Painter

Chapter 163 Twelve: Returning to the County (Two in One)

After the rooster crows, in front of the stone trough of Mingsha Guanyiyuanba, the posthorse chews the hay, shakes off the white dew on its mane, and looks at the dawn dawning in the sky.

The figure passed through the courtyard dam, stretched extremely long by the morning light.

Ning Guangxing stopped outside the wooden door of the west post house.

As soon as he entered the Mingsha official post last night, he sent a bird book to the state capital.

The bird book can fly [-] miles a day, transfer hands to the Fu Yin, and within a day, it can reach Yujing and be sent to Yushitai, the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple.

As soon as Zheng Junshan enters Beijing, Dali Temple Minister, Minister of Criminal Affairs and Yushi Zhongcheng will jointly try the case.In less than half a day, the matter will be settled.

The county magistrate of Qingling County fabricated the story of the ghost soldiers crossing the border and corrupted the emperor's food, which is a big case.Zheng Junshan has a special status. Before becoming an official, he is one of the four great scholars of Qianyuan Academy.

Back then, when the sage chased away demons, the world was initially settled, and there were still demons.The younger generation of practitioners, who have just acquired supernatural powers, travel the world, not only slaying demons and demons, but also discussing Taoism and fighting skills, and a group of outstanding practitioners have emerged from this.The title of the Four Great Scholars of Qianyuan Academy gained fame at that time.

How famous are the four bachelors?In the temple, even if Zheng Junshan does not enter the court as an official, he is regarded as a fifth rank.In the rivers and lakes, even thieves who steal from dogs and rats pass through Zheng's house at night, and they have to warn themselves, "Don't violate the door of righteousness."

If the person who committed the ghost soldier case was not Zheng Junshan, the impact of this case would at most stop at Qizhou.But Zheng Junshan's reputation will increase the weight of this case and shake the temples and rivers and lakes.

Ning Guangxing had just passed his thirties, and he was promoted to Chaosanlang, and he was in charge of the patrol of Qizhou.Although the position of inspector is powerful, it is not high.

He raised his hand to push the wooden door, as if he wanted to touch the scarlet clothes and whitebait bag of a fifth-rank official.

Squeak!

The wooden door was pushed open, and Zheng Junshan sat cross-legged on the couch, as if he had just finished practicing.He opened his eyes and looked at Ning Guangxing, with a calm expression, as if he didn't take the matter of being arrested for a serious crime to heart, even his black hair and green beard were still meticulous.

As an inspector, Ning Guangxing had deposed many officials, but it was the first time he saw such a calm and calm demeanor in a person who was involved in a serious case.

He lifted his cloud head and shoes, and stepped over the threshold, "Zheng Ming's mansion is really a gentleman. It seems that you have already expected the consequences of today."

Zheng Junshan looked at Ning Guangxing, "I didn't expect Ning Xun to check it so quickly."

Ning Guangxing said with emotion: "Since Zheng Mingfu knew this early on, why did he do such a thing to ruin his reputation?"

Zheng Junshan was stunned for a moment, puzzled by Ning Guangxing's meaning, and after a little thought, he showed a dazed look, "It turns out that Ning Xun's so-called reputation is a reputation for abiding by the rules, knowing how to behave, and being a good person?"

Ning Guangxing smiled slightly, "If you had figured out this truth earlier, you wouldn't be squeezed out."

Zheng Junshan looked at Ning Guangxing with piercing eyes, "Qingling County is full of starvation, and the people are full of complaints, blaming the saint for going west, hating the court's inability to rescue disasters, and complaining that the government does not provide food. Do you think these are not reputations?"

