Chapter five hundred and forty fifth official high four
The water volume of the Yangtze River is not as abundant as in the past. It no longer has the thrilling roar and turbid waves of the past. It seems that it has changed from a girl full of ancient power to a gentle and graceful young woman, flowing gracefully and quietly.
Zhu Ping'an followed the others and walked from the passenger ship to the river along the proposed bamboo rafts under the watchful eyes of the officials. The morning wind was slightly cool and filled with the fishy smell of the river water.
There are many people on the riverside, including men, women, old and young. They are crowded together by the riverside with their necks stretched out, pointing and talking. Some people who don't know think there is a baby born in the Yangtze River.
If there were not police officers on site to maintain order, I am afraid that many people watching the excitement would have been squeezed into the Yangtze River.
There are many good swimmers in the river carrying fishing nets and pulling them back and forth in the river under the command of several officials.
"My husband, where is my husband? Where are you..."
On the bank of the Yangtze River, there was a young woman wearing a light pink brocade dress with a white hosta with plum blossoms. She was lying on the bank of the Yangtze River crying with pear blossoms in the rain. Her face was haggard. Behind her was a maidservant, who was kneeling with her and looked haggard.
Same sad.
There were several sisters-in-law beside the young woman who were comforting and comforting her, lest the young woman could not get over it and vote for the Yangtze River.
Standing by the Yangtze River was a county magistrate, about thirty or forty years old, orderly directing the government officials on their official duties.
This county magistrate has a thin face and is wearing a blue official uniform with an owl painted on the stripe. However, there are two patches on the official uniform. The patches look like they were made by a woman. The stitching is fine and the official uniform is starched.
It's a little faded, but the whole thing is spotlessly clean.
At this moment, the magistrate was looking at the river with a slight frown, stroking his chin with one hand in deep thought, standing upright like a green pine.
"What are you doing? You just asked us to get off the boat. We have urgent matters."
"It's just that these officials don't care about the lives of the people at all!"
When we got off the boat and walked to the river, many people in the crowd were swearing and resentful. Everyone was in a hurry to get on their way. How could they not be resentful when they were stranded by the river all of a sudden?
"Shhh, keep your voice down, don't risk your life, you're going to have to give me a slap in the face if you hear it." Someone in the crowd glanced worriedly at the county magistrate and the official officers armed with swords, guns and sticks by the river, and quickly reminded everyone.
Everyone was still in awe of the magistrates and officials. After being reminded by people nearby, they glanced at the magistrates and officials by the river with unwillingness and resentment. They closed their mouths and only expressed their dissatisfaction with their eyes.
"When can I leave? I am in a hurry to go to Yingtian Mansion to see my father for medical treatment. I can delay, but my father cannot delay." A young man in the crowd who was supporting the old man cried anxiously.
"Oh, let the old man persist."
"Wait a minute, if you offend the official, your life will be ruined, so why talk about medical treatment?" Everyone consoled sympathetically.
"I have to go to Yingtian Mansion to take the exam. If I don't leave, my ten years of hard work will be in vain." There was a man dressed as a scholar, carrying a bag, looking ahead on tiptoes, and his expression was even more anxious.
"I received news that my wife is going to give birth, and I have to rush back quickly." A man who was about to be a father was so anxious that he almost jumped into the water and swam home.
For a time, the crowd was furious.
Zhu Ping'an was walking among the crowd and could clearly feel everyone's anxious mood. Although the voice became quieter as he walked closer to the river, his emotional anxiety became more and more intense.
Let's see what happened. Try to sail the ship as early as possible. At least treat it differently. After all, some people on the ship are really in a hurry.
So, Zhu Pingan walked a few steps faster and gradually came to the front of the crowd.
"Everyone, please stand aside. We will let you sail after we finish the case. Mr. Zhang from Chun'an County went to Yingtian to purchase goods this morning. He may have been killed here. There are also people on the passing ships and nearby people.
Suspect, please cooperate with our investigation, we will let everyone pass after the investigation is completed."
An officer carefully looked at the people disembarking from the boat and told everyone the whole story in a loud voice.
"If a murder really happened, it would have to be before dawn. Our passenger ship was still far away from here at that time. Why are we all suspected?"
"That's right, we were still floating on the river at that time. We are thousands of miles away from here, so how could it be us."
"You can't accuse us good people unfairly."
After hearing what the official said, the people who got off the boat became even more excited. How could they get on the boat and become a murder suspect? People couldn't figure it out, especially after knowing the approximate time of the crime.
I am more unjust than Dou E.
"quiet!"
The officer slammed the meal in his hand onto the string of the boat, making a crisp metallic sound, and shouted loudly.
After hearing the officer's shout and looking at his uniform and the guy in his hand, even though people were unwilling to do so, they could only shut their mouths. How could the common people dare to confront the officer?
"After committing the crime, the murderer may have hid in the water and waited for your boat to sneak aboard and mix among you. It's also possible that one of you has an accomplice of the murderer, and anyone who passes through here will be suspected."
"We are salvaging corpses in the river, and the fishing nets have been intercepted downstream to prevent them from being washed downstream. All passing ships are not allowed to move forward until they are salvaged."
The officer explained further, then stopped caring. He told the officer to keep an eye on the people disembarking, and then strode to another boat.
In addition to Zhu Pingan and others who were stopped and docked, two other boats were also stopped and docked. They were also very angry and dissatisfied with the government's actions.
"Get out of the way. I am the fifth-rank magistrate of Hangzhou Prefecture. I am asking you, sir, to come and see me. If you delay my errand, who can bear the consequences?"
Suddenly, an angry voice came from not far away. The subordinates accompanying him pushed the officer without hesitation. The man ordered the officer to call the magistrate on the riverside to come and respond. It seemed that he was also disapproving of the forced stop of the ship.
Very dissatisfied with the docking incident.
"May I ask if you have the certificate, sir? We can report it to the county magistrate." The officer asked cautiously.
"Open your eyes!" Mr. Tongzhi took out an official document from his arms and showed it with a hum.
"Damn it, little one. I have offended my lord, please forgive me." After the officer looked at it, he immediately knelt down.
"Go and ask your county magistrate to come." The magistrate of Hangzhou Prefecture waved his sleeves and said, "Quickly cross the river to allow me to move forward."
Soon, the county magistrate who was standing by the river just now led several petty officials over. The accompanying petty officials knelt on the ground to salute the magistrates of Hangzhou Prefecture. Only the magistrate slightly clasped his hands and saluted, saying:
The official has met your lord.
The clerks on both sides knelt down, and they knew where the county was standing, like a "mountain" shaped penholder.
"Why do you stand like a pine tree when you meet my official?" A fellow magistrate of Hangzhou Prefecture sarcastically said that the magistrate did not salute him.
"If you are in a county government office, the lower official should perform official courtesy. However, this is not a county government office, and a murder occurred here. It is the subordinate official's duty to perform salutes even if he is inconvenienced." The county magistrate had a serious look on his face and was not at all inferior to the official.
Shocked by the official authority of the fourth-level Tongzhi, he was as calm as water without a ripple. (To be continued.)