"Uncle, have you heard that a thief broke into Mr. Zhou's house last night and stole Mr. Zhou from his bedroom?"
"What, which Zhou Director?"
"Hush, whisper——! You are stupid! Can there still be a bookkeeper named Zhou in Ding'an County?"
"Impossible, Master Zhou is a man with great hands and eyes!"
"I don't think it's possible either!"
"How is it impossible? I saw it with my own eyes. The third class of government officials and various helpers were all looking for someone like crazy!"
…
"His aunt, have you heard that a thief broke into Master Zhou's house last night and stole his wife..."
"Shopkeeper Wang, have you heard that Mr. Zhou's wife stole someone, and the adulterer killed her and buried her in the garden..."
"Zhao Laosan, something big happened in Ding'an County..."
………
Early in the morning, a fire broke out in Ding'an County.
All kinds of true, false, and roundabout news about killing people are spreading like a plague.
Regardless of whether the rumors are reliable or not, the core revolves around the same thing. That is, Zhou Chong, the invisible county magistrate who has been in charge of Ding'an County for twenty years and the real power administrator, has encountered a catastrophe!
The three shifts of yamen servants, helpers, and cellmates all became ants on a hot pot.
Many prominent figures in both the black and white circles are also in constant panic.
But some ordinary people who usually kept their heads down and did not dare to disturb the atmosphere suddenly felt that the sky above their heads was much higher and the sunshine was particularly bright in autumn.
For twenty years, Master Zhou has always followed his words in Ding'an County. Who dares to say "no" to him?
In the past twenty years, of all the people who had offended Director Zhou, whether intentionally or unintentionally, who had ever met a good end?
Over time, the people of Ding'an County have become accustomed to this person being domineering and domineering. No one dares to offend this person, let alone doubt his strength and skill!
Who would have thought that Master Zhou, who seemed to be able to make Yanchuan water flow backwards with just a stamp of his feet, could actually be so strong on the outside but powerful on the inside?
"Trash, a bunch of trash! Go and find out, go and find out, who captured Mr. Zhou? You want to see the living person, and the dead body!" Roaring sounds kept coming from the second hall of the county government, and everyone across the courtyard wall
Can be heard.
"Go and check, even if you dig three feet into the ground, you must find him!"
"Go and check. Ding'an County is only about the size of a palm. The city gate is still closed at night. How can the thieves capture Director Zhou Zhou in the sky?!"
"Trash, you are all trash! Where have all your usual skills gone?"
"Trash, even raising a group of dogs is better than raising you!"
…
The scolded chiefs, constables, and policemen all had their heads hanging down, not daring to take a single breath.
Especially those who are usually close to Master Zhou are even more cautious and walking on thin ice.
One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers.
In Ding'an County, although the county magistrate is the head of the county, it is the chief clerk who has the final say on many issues.
The chief clerk suddenly disappeared, and the county magistrate took over all the power. Who knows whether he will take the opportunity to reorganize the yamen in revenge for being ignored in the past two years!
"Search for me, start from the county government office, search throughout the city. Then search outside the city!"
"Check, check door to door. Anyone who dares to stop him will be punished for colluding with bandits!" Seeing the arrester, the policemen and policemen all became mute, and the county magistrate Zhang Wei roared even louder, shaking the house.
The beams rustled and the earth fell.
"Yes!" The head catcher, the policemen and the police officers all agreed in unison, and then they scrambled to escape from the county government office. They were afraid that if they ran too slowly, they would be left alone by Magistrate Zhang to act as a punching bag.
"Everyone who comes here is dead. Come get me some tea! You are a bunch of trash, I have a dog, and you are smarter than you!" County Magistrate Zhang Wei's curses started again, but this time, they were not directed at the head catcher and the police.
Not the police, but the servants and maids in the yard.
The servants and maids turned pale with fright. They quickly agreed to prepare tea and snacks, and then quickly sent them to the second hall to prevent Magistrate Zhang from waiting too long and taking the opportunity to cause trouble to everyone.
"Trash, they are all trash. I usually look at the dragons and tigers one by one, but at the critical moment, they are all just chickens and dogs!" The scolding of the county magistrate Zhang Wei continued to be heard, even when drinking tea.
Don't make any pauses.
It's not to blame for his lack of energy-raising skills. At this moment, in the entire Ding'an County, if his mood is ranked second in complexity, absolutely no one dares to be ranked first.
County magistrate Zhang Wei was shocked when he heard that the chief secretary, Zhou Chong, had been snatched away from his hometown in the middle of the night. His initial reaction was exactly the same as that of most ordinary people in Ding'an County.
Suddenly, I felt that the sky above my head was cloudless and the sun outside the window was exceptionally bright.
If he weren't worried about being heard, Zhang Wei would even want to laugh three times and then ask, "How can you be so stupid today?"
If the chief bookkeeper Zhou Chong dies in the hands of thieves, it means that from now on, Zhang Wei, the county magistrate, will be completely genuine.
No longer do you have to keep your word on the surface, but in fact, you need to consider Zhou Chong's attitude in everything. You even have to take the other party's opinions as your own, and swallow this person's arrogance.
