The chariot went all the way eastward, and there was no palace lantern shed outside the reception hall, and there was no loud drum music.
It was deserted, not even a single person was seen!
"Are all the people in Haixi dead?"
Xu Yi became furious and cursed through gritted teeth.
According to the rules, outside every county town, there will be a reception hall responsible for welcoming officials who have taken office or farewelling officials who have left office.
Cao Peng has also heard of such a rule.
Looking at the deserted reception hall, he couldn't help but think: in later works, there are often scenes of people traveling ten miles out of the city to greet each other and seeing each other off in a ten-mile long pavilion. Could it be that this ten-mile long pavilion originated from the reception hall?
"Second brother, we came here quietly and didn't notify Haixi County. They didn't have anyone to greet them. It's normal. Why should we be angry about this? I just want to arrive early, take a hot bath, and have a good sleep.
I feel...well, stop competing with yourself."
Xu Yi snorted but didn't say anything.
So the convoy came to the gate of Haixi West City in a deserted manner. They saw the arrow tower towering in the clouds and the city gate was indestructible.
Didn’t it mean that Haixi County was in ruins and suffered from frequent banditry?
Cao Peng was stunned for a moment.
But then I thought, maybe it was because of repeated banditry that I built this fortified city...
"Hu Ban, go over and call the door!"
Deng Ji gave the order in the car, and Hu Ban agreed, and Pegasus came to the city.
The city gate is covered with iron sheets and embedded with bronze nails.
Hu Ban stepped forward, raised the spear in his hand, banged on the city gate, and shouted loudly: "Haixiling is here, open the city gate quickly!"
"Why are you shouting?" After a long time, a small window opened on the archery tower, and a hoarse voice came from inside, "There is an order from the top. The city gate will not be opened after nightfall. It will be early tomorrow morning."
Hu Ban was furious, raised his spear and struck again, "Listen clearly, it's Haixi Ling. Magistrate Deng is here to open the city gate."
There was silence for a while on the arrow tower.
Then the hoarse voice sounded again, "That County Magistrate Deng?"
"Don't be wordy. The new Haixi magistrate Deng County is here. He is appointed by the imperial court. Why don't you open the door quickly?"
The window on the arrow tower closed with a clang.
Noriman couldn't help but cursed: "These lazy dogs are so arrogant!"
Xu Yi also nodded and said: "Yes, you know that the county magistrate is here, but you still behave like this. This Haixi County really needs to be improved."
Cao Peng did not speak, but sat on the horse and observed quietly.
After a while, the sound of iron chains was heard from inside the city gate, and the heavy iron gate opened.
Next to the door, stood a few doormen in disheveled clothes and lopsided helmets. The daggers on their heads were all yellow and rusty, and they looked dilapidated.
Noriman became impatient with waiting, urged his horse forward, and rushed over.
His horse speed was so fast that he almost knocked down the gatekeeper. At the same time, he cursed: "You two lazy guys, why don't you open the city gate wide!"
The gatekeeper looked at the arrogant and arrogant knight in front of him, and felt really angry in his heart.
One of them always talks back when he opens his mouth, while the other one sees Dian Man wearing bright armor and riding a divine horse. His extraordinary spirit shows that he is by no means an ordinary official.
He quickly grabbed his companion and signaled him not to speak.
"Hurry up and open the city gate!"
At the same time, the man who looked like a doorman stepped forward and asked, "Who is County Magistrate Deng?"
Deng Ji got out of the car and nodded to the doorman, "I am Deng Ji... The documents from the court have been sent a long time ago. Have you received them?"
"Ah, I've received it.
A few days ago, Governor Chen sent someone to inform him, but because he didn't know the county magistrate's itinerary, he didn't go far to greet him. I ask the county magistrate to forgive me."
It seems that when a new official takes office, he must first send official documents from the court to the prefects of each county.
Then, the prefects of each county ordered people to inform the counties under their jurisdiction, so that the original officials could prepare in advance and prepare for the handover with the new officials.
However, Haixi County has not been governed for a long time. The last time there was a county magistrate was last year.
Therefore, Chen Deng, the prefect of Guangling County, only needs to inform the people in the county about the situation. If there is no one in the county office, there will be a local gentry who will be responsible for welcoming them. Generally speaking, everyone will try their best to do a good job in such a scene.
So as not to cause unnecessary trouble.
