Li Chaoge arranged for the Jinwu Guards to patrol outside Zhang's residence, and sure enough, there was no movement overnight. Early the next morning, Li Chaoge left Shendu with his people and headed for Qingyun Village.
It takes half a day to ride a horse from Luoyang to Qingyun Village. When Li Chaoge arrived at Qingyun Village, it was already afternoon. The westerly wind was tight in winter, Li Chaoge dismounted from his horse, his cloak fluttering loudly.
It was the end of the new year, but Qingyun Village was very depressed, and there were almost no people on the road. Li Chaoge knocked on the door of a family? He showed the demon-suppressing commander's card and said, "Shendu? The demon-suppressing commander investigates the case."
Normally, after Li Chaoge announced his name, all the subjects would cooperate very much, but this time, when the other party heard that they were from Luoyang, they were so frightened that they immediately closed the door. Li Chaoge's eyes were sharp and his hands quickly blocked their movements with his sword, looking at them coldly.
Seeing that, the subordinates in the back stepped forward and yelled, "Presumptuous, where do you have the guts to disrespect the commander?"
Li Chaoge raised his finger to signal his subordinates to step back. Li Chaoge withdrew his sword, crossed his arms, and said slowly, "I'm just here to ask some questions, nothing else. If you cooperate, I promise I won't make things difficult for you."
The farmers inside the door looked at them suspiciously: "Really?"
Li Chaoge nodded. The farmer saw them? They were wearing majestic black uniforms, and the woman at the head looked slender and slender, but could easily hold the door? The farmer knew that it was useless to stop him, so he could only open the door obediently.
After Li Chaoge came in, he asked, "You heard Shendu just now, why are you so nervous?"
This year, the empress changed the name of Luoyang, the eastern capital, to Shendu, and all the imperial documents have been renamed, but there is no one called Dongdu or Shendu among the people. The farmer stood in the yard, restrained and said: "My lord, forgive me. The grass people just heard that the adults came from Dongdu, and thought they were driving people away for the Zhang family."
Li Chaoge raised his eyebrows and asked, "Who are you chasing?"
The farmer drooped his face and said, "The Zhang family issued an eviction order, asking us to move out before March next year."
Many of the servants of the demon town were from peasant households. Hearing this, they couldn't help but frown: "Moving? The land is here. How can we live when we move away?"
"Your Excellency, I don't know, the Zhang family has already bought the entire area." The farmer opened the door and pointed them out, "All the dry and paddy fields outside belong to them. Listen It is said that the Zhang family will build a village here, collect rent in autumn and winter, and come here to escape the heat in summer."
Li Chaoge had heard that the Zhang family wanted to annex land outside, but did not expect Qingyun Village to be one of them. Li Chaoge asked: "They took away the land, how do you survive?"
The farmer smiled bitterly: "Our ancestors have been farmers for generations. What else would they do besides farming? Those with access and roads moved to the county town with their sons and daughters, and those without access and roads went to neighboring villages to seek refuge with relatives, even those without relatives. , you can only sign a tenant contract with the Zhang family, farm land for the Zhang family, and earn some food for yourself."
In the past, these lands belonged to the peasants themselves. After paying the court tax, the rest belonged to themselves. But once you become a tenant farmer, you are farming the land for your master. If there is less, you will be punished, but if you have more, it will all belong to the master. You can only earn a little food and grass for a whole year of hard work. If there are many people in the family, they can't save anything all year round, so they can only work repeatedly day after day. If they encounter some natural or man-made disasters, they can only wait to starve to death.
Not only the Zhang family, but also the rich and powerful families in Luoyang have all annexed their land. When those noble girls in the capital get married, their dowry often contains hundreds of acres of land. Could it be that they planted these lands themselves? Isn't it all? It's about squeezing the blood and sweat of the peasants.
The attendant asked, "How much did the Zhang family pay for your land?"
The farmers stretched out their hands and counted: "One mu of land is five pennies."
"What?" The attendant was shocked, "Only five guan? This? Wasn't it intentional? To kill people, what can five guan money do?"
