Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 339 Spicy Master
The atmosphere in the hall was solemn and murderous, and the county magistrate banged the gavel several times.

Two rows of soldiers were placed along the table, extending all the way to the entrance of the hall, totaling thirty-six people.

The front-line soldiers were stout, with piercing tiger eyes, swords at their waists, and chain hammers around their necks. The back-line soldiers were equally skilled and brave, but compared to the front-line soldiers, they were like the difference between a tiger and its cub.

The beggar thought carefully and concluded that the "salon runners" standing on the left and right should be the soldiers of the Red Turban Army.

The county magistrate leaned forward, his eyes blazing with anger, and pointed two fingers like knives at the fat man in the audience. "Xifenglou's owner, Ding Dongxia, owes Wang Xiaoer 4,320 wen in wages. After investigation, it is confirmed that this is true. Ding Dongxia is sentenced to pay double the wages owed and to impose a fine five times the amount. Based on the silver-copper exchange rate in the 48th year of the Wanli reign, the fine is 21 taels and 6 qian of silver! Five more killing punches!"

At the moment the fist word ended, the eighteen soldiers in the front row moved almost at the same time.

However, the first person moved too quickly and got there first, with his fist already landing on the target's face. The others could only retreat in disappointment and wait for the next opportunity to "share" the prey.

"Ahhh!"

Shopkeeper Ding only felt a gust of fist wind coming at him, and each punch was so strong and powerful that it seemed as if it wanted to blend Shopkeeper Ding's facial features into the messy paint and mix them up.

After only five punches, Manager Ding's face was covered in blood. He was immediately dragged to the back court by the soldiers in the back row to pay a fine.

The young man whose wages were withheld immediately knelt on the ground and shouted, "My Lord!" Before he could finish kneeling, he was forcibly helped up by the soldiers beside him.

The county magistrate simply said, "Kneel down to heaven, kneel down to earth, kneel down to my parents. I am not worthy of your kneeling!"

Wang Xiaoer was about to kneel down and kowtow to express his gratitude, but the soldier stopped him and said, "Hurry up and go to the back hall to collect your wages."

"Yes, yes, yes." Wang Xiaoer smiled happily, as if the clouds had parted and the sky had appeared. He ducked down and followed the soldier into the back hall.

The county magistrate raised the gavel and banged it again, like a helper serving rice in a porridge stall, and shouted in a Shandong accent, "Xia Yige!"

At this time, a group of indignant neighbors escorted a thin young man into the lobby, followed by a young and beautiful young woman with tears in her eyes.

The case was not complicated. The "plaintiff" was a concubine from a middle-class family, and her husband had been bedridden for many years.

Seeing that his father's concubine still had charm, the young master quietly broke into the room one morning and wanted to take the concubine for himself.

Fortunately, the concubine was loyal to her master. She quickly broke out of the door and shouted for help, which attracted the servants to help and catch the lewd young master.

When the neighbors heard that such an immoral thing had happened, they brought the lecherous young master to see the authorities.

Seeing that the parties involved and the witnesses were all present, the county magistrate immediately made the decision, "Rape a decent woman, drag her away and give her a hundred lashes!"

When the beggar heard this, he initially thought that the efficiency of solving the case was very high. The county magistrate really responded to the people's requests. The Red Turban Army soldiers also moved very quickly. They pinned the young man to the ground in almost a short moment and hit him with two sticks before the young man could even shout.

He felt a pain in his buttocks and started yelling, like a goat with its neck pinched, his throat about to burst. "Unjust! I am wronged!"

"Wait. Tell me what you have wronged me—"

The county magistrate frowned and glanced at the young man and the young woman respectively. The former was sweating profusely after eating two sticks, and the latter took a handkerchief and wiped the corners of her eyes.

The young master's confession was obviously another version: he said that he got up early in the morning to read, and accidentally heard a strange noise. He went to investigate alone and ended up discovering the "good deed" between his aunt and the servant.

He originally wanted to catch the adulterer and punish him severely, but he didn't expect his aunt to grab him and make the adulterer flee the scene quickly.

Before the young master could escape, the aunt shouted for help and said someone was raping her, and then grabbed his arm and rushed to the door.

The adulterer quickly put on his clothes and returned to the scene, instantly becoming a hero for capturing the "traitor".

