Porridge and side dishes [farming]

Chapter 74

Hearing what Li Ji said, the headhunter felt that Li Ji was a kind person.

Comfortingly said: "The master is very good at solving cases, and he will definitely find your money back for you and give you justice."

Li Ji smiled bitterly in his heart, he would rather not be found out about this matter in his life, and he would be willing to pay five taels of silver.

Li Ji wanted to cry but had no tears, so he followed the catcher out.

Er Gouzi delivered to the door, Li Ji saw that he was reluctant.My heart felt sour for no reason: "Go back to sleep, it's fine, don't worry about me."

Er Gouzi just looked at Li Ji like this, and in the dim light of the torches of the policemen, he could still see the worry in Er Gouzi's eyes.

Li Ji turned around and reached out to rub Er Gouzi's head: "Good boy, be obedient, it's not like you won't come back."

Er Gouzi was obedient, nodded, looked at Li Ji, and took half a step back, which meant that he would not follow.

Li Ji turned around and explained to the catcher: "It's just that my eldest nephew is more clingy. I usually go to the city to sell fur goods, and he can send them far away."

After walking far away, the head catcher asked in a low voice: "Your nephew, I don't look like ordinary people."

The head catcher couldn't understand what was different.It doesn't look like a fool.She looks pretty good, but her speech is different from normal people.

Li Ji said truthfully: "It's not the same. He was lost in the mountains when he was five years old. It's not easy to support himself in the mountains for so many years. In the past two years, he was punished for stepping on a trap set by a hunter in the village. I was rescued from the injury, and I am eighteen. I remember some things from my childhood, and I have been living with me."

The head catcher was slightly stunned, and then he spoke with some admiration: "If you were an ordinary person, you would definitely be afraid of him with the bad temper of a wild beast on the mountain. You can adopt him, which shows that you are a kind person."

Li Ji thought about it, shook his head and said: "Actually, I can't be called a good person. It's just that I am alone. I am really lonely. At that time, Orion found people with the same surname in the whole village, but they were all dragging their families, and it was almost winter. Whose family?" I don’t have much food in stock, so it’s normal not to want to keep it. I happen to be short of a companion, and I don’t want him to be recognized by my name when he is sent back to the mountains because no one adopts him. To be honest, he’s still two years older than me. Woolen cloth."

"This makes it even more clear that you have a good heart. Life in a village is pretty much the same, not to mention that you are alone, and I'm afraid you don't have much food in store." The head catcher laughed.

"It was true at that time. There were only a dozen copper coins in my pocket, and it cost half of the medicine for him. At that time, I still planned to eat the bark of a winter tree. I just didn't expect that my eldest nephew was so capable that he could go up the mountain to hunt, casually The beaten skins are enough to sell some silver for us to eat. It is said that Er Gouzi was lucky to be kept by me. In fact, I am even more lucky. With him to live with me, we can still earn money to live a good life together. It's a gift from God." Li Ji thought of Er Gouzi, and felt extremely comfortable all over his body.

The head catcher thought and thought, and finally said: "It's true that good people are rewarded with good rewards."

After hearing this a lot, Li Ji accepted it with peace of mind.Because Er Gouzi was adopted at the beginning because of a moment of kindness.As a result, until now, Li Ji actually relied more on Er Gouzi.

If there were no Er Gouzi, there would definitely not be such a rich family now.

This may be fate, the fate of two people is doomed

A group of people did nothing, just walked to the county government office.A horse costs dozens of taels when it is cheap, and even more than 100 taels in wartime.If the rich county can raise ten or eight horses, but in such a poor valley, three or four horses is the limit, and they are also used as carts for the county grandpa.

Therefore, official missions can only walk on two legs.

Li Ji had just finished sex with Er Gouzi, so he was not comfortable walking at this time, his thighs were sore, and the back part was really awkward.Li Ji could only walk as small as possible, so as not to be seen by others.

Just like this all the way to the county government office, more than half an hour has passed.

