Prefectures and counties are both localities, and they seem to be only one level apart, but in fact, they are very different under the system of the Song Dynasty. Politically counties are incomplete and rights are restricted, but states are different. The state is the most basic unit of local administration, with military, administrative, judicial and other institutions, and even has the supreme power to decide the death penalty. This is a political tradition inherited from the late Tang Dynasty, and the state is the foundation of the feudal town.

Under the political system of the Song Dynasty, the state officials and the county officials were completely two classes, and the difference between them was not one level.

The news of the coming general judgment of Benzhou quickly spread throughout Linying County, and the entire county government was busy and ready to welcome it. Shi County ordered to take the county officials to welcome them out from afar, and also to organize the county's elders, the heads of various industry guilds, and others to welcome them together.

Du Zhongxiao and Han Lian were taken out of the small courtyard and taken to the official prison in the county, where they were locked in a single room.

Helping Du Zhongxiao to sit down carefully, Han Lian said: "This time the little official has suffered. ”

Du Zhongxiao touched his fleshy buttocks, and said hatefully: "I was beaten badly by the surnamed Wu this time, and I will definitely get it back in the future!" ”

"Little official, that's it." Han Lian sat down on the side and shook his head. "The Wu family is a big local family, rich and powerful, how can we, the small people, fight with them? You are young and vigorous, don't get dizzy. Du Juren went to the state to complain this time, which was supported by the governor of Texas, and it was just a temporary outrage. Can the governor of the state live in Linying County for a long time? As soon as they left, it was still the Wu family who wanted the wind and the rain. This time we offended them ruthlessly, and then we were at the mercy of us, what should we do? ”

When Du Zhongxiao heard this, he couldn't help laughing and said, "Dad, don't you mean that we are poor and deserve to be bullied for the rest of our lives?" ”

"What can the world do if it is like this? Petty officials, you haven't experienced really difficult days, and now in a peaceful and prosperous world, only these small disasters and small disasters are already very good. This time, the state decided the case, we will be careful, and it is not appropriate to settle the grievances with the Wu family, and the matter will pass. In the future, we will sell our own liquor, and we will never deal with them again. ”

Du Zhongxiao had a smile on his face and didn't speak, but his eyes flashed with a cold light.

Han Lian said it simply, but he just thought about it, can the Wu family be willing? If you don't die if you fight a snake, you will suffer from it in the future, this time no matter what, let the Wu family remember. At the very least, let them not dare to mess with themselves in the future.

In the final analysis, things have come to this point, isn't it that the Wu family is rich, and he and the Han family are poor. Everything is nothing more than a money word. Because of the word money, Wu Kejiu thinks that letting Han Yueniang give him a concubine is a grace to the Han family, and he will feel incredible if he is rejected. The social atmosphere is like this, why is Han Yueniang unwilling?

Making money is easy to say, but difficult is difficult. In the past few months, Du Zhongxiao didn't know how many ways he had thought of it, but he lacked an introduction and couldn't get started. I get up early every day and are greedy for darkness, so I can take care of food and clothing, and I have to find my father, so I have to survive day by day. Now that my father has returned, I finally came up with a way to steam wine with little capital, how can I miss it in vain.

Everything is difficult at the beginning, as long as it begins, everything will be easy. Powerful people, what power does the Wu family have, but it is just rich. As long as your family makes money, why bother to fear them.

Han Lian saw that Du Zhongxiao couldn't listen to his words, so he had to shake his head and sigh. He is a person who has lived for decades, and he has seen a lot of things, and he knows that this time it seems to be vigorous and resolute, but it is actually difficult to hurt the Wu family. Speaking of which, Wu Kejiu has done a lot of bad things, robbing people's daughters, colluding with public people to oppress good people and setting up private courts, and so on. But what was really done was only lynching Du Zhongxiao, and Chen Jie's cooperation. As long as the Wu family is willing to put in some effort, there is no big deal at all.

As soon as this matter passed, the general judgment and other officials returned to the state, and the Wu family was not as proud as before, so what could it do?

Han Lian thought that Du Zhongxiao was thinking about how to take revenge on the Wu family, but he didn't expect that Du Zhongxiao didn't think about that at all, what he was thinking about was how to make money, how to pursue status after he had money, such as taking the Jinshi exam.

If you want to not be bullied in the future, it is fundamental for you to become stronger, and Du Zhongxiao will not pin her hopes on others.

In another room, Wu Kejiu, Cao Jucheng, and Chen Jiejie sat on the ground.

Wu Kejiu's face was dark, as if he was about to drip water, and his eyes were red.

After being silent for a while, Wu Kejiu suddenly shouted: "Damn, why did the Du family sue the state, how can the general judgment manage such a case?!" ”

Cao Jucheng said: "Cousin, this time we were careless!" How can Du Xun also be a lifter who has been solved, do you think, the Zhizhou general judge and even the subordinates below are all from Jinshi, how can they not face him? When this guy went to the state to sue him, these people naturally stood up for him. ”

"Damn!" Wu Jiu stomped his foot heavily. "How last year was not my solution! If I find out, even if I settle down in Kaifeng Mansion like Du Xun, I will also fall into the favor of Manchurian officials. If there is such a thing, which one can turn out the palm of my hand! ”

Chen Jiejie on the side had a gloomy face, and said angrily: "Outside the junior staff, don't say these words." The most important thing now is how to avoid this disaster. You really beat the thief of the Du family, and now it has become evidence of the crime, but I am afraid that it will be difficult to speak later. ”

