Do you know that it starts with Meng Tong?

In fact, when she met Gu Tingye for the first time, Zhu Manniang knew Gu Tingye's identity from the conversation between Gu Tingye and his companions. Since then, she has been deliberately trying to get along with the legitimate son of the Hou family.

After that, Zhu Manniang went all the way to find Gu Tingye and told him that Zhu Dachun had defrauded her of all her savings and that Zhu Dachun had died, leaving her alone and helpless.

This is the second lie Zhu Manniang has told.

She was just afraid that Gu Tingye would forget about her after he went to Bailudong Academy, so she said this to show that she was alone and helpless, making Gu Tingye feel pity for her and finally keep her by his side.

As for the other lies that are continued to be fabricated in order to cover up the lies, such as being illiterate, there are countless others.

Piece by piece, piece by piece, all the truths told from Zhu Dachun's mouth were like a heavy hammer hitting Gu Tingye's heart. Gu Tingye didn't understand until today that the reason why Zhu Manniang was with him was just because he was Hou. It's just his status as the legitimate son of the mansion.

All friendship is fake!

At this time, Zhu Maniang was already dumbfounded. She never thought that her own brother would sell her out completely before anything happened.

"Zhu Dachun, are you crazy?"

Zhu Manniang pointed at Zhu Dachun and yelled hoarsely, her eyes full of disbelief.

However, her panicked look just proved that what Zhu Dachun said was true.

Gu Tingye looked at Zhu Manniang disheartenedly and found that the familiar woman in front of him suddenly became extremely strange.

Finally, Gu Tingye closed his eyes in pain and roared like a beast: "Get out of here! From now on, never let me see you again!"

After her old story was exposed, Zhu Manniang knew that there was no room for redemption. Moreover, in her eyes, Gu Tingye had lost value. Since Gu Tingye was willing to let him go, it was naturally the best.

So Zhu Manniang didn't hesitate for a moment, she immediately threw herself into Zhu Dachun's arms, took away the banknotes she had gotten from selling her property these days, kicked him bitterly, and then ran towards the alley without looking back. .

However, not long after she ran out of the alley, Zhu Manniang was stopped by Shen Congxing and others who had been waiting outside.

Wei Chen stepped out and looked coldly at Zhu Manniang who was still trying to break away with her teeth and claws, and said in a serious tone: "Zhong Huai is soft-hearted and let you go. This is his own business and I have nothing to do with it.

But you have violated the Zhou Dynasty's criminal law by stealing people's property. As the magistrate of a state, I am in charge of criminal law proceedings. Since I came across this matter, I have to take care of it.Come on, take down this thief woman! "

Chapter 222

"Take it!"

Wei Chen waved his hand, and Shen Congxing immediately agreed and brought two generals forward with ropes to tie up Zhu Manniang.

Zhu Manniang, a female classmate, really made a move. She was no match for these strong men. Within two strokes, she was pinned to the ground and unable to move.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhu Manniang immediately cried loudly: "Erlang, Erlang! Help, Erlang!"

When Shen Congxing saw this, hesitation appeared on his face, and he turned to look at Wei Chen.

After all, this Zhu Manniang was once Gu Tingye's pillow, and maybe Gu Tingye still had some old feelings for her. If Gu Tingye heard her cry for help and came out to ask them to let her go, it would be really difficult.

"Noisy! Stuff her mouth!"

Wei Chen's expression was cold and decisive.

Shen Congxing nodded and accepted the order, and asked his men to open Zhu Manniang's mouth, while he found a dusty cloth ball and stuffed it into Zhu Manniang's mouth.

"Woooo~~~"

Zhu Manniang's mouth was blocked and she could only let out a reluctant whine. For a while, the air around her became much purer.

Wei Chen looked at Zhu Manniang who was kneeling on the ground with disheveled hair in disgust, raised his chin and signaled to Shen Congxing: "Take him back first and put him in the state prison for custody."

"Yes!"

Shen Congxing raised his fist towards Wei Chen and immediately asked two of his men to lift Zhu Maniang up from the ground.Although Zhu Manniang struggled desperately, it was all in vain.

Just when Zhu Manniang was almost desperate, a slightly tired voice came from deep in the alley: "That's it, let her go..."

Gu Tingye walked out of the alley with heavy steps and looked up at Zhu Manniang not far away, with mixed feelings in his heart.

Except for a few people such as Sheng Changbai, Chang Nanny, and Wei Chen, Zhu Manniang is already the closest person to Gu Tingye.