And even if Zhou Chong was lucky enough to survive and be rescued completely, his prestige and influence would be greatly reduced after such a blow.
Zhang Wei, the county magistrate, can also look for opportunities to take back the power he has usurped inch by inch. Let the secretary office, the police chief and the local bigwigs gradually realize who is the real person in Ding'an County.
That's right.
However, after the initial excitement passed, County Magistrate Zhang Wei felt on pins and needles.
No matter who was the real controller of Ding'an County, at least on the surface, in the eyes of the court, Zhang Wei was the county magistrate.
On his territory, in just one and a half months, a warehouse manager was burned to death, an inspector escaped, and then a bookkeeper was stolen by thieves! He gave someone's evaluation,
How can it be good-looking?
If the evaluation is just not good, there is no need to be too nervous. At any rate, through careful management and spending three to five times the money originally needed, he can still ensure that he will be promoted smoothly after his term is over.
What I was most afraid of was that someone above me would be alerted and put the three cases together for investigation.
After all, Sesame Officers are also officers. If things happen to three Sesame Officers one after another, the superiors will no longer be able to turn a blind eye. And the one who escaped is obviously not a light-hearted person either!
In addition, what made County Magistrate Zhang Wei even more nervous was the reaction from the head of the Red Lotus Holy Sect.
Originally, a hall master and two incense masters had died earlier, and he and Zhou Chong were worried about how to explain to the chief helmsman.
Now, even Zhou Chong, the helmsman of the Ding'an branch, has been snatched away inexplicably. It is certainly impossible for the chief helmsman of the Red Lotus Sect to pretend that nothing happened.
And if the Red Lotus Sect's general helmsman sends people down to investigate, it may be more difficult to deal with than officials from the Yongxing Military Road divisions.
The latter, after all, will consider whether it will harm themselves if the case gets bigger and bigger. The former, on the other hand, always does everything possible!
"Damn it, who did I mess with? I clearly didn't do anything!" Thinking of the various tossings and investigations he was about to face, Zhang Wei felt sad.
He could swear to God that Liu Sicang's death and the fire in the grain and grass depot had nothing to do with him.
The mastermind of ostracizing and suppressing Han Qing was the holy aunt of the Red Lotus Sect, and the person who carried it out was the chief secretary Zhou Chong, who still just nodded in charge.
As for Zhou Chong being kidnapped from his hometown, it had nothing to do with him.
To this day, he still can't believe that Zhou Chong, who is usually so majestic, is actually so weak.
He couldn't even believe that the defense capabilities of Ding'an County under his rule were so poor that thieves could come and go freely regardless of the city gates, walls, and city officials and village warriors.
You should know that the county government where he lived seemed to be powerful, but at night, the number of officers and village warriors on duty was not as many as the servants of Zhou Mansion.
The thief was able to drag Zhou Chong away from the bed without anyone noticing this time. Next time, he can easily cut off his head!
"It must be an inside job. Maybe it's someone from the Zhou Mansion! Butler, ask a few reliable people to surround the Zhou Mansion and bring them to court one by one." The more he thought about it, the more the county magistrate Zhang Wei felt that he had no master, so he simply
, risking his life to be misunderstood by Zhou Chonglai, and turn Zhou's mansion upside down first! "Except for Master Zhou's wife and children, everyone else must explain where they lived last night and what they did."
"Yes!" Butler Zhang Bao appeared like a ghost and bowed in agreement.
Immediately, he summoned several detectives and helpers who usually took the initiative to approach the county magistrate, and hurried to Master Zhou's house to prevent any thieves from getting the news in advance and escaping.
What happened in the next two days proved that Zhang Wei's judgment had wronged the "good guy".
The servants, maids, servants, and grooms of Master Zhou's family were all interrogated individually, and they confessed a lot of shady things, but none of them were related to Zhou Chong's robbery.
On the evening of the third day, squad leader Wang Qi finally heard the news through his friends in Fangzhou: a few days ago, a group of men in black armed with crossbows sneaked into Ziwu Village to assassinate the real owner. The real owner was not killed.
Han Qing accidentally injured Li Yuan, the only son of Inspector Li of Ziwu Village!
Now, the Li family in Fangzhou has received permission from the Fangzhou County Magistrate to send a captured assassin, together with the crossbow, to the Yongxing Military Road Jiedushi Yamen.
Moreover, Inspector Li's father, uncle, and prominent elders in the family all said that no matter who sent the assassin, the Li family would never give up!
"Could it be that the assassin was sent out by Zhou Chong? Then he is really courageous! It's not unfair to be attacked by the Li family!" The county magistrate Zhang Wei was shocked after hearing Wang Qi's report. Then,
The answer to who Zhou Chong was captured was also ready to come out in his mind!
However, soon, he sat back behind the desk, holding his head and sighing.
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Although Zhou Chong was brave and domineering, he was not a fool.
In Ding'an County, no matter how Zhou Chong dealt with Han Qing, he could cover it up.
Once he leaves the county, if he wants to cover it up again, the difficulty and cost will increase tenfold.
