There are two capitals and thirteen provinces in Daming, the two capitals are Beijing and Nanjing, and the thirteen provinces are the thirteen government officials.
Although in order to avoid being the same as the Yuan Dynasty, when the country was founded, it was not called the province, but the Chenghuan government and envoy, but such a long and awkward name was obviously not bought by the common people, so everyone still distinguishes it by province.
Henan Prefecture is only one of the many prefectures in Henan's government, and there is another prefecture and thirteen counties under the jurisdiction of Henan Prefecture, and Gongxian is one of them.
However, this small place is very special because of the eight mausoleums of the seven emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty.
The people of the villages near the county seat also assumed the duty of guarding the mausoleum by the way. For them, if the emperor of the previous dynasty was willing to be buried here, it means that this is a treasure land of feng shui, so the households in the nearby ten miles and eight townships are very proud of it.
Although many of them are illiterate, they seem to have a little more background than the people in other places. Even the old man in his 70s and 80s will often point to a certain piece of land and tell his children and grandchildren that the following is the emperor of such and such. The mausoleum, don't look at the fact that there is not even a stele pavilion now, that is because it was robbed and robbed by the Yuan people. It was not like this before.
Children and grandchildren will tell their children and grandchildren, and the legend of the emperor's mausoleum has been passed down from generation to generation.
However, all this has changed because of an accident. Now when the local people mention the Northern Song Dynasty Mausoleum, the first reaction is not pride, but inexplicable horror.
Tang Fan and the others set off from the capital all the way to Henan Prefecture by land.
Suizhou left Xue Ling in Beizhen Fusi, and he himself took 20 personal guards, including Pang Qi, along with Tang Fan and the others, and went south in the name of imperial envoy.
Although this case is not urgent, it is also a matter of human life, especially involving the theft of the imperial mausoleum.
Jin Yiwei are a bunch of big men, with rough skin and thick flesh, and after going through the hellish training of Suizhou, they have long been honed to a copper skin and iron bones. Having said that, even without Suizhou's intensive training, for military attachés like them, riding a horse is a piece of cake.
But the civil servants of the Ministry of Punishment are different. Everyone sits in the yamen all day long, and the heaviest work they do is just serving tea and water. Suddenly riding a horse for two days in a row, it really breaks the bones. What's more, it's hard to tell that everyone has blisters on the inner thighs on both sides, and some of them even broke the skin and bleeds, and it hurts a lot.
As an imperial envoy, Tang Fan naturally has to look like a leader, and he can stick to his teeth no matter what, but Suizhou quickly discovered that these civil servants were not helpful, so the Jinyi guards slowed their pace, and even took out plaster for Tang Fan They smear wounds.
The leaders can insist, and the two officers below naturally don't complain about anything, but Yin Yuanhua refuses to ride any more and insists on riding a carriage.
Jin Yiwei couldn't get used to these civil servants for a long time, but they also knew that the boss of Sui and Tang Fan had a good personal relationship. It is said that this imperial envoy is still living in the old family of Sui, and this Yin Yuanhua talked inside and outside all the way. They couldn't get along with Tang Fan, and the two were obviously not going together. They didn't dare to make fun of the imperial envoy, so they naturally focused the artillery on Yin Yuanhua.
This one winked his eyes: "Oh, some people thought they were out to play, and they were still riding in a carriage, do you want to make a bead curtain and lift it up? It's like those big girls and little daughters-in-law. Shame!"
The one followed with a weird smile: "How do you know that he's not a daughter-in-law? Could it be that you've even seen him without clothes?"
At that time, everyone passed by the official post and stopped to take a break. Tang Fan and Suizhou were commissioners and officials. Everyone wanted to be at ease. There was a table for the staff, and the other Jin Yiwei sat separately. As soon as the words from the next table entered his ears, Yin Yuanhua heard them clearly.
He didn't know that these people were talking about him, so he immediately became furious, put the chopsticks on the table heavily, and got up: "Who are you talking about!"
