Chapter 109 Lingchi Execution

"Sir, another batch of gold and silver has been registered and deposited into the warehouse this morning. Please review it."

The clerk lowered his head slightly, his eyes fixed on the table, and respectfully presented the account book.

A white, slender hand reached out and took the account book, and then the sound of turning pages was heard.

The clerk held his breath, his palms sweating, his heart hanging in the air, and he was swaying and unsure of where to go.

After a long while, a clear and elegant voice came from above: "No problem."

The clerk felt relieved, then heard the other person say, "Quickly sort out the rest of the items in the storeroom. Every single item must be recorded in the register, without any mistakes."

The clerk rubbed his eyes secretly and lifted his eyelids, catching a glimpse of the corner of a crimson robe. "I understand. I'm already sorting it out. If nothing unexpected happens, it will be ready tomorrow."

The official in the scarlet robe behind the desk only hummed and continued to handle official business.

The clerk paused and said, "I'll take my leave."

He tiptoed out of the duty room, and the pressure on his shoulders instantly dissipated. The clerk breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

On the corridor, another minor official came towards them.

"How's that person feeling?"

"I took a quick look at him when he walked in. His expression was completely blank. It was terrifying. My heart is pounding."

"Alas, I used to be so lucky, I just sat in the duty room, drinking tea and listening to music, doing nothing and still feeling tired. Now... my good days are over!"

The two looked at each other and smiled silently.

......

In the blink of an eye, the new prefect had been in office for half a month.

A lot of things happened in Shaoqing Prefecture in the past half month.

First, the notorious Black Bear Village was completely destroyed, and thousands of bandits were killed without a single one left.

The very next day, the new prefect borrowed another 40,000 soldiers from Loushan Pass and joined forces with the prefectural troops to launch a massive anti-bandit operation.

All 40,000 government soldiers were sent out. Even the two associate magistrates and two assistant judges were sent by the new magistrate to be in charge of all rear affairs on the grounds of redeeming their crimes by making meritorious contributions. They have not returned yet.

Almost every day there were reports of victory, reporting which troops had surrounded and annihilated which bandit camp, how many bandits had been killed, how many had been captured alive, and how much gold, silver, and treasure had been seized.

The captured bandits were all thrown into the government prison, while the gold, silver and treasures were sent to the warehouse and registered by a special person.

Seeing the mountains of gold, silver and treasures, the clerk in charge of registration was so stunned that he could not walk and could not wait to divide them up in the warehouse.

Unexpectedly, the new prefect suddenly appeared and they were caught red-handed.

The new prefect said nothing, but ordered the guards to tie them up and throw them into the lobby. He then summoned the officials and runners in the government office who had not participated in the division of the spoils, and in front of everyone, he took out his muskets and fired a few times.

Thinking of the scene of his colleague lying in a pool of blood with his eyes open, the clerk shuddered and felt like crying but had no tears.

Who would have thought that the legendary invincible firearms army had left, and the new prefect still had muskets in his hands.

If they don't want to die, they can only obey and do as they are told.

"Hey, do you think we can still be like before when Master Zhou and the others come back?"

Drink tea, listen to music, chat and laugh, instead of getting up early and working late to deal with various trivial matters.

They are almost dying of exhaustion!

"Fire guns are much more powerful than swords. They can kill people with just a flick of the finger. Lord Zhou and his men are no match for the prefect."

“It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but it is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.”

"We're fine. If Lord Zhou and the others knew that the government had changed, they would probably be so angry that they would die."

"Well, never mind. I'm going now."

The clerk who came later waved his hand and knocked on the door three times with a heroic mood as if the wind was whistling and the Yishui River was cold.

"Sir, I have compiled the files from the past five years. Please review them."

When the clerk heard his colleague's words, he thought about the cases that the government office had handled in the past five years. He lit a row of candles for him and quickened his pace to leave.

In the duty room, Du Qingtang pointed at the three files in front of him and said, "I asked you to sort out all the files from the past five years, and you gave me this?"

The clerk was sweating profusely. He swallowed hard and said, "My Lord, everything is here."

"They are all..." Du Qingtang was silent for a moment, then lowered his eyes again, "These three files are all from the fifteenth year of Qingyuan."

The clerk gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and said with difficulty, "Sir, the government office has only accepted three cases in the past five years."

Du Qingtang was speechless and opened the file to read it carefully.

The three cases were husband-killing, wife-killing and theft.

The husband-killing case was closed on the same day, and the woman was sentenced to death by slicing.

The man who murdered his wife was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

As for the theft case, it has not been closed yet.