If there is a lot of money, it is also a way out to use this as the principal to do some small business in the county. But Zhang's family took five pennies from the peasants for food. When the money is spent, what should these peasants do
At that time, if the farmers don't want to starve to death, they can only sign a tenant contract with the Zhang family, and their ancestors will work for the Zhang family for generations. The Zhang family? It is clearly a robbery, deliberately forcing people to become tenant farmers. The attendant was filled with righteous indignation, and said: "Doesn't the county magistrate of Dayuan County care about it? Five pennies to collect one mu of land is simply too deceitful."
The farmer shook his head: "How dare the county magistrate offend the Zhang family. The county magistrate took money from the Zhang family, and after that? Let the Zhang family invite someone to come over and judge the good paddy fields and black fields in our village as sandy land. The Zhang family excused the sand The land is so poor that we can’t grow anything? We only pay five pennies. We don’t want to. We went to the county to have a good chance, but the county magistrate simply closed the door? Ignore it. I heard that there are still people going to Dongdu to complain, but unfortunately even Jing Zhaoyin Didn't even go in the door, and was kicked out by the officials."
The attendants were angry, but everyone? There was nothing they could do. Since ancient times, officials have protected each other, how can a person fight against a group. Moreover, it was the Zhang family who invaded the land, the elder brother of the queen's beloved Zhang Yanchang. Not to mention these peasants, even if they are high-ranking officials in Luoyang, who would dare to speak
After Li Chaoge heard this, he was silent for a moment, and said, "The empress set up a copper office in the capital, and there is a grievance office among them. If you feel wronged, you can go to the capital to deliver a letter of vindication. The empress will never ignore it when she sees it."
The farmer shook his head when he heard it: "I heard that there are brothers in the Zhang family serving the queen in the palace. If we sue the queen, aren't we making trouble for ourselves?"
"No." Li Chaoge untied a token and handed it to the farmer, "Since the empress has ascended the throne and proclaimed herself emperor, she has the courage to be an emperor. I believe she can deal with it fairly. If anyone stops you on the road, you will give it to them." Show this token."
The Tongjiao was set up in front of Duanmen. Although it is said that people from all over the world are welcome to express their opinions to the Queen, not everyone can walk to the Tongjiao safely. With Li Chaoge's token, at least these farmers will not be embarrassed on the road to justice.
Li Chaoge can only help them get here.
The farmer vaguely realized that the lady in front of him was of extraordinary status, so he quickly accepted her with gratitude. After Li Chaoge learned about the land, he asked again, "Is there a family named Shi in your village?"
"There are several households with the surname Shi in our village." The farmer said, "My lord, what do you ask this one for?"
Li Chaoge signaled the attendant to take out the portrait, and asked, "Do you know this guy?"
The farmer identified it for a while and said, "This? It seems to be the grandson of Granny Shi's family? His name is Shi Yang."
Li Chaoge smiled slightly in his heart, sure enough, Shi Xuguang used a fake name. Li Chaoge asked again: "Is Shi Yang in the village now?"
The farmer shook his head: "No, it seems that he went to the city to beg for work some time ago. This child has been very competitive since he was a child. He helped the family plow the land during the day and read books by himself at night. He is more successful than our children. I also thought about marrying my daughter For them, it's a pity that their grandma had an accident, and their whole family moved away."
Li Chaoge moved his eyes slightly and asked, "What happened?"
"A member of the Zhang family came to the village to buy land before, but he? Grandma didn't want to. He had a conflict with the Zhang family. He was pushed and broke his leg. He had a fever and passed away within a few days. At that time, he happened to be out of town. Visiting relatives, and when they rushed back, they didn’t even see their grandma for the last time. After that, their whole family moved away. I heard that they had a distant relative, one in Dongdu The rich family acted as a concierge, and introduced him in."
When Li Chaoge heard the key words, a line was connected in his mind: "Door? Room?"
"Yes." The farmer nodded, "Dongdu? There are many big families. That distant relative has stayed in Dongdu for several years and has accumulated some contacts. It just so happens that the Shi family land is gone, and Granny Shi spent a lot of money on funerals. There are several younger brothers and sisters under the Shi family, and the eldest two have reached the age of marriage. The Shi family needs money everywhere, so Shi Yang followed his relatives to Dongdu to earn money."
