Especially in Ding'an County, the temperature dropped particularly rapidly because of the mountainous surroundings.
It rained in the middle of the night yesterday, and this morning, the autumn wind brought with it a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a chilly flavor, easily penetrating people's clothes and sending the cold air directly into the seams of people's bones.
"Alas..." In the cold and dim second hall of the county government office, County Magistrate Zhang Wei sighed while holding a pot of hot tea.
The tea had just been brought from the kitchen. Logically, the surface of the teapot would be a little hot at this moment. However, Zhang Wei didn't seem to feel the heat at all. He just tried his best to put the teapot against his chest, as if doing so would make him feel warmer.
The body is generally warm.
"Master, do you need to light the brazier?" Zhang Bao, the butler who had served him for many years, entered cautiously, bowed and asked.
"No!" Zhang Wei refused decisively, and then quickly turned his gaze out the window, "Go to the corner gate of the back garden and watch in person. Once someone sends back the news about Han Qing, bring him to see me immediately. Grandma, back then
If you had listened to my words, why would you be in such a hurry?!"
"Yes!" Zhang Bao did not dare to answer Zhang Wei's words, so he agreed in a low voice, and quickly left the second hall and ran towards the corner gate of the back garden of the county government office.
As Zhang Wei's close confidant, he certainly knew who the other party was complaining about at the moment. However, he knew even more how insidious and vicious those people were.
Zhang Wei is of great use to those people, so occasionally venting a few words of dissatisfaction will be fine. But if he joins in casually, if any of his words reach the ears of those people, I am afraid that he will die that night
.
Similar things have happened before. Zhang Wei's personal pupil Zhang Liang died of bleeding from his orifices that night because he asked too much last year, "Since Our Lady of Lotus has so much power, why doesn't she just bring out some food?"
As for the county magistrate Zhang Wei, he knew clearly that Zhang Liang, the scholar who had been with him for eight years, was poisoned. However, he was treated as a case of illness. From the beginning to the end, he did not mention the pursuit of the murderer, or even said a word of regret.
nothing.
From that moment on, Zhang Bao knew that the one who really had the final say in Anding County today was not the county magistrate Zhang Wei at all.
And he himself is just a minion of minions. If he doesn't want to die in a daze, he must correct his position and mentality. Talk less and meddle less.
The county government office occupies a large area. From the second hall to the corner door of the back garden, it took Zhang Bao a cup of tea. Before he could stop and breathe evenly, the door had been pushed open forcefully, and the chief clerk Zhou Zhou
Chong, with two catchers and three clerks, hurriedly rushed in. (Note: The clerk, also known as the official, is in charge. A subordinate official at the county level. Corresponding to six major departments.)
"Ah!" Zhang Bao was startled and hurriedly came forward to say hello, "Master Zhou, everyone, why are you all here?"
"It's urgent!" Zhou Chong, the chief clerk, glanced at him and asked quickly, "Steward, is the county minister awake? Where is he at this moment?"
"Ah? Wake up, wake up. Master Zhou, the county magistrate is in the second hall." Zhang Bao trembled and hurriedly stopped and saluted him, "The county magistrate asked me to come here to wait for someone.
information……"
"No need to wait, take me to see the county magistrate as soon as possible." Zhou Chong showed no trace of the respect he always deliberately pretended to have. He looked at him again and ordered in a deep voice.
Logically speaking, although the chief registrar was an official, he was not qualified to issue orders to the county magistrate's housekeeper. However, Zhang Bao did not dare to be angry at all, and agreed repeatedly, leading Zhou Chong and others to the second hall.
The reason why he didn't dare to get angry was not only because Zhou Chong and others joined forces to defeat the county magistrate Zhang Wei. It was also because these people, like the county magistrate Zhang Wei, had joined a group called the Red Lotus Sect.
organization and worshiped Mother Lotus.
Although in front of outsiders, the status of the county magistrate Zhang Wei is much higher than that of the bookkeeper, clerk and head catcher. However, in the Red Lotus Sect, Zhang Wei's qualifications and status are not necessarily much higher than Zhou. In fact, there are
Probably lower than the latter.
Of course, these are Zhang Bao's own inferences. As a slave, he is not even qualified to join the Red Lotus Sect. He can only follow his master and watch the flowers secretly.
"Wait a minute, please ask the housekeeper to arrange a meal for us. It's too early to come to the county office today, and I didn't bother to eat!" Zhou Chong's words came through my ears again, and he was really not polite at all.
"Yes! I'll make the arrangements right now!" Zhang Bao slowed down and held his hands obediently.
"There's no rush, you go and inform the county magistrate first, lest I lose etiquette!" As if he suddenly realized that his behavior was not appropriate enough, Zhou Chong waved his hand and quickly added.
