Of course that figure was not an assassin, but Zhu Er who was beaming with joy: "Brother-in-law, you are finally back!"
Zhang Shou didn't know whether it was his own misunderstanding or other reasons. He always felt that Zhu Er was a little teary-eyed at this time...no, it should be said that he was crying with joy. When Zhu Er almost helped him to dismount, he was completely
This point was made clear. Sure enough, Zhu Er said something that shocked him.
"Brother-in-law, Yingying got so angry that she couldn't stop her. We went to three workshops, and at the third one we met a group of guys who were smashing up the workshop. Those guys also had hammers and axes. As a result,
Yingying was as powerful as a ghost, regardless of taking the lead, she rushed forward, she kicked two of them down by herself, knocked one down, and Zhu Hong and the others took care of the remaining three!"
Zhu Er stretched out three fingers. He was still frightened when he thought of the previous scene: "You don't know, those guys' hammers rubbed her arms, shoulders... and even her face several times. I was almost scared to death by her."
Oh! She kidnapped those people and went to see her elder brother when she came back. I didn’t dare to follow her, for fear that my elder brother would know about it later and instead of scolding her, he would come and beat me up!"
Zhang Shou really couldn't say that Zhu Er's worries were unfounded. He looked at the pitiful second uncle, turned around and gestured to Ah Liu, and directly dragged Zhu Er inside. Ah Liu, who was lagging behind, was dumbfounded when he saw little Peanut.
, he patted the young man on the shoulder again considerately, and said meaningfully: "Just get used to it."
Habits...what are you used to? The second Young Master Zhu just mentioned must be his sister, right? She is the daughter of Duke Zhao, and she actually rolls up her sleeves and goes into battle...to fight? When he first saw her, he felt that she was not human.
She is as domineering as those local ladies in Cangzhou, but now it seems that she can fight and kill, and the servants, thugs and thugs are all no match for her?
When Little Peanut followed Ah Liu into the Changlu County Yamen, he fell into a deep confusion, so much so that he also put aside the confusion that his secret had been discovered by Zhang Shou and Ah Liu's master and servant.
It was at the back of his head. When he arrived at the county government hall in a daze and heard the cold and stern voice inside, he suddenly came to his senses.
"Don't say? In that case, come here, drag him down, beat him, and beat him until he says so. Remember, move softly, pace slowly, beat for an hour or two, maybe they will attack!"
He looked in with wide eyes and saw two strong men holding up a vaguely familiar hook-nosed man whose hands and feet were bound. They threw him on the platform and beat him if he was dragged over.
As the thumb-thick stick fell on the man's buttocks and legs like raindrops, the man couldn't help but scream like a pig being killed. He couldn't help but take a breath and completely forgot what he was thinking just now.
And just for a while, the second, third, fourth... people were dragged out one after another, thrown on the ground and beaten. But all they could hear were screams, moans, begging for mercy, and occasionally someone shouting "I'm here"
The voice said everything. But even so, the chaotic scene of sticks coming down did not stop.
At this time, Little Peanut only listened to Zhang Shou whispering: "It turns out that the wooden sticks used to beat people these days are so thick... Also, if you really use a big paddle like a paddle, you don't need thirty or fifty.
Maybe he can be beaten to death in three to five blows."
Although he didn't understand why Zhang Shou was concerned about this kind of torture instrument, Xiao Huahua still said quickly: "I heard from my uncle that these torture instruments are of a special size, but even if they are as thin as this one, it is easy to hit the back.
Beat people to death... So Emperor Taizu said that from now on, except for using a small stick, all people will be beaten on the buttocks and legs, and the back is not allowed. If a person is beaten to death, the person who is in charge of the punishment will be guilty of the same crime!"
Little Peanut paused as he spoke, imitating the tone used by Old Xianyu when he told him, and said in a low voice: "Emperor Taizu said that whether it is torture with a stick or punishment, it is to make people suffer, not to hurt them.
People are beaten to death and maimed. Therefore, how to make people suffer the greatest pain and learn the greatest lesson, while still retaining the ability to be punished next time. The person in charge of punishment must have a sense of proportion."
"As for those who have raped wives and daughters, robbed and killed people, abducted and trafficked people to death, and killed people without any reason and malicious intent, all of them will be executed immediately without waiting for the right time. Before execution, they will be executed with a stick of forty on the buttocks in front of the government office every three days until they are beheaded.
.As a warning to future generations.”
These were really too formal words, and Little Peanut was not used to them. Seeing Zhang Shou looking at him in surprise, he couldn't help scratching his head and explaining with a smile.
"My uncle is usually very informal, but when he talks about old stories about Emperor Taizu, he often quotes from scriptures and says that he read them from books. Because I heard him recite them countless times when I was a child, and I know them by heart."
