But the bright moon shines on the ditch

"How can a half-grown teenager do such a nasty thing?"

"His father did the same thing, what's impossible?"

"His mother doesn't care?"

"I heard that his old mother has been lingering and sick all year round. That child has been a wild child since he was a child, stealing chickens and dogs and committing all sorts of crimes. He committed crimes, and he only thinks about those things in his head. He really has a mother who has no mother to teach him."

"Who is in that hall?"

"I heard it's my brother."

"And brother?"

"That's right, he's still a scholar. Oh, a scholar teaches this kind of younger brother? What kind of books are they reading!"

"Looking at the appearance of others, he may have made a fortune in the outside world, and has no control over the life and death of his mother and younger brother. As long as he takes care of it, he won't commit such a scandal of killing thousands of knives!"

……

This is the Fuliang County Government, which is tens of kilometers away from Jingdezhen. Most of the people who heard the news were villagers from the nearby area.

They couldn't recognize Xu Zhiliu, so they could watch the commotion in front of them completely from the perspective of a bystander.

Xu Zhiliu stood at the ground level of the court, one step lower than the height of the county government office.His ears were filled with such malicious speculations, contempt, temptations and insults, and when he recalled all that happened that day, a strong, unresolved depression suddenly rose in his chest.

Just as Anan complained every time he confronted him: "You knew how to reprimand me during the fight, so where were you when I was beaten? They all said that you were enjoying yourself outside, and you were in charge of hundreds of people. My job is bound to have a bright future. What about me? Every day, besides digging out birds’ eggs from trees and fishing for fish and shrimps in rivers, I run all over the mountains, catching chicken-stealing weasels and fat big rabbits. It also gave birth to a litter of cubs , there is no milk, I have to find a way to nourish it... Are you going to say that I am not doing my job and doing nothing? But no matter how I am not as good as you, at least I am better than you, no matter how late I will go home! You Well, how many times do you go home a year? Do you know that your mother is sick again? She doesn’t allow anyone to send you a letter. She relies on medicine to keep up her energy and blood every day. She waits for you to come back at the entrance of the village. She is still calling your name in a daze! She is afraid that she will not be able to see you for the last time, and even wants you to come back in her dreams. Do you know this? If something happened to me, when do you plan to go back? This year's Spring Festival, you Seeing that there is no grass growing in the yard, and guessing that my mother is ill, she still returned to Jingdezhen. You are so unfilial, you are in vain as a son of man! And I feel even more ashamed to have an elder brother like you!"

shame.

Xu Zhiliu couldn't help but think of these years. In order to make a living, he devoted himself to kiln affairs, exhausted his mind and thought, thinking that he and his mother could get a stable life for him and his mother, and earn them a pure land of shelter from the sun. .

Now it seems that these are not what they want.

But if he hadn't packed his bags and gone to join Xu Zhong many years ago, what would they be like now?Why does fate always play tricks on people?
It's ridiculous and sad.

At this time, amidst the sound of orderly and majestic killing, the magistrate dressed in a seventh-rank supplementary uniform came to the hall.A gavel was clapped, and the people fell silent.

Anan was pushed by two yamen servants and stumbled out from behind a screen beside him.His hair was disheveled and there were some bruises on his face, but fortunately they were not serious.With his hands twisted behind his back, he was forced to kneel down in the hall.

Zhang Wensi glanced at Xu Zhiliu, then walked around him, and fixed on the young man: "Is Xu Chengzhi from Yaoli under the hall? Do you know what crime you have committed?"

The eyes of the two brothers met, and the 14-year-old dark boy stubbornly looked away, and shouted out in a fit of temper, "It's not me!"

"I believe you."

Xu Zhiliu didn't hesitate at all.

Anan turned his head to look at him in disbelief, his bright eyes were full of trembling autumn water.

Xu Zhiliu pulled her lips into a smile and nodded to him.Ananru took a reassurance, although he refused to admit it, but he knew how relieved he was when he saw his brother appear.

At this time Xu Zhiliu said: "Your Excellency, although my younger brother Anan is a bit stubborn, but he has read the Four Books since he was a child, and he knows etiquette, justice, and shame. He will never engage in obscene activities. Please check clearly, Your Excellency."

"Who are you? Who asked you to speak without my permission?" Zhang Wensi stopped and said, "I have my own rules for judging cases, and the idlers are waiting to leave the hall!"

