5-8 Civil and Military Officials of Suzhou Prefecture
5-9 A Dream of Red Mansions
After Liu Ziguang took complete control of Suzhou Mansion, the Cao family was completely out of options and wanted to send people to the capital to ask for help, but the mansion was already under strict surveillance. Those officials from the Textile Department who participated in the siege of the imperial envoy's residence and several men from the Cao family
They were all invited by Suzhou Prefecture.
The whole Cao Mansion was in a panic. The master and his uncle had not come back for two days. Dozens of cold-looking guys in black robes were always standing outside the house. Cars delivering food and water were being inspected.
In the past, the Suzhou government officials who always had a flattering smile on their faces suddenly became vicious and had several men arrested. Rumors spread quietly among the maids and servants that the Cao family was about to be ransacked. Some brave people
The servants had already begun to steal valuable things from the house to prepare for their own escape. Several ladies and aunts also had sad faces and cried all day long. Looking at all this, Mrs. Cao was exhausted both physically and mentally, unable to support herself.
The young master Cao Zhan felt a little excited at first, because neither his grandfather nor his father could take care of him, but soon he realized that something was wrong. First of all, he could not go out to play casually, even sneaking out through the back door of the stable.
There were people blocking the place, and there was an abnormal atmosphere in the house, which was very precarious.
Everyone in the Cao Mansion was anxiously waiting for the final result. Waiting is the most painful and exhausting thing. Fortunately, the imperial envoy didn't like waiting either. The team that searched the house soon entered the Cao Mansion. The investigation of Jiangnan Weaving had already begun.
It was something that had the emperor's approval, so Liu Ziguang did not worry about the resistance in the court. What he worried about was that the Cao family had deep roots in Suzhou and it would not end well if it caused large-scale chaos. Fortunately, he had the full strength of the two generals Wang Lei and Li Peng.
Cooperate and nip any upcoming riots in the bud.
Liu Ziguang also has a trump card, and that is the inspection envoys sent by the Ministry of Household Affairs. These old guys are all talented people in the Cleaning Department, and they are especially good at auditing accounts. The Weaving Department can find out any problem, let alone embezzling tens of thousands of dollars.
, coupled with the several murders committed by the Cao family, it is really difficult to turn around this time.
The Red Shirt Troops had raided homes not once or twice, and they were very familiar with it. The men and women of the Cao family each brought their belongings and escorted them to a temple for safekeeping. The maids and servants dealt with them separately. Cao Zhan was there
He was walking blankly in the escort queue when suddenly someone pointed at him and shouted: "He is the one who raped my sister!"
Cao Zhan looked up and said in shock: "Brother Hua, why are you? Where is Xiren? Why haven't you come back for so long after going home to visit relatives?"
It was Hua Pao who came to identify the criminal. He gritted his teeth and said, "Bah! Who is your brother? My sister was forced to death by your family a long time ago. Stop pretending not to know!"
Cao Zhan was shocked and said: "Xi Ren is dead? Please tell me what happened!" There were tears in his eyes as he spoke, but Hua Pao did not listen to him and called two soldiers to tie him up.
When the female relatives saw Cao's beloved being tied up, they cried and shouted and came to stop him, but Li Peng's officers and soldiers used bamboo sticks to stop him.
Cao Yin and his son were very stubborn. They were tortured for two consecutive days and nights without confessing. Although Liu Ziguang was an imperial envoy, he did not concurrently hold the post of imperial censor, so officials of Cao Yin's level could not be tried. They could only collect and collect information.
The evidence was reported to the Three Laws Division for processing. The case of fraud and corruption in the Weaving Department also involved a wide range of matters. It could not be completed in a day or two. Liu Ziguang focused on the minor cases and focused on the case of Cao Yong's order to cut off the craftsman's arm and Cao Zhan's rape of a maid.
, the operation was performed in a case of forced death.
Both criminal cases are related to the family of Hua Laohan, a craftsman of the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau. Hua Laohan is the father of Hua Pao. He has worked in the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau for most of his life. He is famous for his skillful hands. It is said that he is the one who uses the most jacquard machines in the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau.
He participated in the design, and he also researched the three primary color dyes used in the dyeing workshop. However, such a versatile craftsman not only could not be reused, he could not even receive basic rations. During a craftsman protest half a year ago, Mr. Hua was caught
Cao Yong refused to let go of the sedan chair, and his right hand was cruelly cut off by the evil slaves of the Cao family. Afterwards, Old Man Hua was expelled from his craftsmanship.