It's fine if he doesn't stand up, but when he stood up, his thighs suddenly cramped, Yin Yuanhua bared his teeth in pain, and the Jin Yiwei gang burst into laughter.
Although Tang Fan didn't like to see Yin Yuanhua, he was an official and Yin Yuanhua's boss on this trip. To be a leader, he must have the demeanor of being a leader. Poke Sui Zhou's arm.
Suizhou coughed lightly, and a pair of eyes sharp as electricity swept towards his subordinates, who all stopped laughing and immediately buried their heads to eat.
After eating, Yin Yuanhua made up his mind not to ride a horse, and had to take a carriage to Henan.
The two officers were equally miserable, looking at Tang Fan with eager eyes.
Tang Fan asked strangely, "Are you really going to take a carriage?"
Before the officers dared to answer, Yin Yuanhua said, "You must ride in a carriage. A lower-ranking official is no better than an adult. You don't have the title of an imperial envoy. Comfort matters. Don't be afraid of being laughed at!"
He also insinuated that Tang Fan was going to suffer to save face.
Tang Fan said, "There may not be enough horses in the next official post. After you change to the carriage, if you regret it, you have to ride the carriage to Henan all the time."
The more he said that, the more Yin Yuanhua felt that Tang Fan was deliberately making things difficult for him, so he had to take a carriage.
At this point, Tang Fan reminded him amicably. If they didn't listen, then let them go, and he asked the courier of the official post to prepare the carriage.
The carriage was quite spacious, enough for Yin Yuanhua and the two drivers to sit in. The Yicheng found another coachman for them. When the carriage arrived at the destination, it happened that the coachman would drive it back.
When the three of them saw that the inside of the carriage was still covered with soft cushions, which was much more comfortable than being on a horse, they all happily got into the carriage.
As a result, as soon as they drove several dozen miles away, Yin Yuanhua and the others knew why Tang Fan had an inscrutable expression after hearing that they had to ride in a carriage.
Because this motherfucker is even harder than riding a horse...
After leaving the boundary of Gyeonggi, the road conditions are not as good as one section, and riding a carriage is often not as easy as riding a horse, but Yin Yuanhua didn't expect this, and he had to jump into the fire pit, and he couldn't pull it.
He was so slapped that he almost vomited blood, and his internal organs seemed to move along with it. It was an indescribable feeling. Who would sit who would know, but he couldn't propose to Tang Fan that he would ride a horse again, because even if he did, there would be no Horses for him to ride...
Yin Yuanhua wanted to cry but had no tears, but finally tasted the feeling of shooting himself in the foot.
Not only him, but Cheng Wen and Tian Xuan, they are all about to regret it.
After going all the way like this, before the three of them were about to turn their souls out, they finally reached Gongxian County.
Long before the group arrived in Gong County, the county magistrate of the county had already led people to the post pavilion next to the official road outside the city, looking forward to it.
"Sir, why don't you sit down and take a rest?" The county magistrate who accompanied Chu Ying was almost dizzy when he kept walking around and couldn't help but say.
In addition to the county magistrate and the small and large officials of the county government, there were originally many sages and gentlemen in the county who wanted to come along, but they were all rejected by the magistrate He. With these people swaggering in front of the imperial commission
Facing the county magistrate he could trust, the magistrate He did not hide the anxiety on his face: "Hey, brother, it's not like you don't know, it's not that you're here for a tour, they're here to investigate the case. Yes, after all, there is something wrong with this imperial mausoleum under my rule, if I can't fix it, my black gauze hat will not be guaranteed!"
The county magistrate persuaded: "Sir, it's useless for you to be troubled now. It's better to cooperate with the errand, and then dredge up the activities at the clerk, and let them go back and talk for you, maybe it can make a big thing a small one!"
He county magistrate sighed: "It can only be like this until now, my magistrate is really unlucky, thinking about my predecessor and former predecessor, leaving countless messes, but the emperor's mausoleum has been fine, those messes I have to clean it up, and no one knows the credit for this, but now that something happens to the imperial mausoleum, the responsibility falls on me!"
