Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 36

Chapter 36 Ascension
When the grievance drum was suddenly beaten by the youth, The servants on the side were stunned with astonishment on the spot. The surrounding people were also stunned as they gathered their gazes. Quite a few people in the shops or at home could not help but walk out of their homes. They looked straight at the officials in the county government, who were also stunned for a moment. They put down the things in their hands and walked towards the gate.

Only the sound of the drum calmed the people inside and outside the yamen. Everyone revealed astonished expressions. It was unknown just how much grievance the drum-beating youth had harbored. He actually had the courage to strike the drum of grievance.

In the movies and TV dramas of later generations, if there were any small cases, they would see the plaintiff run to the front of the county government. Without saying a word, he would pick up the drumstick and knock randomly. Afterwards, the magistrate of the county would order the three yamen attendants to bring the plaintiffs and defendants to the main hall for interrogation. There would also be a crowd of people watching outside.

This was just a court trial imagined by the people of later generations. At this time, the real trial was not in the main hall. Instead, it was in the second hall, and the surrounding people were never allowed to watch. Only those cases that were particularly serious and officials were confident that they would be cleared would some people be allowed to come in and listen, so as to play an enlightening role.

But even so, the vengeance drum placed outside the yamen was not something that could be casually beaten. In fact, the Imperial Court had already laid down a rule that if someone cried out for grievance, it would not be a great grievance, and if someone died or something chaotic happened, they would not be allowed to knock on the door. And once the drum of grievance sounded, the county magistrate, who was a county magistrate, would immediately be sent to the court to interrogate him. Otherwise, he would be guilty of malfeasance and would be punished.

Once it was discovered that the drummer did not have much grievance, or that the accusation was false, the government would punish him heavily. The light heavy responsibility would be dozens of slaps, and he could directly cripple the drummer. The heavy responsibility was to send the drummer to the outskirts and never return to his hometown.

It was precisely because sounding the drum of grievance was extremely important, and how could there be any major cases in ordinary counties, that it would not sound once every few years or more. In Guangling County, for example, it had been almost five to six years since the drums had sounded. Now that the drums were beating, everyone was naturally staring at them. At the same time, they were filled with curiosity. They just wanted to see what kind of amazing case had happened.

With this in mind, within a short while, more than a hundred people had gathered in front of the lonely county government, all of them looking towards the eight-character wall.

It was a pity that they had already been brought in, and the high wall was blocking them. They could not see what was going on inside, and could only hear the sounds of discord.

Yes, not only is there some chaos in the county government now, there are also people arguing about something. The two sides in the dispute were surprisingly county magistrate Lu Zhen and several confidants of Zheng Dianshi.

Not long after the drums sounded, someone finally came to their senses and immediately ordered to bring this bold fellow into the yamen to be punished. However, just as they moved, they saw County Magistrate Lu hurry out of the Second Hall dressed neatly. He was still a distance away from them, so they ordered in a low voice, “Bring the criminals and prepare for the trial!”

“Ah … this …” Everyone was stunned when they heard this. In the past few years, all the major and minor cases in the county had been handled by Zheng Fu. They really didn’t know what was going on in the county. They were already accustomed to such rules that broke the rules.

Only after a moment of shock did he have the courage to say, “Master, this doesn’t seem right. Right now, Zheng Dianshi isn’t in the yamen …”

That’s right, Zheng Fu went to the barracks in North City today because he had something to do, so he wasn’t in the county government. It was precisely because Lu Zhen knew this that he made this arrangement. Of course, he would not give the other party a chance. Even if he had a stern face, he would reprimand, “What? Does this county magistrate still need to report to him about his work?”

“I don’t dare.” The one who spoke was only a punishment room clerk. Although he had some power because of Zheng Fu’s promotion, he wasn’t bold enough to go against Lu Zhen.

However, there were still those who dared to stand out. You Chang, as Zheng Fu’s confidant, could only stand up and say, “Sir, this case has been beaten to the point that it must be extremely important. In my opinion, it would be better to invite Zheng Dianshi to interrogate him.”

With him standing out, some of Zheng Fu’s people also nodded in agreement. Although they didn’t know what the magistrate was thinking about this matter, they still planned to eliminate any unforeseen changes that might occur.

Lu Zhen’s expression immediately darkened. He originally thought that by relying on the rules laid down by the Imperial Court, he could open up the situation by sounding the drum of grievance, but he didn’t expect these fellows to actually dare to obstruct him. This was truly not treating him, a seventh-grade main hall, as a child anymore.

On the other side, Hou Xiancheng and Shen Zhubu, who had rushed over to see what was happening, had a playful expression on their faces. This matter had nothing to do with the two of them, so they were just watching a play from the side and had no intention of going forward.