Haixi’s situation seems to be very special!
Cao Peng sat astride Zhao Yebai, nodded with Deng Ji, and then waved his hand to signal the motorcade to start.
The doorman asked the doorman to get out of the way and lead the way. As a group of vehicles drove into the city, they saw the dark lights on the market, a desolate scene. The clock had not yet reached the end of the clock, and all the big shops and small shops on both sides were closed. Only
The few remaining vendors were still doing business... In this bleak winter night, there were almost no pedestrians. Therefore, the vendors were also deserted, without a single customer.
When the new county magistrate first arrived, all the civil and military personnel in the county disappeared, and all the village officials and family members disappeared.
This Haixi County really has character!
Knowing that Shangguan was coming soon, he only sent his disciple Zhang Luo...
This mawei is really powerful!
The corners of Cao Peng's mouth raised slightly, and he sneered in his heart.
The more it is like this, the more it shows that the problem in Haixi County is not small?
He turned to Wang Mai and said, "Brother Hutou, how do you think it compares to our Zhongyang Town?"
"Damn, it looks like it's about to die. It's not as lively as the Zhongyang Town."
Xu Yi reined in his horse and waited for Cao Peng.
"Afu, the people here don't seem to welcome us."
"It doesn't seem like it, it's just...but it doesn't matter, since we are here, we still want to take a look at the mystery behind it."
"oh?"
Xu Yi was stunned for a moment, seeming to understand the meaning of Cao Peng's words.
He is a bit reckless and a bit aggressive... But after all, he is a son of a wealthy family, and he is more or less aware of some intrigues.
"Afu, what do you mean..."
Cao Peng put his finger to his lips and hissed.
That means: you know, I know, no need to explain!
Xu Yi suddenly understood, nodded, and said no more.
The chariot passed through an arch that crossed over and connected, and saw that the street was divided into left and right along a high wall. However, the high wall was broken and collapsed in several places. Standing outside the wall, you could clearly see what was inside the wall at a glance.
Situation. It is a house with a central hall, wing rooms, and two courtyards. Looking past the buildings inside the wall, you can vaguely see a tall gatehouse, with a shadowy shadow.
This should be the back wall of the county government office!
The group turned right, followed the high wall to the east, north, and then west...
We walked straight to the head of a dark door, with a weather-worn wooden sign hanging above the lintel.
The plaque is a little skewed, and it still has the words Haixi County Government.
The doorman bowed and said: "County Magistrate Deng, this is the county government office."
Is this the county government office?
Deng Ji and Pu Yangkai got off the carriage, stood at the doorstep, and looked up.
There were spider webs on the lintel of the door, and the ground was dirty. It was hard to tell how long it had been since no one had cleaned it. The horse post on the side was broken in half and was basically useless. And the black painted door
, tightly closed, it was quiet and silent behind the door.
"Call the door!"
Deng Ji's face became increasingly gloomy.
Without saying a word, Zhou Cang rushed up the steps and punched hard.
"Who, who?"
The door opened.
A short-built servant with a hawk-nosed eagle-eyes and a disheveled beard walked out from inside.
He held a candle in his hand, looked Zhou Cang up and down, and then cursed: "You are so ignorant, you black man. Don't you know that the yamen is always closed? If someone dies in the family, the wife still follows him."
He's running away, knock, knock, knock, you motherfucker!"
What kind of temperament does Zhou Cang have?
Upright and violent!
I have been a Yellow Turban, a bandit...because I followed Deng Ji, I changed my temper.
But he was so humiliated that he suddenly became furious. He stretched out his hand and grabbed the collar of the doorman's clothes. Then with a strong arm, he picked up the doorman and pointed it towards the doorpost next to the black door.
Puffy bumped her a dozen times, "You bitch, if you dare to speak rudely again, I will twist your head off."
The servant cried and begged for mercy, and Zhou Cang finally gave up.
Cao Peng was on horseback and did not stop him. He just watched with cold eyes.
His eyes were wandering, as if he was looking around inadvertently. At the corner of the street in the distance, a figure flashed for a moment, and then there was no movement.
I smiled coldly in my heart: It seems that the water in Haixi County is quite muddy!
He turned over and dismounted, and shouted: "Uncle Zhou, don't be wordy with him, go inside first."
"This is the county government, you..."