The county magistrate thought to himself that no official had one or two bad things during his tenure. How could there be a lifetime of peace officials, but you are afraid of things, and you blame others, and do not think about how to flatter the upcoming imperial commissioner, so what future can you expect?
But who made himself a subordinate? Even though he thought so, he still comforted his county magistrate.
Just as they were talking, a group of men and horses came slowly from far to near, smoke billowed, and a carriage seemed to follow behind them.
He county magistrate and the two went out, and a small official came to report, saying that the imperial convoy was ahead.
"Follow me over to meet me!" He county magistrate straightened his clothes and said hurriedly.
The speed of the carriages and horses was not fast. It seemed that Tiqi in the front was deliberately slowing down and waiting for the carriages behind. After a quarter of an hour or so, the people and horses that had already appeared in the line of sight arrived in front of him.
Surrounded by the other Jinyiwei in the middle are a young man in a fifth-grade civilian official uniform, and a Jinyiwei in a flying fish suit.
The magistrate He hurried up to greet him, cupped his hands and said, "He Haosi, magistrate of Gongxian County, has seen the worst!"
Although it is not clear which is the official envoy, it is always right to salute like this.
The official document issued by the Ministry of Punishment also stated that the official envoy who came here was Tang Fan, Langzhong of the Henan Qingli Division of the Ministry of Punishment, and the deputy was Suizhou, the deputy governor of Jinyi Weibei Town. Who is sitting in the carriage at the back
Is it a more important person
He county magistrate couldn't help but glanced back.
However, Jin Yiwei, who was next to the civil servant, opened a little distance to show the difference between himself and the civil servant, and confirmed the guess of the county magistrate: "This is the official minister of the Qing Dynasty in Henan, Zhongtang, and he is the official ambassador of this trip."
Tang Fan got off his horse and bowed to the magistrate He: "The magistrate He doesn't need to be too polite. I'll wait for a few days to travel, or should I find a place to sit down first and then talk about it in detail?"
"Yes yes yes!" The magistrate He regained his senses and said hurriedly: "Xiaguan has already prepared the official post, and ordered people to prepare hot water for meals, and I also asked you to move to the county seat, not far from here! "
Tang Fan nodded: "Then ask the county magistrate to lead the way!"
When the group arrived at the official post in the city, the county magistrate had indeed prepared everything, even the clean clothes for washing. Just a quick wash and put on another set of spare official robes.
After most of the people had entered, the carriage that was driving at the end came slowly and stopped at the gate of the official station.
He county magistrate was very curious, but he didn't use it on the right path. He had already made up many versions in his mind, including the imperial envoy, who did not forget to bring a petite concubine when he went out to investigate the case, etc. When he saw the carriage stop, I couldn't help but stop and turn around, wanting to see who was coming out of it.
A hand stretched out from the carriage and slowly lifted the curtain of the car. The county magistrate thought that the hand was white enough, but it was a pity that it looked like a chicken's paw, and there was no beauty at all.
Immediately afterwards, a head popped out of the carriage, and the county magistrate couldn't help but be startled, only to realize that it was a man's face, not what he imagined at all.
The man's face was bleak, his eyes were dull, and there were two black and blue bags under his eyes. He looked like he was seriously ill, but seeing that he was still wearing a fifth-grade official robe, the county magistrate couldn't help but lean on him. He went up to ask: "Dare to ask this is also an imperial envoy? He Haosi, magistrate of Gong County, Xiaguan..."
Before he could finish speaking, the other party's upper body protruded out of the carriage, as if he was about to get off the carriage. As a result, his face twisted, he couldn't help grabbing the things around him to stabilize his body, and bowed his head and vomited.
And what he grabbed was the robe of He County magistrate, who had been numb.
The county magistrate had nothing to do and was covered in filth. It was just right that he followed Tang Fan and the others to change clothes and bathe. Because he didn't bring a change of clothes with him, he had to endure the sour smell on his body and ran to his county office. To change, no one dared to approach him along the way, not to mention too much unfortunate, the magistrate He couldn't get out of his stomach, who made him curious, the other party is not only a central official, but also higher in rank than him, why The magistrate could only hold his nose and admit that he was unlucky.