Du Qingtang: “…”

The case file of the husband-killing case did not contain any relevant evidence, so the case was hastily concluded.

On the contrary, in the case of murdering his wife, the witnesses and evidence were clearly stated, but in the end the criminal was released on the grounds of insufficient evidence.

Look at the prisoner’s surname, Zhao.

Du Qingtang recalled that this person seemed to be a bastard son of the eldest branch of the Zhao family, one of the four major families in Shaoqing Prefecture.

They abuse their power for personal gain, pervert the law, and make arbitrary judgments and judgments, which is extremely rampant.

Du Qingtang raised his hand to support his forehead and didn't want to speak.

The clerk took a look secretly and licked his cracked lips. He had been busy since the morning of the following day and had not had a sip of water until now. His throat was almost smoking: "Sir..."

He wanted to say that the Zhao family was the head of the four major families and should not be easily provoked. Even if one could see through the trick at a glance, one should not try to overturn the verdict, so as not to provoke revenge from the Zhao family.

He didn't care about Du Qingtang, he was just worried that he would be implicated.

Before he could finish his words, Du Qingtang interrupted him: "Draft a notice. From now on, the government office will accept all kinds of cases. All you need to do is prepare a petition and the government office will solve the case within the deadline."

The clerk opened his mouth, but swallowed the words of persuasion back.

Never mind, it’s just a few words. No one will come to the government office to complain anyway.

The clerk took the order and left, quickly wrote the notice, and posted it on the notice wall at the entrance of the government office.

It was noon when a group of ragged refugees were wandering around the government office. When they saw the clerk posting the notice, they came over laughing.

"Can anyone tell me what's written on this?"

A young man in a blue robe happened to pass by. He stepped forward upon hearing the noise, glanced at the notice, and said with some surprise, "The government said that they will accept all kinds of cases from now on, and they will solve the cases within the deadline."

The refugees laughed.

One of them pointed at the bloody wound on his forehead, as if he didn't feel any pain, and said with a playful smile: "I just had a fight with someone, and he stabbed me and ran away. Can the government find him?"

After saying this, he laughed to himself and spread his hands: "I don't even remember what he looks like. He stole my steamed bread and ran away!"

The young man took a look at him. The man was unkempt, skinny, and walked barefoot on the cobblestone road. His feet were covered with scars. It was obvious that he had walked from another place and was currently homeless, sleeping on the street.

There are many such people, and they can be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys.

He knew that these people would suddenly disappear one day in the future.

Either they died in a fight or committed suicide.

Their bodies curled up in the corners of the city, rotting and stinking. Eventually, the people living nearby could no longer tolerate it and threw them into the mass graves outside the city, where they became food for hyenas.

The young man suppressed his sympathy and shook his head, saying, "The notice says that to report a crime, you need to prepare a complaint, and the complaint must include detailed information about the defendant."

Disappointed boos rang out one after another.

"The government is still the same useless government."

"You can't say that. Didn't the new prefect send troops to suppress the bandits?"

"Our lives are hard not only because of those bandits. The corrupt officials eat my flesh and drink my blood. I have to pay eight cents in taxes for every ounce of silver I earn. I finally get a job, but it's snatched away by those Zhao, Qian, Sun, and Li. In the end, I get nothing..."

The woman kept talking, thinking of her family fortune that had been drained by various taxes, her children who had starved to death, and her husband who had been beaten to death with clubs just because a member of the Sun family's side branch had taken a fancy to the secret recipe of her snack stall and asked for it but failed to get it. She was overwhelmed with grief for a moment.

Tears threatened to burst out, but she held them back.

In Shaoqing Mansion, tears are the most useless thing, not as useful as the dagger hidden at her waist.

At least if you encounter a fight on the road, a dagger can protect yourself, and tears will only make the other party more excited.

The young man said dryly, "It seems that the new governor is a pragmatic person. Maybe she can really..."

The woman didn't want to listen, so she interrupted him angrily: "You can say anything when you open your mouth. Wait until the corrupt officials are gone, then tell me this again, maybe I'll believe you."

After saying that, he snorted coldly and left with the bamboo basket.

The woman went out to sell vegetables in the morning, and it has been two hours now. She is worried about her only daughter who is left at home, so she has to go back quickly to prevent someone from climbing over the wall or prying open the door.

The rest of the people knew what was written on the notice, but they all found it boring and dispersed in twos and threes.

"What that person just said is correct. As long as corrupt officials and those wealthy families and merchants are around, even if the bandits are gone, Shaoqing Prefecture will never be peaceful."

"The new governor has good ideas, but unfortunately he can't do it alone. I'm afraid it won't take more than a few days..."

