Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Xiaolian.
"Girl, how much is this tofu?"
The woman asked with a smile, "Nearly four years have passed, and the mole on her cheek has disappeared."
A thousand thoughts passed through her mind, and she was surrounded by people and objects. After a moment, she came to her senses and said naturally:
"Three cents a piece."
"Pick me two pieces. I've heard your tofu is famous."
The woman smiled. Compared to the turmoil in Ji Xu's heart, she seemed to no longer remember Ji Xu in front of her. This was just an ordinary and simple day for the woman. It seemed that she had bought some vegetables and was going back to cook.
When Ji Xu was picking tofu for her, he even suspected that he had recognized the wrong person. However, the woman's repeated smile always reminded her of the damp and hot memories in the ship's hold. She also smiled like this when she ordered the men to tie up and beat those noisy children.
"Do you know the woman just now? Is she a local?" Ji Xu asked.
The old woman with the Glue Tooth Tang shook her head and said, "She looks pretty, but pretty. She might be a servant in some wealthy family."
The man selling soup noodles across the street also said it was his first time seeing them and asked:
"Why are you asking about her?"
Seeing the purple figure walking further and further away in the tunnel, about to disappear into the crowd, she grabbed her purse and said:
"I just bought some tofu and left my wallet here."
After saying that, she asked the couple across the street to help her look after the shop, and walked towards the figure, staring at it closely, not too far away, following behind.
Yesterday, at the county court,
The group brought the suspect in. The suspect's surname was Qiao, and he was the eldest son of the wealthy Qiao family in the city. He was the uncle of the county magistrate. Because of this relationship, he knew the news earlier than all the officials and clerks in the county court - he was selected as a filial and honest official and sent to the Ministry of Rites as a disciple of a doctorate.
This is a local tribute to the central government, held once a year, open to the general public. The person in charge of this matter in Kuaiji County is the Kuaiji County Magistrate. The entire county recommends two filial and honest people, and each county, including Lingshui County, is allocated one quota. The county first recommends them to the county, and then the County Magistrate selects two of them.
This year's two filial and incorrupt officials will be sent to the Imperial College in Chang'an as doctoral students to meet the Minister of Rites.
Studying under one of the Five Classics Doctors, those who have achieved success in their studies will be appointed to official positions. County clerks are of a slightly lower rank, and some can even become Zhonglang officials, close attendants of the emperor. Therefore, many officials and civilians regard being selected as a doctoral student as an opportunity to make a fortune.
Even a rich son like Qiao Lingshi coveted this position. Although he had an uncle who was a county magistrate, this recommendation for filial and incorruptible officials was different from the recommendation for honest officials. In the former, his uncle, the county magistrate with a rank of 600 dan, was not qualified to be the recommender. Even if he was promoted to a county magistrate with a rank of 1,000 dan in the future, he was not qualified to be the recommender. Only a county governor with a rank of 2,000 dan could be the recommender. His uncle could only recommend him as a small magistrate with a rank of 200 dan through the recommendation of honest officials. Qiao Chong was not satisfied with this.
That day, he was drinking and having fun with a few good friends. One of his friends said:
"Thieves are kidnapping and selling children, and the people are angry about this. If you can solve this case, the people will support you, and the governor of Kuaiji will appreciate you."
Yes, his uncle was soon promoted to county magistrate, and he could decide to give him the quota in the county, but when it comes to the county and state, it would be too far away for him to reach that position.
That is why he was extremely concerned about the case of kidnapping and selling children. As soon as he heard the report, he went to arrest the person.
"Take him to the dark room for interrogation!"
He ignored the wretched man's cries for justice, pulled his little daughter away, slammed the door shut, and left his cronies outside to intimidate the girl and make her shut up.
The county court was divided into different departments and had different duties, such as Gongcao, Hucao, Zoucao, Facao, Zeicao, Bingcao, etc.
The Household Department was in charge of household registration, sacrifices, and agriculture. The Agricultural Department and the Township Department were subordinate to the Household Department. When the various departments of the Household Department had just dispersed to discuss the spring plowing, the officials from each department came out of the hall and saw the clerk and his party arresting the suspect and taking him into the dark room, discussing the matter.
"I'm afraid they'll resort to flogging again."
The so-called flogging is to torture the prisoners, which is legal. The normal procedure is to interrogate the prisoners first, record their confessions in a book, and compare them. If lies are found in their confessions, and the suspect keeps quibbling and refusing to admit his crimes, torture can be carried out. The torture procedure must also be legally recorded in the book, and will be used as a reference by the county magistrate and county magistrate in the future when they hear the trial.
But Qiao Lingshi loved to use private punishment. Whenever he arrested someone, he would not go through the interrogation process. He would beat them first and then ask them questions. His torture was not recorded in the book, so his superiors had no way of knowing about it. Besides, he had an uncle who was a county magistrate.
"Even if this suspect isn't the real one, I think he'll be beaten into submission and eventually confess and sign a pledge."