As a result, he hurried back to the yamen, just changed his clothes, and heard that the imperial emissary was looking for him, so he hurried to the official post.
After entering the official post, Tang Fan and others had already groomed and tidy up, and they no longer looked dusty. Although they still looked tired, they finally looked brighter.
Tang Fan said to the county magistrate, "Why am I here, presumably the magistrate knows it as well."
The county magistrate hurriedly said: "Yes, but please inquire with the dispatcher. The subordinate officials know everything, but whether the adults have not eaten yet, why not talk about it?"
Tang Fan smiled and said, "If magistrate He hasn't eaten yet, why not sit down and eat together and talk while eating?"
He county magistrate just wanted to take this opportunity to complain to the imperial commissioner, so it is better to be respectful than to obey.
The food in the official post was good. Of course, Tang Fan and others came from the capital, and the magistrate He did not dare to neglect. Even the cooks were temporarily transferred from the county government, and they cooked authentic Henan dishes.
Eight-treasure cloth bag chicken, braised lamb, slippery fish fillet, all full of meaty aroma.
Suizhou and the others didn't do much, even Tang Fan felt okay after he got used to running around immediately. On the other hand, Yin Yuanhua and Cheng Wentianxuan had no appetite for eating because of the bumpy carriage. Bai Bai couldn't help covering his mouth and ran out, leaning down the corridor and vomited again, but unfortunately his stomach was empty, and he couldn't even spit out bile.
Only then did the magistrate realize his negligence. Because of motion sickness, these people will definitely not be able to eat big fish and meat.
Seeing that the county magistrate was at a loss, Tang Fan said to him, "Let the cook get some light vegetarian dishes, add a few bowls of millet porridge, bring a bowl for me as well, and set up another table for the three of them, So as not to smell the meat and eat it.”
"There's no need to open another table..." Yin Yuanhua walked in and said weakly, "It's better to sit here as an official."
The reason why he took the initiative to ask Ying and followed Tang Fan all the way here to investigate the case has two main purposes: one is to grab credit, and the other is to catch the pigtail.
And this was all tacitly approved by Liang Shilang, and the deputy followed him to investigate the case, which is justifiable.
Tang Fan was naturally clear about his little abacus. Seeing his insistence, he smiled and said, "That's good."
There was only one table in the huge dining room, and there were Tang Fan, Suizhou, Pang Qi, Yin Yuanhua, He County magistrate, two officers of the Qing Li Division, Gong County's magistrate, the chief clerk and others, and the others were all next door. In the meantime, I can't disturb the quietness of the adults.
Everyone was hungry, and they couldn't talk about business. Seeing that the dishes were served one after another, they gave each other a bit of humility, and they all picked up chopsticks one after another.
Yin Yuanhua sat next to Tang Fan, and when he saw him eating a piece of meat, he had to evaluate it, and he said regretfully: "Brother Yin, it's a pity that you can't eat it today. Although it is the same ingredients, the taste is different from the one in the capital. Weird people say that one side of the water and soil raises the other side, if you can eat such a delicious Babao chicken every day, I would be willing to live here for a long time!"
The magistrate He of course knew that Tang Fan was talking politely and praised him as the host, so he also persuaded Tang Fan to eat more. The county magistrate of Gong County, the chief clerk and others deliberately flattered Pang Qi of Suizhou. They all took the initiative to chat about topics and liven up the atmosphere. The atmosphere at the dinner table was extremely warm.
Yin Yuanhua, who was only suffering for one side, slammed into his ears. He just felt that the millet porridge he had just eaten began to churn up again, and he had long since scolded Tang Fan's ancestors for the eighteenth generation.
After finally finishing the meal, Yin Yuanhua said in his heart that he could finally rest. He didn't expect Tang Fan to put his chopsticks down and said to the county magistrate, "Now that I have eaten and drank enough, it's time to talk about business."
Yin Yuanhua couldn't help but said: "Sir, it's not too late to talk about the business tomorrow, everyone is very tired today."