After listening to the confessions, the county magistrate looked up and down at the parties involved, and his eyes suddenly became sharp.

The county magistrate said that he still couldn't tell the truth about the case, but he gave the victim and the criminal a chance.

The county magistrate claimed that he was a crude warrior who only knew how to compete in strength. Now the victim and the prisoner were playing tug-of-war, and whoever won would be judged the winner.

Although this was an extremely strange approach, the aunt and the young master had no choice but to do it because of the gleaming steel knives around them.

Perhaps it was because of the concubine's voluptuous figure, or because the young master was as thin as a bamboo pole, and was beaten twice with a stick, but the man was unable to pull out the concubine and was ultimately defeated miserably.

So the county magistrate selected a thin scholar from the crowd. As a result, the two grown men could only barely tie with the concubine, and it took them a while to win a narrow victory.

At this time, all three of them had lost all their strength and collapsed on the ground, sweating profusely.

"It took two men fighting you to evenly match their strength. How could your young master succeed on his own? It's obvious that you committed adultery with the servant and are accusing the young master of adultery!"

"It's unfair!" The concubine quickly changed her words and said that she was drugged by the young master and knocked unconscious.

"You're lying! If you were drugged, how would you know who the rapist is?"

"It was Xiao Zhou. He saw me in the woodshed, my clothes disheveled, and then he saw the young master coming out of the room..."

As the aunt spoke, she turned her head and glanced at the servant named Zhou.

Unexpectedly, the county magistrate lost his composure. Like a hungry wolf, he leaped over the case and headed straight for the Zhou servant, his armor plates clacking as he walked. "Is it true? Is it false? Hmm?"

"I, I, I..."

The servant was already guilty of his crime, and now that he was being pressed by the murderous county magistrate, and seeing that the facts were basically clear, his legs immediately went weak and he knelt down, claiming that he had been blinded by greed and had been seduced by the second concubine several times and had fallen into the trap, and he would never dare to do it again.

"Alright, alright! Your husband is still alive, yet you've committed adultery in secret, and you've even falsely accused him. Your crimes are unforgivable! Drag him away and give him two hundred lashes!"

"Master, please spare my life!"

The adulterous couple immediately called out to the master for mercy, and promised that they would be turned into beef balls after being beaten with 200 boards.

The hungry players on the side had already lost their patience and quickly stepped forward to knock the pair of false accusers over, picked up the sticks they carried and hit them hard on the buttocks.

The sounds of clubs hitting flesh echoed throughout the hall. The county magistrate turned to the falsely accused young master and said, "You were struck twice without reason. The medicine and medical expenses for the flesh wounds you sustained will be reimbursed by this county..."

The beggar and the onlookers were all shocked when they heard this.

The magistrate was very observant and gave justice to the person who was falsely accused, which was already a great act of justice. However, he actually asked him to pay medical expenses for a momentary "mistake".

I’m afraid that if Hai Qingtian and Hai Rui came here in the past, they would also praise the fair judgment.

"My Lord!" There was another thunderous cheer.

Wang Xiaoer and the young master were lucky enough to escape. The two bodies were dragged out of the yamen.

After the two cases were concluded, the victims and criminals of the third case were all brought in. They were a group of young men with frivolous words and a gentleman with bruises on his face.

But before the case began, the county magistrate had a problem. Several men in different clothes started arguing behind the desk.

"We agreed that after ten cases, the next one would take the next turn. Why are you still cheating?"

"Please, brothers, let me break it off a couple more times! I can do anything." The armored magistrate tried his best to lower his voice.

"Impossible! Ten times is ten times. You're so happy to solve the case, but the brothers in line are all waiting!"

"No, just let me pretend one last time, okay?"

"A man who doesn't keep his promise will be ten centimeters shorter!" "Goodness, the curse is so vicious?"

The armored magistrate seemed to have been hit in the soft spot and took several steps back without any resistance, but was actually taken over by a short-haired man.

"Ahem..." The short-haired man coughed lightly a few times, then said as if no one was around, "Zhang Zhixian is unwell, so I, Lu Zhisen, will be temporarily handling criminal matters."

The people were immediately delighted when they saw this.

