Chapter 49 Eat and Spit Out
"Unfair! Unfair!"
Before arriving at the court, County Magistrate Hu heard cries of injustice outside.
"Bang! Be quiet!" A yamen runner hit the person who was crying out for justice with a water or fire stick and shouted loudly.
Bad people never say they are bad people. Who among those who are imprisoned does not say that they are wronged?
The yamen runners have seen a lot! No matter how much fun they jump around, they will be quiet after a beating.
If one beating doesn't solve the problem, then beat him again. There is nothing that can't be solved by beating.
"We are not bandits! You can't accuse us of crimes at random! Is there any justice in the world?" someone loudly refuted.
"These bandits are so arrogant and not at all honest! We'll have to teach them a lesson later. 50 lashes of the killing stick each to kill their prestige!"
The jailer who reported the news said angrily that he had never seen bandits who dared to yell and shout like that, they were too rampant!
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Hu quickened his pace.
The court had already closed its doors and the thieves were temporarily detained in the detention center nearby.
County Magistrate Hu was taken to the detention center, where several men were locked in cages.
There were those who cried and shouted that they were innocent, saying that they were just ox cart drivers and not bandits, and begged the officials to let them go.
Just to earn a few more fares, who would have thought that he would end up in jail!
Zhang San felt very regretful. If he had known not to be greedy and not to earn money for the return trip, he should be having dinner at home now!
Oh my god, is hard work a sin? I should have given up and been a lazy person!
"Sir, sir, I am Zhang San from Lao Yazui outside the city. I drive an ox cart for a living and I am not a bandit! Please let me out, wuwu..."
When Zhang San saw County Magistrate Hu in his official robes, he grabbed the railing and begged loudly.
"Behave yourself! This is not the place for you to act wildly." The bailiff stabbed Zhang San with a stick, and Zhang San covered his chest in pain.
"Stop!" The middle-aged man next to him supported Zhang San and angrily questioned the yamen runner, "Is Wu County a lawless place? You're arresting people indiscriminately on the street and beating innocent people at will!"
Wow! This bandit looks like he's educated and can speak eloquently!
County Magistrate Hu walked up to the middle-aged man with a straight back and said, "What makes you say that Wu County is a lawless place? You are a bandit with a tough mouth!"
"Well, even though I'm a fugitive, I earn my own living by hunting wild boars and selling them.
"You are accusing us of being thieves with empty words! Who did I steal from, and from whose house?" Su Bucheng said angrily.
"That's right. We are law-abiding and self-reliant. We almost lost our lives when we hunted wild boars to sell, but you slandered us! You even stole our money! Who is the bandit?" The young man next to him also questioned sternly.
"Are you hunters?" County Magistrate Hu looked at them carefully.
He doesn't look like a hunter, but he doesn't look like a bandit either. Bandits don't have that kind of character.
The two people who were talking were both wearing bandages and looked like father and son.
Especially the young man, he gives people a feeling of being bathed in spring breeze, he doesn’t look like a bandit at all, his eyes are clear and upright, he looks more like a student.
"No! I'm Su Bucheng, the former Chang'an County Magistrate exiled here! I'm not a hunter, nor am I a bandit!" Su Bucheng said loudly, "To survive, I have to go hunting in the mountains."
"What? You are Su Bucheng, the Su County Magistrate?" County Magistrate Hu was shocked. He looked Su Bucheng up and down carefully. He did look a bit like the girl just now.
"Exactly! They currently live in Huanggou Village, Heifeng Township, and these people are from the same village.
"This is the ox-cart driver from Black Wind Township. We just took a ride on his cart, and he's suffered an unprovoked disaster," Su Bucheng said calmly.
"You guys in Wu County really opened my eyes, arresting people on the street at will! Do you really think that you can cover up everything just because the emperor is far away? Humph!"
Upon hearing this, the lawyer hurried over, glanced at Su Bucheng, and whispered in Hu County Magistrate's ear: "Master, it's really Magistrate Su!"
It was he who arranged for Su Bucheng's family to be settled on behalf of County Magistrate Hu that day, and he had an impression of Su Bucheng.
