Chapter 171 I Only Did One Wrong Thing
To others, this posture was definitely well-founded, and everyone was even more awed.
But in fact, Mrs. Lin herself was also very confused.
Again, no matter what kind of tomb it is, it is still a tomb, and burial requires some rituals, and for things like funerals, according to custom, women do have to take a step back, and men have to carry out the necessary procedures.
No one wants to do such an unlucky thing, so it is inevitable to ask the deceased's original relatives to do it.
Madam Lin thought that Tang Qingshan could not shirk this job, but she did not expect that the government did not even intend to notify them. They just pretended they did not exist and directly asked Xiao Liu to go.
So she was very puzzled and even discussed this with Tang Qingshan in the afternoon.
Tang Qingshan only said: "It is probably related to the Yuan family."
Indeed, even if Mr. Yuan left the court or even the capital, he was still the descendant of the emperor's teacher, had the title of Jingxing Earl, and was a famous scholar in the world. His name card was very important.
The governor's uncle didn't know much about the affairs of these scholars, but he at least knew that Mr. Yuan must have several new and old friends in the capital and they could not be easily offended.
What's more, after County Magistrate Liu had interrogated the people, he investigated the situation over there again.
Both of Yuan Lao's sons were close friends with the Tang family. Moreover, those people confessed that they were easily dealt with by an old man before they even made a move, so one person could not use the second trick.
Zhu Yinzhong immediately became timid.
For him, the Yuan family was still okay, but those people were all good fighters he had raised among the people. If so many people couldn't resist an old man's three moves, how powerful must this old man be? He would be stupid to offend such a powerful Jianghu person.
So he thought, Tang Qingshan is just a countryman now, and even if his wealth is squeezed out, he would only have two hundred taels at most. It is not worth taking such a big risk for these two hundred taels.
So he immediately exposed the matter.
When the subordinates saw this, of course they did Tang Qingshan a favor. After all, they had Chen as a ready-made soft persimmon, and Tang Sanshui was not a good person, so it was none of their business whether it was against the rules or not.
Of course, on the surface it was still a very honorable expression, because Tang Liu was a loyal woman who sacrificed her own family for the sake of justice, and it was she who brought the corrupt official to justice, so only by asking her to complete the burial would it be perfect.
As time goes by, the current situation has emerged.
There are always idle people around. When they heard that the burial of Xiaoxie was going to be held today, many idle people came to watch the fun early in the morning.
Normal burial actually just involves cleaning the grave, lighting a perpetual lamp, and then lowering the coffin. However, this is Tang Sanshui's tomb of an evildoer, so he also needs to place some instruments to suppress and atone sins, and the process is lengthy.
Little Liu stood aside, one hand on her chest, her brows furrowed, her body swaying.
She felt that she was suffering so much.
In this situation, it would be better if Tang Erhe died. After all, if he died, she would be a widow and could remarry. But now she has a living dead man and she can't even find a man to rely on!
She thought she could finally take a breath after sending the mother and daughter away, but she didn’t expect that she would have to pay for the tomb, which drained her money!! Her family was poor and her life was miserable enough, but the government still bullied her and asked her to pay for the burial!!
Why! Why?! She is not Tang Sanshui’s widow, nor is she his only orphan. No matter how hard you try, it is not her turn as the second sister-in-law to do this! ! She was almost hysterical at the time: "Why don’t you call Tang Qingshan! He is the eldest brother! Call Tang Qingshan!!"
The yamen runner said directly: "You are a loyal woman who sacrificed her own family for the greater good. Our master called you here because he respected you..."
In a state of panic, Xiao Liu said without thinking: "I don't want him to praise me! Why doesn't he praise Tang Qingshan?! He can praise his son! Anyone can do it!!"
The officer's face darkened as he looked at her. Xiao Liu immediately realized that she had said something wrong and took a step back in fear.
The official said with a cold face: "Didn't you file the complaint? Aren't all these things caused by you? It's okay if you don't want to go. The masters originally said that they could put a person in the tomb. Otherwise, you can clean up and suppress Tang Sanshui in the tomb for a long time..."
He deliberately frightened her, saying in all seriousness: "It's just burying you alive. Since you are so loyal, you will definitely agree to it, right? Then I will make a hole in your head and pour some mercury into it..."
Little Liu was so frightened that she was shaking like a sieve. She dared not say a word and could only follow quickly.
In fact, this trip was not hard at all.
Because this wasn't an ordinary funeral, there was no need to cry or kneel. She was just extremely uncomfortable standing in the front and supporting things. The more people gathered around her, the more lonely she felt. She was truly the most miserable and weak woman in the world. Why didn't anyone come to pity her?
She only cared about feeling sorry for herself and was used to treating people with such a sad attitude, but she never thought that she was standing here as a benchmark of "loyalty and righteousness". So, what's the meaning of your sad face? Are you reluctant to let Tang Sanshui die? ? Then why did you tell on her in the first place? Not many people knew about her running away with the money, and not many people believed it. Most people believed the official explanation, which was politically correct.
Idle people are always very demanding when it comes to "role models".
There is no wrong version in the 1619 book forum!
If you are a gentleman, you must always be as pure as snow and flawless. Even if there is something wrong, people will say that you were just pretending! Moreover, Xiao Liu's so-called "killing relatives for the sake of justice" is a very controversial matter.
Those who think she is right all say that she is just and loyal, but when they see her sad and gloomy expression, as if she is about to fall to the ground and cry, those who support her suddenly lose their confidence. Why do they feel that she is so unlike her?
Xiao Liu was immersed in her own emotions and did not notice what others were saying.
She cleaned the grave pit delicately, and then after the monks placed all the ritual instruments and put down the coffin, she shoveled some dirt on it, and she didn't have to worry about the rest.
A mound was soon formed here, and then the work began. The onlookers gradually dispersed, the officials also left, and only the workers were still busy working.
Little Liu came back to her senses and said blankly: "Can I, can I leave now?"
There was an official watching over the workers, and he said lazily, "Why don't you leave? Do you still want to spend the night with him? Wake up, if a person dies, there's nothing you can do!"
The workers all laughed secretly.
Xiao Liu showed a look of shame and anger, turned around, and became confused again.
After being here for most of the day, she hadn't had a sip of water or a bite of food, and no one sent her, a loyal woman, back to the village. Little Liu felt that nothing could be more miserable than this.
Little Liu didn't have the money to hire a carriage, so she walked all the way back to the village. She was filled with grief and indignation, but she didn't dare to vent it on the government. She forgot about her fear when she got excited.
She ran to the side where the house was being built and cried to Madam Lin: "I have done one wrong thing in all these years of being sisters-in-law. I hid from my mother-in-law who betrayed me. As a daughter-in-law, I dare not offend my mother-in-law. Do I deserve to die? Why do you want to torture me like this? Why? Can you leave me a way out?!"
She cried so loudly that anyone who heard her cried and anyone who saw her felt sad.
(End of this chapter)