Zhou Jun was unaware of the uproar caused by the book "The West Chamber" in Chang'an City. He was currently busy dealing with another important matter.
Yin Pei Dun of Henan defeated the pirate Wu Lingguang again, entered Chang'an, and offered prisoners to the banquet.
Although Pei Dunfu was named Henan Yin, the appointment order to be moved to the Ministry of Punishment for his great achievements had already been drafted. He only had to wait for the completion of the prisoner presentation ceremony before he could officially take office.
Before the prisoner presentation ceremony, the main task of the Ministry of Punishment was to count the prisoners, verify their identities, and create a list of prisoners. By the way, they could have a look at the true appearance of the newly moved Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment.
Before dawn, Zhou Jun was waiting on the official road outside Chunming Gate, wearing official robes.
Beside him were the Longwu military guards of Beiya, as well as officials from the Ministry of Punishment, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites.
After waiting for almost half an hour, there was a faint light in the east. At the end of the horizon, there was a prison convoy that stretched for several miles, slowly heading towards Chunming Gate.
The military guards and officials outside Chunming Gate were all shocked when they saw the convoy.
When the convoy came closer, Zhou Jun saw that there were hundreds of horsemen galloping in front and behind the prison convoy, and there were two battalions on the left and right, separated by the caboose.
Dozens of prison vans were lined up in a long formation, and they were covered with dark curtains, making them look particularly mysterious.
When the prison car stopped, General Longwu came forward and inspected the command talisman with the officer who was escorting him.
After confirming that it was correct, the officials from the three ministries and departments stepped forward and performed their duties.
The first thing that Zhou Jun's capital city had to do was to verify many relevant issues with the meritorious officers of the prison camp.
The prison car passed through Jiangnan East Road, Huainan Road, Shannan East Road, and Gyeonggi Road, passing through nineteen prefectures along the way. Each road and each state had an ultimatum.
Zhou Jun and several other subordinate officials carefully checked these citations, and after confirming that there were no omissions or errors, they submitted the results to Xu Langzhong, the chief official of the capital.
Xu Langzhong read it carefully and signed his name in the blank space.
After the investigation was completed, what Zhou Jun had to do next was the most critical step - to verify his identity.
There is a prisoner book in the prison camp, which records the name, age and identity of each prisoner in detail. Zhou Jun needs to check the book one by one to confirm that the prisoner being escorted is indeed the rightful owner.
The soldier opened the curtain of a prison car, and the stench that hit his face made the officials around him take a few steps back.
Zhou Jun looked intently into the prison car and saw seven or eight skinny men with dull eyes sitting on mats.
Wounds of various sizes can be seen everywhere on the bodies of these people. Some wounds have long since rotted and suppurated. Maggots are all over the body, gnawing and gnawing everywhere.
The battalion soldier brought a horse broom made of cattails and brushed away the insects all over the prisoner's body, and then bowed and nodded to the subordinates.
The experienced old official took out the bandage that had been prepared from his sleeve, wrapped it around his mouth and nose, and walked close to the prison car, checking the prisoner's book while checking the prisoners.
Seeing this, Zhou Jun took a deep breath and asked the battalion soldiers to open the curtain of the next prison car.
At the stall where the soldiers were busy, Zhou Jun heard someone talking loudly in the distance and couldn't help but look around.
I saw a man wearing a crimson official robe, surrounded by civil and military officials, receiving congratulations from everyone and laughing endlessly.
Zhou Jun thought to himself that that person was probably Henan Yin Pei Dunfu, the appointed Minister of the Ministry of Punishment.
I could only hear Pei Dunfu saying from a distance that this time the battle against pirates was thrilling.
Why is it that this time the bandits' army is huge, with fire and fighting, and the sails on the sea are like weaving.
Why did Pei take the lead, not afraid of war, and fought bloody battles for three days and three nights?
The praise was quite shocking.
While Zhou Jun was still listening, the battalion soldiers opened the cage curtain of another prison car and asked him to check it.
Zhou Jun nodded, imitating those old officials, holding a cloth handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose, and holding a book in the other hand, comparing it carefully.