As he spoke, Wang Jin stepped forward and pushed Xu Zhiliu.

Warriors are strong, and Wang Jin and Wu Yin didn't deal with each other. He knew that Xu Zhiliu and Wu Yin had a very close relationship, so he took the opportunity to retaliate at this time. This push made Xu Zhiliu unprepared, and he retreated a few steps, barely holding on stature.

He wanted to say that it was the people from the county government that lured him here, why did he turn his back on him now?But he stopped talking.Looking at the current situation, Zhang Wensi pretended not to know, and was afraid that it would be useless to say more.

He restrained his mind and stopped speaking casually.

Zhang Wensi asked around as usual, and then beckoned to ask someone to bring the plaintiff and witnesses.The witness was a hunter, apparently waiting in the back hall, and came to the hall shortly after being summoned, but the plaintiff woman did not show up for a long time.

Seeing Anan with his hands bound, the Orion immediately exclaimed, "It's you! It's you!"

Immediately facing forward, he cupped his hands and reported to Zhang Wensi, "My lord, I went hunting in the mountains and heard a woman calling for help from a distance. I hurried forward to check and saw a man doing something wrong to the woman who called for help. I immediately Stop shouting loudly, the man picked up his pants and ran. He must have often hang out in the mountains. He ran extremely fast and was familiar with the road conditions in the mountains. I could catch up after a long time. But although I didn’t see his face, But I recognize his clothes. It’s just this gray rag shirt with several pieces of pudding sewn underneath, there’s no way it’s wrong!”

"Fuck your motherfucker!"

"quiet!"

Anan insisted: "My mother is seriously ill these days, and I have been taking care of her at home. I have never gone to the mountains, and I have never seen any women! Everyone in the village can testify to me."

"You are doing things in the mountains, who else but me can see?" Orion was afraid that the county magistrate would think he was talking nonsense, so he hastily added, "My lord, the villain has been hunting in the mountains all year round. If nothing else, his eyesight is extremely sharp." Alright, the criminal is almost exactly the same size and shape as the person in front of him, plus the patched clothes, can there be anything wrong?"

Zhang Wensi nodded seriously.

At this time, Xu Zhiliu stepped forward again: "My lord, Xu Chengzhi is my younger brother. As an elder brother, I wonder if I can say a few words for him?"

He is so humble and courteous, and his request is reasonable, Zhang Wensi couldn't use a chicken feather as an arrow to bully him at will, so he nodded, a little impatiently said: "Since the witness has seen it with his own eyes, why do you have to quibble?" of?"

Xu Zhiliu turned to Orion and said, "Is what brother said true?"

"really!"

"You said that you have never seen my brother's true face, is it true?"

Orion hesitated a little, but still nodded, and wanted to explain something, but was interrupted by Xu Zhiliu: "If there is such a person, who is similar in stature and build to my brother, and appears here wearing a gray long gown with patches, can you Judgment, who are the two of them who committed the crime?"

"This……"

Orion didn't know how to speak for a while, his mouth moved, and reluctantly said: "I really didn't see the man's face. If the figure is really similar, I..."

Xu Zhiliu's words clearly lead the case to "deliberate framing".

Zhang Wensi's expression gradually became cold: "What do you mean by this? Could it be that you doubt my ability to judge cases?"

"Caomin didn't dare. I just thought that in the old days on the street, I had made the same mistake as this man. I mistook other people for my younger brother. That's why I had such a doubt."

When he said this, he locked Orion's testimony as an "admission".Orion hurriedly looked at Zhang Wensi, waved his hands and said, "I-I don't know about this, but if it wasn't for this kid, who else could it be?"

"Actually, it's easy to judge. Please ask the plaintiff woman to go to court to see the truth."

Xu Zhiliu said, as long as you find a man who is similar to Anan and kneel in the hall, the magistrate pretends to threaten to play a scene. If the woman is sure that the perpetrator is that man, or if the woman is sure that the man is called Xu Chengzhi, then he The younger brother, the real Xu Chengzhi is innocent.

What he said was convincing and well-founded, and there was a lot of discussion outside for a while.