Li Chaoge knows this kind of thing. The Gaomen compound needs a lot of manpower when holding banquets. It is too expensive to keep these people at home, but if the manpower is not enough, they will show their timidity at the banquet, so the Gaomen? During the banquet, a group of water workers will be recruited in, and they will be dismissed after the completion. The high door? The mistress doesn't see outside men, and often recruits people through acquaintances. Shi Yang was brought to work by his relatives, and then introduced to Zhang Yanyi's house, which made sense.
Li Chaoge already had a decision in her heart, and she asked with an attitude of verification, "What do the distant relatives of the Shi family look like?"
The farmer scratched his head and gestured uncertainly: "I saw it from a distance before. It seems to be so tall. It's about the same age as me. It's dark and thin."
After listening to their description, Li Chaoge confirmed that he was the person guarding the side door of the Zhang residence. She thought it was a night watchman, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be the side door? The gatekeeper
Li Chaoge took out several portraits and asked, "Which one is it?"
The farmer identified it for a while, and pointed to one of them. Li Chaoge saw that it was a perfect match. Li Chaoge asked people to put away the portrait of the man at the side door, and asked the farmer, "Do you know any of these people?"
The attendant held portraits of the night watchman, Shi Yang's roommate, and Aunt Gongsun in his hands. The farmer looked at them for a long time and shook his head: "I don't know them."
Li Chaoge had finished asking what he should have asked, and left after speaking an official sentence as usual. A few of them went out, and the attendant walked behind Li Chaoge. He was puzzled and said, "Commander, since Shi Xuguang has something to do with the man at the side door, why don't the villagers know the night watchman? It stands to reason that they all should be in the same group." of."
Shi Xuguang had a feud with Zhang's family, but he still entered Zhang's family to do part-time work. His motives were very suspicious. At the same time, they can also write and know the concierge at the side door of the Zhang family. All kinds of coincidences overlap, and it is really impossible to make people believe that they are innocent.
It is understandable that the person at the side door lied, but why did Shi Xuguang's roommate cover up for him? Even if the guards at the side door quietly opened the door for Shi Xuguang, how did they know when to doze off
The attendants originally thought that these people were a gang, but the villagers did not know the roommate and the night watchman. This? It's very strange.
Li Chaoge said: "Don't draw conclusions too early, ask a few more."
However, Li Chaoge asked several villagers. Everyone knew about Shi Yang, but he was a little unfamiliar with the person at the side door, and he didn't know the night watchman at all. After Li Chaoge turned around, he was helpless to confirm that the night watchman and Shi Yang really had nothing to do with each other.
It gets dark early in winter, and after Li Chaoge asked around, the sky was already dark. They went to live in the nearby Dayuan County, investigated Dayuan County for half a day tomorrow, and left for Luoyang at noon, just in time to go back to Zhenyaosi before Sanya.
The next day, Li Chaoge found no useful clues in Dayuan County, so he set off for Beijing after dinner.
The weather on the road was bad, and when Li Chaoge entered Changsha Xiamen, it was already the second quarter of Shenshi. Li Chaoge went straight to Zhenyaosi, but the road was blocked by crowds. The crowd was dense and noisy, so Li Chaoge had to rein in his horse and stop
The subordinate pulled the horse vigorously, frowned and said, "Who is causing trouble in the capital of God?"
The crowd gathered in one direction, and more and more people gathered, and there were constant screams from inside. Li Chaoge looked at it, got off his horse and said, "Go and have a look."
The people on the outside wanted to know what was going on inside, and tried their best to squeeze in, while the people inside were retreating, making a fuss with each other. They suddenly felt the air-conditioning behind them, and the people on the periphery turned their heads cursing. When they saw the clothes of the people behind them, they immediately fell silent and moved aside quietly.
Li Chaoge walked unimpeded all the way, and walked inside quickly. Li Chaoge thought that someone was gathering a crowd to make trouble, but when she really saw what was going on inside, she couldn't help but frown severely.