"Why does the Zheng Ming Mansion use high-sounding words to suppress me?" Ning Guangxing shook his head, "The Zheng Ming Mansion colluded with the Xuanquan Mansion, pretending to be ghost soldiers, stealing the emperor's rations, and ignoring laws and regulations. If everyone is like this, the world How can they be safe? The Zheng Ming Mansion exchanged its own future for the corn in the vats of the people in Qingling County. Naturally, in the eyes of the common people in the market, they have a conscience. But this official is a state inspector, and the examiners are good and bad. Farming and mulberry not working hard and reducing warehouse consumption are the duties entrusted to me by the sage. Zheng Mingfu was born in Qianyuan Academy, possesses supernatural powers, and has a wide network of contacts. I dare not offend you. But if I condone you If you do something out of the law, you will be ashamed of your conscience!"

Qizhou Xunyin's words were resounding.

Zheng Junshan was silent.

Outside the house, the postman took off the reins from the stall, and the posthorse left the trough reluctantly neighing.

Ning Guangxing looked at the silent Zheng Junshan. How could temples be rivers and lakes? No matter how powerful the supernatural powers and spells are, they are also dojos in snail shells.

He looked sideways at the stage horse outside, intending to take Zheng Junshan away.At this time, Zheng Junshan on the couch laughed.

"When I was young, I used swords in the rivers and lakes. I thought that the wicked people in the world were just like monsters. I was born knowing that I was a monster and a wicked person. Later, I realized that I was not."

The autumn light shining through the window lattice climbed to Zheng Junshan's side, illuminating half of his face.

"I served as the magistrate of Qingling County in the early spring. I saw Zhang's property under Niu Shou Mountain. Zhang's rent from the tenants was not unreasonable, but Zhang Chengguan regarded himself as a good person. He said to everyone that if Zhang did not provide These acres and these tenants have no land to plow and no food to eat. At first I thought that this person was just talking, but after contacting him, I found that he actually took these words seriously."

Ning Guangxing frowned.

Zheng Junshan looked at Ning Guangxing: "Look, even if people in the world do evil, they always find a reason to come out. At first they lied to others. But after a long time, they lied to themselves."

Ning Guangxing sneered, "It's a lot of accusing Sang and Huai."

Zheng Junshan shook his head, "Ning Xunyin doesn't understand me. If I want to humiliate you, I won't beat around the bush. Instead, I'm telling you this because your conscience is still there."

Ning Guangxing hesitated for a moment, but a sneer still appeared on the corner of his mouth, "So, I would like to thank Zheng Mingfu for his advice."

Zheng Junshan didn't respond to Ning Guangxing's ridicule, "Have you ever thought about why people always find some high-sounding reasons when they do evil? It's simple to say, so that you can eliminate resistance, persuade others, and make yourself feel at ease. For example, according to Ning Xun, if you supervised the case of ghost soldiers crossing the border, someone must instigate it. As far as you are concerned, if you can complete this case, it will be a great achievement."

Ning Guangxing was silent.

Zheng Junshan said: "Since the sage went to the west, there have been chaos in the country. In Shanqi Prefecture, there have been many incidents of officials favoring others for personal gain. They said that the [-] shi of grain was left in Qingling County. Three thousand stones, if you really only want to be a good policeman, why do you just hold on to me and turn a blind eye to the disappearing seventeen thousand stones? You know that I was framed by a traitor, and you also know that I borrowed ghosts Distributing food in the name of soldiers is not for self-interest, but for people's livelihood. It is because of uneasiness, so I found a reason to comfort my conscience. The reason why you are uneasy is because you still know good and evil in your heart. But this If you deceive yourself, the remaining conscience will also be deceived."

Zheng Junshan's voice was not high, even the neighing of a horse outside the window, but it struck Ning Guangxing's heart like a bell striking a chime.This Qizhou inspector, who had passed his forties, suddenly remembered his youth.At that time, every time he held a volume, the words "benevolence, righteousness and morality" were always the words he read the most.

However, the strong ambition of many years of ups and downs in the officialdom suppressed this distant idea in an instant. Ning Guangxing's wavering eyes became firm again, and he said to Zheng Junshan: "You and I have different ways. If we don't conspire with each other, it's useless to talk more."

A call from Yi Cheng came from outside: "Press Ning Xun, the horse is ready!"