Hua Zhenzhu, the daughter who works as a maid in the Cao Mansion, has returned home. It is said that she was driven back because she seduced the young master and did something conciliatory and ruined the family tradition. The neighbors couldn't help but point fingers and gossip. Hua Zhenzhu spent the whole day
I didn't want to eat or drink at home, wept and didn't say a word. A few days later, I hanged myself from a beam in a quiet night. After checking, I was already three months pregnant.
Hua Zhenzhu is not the biological daughter of Mr. Hua, but the posthumous son brought by his mother. Fifteen years ago, Mr. Hua rescued a woman who committed suicide with her baby from the river. The woman later married a man who lived a hard life with his son Hua Pao.
The widower Hua Laohan, the family lived a harmonious and beautiful life. Hua Pao took great care of this girl who was not his biological child, not to mention loved him. Now the girl is forced to commit suicide, and two people are killed. How can he not be furious? The Cao family
The reputation of that young master was well known throughout Suzhou. His sweet and innocent girl must have been deceived and raped by that guy. Hua Pao asked someone to write a complaint, and the two cases were merged into one, and the Cao family was sued. But who in Suzhou Prefecture
The prefect was unwilling to take over this hot potato. Instead, he punished Hua Pao with a false accusation and threw him in jail for a few days. After he was released, Hua Pao spent all day thinking about revenge. The Cao family was so powerful that he was unable to assassinate him, so he could only resort to complaining.
, so there is a story about how the Dyeing and Weaving Bureau desperately sued a few days ago.
Hua Pao is a capable man like his father. Not only is he clever and handy, he is also upright and loves to fight injustices. Therefore, he is very popular among the poor craftsmen. He is like a new generation of workers' leader. When the Imperial Envoy's camp was besieged by the Cao family,
He could attract thousands of people with a wave of his arms, and it was not for nothing. Liu Ziguang took a fancy to these advantages of fireworks and used them for his own purposes.
As the plaintiff, Hua Pao knelt before the court of Suzhou Prefecture. The person who heard the criminal case was the official of Suzhou Prefecture. This person had been instructed by Wang Lei to turn the case into a solid case, so the trial went very smoothly.
The evidence in the case of Cao Yong instructing a slave to cut off Old Man Hua's arm is conclusive and the facts are clear. Hundreds of workers present at the time can testify. The slave who committed the crime has been brought to justice and confessed to the crime. He admitted that he was following Cao Yong's order.
That’s why he was so cruel.
During the trial, the imperial envoy sat in the court and listened to the trial. The great deeds of this uncle in Dali Temple were spread all over the south of the Yangtze River, and he also had the name of Liu Qingtian. How dare officials to do whatever they want, so they had to follow the laws of the Ming Dynasty.
Cao Yong was sentenced to death from his official position, exiled for three thousand miles, and compensation of three hundred taels of silver to the Hua family.
Cao Yong knew that the situation was over, so he did not make any excuses. He just kowtowed and asked to let his son Cao Zhan go. He said that he was also responsible for the rape of the maid and the assault. This was explosive news. The promotion officials did not dare to be careless and immediately reported Cao Zhan.
Zhan and the Hua family went to court to confront him.
"Cao Zhan, I want to ask you, do you know Hua Zhenzhu, the daughter of the Hua family?" The official was stunned and shouted to Cao Zhan, who was kneeling down below.
Cao Zhan slept in the prison in Suzhou Mansion last night with straw sticks on his head. His face was haggard and restless, and he was far less charming than the handsome young man he once was. He was frightened when he heard the sound of the gavel tree.
He was agitated and hurriedly replied: "I know, Hua Zhenzhen is my maid Hua Xiren, and I changed her name."
"Then did you do that kind of thing with Hua Zhenzhu?" The referee continued to ask. In fact, the referee also knew in his heart that the eldest maid was the aunt's reserve team. How could the eldest maid and the young man be innocent in this case?
There's really nothing to ask, but it's a bit unusual for a father and son to become brothers-in-law.
Cao Zhan was hesitant and didn't want to answer. He was frightened when the yamen guard on duty used water and fire sticks to mess with the ground, so he quickly confessed that he and Xiren had been sleeping together for a long time.
Although it was a boring case involving a wealthy family dispute, the imperial envoy was listening with interest, and the judge had to brace himself for the investigation. He interrogated Cao Yong in detail again, and finally got to the bottom of the matter.
It turns out that the flower pearls were originally bought by the Cao Mansion to be used as a personal maid for the old lady. Later, Cao Yong took a fancy to them and wanted to get involved. However, Cao Yong's first wife, Mrs. Wang, discovered them and took the lead to buy the flower pearls for her son.
