The river was very fast. When the boat boss and other scholars heard Pei Ziyun's cry, they all came out to take a look and saw a slightly panicked Pei Ziyun.
The boss of the ship was the most nervous. He rushed up and said to Pei Ziyun: "Mr. Pei, who fell down? Can anyone still see it? Tell me quickly and I will ask someone to rescue."
The river water outside the boat beat one after another with the waves, making a rushing sound. Everyone looked at Pei Ziyun.
Pei Ziyun still smelled of alcohol and said in a deep voice: "I just drank too much and was a little anxious. Before I thought about it, I saw this boatman accidentally falling off the side of the ship. He must have drunk too much."
As he spoke, Pei Ziyun pointed a hundred meters away from the boat. The boss of the boat was already prepared and shouted quickly: "Stop the boat quickly, stop the boat quickly, something happened, rescue people quickly!"
Not far away, a black figure was floating in the water, and whirlpools were formed on the sparkling water from time to time. The current was usually very fast, and you couldn't go directly into the river. You had to tie it to your body with a rope, or get closer in a boat, using a hook. Only then can I be saved.
The boss of the ship was also well prepared. Seeing that it was one of his own who was in trouble, he hurriedly ordered the boatmen to come over and make arrangements to rescue people.
The river was gasping for breath. After just a short while, the boatman rushed further after falling into the river. Pei Ziyun looked at it and sneered secretly in his heart. If he fell into the river and drank so much water, he would probably get sick even if he died. , I couldn’t pass the state examination, and it’s hard to believe that I still have sequelae.
The boat sailed over, hooked the clothes with iron hooks, tied them with ropes and dragged them up. The boatman brought a puddle of water up and wet the deck.
The boss of the boat immediately shouted: "Hurry and press the water backwards!"
When other boatmen touched it, they felt that they were not breathing and their whole body was cold. This boatman was dying, but he still tried to save him. This man was sent by the helmsman, and his death would be very troublesome.
His body was still soft when he was dragged onto the boat, but became stiff after being rescued. The boss of the boat felt cold, thinking that this man could not be saved. He sighed and let go of his hand.
The scholars who were watching all felt that it was unlucky. They were going to the state to take the imperial examination, and the most important thing was good luck. Why did something like this happen? This man fell into the river on the way. It was really unlucky. They all said, "This guy." He made a mistake while drinking on the boat and deserved to be drowned.”
The boat boss was speechless. He knew that this man wanted to harm Pei Ziyun, but he didn't know why he fell into the river. He could only say: "My lords, the death of a person is a big deal. We will stop at the next county town and invite people from the government. Come for inspection, wait until it is over, and then send you gentlemen to Dezhou City."
Several scholars had no objections. When the captain of the ship saw this, he was secretly happy. As long as he dragged it to the helm to report the news, he would no longer have any responsibility. As for the scholars, they could only wish for themselves.
Just as he was thinking about it, Pei Ziyun sneered: "Boss, what you said is unreasonable. You clearly know that our exam period is approaching. We are parked in the next county. People from the government come and go. If there are lawsuits, we don't know if we can catch up with the state exam." "
All the scholars were startled and realized that they looked at the boss of the ship with a somewhat evil look. If there was such a delay, the state examination might be delayed. Even if it was only slightly possible, it would not be allowed.
Yu Guangmao sneered: "You are cunning. Anyway, you said you only have one day to go to Zhoucheng, so you should stop the boat in Zhoucheng. There are also people from the government in Zhoucheng!"
"Brother Yu is saying, do you want to delay my fame?" Some scholars were furious.
Just one scholar, seven or eight scholars, together they are a huge force. The captain of the ship raised his head and glanced at Pei Ziyun, feeling shocked in his heart.
The boatman wanted to harm the scholar, but he died in the end. Now that he had seen through his own mind, he had doubts in his heart. However, the other party was a scholar, so he did not dare to say anything more and ordered the boatman to start the boat.
The sun was hot at noon, but if one person drowned, it would be unlucky, and several people's hearts would be heavy.
The boss of the boat was smoking a hookah, and his heart was heavy. He smacked his mouth and sat on one side. He didn't know what he was thinking. The wrinkles on his forehead seemed to be more obvious. He smacked his mouth and frowned from time to time. He smoked a few hookahs. , only listening to the sound of the hookah.
Zhoucheng·Gaochuiguan
Zhang Jieyu and Li Wenjing had arrived at the state capital and lived in this temple. At this time, Li Wenjing smiled and said: "This temple was originally a family. Something happened to the head of the household. It has been deserted for more than ten years. The courtyard is full of badgers and wormwood." Foxes are out.”
"I bought it right away, repaired it a lot, and made three improvements according to the regulations."
"The ancient Chinese chrysanthemum trees have been relocated, and the leaves are lush and amazing." While making tea and talking in the sunshine, Zhang Jieyu felt something wrong with his face while listening to the sound of the tea boiling.
Li Wenjing was sipping tea with Zhang Jieyu on the side. At this time, he saw Zhang Jieyu's expression and asked, "Master, are you worried about Pei Ziyun?"
When Zhang Jieyu heard what Li Wenjing said, his eyebrows were a little strange. When Li Wenjing saw Zhang Jieyu's expression, he just smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir. I have sent people there as planned. Even if they can't do harm, they can still do it." Stop him."
After Li Wenjing said this, Zhang Jieyu felt relieved and drank a cup of tea.