The people who watched the fun didn't expect Xu Zhiliu to open his mouth to see the accused woman. This...Since ancient times, women have been the most chaste. Whose daughter has the audacity to testify in court after suffering such humiliation?Immediately, someone couldn't help condemning Xu Zhiliu, calling him shameless and reading obscene books!

In addition, some people said that this idea is good, whether it is true or not, the plaintiff must always come forward to speak out.It's better for everyone to speak clearly and clearly than to wrong one and a half older children.

In addition to these voices, there are naturally some people who suspect that the county magistrate hastily settled the case.

Not only was Zhang Wensi disowned, but he was now being roasted on the fire. When he was in a dilemma, a figure ran in from the outside and said anxiously: "My lord, it's not good!"

"What's going on? What's wrong with being in such a hurry!"

"Report to my lord, my subordinates came back from the plaintiff's house, the woman was unbearable to be humiliated, she hanged herself at home a moment ago."

While talking, he raised his hand, and an old man behind him rushed in panting, punching and kicking Anan involuntarily.

The two classes of yamen servants watched coldly, but none of them stepped forward.

Xu Zhiliu felt it was absurd, so he quickly stepped forward and hugged Anan.

This happened so suddenly that no one in the courtroom could react, and when Xu Zhiliu stepped forward, the old man yelled "Ouch", as if he had been knocked down, fell down on the ground, crying loudly.

Seeing that he was getting old and crying sadly, the people all pointed at him.If there were people who wanted the plaintiff to show up just now, now that they heard the news of the young girl's humiliation and death, they all stopped thinking and turned to complaining for the old man.

The old man said: "God, my granddaughter is only 12 years old. She lost her parents since she was a child, and she lived with our old couple. Such a sensible child knows how to go to the mountains to pick fruits and firewood at a young age, and take care of our old couple. I didn’t pay attention at the time, but she couldn’t think about hanging herself at home. My wife went with her just one breath away, and now she’s paralyzed on the bed and can’t get out. Our old couple are half-buried people, and we will die when we die It’s a shameful life. But my granddaughter is still young, she’s as beautiful as a flower, she’s just gone! Even if I risk my life, old man, I still have to seek justice for her! My lord, please Revenge!"

After hearing what happened to the plaintiff, the people were even more moved and began to criticize Anan.Anan managed to break free from Xu Zhiliu's arms, and wanted to yell "fart", but when the words came to his lips, he was afraid that Xu Zhiliu would listen to the old man's slander, so he raised his head timidly.

This impartial glance was in Xu Zhiliu's eyes.

He didn't say anything, he just protected him like that, with firmness in his eyes, all the anger and unwillingness of the young man were soothed like spring wind and rain.

It turned out that this was his brother.

Until today, he seems to have only known his brother.

Xu Zhiliu calmly faced the old man's accusation, and asked: "My condolences to the old man. Since the incident happened, you must also want to bring to justice the real culprit who killed your granddaughter. In this case, Xiaosheng has a few questions. Can you speak up?"

The old man glared at him angrily: "What do you want to say?"

Xu Zhiliu thought for a while: "May I ask if your granddaughter had any visions before she hanged herself?"

"My wife and I are working in the fields. How could we know that she, she would... If we knew this, why would we still do farm work. The little girl was bullied by this beast, and we still..."

"According to what you mean, she didn't show any signs of death at first?"

From when Anan was arrested to when the news came back to Jingdezhen, from when An Nineteen appeared in Hutian Kiln to when he rushed to Fuliang Court, even if these times are negligible, what about before then?It has been at least two days since the incident happened. The woman's reputation was ruined. She was not afraid of gossip and reported to the officials. It can be seen that she is a courageous character. Then why did she hang herself suddenly on the day of the interrogation?
"Have you ever thought about these doubtful points?" Xu Zhiliu said persuasively, "Or, if you think about it carefully, has anyone else seen your granddaughter besides your two elders in the past two days?"

The old man seemed to be lost in thought, and after thinking for a long time, he was about to say something when he heard a gavel sound.

Zhang Wensi scolded angrily: "Xu Zhiliu, are you the county magistrate or am I the county magistrate? Do you know that all these things are overstepping?"

Before Xu Zhiliu could speak, Zhang Wensi said again: "The 12-year-old girl was humiliated and died in vain. No matter who the real culprit is, the circumstances of this case are serious and must be investigated strictly. The officer does not want to let go of any possibility. Since there is no evidence to prove her death, the defendant will never deny it. Admit it, then you can only use punishment."

