were pinched with terrible blood. Li Chaoge’s face immediately sank, and he shouted: “Lai Junchen, what are you doing?”

When Lai Junchen turned his head, he found out that Li Chaoge didn’t know when he came. He? Standing up from the armchair? With a smile on his face?: “Princess Sheng Yuan, why are you here?”

Only then did the surrounding people know that this lady turned out to be the famous Princess Li Chaoge of Shengyuan Town. The crowd broke out, and the people around Li Chaoge shattered. Everyone looked at her in surprise and awe, but no one dared to approach her.

Li Chaoge put away the whip, and slowly approached the gate of Zhang Mansion. She glanced at the lively servants of Zhang Mansion, her eyes flicked over the blood-stained Shi Yang and the dazzling cool officials, and she laughed extremely coldly? “I also want to ask, come here to serve Yushi? What is this?”

Lai Junchen laughed and said: “I heard that someone has written on Erlang Mansion for seven consecutive days. Erlang is the elder brother of Goro and Rokuro? How can he be subjected to this kind of light insult? We ministers are the most unsatisfied with this? Check it out. This man can write and behaves suspiciously, so the Weichen interrogated one or two.”

Those people were writing in front of the gate of Zhang’s house, causing Zhang Erlang to be laughed at by passers-by? Then, Junchen cut off the fingers of these people at the gate of the gate, look at them? Who dare to laugh?

It was time for the imperial court to disperse the government. Gradually, many officials surrounded this area. Bai Qianhe was the first to rush out of the imperial city. He originally planned to have fun, but he suddenly heard a noise when passing through the Nanshi. There is a lively place? There is Bai Qianhe, and Bai Qianhe immediately turned around and touched the source of the sound.

Unexpectedly, I saw acquaintances here. Bai Qianhe quietly nuzzled to Li Chaoge’s side and asked: “Commander?, what’s wrong?”

Li Chaoge didn’t reply? In response to Bai Qianhe’s words, she still looked at Lai Junchen coldly and said, “This? The case is under the control of the demon.”

Lai Junchen smiled indifferently? “I’m waiting all the time? It’s to share the worries for the queen. Who can find out the truth is the hero, and what is the difference between you and me?”

Lai Junchen has become accustomed to unscrupulously, and even the court laws are not in his eyes, let alone this kind of default rule in officialdom. Li Chaoge didn’t want to argue with Lai Junchen. The reason was to talk to people. The dog barked at her. Should she pay it back? Go? Li Chaoge said: “Do you have evidence? No evidence, no court warrant, where are you? Have the courage to arrest your beloved and use lynching in the street?”

Lai Junchen patted his sleeves indifferently. That Junxiu’s face was like a poisonous snake, hissing a letter: “Diao people are dull and uncivilized. Only when they are tortured will they tell the truth. In order to find out the truth as soon as possible, It is indispensable to use some special methods. After all, we are officials to share worries for the queen, and getting the answer is the most important, isn’t it?”

Li Chaoge had endured his anger at first, and when he heard this, he almost wanted to step forward and punch him. Seeing that the situation was wrong, Bai Qianhe quickly stopped Li Chaoge. Even if Bai Qianhe didn’t understand the cause and effect, he could guess a general idea from the current situation. Bai Qianhe is accustomed to the disputes between the rivers and lakes, and Lai Junchen dare to do this? Why is it that there is another calculation. If Li Chaoge did it now, he would really be caught in the trap of Lai Junchen.

Bai Qianhe quietly whispered in Li Chaoge’s ears through his actions: “Commander, calm down. He may have given the Queen’s secret order. If you do it, it will be your fault.”

Li Chaoge took a deep breath, barely holding back his fist. Li Chaoge stared at him coldly, and scolded: “You also climbed up from the folks. You should know how difficult it is for ordinary people to ask for a living. He studied in Qinggengyu for more than ten years, just to participate in the imperial examination, you just because? Punishing him for suspicion and ruining his fingers is tantamount to ruining his life. Wouldn’t your conscience be uneasy if you do this?”