"I just hope Ning Xun can remember one sentence." Zheng Junshan got up from the couch, "Knowing good and evil is conscience."

Ning Guangxing was silent for a while, and walked out the door without answering.When he reached the threshold, he stopped again and looked out of the door.Under the autumn light, the postman, the postman led the horse, and two judges stood far away at the south of the courtyard dam and waited.

He said abruptly: "It's not me who wants to deal with you, I'm just a pawn."

Zheng Junshan raised his eyebrows.

Ning Guangxing turned half of his face, "The sage went west and did not return, and Yin Ruhui also went with him. Yangmen is already weak, like a plate of loose sand, and no one can help you now. Don't take the identity of a practitioner of Qianyuan Academy as a pill." Shu Tie Cou, after you enter the capital, you should be more on guard and wish yourself the best."

After finishing speaking, Ning Guangxing walked out the door.

Zheng Junshan hesitated for a moment, and followed.

The two left the post house and came to the south of the courtyard dam, where Ning Guangxing stepped on his horse.

A judge handed the reins to Zheng Junshan, "Zheng Mingfu, please! Let's hurry up, we will arrive in Fufeng County tomorrow night."

……

The four horses left the Mingsha official post and rushed out of Wulong Gorge along the post road.

Green hills flank the road on both sides, and the road ahead is smooth, leading to the end of Zheng Junshan's official career.

Zheng Junshan's body rose and fell with the horse's back, and he suddenly remembered that when he was in the rivers and lakes, he and his three friends rode horses along the riverside.At that time, he said that although being a knight with a sword is enjoyable, but in the temple, there are more things that can be done.But Xu Yingqiu, who is not in the temple, faced the wind of the river, and said bluntly that if he entered the temple, he would be restrained everywhere unless his head was decapitated, his head crowned and his feet cut to fit the shoes.

Xu Yingqiu's current situation has been rightly described. His supernatural swordsmanship can gallop freely in the Jianghu, but it is difficult to test his edge in the officialdom.It would be a pleasure to burn the confession, throw away the seal, and take off the clothes, but in this way...

A rush of hoofbeats came from behind at this moment, accompanied by a faint shout.

The cry came closer.

"slow!"

Dressed in green clothes and riding a horse.

Ning Guangxing frowned, pulled the reins, and slowed down the horse.

Chen Haochu came up to him on a horse, but before the horse stopped, he shouted: "Ghost soldiers cross the border!"

Ning Guangxing showed an inexplicable expression, and looked at the two judges in blank dismay.

Chen Haochu stopped his horse, stopped beside Zheng Junshan, and said loudly: "There are ghost soldiers passing through Qingling County, please return to the county quickly!"

"Ghost soldiers crossing the border?" Ning Guangxing sneered, "Lieutenant Chen, how come Shen Zhasi, who specializes in investigating monsters, hasn't found out the truth until now? The ghost soldiers crossing the border is a fabrication..."

Chen Haochu pulled the reins and interrupted loudly: "Today around Yin time, the ghost master of Changping led the ghost soldiers to cross the border and returned the food borrowed a few days ago! At that time, the Eight Wax God had appeared, and the people of the whole county saw it with their own eyes. How could they fabricate it?" What do you mean? The situation in the county is in turmoil, and the five big clans have gathered servants and surrounded the granary. Please return to the county to take charge of the situation!"

"Repay the food?" Ning Guangxing frowned.

As the mastermind of the ghost soldiers crossing the border, Zheng Junshan knew the inside story of the case very well, but at this moment, it was like hearing a fantasy, "Is there really a ghost master who returns the food? Where is the food?"

Chen Haochu said: "The five grain cellars in the granary are all full, they are all grain!"

Although we don't know the whole story, there is no doubt that things have turned around. Zheng Junshan made a decisive decision and turned the reins, "Let's go!"

"Wait!" Ning Guangxing rode his horse to block Zheng Junshan.

Chen Haochu put his hand on the handle of the knife and said sharply: "If something important is missed and Qingling County goes into trouble, can you bear it?"