Tang Fan nodded: "I know that everyone has worked hard for thousands of miles, but since we have a heavy responsibility, we should understand the business first. If you are tired, you can go down and rest first."
Yin Yuanhua thought about what I was doing with me after I went to rest, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Sir, I'm not tired of being an official, you can still insist."
Tang Fan said with relief, "I know that Brother Yin is dedicated to the public, hard-working and bears grudges. He is really a role model for my generation."
After teasing Yin Yuanhua, he turned to the magistrate He: "After all, the official document is concise and to the point, and many details are not very clear. Please ask the magistrate He to describe the case again."
The county magistrate's heart finally came, he hurriedly sat up straight, and told the ins and outs of the matter.
What he said was actually no different from what he reported, but it was naturally more detailed and vivid than the cold words on the official documents, and there were the county magistrates, the chief clerk and others complementing each other, which made Tang Fan and the others have a better understanding of the matter. A deeper understanding.
For example, the dossier previously submitted to the Ministry of Punishment did not mention in detail what the ghost crying in the middle of the night was, and how the villagers in the vicinity reacted. No, after the incident, the subordinate officials also went to that village, and they stayed there for a few days, but never heard of it, but the subordinate officials sent there, except for the crazy one, said that they had heard it before, and the villagers also I heard you."
Tang Fan asked, "Has the tomb robber been caught?"
The magistrate He shook his head and said ashamedly: "No, only the robbery hole was discovered, but no thief was caught. Since the death of one after another, no one dared to go there. The local villagers said that the river god was angry, and they said it was the former The emperor of the dynasty was angry that his tomb was stolen, so he cried in the middle of the night..."
"He county magistrate," Pang Qi couldn't help interrupting him: "You are angry with the river god, and the emperor of the previous dynasty is angry. Is it the river god, or is it related to the emperor's mausoleum?"
The county magistrate smiled bitterly: "To be honest with all of you, the six people who disappeared in the first group were gone. The local people said that the river god was angry and called them to the river to serve as servants. How can I believe the words of the sages and sages? So Xiaguan not only reported it to the court, but also sent people from the yamen to check it. As a result, all of you later found out, and went to ten people, only two of them. When I came back in person, one of the arresters was not only going crazy, he also broke a hand, and the other old village chief, who was too old and frightened, couldn't speak clearly. Ghosts, there are monsters, and then there are rumors of hauntings."
He paused and continued: "Among the tombs of the Northern Song Dynasty emperors, Yonghou Mausoleum and Yongzhao Mausoleum are both not far from Gongxian County. This place is more than ten miles away from the county seat, and there is a Luohe Village next to it, which happens to be in Luohe. On the side, so ah, now there are rumors in the village that the second emperor Yingzong of Renzong, buried in Yonghou Mausoleum and Yongzhao Mausoleum, died and became the river god in Luohe, and because the emperor's mausoleum was stolen, so I got angry and grabbed people on the ground as punishment."
Ponzi interrupted: "These are all ignorant rumors of fools and fools!"
The magistrate He nodded: "Yes, but because two groups of people have died one after another, no one dares to go now, and the lower officials are helpless, waiting for your superiors to come here to check, not to mention Luohe Village, which is now connected In Gongxian County, there are also some people who are panicking, saying that the river god is angry and wants to find sacrifices, so, so…”
He hesitated, and Yin Yuanhua next to him became impatient and urged, "So what!"
The county magistrate took up the words of the county magistrate: "So take the initiative to offer sacrifices."
Tang Fan understood: "Sacrificing a living human to the river god?"
County Chancellor: "Exactly."
Sui Zhou finally said the first sentence after coming in: "Ridiculous!"
Under the magistrate of Gongxian County, a group of people all bowed their heads and said nothing.
The ancients believed that all mountains, rivers and rivers have spirits. There were many gods of mountains and rivers canonized in the name of the emperor and the court in the past dynasties.
The people are ignorant, and once the river floods, they think that the river god is angry, and they can only pin their hopes on praying for the river god to calm down their anger.
