Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 2

Qiu Darui hid in the crowd in the distance, carefully guarding against being recognized by acquaintances.He stared fiercely at Yuan Xingzong who was surrounded by rioting workers.Secretly said: "Raise soldiers for thousands of days, use them for a while, this dog should bite people." He went to rush back from Kanto to return early, and just passed Hangu Pass when he heard that something happened in the workshop. near the workshop.After the workshop became 'chaos', Qiu Dari was first worried that the Relief Office would intervene and find out many old cases hidden in the workshop.Therefore, he took advantage of the 'chaos' to send people to the hidden stakes in the workshop to bring in news. As long as the officials come to recruit these troublesome workers, the hidden stakes will hide among the workers and suddenly kill them, insisting on cutting off these workers. The disciple's life is impossible.

This hidden pile is a dead man he raised. Qiu Darui helped him pay off his gambling debts, and raised his family in Hangzhou, while this person was arranged in the Guanzhong workshop.Qiu Darui originally intended to use him to monitor the shopkeeper Luo and others who presided over the workshop.

Since then, the situation has developed step by step, and it is no different from Qiu Darui's initial fear of the worst.The Relief Agency, which stood on the side of the workers, not only intervened, but also fully dominated the matter.Therefore, Qiu Darui could only pin all his hopes on that hidden stake. "The yamen in the Guandong is really more troublesome than the southeast." Qiu Darui said bitterly. If the officials in the southeast of the Song Dynasty hadn't searched too hard, he wouldn't want to rush to Guanzhong to open up the situation.

Among the packed workers and apprentices, before Fu Zhiren and other officials could catch up, Chen Yuyi stood beside Yuan Xingzong, and the two of them were surrounded to death.The eyes of each thin and pale face were wide open, as if in front of them these two people had pinned all their hopes.

"I started working before dawn, at seven or eight o'clock every day, and lived for five years," a worker with a face like a skeleton waved his skinny fingers in front of Chen Yuyi. "Fifteen of us crossed the river together, five of them fell down, and the rotten mats were dragged out as soon as they were rolled. I don't know where they were buried. After five years of hard work, this workshop actually deducted their wages , the Elder Master must uphold justice for the grassroots and others!"

"If the work done every day is not enough, they will not give food. If it is summer, they will be punished to stand under the scorching sun. If it is winter, they will be punished to stand barefoot in the snow." "This workshop Inside, the mouths of the shopkeeper and the foreman are two skins, both positive and negative, but we, as long as there is a slight confrontation, we will be kicked and punched immediately."

A worker opened his mouth and showed it to Chen Yuyi: "This was smashed with a stone a year ago. They said that he is a donkey who talks back." Two or three of his upper and lower front teeth were missing, and the middle of his mouth looked like a dark hole.Other workers unbuttoned their tattered clothes, and their bony bodies were covered with shocking wounds. "When I was dozing off, the foreman scalded the charcoal with the tongs." A man pointed to a large scar on his arm and said, "The villain is lucky, the wound heals on its own. Some people's wounds rot all the time." , the whole arm was rotten, and he became a useless person, and he didn’t know where he went in the end.”

All the workers were scrambling to be the first, and Chen Yuyi and Yuan Xingzong were overwhelmed. Not far away, a man with a sinister face gradually squeezed forward. Yes, his face was pale, and he squeezed closer and closer until he was only two or three steps away from the leading court official, with five or six people stopping in between.The man seemed to hesitate for a while, and finally made up his mind. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone was looking forward and not paying attention to the moment beside him, he raised the short steel crossbow with a good string in his hand, and pointed it at the face of the high court official.

"No matter how many grievances there are, the adults will make decisions for you." Chen Yuyi tried his best to suppress the sadness and anger in his heart, and smiled and raised his head to comfort the workers around him. Suddenly his smile froze on his face, and his eyes opened wide , he saw the most unbelievable scene, a worker who was close at hand actually aimed his crossbow at Master Yuan.

The worker grinned strangely, as if he was about to strike, Chen Yuyi's mind went blank, and he stood up, "My lord, be careful!" Before he could say this, he fit himself in front of Yuan Xingzong.Before long, an iron crossbow 'shot' heavily on Chen Yuyi's shoulder, and the strong momentum brought him backwards to Yuan Xingzong's body.

