The Happy Life of Small Officials in Northern Song Dynasty

Update time: 22--

The dark clouds were low, and the weather was so stuffy that people couldn't breathe; it was not only Su Jin and others who stayed up all night, but also the governor Tang Jie; he interrogated more than [-] students overnight, trying to force them to admit that they attacked the yamen and rioted At the same time, he also promised them that as long as he confessed that the mastermind was Su Jin, everyone else would be punished lightly.

However, Tang Jie was wrong. What he was facing was a group of elite students, not the temperless ordinary people who were oppressed on the streets of Yingtianfu; It's over, no matter the accomplice or the principal offender, they are all rebellious thugs, even if they are given a lighter sentence as Master Tang promised, the lightest punishment is assassination and exile.

Most of these people came from poor families, and most of them got the recommendation of the local education officer to enter Yingtian Academy by relying on their real skills. As a result, their futures will be ruined, their reputation will be ruined, and everything will be impossible They counted on the imperial examination to serve the imperial court, and they refused to admit this reality anyway. Therefore, it is even more difficult for them to admit such a crime.

Tang Jie was angry all night, and he confided in more than a dozen students alone, but these guys were like stones in a latrine, smelly and hard; even a fat black student pointed to his nose and scolded him for being despicable and shameless, angry Tang Jie Jie ordered people to whip him dozens of times.

The master stayed up all night, until his eyes were sunken and his old eyes were dizzy. Seeing that this matter was not the end, he persuaded him: "My lord, at this moment, these students are in full swing. I am afraid that the interrogation will not be good at this moment. How about Putting them in jail will dampen their spirits; stay in the stinky prison for a few days, and the old fritters in the cell see these frail and fair young men, how can they not be obscene, use In less than a day, these people are afraid that they will all be crying and begging to see the adults and agree to this matter."

Tang Jie felt that it made a lot of sense, thought for a while and said: "That's the only way, but you need to tell the prison commander in charge, don't really let those lustful ghosts damage their bodies, just let them put on a show , These guys are all stubborn people, if they are really defiled, I am afraid that they would rather die than admit it, and they might even kill people."

The master smiled and said: "My lord is worthy of being born in the imperial examination, but he still grasps these people's thoughts meticulously, and the villain admires it."

Tang Jie waved his hand, yelled and said: "I went to rest in my house. I was so noisy all night, and my whole body was sore and unbearable. Hey, time is not around people, and my hair has suddenly turned gray. You go."

The master was busy sending gifts and sending them off, Tang Jie shook his sore back and went into the inner hall to rest.

I don't know how long it took, but an annoying noise woke Tang Jie up from his sweet dream. Tang Jie opened his dry eyes, his mind was drowsy, and when he looked at the sky outside, it seemed that the sky had just dawned , could not help but fly into a rage.

"Who is making noise outside, dragged out to beat forty boards."

The maid serving outside the room hurriedly came in and said, "Sir, it seems that something happened at the gate of the government office, and many people are watching there."

Tang Jie sat up and hurriedly said, "Go and see, what's going on?"

The maid turned and went out, and after a while, she heard the sound of footsteps on the mountain, and then the master's panting voice came from outside the door: "My lord, my lord?"

While putting on his clothes, Tang Jie scolded, "Come in and answer, what are you doing in such a panic?"

The master ran in with his back hunched, his head covered in hot sweat, and his whole body exuded a smell of sweat.

"What's the noise? This mansion has only slept for an hour."

"The villain disturbed the rest of the lord, please forgive me, but this is an urgent matter. The villain has to report to the lord immediately."

"Say." Tang Jie walked to the copper basin shelf and washed his face with warm water.

"My lord, Su...Su Jin...is on the square outside the government office."

"What?" Tang Jie almost overturned the copper basin with water, and stared at him: "Then why don't you catch him? Follow Song Butou and Luo Bantou, and quickly bring someone to take him. There's nothing to panic about."

"The villain has asked Song Tutou and Luo Bantou to lead people around Su Jin, but...but you can't take people." The master looked sad.

"What? You can't take people? You're so stupid. Take it, take it down quickly." Tang Jie was annoyed and funny.

"I really can't take it, and the villain will not be able to tell for a while, please ask the lord to take a look and find out."

This time Tang Jie really believed that something was weird, he hurriedly wiped his hands and face, straightened his clothes, full of doubts, and followed the master outside.

As soon as he walked to the gate of the yamen, the noise outside was already filling his ears. Tang Jie collected himself, coughed, and walked out of the yamen with official steps. Standing on the steps, he raised his eyes and looked down. Roll down the steps.

The yamen servant at the gate hurriedly supported the Lord Fuzun, and then the Lord Fuzun stood up straight, helped the hat that almost fell off, and looked down carefully.

But seeing the crowds of people in the square at the gate of the yamen, there are thousands of people, an incense table is placed in the crowd, white candles are burning high on the incense table, cigarettes are lingering around, offering a huge white tablet, in front of the tablet is full of fruit and delicacies. Around the incense table, there are white spirit-calling paper banners all over the place, fluttering in the wind as the wind blows, looking ghostly.

