The riverside in the distance was very lively with the sound of people talking and drums beating. Almost all the villagers gathered by the river, blocking Zhu Ping'an's view. Zhu Ping'an could not see what was happening by the river. He could only hear the sound of drums and gongs and the noise of people talking.
It was like offering sacrifice to the river, but not at all. The atmosphere was different. Zhu Ping'an did not see any incense table, offerings, heavenly books, or kneeling.
Bang bang bang bang...
A burst of firecrackers rang out, as if it was New Year's Day, pushing the atmosphere by the river to a climax, and echoing with people's noisy voices.
Zhu Ping'an didn't know if it was an auditory hallucination or something, but he vaguely heard a curse, which made him even more curious about what the villagers were doing by the river, so he stepped on his horse and accelerated towards the river.
Soon, Zhu Pingan arrived at the scene.
Zhu Pingan tied his horse to a nearby tree and squeezed into the crowd. People gathered by the river in a rage, their eyes focused on the river, and they didn't notice Zhu Pingan's arrival at all. Everyone's focus was on the river, or more precisely, on the two people by the river.
Damn it!
Zhu Ping'an only took one look and couldn't help but curse.
This is a river sacrifice, this is clearly drowning in a lake, this is lynching!!!
This scene by the river is shocking.
There are two cages made of bamboo strips in front of the pool by the river. They are made of fresh bamboo strips, more than one meter long and half a meter high, tied into a cylindrical shape. The opening is relatively large and the bottom is woven with bamboo strips.
The materials are of high quality, no expense is spared, and the product is sturdy and strong.
This bamboo cage is exactly the same as the pig cage used by Xiahe Village to transport pigs to the market town for sale, except that there are no pigs inside.
There were two people in the pig cage, a man and a woman, their bodies covered with wounds. The man was beaten into a pig's head, but he could barely see his human form. His clothes were whipped into strips, and his body was covered in blood. The woman was better off. Although her clothes were stained with blood, they could still cover her body.
From her appearance, although there were scars on her face, it can be seen that the woman had a pretty face, and was in her early thirties, in full bloom. The woman's clothes were stained with blood and wrinkled, but it can be seen that the material was of the best quality, there were fine pearl earrings on her earlobes, and there was an extremely fine jade bracelet on her wrist... ... It was obvious that she came from an upper-class family.
The man was beaten into a pig's head and his features could not be seen. Judging from the outline, he had a long face and should not be ugly, but of course his head was now a pig's head. The man's clothes were much inferior to the woman's. The material was ordinary cotton cloth, and the clothes had been whipped into strips, but the general outline could be seen. Some of them looked like the style of a butler of a wealthy family or a housekeeper of some status.
At this moment, both of their mouths were tied with white cloth strips, so they couldn't speak and could only moan.
Not only that, the two men were also tied up with iron chains, and their arms and feet were specially tied up with iron chains and then locked up.
The village is surrounded by mountains and water. The big river in front of the village is blocked by the mountains and makes a U-shape in front of the village, like a belt tied around the village, forming a belt water. The water volume of this river is very large, especially in the U-shaped part, which has formed a deep pool. The whirlpool in the river pool can be seen with the naked eye, which is very dangerous.
There is no doubt that these two people will be thrown into the river and drowned.
The people around cursed the two people in the pig cage, and from time to time threw rotten eggs, rotten vegetable leaves and even stones in their hands at the two people in the pig cage.
There were several old men in the crowd, in the middle was an old man with a white beard. His hair was gray, and he looked vigorous. His eyes were deeply sunken in his eye sockets, and his eyes were full of wrinkles, showing the traces of wind and frost.
The villagers were very respectful to these old men, especially the white-bearded old man in the middle.
"The time has come."
As soon as Zhu Ping'an came in, he saw the white-bearded old man in the middle raised his head to look at the sun, then slammed the cane in his hand to the ground and said in a deep voice.
After the white-bearded old man finished speaking, an old man in his fifties nodded and walked out. He glanced at the two people in the pig cage with disdain, then waved to the crowd and gave orders:
"Sinking into the lake! Life or death, let the river god judge!"
After the old man finished speaking, people responded in unison, and then eight strong young men stepped forward, bare shoulders, holding ropes and thigh-thick sticks in their hands. The eight young men walked to the pig cage, tied the opening of the pig cage with a rope, then wrapped the rope around the head and tail of the pig cage and lifted it up with a stick.
The two people in the pig cage struggled and whimpered, but because they were tied with iron chains, no matter how hard they tried, it was of no use. The two people's eyes were filled with despair.
"One, two, one, two, one, two"
The eight young men carried the pig cage to the shore, spread their arms and shook it, using one or two swings to swing it at the same time. Shake, shake, shake, when the inertia is completed, they swing their arms.
It was about to be thrown into the river.
"stop!"
At this moment, a young man's voice reached everyone's ears. Suddenly, the eight young men on the river bank who were about to throw the pig cage stopped and turned their heads.
Not only them, but also the villagers by the river, including the elders, all focused their attention on the young man who spoke. Of course, this young man was Zhu Ping'an.
"Stranger, it's not your turn to interfere in our village's affairs!" The old man in his fifties walked out.
"I saw you abusing lynching, so I can't just sit back and watch." Zhu Ping'an shook his head.
Bullshit, let the river god judge whether they live or die?! The hands and feet of the two were chained, the pig cage was sealed, and there were a few stones inside. If they were sunk into the river like this, there would be no chance of survival! What kind of river god judgement is this
How could I just sit back and watch such behavior
"Abuse of private conduct?!" The fifty-year-old man sneered twice upon hearing this, turned his gaze from Zhu Ping'an to the two people in the pig cage, and snorted coldly, "This is what they deserve!"
"What are you still standing there for, you two evildoers from Chenhu!" The old man in his fifties waved his hand again at the eight young men.
Upon hearing this, the eight young men raised their sticks and started shaking them again, ready to let go together after they found the rhythm.
"stop!"
Zhu Ping'an spoke up again to stop it.
How absurd! They treat human life as worthless! I have heard that in many villages, cases such as lawsuits are not reported to the county government, but are handled by the clan leader or the village elders council or prestigious elders. They abuse lynching and ignore state resources!
How can we turn a blind eye to two lives lost!
"What qualifications do you, a foreigner, have to point fingers at the affairs of our Majia Village? Humph, don't listen to his nonsense, sink these two evildoers!" The old man in his fifties glanced at Zhu Ping'an with a dark face, and then shouted to the stunned young men.
That is, why listen to a foreigner
The old man's words made the young men firm in their thinking, and then they lifted the pig cage and shook it again.
"That's right, the adulterer and the adulteress should have been thrown into the pig cage long ago."
"The reputation of our Majia Village has been ruined by these two people. Only by sinking them in the lake can the shame of our Majia Village be washed away."
"That's right. Master Wang treated her so well that she no longer had to do farm work. She was well fed and well clothed, and this is how she responded... She was unfaithful to her husband, had affairs with other men, and was a disgrace to society. She was a nuisance to society."
"Especially that Steward Song, he deserves to be cut into pieces, a poor boy who can't even afford to eat, and Master Wang kindly promoted him to be a steward and helped him get married and start a family. Who would have thought that this ungrateful bastard would eat Master Wang's food, live in Master Wang's house, receive Master Wang's salary, and end up sleeping with the mistress! It's a bargain for such a person to be buried in the lake!"
"Shenhu, Shenhu..."
Seeing this, the people around him expressed their support and cheered loudly. (To be continued.)