The workers around were stunned, and after a while, someone shouted loudly: "There are assassins!" Seven or eight workers hurriedly pressed the desperately resisting man to the ground.Thousands of workers and apprentices beside Yuan Xingzong were in a mess.

"No, there are assassins!" Fu Zhiren was shocked when he was walking towards Mr. Yuan, he hesitated for a moment, then hurried over.The court officials at the back also saw this scene. Chang'an ordered Cui Qianqing's face to shudder, and the school captain Lu Dejing ordered loudly: "The whole battalion forms an formation!" Pulled out of the fish skin sheath, the cold light shone like a moving wall of knives slowly advancing towards the busy workers.

"What a dog!" Qiu Dari clapped his right fists, suppressing the excitement in his heart.As long as there is a conflict between the officers and soldiers and the workers and apprentices, this matter will be easy to handle. After a while, he will be able to show up in an open and honest manner without leaving behind the huge family business in Guanzhong.

"Master Yuan!" Fu Zhiren rushed forward, and suddenly a person stood out among the workers and apprentices, it was Yuan Xingzong, his face was as cold as ice for thousands of years, and he shouted: "I am fine, let them wait Don't be impatient, don't fall into the tricks of the villains!" Fu Zhiren couldn't believe his eyes, seeing his hesitation, Yuan Xingzong shouted violently: "Hurry up!"

"Yes! Your Excellency!" Fu Zhiren turned around hastily, and ran towards the Sergeant of the Iron Skeleton Army who was slowly advancing like a wall of knives. He waved his hands and shouted loudly: "Master Yuan is fine, please don't use it for now." Come here!" "Lieutenant Lu, Lord Yuan is fine, this is a trick of the wicked!"

"He's 'grandmother'!" Qiu Darui cursed, he didn't care about remorse, and quietly slipped away from the crowd while others were not paying attention.It is impossible to return to Kanto from Hangu Pass.He had to take a detour and sneak back to Guandong before the court of Xia Kingdom knew that he was already in Guanzhong.

Two days later, Pan Shaowei was sitting in the love room of the big prison in Chang'an Fucheng. Mr. Cui Zhengji, the clerk of the Military Intelligence Department, and Zang Jun, the head of the Chang'an Mansion's police squad, also stood up, clasped their hands together and said, "See Mr. Han."

Han Gong Li Chan is one of the tribunes of the Chang'an Mansion. He sized up the prisoner tied to the iron stool, and asked with a frown, "Did you make a mistake?" Pan Shaowei said respectfully, "That's right, this person is Luo Fusheng, the shopkeeper of Qiu's Workshop."

Li Chan nodded, and asked routinely: "Are you really Luo Fusheng?"

"It's the villain." A gleam of happiness flashed in the eyes of shopkeeper Luo. He didn't expect that the relief office's punishment would still be in accordance with the court's rules, and the guardians were invited to prison. In this way, as long as the mind is careful enough and the answers are correct, you can save yourself from suffering. A lot of suffering.

After Li Chan sat down, he looked at the treasurer Luo and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I have heard that, according to the laws of the Zhu State Mansion, any suspect involved in a serious case who confides in truth will be punished lightly by the Secretary. Here, as long as you are telling the truth, although this instrument of torture is heavy, it will not hurt you. Do you hear clearly?"

Shopkeeper Luo raised his head and said weakly, "I heard you clearly."

Li Chan nodded, Cui Zhengji said in a low voice: "Is it time to start asking?" Li Chan nodded, Cui Zhengji waved, and the Chang'an government officials tied shopkeeper Luo to the tiger stool.Pan Shaowei exchanged glances with Cui Zhengji and Zang Jun, and asked in a deep voice: "Luo Fusheng, I want to ask you, what did you do before the worker-disciple chaos happened, and tell me carefully one by one."

Luo Zhanggu thought for a moment, and then began to narrate slowly. He admitted that he decided to deduct wages, but avoided the matter of instigating the death of the husband and wife surnamed Sun.Pan Shaowei's expression was half a smile, and he continued to ask with a cat-playing-mouse expression: "Then did you say to Du Wu and others, 'As usual, if you guys do good things, I'll let you guys deal with them." clean'?"