After entering the county government office, Li Ji entered the lobby and saw two rows of officers and soldiers standing like pillars on both sides, holding killing sticks in their hands, each of them was vicious, and Li Ji felt his calves tremble just by looking at them.

Trembling to the front of the hall, he didn't see any outsiders, the county magistrate was sitting on it, and Li Jiren dared not look up.

When he got to the front, he knelt down, bowed his head and said, "Li Ji, a grass-roots man, kowtow to my lord."

The county magistrate was not in a hurry to get him up, but called the catcher over, whispered a few words to the catcher, and suddenly slapped the gavel.

"Bold Li Ji! How did you collude with liars to swindle money, and you didn't really recruit!"

The gavel sounded, and the killing power sticks on both sides struck the ground at the same time.

"mighty……"

Li Ji almost didn't urinate.

Those who haven't experienced it can't experience that feeling. It's not the coercion of one person, but the overwhelming power of a group of people with raging righteousness, as if any filth has shown its original shape, how majestic and serious it is.

Li Ji had a ghost in his heart, and being so frightened, no amount of thoughtfulness could be used at this time, so he immediately kowtowed and admitted on the spot: "The grassroots are guilty!"

Admitted so quickly, saving a lot of trouble.The magistrate waved his hand to stop the crowd.

With a cold snort, the voice came out with a rainbow of momentum: "You are smart, and you have escaped the pain of flesh and blood. Speak, tell me everything you know."

Li Ji didn't dare to hide it, and didn't even dare to think about how he would be punished, so he said everything like a bean: "Back to the lord! There is no way for a villain to do this. Then Li Shuisheng has a daughter, Li Qiaoer, in her family. My nephew's god-sister. She takes care of the villain and nephew on weekdays, and if she says something that shouldn't be said, although there is a gap in seniority, in the bottom of my heart, I treat her as my own sister. "

"Go ahead." The magistrate nodded for Li Ji to continue.

"Just because Li Shuisheng has become obsessed with ghosts recently, I feel that Li Qiaoer is destined to be a young mistress. He insists on training Li Qiaoer to marry into a rich family in the city. Instead of going the straight way, he wants to take a slant and teach Qiaoer a little bit." An unsightly and shameful way. Li Qiaoer is a girl, but she suffers from filial piety and cannot resist. It is very painful. The villain has no choice but to come up with such a bad idea. It is just to let Brother Shuisheng dispel this idea. Don’t be selfish. It ruined a girl's life."

Li Ji explained the cause and effect clearly, and admitted that the liar was hired by him.

The county magistrate was a little shocked when he heard it, but he was a big shot after all, so he recovered quickly.The voice was softer: "So you bribed outsiders to arrange everything, and cheated Li Shuisheng of his money? Just to make him stop worrying about his daughter?"

Li Ji nodded, and said truthfully: "Caomin is guilty. It stands to reason that Brother Shuisheng, as a father, has the right to control the marriage of his children, but this idea is really muddled and wishful thinking. He just got a fever in his head, and he may wake up after a while Here we come. But Li Qiaoer is going to get married before she wakes up, so what will happen then? Caomin knows that he is guilty, but he has no intention of harming Brother Shuisheng from the beginning to the end. The money is paid by me, and the five taels The silver is the price for inviting someone to act in a play. The five taels of silver IOU is just to scare him."

This is what Li Ji said from the bottom of his heart. He has been in the same village for so many years, from childhood to adulthood, Li Ji is very familiar with Li Shuisheng.

The two are relatives and peers. As members of the same family, they meet a lot on weekdays.

Li Shuisheng is calculating and stingy. To be honest, he doesn't have a good reputation in the village.But these are all small problems. They are in the same village, and after so many years, they are somewhat emotional.

Li Qiaoer's relationship is on the one hand, and Li Ji also doesn't want Li Shuisheng to regret it.The daughter was born to him, and whoever he wants to promise is his freedom, but after ten or twenty years, will he really have no regrets?

After Li Ji said these words, the atmosphere at the scene was a little stagnant.

After a while, the county magistrate asked him: "Did you have any ill intentions towards that girl?"