Zhang Shou already had a clear understanding of Lao Xianyu's political tendencies. Xiao Huahua's words just made him further convinced that his guess was correct. He couldn't help but smile knowingly: "Emperor Taizu hates those who do evil and are extremely evil.
Therefore, the harsh punishments and laws, although once criticized as harsh, now seem to be a great deterrent to the perpetrators."
As he spoke, he mentally added one more subject to his must-read list - Laws of the Ming Dynasty. It must be said that the senior time traveler did have something in common with him in many places.
He has always despised some human rights activists who clamor for the abolition of death all the time and criticize the death penalty at every turn. In his view, for some vicious crimes that challenge the bottom line of human tolerance, it is simply too cheap to give a gun! Taizu's words before execution
Additional punishment is obviously aimed at those who have committed many crimes - this is what is called using the law as the criterion, how many times should they be whipped before execution?
Others just talked casually, but this one turned his imagination into reality! While he was laughing, Zhang Shou didn't notice that their topic changed from Zhu Tingfang's torture of the prisoner to another weird angle, but he felt that this kind of thing
It is too difficult to execute and can easily lead to another situation.
"However, knowing that they will die but still suffering piecemeal, these prisoners may not survive the execution and commit suicide in anger? Furthermore, it is possible that they simply commit evil to the end despite knowing that they will die. Moreover, it is difficult to define the most evil.
It is easy for changes in the government's decrees to spread to all death penalty crimes. By that time, the original intention of punishing evil and promoting good may no longer be maintained."
"I heard that in those days, those who showed their buttocks to the public before execution had to be executed by Emperor Taizu himself." Talking about things that happened so many years ago, Little Peanut was a little unsure. He hesitated before continuing,
"Uncle said that Emperor Taizu had deliberately set up iron signs in various government offices and wrote on them the crimes applicable to such punishment. As for the one who committed suicide before execution..."
The young man couldn't help but shuddered and whispered: "It is said that the purpose at that time was to crush the bones and spread the ashes into the Yellow River, so that they will never be reincarnated. Don't look at those people who are full of evil, most of them still believe in the afterlife. Besides,
Sometimes I still hope for a general amnesty, so I can't help but suffer. Although only one or two of these evil criminals are pardoned every year, there is still hope."
"Uncle, he has read some manuscripts that have been preserved from that time, and said that Taizu's amnesty order was actually a lie. Often, among the prisoners on death row who were reported, they were already selected for less serious crimes and only needed a few severe beatings.
It is impossible for ordinary people to grant amnesty to a guy who shows a 'little punishment' by turning around and letting him go. But please don't say these words to Dr. Zhang."
But at this point, Little Peanut suddenly came back to his senses. He caught a glimpse of the people on the platform who were beaten until they were crying for their fathers and mothers. He suddenly thought of another law and turned pale: "But Dr. Zhang, you are right, Emperor Taizong."
Later, those who had their buttocks paraded before the execution, and those who were convicted of the ten evil crimes, seemed to be included in the list of those who conspired to commit rebellion, etc... Wouldn’t Uncle Yunhe also be included in this category?"
Zhang Shou saw that little Peanut seemed to be about to cry in a hurry, and Ah Liu was patting the little guy's shoulder again to express comfort, so he also comforted him and said: "The matter hasn't come to light yet, so don't be anxious yet."
Little Peanut nodded vigorously, but his face was full of worry: "My uncle not only adopted me, but also taught me how to read and write. Uncle Yunhe did the same. But in Cangzhou, there is no way to pass the junior official examination. Later, in order to seek employment, he
To make a living, he went to sea with his uncle. After my uncle's ship sank, his mother and uncle had a big quarrel and refused to allow him to go to sea again, and forced him to learn spinning."
Zhang Shou narrowed his eyes slightly and then asked: "Speaking of which, I am a little curious. There seem to be more men than women in Cangzhou's spinners?"
"Yes, there have always been more men than women. Firstly, there are more men than women in Cangzhou. Secondly, it is because there is not enough land for farming. Nowadays, there are more sea transportation than water transportation, and the canal terminals do not need so many laborers. Thirdly, if
There are several spinning machines at home, and if both men and women in the family spin yarn, they can earn more than farming."
"Although the cotton cloth woven in Cangzhou does not have as many patterns as those in Jiangnan, it is strong and durable. The cotton cloth can be sent to the capital through waterways. Because of the short distance, the freight is cheaper than Jiangnan cotton. The price of ordinary cotton is only one-third of that of ordinary cotton in Jiangnan.
two."
Zhu Er didn't expect that Zhang Shou and Xiao Huahua could take the topic so far while watching an execution, so he couldn't help coughing hard.
