The pig cage was shaking and about to collapse.
The river was unfathomable, the water had whirlpools, and the two people in the pig cage had their hands and feet chained and stones placed on them. If they were thrown into the river, there was no way they would survive.
The crowd was outraged. An elder in his 50s waved his hands vigorously and shouted "Sink into the lake".
Hey yo, hey yo...
Eight strong young men shouted slogans, swung the pig cage, and were about to throw the pig into the river in front of them.
"stop!"
Zhu Pingan stood up again. How could he turn a blind eye to the cruel death of two lives in front of him in such a cruel way? In order to achieve his goal, his voice was more powerful than before.
Zhu Ping'an's voice was very obvious in the crowd, interrupting the rhythm of the young man's singing.
The eight sturdy young men paused and turned their eyes. The old man in his 50s glared at Zhu Ping'an with anger on his face. "Time and again, you, an outsider, have no right to point fingers at my Ma Village. If you make trouble again, don't blame us for bullying outsiders!"
"qualifications?"
"Then do you think I'm qualified?!"
Zhu Ping'an shook his head slightly when he heard this, then reached out to take out the official disc and waved it in front of everyone, especially the old men.
Although the Ming Dynasty issued a unified law that was implemented throughout the country, the villages below would always elect a respected elder, or village chief, according to tradition to judge disputes in the village. They could decide who was right and who was wrong, who should be punished, carry out lynchings, and even hold the power of life and death in the village.
Today's pig cage immersion is the death penalty in lynching.
If it was an ordinary matter, Zhu Ping'an would respect it, but when it comes to life, Zhu Ping'an can't just turn a blind eye. Moreover, the method of immersing in a pig cage is too inhumane.
There was no other way. Life was at stake, so Zhu Ping'an had to use his power to suppress others.
After thinking about it, they might not recognize the official certificate, so Zhu Ping'an took out an ebony ivory plate from his waist. This was the Ming Dynasty's rank identity certificate. In addition to personal basic information, official position, etc., there was also the seal of the Hanlin Academy.
"ah?"
"I am a commoner, paying my respects to you, sir."
The fifty-year-old elder came closer to take a look at Zhu Ping'an's official certificate and ivory plaque, his face changed, and he was about to kneel down to salute. These village elders also had the opportunity to meet the county magistrate, and their Majia Village had also produced officials, so they were not unfamiliar with official certificates and ivory plaques and recognized them at once.
In ancient times, the idea of officialism was strong, and when these villagers saw officials, they were in awe from the bottom of their hearts.
Seeing the old man kneeling, the villagers knelt down one after another, especially the eight young men, who quickly put the pig cage on the shore and knelt down.
Seeing this, the two people in the pig cage's desperate eyes lit up...
How could Zhu Ping'an bear to let such an old man kneel down to him? He quickly reached out and helped the old men in front of him up, especially the old man with a white beard, who was helped up by Zhu Ping'an before he even knelt down. As soon as the other villagers knelt down, Zhu Ping'an quickly asked them to stand up.
The old man in his 50s was in awe of Zhu Ping'an's official status and dared not give orders to sink into the lake again, but looking at the two people in the pig cage, he was heartbroken, with a feeling of depression and anger in his heart that was difficult to resolve, and the wrinkles on his forehead almost formed a capital "I don't accept it". The villagers knelt down because of Zhu Ping'an's official status; they all looked at the pig cage with reluctance, and they were also very dissatisfied in their hearts.
The villagers showed respect for Zhu Ping'an on their faces, but their eyes and hearts were filled with depression, resentment, dissatisfaction and deep unwelcome.
While everyone was in awe of Zhu Pingan, a tall figure also stood out. It was the old man who spoke at the beginning, with a white beard and a hunched back, but now he stood straight as if he was relaxed.
"Sir, lust is the root of all evil! Murder and arson only cause partial suffering, but lust harms others and oneself. If you have lustful thoughts for a lifetime, all evil will come together, and it will eventually destroy our Majia Village! This is by no means alarmist, there are so many precedents in history!"