Cao Jucheng said: "What did the section level say? It's your place, and my cousin and I just went to the trial. My cousin is a civilian, in the place of the county government, and he said that he was beating people, so you really beat him? When it comes to this matter before the official, you are still wrong. ”

Hearing this, Chen Jiejie couldn't help but change his face: "What kind of nonsense are you talking about!" I used to be a good man, but now when I'm in trouble, it's all on my head. Hmph, outside the junior staff, Chen Mou said a little ugly, the things in the officialdom are still better than you. ”

Cao Jucheng just sneered and ignored Chen Jiejie.

usually uses it, Chen Jiejie is a person who works in the yamen, and everyone gives him some face. Something happened, and a public official in the yamen was naturally inferior, and of course he went out to prevent the disaster. In this era, Xu was already looked down upon, and he was a good candidate for scapegoats.

After being silent for a while, Wu Kejiu said: "You say, how will this case be tried when the general judgment comes?" ”

Cao Jucheng said: "The Du family brews wine privately, the evidence is conclusive, this is a major policy of the imperial court, and I don't believe that the state doesn't care." The only thing that is difficult to do now is that my cousin is not in the place of the yamen, and he instructs someone to beat the thief surnamed Du. Punishment for oneself can be a great or small crime. ”

"Hmph, he colluded with my wine dealer to sell other people's wine, or privately brewed wine, shouldn't he be beaten? Don't worry too much about that. ”

Cao Jucheng sighed: "If it's somewhere else, it's just that it's not suitable for beating people in the yamen." ”

After speaking, he glanced at Chen Jiejie next to him again. That small courtyard is where the yamen holds prisoners, and Wu Kejiu is just a civilian, and he will beat people when he orders them. Chen Jiejie watched from the side, and this matter was also counted on his head.

Chen Jiejie had a dark face, looked down at the soles of his feet, and didn't speak again. He didn't know what the two meant, and they wanted to push themselves out as scapegoats. In this era, people who work in the yamen are naturally majestic in front of the people, but in front of the officials, it is not the same thing at all. In the eyes of many officials, Xu is naturally not a good person, he only recognizes money in his eyes, and does not have the slightest consciousness of doing things for the people.

There must be a way to do it, Chen Jiejie had a thousand thoughts in his heart. It is pointless to expose the Wu family for bribing people in the yamen, and he also took the money, and he offended a group of colleagues. To shirk their own guilt, they have to find another way.

At this moment, Wu Kejiu suddenly said: "The Du family's puppy brewed wine privately, this matter is true, right?" ”

Chen Jiejie was taken aback when he heard this, and hurriedly said: "You came to report this matter first, naturally you know best!" ”

Wu Kejiu was stunned for a while, and then said after a while: "I heard that the Du family and the Han family bought the lees of the 'Yao family Zhengdian' and went back, and then there was wine to sell in the foot shop, isn't this a private brew?" You can't go wrong with this! ”

A sneer appeared at the corner of Chen Jiejie's mouth, and he said in a deep voice: "But when people were arrested, the junior officials of the Du family said that they were strained out of the wine lees. If it is just a residual wine, it is not prohibited, and the state and county bans have always been private brews. Outside of the minority, this matter cannot be wrong. ”

Wu Kejiu said disdainfully: "My family is wine-making, how careful is it to fry wine in the lees, where is there any residual wine?" If it was so easy to filter out the residual wine, someone would have done it a long time ago, and it would have been waiting for the Du family puppy to come up with this method. At the section level, don't listen to his nonsense, it's just a pretext. ”

Chen Jiejie nodded, and didn't speak again, he already had a plan in his heart. As long as he bites to death, it is Wu Kejiu who comes to him to sue him and insists that the Du family brews wine privately, and things will take a turn for the better. It's really a private brew, and it's not at fault that he caught the prisoner who violated the alcohol ban. If not, it is Wu Kejiu and Cao Jucheng who are falsely accused, and everything is pushed on them.

The catastrophe is coming, each looking for a way out, several people have no deep friendship, who will carry the black pot for whom? Don't look at the usual prestige in the county, a pair of high-ranking officials who come down from the state, their lives are in the thoughts of others.

Seeing this meeting, Cao Jucheng couldn't help but beat the drum in his heart. He came here from Fujian Road, asking for a place to be solved, and he couldn't be involved in this kind of thing. According to the system at this time, as long as the case record is left, it will not be related to the imperial examination. If the general verdict is faint and he is found guilty, all the hard work of more than a year will be in vain, and he will have a lifetime of future.

Thinking of this, Cao Jucheng said to Wu Kejiu: "Cousin, this matter must not be sloppy!" Whether the Du family really brewed wine privately is a matter of whether we are guilty or not. If they are really the remnants of the filter, a false accusation will be brought down, and the matter can be big or small. In the past few years, the scholars have been so loud and vocal in the imperial court, and they are not sure how to deal with it in the state. Just in case, my cousin still managed to find a way-"

Speaking of this, Cao Jucheng lowered his voice and leaned into Wu Kejiu's ear and said, "You have to immediately find a way to ask someone to bring a letter to the family and figure out the ins and outs of the matter." Whether the Du family has violated the alcohol ban or not, there must be conviction. Also, let the family go to the powerful family, in case we are unfortunately wronged by the government, someone will rescue us. ”