Li Ji was slightly stunned, but he didn't expect to ask such a question: "My lord, Caomin dare to swear to God, Caomin has absolutely no bad intentions towards Li Qiaoer, and just treats him as his sister to hurt him. To be honest, it was because there were some people in the village. There are false rumors that I fell in love with Li Qiaoer, that's why I presided over her becoming the adopted sister of Cao Min's nephew. Although Cao Min's nephew has no blood relationship, he is my junior in household registration. Li Qiaoer has sworn sworn brothers with my nephew. My niece, how could I feel sorry for my niece?"

"Then why do you feel that the parents have no control over their children's marriage?" the county magistrate asked again.

Li Ji sorted out his arguments before he said: "My lord, maybe the grassroots are free and lonely, lacking parental upbringing, so they often have some rebellious thoughts. It is said that husband and wife are one body, so it is not just the two names on the household registration, It should be that the two have the same mind, respect and love for each other. Li Shuisheng played tricks on his daughter's life-long affairs because of his own selfishness. Maybe this is a matter of course, but Cao Min feels that something is violated in the dark .That's why the grassroots made their own decisions and did these stupid things."

After Li Ji finished speaking, there was another silence.Li Ji didn't understand why. At this moment, he only hoped that the county magistrate would give him a lighter sentence so that he could still see Er Gouzi.

After waiting for a while, the magistrate sighed: "Just look up and see who I am."

Li Ji raised his head slowly, and saw that the face of the magistrate was fixed there like lightning, and then he knocked his head on the ground: "I don't know that the grass people are the magistrate of the county! The grass people were talking nonsense last time, and I hope you will make amends!"

"What's the crime? Your statement at that time was really wonderful. Listening to you now, I still feel that your thinking is beyond ordinary people, and you are indeed a talent."

Listening to the meaning of the words, are you saying it while holding Li Ji?Li Ji didn't know why, so he peeked at the face of the county magistrate, but the county magistrate's expression was flat, and he really couldn't see anything.

"These ideas of yours seem rebellious, but when you think about it, they are also in line with the way of heaven. The kindness of parents is greater than the sky, so the marriage of children has become the right of parents. But think about it again, God makes men and women merge yin and yang. The original intention, is it really just for the sake of marriage and having children? Not necessarily. Even if it is the intention of the parents, it must be based on fate." After the magistrate finished speaking, he brought the topic back to the main topic.

"Although your actions are unreasonable, you can still speak three points of truth. I think you are a first-time offender, and you have good intentions. This time, I will forgive you for the time being. Just don't let him pay back the five taels of silver. His daughter's job can be replaced by an official, but the whole five taels of silver is enough to overwhelm an old man."

"Cao Min didn't want him to pay it back. We signed the IOU, and it was written on the IOU. If we still can't pay the debt, we will work as a long-term worker to pay off the debt. A total of two years. During this period, I will find an excuse to pay him his salary several times. , I will never let him do a day's work for nothing. Five taels of silver is a lot, but the grass people are willing to bear such a loss." It's just ten skins, and Er Gouzi can eat a few more stewed rabbit meat.Li Qiaoer is Er Gouzi's younger sister, so she doesn't feel bad for the money.

"He is also a lover." The magistrate of the county patted the gavel and made a judgment: "What happened today must not be spread outside the public, and it is better to report to the higher authorities for order and family disputes. In a few days, the county will send five taels of silver back. Li Shuisheng was caught as a liar. Li Ji, this matter is not that the county favors you. According to your testimony, Li Shuisheng is also suspected of forcing a good man into prostitution. Since none of you have any malicious intentions, let's not pursue it today. If there is a recidivism, it will be recovered together with the principal and interest."

After finishing speaking, the county magistrate stood up and said, "Retire."

There was another burst of prestige, and Li Ji heaved a sigh of relief.

I never dreamed that it would pass so easily, and I thought that even if I didn't go into exile, a meal would be indispensable.How can I just say a few words to the county magistrate, and let him go like this!