"Our Majia Village has been farming and studying for generations. The village has a clean and upright style. We have five chastity archways to honor our family members. The county and prefecture officials have also praised us. You, sir, have also read the Four Books and Five Classics. Starving to death is a small matter, but losing your chastity is a big matter. Moreover, such things that corrupt the village's style must not be tolerated, sir."
People were in awe of Zhu Ping'an and did not dare to move forward. However, the old man with a white beard straightened his hunched back and stood in front of Zhu Ping'an with a look of great sorrow.
Looking at the white-bearded old man who was deeply distressed, Zhu Ping'an narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Alas, I'm afraid you don't know the inside story yet." The white-bearded old man sighed and said to Zhu Ping'an.
Zhu Ping'an nodded. He just got the general idea from the curses from the onlookers at the two people in the pig cage. However, because people were emotional, they would inevitably exaggerate or fabricate the truth.
"This story started nine years ago. At that time, Mr. Wang in our village had just started his business. When he was a child, his family was poor. When he was more than ten years old, he went to the town store as an apprentice to help his family. Because he was honest and motivated, he quickly made his way in the store. From an apprentice, he gradually became a manager and a shopkeeper. He was appreciated by the owner and was able to open a branch. Mr. Wang never cheated in business and operated with integrity. He would rather suffer losses himself than let everyone be satisfied. With his reputation and word of mouth, he soon made a fortune. Mr. Wang bought a huge family business in the village, and he also built roads, bridges, and schools for the village. He helped anyone who had difficulties and never asked for anything in return. He is a good man."
"Mr. Wang saved a family nine years ago. That was the family of that ****. Their family suffered a disaster that year. Her parents fell seriously ill at the same time and were dying. When Mr. Wang heard about it, he spent hundreds of taels of silver to hire a famous doctor in the city to treat the illness. After the illness was cured, her parents were impressed by Mr. Wang's wealth and said that they could never repay such a great favor. They cried and made a fuss and betrothed her to Mr. Wang, and asked for a betrothal gift of 100 taels of silver... Oh, they are so greedy. After they got married, they found ways to get money from Mr. Wang every year. Mr. Wang was also filial and gave them whatever they asked for. Over the past few years, their original thatched cottage and three acres of land have now become a two-story house with three hundred acres of fertile land..."
"Mr. Wang is also honest and loyal. After marrying ****, he obeyed everything she said. Especially after **** gave birth to a son for him, he gave all his property to **** for safekeeping."
"Oh, I never thought that such a fickle woman, Master Wang treated her so well, but she flirted with other women and violated morals! Master Wang got up early and worked late outside, but she hooked up with the housekeeper of Master Wang's family! Especially when Master Wang was away on business, she was even more unscrupulous, and the two of them stayed together all night..."
"That steward is the beast with a ruthless heart and a ruthless heart!" The white-bearded old man pointed at the inhuman creature in the pig cage and said angrily, "This beast lost his mother when he was young and his father when he was ten. He competed with pigs and dogs for food, and was hungry and poorly clothed. It was Master Wang who took pity on him and took him in. He brought him to his side and taught him carefully, taught him how to do business, taught him how to survive, and promoted him to steward out of the ordinary. He also paid for him to get married..."
"But this kind of wicked beast is not only ungrateful, eating Master Wang's food, receiving Master Wang's money, and living in Master Wang's house, but this beast climbed into the mistress's bed and colluded with that whore. Not only did he have sex with that whore when Master Wang was out, but in order to have sex with that whore, he also deliberately lured Master Wang to go on a business trip in the name of a steward. Every time Master Wang came out of the courtyard, this adulterer would have sex with him, and obscene sounds would be heard everywhere... If these two evils are not eliminated, our Majia Village will be disgraced. How can justice be enforced!!!"
When the white-bearded old man said this, he looked up to the sky in grief and anger, and almost vomited blood.
The villagers and others also sighed. (To be continued.)++ ( )