The young man stood in front of the notice, looked at the vermilion gate, sighed, and left in silence.

...t...

Three days after the notice was posted, no one came to the government office to file a complaint or appeal for justice.

Du Qingtang was not surprised by this, and Du San told her every word of the conversation between the people and refugees outside the government office.

If the two Tongzhi and two Tongpan are the four giants of the government office, then corrupt officials, wealthy families and wealthy merchants are the three giants of Shaoqing Prefecture.

He committed evil and harmed the people, and his crimes were too numerous to list.

Du Qingtang looked at the detailed charges Du Yi presented, flicked the paper with his fingers, and muttered softly: "I'll deal with you after I deal with the bandits."

Just at this moment, Guard Zhang rode back to the city, entered the government office and went straight to the duty room where Du Qingtang was.

"Commander Du, I have great news!"

Du Qingtang raised his eyebrows with interest, pretending to listen attentively.

Zhang Shoubei's face was filled with joy. "Master Wan of Wanjia Village has led eighteen bandit camps to surrender and is on his way to the capital. I thought I'd tell Commander Du the good news first so you can be mentally prepared."

"Surrender?" Du Qingtang was cheered up. "It is indeed a great joyous event. I have to think about how to arrange for them."

There are eighteen bandit camps with at least tens of thousands of people.

Regardless of the reasons why they voluntarily surrendered, since the other party showed sincerity, the government could not neglect them.

Taking this as a precedent, perhaps more bandit camps will voluntarily surrender.

Zhang Shoubei boldly suggested, "Take those surrendered Qi troops for example. Normally, they're first recruited, then regularly inspected. Those who meet the requirements are retained, while those who fail are directly disposed of. Commander Du could use this as a reference."

Du Qingtang clapped his hands and said, "Thank you, General Zhang, for the reminder. I'll enlist him in the palace troops first."

Zhang Shoubei was in high spirits after his proposal was adopted. He couldn't help but say a few more words: "It is said that this Wanjia Village is very different from other bandit villages. They never kill or rob people, and they even take in many refugees. They coexist peacefully with the surrounding people. If any family is in trouble, they will send people to help."

Du Qingtang recalled the information about Wanjia Village and found that it was indeed true: "It seems that the leader of Wan Village is a kind and righteous man."

Zhang Shoubei did not comment, then changed the subject and reported on the progress of the bandit suppression.

"So far, we have successfully captured 236 bandit camps. In about ten days, we will be able to completely wipe out all the bandit camps."

Zhang Shoubei couldn't help but sigh at the chaos in Shaoqing Prefecture. The number of bandits was even greater than the total population of some small counties.

Du Qingtang asked, "How did the palace soldiers perform?"

Speaking of this, Zhang Shoubei was both relieved and disappointed: "At the beginning, they all followed us around. I scolded them, and many of the soldiers were awakened by my scolding. When we fought the bandits, we fought two of them. There were also some stubborn ones who refused to change their ways..."

Du Qingtang understood what he hadn't said and said frankly, "This is already a pleasant surprise. Thank you, General Zhang, for enlightening them for me."

Being in an environment like Shaoqing Prefecture, you either give up or get driven crazy.

The government soldiers belong to the former, and the common people belong to the latter.

Du Qingtang knew that impatient people can't eat hot tofu, so he had a good attitude: "Take your time, at least they are not completely hopeless."

Zhang Shoubei nodded, said a few more words to Du Qingtang, and stood up to say goodbye: "I have to go back quickly, I still have to raid the ancient village tonight."

Du Qingtang asked the clerk to send him away and waited in the government office for half an hour. Then General Huang Qian from Shaoqing Prefecture hurried over.

"Sir, the eighteen bandit camps are all outside the city. What do you think we should do?"

Du Qingtang immediately put down the work at hand, stood up and walked out: "I will go to see them in person."

General Huang Qian hurried to catch up.

He walked behind Du Qingtang, looking at the new prefect inconspicuously.

This is the first time in history that a woman has become an official.

But everything the new prefect did reflected her decisiveness and ruthlessness.

Huang Qianzong thought of the reason why the leader of Wan Village voluntarily surrendered - he admired the character of Governor Du.

He had been a soldier in the government for more than ten years, but no bandit had ever surrendered voluntarily because of his admiration for the prefect.

I have to admit that Magistrate Du did a better job than any previous magistrate.

Huang Qianzong thought of the scolding from Zhang Shoubei that day, and his face turned red, feeling ashamed.

As a man, he has lived for forty or fifty years, but he is not as good as a young girl who has just turned twenty.

Fortunately, it was not too late. He repented and led his 5,000 soldiers to kill the bandits and make amends for his mistake.

