Volume 1 The Wind Rises Chapter 19 Solving a Case
Luo Youdu did not blindly feel compassion, but looked at the fat man who could kill a cow with one punch.
The fat man made a bitter face and clasped his fists, saying, "Sir, it is true that I killed the bull. But there was a reason... I took a break these two days and thought of going to the mountains to hunt some game. On my way back, I passed by the suburbs and saw a mad bull rampaging in the village. It was about to hurt someone, so I had no choice but to knock it down. At that time, I thought of subduing it, and I didn't think of killing it."
Luo Youdu looked at the sixty-year-old man and said, "Old man, is what this warrior said true?"
The sixty-year-old man hesitated and didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Luo Youdu knew that what the fat man said was probably correct, so he asked sternly, "Old man, this happened in the village, and we can find out the situation by sending someone to investigate. In court, deceiving this official is also a serious crime."
The sixty-year-old man was a little frightened when he heard this , but he seemed to have thought of something and said firmly, "He is lying, sir. My cow was indeed frightened. But no one was hurt. If you don't believe me, you can go and ask."
The fat man was anxious and angry, and said, "Your Excellency, you can go and investigate. If I lied, you can chop me off."
He acted like he was right and was not afraid of anyone.
Luo Youdu smiled and shook his head, having already made up his mind.
The situation was probably just as the fat man said, that the man accidentally killed the sixty-year-old man's cow in order to save others.
But if we really investigate further, the fat guy will definitely be the one who suffers.
The fat man thought things were too simple.
The fat man is an outsider, while the sixty-year-old man is a villager.
It is nonsense to help those who are right and not those who are close to you.
Even in later times, it is impossible to do so, let alone in ancient times?
The ancients had an extremely strong sense of regional affiliation, and there was even talk of regional politics, the most typical example being Chen Deng in the Three Kingdoms period.
If the old man's cow had really hit someone, it would be fine. But since it didn't hit anyone, the villagers would definitely help the old man instead of the fat man.
If someone feels that he is righteous and helps outsiders, the people in the whole village will think that person is a traitor and will be criticized wherever he goes.
Luo Youdu asked: "Old man, you said your son paid for your cow with his life, what's going on?"
The old man in his sixties wiped his tears and choked up, saying, "My son followed the government to fight the Liao people. He saved a general and died. The general rewarded us with a cow. My son died, and my wife ran away, leaving behind an eight-year-old child. This cow is my life. Without it, how can we, the grandfather and grandson, survive?"
The fat man's originally angry expression also revealed a hint of complexity.
Luo Youdu sighed secretly and said, "Old man, I will use a live cow to exchange for your dead cow. Can you tell me the truth?"
The sixty-year-old man stopped crying, looked at the hall with an unbelievable look, and said, "Really?"
Luo Youdu said: "It is absolutely true."
The sixty-year-old man shrugged his head as if he was a little ashamed and said, "It's just like what this warrior said, he, he killed the cow to save Niuniu... Sir, you... can't lie to me."
Luo Youdu smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will send someone to the village to get the cow. It will only take one or two days at most and I will give you a live cow."
It's actually not a big deal to exchange a dead cow for a live one.
Everyone knows that beef is delicious.
Just as the old man said, a cow is life. In ancient times, the value of a cow was often even higher than a human life.
Therefore, every dynasty has a very strict management of oxen. Anyone who injures or kills an ox will be severely punished and will be jailed for at least two years.
The more chaotic the times, the heavier the punishment for working oxen.
Just four years ago, Guo Wei usurped the throne of the Han Dynasty and issued an order of amnesty for the whole country.
This order had a condition: "Slaughtering cattle, minting coins, killing people, making poisons and other serious crimes are not included in this restriction."
It can be seen that in this era, slaughtering cattle is on the same level as killing people.
Only when a cow dies of old age or disease can it be reported to local officials, who will then send someone to slaughter it. Strategic materials such as cowhide and tendons must also be handed over to the government.
When the cow is old, the meat will be tough and taste much worse than tender beef.
For some reason, there are always some unruly people in power who intentionally create accidents that cause the death of tender cows in order to eat tender beef, and they eat beef openly.
Guo Wei was fond of honoring his merits, but Guo Rong did not buy into it. He had severely punished many meritorious nobles and put a stop to this problem.
This also caused the price of tender beef on the market to soar.
This is exchanging a legally dead cow for a live cow, and there are many foodies who are willing to make the exchange.
According to normal procedures, the 60-year-old man’s report to the police today would be considered a false accusation and he would be punished.
However, Luo Youdu did not punish him too severely considering his age, and asked the secretary to close the case.
The secretary handed the case document to Luo Youdu.
Luo Youdu signed his name on it and then stamped it with the official seal. Looking at the document, he suddenly laughed and said, "I forgot to ask your names. Tell each other your names and sign your names later. This case is over."
Seeing that Luo Youdu had examined the case clearly, the fat man bowed respectfully and said, "I am Zhang Qiong!"
The sixty-year-old man knelt on the ground and said, "I, Hu Sanzhuang, bow to thank you, sir."
Luo Youdu asked the bailiff to help the old man up, but his eyes fell on the fat man.
Zhang Qiong, could it be that Zhang Qiong?
Thinking about his supernatural power of killing a cow with one punch, I suddenly felt that it was almost certain.
In his memory, Zhang Qiong was a fierce general under Zhao Kuangyin, equivalent to the captain of the bodyguards. He followed Zhao Kuangyin into battle and was extremely brave. He even used his fat body to block arrows for Zhao Kuangyin and save his life.
This is strange, Zhao Kuangyin was one of the few emperors in China who treated his meritorious officials well, as he gave up his military power with a toast. However, because of Shi Hanqing's false accusation, he had his lifesaver Zhang Qiong beaten to death on the spot, and finally sentenced him to death in prison.
It has to be said that it is a strange thing.
The two men signed the document, and Luo Youdu first arranged for the yamen runners to follow the old man to get the meat.
Then he said to Zhang Qiong with a scorching gaze: "Zhang Zhuangshi killed the bull with one punch. This kind of divine power is really terrifying. Killing a bull is a serious crime, but the warrior disregarded his own life and resolutely took action to save the life. It can be said that he is both righteous and brave, and people really admire him. How about I treat the warrior to a drink and meat at Koufuzhai?"
Zhang Qiong swallowed her saliva. It didn’t matter whether she drank the wine or not, but the meat was hard to refuse.
Koufuzhai’s mutton is the best in Kaifeng.
Luo Youdu smiled secretly in his heart. Just now during the interrogation, he heard Zhang Qiong say that he would take a two-day break and go to the mountains to hunt for game. He guessed that this guy liked to eat meat and his family was average.
It is true.
"Let's go!" Luo Youdu didn't wait for Zhang Qiong to refuse, and pulled him out.
Zhang Qiong reluctantly followed him out of Kaifeng Prefecture.
Just as he left Kaifeng Prefecture, a sturdy man came towards him. He looked quite similar to Zhang Qiong, but he was less fat .