Ning Guangxing frowned and shook his head, "This matter is too strange, the passage of ghost soldiers is clearly a man-made disaster rather than a demon disaster..."

Zheng!
There was no cold light, but there was the sound of Longquan unsheathing.

Ning Guangxing's forehead felt cold, the Xiezhi crown was split in two and slipped from the top of his head.

Zheng Junshan's beard and hair fluttered, and the sharpness in his eyes that retracted and pointed like a sword made Ning Guangxing feel chills in his heart.

He clamped the horse's belly between his legs, and the stage horse ran wildly, passing Ning Guangxing.

Ning Guangxing didn't dare to stop him anymore, and watched Zheng Junshan and Chen Haochu ride away with a pale face.The autumn wind blows, the back is cold, and a cold sweat is already breaking out.

……

People gathered outside the granary in the north of Qingling County. Commoners, gentry, county officials, elders, family members and clansmen confronted each other and quarreled endlessly.Even though the Zheng family, the county magistrate and Liucao officials tried their best to ease the situation, the atmosphere was still tense.

Several big households complained that they were robbed of food by the ghost soldiers, and they wanted to go into the granary to take back their share of food, but among the common people, even if there were cowards, after a few months of starvation, they still had the courage to bleed five steps in a fit of anger Although he was skinny, he broke out with amazing bravery, and blocked the entrance of the granary in front of those burly servants.

Many parties are arguing endlessly, and a big mess is about to happen.Zheng Junshan returned to Qingling County, but did not show up right away.

He went in through the laneway east of the granary, met with Jiaoyu and the others, entered the granary without disturbing the outsiders, and went to the cellar to grab a handful of corn.

"These grains were really snatched by the ghost master from those granaries?"

The teaching said: "Probably yes, there are special marks on some grain bags."

"Take off the grain bag." Zheng Junshan ordered, and took the lead in lifting a bag of grain, and with a swipe of his finger, the corn in the bag poured out.

The county officials complied, and after a while, the upper grain bags of the five grain cellars were untied, and the lower grain bags were covered with a thick layer of corn.

Zheng Junshan asked the teaching instruction again: "Where is the truck that transported grain collapsed?"

"To the north."

The teaching order led Zheng Junshan to the open space in Cangbei, where more than a hundred collapsed cars were arranged in a mess, rolling over each other.

Zheng Junshan asked: "The ghost soldiers also snatched these collapsed cars from those families?"

"That's right!" Jiaoyu showed a proud smile, "Some of the collapsed cars have marks engraved on them."

"Find out all the marked ones." Zheng Junshan ordered, and went to check the cars first.

After another quarter of an hour, more than 30 collapsed vehicles were gathered together with those grain bags.Zheng Junshan stepped forward with a sword in his hand, like cutting tofu, chopped the collapsed car into firewood, and ordered Jiaoyu to lead people to drag these grain bags and firewood away immediately.

……

Outside the granary, disputes between parties intensified.Everyone in the county knows that Zheng Ming's mansion has been taken away by the inspectors of Naqi Prefecture.Under the orders of the main family, several servants of the Jiang family raised their knives to break through the blockade of the county people despite the obstruction of the county officials.

Jiang's family Ding raised the saber as a deterrent, but another Qingling Zhao family's master who was lurking among the common people, under the instigation of the master, took the knife from the Jiang family's family member's hand, and cut a piece of Jiang's family member's shoulder. Gaps.This knife was like a fire in the fire, and immediately ignited the long-suppressed anger of all parties.

First, the Jiang family member fought back, and the people fought back with sticks, not to be outdone. Then, those who fought back became participants in the battle.

For a moment, swords, guns and sticks were brandished, and the shouts shook the sky.

At this moment, a sword flew over, easily strangling the fighter's weapon.This sword brought another gust of wind, and everyone in the field couldn't stand still and fell to the ground one after another.

There was a burst of shouts from the crowd watching.

"Zheng Mingfu!"

"Zheng Mingfu is here!"