Looking at the front of the incense table again, on a futon, a figure wearing a filial hat and sackcloth is kneeling upright on the futon, with his hands facing the sky, chanting words.

Tang Jie frowned and said, "What are you doing? You're pretending to be a ghost."

"My lord, why don't you come forward and watch?" The master couldn't make it clear.

Tang Jie snorted and said: "Order to seal off all the surrounding areas. This time, you can't tell him to run away. After the government finds out what's going on, we will take it down immediately."

After finishing speaking, he stepped down the steps and came out of the crowd, the master shouted: "My lord Fu Yin is here, please get out of the way quickly."

The crowd stepped aside one after another, and Tang Jie walked into the inner circle with more than a dozen government servants holding knives. The person kneeling on the futon was Su Jin, a student of Yingtian in hemp and filial piety.

Tang Jie shouted: "Su Jin, why are you pretending to be a ghost here? Last night you dared to resist arrest and escape, today you can't escape even if you have wings."

Su Jin stared at the tablet on the incense table without moving, and ignored Tang Jie at all; Tang Jie was annoyed, and followed his gaze, and suddenly his expression changed drastically, his legs trembled, and he almost collapsed.

There are more than a dozen big characters on the white tablet, and it says "Departure, Li Jiying, Wu Rui, Wen, Shende, Shenggong, Ming Daxiao Emperor". Father Zhao Kuangyin.

Tang Jie was tongue-tied, under the tablet of the Emperor Taizu, how dare he say anything more about pretending to be a ghost, he quickly wondered what Su Jin was going to do, and at the same time understood why the master and the others dared not order Su Jin to be captured.

Su Jin is paying homage to the great ancestor. If he was arrested for worshiping, it is a crime of disobedience. Disrespect to the great grandfather is regarded as treason. Who dares to do it.

"Quickly, hurry up and invite the prince to deal with it. He has to come forward in this matter. He is of royal blood. He can be present on behalf of the royal family to follow the worship of the Taizu. We can't break the rules." Tang Jie felt the matter. It's not easy, at this time, we must get out the prince who shrank behind, otherwise, if he is a little careless, he will be charged with disrespecting the ancestor, and he can't afford this responsibility.

The master hurriedly agreed, and went to invite King Teng to come in person. Tang Jie straightened his clothes, came to the incense table, bowed three times and kowtowed nine times to the tablet of Taizu, and offered another stick of incense. Then he got up and said, "Su Jin, which one are you singing about? Today is neither Taizu's ascension to heaven nor Auspicious, what is the purpose of setting up an incense table here to worship Taizu?"

Su Jin slowly raised the corner of his eyes, glanced at him and said coldly: "Who are you? Are you from the royal family surnamed Zhao? Didn't you see that I was worshiping the great ancestor? When is it your turn to ask me, go Find someone surnamed Zhao to talk to me."

Tang Jie was stunned on the spot, he didn't expect this guy to be so arrogant, but the prince didn't show up, so he really couldn't interrogate the royal family surnamed Zhao.

After thinking for a while, Tang Jie suppressed his anger and said: "Su Jin, even if you want to express your admiration and loyalty to the great grandfather, worshiping the great grandfather is an official event, and it is understandable for the people to set up memorial tablets at home to worship , but your open worship needs to be approved by the Ministry of Rites before it can be carried out, and the altar must be solemn and grand, and it will be arranged uniformly by the court. The common people can only come to offer incense and kowtow. It is not in line with court etiquette."

Su Jinhuo didn't seem to hear him, and directly treated him as air, just facing the tablet of Taizu, and muttering something in his mouth.

Tang Jie was so angry that he wanted to call the servants to rush up and take this trickster, but he really couldn't do it rashly in front of the altar of the great ancestor; all he had to do was wait for King Teng to come, and the great grandfather was the ancestor of King Teng. Only King Teng can have a say.

Su Jin is also waiting, and he is also waiting for King Teng to arrive. The success or failure of this matter depends on the presence of King Teng. Only when he is present, his hard work will not be in vain.

In a corner of the square, Yan Biyun, Rou Niang and others also supported each other and looked at each other. Their eyes were fixed on Su Jin's body, carefully watching Su Jin's every move, for fear of missing a tiny detail. .

Looking at that thin figure who was not too tall, Yan Biyun's heart was about to break.

This unyielding boy, who is sometimes stubborn, sometimes playful, sometimes shrewd, and sometimes confused, is fighting against a huge opponent with his own strength.

There were times when he flinched, and there were times when he was afraid.

But today, in Yan Biyun's eyes, he is no longer a 16-year-old boy, but has completely become an upright man.

The wind and clouds in the sky are stirring, the dark clouds are getting darker and darker, lower and lower, almost suffocating people, it seems to be a big black net, trying to catch everything in the world.