Shi Xuguang, or Shi Yang was tied in front of the gate of Zhang's mansion with iron clips in his hands. Lai Junchen sat on a large armchair and asked slowly, "Say, is it you who wrote on the gate of Zhang's mansion?"
Shi Yang gritted his teeth and refused to speak. Seeing this, Lai Junchen sneered, and gave the order: "Pull."
The cruel officials on both sides immediately tightened the iron clamps, Shi Yang screamed in pain, and there were terrible bloodstains on the base of his fingers. Li Chaoge's expression darkened immediately, and he shouted, "Lai Junchen, what are you doing?"
Lai Junchen turned his head, only to realize that Li Chaoge had arrived at some unknown time. He stood up from the armchair with a smile on his face: "Princess Sheng Yuan, why are you here?"
Only then did the people around know that this lady was actually the famous Princess Li Chaoge of Shengyuan Zhenguo. The crowd roared, and the people around Li Chaoge dispersed with a clatter. Everyone looked at her in surprise and awe, but no one dared to approach her.
Li Chaoge put away his whip, and slowly approached the gate of Zhang's residence. She glanced at the bustling servants of Zhang's mansion, her eyes flicked to the blood-stained Shi Yang, the cruel official who showed off his might, and smiled extremely coldly: "I also want to ask, what are you doing here to serve Yushi?"
Lai Junchen smiled and said: "I heard that someone scribbled on Erlang's mansion for seven days in a row. Erlang is the elder brother of Wulang and Liulang. How can he be insulted like this? I hate this kind of troublemaker the most, and I am willing to replace Erlang. Check it out and find out. This man can write and his behavior is very suspicious, so I will interrogate him once or twice."
Those people wrote in front of the gate of Zhang's mansion, causing Zhang Erlang to be laughed at by passers-by. Then Junchen pinched off the fingers of these people at the gate to see who dared to laugh.
It's time for the imperial court to disperse the yamen. Gradually, many officials surrounded this area. Bai Qianhe was the first to rush out of the imperial city. He originally planned to have fun, but when he passed by Nanshi, he suddenly heard noises. Is there a lively place? There is Bai Qianhe. Bai Qianhe immediately turned around and moved towards the source of the sound.
Unexpectedly, I saw an acquaintance here. Bai Qianhe sneaked up to Li Chaoge's side and asked, "Commander, what's the matter?"
Didn't Li Chaoge answer? When she answered Bai Qianhe's words, she still looked at Lai Junchen coldly and said, "This case is under the supervision of the town demon."
Lai Junchen smiled indifferently: "We are all here to share the queen's worries. Whoever can find out the truth is the hero. What are you and me?"
Lai Junchen is used to being unscrupulous, and he doesn't even pay attention to the laws of the court, let alone this kind of default rule in the officialdom. Li Chaoge didn't want to argue with Lai Junchen, the truth was told to people, and the dog barked at her, should she return it? Li Chaoge said: "Do you have evidence? No evidence, no court warrant, where are you? How dare you arrest your beloved and use lynching in the street?"
Lai Junchen patted his sleeves indifferently, his handsome face was like a poisonous snake, and he hissed: "The unreasonable people are stupid and uneducated, and they will only tell the truth when they are punished. In order to find out the truth as soon as possible, It is necessary to use some special means. After all, we officials are sharing the empress' worries, and getting the answer is the most important thing, isn't it?"
Li Chaoge was originally holding back his anger, but when he heard these words, he almost wanted to step forward and punch him. Seeing that the situation was not right, Bai Qianhe quickly stopped Li Chaoge. Even if Bai Qianhe doesn't understand the cause, the aftermath, and the effect, he can still guess from the current appearance. Bai Qianhe was used to disputes in the Jianghu, Lai Junchen dared to make such a publicity, most likely he had other schemes. If Li Chaoge did it now, he would have really fallen into Lai Junchen's trap.
Bai Qianhe whispered in Li Chaoge's ear through his movements: "Commander, calm down. He may have obeyed the Queen's secret order. If you do something, it will be your fault."
