After a fight, the kitchen of Juxian Building was in a mess, so the bucket of pig blood that disappeared out of thin air would not attract other people's attention.
"Well done, you still owe me nine barrels!" Shangguan Peining did not forget to remind him.
Chai Yan shook his head and said to himself: "I became a chicken-blood thief last time, so I don't care if I become a pig-blood thief one more time..."
Then, Mo Di and Chai Yan escorted Menghulu back to the county government office. Also going to the government office was shopkeeper Zhu from Juxian Building.
Hearing that the real murderer of Su Jinhan's two concubines had been arrested, Zhouzhi County was very surprised. With Gu Zhengbang around, he did not dare to show any neglect and immediately came to the court overnight.
Just after Xu Shi, the lights came on in the county government hall...
"Boom, boom, boom..."
The hall servants struck the hall drum three times, and the three squads of yamen servants heard the sound and came in. After standing in the two compartments, they shouted in unison: "Sheng...tang..."
Soon, Zhou Zhixian, dressed in official uniform, entered through the side door of the Nuan Pavilion. Also coming in was a middle-aged scribe with an indifferent expression. This person was Gu Zhengbang.
Gu Zhengbang sat directly on the right side of the hall table. Seeing Gu Zhengbang sit firmly, Zhou Zhixian slowly took his seat.
Then, the hall attendant shouted outside: "Bring the murderer in!"
Before he finished speaking, Meng Hulu, who was shackled and handcuffed, was escorted by Mo Di and Qin Baotou into the lobby.
Later, the frowning shopkeeper Zhu and the sad and angry Su Jinhan also walked into the lobby.
As soon as a few people arrived in front of the hall, Qin Baotou shouted: "Kneel down!"
This sound was originally meant to intimidate Meng Hulu, but unexpectedly it frightened Shopkeeper Zhu. His legs softened and he immediately knelt down in front of the hall and shouted in a panic: "Sir, the common people are wronged, and the common people are just kind enough to take him in..."
....It’s none of the common people’s business…”
"Pah!" Zhou Zhixian was stunned and shouted to Shopkeeper Zhu: "I haven't started asking you yet, so don't make any noise!"
"Yes, yes..." Shopkeeper Zhu quickly shut up, not daring to make any more noise.
"Kneel down! Do you hear me..." Capt. Qin repeated to Meng Hulu, but Meng Hulu turned a deaf ear.
Mo Di lost his temper when he saw this, and immediately shouted: "Kneel down for me!"
When Mo Di made a sound, he already kicked Meng Hulu's right knee in the socket. Immediately, the right side of Meng Hulu's body collapsed and he knelt on one knee.
Kneeling on one knee in the courtroom was not enough, so Mo Di walked to the left side of Meng Hulu in a few steps, raised the arch of his foot and swept it, and Meng Hulu completely changed into a kneeling posture.
Zhou Zhixian had a majestic expression and a straight posture. He picked up the gavel with his right hand and slapped it on the case with a loud "snap".
The next moment, Zhou Zhixian leaned forward, stretched out his right hand towards the audience, pointed at the gourd and said: "Prisoner! State your surname..."
Menghulu just glanced at Zhou Zhixian contemptuously, then turned his head and ignored him.
Zhou Zhixian was angry at that time and said loudly: "The bold criminal dares to despise the court and ignore the official! Come on, let's hit twenty big boards first..."
Soon the third class yamen officer came up and pushed Menghu down down, and soon the sound of "pop, pop, pop" was heard.
After finishing twenty boards, Zhou Zhixian asked Meng Hulu again: "You haven't reported your name yet..."
"Did you hear me asking you something?" Zhou Zhixian asked again.
But Meng Gourd is like a hard stone that cannot be steamed or boiled, and there is no response.
Zhou Zhixian was suddenly stunned. Could it be that this guy couldn't hear or speak?
Thinking of this, Magistrate Zhou looked at Shopkeeper Zhu and asked, "I want to ask you, is this person mute or deaf?"
Shopkeeper Zhu shook his head hurriedly: "My lord, he is neither deaf nor mute, but he talks very little, so everyone calls him Menghulu..."
Boring gourd? Zhou Zhixian thought that he really lives up to his name.
"Pa!" Zhou Zhixian clapped the gavel for the third time and asked Meng Hulu sternly: "I want to ask you for the last time, what is your surname and where is your ancestral home?"
Menghulu didn't even look at Zhou Zhixian.
hateful!
Zhouzhi County is a little weird. The prisoner is neither deaf nor mute, but he refuses to speak. How can the case be tried if this continues?
Mr. Gu is sitting next to him, he won't think that his ability is insufficient from this...
Zhou Zhixian couldn't help but glance at Gu Zhengbang, and his eyes happened to collide with his. Zhou Zhixian's heart suddenly tightened and he became panicked.
"Come here, if you hit me twenty more times, I won't believe you and you won't open your mouth..." Zhou Zhixian was so angry that he suddenly stood up and pointed angrily at Meng Gourd in the hall.
As soon as the officials made a move, they heard Gu Zhengbang raise his hand to stop him: "Wait a minute!"
Zhou Zhixian thought that it was terrible, he must have made a mistake.
Gu Zhengbang said: "Master Zhou, if the prisoner refuses to speak, do you plan to keep beating him? What should you do if the prisoner is beaten to death?"
Zhou Zhixian left his seat, approached Gu Zhengbang and said: "Mr. Gu, the prisoner is stubborn and stubborn. The subordinate thought that only by making him suffer more flesh and blood will he speak..."
Gu Zhengbang looked at Zhou Zhixian calmly for a moment and asked: "Mr. Zhou, according to your estimate, how many punches will it take for him to reveal his name and ancestral home?"
"This..." Zhou Zhixian immediately smelled the sarcasm in the words, so he lowered his head and cupped his hands and said: "This official is stupid..."
Gu Zhengbang did not criticize Zhou Zhixian harshly, he just felt that he should not die and stare at Meng Hulu unchanged.
"Juxian Tower..." Gu Zhengbang reminded in a low voice.
"I understand!" Zhou Zhixian bowed his hands and hurriedly retreated behind the desk.
Zhou Zhixian glared at shopkeeper Zhu who had been kneeling for a long time in the hall, and asked: "You! What is your name, and where is your ancestral home?"
Shopkeeper Zhu quickly replied: "Sir, my surname is Zhu, my name is Sanhe, my ancestral home is Anping, I am a true native of this county..."
At this moment, there were three people standing in the lobby leading to the Nuan Pavilion, including Chai Yan, and the other two were Gu Ling and Doudou.
"This Zhou Zhixian already knows how to ask people what their surname is and where their ancestral home is... Can I ask something new?"
It was Gu Ling who voiced dissatisfaction. She had been paying close attention to everything that happened in the hall since she was promoted to the hall.
Doudou nodded, looking into the lobby, and whispered in agreement: "That's right...Miss, why don't you try this case yourself?"
Although Doudou is young, he has always liked watching this kind of trial drama, not to mention that the man he caught was a villain who killed two women at once!