Qiao Lingshi has been handling many cases lately. He has ignored procedures and resorted to lynching. However, he has solved many major cases and has won the support of the people.
If he could catch the thief who confessed in this kidnapping case, he would surely be nominated as a filial and incorrupt official. With such a resume, even if he was nominated to the governor of Kuaiji County and placed alongside the filial and incorrupt officials from other counties, he would still be qualified to compete.
It is said that the Lingshui County Magistrate's surname is Pan, and he is from Yuzhang County. The Lingshui County Magistrate is about to be promoted to the Yuzhang 2,000-stone prefect. The appointment document has been issued, and the position of county magistrate is vacant. The county magistrate has written a letter to the higher authorities, recommending that County Magistrate Pan fill the position. I think there will be no problem.
When County Magistrate Pan became the county magistrate in the future, his nephew Qiao Chong's position would become more secure.
"In my opinion, the wisest official among the people is Qiao Lingshi, and he is the only one who can be a doctoral student."
A group of people agreed with him. Although some did not recognize Qiao Lingshi's ability, they could not help but flatter him because of his relationship with County Magistrate Pan in order to curry favor with him.
After a while, the sound of fists and sticks came from inside the door, mixed with the painful groans of men. The girl burst into tears and knocked on the door outside to call her grandfather, but was forcibly dragged to the front hall by Qiao Lingshi's confidants.
"Aong! Don't hit me, Aong!"
The girl held her legs limp and refused to follow, so she was dragged away. Her originally clean clothes were covered in mud, and her face was no longer white.
The onlookers couldn't bear it and sighed, "Is this what you call virtuous? If I were to say, Yu Heng should have been selected this year."
The speaker was Liang Zhao, the village headman of the township. He was from Niupi Township, and his courtesy name was Youheng. They had come into contact with each other many times in the past because of the grain price turmoil, and he had also heard a lot about Zhuanggai. So,
"Last time, thanks to him and the village elders who talked about the La Ba Festival, as the saying goes, poverty breeds evil. Thanks to Heng's method of collecting sacrifices and helping the refugees, our Niupi Village is now free from the fighting and robbery that plagued the surrounding areas and has been able to survive in peace."
Speaking of Tianshoufu Zhuang Gaiyi, some people have heard rumors about him. He killed bandits for his father and cared about the people's livelihood. He was indeed a filial son and an honest official and deserved this position.
"I heard that You Heng hunted pigs and, without taking any profit, distributed everything to the villagers. This wonderful story has spread all the way to Yongle Township!"
"Love literature, respect elders, maintain a clean political and educational system, and obey the community. Which of these requirements does You Heng not meet?"
You Youjiao from the township government chimed in, saying that he and Tian Sefu were old acquaintances, and he only lamented that his brother was not good at socializing, otherwise his reputation as a filial and honest official would have been even more praised.
"Mr. Tian, your handwriting is good, so you can write down my love letter for me."
The door of the dark room opened, and Qiao Lingshi came out at some point. He shook off his wide sleeves and gave orders in a very arrogant manner. The groans of pain from the people inside were not as loud as before. No wonder he looked so proud. It seemed that he was going to find out some accusations that would benefit him.
"You are such a good-looking Qiao Lingshi! My brother is of the same rank as you, how can you order him around?" You Youjiao spat, rolled up his sleeves and showed his fists, really going to hit Qiao Lingshi.
Not to mention the protection of Qiao Lingshi's confidants, Tian Shefu, who was nearby, raised his hand to stop him. He had an expressionless face, turned his head to the side, and whispered something to You Youjiao.
You Youjiao finally calmed down and went out, glaring at Qiao Lingshi before leaving.
Qiao Lingshi thought that the farmer was just being timid, and could not help laughing:
"I know you and I are of equal rank, but the Thief Division is no less busy than the Agricultural Division. We've been dealing with a lot of cases lately and are very busy. We can't spare any manpower, so I have to trouble Mr. Tian. It's all because there's no one else in the whole county with a handwriting as good as yours."
Although the rank of the two men was the same, that of two hundred stones, in Qiao Lingshi's eyes, Tian Shefu, who dealt with farmland in the village all day long, was a nobody with no future, and he did not take him seriously.
However, Zhuang Gaiyi, a farmer, gradually gained a reputation as a filial son and an honest official. Many people in the county court felt that the title of filial and honest official should be given to Zhuang Gaiyi, and secretly whispered to him that he was lucky to have an uncle who was the county magistrate so that he could compete with him. Qiao Lingshi could no longer tolerate this.
When Tian Shefu entered the interrogation room, he saw the man lying on the ground groaning, but there was no visible skin injury. This was the thug hired by Qiao Lingshi. After a set of punches, he could make the man cry out in pain without breaking his skin.
He sat at the table, and Qiao Lingshi beside him asked:
"Name, place of origin, and why are you selling off young boys and girls?"