Du Qingtang didn't know that in just a few breaths, all kinds of thoughts flashed through General Huang's mind. After leaving the government office, he jumped on his horse and headed straight out of the city.

In addition to General Huang Qian, Du Yi and others also accompanied him.

Du Qingtang never underestimates the evil of human nature, so in case of fraud, she also carries a musket with her.

It is only the size of a palm and is difficult to find when hidden in the sleeve.

When passing the city gate, there was no one on either side, not even a soldier guarding the gate.

After the bandit suppression is completed, city defense construction must be put on the agenda as soon as possible.

"Sir, they are just ahead."

This thought was fleeting, and Du Qingtang came to his senses and looked into the distance.

A large number of bandits gathered on the wasteland beside the official road, bringing their families with them, carrying large and small bags of luggage, and a few of them pushed carts.

The cart was full of children, chattering and making noise, and their laughter could be heard from far away.

Du Qingtang's eyes fell on their innocent smiles. If it weren't for General Huang Qian pointing it out, she would even think that these people were outsiders who had moved their families instead of vicious bandits.

Huang Qianzong, sensing something in Governor Du's silence, smiled and said, "When I saw them this morning, I thought they were locals. I didn't expect them to be... Sir, please follow me. The village chiefs are waiting for you."

Du Qingtang tightened the reins and rode forward.

“Whoa—”

General Huang Qian stopped, and Du Qingtang also stopped.

"Everyone, the prefect has arrived!"

Du Qingtang dismounted, and the man with his back to them slowly turned around.

The man was tall, and the gray hair on his temples did not diminish his handsomeness at all, but instead added a bit of maturity and stability that came with the passage of time.

Their eyes met, and Du Qingtang was slightly stunned, while the man smiled gently and saluted her with a fist.

"Wan Guiyu, the leader of Wanjia Village, greets you, sir."

The other seventeen village chiefs all bowed and introduced themselves.

Du Qingtang raised his hand to support them, and said in a gentle tone: "I am deeply pleased that you have taken the initiative to submit to the court."

The village chief Wan smiled and said, "I have heard of the prefect's deeds and feel that you are a rare female hero at that time, so I persuaded all the brothers to come and submit."

Du Qingtang's smile deepened, and he said bluntly, "Please camp here for the time being. I will send someone to register you later."

After registering his name, he officially became a citizen of Shaoqing Prefecture.

Shaoqing Prefecture is a self-governed prefecture, and the life and death of these people depends on her decision.

"After completing the registration process, you will be incorporated into the government troops as temporary soldiers. After a period of observation, you will become official soldiers and enjoy all the benefits of government soldiers."

"So, do you have any objections?"

The eighteen village chiefs all shook their heads.

After all, their identities were not glorious, and it was a pleasant surprise that the prefect was willing to accept them without holding a grudge, so how could they dare to ask for more?

Du Qingtang spoke to them for a few more words and prepared to go home.

Just as he was about to get on his horse, he suddenly heard a clear female voice: "Dad, I just shot a pheasant in the woods. Shall we roast it and eat it?"

Du Qingtang looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl with red lips and white teeth holding a pheasant in her hand. She spoke to the village chief Wan excitedly: "I also found some spices..."

Village Chief Wan listened with a smile, his eyes full of doting.

Du Qingtang withdrew his gaze, shook the reins and galloped out.

After returning to the government office, Du Qingtang appointed two governors and asked them to take the clerks out of the city to register the names of the surrendered bandits.

......

That night, in the third hall of the government office.

Du Qingtang sat under the lamp and picked up a pen to complete the plan.

The bandit suppression operation is about to be completed. We need to consider the next steps and the people needed.

“Knock knock knock—”

There was a knock on the door, and Du Qingtang paused slightly.

"Master, a guest is coming."

Du Qingtang put down his brush and stood up: "Please ask him to come in."

Not long after, the door opened.

A handsome man walked in, smiled and bowed, "Master Du, how are you?"

Du Qingtang stood up and returned the greeting: "Mr. Mo Yan, how are you?"

Mr. Mo Yan, the young master of Wanbao Villa, Mu Tingyu.

In the eleventh year of the Qingyuan period, Du Qingtang reached a deal with him, which almost wiped out the entire Qi family.

"Mr. Mo Yan, please take a seat." Du Qingtang raised his hand to gesture and sat down again. "It's been many years since we last met. You look the same as before."

Mu Tingyu sat down and laughed, "Sister Zhu has grown into a big girl, and I'm already over forty, with dirt buried up to my neck. How could I not have changed at all?"

