"If a secret is known by three or more people, it will be known by the whole city." This sentence was an unbreakable and absolute truth in the Song Dynasty.
Although Wang Wu only told Liu Hong and Fu Hong, the current inspector of Jinniuzhai, the reason why Han Qing transferred Jinniuzhai brothers to help. Although Liu Hong only told his father-in-law and brother-in-law what he heard from Wang Wu.
The news that Judge Han suspected that the former county magistrate Zhang Wei had faked his death and was preparing to open the coffin for verification spread throughout Ding'an that night.
"I just thought, how could Magistrate Zhang, who is so greedy for money, be willing to burn himself and the county government together? It turns out that the damn golden cicada escaped from its shell!" Immediately, some smart people began to suddenly realize that in a wine shop or teahouse
Here, gritting his teeth, he recounted what happened before and after the fire.
"He is the county magistrate. Isn't it easy to find a prisoner of about the same size from the prison? Once he sets it on fire, his appearance will be completely unrecognizable. Then he runs away with the dirty money he got and will not be able to eat or drink for the rest of his life.
worry!"
"No wonder I saw Magistrate Zhang's son going to Qingyun Temple to hold a wake for him a few years ago. There was no trace of sadness on his face. It turned out that he was not dead!"
"Brilliant, really brilliant. The debt will be canceled after death, and neither the Red Lotus Sect nor the court will be able to cause trouble to him from now on."
"No matter how clever you are, there is no one as clever as our Han inspector. We single-handedly defeated him and Zhou Chong, and then turned around and picked on the entire Red Lotus Sect! This time, if we can find that he really ran away, even if he escaped to
Even to the ends of the earth, we must capture him to prove the punishment!"
"That's right. Don't even look at it. Who is Inspector Han's descendant? Our ancestors and fathers are all the emperor's most trusted generals!"
…
As there were more people, the topic changed quickly. As he spoke, the topic of discussion in the streets shifted from whether the county magistrate Zhang Wei faked his death to Han Qing, the current judge of the Yongxing Military Road Criminal Division.
Although most people in Ding'an have never dealt with Han Qing directly. However, his reputation in Ding'an County is not generally good.
The reason is simple.
First, the chief secretary Zhou Chong used to dominate Ding'an, and he harmed many people and it was difficult to redress their grievances.
Han Qing single-handedly brought down the evil bookkeeper Zhou Chong and the greedy county magistrate Zhang Wei, which was equivalent to bringing a clear sky to Ding'an County. Those who had their great grievances avenged were all grateful to him.
Second, what Han Qing did during his inspection tour of Jinniuzhai was indeed convincing.
Although Han Qing sees himself by the standards of a civil servant in the 21st century, he is a typical monk who works for a day and clocks for a day. However, for the people of Ding'an County who are accustomed to officials not doing business and only making money when doing business, they will do it regularly.
Inspector Han, who does some serious business, does not directly plunder the people, and does not "eat the plaintiff and eat the defendant" when handling cases, is actually a first-class honest official!
The third is the side effect of his defeat of the Red Lotus Sect.
To single-handedly challenge the Red Lotus Sect that has been rooted in the local area for several years, and at the same time fight against the entire Yongxing Military Road government, this event itself is extremely legendary. And with the weak fighting the strong, you can still win a big victory in the end
Stories of complete victory have always been popular among the people.
Therefore, in the eyes of most Ding'an people, Han Qing is a genuine hero, and he is still a hero that they can touch and see. Anyone who opposes a hero must be a fool and a bad guy. No matter how many times he has been
The cunning will eventually be discovered by the hero and sent to the west.
However, there are always exceptions to everything.
In Ding'an County, some petty officials who had a good relationship with County Magistrate Zhang or who had served in the government, but who were implicated because of their close relationship with the chief registrar and the county magistrate, expressed concern over the "open coffin autopsy" issue.
, scoffed.
"The person has been dead for almost half a year, and has long been rotten to the point of leaving only the skeleton. He is not a god, how can he still make the skeleton stand up and register his own name?"