Although the girl Zhenzhu has the same birthday as the young master, she is much more mature than Cao Zhan. She is thoughtful and quick-witted. She is the best person to take care of the young master's daily life. So the girl Zhenzhu became Cao Zhan's personal bodyguard.
The eldest maid was renamed Xiren. Xiren was originally a very responsible girl, but for some reason, she became particularly friendly when she met Cao Zhan. Within a few days, the two had their first sexual intercourse, and the little girl became a little girl.
The woman, whose color was more charming, was noticed by Cao Yong, and he was greedy for her. Finally one day he found an opportunity to push her down.
After Mrs. Wang found out about this incident, she felt it was too inappropriate to get angry at her husband, so she took her anger out on Xi Ren, beat him up and rushed back to Hua's house. She also spread the word about her coquettishness and lasciviousness to seduce the young master.
Something like that, Hua Xiren, that is, Hua Zhenzhu hanged herself within two days after returning home. Strictly speaking, it is difficult to punish this case. The maid is the slave of the master, and she sleeps when she sleeps. It is the law of the Ming Dynasty.
There is no rule stipulating that a master cannot sleep with a maid. As for committing suicide after returning home, the Cao family has no responsibility.
The judge felt that this case was difficult to handle, so he insisted on convicting the Cao family. He was afraid that he would become a laughing stock in the officialdom in the future. However, the great god Zhenwu Bo was sitting there and could not publicly declare Cao Yong innocent. In desperation, he
I had no choice but to kick the ball over.
Just when the prosecutor was about to ask Liu Qingtian for advice on how to handle the case, things suddenly changed dramatically. The wife of the Hua family, Pearl's biological mother, suddenly fainted in the hall.
After pinching her and pouring water, the lady of the Hua family finally woke up slowly and cried out sadly: "What an injustice! It's all an injustice. Both of us have suffered so much. If I had known this, I would have been better off dead fifteen years ago."
So neat."
Cao Yong and Cao Zhan were kneeling at the other end of the hall. They didn't dare to look at the fireworks family, but when they heard the sad sound, they couldn't help but look up. Suddenly, the father and son shouted at the same time: "Shi Ping!" "Xi Ren!"
The lady of the Hua family was young, in her early thirties, and her figure and face were very similar to her daughter Zhenzhu. No wonder Cao Zhan mistakenly thought she was an attacker, but the name Cao Yong called out was the real name of the lady of the Hua family.
"Yes, I am Shi Ping who was kicked out by you on that stormy night fifteen years ago! Pearl is my daughter and your biological daughter! You are inferior to a beast, but you don't even let your biological daughter go!" Hua
The wife gnashed her teeth and wanted to pounce on Cao Yong and tear him apart.
Everyone was shocked, and no one stepped forward to stop her for a while. It was not until the Hua family's wife rushed in front of Cao Yong that Cao Zhan stood in front of his father and shouted: "What are you going to do, you crazy woman?"
But Cao Yong grabbed his son and said, "Don't stop her, she is your biological mother, Xiren is your twin sister, retribution! It's all retribution!"
The lady from the Hua family was stunned when she heard this. She took out the hairpin, stretched out her hands to hold Cao Zhan's face and said infatuatedly: "Are you Baoyu? Are you really Baoyu? My son, I have a hard life."
Son! Didn’t the Cao family say that you died young when you were born? Let mother take a good look at you."
Cao Zhan's young mind cannot accept such a big stimulation. He is now confused. What about his mother, sister, and twins? Where are they? What is going on with this crazy woman who looks like Xiren's sister?
, actually knew his baby name, he was held in the face by the lady of the Hua family and did not dare to move, and he called Cao Yong at a loss: "Daddy, save me."
But when he heard a sound behind him, he looked back and saw that Cao Yong had hit a pillar in the courtroom, his blood and brains flowing all over the floor. He was obviously hopeless.
"Father!" Cao Zhan cried and rushed to Cao Yong's body and shook it, hoping to wake his father up. The lady from the Hua family over there was already crazy, shouting stupidly: "Son, daughter, Baoyu
, pearls, not a single one is missing, hee hee.”
Everyone present was dumbfounded when they witnessed this tragedy. Even Liu Ziguang did not expect such a drama. This case can no longer be tried. He stood up and said softly to the prosecutor: "God has already punished this matter.
Give him a lighter sentence." After saying that, he led his men and went straight away.
At this time, rain suddenly started falling in the sky. It would be better if there was thunder, Liu Ziguang thought to himself.