"You blind thing, the new Magistrate Deng is right in front of you, why don't you open the Yamen immediately and invite people to see you?"
As he spoke, Zhou Cang pushed the black door.
Unexpectedly, he didn't use any force at all, and the door collapsed with a bang.
"this……"
"Forget it, let's talk about it after we go in."
Deng Ji and Puyang Kai walked in side by side. Cao Pengdianman, Xu Yi and others followed closely.
Forty retinues immediately dismounted and lined up outside the yamen gate. There were also a dozen accompanying domestic slaves bought from Xiapi. Under Hu Ban's command, they unloaded carriages and horses and moved luggage... The deserted Haixi County yamen
In front of the crowd, it suddenly became lively, and it seemed particularly noisy in this deserted county town.
Zhou Cang and Xia Houlan found torches and lit them.
By the light, Deng Ji looked around the courtyard and stopped in the front yard of the flower hall.
The windows of the government hall opposite were closed, and the window paper was tattered and unseemly. In the courtyard and hall, it was dark, and no one could be seen.
Deng Ji suddenly felt an irritable mood lingering in his heart.
He asked Zhou Cang to bring the servant over, and looked at the servant with a gloomy face without saying a word.
Under the light of the lamp, Deng Ji stood tall with one arm and cold eyes.
Mending felt a sudden chill coming over him, and he quickly knelt down.
"Who are you?"
The doorman stammered and replied: "Little man, my name is Maicheng."
"Maicheng, what do you do?"
"Little...little man is the head prisoner of this prison."
"Why is this county government office so dilapidated?"
"Reply, sir, I haven't used this office for many years, so that..."
"Where is the county government seal ribbon?"
"My lord, the whereabouts of this Yamen's seal were lost three years ago. The subsequent adults were all appointed by the state shepherds and prefects, so there is no need for a seal."
In other words, this county government has basically been in an abandoned state in the past three years.
"What about the guards?"
"The servants, the servants are gone a long time ago..."
"You bastard!" Deng Ji was furious, "According to what you said, you are the only one in Haixi County who can fulfill his duties faithfully?"
"ah……"
"Where are the servants? Where are the clerks? Where are the patrols?"
"this……"
"This yamen has not had any conscription for two years, and there has never been a clerk. As for patrols, there were originally some. However, after the earlier soldier Cao Shi Feng Chao left, the patrols were disbanded. This county yamen
, now I am indeed the only one left to take care of it.”
Deng Ji sneered, "He is a loyal person."
He turned to look at Puyang Kai and saw that Pu Yangkai didn't say anything and only nodded towards him.
"Come here, put him in jail first. I will find out what happened again and then deal with it..."
"Here!"
When Mai Cheng heard this, he was shocked.
"Sir, I was wronged, I was wronged..."
Zhou Cang went up and slapped him in the face, "If you dare to make noise again, I will pull out your tongue."
Facing the fierce-looking Zhou Cang, Mai Cheng swallowed and did not dare to speak again.
"Let's go to your prison and lead the way."
"Detain those thieves as well."
"Here!"
Cao Peng stood at the gate of the county government office, suddenly turned to the clerk and said, "Are you very free?"
"ah?"
"Go and tell your master what happened here...and help me tell you that Haixi is the territory of the Han Dynasty."
When the doorman heard this, his face suddenly turned pale.
He glanced at Cao Peng, suddenly turned his head, and ran away.
Noriman looked at the doorman's back in astonishment, "Afu, you mean..."
"There are no county magistrates, no civil and military officials, no servants, no clerks, no patrols... but there are still servants?" Cao Peng laughed and said: "Third brother, if no one gives you a salary, are you willing?
Doing such a thing? There are no fools in Haixi County!"
"Then the same goes for Maicheng?"
"Anyway, it's not as simple as he said."
Just imagine, a company has closed down, and even the boss is missing. However, there are still employees who are doing their jobs. If they are not fools, they have ulterior motives. Cao Peng can understand the reason for this, but Deng Ji and Puyang Kai naturally have no reason.
can not tell.
On the left side of the front yard are the lower rooms where patrols and government officials live, but they are empty.
Behind the lower room is the cell, which is also empty. Needless to say, the cell has not been used for a long time, but the door is still strong.
"Afu, let's go to the lobby and government office to have a look."
"good!"
Cao Peng took the torch from Deng Fan and followed Deng Ji and Puyang Kai to the entrance of the lobby.