Du Qingtang smiled: "I didn't expect to see you here after so many years."

"Back then, the imperial court posted wanted posters for me everywhere. I didn't want to live in hiding anymore, and I didn't want Sister Zhu to suffer the hardships of traveling with me, so I decided to travel thousands of miles to Shaoqing Prefecture."

"I accidentally met the leader of Wanjia Village. He was old and childless, so he adopted me as his son and entrusted Wanjia Village to me before he died."

"My adoptive father's relatives died at the hands of cruel officials, forcing him to become a bandit. During his lifetime, he always restrained his men and forbade them from killing or robbing."

"Later, I succeeded him as the village chief and followed the rules set by my adoptive father. I also took in many desperate refugees and got along well with the local people."

"Wantian Village is located in a remote area. I received news a few days ago that the government was suppressing bandits. I sent someone to inquire and found out that the new prefect was you. So I decided to take the boys and surrender to the government."

"Those seventeen village chiefs were definitely not wicked or evil. I thought the surrender of just one village would be too small a commotion, so I simply spent a few days convincing them to surrender with me."

Du Qingtang stood up and bowed.

Mu Tingyu was startled and quickly moved aside: "Sir, what are you doing?"

Du Qingtang said seriously, "Mr. Mo Yan stepped forward, and I am deeply grateful to him."

Mu Tingyu quickly waved his hand: "Your Excellency is too kind. I can only do my humble part. You have reunited us, father and daughter. This kindness, Mu, will never be repaid in my lifetime."

Du Qingtang shook his head. "Back then, I told you where your daughter was hiding, and you killed Qi Heming for me. We've settled all grievances long ago."

Mu Tingyu said, "The Qi family and I already have a deep blood feud, killing Qi Heming was just a side job."

Du Qingtang suddenly remembered something: "Sir, please wait a moment. I'll be back soon."

Mu Tingyu nodded in agreement.

Du Qingtang returned shortly after and handed a key to Mu Tingyu. "Back then, the master gave this key to me. I felt unworthy of it. I have been traveling extensively over the years, always carrying it with me, hoping to return it to its rightful owner once we meet again."

Mu Tingyu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "Money is nothing but a thing outside my body to me. My Lord has helped me recover this priceless treasure. This is just a small token of my gratitude."

Du Qingtang insisted, "I am unworthy of this. Sir, please take it back."

Mu Tingyu was silent for a long time. He sighed and picked up the key. "I originally thought that we would never meet again in this life, but who would have thought that after so many years, we would meet again in a different place."

"Well, since you are unwilling to accept those things, I am willing to serve you like a dog and a horse, even if it means going through fire and water, or even death."

Du Qingtang smiled slightly. This was what she really wanted.

......

Just as Du Qingtang and Mu Tingyu were chatting under the lamp, the Zhao family, the head of the four major families, also welcomed three guests.

In the study in the main courtyard, eight candles as thick as children's arms burned silently, making the surroundings as bright as day.

The four heads of the family, Zhao, Qian, Sun and Li, sat around the table, their expressions all looking equally solemn.

"So far, 241 bandit camps have been destroyed."

"In addition to the eighteen led by Wanjiazhai, there are three more who have clearly expressed their submission and are expected to arrive in the capital tomorrow."

"At this rate, the bandit problem will be completely eliminated in a few days."

"The bandit problem has been resolved, so the next step is—"

The four family heads had gloomy faces and murderous intent in their eyes.

The Zhao family head, who was over sixty years old and had wrinkled skin and white hair, slammed the table in anger: "It's not proper for a woman to show her face in public!"

The other three people strongly agreed.

"You can tell she's not a quiet woman."

"If she were a daughter of the Qian family, she would have been dragged into the pond and drowned long ago!"

"This girl cannot be kept!"

The four of them looked at each other and reached a consensus tacitly.

-

The next day, three more bandit camps voluntarily surrendered.

Including the previous 18 bandit camps, the number of people who surrendered reached nearly 20,000.

Du Qingtang met with the three village chiefs as usual and explained on the spot all the arrangements after their surrender.

The three of them had no objection and said, "Just give us a bite to eat."

When leaving, Du Qingtang saw Mu Tingyu's daughter, Mu Yuanzhu, wearing a coarse cloth shirt, leading a group of women to practice martial arts.

He is full of energy and punches fiercely, and you can tell at first glance that he is a martial artist.

Mu Tingyu happened to pass by and followed Du Qingtang's gaze. He couldn't hide his pride in his tone: "Sister Zhu has been practicing martial arts with me for the past few years. There are many girls in the village. Sister Zhu learned from me and then turned around to teach them."