After all, Zhu Manniang has been following Gu Tingye around all these years, and she also gave birth to a daughter for Gu Tingye. She plays a very important role in Gu Tingye's heart.

It is precisely because of this that Gu Tingye received such a big blow when he knew Zhu Manniang's true face.

He was a tall and brave man. After this incident, not only did his expression darken, but his figure even seemed to have become a little hunched over.

But even though Gu Tingye hated Zhu Manniang's shameless betrayal in his heart, he couldn't help but soften when he heard Zhu Manniang's shrill cries.

After all, Zhu Manniang has been with him for so many years, and she will develop feelings for any kitten or puppy. What's more, Zhu Manniang is Sister Rong's biological mother.

Gu Tingye slowly walked up to Wei Chen and Shen Congxing, and sighed quietly: "Xingyun, Lao Shen, some family scandals made you laugh. Let her go, as long as she doesn't appear in front of me again... …”

When Zhu Manniang heard Gu Tingye's words, she felt as if she had been granted amnesty. Her mouth was blocked by a ball of cloth and she could not speak, so she could only nod her head.

It seemed as if she was promising Gu Tingye that as long as Gu Tingye could let her go, she would stay away from him and never bother Gu Tingye again.

However, what Zhu Manniang didn't expect was that the person involved, Gu Tingye, did feel sympathy and wanted to let her go, but Wei Chen, as a bystander, didn't think so.

"Family scandal? Zhonghuai, are you thinking too simply? Zhu Manniang's crime is terrible.

It's a felony! "

Wei Chen frowned, looked at Gu Tingye, and said in a deep voice: "The "Xingtong of the Great Zhou Dynasty? Laws of Thieves and Thieves" says: If he steals the owner's property with his maid, if the stolen goods exceed ten guans, Wen Zumo will be executed; if the stolen goods are less than ten guans, he will be executed. Wen, twenty sticks, three years of service;..., below the general wen, the crime will be punished!" (For the convenience of calculation, in this book, copper coins are always equal to one tael of silver)

Gu Tingye was responsible for the public security of Yuzhou, and he was most familiar with the laws of thieves and thieves. When he heard Wei Chen's words, he immediately recalled that these were the laws related to the theft of the master's property by slaves in the Zhou Dynasty.

Wei Chen suddenly mentioned this law at this time, obviously targeting Zhu Manniang.

Zhu Manniang was from a lowly family, so in terms of etiquette and law, her status was the same as that of a slave, so this rule was applicable.

According to the laws of the Zhou Dynasty, if a slave steals the master's property and the stolen money exceeds ten taels of silver, he will be punished with death.

And Zhu Manniang earned no less than a thousand taels of silver by pawning and selling the jewelry, antiques, and land and shops in Gu Tingye's courtyard. Even if she was executed a hundred times, it would not be an exaggeration.

Thinking of this, Gu Tingye couldn't help but open his mouth in surprise. Could it be that Wei Chen still didn't want to let Zhu Mannian go?

"Xingyun, what are you doing?"

"Zhong Huai!"

Before Gu Tingye could open his mouth to ask, Wei Chen reached out and pressed down, interrupting: "You and I have known each other for many years, and we are like brothers. I have always known that you miss our old relationship, but you should also know what kind of person I, Wei Chen, am! Now that I am Yu It is my responsibility to know the state, no matter who violates the national law in Yuzhou, I will treat them equally and enforce the law impartially!"

Wei Chen's words were well-founded and convincing, leaving Gu Tingye speechless.

Wei Chen was right. Zhu Manniang was not only his concubine, but also a subject of Zhou Dynasty. She had violated the national law by secretly stealing the master's property.

Even if Gu Tingye was kind enough to let Zhu Manniang go, there was still Da Zhou law waiting for her.

You must know that when Wei Chen first arrived in Yuzhou and was not yet stable, it was through fair and strict executions that he won the reputation of "Wei Qingtian" and established prestige in Yuzhou, making the people of Yuzhou Sincerely convinced.

If Wei Chen let Zhu Manniang go for Gu Tingye's sake today, what would the people of Yuzhou think once this matter spread?

Gu Tingye put himself in Wei Chen's shoes and thought about it, and felt that Wei Chen really had no reason to let Zhu Manniang go.

Speaking of which, arresting thieves should have been Gu Tingye's responsibility, but Gu Tingye put his own likes and dislikes above the national law. Compared with Wei Chen's tall image of being dedicated to the public, it was simply a judgment of superiority.

At the thought of this, Gu Tingye couldn't help but feel ashamed and ashamed to face Wei Chen, so he lowered his head and stepped aside.