However, no matter how the Song Dynasty ruled the local areas, they would not allow officials to lead their subordinates to attack each other.
No matter who started it first, they made a big mistake.
No official dared to defend him, let alone try to cover him up!
But if the assassin was not sent by Master Zhou, who else could be there?
The crossbow is an important weapon for the military and the state. Not to mention owning it among the people, even making it is a felony!
If it was the minions of Bai Liancheng, Liu Xiangzhu and others who went to seek revenge on Han Qing without authorization, how could they possibly obtain the crossbow arrows?
"The county magistrate, Master Zhou's son and his clan uncle are outside the door asking to see you!" While he was puzzled, the housekeeper Zhang Bao came in again carrying a lantern and reported in a low voice.
"Is it getting dark? So soon?" County Magistrate Zhang Wei was stunned, looking at the dark night outside and asked.
Then, without waiting for Zhang Bao's response, he quickly turned to the visitors, "What do they want from me? Didn't you put all the servants of the Zhou family back?"
"I want to ask you to come forward and ask the Li family in Fangzhou to let Mr. Zhou return home safely." Butler Zhang Bao has served Zhang Wei for many years and knows what he wants to know most at the moment. He looked around and reported in a low voice. "I see.
The Zhou family is preparing to fight to the death with the Li family in Fangzhou. Please come forward, but it is just a formality."
"A fight?" Zhang Wei was startled again, and stood up with his hands on the desk, "What evidence do they have to prove that Master Zhou was robbed by the Li family? If there is, it is good news.
At least, the Li family can be considered a local prominent family and would not dare to kill an official of the imperial court!"
"I'm afraid not!" Zhang Bao, the housekeeper, thought for a while and told the truth, "It's just a rumor outside that it was Chief Zhou who sent people to Ziwu Village to shoot and wound Inspector Li's son. That's why Inspector Li sent people over to arrest him.
He went to Master Zhou to avenge his son. But no one knows whether he was arrested or not!"
"Nonsense!" After Zhang Wei heard this, he immediately raised his hand and slammed the table, "Without proof, how can I stand up for the Zhou family?! You still want to organize the clan members to fight with the Li family! What do they think of the government?
? How can the Li family be willing to suffer a loss? If they dare to cross the border to rob people, then the Li family will dare to collude with the local government, treat them as rogues, and kill them all!"
After shooting, he knew that he could not stay out of the incident no matter what. He took a big step and ran directly to the main entrance of the county government office, "You call some people to come and help me stabilize Zhou's son and the clan leader first. If it doesn't work, just
Listen to my orders and capture them directly! It is unreasonable to cross the border to fight with weapons. In the eyes of the Zhou family, do they still have the law?"
"Yes!" After hearing the order, the housekeeper Zhang Bao immediately carried a lantern and went to summon people. After walking more than a dozen steps, the night sky above his head suddenly began to light up. Immediately afterwards, there was a chorus of exclamations from all around.
"What's going on?" County magistrate Zhang Wei and housekeeper Zhang Bao looked up one after another and saw dozens of lanterns lined up in a long string in mid-air, flying slowly and steadily towards the county seat.
Each lantern, viewed from the ground, is about the size of a watermelon.
There were bright candles burning inside, and the surroundings were covered with mulberry paper that was as expensive as the candles.
Under the lantern, there are strips of white silk cloth, fluttering in the night wind.
"Kongming Lantern, what kind of prodigal son wastes things like this?" County Magistrate Zhang Wei was well-informed and immediately recognized the name of the lantern.
The method of making this object is widely circulated among the people, and many skilled craftsmen can make it.
However, it is neither Qingming Festival nor Double Ninth Festival. Which family has nothing to do and releases so many Kongming Lanterns at once?
Moreover, if you want the lantern to fly for a long time, candles are indispensable. Moreover, the lantern cannot be papered with ordinary paper.
In addition to the silk cloth dragged under the lantern to maintain the height and balance of the lantern, the cost of each lantern is probably no less than two hundred coins.
Dozens of lanterns are equivalent to tens of thousands of copper coins!
Spending tens of thousands of copper coins just for fun! This lantern maker is too extravagant!
However, if the sky lanterns are put up not for fun but for other purposes, it is difficult to say whether the money is spent wisely.
At least, once this light comes out, everyone in the city can see it.
Within three days, I am afraid that the magnificent scene tonight will be known to everyone in the Yongxing Army Road!
Suddenly thinking that the person who put up the Kongming Lantern might have another agenda, the county magistrate Zhang Wei immediately trembled.
Immediately, he jumped up from where he was, waving his arms, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Come here, come quickly. Leave the Zhou family alone, hurry up, shoot down the lanterns. Shoot down all the Kongming lanterns, not even a single one."
There will definitely be leftover.”
"Come here, tell me my order. Whoever dares to pick up and collect Kongming lanterns privately tonight will be guilty of the same crime as concealing stolen goods!"
"Come here, hurry up and call the Zhou family, send out manpower to help take back all the Kongming lanterns. Hurry, hurry, it's too late, everyone is in danger!"