Du Qingtang hummed softly: "How are their martial arts?"

Mu Tingyu gave a fair review: "They are all very good. More than half of the guys here are no match for them."

Du Qingtang had an idea in mind. He looked at the girls thoughtfully, then shook the reins and returned to the city with his guards.

The city gate was bustling with people, men, women, young and old, coming and going, and the scene was noisy and lively.

When entering the city, several figures suddenly jumped out from the crowd and headed straight for Du Qingtang.

Du Yi and others drew their swords and fought with the enemy.

The noise suddenly stopped, leaving only the clanging and buzzing sound of swords clashing.

"Is that the prefect?"

"The man with the red robe and black boots is the prefect."

"Who wants to kill her?"

"Who else could it be? Zhao, Qian, Sun, or Li."

The crowd walked leisurely, chatting as they went, and then stopped to watch the fun after walking a distance.

Du Qingtang: “…”

Du Qingtang did not participate in the battle.

Compared with cold weapons, simple and efficient hot weapons are more to her liking.

The killer disguised as a civilian fought with Du Yi and others. Du Qingtang found the right moment, aimed and shot.

The six masters and servants cooperated perfectly. Even those who broke through the defense line of Du Yi and others and attacked Du Qingtang were killed by the muskets.

The battle was over in just a stick of incense.

Du Qingtang glanced down at the corpse and said calmly, "Take them back together."

"yes!"

Later on the way, Du Qingtang encountered two more assassination attempts.

Without exception, they were all easily resolved. The bodies were tied into a ball, hung behind the horses' buttocks, and brought back to the government office.

When the people saw this, they were surprised and whistled loudly.

"It seems like the bastard couldn't help himself."

"How many days do you think this prefect can live?"

"I'll bet for two days."

"She's got some skills, five days."

"I think five days too. Those who came before me didn't even survive five days!"

When they returned to the government office, the gatekeeper saw dozens of corpses. He rubbed his eyes hard and found that it was not an illusion. Their mouths were open wide enough to fit an egg.

Du Qingtang ordered: "Send the things to the third hall."

thing?

What?

Du Ba waved his hand: "Don't just stand there, come and move the body."

Oh, it’s a corpse.

The yamen runners suddenly realized what was going on and rolled up their sleeves to help.

......

That night.

Du Qingtang sat under the lamp and read.

I brought the book from Xiajing. I was busy with the war a while ago, and now I'm busy with the government office. I haven't read even two pages until today.

With a creak, the door was pushed open from the outside.

As Du Yi entered, a breeze blew up as he walked, bringing the strong smell of rust into his nostrils.

"master."

Du Qingtang propped up his chin and asked, "Which batch is it?"

Du Yi replied: "The eighth batch."

Du Qingtang turned the page of the book and said to himself, "With such enthusiasm, I have to give them a return gift."

After saying this, he pondered for a moment and waved his hand.

Du Yi stepped forward and whispered something.

......

Zhao family.

The head of the Zhao family leaned on the chaise longue, smoking leisurely.

Smoke swirled and rose in the air.

Patriarch Zhao asked, "Have they all been sent out?"

The housekeeper replied, "We've all sent them out. Including the Qian, Sun, and Li families, there are twelve groups of people, more than a hundred in total."

The Zhao family head lazily responded: "No matter how capable a woman is, she is just a woman."

There is only one outcome for going against him, and that is death.

The housekeeper flattered: "How can Du Qingtang be your opponent? After tonight, there will be no such person as Du Qingtang in the world."

Patriarch Zhao chuckled, tapped his pipe and took another drag, then put it down and stood up: "Let's go to Yunxiang Garden."

The concubine he had just taken in a while ago lived there, and the novelty of her life had not yet worn off. He would go there tonight to have some fun, and he would hear good news tomorrow morning.

The head of the Zhao family went to Yunxiang Garden. He was tired after spending a cup of tea. He lay down and fell into a deep sleep while hugging his favorite concubine.

Half asleep and half awake, I suddenly felt heavy on my body.

Patriarch Zhao pushed his beloved concubine away from his arms, but she was still pressing on him so hard that he couldn't breathe, so he slapped her in the face.

The concubine woke up in pain, tears streaming down her face: "Master, what happened to you?"

The Zhao family head scolded: "You have no manners. Who allowed you to sleep on me?"

The concubine shook her head like a rattle: "I don't have any."

Seeing that she still dared to talk back, Patriarch Zhao raised his hand to slap her, but suddenly he felt the weight on his body was still there. His eyelids jumped and he stretched his neck to look over.

On the bright red quilt, six heads were neatly placed, their eyes wide open and blood still flowing from their foreheads.