Pushing the door open, the rusty hinges creaked. When I entered the hall, I saw drawings everywhere and spider webs all over the walls. The scarlet tablecloth covering the public case also faded. When Cao Peng walked over
, several black mice suddenly sprang out, startling Cao Peng.
“I didn’t expect that Haixi would be so dilapidated!”
Puyang Kai couldn't help but let out a loud sigh.
Is it really still the Han Dynasty here?
Just as he was about to express his emotion, he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the front yard.
"What happened?"
Deng Ji turned around and looked outside.
At this time, Xia Houlan ran in hurriedly, "Sir, the leader of the thieves who cut the path earlier shouted that he wanted to see you, saying that he had something important to report."
"oh?"
Deng Ji couldn't help but be startled, and he couldn't figure out what the thief had to say.
"Brother-in-law, this place is really too... let's go to the wing to talk. I just took a look and found that we can still stay in that wing."
"It has to be like this."
Deng Ji once thought about the various situations that would arise after he came to Haixi.
But he never expected that he would be in such a state...
When talking to people in your own county government office, you don't even have a place to talk. Instead, you have to go to the lower room where the government officials live to meet others.
Thinking of this, Deng Ji couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"Mr. Puyang, shall we go together?"
Puyang Kai smiled and said, "That's exactly what I meant."
Cao Peng accompanied the two of them out of the government office and went straight to the side room.
As soon as they entered the house, they saw Wang Mai and Deng Fanzheng looking at a young man with eager eyes. The young man was dressed in black and kneeling on the ground. His bun was messy and there was a black and blue scar on his forehead. Seeing Deng Ji and his entourage come in, the young man looked...
He seemed to be very excited and was about to stand up. Wang Buyer had quick hands and stepped forward to grab his shoulders and shouted in a cold voice: "Be honest, otherwise I will make you look better!"
"I'm not a thief!"
The young man shouted loudly.
Deng Ji sneered and said, "A thief is a thief. What is he if he's not a thief?"
"I'm not a thief, I really am not a thief... The real thief in Haixi County is not me, but someone else!"
The young man shouted excitedly and struggled desperately.
Wang Mai and Deng Fan held him down and scolded him repeatedly.
Deng Ji frowned, looked at the young man, and said nothing for a long time.
Cao Peng, after entering the room, stood nearby and observed the young man. Seeing that the young man was so excited, he walked out of the room and asked someone to scoop a ladle of well water. He walked up and raised his hand and poured the well water on the young man's face.
.The young man shivered violently, panted heavily, and stopped struggling.
"You...are Feng Chao?"
"ah?"
The young man was shocked and looked up at Cao Peng.
He couldn't help but feel surprised. Even Deng Ji and Puyang Kai were a little baffled.
Feng Chao, who is it?
Cao Peng took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Feng Chao, Haixi County soldier Cao Yushi. I just heard Na Maicheng say that you disappeared mysteriously before... Haha, look at you, although you have changed your clothes, your hands are very well groomed.
Neatly dressed, and wearing black shoes, which are not something ordinary thieves can wear...Brother-in-law, I think he is indeed not a thief, including those thieves who were cut off...They are the county patrols, right?"
Feng Chao looked at Cao Peng in horror and was speechless for a long time.
"You are not thieves, you are robbers...robbers dressed as patrolmen!"
Deng Ji narrowed his eyes, and a cold light flashed through his eyes.
Cao Peng said with a smile: "You don't have to deny it. In fact, if you want to prove it, it's very simple... I just need to pull Mai Cheng over and he will tell the truth.
Oh, I suddenly remembered something.
Two years ago, there was a county magistrate in Haixi County named Feng Yuan. This person was from Xudu and was the last official sent by the imperial court. Unfortunately, this magistrate Feng Yuan only served as
After serving as county magistrate for two months, he encountered bandits raiding Haixi and was killed in the rebellion... He seemed to have a son who accompanied him to Haixi County. Since then, there has been no news about this person...
"
Deng Ji clapped his hands and said, "Yes, this is indeed the case."
Cao Peng looked at the young man with a smile, "Feng Chao, Feng Bing, Cao Yushi! Okay, now let's talk about it, if you don't become a good official, why bother being a thief?"
Feng Chao's cheeks twitched violently, and he looked at Deng Ji and the others without saying a word for a long time!