As a branch of the Yellow River, the Luohe River has a very important status, because the imperial court has issued three orders and five orders, and it has not happened for many years that a living person sacrificed to the god of the river, but this time, such a strange thing happened in Gong County, and even the government sent When it didn't work, everyone naturally came up with the idea of offering sacrifices to the river god.
I only heard Tang Fan ruthlessly reprimanded: "As a local official, you are supposed to educate the people and stay away from such weird and chaotic things. How can you listen to it and let them sacrifice alive?"
The county magistrate smiled bitterly: "Your Excellency, there is still an inside story on this matter."
Tang Fan: "Speak."
He county magistrate: "Since the second group of people sent by the lower official has also gone to eight, there have been rumors from Luohe village and even Gongxian, all saying that the river god is angry, and it is necessary to worship the river god to calm his anger. So, half a month ago, everyone prepared livestock offerings and went to the Luo River to worship."
Tang Fan: "No living people?"
He county magistrate: "No, at that time everyone felt that it was enough to offer livestock and other things."
Tang Fan hummed: "Go ahead."
He county magistrate: "It was said earlier that the two emperors in the emperor's mausoleum became the river gods, and they were all local people who were affiliated with the chisel and chisel. In fact, it was recorded in the county annals that the Luohe river god was actually the young daughter of Fuxi, but you also know that, sir, No one can say for sure about these things. For the sake of safety, they specially prepared three offerings to the three river gods. The ceremony is said to last for nearly twelve hours from morning to night. Proper measure, no human sacrifice was used, so I just opened one eye and closed the other, and didn't interfere."
This county magistrate was long-winded and didn't talk about the key points for a long time. He had to clear his responsibilities from time to time, so as not to be blamed by Tang Fan. And listen to him patiently.
The magistrate He added: "It is said that it was late at that time, and after the sacrifices of livestock and other animals were thrown into the river, the crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only a few old women still standing by the side of the incense table, and they had to stay there all night. As a sign of piety, the incense case can only be removed the next day, which is a local custom. But at night, it is said that the wind and rain suddenly blew, and the villagers heard the ghost crying again, so they were too scared to go out, and waited until the next day to go out to have a look , I found that the incense case was overturned on the ground, and the fresh fruits on it were scattered, but the old ladies were missing."
Tang Fan asked, "Why do you have to watch the night with the old woman instead of the strong man?"
The county magistrate hurriedly said: "I'm afraid that the man's yang energy is too strong, and he collides with the river god, which will make him... The old people are not happy, oh, this is what those people said, and the lower officials have never taken it seriously!"
Tang Fan nodded and motioned for him to continue.
The magistrate He was obviously not at the scene, but he spoke vividly, as if he had seen it with his own eyes. If it wasn't for the wrong occasion, Pang Qi would have wanted to ridicule him a few words, but he saw that the two bosses were listening carefully, so he had to listen silently. on.
He county magistrate said: "At first, other people thought that the old women had seen the wind and rain and hid home, but who would have asked their families all over, only to realize that those old women never went back at all. , it disappeared like this, the matter was reported to Xiaguan, and Xiaguan sent someone out to look for it again, but there was no whereabouts. At that time, the matter had been reported to the court, and Xiaguan thought about waiting for the court to send a messenger. Report it all together!"
Tang Fan asked, "What about the sacrifice of living people?"
The county magistrate smiled bitterly: "Because the people were saying that it was the river god who was angry that they did not sacrifice living people, but only sacrificed livestock, so they also took some old women away as a warning, and everyone was very scared. , so several big households in the county are preparing to sacrifice with their own slaves!"
Tang Fan: "You didn't stop it?"
The county magistrate said with a bitter face: "Stop it, it hasn't started yet, the lower officials told them that the imperial court will send imperial officials to investigate this case, and they will definitely investigate the case so that they must not live. They also listened to the sacrifice temporarily, but the people are ignorant, and after all, they are in a panic, if the case is not investigated, give them an explanation, I am afraid that those people will not listen to the persuasion and offer sacrifices in private!"