The county magistrate has the absolute right to speak in the county. Whether a person is guilty or not depends entirely on how the county magistrate judges.As for the conditions of sentencing, each official is different.

Take the case of Li Ji for example, if another official would feel that Li Ji caused these incidents for his own selfishness, he should be punished heavily.But in the eyes of the county magistrate in front of him, Li Ji is a man of temperament, but he used the wrong method, thinking it was his first offense, let him go for now.

Moreover, the magistrate of the county covered up the results of the investigation, because he didn't want Li Shuisheng to know, so when they meet again in the future, the two are still family members in the same village and will not be affected.

When he walked out from the lobby, Li Ji's thoughts were active and he had already figured out the whole thing.

He is smart, he was frightened just now, but now he is fine, and his mind is much clearer than usual.

As soon as Li Ji walked out of the lobby and was about to leave the county government office, he was stopped by a government servant: "Young Master Li, Your Excellency is sympathetic."

Li Ji didn't understand what the county magistrate meant, to settle accounts after autumn?Not like, could it be that he was invited to drink?

This is the territory of the county magistrate, so it is natural to be manipulated by others.

Li Ji didn't dare to resist, and followed the yamen servant to the back hall.

Cases are heard in the lobby, and the back hall is not only the place where the county magistrate works, but also the place where he lives.However, most of the county magistrates have other residences outside the government office, and it is rare to see the magistrates here.

Of course, he was also talking about the former county magistrate.Today's county magistrate still doesn't know how he is.

Walking inside with the people from the county government, a study room was brightly lit, and more than a dozen candles were lit when entering the room, making the room as bright as day.

The study is not small, with five or six shelves full of books.On the side near the door, there is a large square table with a few dishes and two wine glasses on it, and the magistrate is sitting there.

Li Ji was looking at the magistrate, and the magistrate was also looking at him.

Li Ji was stunned for a moment, and wanted to kneel down to pay respects.

"This is not the lobby, get up."

Li Ji stood up and looked at the magistrate with a puzzled expression.In the lobby, he was neither beaten nor punished, and the matter was settled in a few words, and Li Ji, the mastermind, had nothing to do.

"Come and sit." The county magistrate said again.

Li Ji walked over, he didn't know any rules, and no one taught him how to be polite, so the magistrate asked him to sit down, so he sat down.

Sitting opposite the magistrate, with a glass of wine in front of him, Li Ji understood that he wanted to drink and talk to him.

The county magistrate didn't speak, and Li Ji didn't dare to ask. He kept his eyes on his nose, his nose and his heart, and quietly pretended to be a quail.

"Don't be nervous, this is not the lobby, I'm not interrogating you." The magistrate took a piece of beef and ate it into his mouth, "Speaking of which, I had the most fun eating with you that day, your thoughts seem absurd , but it coincides with some of my ideas, so I will recommend you to donate an official at that time. Although you can't read big words, sometimes you have a long-term vision than too many people."

Li Ji was still nervous in his heart, and it was even more impossible for him to find the happiness that the two of them talked freely that day.

"Grass people are just grass people after all. They have unique ideas because they lack upbringing. You sound fresh because you are different from others. In the village, if it wasn't because of my seniority, who would have endured me until now?" Li Ji knew himself A few catties and a few taels, he is worthless, he just wants to stay at home and live slowly with Er Gouzi.

"I'm curious, how did you come up with this method to teach that person a lesson." The magistrate saw Li Ji's nervousness, and added, "Don't think too much, don't care about what you don't say in class."

Li Ji thought about it, and said honestly: "I'm young, and I don't have the confidence to deceive Brother Shuisheng, so I found a friend in the city and asked him to find a professional actor to perform in the village, but I didn't would be suspected."

"Your plan is really perfect. From the beginning to the end, you are only there when you pay the money. For Li Shuisheng, he may never have thought of you in his life." The county magistrate nodded without making other comments.

Li Ji pondered for a while, and asked boldly: "Then, can you tell the grass-roots people, how did you think it was the grass-people?"