He didn't have such a good psychological quality. Facing this scene, he felt a little numb and even had the urge to rub his butt.
Moreover, he couldn't help but think of others and himself, and thought of the things he had suffered in those years. Although it was not like the raindrops that never stopped like now, but ten times to start, twenty times to warm up, thirty times to make the ghost cry and wolf howl...
...I have never had this kind of experience. Of course, my family only spanked my buttocks. Unlike now, not to mention my buttocks, even my thighs were beaten with a wooden stick until there was no good piece of meat!
Zhang Shou, who had come back to his senses, saw Zhu Er's tangled expression and knew what he was thinking. At the moment, he did not try to expose the would-be second uncle who had been beaten by a professional, but he was not in a hurry to go in, but continued to watch outside.
lively.
Not long after, one of the men, who kept shouting and was willing to say anything and was the loudest, was dragged in again.
But in just a short while, this person's buttocks and legs were already stained with blood, and he must have been hit at least dozens of times.
When the others who were being beaten saw this scene, they all couldn't help shouting and begging for mercy.
But there was no voice ordering to stop at all. A person couldn't even turn around and dodge, so he could only stand there and suffer. Not long after, the person who seemed to be dragged in for questioning just now was dragged in again.
He took it out, threw it on the ground and continued to beat him. But this time, the person could only make a babbling sound. It turned out that his mouth was blocked by a ball of rags.
Before the other people could rejoice in their misfortune, another person was dragged in. He was also dragged out not long after, and was gagged and continued to beat him. By the time the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth person arrived, Zhang Shou had already noticed.
Come to fame.
The truth is that Zhu Tingfang deliberately compared the confessions of these guys and at the same time used these guys to scare the monkeys.
Sure enough, after the sixth guy was dragged out and beaten countless times, Zhu Tingfang slowly came out of the lobby, followed by Zhu Ying, who was disguised as a man. When she saw him, the former just nodded slightly, and Zhu Ying's eyes lit up.
But he immediately walked around the crowd and came to him, smiling and saying: "Ah Shou, you are really good at predicting things. We just went to the third house and intercepted these guys."
As she spoke, she raised her fist proudly: "I taught them a lesson!"
"Yes, yes, you taught me a good lesson. But when someone holds a hammer and an ax, you attack them with your bare hands... Yingying, when will you remember that a daughter of rich wealth cannot sit down in court?"
Seeing Zhang Shou sighing, Zhu Ying suddenly laughed: "I have suffered so much in practicing martial arts since I was a child. Isn't it just so that if I encounter this kind of situation, I won't have to hide in the back and point fingers? It's okay, I have a sense of propriety.
.Besides, my grandmother and mother persuaded my father to let me out because they wanted me to practice well. You don’t have to worry about my safety, I’m wearing soft armor.”
Zhu Ying lowered her voice so low that only Zhang Shou and the sharp-eyed Ah Liu beside him could hear this last sentence.
Even so, the reactions of the master and servant were completely different. Ah Liu nodded in agreement. As for Zhang Shou... he was really dumbfounded. If this was Zhu Er, no matter how experienced he was, he was wearing soft clothes.
It is also the right thing to use armor to defend yourself, but Zhu Ying needs experience? Even if it is experience, she will not be asked to beat people! Zhu Ying can't help but want to beat people!
When Zhu Ying saw Zhang Shou looking at her with a half-smile, she immediately averted his eyes with a guilty conscience, and then snorted softly: "There are too many rules in the capital. Even I can't just go find someone to trouble...
…Whoever let these people fall into my hands deserves it!”
While the two were talking, Zhu Tingfang had already ordered a temporary suspension of punishment, and immediately ordered several people to be sent to the palace and handed over to Du Heng's care - treating the palace as a prison, which means he has this kind of mentality and method.
After those guys who were gagged but still moaning pitifully were taken out of the county government office, the huge place gradually became quiet, and only the blood stains on the platform told people what happened just now——
But as two buckets of well water were poured on the top, several guards wiped it with mops, and the little blood stains could no longer be seen clearly.
Only the dots of dark brown stains remain, and I don't know if they are the blood and tears of the predecessors or just pure filth.
Zhu Tingfang called everyone to the second hall, and then said succinctly: "I have asked clearly. The people who instigated these people are the big owners who run workshops. I didn't send anyone to check their houses yesterday.
At that time, their family happened to hire someone from outside to frame Xian Yunhe, and they were all ruffians, so the beating they received before was not unjust."
Zhang Shou sneaked in as if he didn't see it. Little Peanut, who was hiding behind Ah Liu, nodded slightly to Ah Liu with a half-smile and said: "Ah Liu, it seems you should go and send tonight's invitation."