Li Chaoge took a deep breath and barely held back his fist. Li Chaoge stared at him coldly, and reprimanded him: "You also came from the common people, you should know how difficult it is for ordinary people to make a living. He has been studying for ten years in all weathers, just to take the imperial examination, and you just because? Putting them to death for suspicion, destroying their fingers, is tantamount to ruining their life. If you do this, won't your conscience be disturbed?"
When Lai Junchen heard that Li Chaoge said that he was "climbed" up by the people, his expression immediately darkened. He hooked the corners of his lips gloomyly, gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, I am a folk person, and I am not as noble as Princess Sheng Yuan, and I am superior to others. But so what, I sincerely share the worries for the queen and sweep away everything People who disagree with the queen, what is wrong with them? If they dare to be disrespectful to Zhang Erlang, they are disrespectful to the queen, and they deserve it even if they die, not to mention breaking a few fingers."
This time, not to mention Li Chaoge, Bai Qianhe even wanted to rush up and beat Junchen up. What kind of dog is this? You can't say such words. At this time, the crowd suddenly gave way to the outside, Gu Mingke walked over from the back, glanced at the crowd, and said, "It is forbidden to gather and fight in the capital, what are you doing?"
It's time to go down to the Yamen, and more and more courtiers are surrounding this side. Gu Mingke's words are undoubtedly reminding Li Chaoge. Li Chaoge barely held back her anger, she fixed her gaze on Lai Junchen, her lips parted lightly: "I also grew up among the people. I have never felt that being born in the people is something unspeakable, why do you have to be seated?"
Lai Junchen was choked for a moment. He hated the nobles who came from a noble background and called slaves and servants, but on the other hand, he tried his best to wash away his grassroots aura and wanted to become those people. Everyone knows that Li Chaoge was lost when he was a child, and grew up like a village girl in the mountains in those years. People in the court tried their best to avoid mentioning this, but Li Chaoge said it frankly and confidently in front of everyone. own childhood experiences.
She doesn't care, she can stand here because she is Li Chaoge, not because she is a princess. Whether it's a village girl or a princess, it's just Li Chaoge's identity.
Lai Junchen hates this kind of self-confidence, which comes from the bottom. How can Li Chaoge live aboveboard? Lai Junchen licked the corners of his lips sadly, and said: "The princess has a broad heart, and I admire you. However, I still have to interrogate prisoners, so I don't have time to listen to the princess's rationale. Go back to the princess mansion, please go, don't delay the reunion of the princess and Gu Siqing."
Lai Junchen asked people to continue to do it, Li Chaoge couldn't bear it anymore, she pulled out the horsewhip, and whipped it at the person holding the torture tool without saying a word. The long whip made a crisp sound of whip flowers in the air, and the tail of the whip brushed against the faces of the two dog legs. They covered their faces and fell to the ground crying.
Lai Junchen's face turned cold, and he sternly shouted: "I am serving the censor. I am under the order of the queen to supervise all officials and rectify the people's customs. Is Princess Sheng Yuan trying to disrespect the queen by doing something to my people in the street?"
Li Chaoge sneered, and she slowly rolled the long whip back into her palm, raising her brow slightly: "Where did I do it?"
At this time, Lai Junchen turned his head to look, and found that the dog's legs were shaking with fright, but there were no welts on his face. Lai Junchen felt more and more ashamed when he saw the people around him making ugly appearances. He stared at Li Chaoge coldly, and said: "Princess Sheng Yuan is good at whipping. But I'm not here for Princess Sheng Yuan to show off her prestige? You have delayed my interrogation of the prisoners. If you are all right, please."
Li Chaoge looked at him, that arrogant, domineering, unrepentant person, and immediately wanted to rush up and beat him up. Gu Mingke held Li Chaoge's arm and said, "You are a member of the public family, so you can't vent your personal grievances. Calm down."
Gu Mingke pulled Li Chaoge to the back, raised his head and said to Lai Junchen: "Yu Gong, this case belongs to the town demon secretary. Yu privately, if you go to prison without evidence, it is tantamount to torture. The queen set up the copper gate for the purpose of Listen to everything and improve people's livelihood. The empress hates others to fool her the most in her life, so come to serve the censor, don't try your best."