"This man surnamed Han has really vicious thoughts. Even though Magistrate Zhang has been dead for less than half a year, he still wants to pull Magistrate Zhang out of the coffin and humiliate him in public. In order to avenge Magistrate Zhang for suppressing him last year!"
"It's useless to talk about it now! The key is that we can't let him tamper with the corpse tomorrow. We all know that it is not difficult at all for Zuo to say that Zhang San's corpse is Li Si!"
"Let's go to the scene tomorrow and see if he dares to play tricks, let him know what a long-term sentence is!"
"Yes, even if we can't do anything to him, we still have to make him lose face!"
…
The clerks are all experts at forgery, and they are all familiar with the tricks of the autopsy process.
If you want to confirm whether a corpse is his own, in the Song Dynasty, the only way is to take a drop of the blood of his biological children and drip it on his bones.
If the blood can penetrate into the bones, it is considered that the two parties are blood relatives. If the blood cannot penetrate into the bones, it is considered that the two parties are not related by blood, and the body must be fake.
However, in fact, whether the blood can penetrate into the bones depends entirely on the craftsmanship.
If you try to figure out the thoughts of the investigating officer in advance and follow the boss's wishes, you can be sure that you won't make a mistake.
If you want the blood to penetrate into the bones, it is just a matter of adding a little medicine when removing the rot on the bones. If you want it not to penetrate, then add another medicine, or secretly apply a layer of glue on the surface of the bones.
"Is that financial envoy Zhang dead or not?" Unlike the petty officials who deliberately wanted to make Han Qing look embarrassed, there was another group of people in Ding'an County who stayed awake all night for the upcoming "open coffin autopsy."
"He must be dead. I saw with my own eyes that his body was so burned that he curled up like a giant monkey."
"The problem is, people are burnt, they look like that!"
"Alas! No one would have thought that he faked his death to escape!"
"Isn't it okay to fake his death and arrest his son and ask him? After his son was kicked out of the Four Schools by the government, he has been living in Qingyun Temple!"
"How can we catch him now? The man named Han might be keeping an eye on Zhang Wei's son, waiting for us to fall into his trap!"
"The guy named Han is really vicious!"
"Isn't that true? I even suspect that this guy was demoted to Jinniu Village as a cover. The imperial court has long been eyeing the Red Lotus Sect and specially sent him as an undercover agent!"
"You mean, he was actually the one who controlled Hesi from the beginning?"
"It's possible, otherwise why would he be promoted so quickly!"
…
Compared to the hustle and bustle in the streets, the county government office in Ding'an County has become the quietest place.
Although the fire last year destroyed half of the county government office, the remaining half, after repairs, was far more prosperous than the homes of ordinary wealthy families.
The new county magistrate of Ding'an County is the former county captain, the good Mr. Chen Dong.
When Han Qing was in trouble, this person sized up the situation and secretly helped him deal with the Red Lotus Sect. Therefore, when Kou Zhun started to clean up the officialdom of Yongxing Military Road, he was not affected at all.
On the contrary, he successfully filled the vacancy of the county magistrate and officially became the deputy prime minister of the current dynasty. The future is promising.
With Chen Dong's sophistication, he certainly understood where his good luck came from. Therefore, when he learned that Han Qing was about to return to Ding'an County to investigate the case, he kept the county government office spotless inside and out five days in advance.
.
As soon as Han Qing arrived, Chen Dong immediately handed over the county government office to the other party as the temporary sentencing department. And he himself took the secretariats, arresters, and helpers of each department under his command, and they went together and were confiscated by the government.
The Zhou family mansion.
In this way, there are no "old people" from Ding'an County around Han Qing, so no matter what he does, he does not have to worry about leaks. But he can come over in the evening to listen to Judge Han's instructions in person.
However, what made Chen Dong slightly disappointed was that although Han Qing was still as polite to him as when he was in trouble, he did not tell him any "opportunities" for him to do.