Seeing that her last hope was shattered, Zhu Manniang's eyes gradually turned from pleading to despair, and finally she turned back to stare at Gu Tingye with great resentment, her mouth murmuring without knowing what she was saying.

】

However, Gu Tingye was indifferent to this and just stopped where he was, silently watching Shen Congxing and others escort Zhu Manniang away.

It wasn't until Zhu Manniang and his party disappeared from sight that Gu Tingye turned around and raised his fist towards Wei Chen: "Xingyun, thank you very much for what happened today."

Wei Chen smiled and waved his hand: "It's just a little effort, as long as you don't blame me for being unkind."

"How could it be?" Gu Tingye said hurriedly: "Xingyun, you exposed the true face of this thief woman for me. I can't thank you enough! By the way, what should I do with that Zhu Dachun?"

Wei Chen smiled calmly and said: "He is an accomplice, so naturally he must be detained for trial. However, he has made some small contributions, so let's spare his life and let him go to the northwest to build the city wall for the frontier soldiers. !”

When Gu Tingye heard this, he thought of Zhu Manniang's fate and couldn't help but said with some sadness: "Xingyun, do you really want to execute Zhu Manniang?"

"The law has no mercy!" Wei Chen said categorically without any hesitation: "Zhong Huai, it's not that I want her to die, but the law of the country wants her to die!"

Five days later.

Wei Chen, the magistrate of Yuzhou, went to court to interrogate Zhu Manniang. With all the witnesses and material evidence, this was supposed to be a case of ironclad murder. However, the criminal, Zhu Manniang, refused to confess and even made wild remarks and disrupted the court.

Wei Chen immediately became furious and ordered someone to use a stick to punish her. Unexpectedly, Zhu Manniang died after a few strokes of the stick.

According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, local officials did not have the power to directly execute a person, and the death penalty list needed to be submitted to the court for approval before it could be executed.

However, rod punishment was a common method used by local officials to punish prisoners.

Zhu Manniang died unexpectedly while being tortured with a cane, and she could only blame her own bad fate.

The matter is over.

Chapter 223 Long-cherished wish

After Zhu Manniang was killed, Wei Chen also felt relieved. Otherwise, Wei Chen would feel uncomfortable when he thought about such a poisonous snake hiding in the government office.

On Gu Tingye's side, Sister Rong's biological mother was missing, so naturally there was a burst of crying. However, it was up to Gu Tingye to solve this problem. Wei Chen couldn't get involved in everything. He still had tens of thousands of people in Yuzhou to take care of. .

mid-February.

Yuzhou ruled Mi County, and the sun was shining brightly.

Since the beginning of spring, there has been continuous spring rain in Yuzhou. After the rain stopped, it was sunny for more than ten days without a trace of cool breeze, and it was very hot.

Wei Chen, the magistrate of Yuzhou, has left Yuzhou City since the beginning of the month and visited the counties below. Now that Xinzheng County has been visited, the next destination is naturally Mi County.

Sun Zhuo, the magistrate of Mi County, was greeting him on the official road with the county magistrate, dianshi, chief registrar and other officials.

Sun Zhuo felt very uneasy when he heard that the prefect's patrol route was to first go to Xinzheng and then to Mi County.

There is no harm without comparison.

Xinzheng County is where the prefecture city of Yuzhou is located, and the county magistrate Chen Jun is also a fellow townsman and the same year as the magistrate Wei Chen. There is also a Jun Porcelain Guild in the territory. It can be said that those who are near the water are first served. As the main area for the Jun Porcelain trade, it is developing rapidly.

Mi County does not have such good luck. Not only does it not get much exposure to Junci, it is also adjacent to the turbulent Yellow River.

The existence of this above-ground river causes the groundwater level on both sides to rise, and salt accumulates on the surface due to evaporation, forming a large area of ​​saline-alkali land unsuitable for farming in the depression behind the Yellow River.

Industry and commerce are underdeveloped, and agriculture is also sluggish.In mid-December last year, the tax collected by Mi County was less than one-third of that of Xinzheng County, which was considered to be holding Yuzhou back.

Because of this, Sun Zhuo, the magistrate of Mi County who was waiting by the official road, would take out a handkerchief from time to time to wipe the sweat dripping from his forehead. It was not because of the heat, but because of panic.

At this time, a government official from a distance rushed over and shouted: "Coming, coming!"

Sun Zhuo hurriedly waved to him and asked, "But Lord Zhizhou is here?"