"Quick, quick! Let him out!" County Magistrate Hu was overwhelmed when he heard this!
"Sir, don't listen to his nonsense! They are clearly quibbling!" Niu Er didn't know the reason, and seeing that the credit he had in hand was about to fly away, he stepped forward to dissuade him.
No matter whether he is a bandit or not, we will accuse him of a crime and the money will be divided between the county government and them!
If I squeeze them a little more, I can extort some money from their families, and then I can live a life of luxury for the rest of the year!
"You bastard! Who told you to capture Magistrate Su? And you still have the nerve to come here and ask for credit! Do you think I'm a fool and easy to fool?"
County Magistrate Hu kicked Niu Er and cursed at him.
"I'm so sorry, so sorry! I didn't discipline my subordinates well enough, and they didn't recognize the real talent! They mistook Mr. Su for a bandit!" County Magistrate Hu opened the cage and apologized repeatedly.
Su Bucheng and his companions came out, all with bruises on their faces from being beaten when they resisted.
Zhang San held on to Su Bucheng tightly, afraid of falling, and his calves were twitching.
Yang Dalang and Pei Silang were lucky. They knew it was useless to cry out for justice after they came in, so they just kept quiet and didn't get beaten so much.
"Sir!" Niu Er covered his stomach, not understanding why the wind direction suddenly changed.
"Get out! I'll settle the score with you later!" County Magistrate Hu scolded.
Niu Er didn't dare to say a word and walked away in shame with the detectives.
"Wait!" Su Bucheng straightened his clothes.
"What's the matter, Mr. Su?" asked County Magistrate Hu.
"Give us back our money and belongings!" Su Bucheng stared at Niu Er.
Niu Er stared at Su Bucheng without saying a word. How could he bear to spit out what he had swallowed?
"You bastard! What are you standing there for? Give it back to Mr. Su!" County Magistrate Hu kicked him again.
This is so embarrassing! I didn't know that I would have thought that this was how Hu Sansi managed Wu County.
Niu Er didn't say anything. One of his men ran over and brought over the backpack, which also contained soy sauce and spice bags.
"Humph! There's more!" Su Boyan stared at the constables.
The few people had no choice but to take out the money they had secretly put in their pockets.
"Mr. Su, my ox cart!" Zhang San pulled Su Bucheng, his voice trembling. The ox cart was his means of supporting his family.
Su Bucheng said nothing and looked at Niu Er.
"Outside the door!" Niu Er said in a muffled voice.
Zhang San ran out in a hurry and found his ox cart in the yard.
Zhang San cried with joy, "Wow, that's great, it's still here!"
"Get out of here!" County Magistrate Hu's face turned red with embarrassment. It was such a disgrace.
Niu Er and his companions left in disappointment.
In ancient times, there were two types of yamen runners: Minzhuang, Kuding, Douji, and Pubing were good citizens; Zao, Kuai, Bo, Coroner, Jailzu, and Doorman were low-class people.
Low-class yamen runners, including their descendants within three generations, were not allowed to take the imperial examinations, nor were they allowed to donate money to buy official positions.
These yamen runners' main income came from illegal fees. As long as they were assigned a task, they would receive fees or bribes.
That's why Niu Er and his men kept pestering Su Bucheng and his men. With so much money, even if they were not bandits, they would have taken Su Bucheng and his men's money.
This time he hit a wall. After working as a yamen runner for many years, he vomited out what he had eaten for the first time.
Su Bucheng was also a county magistrate, so of course he knew these unspoken rules.
But this money is used by the whole village to buy food and daily necessities. It is their start-up capital and is very important to them. Naturally, they are unwilling to let Niu Er and his men succeed.
"Come on, Mr. Su! Please come to my house for a chat!" County Magistrate Hu said politely.
"No, we still have to hurry on our way. My daughter will be waiting outside the city. I won't bother you anymore." Su Bucheng declined politely.
"Haha, to be honest with you, Mr. Su, your daughter is at my house!" County Magistrate Hu said with a smile.
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