At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the corrupt eunuchs in the imperial court were in power. Natural and man-made disasters caused the people to live in dire straits, so civil unrest broke out all over the place.
On this day, County Magistrate Zheng Qiao of the Yamenli of Ningnan County was interrogating a case. Two teams of yamen servants stood on both sides and saw Magistrate Zheng slap the gavel tree with a crisp "snap" sound and face the audience. A young man asked sternly: "What is your name and where is your home? Why did you block the road and rob you? You don't want to recruit from the truth!"
The young man being questioned was tall, wearing coarse clothes, and had a fierce look between his eyebrows. , there are still some scars on the face. Hearing this, the young man kowtowed to the county magistrate and said: "Sir, my name is Ma Erhu. He is a hunter. His family is from Liang County. He usually makes a living by hunting hares pheasants. Yesterday I was hunting in the mountains. , I heard someone shouting for help at the foot of the mountain! When I heard the sound, I rushed over and saw a group of bandits robbing a group of merchants at the foot of the mountain. At that moment, I saw one of the bandits was about to raise a knife to hurt someone. The situation was critical. I couldn't think anymore, so I rushed forward and started fighting with the man. Unexpectedly, a group of officers and soldiers arrived at this moment. The bandits dispersed as soon as they saw the officers and soldiers coming. Chengxiang officers and soldiers arrested me and that bandit, but I am also a bandit. I hope you will give me justice!"
Magistrate Zheng was slightly stunned after hearing what Ma Erhu said. He shouted to another young man who was kneeling in the hall: You hateful bandit, what else can you say now? Quickly get rid of the evil deeds you have committed. "
Looking at this young man again, he has a strong body, with arms and waist. Although his clothes are a bit shabby, there is a trace of unruliness between his eyebrows, his eyes are black and there are a few bruises on his body.
The young man said: "Master Qingtian, I It's unjust! The villain's name is Zhao San, who lives in Luliang County . He is a herb collector. He usually makes a living by collecting various medicinal materials in this mountain. Yesterday, I was collecting medicine in the mountains. I heard someone crying for help at the foot of the mountain. When I rushed to the bottom of the mountain, I saw a group of bandits robbing passing merchants. I saw a bandit robbing an old man's things, so I He went up to stop him and started fighting with the man. At this moment, a group of officers and soldiers appeared. The bandits ran away when they saw the officers and soldiers. The officers and soldiers took me and the bandit to the county government office without saying that I was a bandit. Sir, everything the villain said is true. Please give me the final say and clear my name!"
What the two people said were completely different. They both said that the other party was a bandit and that he was a good person. Magistrate Zheng pointed at the two people in the hall. A young man said: "I think you two are just bitter insects. If you don't fight, you won't tell the truth. Someone is here to give these two unruly people thirty blows each to see if they tell the truth. "
At this time, the master next to him secretly pulled Magistrate Zheng's sleeve and pointed at the caravan and others kneeling in the hall.
Magistrate Zheng suppressed his anger and asked: "Who among you is in charge!" A middle-aged man replied: "Sir, I am in charge of things. "
Magistrate Zheng said: "I already know that the bandits from Black Tiger Village are the ones who robbed your caravan this time. You must have accidentally leaked your route. Now I ask you, have you ever clearly seen the appearance of those bandits? Which one of them is a bandit, and which one is a brave man who does justice? "As he spoke, he pointed at the two young men.
The middle-aged man looked back at the others, only to see that the others lowered their heads and remained silent. The middle-aged man said with an embarrassed look on his face: "Sir, something happened suddenly yesterday, and the sky was already dark. That night, the bandits were all tall and tall, with rough clothes and ragged clothes. We were so busy thinking about ourselves that we didn’t even notice when they got into a fight. I really couldn’t tell who was the good guy and who was the bandit. !" The middle-aged man's voice became lower and lower as he spoke, and his head lowered as he spoke.
When County Magistrate Zheng heard this, he still found nothing and cursed at the middle-aged man: "What a useless thing!" At this time, the master said again Pulling his sleeves, he pointed to the back hall and made a begging gesture.
