Everyone was shocked, as if something had happened behind Zhao Huan and others.
"Let's go and take a look!" said Zhao Huan.
"Murder!" There were crowds of people watching in front, and someone inside shouted, and then everyone started whispering.
Linghu Yunlong and Cao Dongsheng led the way, pushing through the crowd. They saw a few people standing in front of them, and a man lying on the ground, his life or death unknown.
Zhao Huan was shocked to see that these people were Ergouzi and Mai Sui's family, and the person lying on the ground was a stranger.
"What's going on?" Zhao Huan asked someone next to him.
The man shook his head. "Who knows? Just now, this little girl and this little boy went crazy and beat up the guy on the ground. The little boy must have been a little too strong, and he actually beat the guy to death in a few blows."
Zhao Huan frowned. This Er Gou really didn't know how to control his strength. He didn't know why the man on the ground had provoked him. Could he be teasing this wheat ear as well? What good was this wheat ear's rough hands and feet?
Linghu Yunlong rushed over and felt the pulse of the man on the ground, then turned around and shook his head at Zhao Huan, meaning that the man was dead.
Zhao Huan asked in surprise, "What's going on?"
Ergou had killed someone and was so scared that he stood there motionless like a wooden chicken. Ergou's parents were even more frightened and their faces turned pale.
Mai Sui grabbed his father's hand and said, "Dad, yes, this man deserves to die. No, you can't blame Brother Ergou. Brother Ergou killed him by accident, Dad!"
Mai Sui's father sighed: "Alas, this is fate! How could I meet this plague god here?"
Zhao Huan walked forward and clasped his fists towards them: "What's going on?"
Perhaps they noticed that Zhao Huan was well-dressed and looked like an official. In that dynasty, it was easy to distinguish between common people and officials. Officials would look up at the sky when walking, not paying any attention to anyone.
Zhao Huan was dressed in luxurious clothes. In those days, only the rich or the noble could afford to wear silk. Mai Sui's father said, "My name is Guan Daming, and this is my daughter Guan Mai Sui. The man on the ground is Huang Shiren, and he is the one who killed my son."
Zhao Huan suddenly understood. "You're saying this guy killed your foolish son over a handful of grain, and then you two happened to cross paths here. Then you had an argument, and Er Gouzi accidentally killed him. But that's what happened?"
Guan Damin was startled. How did Zhao Huan know this? He asked in shock, "You?"
Zhao Huan smiled and said, "When Er Gouzi was buying a wife just now, I overheard this girl talking about this."
Guan Daming finally understood: "This gentleman is right. We just happened to meet the rich man Huang here. He never thought that this was retribution. The rich man Huang's family was broken up and he ended up here. It's not that I wanted to argue with him, but he grabbed me and asked for the two taels of millet."
Mai Sui was furious: "He killed my brother, and I didn't settle the score with him, yet he still had the nerve to ask for those two taels of millet. I didn't want to argue with him, but he kept pestering me, so I had to teach him a lesson. I never expected Brother Ergou to come up to help, and beat him to death in just a few strokes. Who knew he couldn't take a beating?"
Er Gou's mother panicked and said, "Er Gou, you killed someone. You're going to be sued for this."
Mai Sui patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Auntie. This was done by me alone. It has nothing to do with Brother Ergou. I, Mai Sui, will take all the responsibility!"
Er Gouzi finally came to his senses after hearing this: "No, I killed him. I'm going to see the authorities!"
"Brother Ergou, you will never forget my kindness and righteousness. It's my fate that I can't enjoy this blessing. Don't worry, I will figure it out after seeing the master. This matter has nothing to do with you!"
In the midst of the commotion, several yamen runners came over. They saw the body on the ground, and the head of the yamen asked, "Who killed him?"
Mai Sui and Er Gouzi stood up at the same time: "It's me!"
A yamen runner leaned over and examined the body: "Captain, this man is dead!"
The captain glanced at the two of them and said, "Take them all away!"
"Er Gou!" Er Gou's mother was startled and came to pull him. The captain looked at her and said, "You should also come with us to the government office!"
Several yamen runners were about to leave with these people, but Zhao Huan stepped forward to block their way and said, "I am a witness. I saw what happened with my own eyes."
Everyone had always avoided this kind of lawsuit, fearing they would get into trouble, but Zhao Huan actually took the initiative to step forward. The captain looked him over, and seeing that Zhao Huan and his companions had extraordinary backgrounds, he didn't dare to act rashly. "Then please come with us!"
Zhao Huan waved his hand and said, "Whoever saw what happened just now, please come with us to the government office to testify. I will give one ounce of silver to anyone who goes!"
Originally, few people were willing to go, but when they heard about the money, they jumped up and said, "I'll go! I'll go!"
Cao Zhenguo, the magistrate of Pizhou, was in a state of panic. Although the government provided porridge to the victims every day, there were too many of them and the granary was already running out of food.
"Sir! A murder has occurred in Dongcheng!" The bailiff came in to report.
Cao Zhenguo angrily said, "Why are there so many things going on? The resettlement of the disaster victims hasn't even been sorted out yet, and how could there be another murder?"
The yamen runner cupped his fists and said, "It's said that a few people got into an argument at the market, and a fool accidentally beat someone to death."
Cao Zhenguo waved his hand: "Go, go, go! Court is open!"
In the hall of the prefectural government office, several plaintiffs knelt on the ground, while Zhao Huan and others stood by as witnesses.
By the time Mai Sui finished his story, Cao Zhenguo had basically understood it. "Guan Mai Sui, I have a question for you. You said that this wealthy man, Huang, beat your brother to death for two taels of millet. Tell me exactly what happened!"
Mai Sui kowtowed and said, "Your Excellency, we are wise. We are originally from Bo County. My younger brother is a dull person. He herds cattle for the wealthy Huang family. The wealthy Huang promised to give my family half a bag of millet every year. Unexpectedly, this year of disaster hit. My younger brother herded cattle for his family for a year. At the end of the year, I went to his house to ask for the half bag of millet. The wealthy Huang made an excuse, saying that his cattle were fed to death by my younger brother. Not only did he not give my younger brother a single grain of rice, he also beat him up."
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