Even when he suggested in a subtle way that it was easy for others to find flaws in ordinary tactics and that he had other tricks, Han Qing just smiled and declined politely.
"Brother, don't worry. I opened the coffin to conduct an autopsy. It was just a temporary decision. No matter what the final result is, it will not delay the major event that Kou Xiang has entrusted!" Lest Chen Dong's good intentions to help would end up causing trouble for himself, when sending the other party out,
Han Qing finally warned in a low voice.
"This, this, the official is being reckless. He is being reckless!" Chen Dong was immediately relieved, made two bows in succession, and then walked away with square steps. After returning home, he fell asleep, regained his energy, and waited.
Let's watch the show come on tomorrow.
Before the former county magistrate Zhang Wei set himself on fire, he had already been involved in the case of stealing and selling official grain. Therefore, as long as the case was not completely resolved, his body could not be buried and could only be stored in Qingyun Temple outside Ding'an County.
But before his family could think of a way to remove him from the case of stealing and selling official grain, the case of the Red Lotus Sect was implicated in him again. Therefore, the time for his burial could only be delayed again and again.
Now that Han Qing wanted to open the coffin for an autopsy, he didn't have to worry about damaging the feng shui of the other party's grave. He could just send the brothers from Jinniuzhai to drive the coffin from Qingyun Temple and drag it back to the county government office.
However, things are simple to say, but full of variables in practice.
The next morning, as soon as County Magistrate Zhang’s coffin arrived at the county government office, before Han Qing could order the coffin to be opened, a heart-wrenching cry came from the door of the lobby, “Brother, I have mercy on you.
For the sake of studying in Taixue, I will let my father's body go. No matter what sins he committed during his lifetime, my junior brother is willing to bear it for him!"
Immediately afterwards, a young man who was about the same age as Han Qing and was completely covered in armor stumbled up the steps, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed hard, knocking blood from his forehead three times.
"It's Zhang Junbao, the son of County Magistrate Zhang. He just lost his studies last year because of his father's affairs, and now he has to watch him die without being able to live in peace. Alas..."
"To put it bluntly, debts are wiped out after death. Even if that county magistrate made all kinds of mistakes during his lifetime, it would be enough to set him on fire..."
At the entrance of the lobby, a few gentle-looking people immediately appeared, sighing and starting the rhythm. Each of them seemed to be the filial son and grandson of Magistrate Zhang.
The people watching the excitement around had been eagerly looking forward to the scene of opening the coffin and conducting an autopsy. After hearing their words, they felt somewhat unbearable.
Although the county magistrate was greedy and bad, he had already received his retribution.
Now, not only has his son been expelled from the Imperial Academy, but in order to put him to death as soon as possible, he has also spent a lot of money on the family property that he was greedy for. At this time, it is indeed a little too careless for someone to touch his body again.
ruthless.
While they were talking about each other, they saw Han Qing standing up from behind the desk, quickly coming to the door of the county government office, and personally pulling Magistrate Zhang's son up from the ground, "Junior Brother Zhang, please get up quickly! Since you are
I once studied in Four Schools, and Mr. Han will not make any detours with you. The purpose of opening the coffin today is to allow your father-in-law to be laid to rest as soon as possible. If the body inside is that of your father-in-law, Mr. Han promises you that he will be released immediately after the examination.
You carry the coffin and return home. And if the corpse is not that of your father, Han will not disturb him. You don’t have to burn incense and worship the corpse of a stranger every day from now on!"
The son of County Magistrate Zhang studied in the four lowest subjects in Taixue. Regardless of knowledge, vision or ability, he graduated from Shangshe. Han Qing, who has been a man for two generations, is even worse by more than one grade. According to Han Qing,
He was well organized and immediately began to wonder if he had paid tribute to a fake in the past few months, so the crying immediately became unbearable.
"Don't worry, your father and I have no personal grudges. And I never do anything I'm not sure about!" Sensing that the other party was shaken, Han Qing patted the person on the shoulder and continued to comfort him softly, "It's going to get hotter soon.