"Come on, put on the instruments of torture!"

Xu Zhiliu said anxiously: "There are many laws and regulations, a county yamen, and the powers of the officials are only to answer or correct the punishment."

Zhang Wensi said with a smile: "The great talent Xu is not only well-versed in poetry and books, but also proficient in criminal laws? You don't need to remind me, I know it well." Then he gave Wang Jin a look.

Wang Jin waved, and the instruments of torture entered the arena.

Anan was pinned to the ground, gritted his teeth and roared, blood stains overflowing from between his teeth, and still refused to let go, like a ferocious beast rebelling against the public power in the world.He was still a young beast, he hadn't grown up yet, he didn't have sharp minions, he couldn't win justice for himself, and he was dying in just a moment.

Xu Zhiliu couldn't bear it anymore and stepped forward to hug him.

Wang Jin couldn't push him away with one hand, he just felt bad luck, so he spat at him.

The phlegm splashed in the hair of the majestic Xu Dacai, like a slap, and slapped Anan hard on the face.Anan's eyes were tearing, he struggled to stand up, and ran towards Wang Jin: "You dog official, if you want to beat or scold me, come at me! Don't insult my brother!"

Wang Jin kicked fiercely.

Anan's knee hit the ground heavily, Wang Jin gave another slap, and slapped Anan with his backhand, slapping Anan away.A muffled groan sounded, and then the corner of his mouth was bleeding.

Seeing that the time was right, Zhang Wensi slammed down the gavel.

The bastard Wang Jin reprimanded at the right time: "Stop! What do you think this is? The county magistrate is here, why are you messing around?"

……

Xu Zhiliu originally thought that Anan's stigmatization was just another "coincidence" of "unjust, false and wrongly decided", but seeing the plaintiff woman hanged herself suddenly, Orion kept saying that it was not a fake, and suddenly realized that these were not coincidences.

But a careful layout.

Although his father died unjustly, the shadow cast on their family has not dissipated. The stain is always with him. Anan has suffered from blind eyes and bullying since he was a child, and he is far precocious than ordinary children.Although young and vigorous, he often fights with others, but his heart is not bad.

Xu Zhiliu believed that he was a man and would never commit adultery with a woman.

Now except for Anan, what everyone in the hall including the old man and Orion may have said is the truth, but the real insider behind the truth is dead, as the saying goes, if there is no evidence, how to decide the case depends entirely on the attitude of the county magistrate.

Xu Zhiliu looked up.

Behind Zhang Wensi is a plaque made of beech wood, with the words "clean and honest" written on it.

It was the four-character that he looked up to countless times when he was young, flipping through his father's notes countless times, and when he spent every late night when the candles were burned out in the Hutian Kiln with blood and tears, he would describe the vision of the four-character in his heart.

He longed to have the opportunity to sit in this square armchair one day, stand on the steps on the ground, look around the cold court, and shine a light into the dark sky.

His sincere eyes swept over every beam in the hall, every killing stick, and finally stayed on Zhang Wensi's proud and ferocious face.

There should be no expectations.

A few years ago, it was this man who was tortured and forced his father to bow his head and confess his guilt.

Now, he has to do the same to force his younger brother.

What a gentleman is, what is the integrity of a literati, what is justice and innocence, all of them are farts!He hugged the trembling brother, suddenly feeling sad.

Why didn't he escape such a humiliating fate after ten years of hard work?Why would the father's tragedy repeat itself again?Why let the evil fruit he planted be retribution on Anan? !

Why does the Dao of Heaven always drive him to nowhere when he sees a glimmer of hope?

Why?

why!

……

He said to Anan, "Brother, wait for me, brother will definitely save you", and then strode out.

Anan watched his receding back.

I just felt that the figure was particularly desolate and lonely.

He wanted to say something, he wanted to call his brother loudly, he wanted him to come back, he wanted to bow his head, thinking that everything would be borne by him, and his brother could just be the old brother.

But before he could say anything, a heavy stick fell on his back again.

He endured the pain and looked up.

Is this the officer?
Is this the dog officer who killed his father back then?

In this instant, he understood the meaning of reading, and also understood Xu Zhiliu's patience.He said to himself, brother, don't save me.If I don't die this time, let me kill all the evil spirits in the world for you.