County Magistrate Zhang was standing right next to him, so why did he suddenly feel unwell? Could it be that he didn't treat County Magistrate Zhang as a human being?

As the saying goes, the emperor takes turns, and next year it will be my turn.

You Red Turban Army take turns to be the county magistrate, and you are coming to my house today, right?
Some people who were not familiar with the Red Turban Army immediately asked, who is this person who casually replaced County Magistrate Zhang? Could he be a senior general in the army who was appointed as a prefect, a magistrate, or something like that?
Some knowledgeable people said that the high-ranking officers in the Red Turban Army were like people wearing the same underwear. Not to mention the county magistrates who were rotated at will, even the deputy generals had hundreds of people. When a military meeting started, the room was full of people, and some people even had to stand on tables and chairs.

I heard they like to give themselves nicknames, such as "Dragon Man", "Fourth Heavenly Devil", "Ji County Warrior", "Village Man"...

Perhaps many Red Turban Army officers came from "villages", so they understood the sufferings of the people, and were more sympathetic to the common people whether in taxation or in judging cases.

If they had good things, they would not keep them to themselves, but would share them equally with their soldiers. Even most of the generals have not married yet, and they only rely on listening to music in brothels to satisfy their needs.

Some people also heard that these high-ranking officers in the Red Turban Army were originally low-ranking soldiers in the Beiwei Army. The reason why they were able to win every battle and were fearless of death was that they practiced a secret martial arts manual called "Sunflower Manual".

Anyone who practices this skill will damage the meridians of the whole body, and in the future he can only rely on a special secret medicine called "Sheshequan" (SeSequan) to stand upright. Otherwise, even if a beautiful courtesan stands in front of him, he will not have any evil thoughts, and may even involuntarily hum cheerful and lively nursery rhymes to drive away lust.

Countless Red Turban Army generals have gained a good reputation for being able to remain calm even when a woman's lap is too soft.

However, this medicine is extremely rare, and even the generals of the Red Turban Army find it difficult to obtain it. Therefore, few of them have married and had children so far. They can only show their prowess in front of the brothels after they have collected the medicine.

Upon hearing this, the beggars and the surrounding people lamented the suffering of the Red Turban Army. They never expected that the Red Turban Army, who "would rather starve to death than plunder and would rather freeze to death than demolish houses", had such a painful past.

They fought so hard for the court and paid such a high price, but the court just abandoned them...

The next person to report to the authorities was a wealthy businessman. He claimed that he had caught a poor scholar who had attempted to abduct his daughter and elope. He begged the county magistrate to punish the scholar.

The scholar complained that he was truly in love with the rich businessman's daughter.

However, the wealthy businessman thought that his family was poor and he had not even passed the imperial examination to become a scholar. So he only worked as an accountant in the inn, so he did not allow the two of them to have any contact.

He even wanted to marry his daughter to a wealthy family to get rid of the idea of ​​"a toad eating swan meat" and make it a match between rich and powerful families.

The scholar was well aware of his family's financial difficulties and wanted to give up the idea.

Unexpectedly, the rich businessman's daughter had a strong temper. When she learned that she was promised to the stupid son of a wealthy family, she immediately packed her bags, climbed over the wall and ran to the scholar's house, hoping that he would take her away.

Before the two men could leave the city, they were caught by the rich businessman's servants and the scholar was beaten up.

Even so, the wealthy businessman still felt it was not enough. He had to completely destroy the scholar to put an end to his daughter's "evil thoughts".

"Since it's a reported kidnapping case, what can we do if the person involved is not here? Someone, go to this person's home and bring the rich businessman's daughter here." The new county magistrate had short hair and a short shirt, and he looked like a cadre of the literary era.

Soon, a young girl arrived at the yamen with the soldiers. Upon seeing the scholar with a wound on his face, the young girl was about to rush over, but was stopped by the wealthy merchant and his servants.

The new county magistrate understood the whole situation as soon as he saw the woman's attitude. He immediately raised his palm and slammed it on the table. "This official has understood the whole process. Sun Jin's accusation of Chen Shang's abduction is false, but Sun Jin's conspiracy with the servants to intentionally injure someone is true. Come! Give him twenty lashes of the cane!"

The wealthy businessman was slightly startled when he heard this, thinking that he was the victim, why was he the one being beaten? He immediately angrily accused the magistrate of unfair judgment.