The man began weakly, "Sir, I am innocent. I am from Huangxiang, Lingshui County, and I came to the county to buy supplies..."
"Nonsense! You clearly have an accent from another place. Come here! Torture him severely!" Qiao Lingshi winked at the two thugs.
The man's wailing became weaker and weaker. "We are a family of three. We came to Qingzhou to seek refuge with a good friend last year and later settled in Lingshui County. We have records and records, all of which are with my wife. She is here..."
The man had said all this several times on his way in. In Qiao Lingshi's opinion, he was from out of town and had a daughter with him, which matched the time when the kidnapping case happened. It was just right to put the charge on him. He was in the business of arresting people in large numbers and everyone saw it. It would be a great relief if the case was solved in one fell swoop. The truth was not important.
Seeing that he was stubborn, he just ordered him to beat him again.
"Lingshi, I'm afraid someone might die and it will be difficult to explain." A close confidant of the Qiao family bowed.
"Beat him! This guy won't listen to questioning and is talking nonsense. If I don't beat him, he won't tell the truth!" Qiao Lingshi refused to listen.
The two thugs had no choice but to increase their punches, landing one punch after another on the man.
The room was filled with the muffled sound of fists hitting flesh. Qiao Lingshi secretly observed the expression of Tian Shefu who was standing beside him, only to see that he was still holding a pen to record the love letter.
In fact, Qiao Lingshi would naturally not use this love letter. He would just forge a fake one and force the suspect to sign it. The reason why he asked Tian Sefu for help was just to humiliate him and see if he really cared about the people's livelihood.
Even after being beaten like this, he remained unmoved and didn't even say a word to beg for mercy for the suspect. He is just a cold-blooded and silent person. I don't know how he got such a good reputation.
While he was pondering, a close confidant suddenly rushed in and said, "It's bad, Lord Lingshi, this man's wife is outside the county court, and they want us to release him."
"Her husband is a suspect in the kidnapping case, so how can he be released?"
Qiao Lingshi's intention was to let them scare people outside. He could just make the matter sound more serious, use some money, and use both kindness and force, and then these fools would not dare to make trouble again.
"It wasn't just her. Many county residents who were just there to watch the fun said he was wrongly arrested and demanded the county government release him."
"How many?"
"There must be about twenty of them."
Qiao Lingshi could no longer sit still. There were so many people around and so many gossips were going on. His reputation as an honest official must not be ruined at this critical juncture. After thinking it over, he had no choice but to let the person go.
But the man was beaten so badly that he couldn't get up, so he couldn't be sent out at this time. He had to disperse the group first.
Because he told people outside: "Although this person is not a suspect, he has provided important clues and needs to cooperate with the county court in the investigation."
He also gave fifty taels of silver to the wife who was crying and wanting to see her husband. When everyone saw the woman holding the money, their original sympathy turned into envy, and even a kind of jealousy.
"It's really fifty taels! What clues did that person provide?"
"Stop crying, woman! You got fifty taels of silver, which is enough for your family to live on for several years. Who has the luck that you have?"
"It's a waste for me to accompany you."
It turned out that You Youjiao had left Qiao Lingshi's sight. As Tian Shefu had said, he checked the man's civil registration book in the Household Department and got his current address. He went to his home and told his wife, and then made him cry in the county town first. He looked so pitiful that people couldn't bear it, so they gathered a group of people outside the county court and made a fuss to demand the man's release.
The woman wiped her tears, thanked everyone, and gave them another ounce of silver to buy wine from the tavern.
Everyone felt better and gradually dispersed.
The woman also gave an extra two taels of silver to You Youjiao, who brought the news.
You You refused, saying, "Your man has plenty of places to spend money when he comes out!"
At this point, the woman couldn't help but wipe away her tears again. She knew that he had been beaten and needed money for treatment, but they had no relatives in the local area. The only reason they could get such a group of county residents to help them was because of the instructions of these roving bandits. How could they seek justice for anything else?
After a while, they saw the person being carried out, and all that was left was the mosquito-like groaning. She cried even harder, and then she was put on a cart and taken away to find the medicine lady.
The next day, Ji Xu saw the thief woman going out of the West Market Gate. He waved to a maid under a green locust tree and took her away.
It would be easier to hide outside than in the city where there are fewer people. If I follow her, I might attract her attention and make her alert. Or she might remember that she had kidnapped me before and retaliate against me, which would be bad.
So she stopped behind the city gate and did not take the risk of following him. From a distance, she remembered the appearance of the man who drove the carriage for her.
When she was still a retail tofu seller, she would often park her wheelbarrow there and sometimes scoop tofu pudding for the hired workers because she knew them. This one was called Xiang Bo.
You can ask Xiang Bo about the whereabouts of this thief woman.
As for catching the thief, the most urgent thing is to go to the county court, report this person, and let the county court arrest him and bring him to justice.
As a single girl, it would be better for her not to take any more risks.
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