The chess piece on the stone is broken, the edge of the pine is broken, and the horse is riding into the woodcutter wind.
——"Youth Tour. Touring Jianhu Lake" by Zhang Kejiu (Yuan Dynasty)
…
In the courtyard of the Huangzhou government office, more than a dozen corpses were lying on stretchers.
Recently, young men have often gone missing in the Yunmeng area of Huainan Road. People say that fox demons are causing trouble. The county police officers rushed out to inquire around, and finally found some of the bodies of the missing men in a mass grave.
Zuo Zhen, the prefect of Huangzhou, lifted up the white cloth covering the corpse. The corpse underneath looked like a mummy, and the death condition was extremely miserable.
Zuo Zhen, the governor of Huangzhou, asked: "How did these people die?"
Wu Zhanzhan replied tremblingly: "Reporting to your lord, I have never seen such a way of death in the twenty years I have been in this industry. I suspect that these people died after their essence and blood were sucked by the fox demon."
"Nonsense! There is no such thing as ghosts and monsters in the world." Zuo Zhen, the prefect, angrily rebuked.
The prefect Zuo Zhen said to Huangzhou Chief Constable Xing Laoliu: "With so many people dead, the people are so frightened and uneasy that they don't even dare to work in the fields in broad daylight. If this continues, how can we ensure this year's spring plowing?"
You are limited to five days to find the culprit and bring the murderer to justice to appease the people!"
Xing Laoliu, with his old orange-skinned face and a slightly crying tone, said: "Sir, you are from a Beijing official, so you don't know the difficulties of our local officials.
This matter is quite strange, I suggest you report it to the Ministry of Punishment and ask the capable arrests from the six sects of the capital to come down and investigate. We, the old and weak arrests alone, really can't do it!"
In the middle of the argument, Huang Governor Shi Chaiyong hurried into the government office and whispered a few words in the ear of the prefect Zuo Zhen.
The prefect Zuo Zhen frowned and said, "A mere eunuch and a witch dare to announce that the prefect has gone twenty miles from the city to meet him?"
Chief Shi Chai Yong advised: "Sir, please don't get angry. These two people have a lot of background. The eunuch Hai Gonggong is a confidant of Li Fuguo, the eunuch of the palace, and the witch is a confidant of Wang Yu, the minister of Zhongshu. His Majesty personally sealed him as a psychic.
"Saint". We can't afford to offend her.
Wherever the two went, they openly extorted bribes and caused great harassment to the states and counties they passed through.
Some states and counties could not bear the disturbance and turned them away. In less than three days, the imperial edict came, charging him with contempt for the imperial court, which could range from loss of official position to imprisonment in severe cases. Your Excellency, you must be on your guard!"
The prefect Zuo Zhen snorted coldly and said: "Your Majesty personally assigned my duties to you. I am here to protect the country and the people. I would rather lose my official position and go to jail than bow to Xiao Xiao."
"Okay! This is the strong-willed Zuo Pokong I know!"
After hearing a loud laugh, the three of them walked into the government office.
The leader is in his early sixties, has a long beard, and is very handsome. The young man on the left side has a Chinese character face, a sword eyebrow, and an upright look. The young man on the right side is fanning a cloud crown, wearing a hydrating suit, and wearing a silk ribbon around his waist.
The feet are on hemp shoes. With dragon eyebrows and phoenix eyes, the figure is handsome and graceful, with an air of being out of the world.
The prefect Zuo Zhen was overjoyed when he saw this. He hurriedly stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said with a smile: "What kind of wind has brought Master Catcher here!"
The person who came was none other than God Catcher Fang Shuliu. He chuckled and said, "Brother Zuo, we're here so rashly, but at the right time?"
Zuo Zhen laughed and said, "It's just the right time!"
The prefect Zuo Zhen knew Su Yubao, the master of the six sects and the apprentice of the God Catcher, and hurriedly saluted him and said hello.
Seeing that the young man next to Fang Shuliu was so majestic and extraordinary in appearance, the prefect Zuo Zhen did not dare to underestimate him and quickly asked for his name.
Fang Shuliu introduced Bai Fu to the prefect Zuo Zhen.
Zuo Zhen was overjoyed and said: "It turns out that the number one pioneer of the Tang Dynasty is here. Zuo is so honored!" After that, he ordered to go down and help the two of them wash away their dust.
