Chapter 47 Chapter 24

In front of the afternoon Yamen, outside the gate of the prefectural Yamen was crowded with good people from Puyang City. The black and dense crowd whispered all kinds of anecdotes about the big bronze bell in the Shengming Temple in the middle of the night.As soon as the heavy main gate was opened, the people poured into the outer hall of the Yayuan like a tide, and went to the two verandahs to pick a good place to stand, waiting for Master Di to ascend to the hall for trial.Don't wait for the yamen servants to yell, they are in order, and there is no loud noise. There was a sound of a gong in the inner yamen, and the three-way drum was finished, and eight yamen servants came out in geese.Mr. Di wore a cicada-winged black gauze hat and a dark crimson sea cloud holding a sun official uniform and ascended to the high seat.Yamen servants pay homage and sing, line up in shifts, each holding fire sticks and boards, waiting for orders.

Di Gong looked up and down the hall, patted the gavel and announced the start of the trial, mentioning Lin Fan as the principal offender.The yamen servant took the order and put Lin Fan in court in a short while.Di Gong saw that Lin Fan's eyebrows were spotted and white, his face was covered with bruises and bumps, and there was a black plaster on his forehead.After tossing and tossing overnight, I added a lot of oldness. Di Gong sternly said: "Lin Fan, if you are taken to court today, will you be convicted?" Lin Fan looked up at Di Gong indifferently, smiled wryly and shook his head.He didn't want to fight in vain, but he obviously didn't want to admit defeat either.

"Master, Xiaomin has always been cautious in his words and deeds, he knows the etiquette and abides by the law, and he doesn't know what crime he committed to suffer this humiliation." "Lin Fan, this church is not in a hurry to reveal your crimes in the past twenty years, so I will show you something today." He said and threw the golden lock of "Longevity and Longevity" off the desk. With a "Dang", it fell at Lin Fan's feet. Lin Fan opened his eyes and looked at the golden lock on the ground, and couldn't help but see a strange light in his eyes.He bent down and picked up the golden lock, moved it to his eyes for a closer look, couldn't help feeling ups and downs, tearing up and down, and pressed the golden lock to his face.

Di Gong signaled that the yamen servant stepped forward and snatched the golden lock from Lin Fan's hand, and carefully put it back on the desk. Lin Fan's face turned blue, his gray eyes widened, and he screamed, "Master, where did you get this golden lock? Quickly give me back the golden lock, give me back!" - the voice was shrill and pathetic . Di Gong shouted: "Lin Fan, quickly bring on me the crime of how you trafficked and smuggled private salt!" Lin Fan snorted, with a sneer on his face. "How can the master accuse Xiaomin of selling illegal salt? What evidence do you have?"

Di Gong was furious: "Play 20 boards with me first, and then pass witnesses to the court for confrontation!" The yamen servants agreed like thunder on both sides, stepped forward to press Lin Fan, and beat him twenty boards, neither light nor heavy.After all, Lin Fan was getting old, and he couldn't help screaming, and beads of sweat appeared on his pale face. "Lin Fan, I am the same witness as you. I have to suffer 20 boards before I am willing to testify." Lin Fan was confused by Di Gong, and a pair of red eyes stared at Di Gong. The yamen servant went down to the hall to carry two rolls of thick reed mats, and carefully spread a piece of black oil paper on the slate floor.

Di Gongdao: "Slap the two witnesses with 20 boards each, and then order them to testify." The crowd watching the trial in the hall raised their heads, limbs and stretched their necks one by one. The two yamen servants each held up a roll of reed mats, and the other two yamen servants swung boards and slapped the reed mats hard.One after another, the fine white powder rustled and landed on the black oil paper. Hong Liang and Tao Gan on the secretary's desk suddenly realized, and smiled at each other. Di Gong said sharply: "Lin Fan, quickly use your tongue to taste what it is."