“This county magistrate is indeed somewhat strange.” Shen Zhubu muttered softly.

Hou Xiancheng nodded deeply, “I just don’t know what path he is on, and what idea he has in mind. In less than a month, he has already begun to lose control of himself. In the end, he is young.”

“Let’s see how things end. I hope you won’t disappoint us.” As the two spoke, a smile appeared on their faces.

The clerks in front of them were still talking about something, while the three yamen attendants on the side were watching coldly. Although the drummer had been brought in, they did not have the intention to bring him into the lobby for interrogation. Lu Zhen’s order had actually become empty talk!

Anger burned fiercely in Lu Zhen’s heart. He really didn’t expect the county government to be in such a situation. As the county magistrate, he didn’t even have the slightest bit of prestige. Only an official in charge of the warehouse dared to oppose him, and the surroundings were all supportive of him.

At this point in time, he drew his bow and did not turn his head. Lu Zhen knew very well that once Zheng Fu returned, not only would his plan fail completely, but the other party would definitely be able to find out what role he was playing behind the scenes. Therefore, he had to quickly cut the mess, immediately control the situation in his hands, and quickly start the trial!

Thinking of this, the corner of his mouth suddenly rose, and then he suddenly took a step forward and stared at You Chang’s face, “What, do you want to disobey?”

Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly saw that his eyes had darkened, and a palm had fiercely slapped his face, causing him to be stunned. “The county government really has its own rules. This kind of case has always been handled by Zheng Dianshi …” He did not expect that the young magistrate in front of him, who looked very gentle and cowardly, would suddenly make a move.

It wasn’t just him, the surrounding people were also stunned. Everyone subconsciously took half a step back, as if that palm had slapped their face. Then, their gazes at Lu Zhen changed.

However, Lu Zhen’s movements did not stop because of this. Just as he retracted his palm, his right knee suddenly lifted up and fiercely smashed into You Chang’s lower vital parts.

You Chang did not predict that Lord Lu would do such a move again. He was simply unable to react, let alone dodge it. He forcefully ate this knee collision. In just a moment, he felt a kind of pain that could cause people to feel pain and crack from below. Then, tears and snot all flowed down his face, and his entire body shrank into a ball, twitching on the ground like a dying shrimp.

Everyone was shocked once again and looked at Lu Zhen with an incredulous expression, as if he was a complete stranger in front of them.

Lu Zhen, on the other hand, had completely escaped. His gaze swept across their faces fiercely, “This You Chang, as a subordinate of the county government, actually dares to speak to this official in such a manner. He has no respect or inferiority. He must be severely punished! Bring him down and lock him up!” With that, he waved his sleeve and walked towards the lobby.

This time, everyone was completely frightened by the sudden eruption of County Magistrate Lu, and no one dared to raise an objection again. Who would have thought that the magistrate would personally take action under his anger? You Chang is also unlucky. I’m afraid that he will have to spend ten days and a half months in bed.

At this moment, Lin Lie answered, “Yes!” Afterwards, he stepped forward and pulled the old man and the young man to the lobby.

They were also intimidated by Lu Zhen’s aura. Although everyone was somewhat unwilling, after seeing someone taking the lead, they still entered the lobby one after another. The servants quickly split into two rows and stood still with water and fire sticks in their hands.

As Lu Zhen sat down, he picked up the shocking wood on the table and heavily slapped it down. After shouting for ascension, everyone around him could only weakly shout for might.

Outside the hall, the people from Zheng Fu were in a trance for a while before they suddenly thought of something. After whispering to each other, they hurriedly sent a person to rush outside the county government. This was to report to Zheng Fu. Today’s matter was too sudden, causing everyone to be unable to resist. However, when they came back to their senses, they still saw that something was wrong. It seemed that the county magistrate had planned all of this long ago. That would be a serious matter. We must quickly invite Zheng Dianshi to come back and take charge of the overall situation.

Right after this person ran out of the county government gate, two more servants walked to the gate and shouted to the commoners who were still discussing, “Lord County Magistrate, you have orders. Go in and fifty people will be heard outside the main hall.”

Upon hearing this, the people’s spirits instantly lifted, and they hurried in one after another. Not long after, nearly 70 or 80 people rushed into the gate, and the two servants were unable to stop them even if they wanted to. This was a public trial that Guang Ling County hadn’t encountered for many years, so everyone naturally wanted to see it.

Outside the lobby, after seeing this series of events, Hou Xiancheng unconsciously shook his head and said, “Looks like this is going to be a desperate attempt.”

“That’s right. County Magistrate Lu is really bold and decisive. I wonder if Zheng Fu can handle it this time.” Shen Zhubu sighed with emotion as he turned his gaze to the deserted gate.