Fang Shuliu said: "Master Zuo, don't rush to say hello, let me take you to examine the body."
Zuo Zhen said with a smile: "With the God Catcher in charge, all kinds of monsters and monsters have to appear!"
The four people came to the courtyard of the government office and carefully examined the dozen mummies on the stretchers. Fang Shuliu said: "Brother Bai, what do you think?"
Bai Fu's murderous aura flashed past and he said: "Yes, this is exactly the witch's magic skill!"
Fang Shuliu covered the body with the white cloth again, raised his head and said to Zuo Zhen: "Master Zuo, we are here to kill the evil spirits.
But this witch is acting according to the imperial edict, so in order to avoid causing trouble in the court, you must act according to the plan."
After that, he whispered a few words to Zuo Zhen.
Zuo Zhen nodded frequently and said: "Just follow your advice, Zuo will prepare now."
…
At dusk, the setting sun is as bright as blood, and the Huangzhou City Tower looks like a broken giant beast, squatting on one side of the moat, looking to the northwest.
The three drums of the city tower sounded, and more than a dozen guards turned the winch, about to close the drawbridge and close the city gate.
Just when the suspension bridge was about to be retracted, a horseman galloped over, holding a golden arrow, and shouted loudly: "The imperial envoy has arrived, please let us go quickly."
The captain guarding the city was shocked and ordered the suspension bridge to be lowered. He led the city guarding officers and soldiers down the tower and stood solemnly to greet them.
In the blink of an eye, a large group of people and horses were filled with smoke, and the imperial envoy's chariot came in a mighty manner.
There were about a hundred people driving the car, and the team leading the way were the government officials of Honzhou County, holding high "Avoid", "Quiet" and other plaques.
Then came the escorting soldiers of the imperial envoy. The soldiers all rode tall horses, wore bright armor, and held long spears, golden melons and other ceremonial guards. They were as majestic as possible.
Among the carriages were two luxurious carriages. The carriages were decorated with a large number of gold ornaments. The horses pulling the carriages were muscular and strong, with gold saddles and silver saddles.
Next to one of the carriages, dozens of handsome young men with brightly dressed and rosy faces were following.
These young men were dressed in brocade hunting clothes embroidered with gold and silver. They all looked arrogant and behaved frivolously. The horses under their crotches had no trace of hair, and each of them was one of the best Dawan horses.
The captain who defended the city straightened his body and thought to himself: "It's so impressive. Even if His Majesty personally conquered it, it would be nothing more than this."
As the thought flashed, the curtain of the carriage was gently opened, and a charming woman in luxurious clothes looked out from behind the curtain. Her eyes were like water, and her lips were as bright as petals.
The corner of his face seemed to be smiling but not smiling, with a subtle smile floating on it.
The charming woman's eyes swept over the captain who was guarding the city. The captain felt as if feathers were brushing against his chest, and his heart was itching unbearably.
After the imperial envoy's car passed by for a while, the captain who guarded the city came to his senses. He looked at the soldiers around him, and they all looked dumbfounded and salivating.
The captain guarding the city licked his lips and said to himself: "Such a slutty bitch, even if she dies after sleeping, it's damn worth it!"
…
The imperial envoy's convoy drove to the official post station in Huangzhou. The leading general pulled the reins of his horse and stopped.
The general dismounted, walked to the carriage in the middle of the team, gave a deep salute, and said to the people on the carriage: "Holy envoy, the post station has arrived, shall we rest here tonight?"
The charming woman on the carriage nodded in agreement, her voice seductive, like a cat or a fox.
The leading general led the team into the post station and said to the post official who came forward: "We have reserved the inn, and no other guests are allowed to stay here."
The postmaster smiled apologetically and said: "General, there are enough guest rooms in this posthouse, which is enough for you and your troops."
The inn is not an inn, and those who stay here are the imperial court's fast-horse messengers. We have no right not to receive them, and we ask the general for your understanding."
The leading general was furious, drew out his saber, chopped off the left ear of the postmaster with one blow, and shouted: "If you don't do this, drive the rest of the gang out of the post, and the next one will chop off your head!"
Yi Cheng grimaced in pain, his face turned pale, he covered his bleeding ears with his hands and wailed in a low voice: "Yes, I will make arrangements right now."
Having said that, Yi Cheng did not dare to say another word and left in a hurry. He would have walked as far as he could when meeting these plague gods.