In the afternoon of the next day, the boat arrived in Fucheng after a day and night of hard work. The boss of the boat looked gloomy and called the boatman to report the case. The scholars didn't look very good either. They didn't sleep very peacefully. Their faces were a little white and they had dark circles under their eyes. On the first floor, sitting around the table, waiting for the court arrests to arrive.
The boatman went out. After half an hour, he heard a noise outside. When he saw it, the boatman led a catcher towards the boat. The catcher had a sinister look on his brows and a majestic look on his face. He was holding the handle of his knife. Followed by two government officials.
The yamen officers following the arrester, one holding a chain and the other holding an iron ruler, urged the onlookers: "Get out of the way, the yamen officers are handling the case, don't watch."
Some people in the crowd cursed secretly, others discussed what happened, and the government officials came.
"They must be here to arrest people. Didn't you see that the catcher was followed by the government officials, all wearing chains?" The catcher called the police and reported that someone died on the boat. He didn't know whether it was murder or drowning, so the catcher took the guy with him. When I came, I was shocked when I got on the boat. The people on the boat were all scholars. Could it be that one of the scholars died
This is a big deal.
After entering the cabin, I lifted up the white cloth on the corpse and felt a stinky smell. I covered my nose and took a closer look. It turned out to be a dirty boatman. It was not a scholar who died. This was a trivial matter. The catcher turned his eyes and felt something in his heart. I have an idea, I want to beat the boss of this ship, maybe squeeze out some oil and water.
With this thought in mind, he asked the yamen officer to call the captain of the boat over. He heard the yamen officer yell loudly: "You are so bold and unruly, and you won't kneel down when I see the master catcher."
Capturing the head is not considered an official, it can only be regarded as an official commission, but such an official commission is very dignified at the lower level. The yamen officer shouted loudly, and the boss of the ship was so frightened that he knelt down.
Listening to what the boss of the boat said in detail, it turned out that the boat caught a big fish at noon yesterday and made some wine to entertain the scholar. The boatman also went to eat and fell into the river.
It was originally planned to report the crime locally, but the scholar refused, so it was transported to the state capital.
Hearing what the ship boss said, the catcher smiled coldly, "The scholars are preparing for the autumn examination, how can I let you delay?"
The catcher walked a few steps to the left and right of the white cloth covering the body, thought about it, turned around, stared at the boss of the boat with a fierce look in his eyes, and yelled: "You are so bold and unruly, tell me honestly, are you colluding with the boatman?" I assassinated a scholar, but something happened and I fell into the river. Tell me honestly, and when I report it, I can ask the master to give you a lighter sentence."
The captain of the boat just heard this loud shout, and there was something wrong in his heart. He was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he hurriedly kowtowed and begged for mercy: "Master Captor, how dare I harm the scholar? This boatman drank too much and fell into the water when he was drunk. Really?" It’s none of my business.”
The head catcher only intended to scare him, so he was overjoyed when he saw the boss of the ship was so frightened. He seemed to be a soft persimmon, and he wanted to squeeze more money out of him. He said, "Come into the cabin with me!"
The boss of the ship was speechless for a moment, so he had no choice but to follow in, and listened to the policeman saying with a smile: "But this matter is a matter of uncertainty. If you are willing to pay, the scholar will be fine, and I can clear the way for you." Take care of yourself and avoid this crime, otherwise you will be in big trouble."
The boat boss was a shrewd man, and at first he had something in his mind that frightened him. But now after hearing these words, his heart suddenly became clear. The police officer had no suspicion at all - the scholar was fine, he was just a lowly boatman who died!
The boss of the ship wiped away the cold sweat and asked: "Sir, how much does it cost?"
After listening to the words of the captain of the ship, the catcher stretched out five fingers. The boss of the ship was surprised when he heard: "Five taels?"
After saying that, he sat down on the floor.
The policeman looked at it and threatened: "Five taels, not much. Otherwise, if you get a serious lawsuit, it won't be settled by five taels."
After a moment, the catcher smiled brightly, came to the hall, bowed to the scholar, and concluded the case: "My dear gentlemen, I'm frightened. I just slipped and drowned a boatman while drunk. It's not a big deal. The case is closed."
"My dear sirs, please excuse me."
After saying that, he took his leave, got on the pedal, and played with the five taels of silver in his hand contentedly. As he was far away from the boat, the catcher threw two five-cent pieces of silver towards the two government servants behind him: "I came out to fish for oil and water. This little money is just for tea for you two brothers, just don’t say more about it."
The two yamen servants were busy saying thank you and were very grateful.
Pei Ziyun had prepared a lot of words to prepare for the arrest. Unexpectedly, the arrest not only closed the case hastily, but was also very polite. He only asked a few casual questions to himself, and suddenly his eyebrows relaxed: "It seems that this matter is... In the past, I’m not from ancient times, so I don’t really understand the power of fame!”
"This is still a scholar. If he wins the imperial examination, I'm afraid he won't even ask."
Just as I was thinking about it, seeing that the matter was over, the scholars all packed up their luggage and left separately. However, this delay made it evening.
Pei Ziyun got off the boat. It was getting dark at this time. He saw passengers on the passenger boat next door. He felt strange and went up to ask: "There are still boats leaving at night?"
A boat boss came out of it. This boat boss had a tanned skin. When he saw the people coming, he hurriedly came up to greet him and said, "Of course there are. It's very fast to go down the river from the mansion. The water is flat. Go to the county below." Come up twice as fast, you'll be there in a minute."
When Pei Ziyun heard this, he thought to himself: "Hey, God help me. I remember that Li Wenjing's residence is downstream, which is not far from the shore."
He took a deep look at the passenger ship and left.
(End of chapter)