"Salt!" - the people watching the trial couldn't help shouting out in unison. "This is the salt that Lin Fan privately collected!—Packs of private salt are stored in the Buddhist scripture building of Shengming Temple. So it was stained with a lot of salt. Now, after a beating, it opened. It is a clear proof. The iron case is like a mountain, what else can Lin Fan say?" The yamen servants had already gathered up the scattered salt powder, and unexpectedly piled up a small salt mound.A yamen servant grabbed a handful and wiped Lin Fan's mouth. Lin Fan felt very bitter and salty, so he couldn't help but spit it out.The people in the hall cheered loudly and burst into applause.

Di Gong patted the gavel: "Silence! Silence!" "Lin Fan, why did you secretly put down the big bronze bell last night, trying to murder the hall and all the government officials?" Lin Fan's face was ashen, and he replied softly: "Last night, Xiaomin tripped and injured himself in the courtyard, so he never stepped out of the house. How could he put down the big copper bell to murder the master? Xiaomin smuggled illicit Salt is the truth, I dare not admit the crime of plotting the master's life." Di Gong's face darkened: "The witness, Shen Ba, is in court!"

Shen Ba was brought to the hall tremblingly.Lin Fan squinted his eyes, and was startled when he saw the black gown on Shen Ba's body, and couldn't help turning his face away. Di Gong asked: "Shen Ba, have you seen this man?" Shen Badao: "Go back and ask the master, this man is the thief who sneaked out of the Shengming Temple last night, I almost never caught him alive." Lin Fan was furious: "Sir, don't listen to his nonsense, framing good people. He is really a thief. The jacket he is wearing now belongs to Xiaomin, and there is Xiaomin's seal inside."

Di Gong said with a smile: "That's as good as it is. Lin Fan, let me tell you the truth, this man saw all your actions last night. He saw you sneaking into the bell hall of Shengming Temple, and we were all there. Under the bronze bell, you secretly pried off the stone drum, and pressed us all under the bronze bell.——What is it if this is not an attempt to kill the hall?" Lin Fan was speechless, and lowered his head, thinking that Shen Ba must be a scoundrel bought by the yamen, or a public servant in disguise.Since all his deeds have been seen through by the government, it is better to recruit them all.The calamity is like this, and the good and bad will be passed on to the heavens, so why bother to argue.

Di Gongdao: "Thinking about the life of an official ordered by the court is treason. What is the crime of treason? There is a clear text in the criminal code. There is no need to say more in this hall." Lin Fan murmured: "My master was very careful. Last night... Last night, I never expected that it was the master who got under the copper bell. I just thought it was a thief. How dare the little people try to plot the master's life and disobey the court." Di Gong asked: "Did you pry off the stone drum yourself?" Lin Fan muttered: "Yes, yes, this little man dare not deny it." Di Gong said: "That's it, make a confession with me." Lin Fan didn't dare to disobey, so he raised his pen and drew a mark on the confession. As soon as Di Gong signaled, the Yamen servant brought Mrs. Liang to the court. "Lin Fan, look up again, who is standing in front of you?" Lin Fan didn't understand it in his ignorance, but suddenly heard a familiar voice shouting from behind: "Lin Fan, look who I am?" Mrs. Liang stood upright in front of the hall, all the years of pressure seemed to be lifted at this moment, her eyes shone brightly, her face turned rosy, and she seemed to be much younger for a while. Lin Fan stared blankly at Mrs. Liang and couldn't help but tremble all over. A pair of withered, yellow and gray eyes were bulging, and his bloodless lips moved a few times, but he didn't utter a word. Mrs. Liang brushed a few strands of hair that were hanging down her temples, and after more than twenty years of hatred, she only uttered a few sad words: "Lin Fan, you...you...you killed your..." Suddenly she choked, covered her face with her hands, and sobbed softly. "You...you killed your own..." She shook her head sadly, tears streaming down her face.The anger dissipated, the accumulated hatred disappeared, and the body shook. Lin Fan suddenly realized that his eyes were moist. Just as he was about to reach out to help Mrs. Liang, the government servants on both sides stepped forward and grabbed Lin Fan's hands, shackled his feet and handcuffed him, and quickly escorted him to the hall. Mrs. Liang fainted on the ground, unconscious. Di Gong patted the gavel: "Retire!" Everyone who watched the interrogation was stunned.I just feel that the trial is not over.