Lai Junchen laughed disdainfully when he heard that, when the treason case was investigated last year, didn't the queen know how those confessions were obtained? The queen knew it, but the queen didn't care, but still gave him supreme power. This shows that the empress trusts them. Those courtiers have evil intentions and seek personal gain. They are the only ones who really stand on the empress's side.
Lai Junchen claimed to be the queen's confidant, and he didn't care about Gu Mingke's threat at all: "If I want to grab it, what can you do with me? Princess Sheng Yuan has been checking for two or three days? If she doesn't find out, if I come, I will guarantee it." The result will come out tonight. The imperial court is able to recruit scholars, so Princess Sheng Yuan and Gu Siqing should go to other things. It’s better to leave this kind of thing to me.”
Li Chaoge looked at him coldly: "What if you arrest the wrong person? As soon as the torture equipment is put on, their hands will be useless. He is a scholar!"
Lai Junchen snorted coldly, glanced at Shi Yang, who was so painful that he couldn't straighten his back, and said indifferently: "Who knows? Know him? He's innocent. If it's really him, how can the imperial examination choose such a person? It’s fine if it was abolished earlier; if it wasn’t for them, then they would have helped the court rule out a suspect. As ordinary people, it’s their duty to cooperate with the government’s investigation.”
As soon as Lai Junchen's words came out, the surroundings were shocked. Their logic is cold and cruel, and it's horrifying. Bai Qianhe was so angry that he clenched his fists tightly, but he didn't know how to refute. That's right, as a commoner, who dares to say that it is wrong to cooperate with the government
Li Chaoge took a deep breath and asked Gu Mingke: "People in public office can't vent their personal grievances. If I'm not a public official, can I do it?"
Gu Mingke was silent. Li Chaoge tore off the token from his body, threw it on Gu Mingke, and immediately strode towards Lai Junchen.
Seeing that the situation was not right, Lai Junchen took two steps back, and said confidently, "I am the Queen's confidant, and I am ordered by the Queen..."
Before Lai Junchen finished speaking, he was kicked in the abdomen by Li Chaoge. Lai Junchen immediately bowed his waist, unable to straighten up due to the pain. Li Chaoge loosened his wrist guard, and punched Lai Junchen in the face with his fist, only twice? Blood was seen on Lai Junchen's face.
Lai Junchen spat out half a tooth in his mouth, and said vaguely: "You are an official of the court but you beat up your colleagues. I want to read a book for you. Don't try to do it again..."
Li Chaoge's answer was to punch him on the nose. Lai Junchen suffered from pain and fell far to the ground. Li Chaoge walked over unhurriedly, and said, "It's time to go down now. I'm not the commander of the demon town. You don't need a reason to interrogate people. As a princess, do I need a reason to beat you?"
Lai Junchen's followers were stunned by this development. They were stunned for a while, and finally came to their senses, swarming up to stop Li Chaoge. Bai Qianhe rushed up immediately, and kindly fought back: "Oh, don't fight anymore, ouch, I'm sorry, I don't know? I don't know who pushed me... ouch, my lord, I'm sorry..."
Bai Qianhe yelled "Excuse me?", while pulling the side of the frame forcefully, taking the opportunity to lay down black hands on Lai Junchen and Gouleg. The scene is getting more and more chaotic, don't you know? I don't know that the commoner started first, spat at Lai Junchen, and then the scene got out of hand. Everyone rushed up, beat and kicked wildly, and some people took advantage of the chaos to smash the door of Zhang's house ?.
Gu Mingke watched this farce turn into a gang fight with his own eyes. This was clearly prohibited by the law, but Gu Mingke did not stop it.
Just like he acquiesced to Li Chaoge's use of violence to control violence.
In the end, almost before Li Chaoge killed him, Qian Niuwei arrived.
Li Chaoge with a calm face, Gu Mingke who stood on the sidelines, Lai Junchen with a bruised nose and swollen face, Zhang Yanyi who was beaten, smashed and looted, and the Wu family brothers, Li Changle, Zhang Yanzhi and Zhang Yanchang who came after hearing the news, stood in front of the queen together.
The queen swept across the audience coldly. The voices of these people were calm and powerful: "It's ridiculous. What's going on here?"