The rain soaked the earthen wall outside the village and soaked the rat holes under the wall. From time to time, wet rats would crawl along the wall.
Bang bang.
A few heavy footsteps frightened four or five rats into scattering in a hurry.
"Madam, we found it!" Zhou Zun's face turned red and his voice was deep.
"Brother Tiger was taken away by an official!"
The account book in Jiang Caiwei's hand suddenly fell to the ground.
"Why...will I cause trouble with the officials?"
"I heard that a criminal thief was captured. Brother Hu provided guarantee for the thief. Now, we are going to have a public trial."
"Zhou Zun, call everyone." Jiang Caiwei's face turned pale. After thinking for a while, she turned around and walked back to the house, unpacked her bag, wrapped the old hatchet in linen, and held it in her arms.
…
The place where the public trial was held was on the street in front of the official square. Even if it rained, it was densely packed with people.
Not long after, Wei Chun was taken out first and pinned to the ground.
Then Si Hu came up coldly, pushed by two official servants.
Lu Zizhong smiled, and with the humility of the old official, he sat directly on the main seat. Beside him, in addition to the wine shop owner Lu Yuan, there were also many family stewards from the four major families, all of whom looked like they were watching a show.
"I just have some free time today. It's a great honor to be invited to be the notary public in the public trial."
"Two officers, please untie that hero." Lu Zizhong paused, pointed at Si Hu and spoke calmly.
The two officials were stunned for a moment and untied Si Hu's hemp rope.
"Hero, it has nothing to do with you. What we are trying is a criminal thief. You can leave. If you have offended someone, please forgive me." Lu Zizhong said with a smile.
All the reckless people in this world have one characteristic, that is, they are naive and stupid.
"I won't leave." Si Hu stood in the rain and wiped the rain off his face.
"Why don't you leave."
"You are wronged."
"He is a gangster."
"No, he is a good man who drinks with me."
"You want to guarantee?"
"So what!"
Lu Zizhong stood up expressionlessly and coldly loosened the cloak on his body.
The onlookers all had expressions of gloating on their faces.
Peng Chun, who was on the ground, raised his head with blood on his face from time to time and looked at Si Hu who was standing there.
"Brother Tiger, don't worry. I was wronged. They arrested the wrong person."
"I believe you. When we have a drink together, you don't look like such a bad person." Si Hu said sternly.
When he was in Wangzhou City, he lived a very simple life, working as a stickman with Xu Mu, eating meat when he had money, and eating glutinous rice when he had no money.
He would be the first to rush into a fight, and would not run away even if he lost. He would wait until everyone in Guaizitang had run away, and then escape with his last breath.
"Brother Mu said, there is no one like me in the world. My name is Si Hu, the tiger of Wangzhou."
The heavy rain was still falling, soaking the whole street.
"He is a good man." Lu Zizhong held his sleeves and took a few steps forward coldly.
"As a notary, I should plead for the people. These thieves, who are outraged by both heaven and man, are not unjustly accused."
After pausing, Lu Zizhong raised his head again and looked at Si Hu with half-closed eyes.
"If you are wronged, I, Lu Zizhong, will cut your belly with a knife as an apology."
The people watching all had shocked expressions on their faces. Many girls who covered their faces and did not dare to look could not help but applaud after hearing these words.
"You keep saying that you want to guarantee him, but you dare to take a bet with me."
Si Hu was slightly stunned, but his mind hadn't turned around yet.
Wei Chun on the ground was already screaming, as miserable as crying blood.
"Brother Tiger, you understand me. This is an unjust killing. I will be drinking together for the past two days, Brother Tiger!"
"The people from the wine shop over the ferry? Tsk, if not, just go back and cry to your boss. Don't mess around."
"I heard that he was from the border, and I thought he was a bit brave. I must have been mistaken." Several managers from the four major households also sneered.
"If you don't dare, just run away like a wild dog with your tail between your legs." Lu Yuan also stood up in a hurry and shouted after him. As the owner of Wangzhou Yuechun Old Liquor Shop, he knew better than anyone present that the giant man in front of him had no idea what he was doing.
What kind of weight does it have for that little boss?
Si Hu gritted his teeth and stood on the street, looked at Wei Chun on the ground, then at Lu Zizhong in front of him, and suddenly spoke.
"Okay, I'll make a bet with you! You must be fair! If my brother Wei Chun is a big thief, I, Si Hu, will cut my belly with a knife to apologize for your sins——"
"good!"
As soon as Si Hu's voice fell, Lu Zizhong started laughing.
"Everyone, please listen clearly. I am gambling with my life. If I wrong someone, I will cut my belly to apologize. No one can stop me. I, Lu Zizhong, will die in vain."
"What if the hero guesses wrong?"
Turning his head, Lu Zizhong continued to speak with great interest.
"I, Si Hu, died in vain, it has nothing to do with others!"
"Take two knives."
The two officers, each with a grave look on their face, hurriedly took off their daggers and handed one to Lu Zizhong and Si Hu.
The people nearby, the more timid ones, were so frightened that they started crying.
"Get the files again." Lu Zizhong's expression remained unchanged as he stood in the rain, with a hint of anger in his voice.
"Hero, please listen."
"In the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Xingwu in the Epoch Times, at three o'clock on the 14th day of the Huai lunar month, the thief Wei Chun sneaked into Zhoujia Cloth Village in Xifang, killed four people, and stole 78 taels of stolen silver and six pieces of silk and satin."
"Then we will take the corpse for the autopsy file."
"Call the witnesses again."
…
Si Hu paused on the spot, his eyes filled with disbelief. He turned around and looked at Wei Chun on the ground.
"Brother Tiger, I can't help you. I was confused that night, and that's why I became a thief!"
"Brother Tiger, let's have wine together in the next life."
An official came and dragged Wei Chun off hastily.
Not long after, Si Hu was the only one left in the huge open space on the street.
"You lost." Lu Zizhong smoothed the wet hair on his head and tied up the hosta again, his brows full of success.
"Look, you insist on being a guarantee, and I can't even try to persuade you."
"Oh, if I had known better, I wouldn't have bet with you. In this huge Tangjiang City, another good man died in vain today."
A flower girl came over and held up the oil-paper umbrella again to help Lu Zizhong cover the rain.
Lu Zizhong smiled sarcastically and held a fist coldly.
"Then let the good man die."
"I heard that the people who come from the border are all good guys who are desperate. I am lucky enough to have opened my eyes today."
Si Hu closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and picked up the short knife on the ground.
The onlookers quickly stepped back in a large circle, fearing that blood would splash on themselves.
Lu Zizhong took a few steps forward, and the flower girl behind him hurriedly chased after him, holding up the oil-paper umbrella.
"Come, I'll wait together and send the hero off to his death."
Lu Yuan and the managers of the four major households stood up and faced Si Hu with their hands and fists in hand.
"Send a good man to his death."
Si Hu bulged his eyes, roared angrily, picked up the dagger, and stabbed it into his belly.
Lu Zizhong looked crazy and opened his eyes wide. Behind him, Lu Yuan and the managers of the four major households couldn't help but look happy.
This knife was enough to cut off half of the little ferry owner's arm.
Any drunken immortal will be like a wild dog when he comes to Tangjiang City, and he will be in panic all day long.
Qiang——
At this time, an arrow shot out from the rain curtain, knocking off the dagger in Si Hu's hand.
"Don't touch him!"
Lu Zizhong frowned, raised his head and looked forward, and found a girl-like person appearing wetly on Guanfang Street.
Behind, there is a large group of cold figures.
"Who are you."
"I am his sister-in-law." Jiang Caiwei bit her lip and said loudly.