Magistrate Zheng suddenly understood, stood up and said, "Come here, put these two people in jail and try again tomorrow.Retreat now!"
It turns out that Wang Chong, the chief arrester of Shuntian Prefecture in the capital, happened to be here on business. When he saw that Magistrate Zheng had a case to be tried, he took a rest in the back hall.
Magistrate Zheng returned to the back hall and faced Wang Chong. The catcher bowed his hands and saluted, and said: "Master Wang, I have encountered a problem here. I hope Master Wang can give me some advice!"
"Master Zheng, what you said is really embarrassing the villain. What do you need, sir?" I'll help you, just ask me. "
Magistrate Zheng said: "Yesterday we arrested two people. One of them was a bandit, and the other was a hero who drew his sword to help. But they all said that the other person was a bandit and that they were good people who saved people. I want to torture the two of them together to see which one of them tells lies, but I am afraid that the good people will suffer and their hearts will be chilled, so I have no choice now. I heard that your Excellency is an expert in solving cases. Could you please give me some advice on how to find that nasty bandit and bring justice to him? "
Wang Captou thought for a while, and then whispered in Magistrate Zheng's ear for a moment. Magistrate Zheng looked confused after hearing this, but he still nodded in agreement.
Finally, Wang Captou raised his hands and said: "Master Zheng, when the time comes If I have offended you in any way, I hope you will bear with me and don't blame me!" Magistrate Zheng said quickly: "How dare you, I still rely on Wang Captou to find the bandit! "
The next day, the Yamen went to court, and the Yamen servants brought Ma Erhu and Zhao San. Magistrate Zheng was shocked and said: "Which one of you is the bandit? Why don't you hurry up and recruit them? If you don't tell the truth again, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Ma Erhu and Zhao San looked at each other and insisted that the other party was a bandit and that he was a good person who saved people.
Magistrate Zheng became furious after hearing this and shouted: "Okay, you two are so ignorant, so don't blame me for being ruthless. Come here, pull me down and hit fifty big boards each! "The government officials on both sides took the order and pushed the two of them to the ground without saying anything. Seeing that was about to be slapped on the buttocks by the fire stick and .
At this moment, a government official ran directly into the lobby and came to Magistrate Zheng whispered in his ear: "Liu Hu, who injured the young prince a few days ago, has surrendered and has been taken outside the door.
Magistrate Zheng looked happy and said quickly: "The people who came first took Ma Erhu and Ma Erhu aside, and quickly brought Liu Hu up to me." "
Ma Erhu and Zhao San were lucky to have escaped. They looked up and watched. They saw several government officials escorting a big man with a beard up. Before Zheng Zhixian could ask questions, the big man cursed: "You... The dog officer, who works for everyone, quickly let the old man Liu who sells buns go. Old man Liu had nothing to do with this matter. Who asked that boy to eat without paying? Old man Liu asked him for money, but he actually beat him. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I went up and gave the boy a lesson. Who would have thought that that boy would be the young master of Prince Zhao's family. I knew I was in trouble, so I ran away to the countryside. I didn't expect that you would catch Old Man Liu instead of catching me. Now that I'm here, if you want to be beaten or punished, it's none of anyone else's business. "
Magistrate Zheng threw his head back and laughed after hearing this: "Liu Hu, Liu Hu! I deliberately spread the word that I have arrested Old Man Liu. I am sure that you will show off as a hero and take the initiative to surrender." Liu Hu...you didn't just injure the young prince. To tell you the truth, the imperial court has ordered all states and counties to hunt down bandits. I am about to escort the captured bandits from Black Tiger Village to Beijing for trial. There are just a few people left to count. Now you can act as one. . Haha..."
The big man was shocked after hearing this and cursed: "You dog officer, you want to use me to pretend to be a bandit in Black Tiger Village, and use my death to exchange for your high-ranking official and generous salary. Dog officer, you must not die well. Sooner or later, they will be struck by lightning from the sky!"