A shrewd person like Li Shuisheng never thought it was Li Ji, how did the county magistrate think of it?

"It's not difficult. When I first heard the report, I suspected that there was a support person in the village. Otherwise, how could the foreign liar know that there was a local family who wanted to climb that high branch? Since he colluded with outsiders to cheat, it must be You have a plan, and the only person in the village who may benefit from it is you. So I thought of you before and after hearing what Li Shuisheng said." After the county magistrate finished his thoughts, Li Ji felt his calf go weak, then The head arrester said that the magistrate judges cases like a god, which is obviously not empty talk.

"Since my lord is sure it's me, why didn't you just arrest him? Instead, let the head catcher come to my house and bring me over?" To arrest someone is to arrest, and to lead someone is to invite. Although there is a difference of one word, the gap between them is indeed huge. don't.

"I've heard of you." The magistrate took a sip of wine and said, "You adopted a nephew under your name. When you adopted him, your house was empty and you couldn't even eat enough, which made the nephew uneasy and aggressive. This Under such circumstances, you are still willing to raise him, based on this alone, I don't think you are a real villain, there must be something hidden in it."

So he didn't tell the arrester that he was a suspect, but just invited him over as an important witness.He also specially asked the head catcher to ask a few more questions. After hearing the head catcher's answer, the county magistrate was even more sure that Li Ji did it.

"Even so, Caomin knows that what Caomin has done is enough for an adult to convict him. Marriage is the freedom of his parents, but Caomin is guilty of defrauding marriage. Why..." There must be a relevant statement in the law, since the law has , so why is it not implemented?

Li Ji Xingqing himself escaped a catastrophe, but looking back, it was terrifying.If every article of the law cannot be enforced for various reasons, wouldn't it be a mess?Those corrupt officials will be able to indulge their children and grandchildren in Yurou Township more openly.

"You don't violate any laws if you round up the five taels of silver." The county magistrate motioned Li Ji to accompany him to eat a few bites, "Liars are based on the premise of defrauding people's property in exchange for benefits. Your original intention of this matter is With good thoughts and a heart of repentance, according to Daxia's law, extrajudicial favors can be granted. And what Li Shuisheng did is indeed suspected of forcing a good man into prostitution."

"Forcing my own daughter is counted?" Li Ji was puzzled. Parents who have been poured into their ears since childhood are gods. Whatever parents do is right, even if they are wrong, as children, they cannot refute, otherwise they will be regarded as For disobedience.

The magistrate shook his head, with a bitter smile on his lips: "Of course it's wrong, to tell you the truth, it's above the law, it's a crime for parents to sign a contract of sale for their children to serve as a servant for others without their children's consent. It is also a crime for parents to hurt their children. Parents who cause harm to their children will also be punished. But for hundreds of years, have you heard of people who have been imprisoned for the above reasons?"

The magistrate paused for a moment before uttering four words: "Not one."

Sentient beings outside the law, that's about it.There are rules and regulations written on it, but it can be really implemented, but it is not applicable, it is only a fake, it can only be a fake.

Li Ji stood there stunned. He never imagined that these things that should be taken for granted turned out to be crimes, or crimes that would never be prosecuted.

The magistrate looked at Li Ji's expression, smiled lightly, and said, "I used to have the same expression as you. The first time I became a county magistrate was 20 years ago. I went to a county that was better than here. It was about ten years ago. It happened years ago, when I was still young and frivolous. Something happened locally."

"Huh?" Li Ji responded, indicating that he was listening.

"There was a poor family who could barely support one child. The mother couldn't afford to hire a stable woman when she gave birth, and the mother-in-law delivered the child herself. After giving birth, she looked like a girl. She didn't even take off the afterbirth, so she threw it into the stove and burned it. The woman had just given birth, and she could hear the crying of her daughter being burned alive while lying on the kang.”

The author has something to say: I know that these may be controversial, but in which era, many things are helpless

Thanks to today's society, although it is not perfect, it can give us a better life and a better hope, instead of being comfortable in all aspects like in ancient times, even hope will be considered madness

thanksgiving