Well, if you continue to place the coffin in the temple, it would be the greatest disrespect to your father."
"This, this..." Zhang Junbao, the son of County Magistrate Zhang, became more and more confused as he listened and looked around.
"Where are the widows in Ding'an County?" Han Qing didn't waste any time. Seeing that he no longer insisted on stopping him, he immediately asked the audience.
"Little one, where is the little one?" A man named Xin from Ding'an County thought that nothing would happen to him today, so he had been hiding in the local police team to watch the fun. Suddenly he heard Han Qing looking for him, and he was frightened.
Shivering, he quickly stepped forward and saluted, "Judge, I am always at your command."
"I don't have anyone around me, so prepare yourself. Then, be responsible for the autopsy!" Han Qing looked at him up and down and ordered in a deep voice.
"Ah, yes, little one, little one, go get ready now, go get ready now!" Xin Wuzuo was surprised and happy, bowing and nodding.
What surprised me was that Judge Han was so brave that he handed over such an important task to himself without checking his own details. What he was happy about was that whether the corpse was Magistrate Zhang or not, it was all up to him today.
If he does it well, he will have the opportunity to follow Judge Han to Jingzhao Mansion to see the world.
"County Magistrate Chen, please find some powerful government servants. Open the coffin first, and check in public whether the body's figure and clothing match those at the time of burial!" As if to prove that he was doing business in a fair manner, Han Qing left so many direct relatives alone.
No, I ordered Ding'an County Magistrate Chen Dong's general again.
"I obey your orders!" Chen Dong had already determined last night that Han Qing must be hiding his back tricks. Therefore, he stood up decisively, hugged Han Qing's fists, and then quickly turned his face to his team, "Wang Han,
Ma Tie, you two each bring two brothers and go open the coffin together!"
"Yes!" The two Ding'an County police chiefs, no matter how many thoughts they had in their hearts at the moment, did not dare to openly oppose the sentencing judge and the county magistrate. They agreed and immediately led people to the coffin.
"Wait a minute, Judge Han, that county magistrate is also a Confucian after all. Although he made a big mistake, he will not be humiliated in public after his death!" Before they could reach the coffin, another voice rang outside the lobby.
Discourage with all your strength.
However, two well-known scholarly families in Ding'an County, one named Zhu and the other Cheng, each sent an elder to intercede on behalf of Magistrate Zhang.
"It's been half a year since the person died, but you still don't let go of the body. It's so petty!"
"Avenging private vengeance, this is clearly avenging private vengeance!"
"Come and see, the sentencing judge is avenging his personal revenge!"
"Young and old gentlemen, after all, County Magistrate Zhang is also our parent officer..."
…
Before Han Qing had time to respond, a roar broke out. Seven or eight ruffians stood behind the two clan elders Cheng and Zhu and started making noise together.
"Wang Wu, Liu Hong, go and take away all the people who are making noises, drag them out, give each person twenty boards!" Han Qing heard this and simply refused to respond. He slapped the table with his hand and ordered with a sneer.
"Yes!" Wang Wu and Liu Hong accepted the order in unison. They immediately led their brothers under their command and rushed towards the entrance of the lobby.
The two of them, as well as the brothers from Jinniuzhai who came to help, are all locals. Naturally, they know what those ruffians who are making trouble are. Therefore, after pounced on them, they caught the right one and in a blink of an eye, they were there.
Let the entrance of the county government lobby become orderly again.
The sound of hitting the board soon sounded outside the door, mixed with the screams of the gangsters, making the people watching the excitement feel very happy.
The only person who was unhappy was Cheng, the elder of the Zhu family from a scholarly family. Seeing Han Qing spank the gangsters in public was even more uncomfortable than spanking them on their own faces. He took advantage of his age and being a scholar.
Identity, pointing to Han Qing, panting and roaring, "You, you, you are trying to defend the people. You, you are also a scholar after all, and you are a scholar in the same vein as County Magistrate Zhang..."