When Lai Junchen heard Li Chaoge say that he was “climbed” by the folks, his face immediately became gloomy. He? Grimly curled his lips, gritted his teeth and said: “Yes, I am a folk, and I am not as noble and superior as Princess Shengyuan. But what about that, I am sincere? Share the worries for the queen and sweep everything away. What is wrong with people who are dissatisfied with the queen? They dare to be disrespectful to Zhang Erlang, that is, disrespectful to the queen, or deserve to die, let alone break a few fingers.”

This time, don’t talk about Li Chaoge, Bai Qianhe wants to rush to beat Junchen. This? What kind of dog thing? This? All kinds of things? Can speak out. At this time, the crowd suddenly stepped out, and Gu Mingke walked over from behind, his eyes swept across the crowd, and said, “Beijing should avoid gathering fights, what are you doing?”

The government has been under the government, and there are more and more courtiers around here. Gu Mingke’s words are undoubtedly reminding Li Chaoge. Li Chaoge barely held back her anger, she was determined to look at Lai Junchen, and Zhu Lips lightly said: “I also grew up in the folks? I have never felt that it is difficult to be born in the folks. Why do you have to sit in the seat?”

Lai Junchen was choked for a while. He hated the officials and nobles who had noble birth and called slave servants, but on the other side, he desperately washed away his grass roots, and wanted to become those people. Everyone knows that Li Chaoge was lost when he was a child, and grew up like a village girl in the mountains during those years. People in the court tried their best to avoid mentioning this, but Li Chaoge spoke frankly and confidently in front of everyone. Own childhood experience.

She doesn’t care. She can stand here because she is Li Chaoge, not because she is a princess. Whether it is the village girl or the emperor, they are all Li Chaoge’s status.

Lai Junchen hates this? This kind of self-confidence comes from the bottom. Why does Li Chaoge live upright? Lai Junchen sullenly curled his lips and said: “The princess has a broad heart, and the Weichen admires it. However, the Weichen still has to interrogate the prisoner, and he has no time to listen to the princess. Go back to the princess mansion, please go, don’t delay the reunion of the princess and Gu Siqing.”

When Lai Junchen said to let people continue, Li Chaoge couldn’t bear it. She drew out her horse whip, and without a word, drew it towards the person holding the torture instrument. The long whip threw a crisp whip in the air, and the tail of the whip brushed the cheeks of the two dogs. They covered their faces, and the wolf fell to the ground crying.

Lai Junchen got cold face and sternly shouted: “I am a servant of Yushi. I am supervising hundreds of officials by the Queen’s order to rectify the folk customs. Princess Shengyuan acted on my people in the street, is she trying to be disrespectful to the Queen?”

Li Chaoge sneered? With a sneer, she slowly rolled the long whip back into the palm of her hand, and raised her eyebrows lightly: “Where did I do it?”

When Lai Junchen looked back at this time, he found that his doglegs were frightened in two wars, and he was pissing, but there was no weal mark on his face. When Lai Junchen watched the ugliness of the people on his side, he felt even more embarrassed. He stared at Li Chaoge coldly, and said: “Princess Sheng Yuan is good at whiplash. But I am not here for Princess Sheng Yuan to play the prestige? You have delayed my interrogation of the prisoners. If you are fine, please.”

Li Chaoge looked at him? That arrogant, domineering, repentant look, immediately wanted to rush to beat him? Gu Mingke took Li Chaoge’s arm and said, “You are a public person, you can’t vent your personal grievances. Calm down.”

Gu Mingke drew Li Chaoge to the back, raised his head and said to Lai Junchen: “Yu Gong, this case belongs to Yaosi, Yu Shi, you are tortured without evidence, it is tantamount to a trick. The queen set up a bronze woman just for this purpose. Listen to everything and improve people’s livelihood. The empress hates others for fooling her the most in her life.