Patriarch Zhao: “!!!”

Concubine: “Ahhhhhhhh!!!”

Before he could summon the servant, he heard the favorite concubine scream again: "Master, your hair!"

Patriarch Zhao was confused and raised his hand to touch it.

It was slippery when he touched it, and the slightly cool scalp made him shiver.

The Zhao family head's eyelids twitched wildly, and he slammed the bed angrily: "Mirror! Go get the mirror!"

The favorite concubine did not dare to hesitate, went to the dressing table to get the bronze mirror, and ran back.

Patriarch Zhao snatched it away and pointed it at his face.

There were no candles in the room, only moonlight coming in through the window, casting a silver glow.

In the bright silver light, Patriarch Zhao saw his own shining head.

——His hair was shaved off while he was sleeping.

Patriarch Zhao: “!!!”

It's a human head and a shaving head. You can guess who is the mastermind behind it with just your toes.

The head of the Zhao family only felt a buzzing sound in his head, his eyes went dark, and he fainted.

Once I closed my eyes, I never opened them again.

-

The next day, the news of the Zhao family head's sudden death at night spread throughout the city.

The people applauded.

"One bastard died, and there are three bastards left."

"Why don't we die together?"

Although others were unaware of the true story, the three families of Sun, Qian and Li knew exactly the cause of death of the head of the Zhao family.

In fact, it was not just Patriarch Zhao, the other three had the same experience.

I woke up in the middle of the night and found myself face to face with six human heads, and my head was shaved bald.

This made them shocked and angry.

Du Qingtang's men entered the heavily guarded mansion as if they were deserted. Not only did they place human heads on their beds, they also shaved their heads. Doesn't that mean they could take their lives at will?

Everyone is afraid of death, especially those of them who are buried up to their necks in the dirt.

For the sake of his own life, T had to temporarily give up the plan to assassinate Du Qingtang.

Five more days passed like this.

Whether for survival or other reasons, bandit camps voluntarily surrender every day.

By the tenth day of May, except for the fifty bandit camps that surrendered, all the other bandit camps had been destroyed.

The allied forces returned to the city and set up camp outside the city.

"She's finally back. I will never let that treacherous villain Du Qingtang go!" Judge Xue Tong said angrily with a dark face.

Wu Tongpan, with the same charcoal-black face, said weakly, "Let's go to the government office first. I always have a bad feeling. I won't feel relieved until I see it."

Zhou Tongzhi and Fang Tongzhi deeply shared the same sentiment.

During the days when they were following the army to suppress bandits, they wanted to come back and take a look, but they were held down by the people sent by Du Qingtang.

"There are so many wounded soldiers who need urgent treatment. Your Excellency has been ordered to stay behind and should provide care throughout the entire process."

"The soldiers' three meals a day also need to be prepared. Your Excellency, don't you want to make meritorious contributions while serving your sentence?"

They were like: "......"

The four braised eggs ran all the way down the street and rushed to the government office as quickly as possible.

Before they even walked through the door, the four of them were stunned.

The newly cleaned gate, the solemn yamen runners, and the clerks hurrying through the lobby with piles of official documents in their arms made them feel as if they had come to the wrong place.

"Is this Shaoqing Mansion?"

"It's Shaoqing Mansion. The stone lion at the gate is missing a leg. It was chopped off by an axe during the last collective fight among the refugees."

Looking at the government office that could not conceal its majesty and solemnity, the four giants felt like the sky had fallen.

Zhou Tongzhi was filled with anger at having his home robbed. He threw all his composure and dignity out the window and stormed through the door, "Where's Du Qingtang? Du Qingtang! Get out here!"

When the clerk saw the four dark and thin men, he was startled at first, but when he recognized who they were, he hurriedly lowered his head and retreated to a corner with the documents, trying his best to reduce his presence.

Zhou Tongzhi roared, and Du Qingtang came out at the sound. He stood under the plaque hanging high above the mirror, looking down at them with a slightly condescending look: "The four masters are back?"

Fang Tongzhi angrily demanded, "Du Qingtang, who gave you the right to act on your own and turn the government office into this mess?"

Du Qingtang stroked his wide sleeves lightly, as if he had just heard something funny. "I am the head of a prefecture, why can't I change? You are all subordinate to me, yet you always scold me. Are you trying to rebel against your superiors?"

Judge Xue sneered, "What do you mean by a prefectural governor? Now that you're in Shaoqing Prefecture, you have no choice but to listen to us."

After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "Come here, catch her for me!"

The clerks and the yamen runners looked at each other, hesitant.

The four giants have dominated Shaoqing Prefecture for a long time and have accumulated great power, so they dare not disobey.