"Do you still know etiquette?" Zhang Bao secretly complained, but on the surface, he still responded very respectfully. Then he quickened his pace and trotted towards the second hall of the county government.
He couldn't even figure out why his master neglected his duties as a good county magistrate and worshiped the Lotus Mother. However, he neither wanted to dissuade nor dared to interfere.
The housekeeper is also one of the slaves, so how can he be qualified to take care of his master's affairs?
If something happens to Magistrate Zhang in the future, the less the slaves know, the less they will be implicated.
Zhang Bao had already settled this account clearly. Therefore, he would not jump into it and wallow in it even though he knew it was a mud pit.
He made clear calculations in his mind, and of course he knew how to do things appropriately. Soon, he returned to the second hall of the county government office and reported to Zhang Wei the news of the arrival of Zhou Chong and others, as well as everyone's performance.
.
The county magistrate Zhang Weizheng was so excited that he immediately stood up to greet Zhou Chong and others from a long distance away. "Brother Zhou, are you here? Everyone, you are also alarmed.
?But we caught the man named Han, where is he now?"
"Go in and say, things are a bit troublesome, but they are still within control!" Zhou Chong waved his hand and ordered in a deep voice.
County Magistrate Zhang Wei frowned, then turned sideways and silently let everyone into the second hall. Just as he was about to instruct his servants to serve tea to everyone, he was overtaken by Zhou Chong again, "No need to serve tea.
I don’t have time to drink. County Lord, I’m waiting for a bad move. The surname Han appeared near Ziwu Mountain the evening before yesterday, but he killed Hall Master Bai and Master Liu Xiang who went to capture him, and fled to Fangzhou."
"How is that possible?" County Magistrate Zhang Wei shuddered and instantly forgot Zhou Chong's rudeness just now, "He is alone, and Niu Ju and Wang Wu have already reported that his skills are just showmanship. If he really does it,
Any head catcher can easily take him down!"
"Niu Ju and Wang Wu were deceived by him!" Zhou Chong frowned and gritted his teeth, "According to the brothers who escaped, he was very skilled. It can be said that Hall Master Bai died in a sneak attack. Master Liu Xiang
, Zhao Xiangzhu led more than 20 brothers to chase him, but he turned back and killed most of them on the spot. Liu Xiangzhu and Zhao Xiangzhu also died under his gun!"
"Ah -" Zhang Wei made Lingling tremble again, his face full of disbelief, "How is it possible? He, he has never been on the battlefield before, but Liu Xiangzhu and Zhao Xiangzhu are both veterans who have seen blood!"
"Yeah, how is that possible?"
"Brother who has returned, you won't lie, right?"
"There must be someone to support him, otherwise, he can't be equal to ten!"
"How can one be worth ten? Twenty is too much! If he really has this ability, he would have joined the army a long time ago. After becoming a general, he has a high starting point in the army, and everyone will give him a little favor!"
…
The three clerks and two head catchers also looked at each other and whispered.
He was dragged out of his home by people sent by Chief Zhou early in the morning. His mind was not clear enough to begin with. And the bad news from the other party was far beyond their expectations.
According to their experience, novices who enter the battlefield for the first time, no matter how hard they train, can display less than 20% of their true level.
Inspector Han, on the other hand, was taller than ordinary people at best, with sufficient physical strength. His martial arts skills were actually very weak, and he had never killed anyone.
If one man named Han provoked a policeman who went to chase him one-on-one, it would still be possible.
It is completely inconsistent with common sense to say that a man surnamed Han could ride alone and train more than twenty people to be masters, killing corpses all over the ground.
When things are abnormal, there must be something fishy!
Either the brothers who escaped had lied to Chief Zhou. Or, someone secretly assisted Han Qing and helped him kill the brothers in the church who were chasing him!
"Now is not the time to discuss these things. The brother who came back to report arrived in the middle of the night yesterday, and I sent people to lock him up directly. If you don't believe what he said, you can ask him in person later!" I was confused by the words and attitudes of everyone.
Feeling impatient, Zhou Chong frowned and waved vigorously.
The three bookkeepers and the two head catchers quickly shut their mouths and looked at him and the county magistrate Zhang Wei, waiting for their next words.
"Have you reported it to the chief helm?" County Magistrate Zhang Wei also suppressed his confusion, but knew that Zhou Chong's words made sense, so he thought about it and asked in a low voice.
"The birds have been sent out to convey the message, and because they are afraid of problems on the road, they have also sent a special person to deliver a letter to the chief helmsman!" Zhou Chong immediately nodded lightly.
Seeing his serious answer, County Magistrate Zhang Wei felt relieved. Then he added in a low voice, "It would be good if the chief rudder can receive the news in time. If we take countermeasures now, we can suppress the matter within a certain range."
Inside."