Parents’ orders and matchmaker’s words have always been the decision of their children’s marriage since ancient times. What’s wrong with being well-matched? What’s the point of being happy or unhappy?

Could it be that the Red Turban Army no longer followed the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues of "ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife" when they ruled the area?

A minister cannot disobey his ruler, a wife cannot oppose her husband, and children cannot disobey their parents.

Without these ethical and moral principles to restrain people's hearts, will people be allowed to become immoral beasts?
"What a great Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues! Do you still remember the original meaning of the Three Bonds?
The ruler is the leader of his subjects. If the ruler is unjust, his subjects will flee to another country. The state is the leader of its people. If the state is unjust, the people will rise up and attack it. The father is the leader of his sons. If the father is unkind, the son will flee to another country. The son is the father's hope. If the son is unjust, he will destroy his own family for the greater good. The husband is the leader of his wife. If the husband is unjust, his wife may remarry. The wife is the helper of her husband. If she is unvirtuous, the husband should divorce her!

You force your daughter to marry a wealthy man just because you are greedy for his wealth. Have you ever cared about your daughter's happiness or asked about her wishes? Can you force her to suffer a lifetime of grievances just by saying it's for her own good?

What kind of bullshit match is this!

In order to stop the Red Turban Army, corrupt officials set fire to more than ten counties. Did they ever ask about the people who were burned? Could this also be a good intention of loyalty to the emperor and the country?

The wealthy businessman retorted that the Ming Dynasty had been established for more than two hundred years, and the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues had been implemented throughout its history.

If the ruler is not a ruler, the minister is not a minister, the son is not a son, and the wife is not a wife, what a turbid world this would be.

Even if this "young couple" were given the freedom to fall in love, they had no special skills and no wealth. They were like a pair of ignorant fish that escaped from the pond without permission. How could they survive in such a chaotic world?

"That is the duty of the Red Turban Army—to establish a mind for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to carry on the lost teachings of the ancient sages, and to bring peace to the world for eternity!" The new county magistrate slammed his hand on the table. "In the past, you grew up under the pseudo-Meiji regime, with no choice in your words and actions. Today, I grant you both the right to live!"

The new county magistrate glanced past the shocked wealthy businessman and looked at the star-crossed couple.

The county magistrate warned the two that if they chose to be together, they might encounter many difficulties and obstacles in the future. One day they would be lying helplessly on a sickbed with no money for medical treatment, and could only wail in despair, regretting that they did not listen to their parents' advice today.

Perhaps the man or the woman changes his or her heart one day, and becomes resentful of the other half, hating the other half for dragging him or her into the abyss of "elopement", and treating the second half of his or her life for decades as a long torture.

Perhaps after having children, the couple's situation will become worse, and they may even have to abandon their sick child on a stormy night to save money and food to support the child.

Perhaps there is still a lot of misery and despair waiting for them.

If they knew that there would be so much misery and despair waiting for them, but still wanted to swim out of the pond of comfort...

"Choose."

The new county magistrate gave the two the freedom of choice. If Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai had been able to make their own choices, they would not have ended up in such a tragic way.

The two were slightly stunned, as if this world had never given them the right to choose at this moment. It had always been the emperor's orders, the bureaucrats' orders, the parents' orders...

The open and aboveboard free love that does not consider family background and only considers personal emotions and feelings is too new to them, and makes them a little confused.

It was not until the county magistrate urged them that they unconsciously moved their feet and came to each other.

The two smiled at each other, as if they were back to the afternoon when they first met. The sun was shining brightly and the flowers were blooming. They passed each other on the river bridge in the city, and a faint fragrance wafted into their noses.

They subconsciously held hands, turned around and shouted "My Lord, the Honest Lord" to the county magistrate, and then walked hand in hand across the hall of the yamen, deciding to face the unknown future together.

……

Zhang Rong was stunned after watching this scene.

He looked down at his hands, which had been stained with mud and dirt from years of wandering.

Can he, an "abandoned child" who has lived for many years, also have the rights of the common people?

The grievances that had been frozen in his heart for many years began to crack, and the crack gradually cracked and expanded, eventually forming a bottomless ravine.

(End of this chapter)