Du Qingtang had a musket in his hand. If they dared to go forward, they would definitely be shot into pieces.

When he was hesitating in a dilemma, he saw Du Qingtang take a step forward, sitting upright under the plaque hanging high above the mirror, and took out a booklet like a magic trick, and began to read -

"Zhou Wei, the co-magistrate of Shaoqing Prefecture, is suspected of embezzling public funds, imposing private taxes, and minting coins..."

"Fang Da, the Tongzhi of Shaoqing Prefecture, is suspected of falsely reporting disasters, stealing and selling official property, and tampering with evidence..."

"Xue Youdao, the Tongpan of Shaoqing Prefecture, is suspected of selling official positions and falsifying accounts..."

"Wu Kaiyun, the Tongpan of Shaoqing Prefecture, is suspected of harboring criminals and withholding disaster relief funds..."

After reading out the long list of charges, Du Qingtang felt a little dry in the mouth. He coughed lightly and said, "Shaoqing Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture. I have the highest judicial authority. Your crimes are so grave that you deserve death. I sentence the four of you to death by slow slicing. The execution will take place at 3:30 PM tomorrow!"

These four people usually act without scruples and never hide anything, so Du Qingtang easily collected evidence of their crimes.

With both witnesses and evidence, Du Qingtang did not intend to continue to flatter them like he did in Runing Mansion.

Shaoqing Prefecture was in a state of disrepair and there were still many things waiting for her, so she had no time to argue with these people.

"Come here, take them down."

A clear voice brought the four giants back to reality from their shock. They looked at the booklet in Du Qingtang's hand and laughed instead of getting angry.

"So what if I've committed a grave sin? The entire government office is mine. What can you do to me?"

"The last person as naive as you had grass three feet high over his grave."

"Come here, catch her for me!"

The bailiff took a step forward.

"Bang!"

The bullet left the gun and white smoke filled the air.

Du Qingtang propped up his chin with one hand and held up the musket with the other: "You don't want to die, do you?"

Yamen runner: “!!!”

Without thinking, everyone rushed towards the Big Four.

“Bold!”

"presumptuous!"

"Mmmmm!"

The yamen runner stuffed a rag he had found from nowhere into their mouths and said in a fawning and attentive manner, "Don't worry, sir. I'll put them in jail right away."

Du Qingtang: "Who said they should be thrown into jail?"

Yamen runner: "Ah?"

Du Qingtang: "There is a woodshed in the third hall. Lock him up in there."

The four giants who secretly planned to bribe the jailer and wait for an opportunity to escape: "!!!"

The Third Hall is Du Qingtang’s territory, and now they can’t escape!

......

That afternoon, the government posted five notices.

Four of them made the crimes committed by Zhou Wei and others public, and the last one was written in Du Qingtang's voice, stating that they had been dismissed from their posts and imprisoned, and would be executed by slow slicing at noon tomorrow.

The people of the city gathered here, and a minor official read out the contents of the notice aloud.

"Lingchi?"

"Didn't you lie to us?"

"It's like a dream, Hua Jie'er's mother, please pinch me."

The woman pinched the person next to her hard, watching him scream and jump three feet high, dancing with joy: "It's real! I'm not dreaming! The dog official is really going to die!"

"This prefect is really good. He is both a bandit suppressor and a dog killer."

"Everyone, please don't let your guard down. You never know when she might start eating the flesh and drinking the blood of ordinary people."

"Anyway, at least she's fine now."

The woman listened to the people around her arguing with each other and their faces flushed. She looked at the notice deeply, then left the crowd and went home.

Passing by a bookstore, the woman paused slightly, hesitated for a while, and finally gritted her teeth and walked in.

Behind the counter, the young man in a blue robe raised his head and asked, "Sir, what book would you like to buy?"

Their eyes met, and they were both stunned.

The woman hadn't expected to run into the man who had read the notice that day. She blushed slightly, rubbed the corner of her clothes, and said softly, "I, I'd like you to help me write a petition."

The young man readily agreed, took out pen and ink, and wrote a complaint as the woman requested.

"How much?"

"Four coins."

The woman put down four copper coins and left with the complaint.

Halfway through the walk, she suddenly turned around and said, "The dog official will die tomorrow."

The young man was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "The prefect is a good official."

The woman didn't respond and turned to walk out of the bookstore.

She stood in the street, looking up at the sky.

The sky over Shaoqing Prefecture is always gloomy and no light can get in.

This afternoon was unusual.

The sunlight penetrated the clouds, bringing light and making her feel the long-lost warmth.

"Well, yes," she replied.