Shopkeeper Luo panicked, but denied it flatly: "No, there is absolutely no such thing!" Zang Jun, the head of the Chang'an Mansion, smiled slightly, took up the confession of Du Wuqiu Liu and others, presented it to Li Chan, and said respectfully: "Master Li, he lied." Li Chan read it once and nodded slightly.Zang Jun's face showed joy, and he waved his hand to order the servant to add a thick brick under the shopkeeper Luo's leg, which immediately turned his face pale.

Cui Zhengji continued to ask, "Where were you and the proprietor Qiu Darui at noon on the day of the massacre in front of Zheng Xiangtang's gate in November?"

Luo Fusheng's face changed slightly, his heart shrank, and he even forgot about the pain in his knee, he stammered: "The villain and my boss are ordering goods at the warehouse."

Cui Zhengji didn't talk to him, he opened the file, and presented to Li Chan the testimony of the staff of Taibailou that Qiu Darui and shopkeeper Luo stayed in the store all day and didn't check out until noon the next day. Cui Zhengji said in a deep voice "My lord, he's flustered again." Li Chan frowned and looked at the testimony signed by the three employees of Taibai Building, as well as the treasurer Luo who was rubbing the seal, and other occupants, and nodded again.

A yamen servant went up again, lifted shopkeeper Luo's calf with all his strength, and added a thick brick under it again. The pain was so painful that he dripped beads of sweat the size of soybeans, and shouted loudly: "The little man has a wrong memory, a wrong memory!" At noon, I accompanied Qiu Dong's family for dinner at Taibailou."

"How many people are there for dinner? Who is sitting on your left? Who is sitting on your right? Who did you meet? Did you say anything?" Cui Zhengji asked, looking at his increasingly pale face Shopkeeper Luo said meaningfully, "You have to remember clearly this time. If you add two more bricks, your leg will be broken. If your leg is broken, as long as you don't tell the truth, we have other ways."

Shopkeeper Luo has completely fallen into the hands of these experienced subordinates, and not long after, he completely collapsed, and confessed everything he knew about Qiu Dorui without waiting for questioning.There is no doubt that the truth of the bloody case at the gate of Zheng Xiangtang was revealed, Cui Zhengji and Pan Shaowei were very excited, and quickly asked the tribune Li Chan to draw up the confession to prove that the confession was obtained in strict accordance with the laws of Zhu Guofu, and was not the result of random torture.

After all the interrogation was clear, the Department of Military Intelligence, the Chang'an Mansion and the Relief Office jointly signed a letter, and quickly sent the cause of the "chaos" in the Qiu's workshop, the old cases in the workshop, and the most important case of Zheng Xiangtang's murder case to five. government.Even Yu Zangyun felt sorry for these files when he saw them.In addition to Qiu Darui, shopkeeper Luo's confession also implicated more than a dozen officials.In the face of ironclad evidence, Zhu Guofu quickly passed the "law of self-defense of workers and apprentices", the relief department was given the power to cooperate with the tribunes to protect workers, and the huge Qiu's workshop was bought by more than a dozen businessmen. The money obtained was 35 guan, and the Huguo Mansion generously allocated it to the Relief Department.

"The only pity is that the chief culprit, Qiu Darui, went to Kanto to urge goods long before the workshop went into 'chaos'. This man is old and cunning and has many ears and eyes. He heard the rumors wrong, not only never returned to Guanzhong, And they all disappeared in Kanto." Zhao Xingde said regretfully, he closed the dossier distributed by the Huguo Mansion to the captain, and opened another letter, which was sent by Chunyu Zhen.

Zhao Xingde looked at it, with a smile on his face, it turned out that after the self-discipline of the workers was implemented, many workers were released from the death contract and got free, and the shortage of worker apprentices in Guanzhong was also relieved to a certain extent.Chun Yuzhen reckoned that in a few months, a workshop like Xin Iron Works, which was profitable and affordable, would easily find enough manpower.Now it is impossible for the workers to sign a contract with the workshop for decades, so Chun Yuzhen decided to settle for the next best thing. There are dozens of procedures, and some of the most critical ones are only in his charge. He must keep this secret recipe of coking and iron smelting until the last moment.