According to the descriptions in the prisoner books, Zhou Jun examined the prisoners and found that the characteristics of each one matched.
After ticking them off one by one, Zhou Jun closed the book and wanted to go to the next prison car, but he always felt something strange in his heart.
Looking back, Zhou Jun looked at the prisoner in the prison car with his mouth open and eyes blank.
The latter's teeth suddenly caught Zhou Jun's attention.
Although the prisoner was thin and malnourished, his gums and tooth roots were relatively intact, and there were no signs of disease.
Zhou Jun looked at the prisoners in the next few prison cars and saw that they were all in the same condition.
After thinking about it carefully, Zhou Jun turned back to the side of the first prison car and looked at the prisoners inside.
I saw that most of the prisoners in the first prison car had their gums rotten and turned black, and their legs were obviously swollen.
Seeing this, a word came to Zhou Jun's mind - scurvy.
Seafarers before the fifteenth century, especially those who drifted at sea for a long time, ate either non-perishable pickled food or seafood caught locally.
Since pirates are unable to go ashore for supplies on weekdays, they spend most of their time at sea or on remote islands.
If they cannot eat fresh vegetables and fruits for a long time and lack vitamin C supplements, most of them will suffer from a disease called scurvy.
Corrupted gums and swollen legs are the most direct symptoms of this disease.
However, the current situation is that the prisoners in the first prison car have symptoms of scurvy, but the prisoners in the following prison cars do not.
Zhou Jun thought about the reason for this phenomenon, and there may be only one reason.
Among these captured prisoners, only a small number were pirates, and the rest were just catching good people and taking credit for their crimes.
Looking at the tragic scene in the prison car, Zhou Jun's body trembled slightly.
In his ears, he could still hear the chatter and laughter of the superior officers and generals.
What should be done?
If you tell the doubts, not only will you not be able to save these innocent people, but you may also be implicated, and it will bring harm to others.
Struggling in his heart, Zhou Jun managed to maintain his strength, completed all the records of the prisoners, and walked to the side of Xu Langzhong, the official of the capital.
Mr. Xu had just finished congratulating Pei Shangshu when he saw Zhou Jun coming and asked, "Have you finished recording the book?"
Zhou Jun bowed and said, "The inventory is ready."
Xu Langzhong asked again: "Are there any mistakes?"
Zhou Jun lowered his head, cupped his hands into fists, held them tightly, and placed them in front of his abdomen.
Do you want to share your doubts with Xu Langzhong?
Zhou Jun, who had many thoughts in his heart, remembered the four words Pang Gong said to him in Bachuan Villa - stay out of the matter.
After a while, Zhou Jun suppressed the guilt in his heart and whispered: "The verification is correct, no errors or omissions were found."
Xu Langzhong took a deep look at Zhou Jun, nodded and said, "I understand."
More than half an hour later, the prisoner inventory was completed.
The officials of the Ministry of Rites gave an order, and the drummers rode in the front, followed by the Yue Cheng, who played two more instruments: flute, bamboo flute, flute, bamboo flute, cymbal, and drum. There were two people of each color, and there were twenty-four singers in total.
People, play the music.
Longwu's military guards were ranked second, marching majestically in the streets, and everyone who watched them sighed.
As a subordinate official, Zhou Jun followed the officials of various departments of the Ministry of Punishment and fell into another position.
"Pirate Wu Lingguang defeated the pirate!"
"All the thieves in my department bow their heads and surrender!"
"How magnificent is the power of Tang Dynasty!"
Listening to the singing of power, Zhou Jun's face turned pale, but he subconsciously stepped forward and followed the crowd.
The people along the market couldn't help but cheer and cheer loudly when they saw the convoy of prisoners.
Some mischievous people even threw dirt and filth into the prison car and cursed repeatedly.
When the prisoners were presented to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the musicians dismounted and displayed them outside the door.
Behind is the ceremony of Taishe. The subordinate officials are of low status, but they no longer enter.
When Zhou Jun was about to leave, he looked back in the direction of the prison car, with mixed emotions and a long sigh in his heart.
This chapter has been completed!