Zheng Junshan led a group of county officials out of the granary, and with a flick of his sleeves, the flying sword suddenly returned to him.

One person and one sword appeared, and the disputes of all parties disappeared immediately as if blown away by the autumn wind.

Zheng Junshan raised his sword and scanned all directions, his eyes fell on several elders, and then at the gentlemen, "Why are you all gathered here?"

No one expected that Zheng Junshan, who was taken away by the Qizhou patrol, would appear at this time. Zhang Chengguan was secretly shocked, and said first: "Zheng Ming's mansion has finally arrived. Last night, ghost soldiers crossed the border and robbed many people in Qingling County." food!"

"Is there such a thing?" Zheng Junshan raised his eyebrows and looked at Zhang Chengguan. "Okay, Captain Chen of Shenzhasi is still in Qingling County. I will entrust him to investigate the case."

"It's not necessary..." Zhang Chengguan hesitated, pointing to the granary, "The food that the ghost soldiers robbed is in this granary!"

Zheng Junshan frowned, "I'm afraid you made a mistake."

Zhang Chengguan said anxiously: "What's wrong?"

Zheng Junshan said: "The ghost master of Changping borrowed [-] grains from Qingling County last month, and the grain in the warehouse was returned by the ghost master."

Zhang Cheng thought to himself that even if there is a ghost master, at most he can only borrow three thousand stones from Qingling County, where can he get twenty thousand stones.But he couldn't say that, and he shouted: "No mistake! He returned the food in Qingling County, not the food that was borrowed, but snatched from the people of Qingling County!"

As soon as Zhang Chengguan finished speaking, there was a lot of scolding from the surrounding people.Zhang Chengguan stiffened his neck, unmoved.

Zheng Junshan shook his head and said, "No, what the ghost master robbed was your food, and he returned the food he borrowed from Qingling County."

Zhang Chengguan was dumbfounded.

Another person shouted: "How can there be such a reason!"

Zheng Junshan raised his sword and said: "That's the truth!"

Zhang Chengguan came back to his senses, and quickly said, "You can't be wrong! Those grains stolen by the ghost master still have my family's mark on the grain bags!"

Another person shouted: "The collapsed truck that the ghost master transported grain was also stolen!"

Zheng Junshan shook his head and denied, "I don't see any grain bags in this warehouse, and there is no collapsed car in your family. If you don't believe me..." He counted people with the tip of his sword, "Come in with me and have a look."

……

To deal with the five big clans that had been robbed of grain and appease the common people, Zheng Junshan and the Cao county officials arranged a draft of grain relief. It was almost dusk.

The situation in Qingling County has stabilized a little bit, and the urgent need has been resolved, Zheng Junshan can finally free up some time to think about the whole story of the ghost lord's repayment of food.He summoned Jiaoyu and the county lieutenant who had witnessed the ghost soldiers crossing the border last night, and after questioning, he learned that the Eight Wax God appeared last night and was scared away by the ghost soldiers, so he knew that the ghost soldiers who crossed the border last night were indeed ghost soldiers.

But the fact that the ghost master paid the food was purely a fabrication. Even if the ghost master really appeared in Changping, where did the repayment of the food come from?

What is the origin of the ghost master?
Leaving the county mansion, heading east and returning to the house, Zheng Junshan was about to take a rest when he saw his wife walking towards him with something in her arms.

During this day, Zheng Junshan handled many affairs, and when appeasing the people, the Zheng family also contributed a lot.Zheng Junshan faintly felt that his wife's expression was wrong, but he had no time to ask questions during the day, at this moment, he finally had time to be alone.

Before Zheng Junshan could open his mouth, Zheng Shi, who had been outside for a day, finally showed a look of mourning, with tears in the corners of his eyes.

Zheng Junshan felt bad.

On the sword that Mrs. Zheng handed over, the word "Zhen Gang" was engraved on the scabbard.After 12 years with him, this sword was passed on to his only son.

But now, the sword has returned home, where is the man?
　5K big chapter, make up for what was owed yesterday
　　
　
(End of this chapter)