"Why are there two left here?" Han Qing frowned and turned to Zhang Fan to ask. "Who gave them the qualifications to take the lead in roaring in court?"
"Judge, I have misunderstood. I will drag them out now!" Before Zhang Fan could respond, Wang Wu rushed forward with several brothers, dragged the two elderly scholars out, and pinned them on the open space outside the door.
Big board to serve.
Now, the entrance to the county government hall was completely quiet.
Even several former secretaries who secretly planned to lose Han Qing's face were beating a small drum in their hearts. They began to worry about what would happen to them if Han Qing became angry.
And Han Qing wanted this effect. Before the sound of spanking outside stopped, he ordered two Ding'an County police officers to open the coffin and verify in public that the body's body shape and clothing were consistent with those at the time of burial.
The two Ding'an County chiefs had no chance to refuse, so they had to order chisels and iron rods. They first removed the long nails on the coffin, and then slowly pushed the coffin lid open a crack.
Although spring had just begun and the weather hadn't warmed up yet, the smell of a corpse that had been lying there for half a year must have been quite unpleasant. Therefore, the two chief catchers and several other catchers immediately covered their mouths and noses with their sleeves.
However, what surprised them and everyone around them who were mentally prepared in advance was that there was no corpse smell coming from the coffin. On the contrary, there was a smell of inferior Buddhist incense that instantly wafted into everyone.
of nostrils.
What's going on? Everyone stretched their necks and looked into the coffin. The two head catchers also quickly used crowbars to completely push the lid of the coffin open.
"Ah——" The next moment, exclamations were heard one after another in the lobby! Everyone's faces were filled with expressions of disbelief.
There is no body in the coffin? There is only a thick layer of incense ashes in the coffin.
On top of the cyan incense ash, a sealed red box is particularly eye-catching.
"What's going on?" Han Qing seemed to be shocked by the situation in the coffin. After being stunned for a long time, he quickly stepped forward, dragged County Magistrate Zhang's son's hand, and asked in a deep voice, "Where did your father go? This
Red box, what is it?”
"I, I don't know, I don't know! Brother, I really don't know! I can swear to God!" Magistrate Zhang's son, who had already prepared to help the corpse and cry bitterly, waved his hands desperately with a pale face. "I
, When I came to Ding'an County, my father's coffin was already placed at Qingyun Temple. I, I looked at the coffin all day long, but I didn't know that there was no corpse inside!"
"County Magistrate Chen, have someone open the box!" Han Qing was angry and anxious. He shook off Magistrate Zhang's son's hand and ordered through gritted teeth. "I want to see what's hidden in the coffin today.
!”
"Yes!" County Magistrate Chen Dong, with his head full of confusion, stepped forward, grabbed the chisel with his own hands, and pried it towards the red box.
The lid of the box was very loose, so he opened it with a slight pry. A thick book immediately appeared in front of everyone.
"This is..." Chen Dong ignored the taboo of offending the dead. He grabbed the book and held it in front of his eyes for a quick look. "It seems to be a list. It was a list written by County Magistrate Zhang himself! His Holiness..."
"Shut up!" Han Qing grabbed the account book and threw it into the box without any explanation. Then, he fastened the lid of the box tightly and handed it to Li Yuan beside him with both hands. "Li Qianshi, seal it in public, and then call the meeting immediately."
Brothers, follow me back to Chang'an. This matter is very important. No one can open this box until I present it to the Prime Minister!"
After that, he grabbed Zhang Junbao, the son of the former county magistrate, who was already speechless in shock, "You go with me, my father left this list, which is enough to make the merits unworthy. If you continue to stay in Ding'an, you may be punished at any time."
Take revenge on the thieves of the Red Lotus Sect!"
"Hey, hey -" Magistrate Zhang's son came back to his senses in an instant and couldn't wait to agree. Then, without any further delay from Han Qing, he ran behind Wang Wu and others.