At this time, Magistrate Zheng saw Ma Erhu and Zhao San kneeling beside him, pointed at the yamen servant and shouted: "Why are they still here? Hurry up and take them to the prison! "
The prison in the yamen is not big, and there are only a few cells. Ma Erhu and Zhao San's cell are next to Liu Hu's.
Liu Hu didn't show any fear when he was taken into the prison. Instead, he and Ma Erhu The two chatted about some things in the world.At night, several government officials suddenly walked into the cell and wanted to take Liu Hu out in a panic. Before leaving, Liu Hu turned around and said to Ma Erhu and Zhao San: "Brothers, please remember, this dog official is full of tricks, so you must be more careful and don't get into his way."
Liu Hu was led by the yamen servants After leaving, Ma Erhu and Zhao San lay on the floor of the prison, each with their own thoughts and silence.
In the middle of the night, suddenly there was a sound of fighting and shouting outside the prison. Ma Erhu and Zhao San quickly sat up and listened carefully, and heard a yamen officer shouting outside: "No, people from Black Tiger Village are coming to rob the prison!"
The sound of fighting was getting closer and closer, and suddenly the door of the cell was knocked open. Suddenly, a dark-faced man rushed in, looked at the two of them and said, "Are you two waiting here to be escorted to Beijing by the dog officer to receive the reward, or are you going to the Black Tiger Village with us to enjoy the spicy food?"
马Erhu rolled his eyes and sat motionless in the cell. Looking at Zhao San, his brows were furrowed and he kept swallowing. After thinking for a long time, he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll go with you!"
Zhao San followed the black-faced man out of the prison, turned left and right, and unexpectedly arrived at the county government lobby. I saw Magistrate Zheng sitting at the desk, with two teams of government officials standing neatly on both sides. Zhao San was completely confused when he saw this.
Magistrate Zheng didn't say anything. After a while, Ma Erhu was also brought to the hall. At this moment, another person walked in, and it was Liu Hu who was taken away before. I saw Liu Hu slowly taking off the beard on his face, revealing a young and handsome face. The man smiled and said: "I am Wang Chong, the chief catcher of Shuntian Mansion . I accompanied Mr. Zheng to perform for everyone today." What a good show. I asked Mr. Zheng to play the role of a corrupt official who would do anything to get promoted and get rich. He treated me as a bandit who was fighting against injustice and escorted me to Beijing to receive my merits. Then he secretly took me away in the middle of the night just to deepen your worries. You are afraid that you will also be escorted to Beijing. The most important thing is what I said to you before leaving: "Master Zheng has many tricks, so you must be careful and don't fall into his trap." ""
Magistrate Zheng interrupted: "Wang Captou, I'm still confused until now. The play has just finished. Who is the bandit among them?"
Wang Captou said: "Being a yamen servant When he pretended to be a prison robber in Black Tiger Village and opened the cell door to let the two of them leave, only the bandits who were actually from Black Tiger Village would know that the person who robbed the prison was definitely not from Black Tiger Village. Then he would think of me. What he said to them: Xian Jin has many tricks, so be careful not to fall into his trap. Then the real bandits will stay calm and not jump into this trap, while the good guys will rely on their youthfulness. Sheng, if you don’t want to be wronged for your good deeds and repeat my mistakes, you will risk going out with the people from Black Tiger Village.”
Wang Chong pointed at Ma Erhu and said, “So, only the bandits from Black Tiger Village will stay. The person who stays in jail and refuses to leave is the real bandit. Ma Erhu, do you have anything else to say?"
I saw Ma Erhu sitting down like a deflated ball. on the ground.
End
Xiao Ran wanted to say: We must not let good people feel cold, otherwise no one will be willing to act righteously in the future!
Even if a bad guy can disguise himself, he will still be a bad guy after all.
When I was a child, I believed in fate and that good people will be rewarded. But as I grow older and experience more things, I still believe in fate, but I also start to fear it.
If Zhao San had not met Wang Captou, would he really have been wronged? Even if you are not wronged in the end, once you are punished, even if you find out who the bandit is, it will still chill the heart of a good person, and there may be another good person missing in this world.
Like the witty Wang Captou!