"I just don't know how much he knows about the details of the grain and grass depot?" Huang Qian, the head catcher, was not as calm as him. He frowned and reminded in a low voice, "He is from Bianliang after all, and he has good hands and eyes.
Oh my God. What if I risk everything and send the evidence I have to the top..."
"I said at that time, either kill him directly, or don't alert him first. But no one listened to me!" Zou Qingzhi, the prison secretary, was also a little angry. He gritted his teeth and complained in a low voice. "Now, everyone else has come running.
It’s Fangzhou. We can’t cross the border to pursue him!”
"Don't talk such useless nonsense!" Chief Registrar Zhou Chong glared at him and waved his hands impatiently again. "It was the Holy Aunt's intention to beat him earlier. I was just passing orders for the Holy Aunt."
The clerk and the catchers shrank their necks and shut up decisively.
Although the Red Lotus Sect they belong to is not a government government, its hierarchy is stricter than that of the government. There are certain things that, as subordinates, they said in front of Magistrate Zhang, there is no problem.
As the leaders of the sect, they violated the rules of the sect by saying this in front of Master Zhou.
"What I mean is that we can't just wait for the chief helmsman to help us deal with it." Seeing that everyone was restrained by his official authority, Zhou Chong quickly turned his attention to Zhang Wei, "We also need to do some things within our capabilities.
It’s a matter of finding a way to solve the problem and giving the chief helms plenty of time!”
"Well -" County Magistrate Zhang Wei felt indescribably awkward, but he couldn't come up with any good solutions, so he could only nod his head in silence, "Master, please be more specific. Anyway, this is my own house."
brother."
"Send an official document to Fangzhou, asking them to escort Han back to help find out the cause of the fire in the grain and grass warehouse!" Zhou Chong, the chief secretary, smiled, with a sinister look on his face.
"Issuing an official document? How can Fangzhou cooperate? We accuse him of being related to the grain depot fire case, and there is no evidence!" County Magistrate Zhang Wei was stunned again, his eyes widened like bells, "What's more, behind his back
Although the Han family has fallen into disgrace, they were once the first-class generals after all. Even if we have real evidence in hand, if we want to get the superiors to sign the sea arrest documents, it will take at least half a year of litigation!"
What he said was all the truth.
The county magistrate of Fangzhou, who was not a believer in the Red Lotus Sect, could not possibly have received an official document from him and went to help capture a general with a background in Bianliang City.
It was originally a frame-up and he could not provide any evidence. It was impossible for the Yongxing Military Transport Envoy Yamen to order Han Qing to be wanted out of nowhere.
Even if the transfer envoy's office is completely controlled by the followers of the Red Lotus Sect, it still needs to be considered whether sending documents to the sea to capture people will cause greater trouble.
After all, the Han family was once prominent.
Even if it is declining now, even if Han Qing is only the second son of the Han family, he is not very popular with the family. To publicly arrest Han Qing would be a slap in the face of the entire Han family. In order to safeguard the overall interests of the family, the Han family must do their best to protect their shortcomings.
.
And if the lawsuit gets bigger, the Red Lotus will be more likely to be exposed.
Once exposed, everyone present will have no other choice but to follow the leader and rebel!
"What the county magistrate said, I have also considered it!" As if he had already guessed how Zhang Wei would react, the chief secretary Zhou Chong didn't even think about it, and immediately added with a sneer, "Fangzhou will definitely not cooperate. We
I really don’t have any real evidence in my hand. However, from the beginning, I didn’t expect Fangzhou to cooperate. Instead, I just wanted to muddy the water!”
"Confusing it?" Not only the county magistrate Zhang Wei could not follow Zhou Chong's train of thought. The clerk's office and the chiefs also turned their attention to him, with confusion on their faces.
"Yes, mess it up!" Zhou Chong smiled and nodded confidently, "After he arrives in Fangzhou, he will definitely find ways to accuse us. And we will take the first step and ask him to come back to help investigate the case. In this way, in the outside world
It seems that the local officials in Ding'an were shirking responsibility for the fire in the grain depot. But we did not escape after the fire. He resigned from his post and fled to other places. Haha, it is more credible to say that.
I’m afraid everyone has a steelyard in their hearts!”
"This..." Zhang Wei and others were surprised and admired at the same time. Their mouths were slightly open, not knowing how to respond.
"What the Holy Cult lacks now is time!" After looking at everyone, Zhou Chong added proudly and patiently, "As long as we muddy the water, the Holy Cult will have time to make arrangements calmly. By then, no matter what he thinks about the fire in the grain storehouse,
No matter how much evidence he has, his evidence can change from valid to invalid. If it drags on for a year and a half, I'm afraid the court will be too lazy to do this. Several local officials will bite each other. By then, everyone will blame Liu Sicang