Lai Junchen laughed disdainfully when he heard it? When the treason case was investigated last year, didn’t the queen know? How did those confessions come out? The queen knew it, but the queen didn’t care, but still gave him supreme power. This means that the queen trusts him. Those courtiers are all conceiving ghosts and seeking personal gain. Only he is truly on the side of the queen.

Lai Junchen claims to be a queen’s heart, she doesn’t care about Gu Mingke’s threats at all: “If I want to grab, what can you do with me? Princess Sheng Yuan has checked it for two or three days? I haven’t found it out. If I come, you can be sure. The results will come out tonight. The court is able to recruit scholars. Princess Sheng Yuan and Gu Siqing should go to other things, right? It’s better to leave it to me.”

Li Chaoge looked at him coldly: “What if you catch the wrong person? As soon as the torture instrument is put on, his hand will be abolished. He is a scholar!”

Lai Junchen sneered coldly and glanced at Shi Yang, who was so painful. He didn’t care. “Who knows? He is innocent. If he is really him? How can the imperial examination choose such a person? It’s okay if it’s abolished earlier; if it wasn’t him, he would help the court rule out a suspect. As a common citizen, it’s their duty to cooperate with the government in investigating the case.”

When Lai Junchen’s words came out, the surroundings were suddenly shocked. His? This kind of logic is cold, cruel and terrifying. Bai Qianhe was so angry that he clenched his fists, but he didn’t know how to refute it. Right, for the people, who dares to say that it is wrong to cooperate with the government?

Li Chaoge took a deep breath and asked Gu Mingke: “Can’t people in public office vent their personal grievances. If I am not a public official, is it all right?”

Gu Mingke was silent. Li Chaoge ripped off the token from his body, threw it on Gu Mingke, and then strode towards Lai Junchen.

Seeing that the situation was wrong, Lai Junchen stepped back two steps, and said without fear: “I am the queen’s confidant, I have been ordered by the queen…”

Before Lai Junchen finished speaking, he was kicked in the abdomen by Li Chaoge. Lai Junchen immediately bowed his waist, and he couldn’t straighten his body in pain. Li Chaoge loosened his wristbands and punched Lai Junchen’s face with a fist. After only two blows, he saw blood on Lai Junchen’s face.

Lai Junchen spit out half a tooth in his mouth, and said vaguely: “You are the court commander but beat up your colleagues. I want to participate in your copy. Don’t you want to do it again…”

Li Chaoge’s answer was that he hammered his nose with a fist, and Lai Junchen suffered from pain and fell far to the ground. Li Chaoge walked over without any hurry, and said: “Now it’s the government, I’m not the commander of the town demon division? You don’t need a reason to interrogate people. As a princess, do I still need a reason to beat you?”

Lai Junchen’s attendants were stunned by this development. They were stunned for a while, and finally reacted, and they rushed to stop Li Chaoge. Bai Qianhe immediately rushed up, kindly? He said, “Oh, you guys don’t fight anymore, I’m sorry, I don’t know? Who pushed me…Oh, I’m sorry to come here?…”

Bai Qianhe yelled, “I’m sorry?”, while pulling the side frame forcefully, he took the opportunity to hit Lai Junchen and Dogleg’s body with a black hand. The scene is getting more and more chaotic. I don’t know that the common people first started and sipped at Lai Junchen, and then the scene was out of control. Everyone swarmed and kicked, and some people took advantage of the chaos to smash the door of the Zhang family. ?.

Gu Mingke watched this farce turn into a gang fight. It was clearly prohibited by law, but Gu Mingke didn’t stop it.

Just like he? acquiesced to Li Chaoge’s violence against violence.

Finally, Qian Niuwei arrived before Li Chaoge killed his life.

Li Chaoge with a calm face, Gu Mingke with folded arms, Lai Junchen with a blue nose and a swollen face, Zhang Yanyi who was brutally beaten and looted, and the Wu family brothers, Li Changle, Zhang Yanzhi and Zhang Yanchang who had come after hearing the news, stood in front of the empress together.

The empress swept across the stage coldly? These? The voices of these people were calm, implying power: “Absurd. What the **** is this?”