The merchant who killed his wife, Wu Guangde, was sentenced to death by the Luoyang prefecture!
This news quickly spread in the Xiu wen workshop. Some people remembered that Old Wu was usually a good person and couldn't help but sigh at his foolish actions. Some people said that he had fallen in love with someone else and changed his wife because he was rich. They cursed and scolded him, feeling great satisfaction. There were many different situations.
That day, Wu Guangde was drunk. When he woke up, he was shocked to find his wife, Bao Yinyin, lying on the floor with a pool of blood on the back of her head. In shock, he went forward to check her breathing. She had been dead for a long time. He panicked and ran out the door screaming. A patrolling Marquis Wu heard the news and came to visit. Seeing this scene, he quickly went to the streets to find the patrolling officers of the Luoyang prefecture.
When the officials came to investigate the scene, they found his pouch on the floor. Madame Bao had fallen on her back and the back of her head hit a silver ingot. She died just like that. The cause of her death must have been caused by the pouch hitting the back of her head. But why she fell was the key.
How could Wu Guangde explain it clearly? He could only vaguely say that his wife slipped and fell. However, Bao Yinyin's family heard the news and rushed over. They did not let it go and ran to the officials crying and making a fuss. They insisted that Wu Guangde killed his wife and fabricated the scene.
Tang Zong Young Master Tang, who handled the case, did not want to meddle, but the victim's family did not want to, so they could only continue investigating. They found out that Wu Guangde had an mistress in Daliang. That young mistress was seventeen years old and was as beautiful as a flower. Wu Guangde doted on her. Wu Guangde's mistress in Daliang was even more luxurious than his residence in the Xiu wen workshop.
Then they found out that Wu Guangde, as a traveling merchant, felt that using Tong Bao and silk to trade was too troublesome. He actually used gold and silver in private to settle transactions with others. Although keeping mistresses was a common practice for merchants at that time, it involved the killing of his wife. This became a major suspect. Adding to the fact that he used gold and silver in violation of the rules, he also lost face in front of Tang Zong. Tang Zong began to interrogate him strictly.
Poor Wu Guangde, after returning home, slept soundly. When he woke up drunk, he did not even remember how he got home that night and what he said to his wife. How could he explain?
Tang Zong saw that he did not confess, so he ordered his men to torture him. In a society ruled by man, no matter how clear the impression left on later generations was, it was impossible to act according to the law. Even the legendary Bao Qingtian, who was said to be a god in judging cases and enforcing the law like a mountain, when he was the prefectural magistrate of Kaifeng, he had also done something like extorting confessions, resulting in a confession under torture.
In reality, it was even more common for someone to be beaten to death in court. How could Wu Guangde endure such hardship? Wu Guangde could not bear the pain under the three trees, so he had no choice but to answer the jailer's question vaguely. This proved that he was guilty of murder. The case was reported to Zhou Xing of the Ministry of Justice, who immediately approved: Hang him!
In the Tang Dynasty, there were two ways of killing: beheading and hanging. Hanging would leave the body intact. Wu Guangde's case did not involve the politics of the court and was just an ordinary civil case. Zhou Xing, who was famous for his harsh punishments, had no interest in it at all. He was busy tormenting those officials, so he casually approved it.
Actually, according to the law, a case that was sentenced to capital punishment still had to be reviewed and reported to the Emperor. This was a three-step process. However, due to the recent series of incidents, including the death of a few court officials, there was some unrest in the city. Thus, Zhou Xing decided to sentence Wu Guangde harshly and quickly. There were so many officials who were imprisoned in his prison, and many of them were beaten to death without being sentenced. Why would he care about a small merchant?
It was autumn now. If Wu Guangde was not executed in time, he would have to spend another half a year in prison, waiting for his execution next autumn. Thus, the efficiency of the officials increased. After two days of preparation and going through all the necessary procedures, Wu Guangde was escorted out for a public execution.
Executions of criminals had always been carried out in the downtown area. This was called "abandoning the market". The intention was to use the execution of criminals to intimidate thieves and evildoers, so that they would not dare to harbor any evil intentions. On the day of Wu Guangde's execution, many people in the workshop who knew him ran over to watch the commotion.
The time of execution in the Tang Dynasty was between one and five in the afternoon. The news spread throughout the workshop on the first day. Ever since he woke up in the morning, Maqiao had been restless and restless. At noon, he hastily ate a few mouthfuls of rice. When he really could not eat anymore, he said to his mother, "Mother, your son wants to go out for a walk and watch the execution."
His mother jokingly scolded, "You look like you've lost your soul, so I knew you had something to do. What's so interesting about killing people? The blood stings are scary. If you want to go, then go. Come back early and don't cause trouble outside. "
"Ah, then … your son is going!"
Maqiao replied and hurriedly left the room.
The execution ground was located between Nan City and Jia Shan Lane. It was an extremely bustling place.
At noon, before the criminals were released from the prison, the prison officials sent food and wine to the criminals who were to be executed that day, so that they could die with a full stomach. There were a total of seven criminals that were to be executed that day. Wu Guangde's hair was disheveled and his face dirty. He blankly sat in his cell. He really did not know how he killed his wife and how he ended up like this.
After a while, the time came. One by one, the seven criminals boarded the prison cart and were escorted to the execution ground.
Outside the execution ground, there was a sea of people, bustling with activity. Maqiao squeezed into the crowd, also raising his head to watch.
When the seven criminals were escorted to the execution ground, the crowd was in an uproar. The Wu family members were crying loudly, but they were stopped by the officials outside the execution ground. Tang Zong, dressed in official robes, solemnly entered the execution shed and read out the verdict. Three criminals were brought to the execution platform. These three were extremely evil people and were sentenced to death.
Each of the criminals was given a bowl of wine. After drinking the wine, the saber was waved. Three streaks of blood flashed and three heads fell to the ground. The execution platform was covered in blood. The excitement of the crowd had reached a climax. Everyone was talking and laughing. Occasionally, there were some miserable cries from the families of the deceased.
Following that, the four criminals who were to be hanged were also brought to the execution platform. Nooses were placed around their necks and they were temporarily forced to kneel on the ground. Each person was given a bowl of wine. Wu Guangde held the bowl in his hand and tears streamed down his face. Big drops of tears fell into the bowl. Wu Guangde wept and said, "Today I'm going to die. Although I didn't become a hungry ghost, I'm still a confused ghost!"
As he finished speaking, tears streamed down his face like rain. Wu Guangde held the bowl of wine and raised his head to gulp it down. The executioner had been executing criminals for many years and had seen all sorts of strange behaviors. He looked on coldly from the side and didn't care. Who would bother with a person who was about to die?
"Son! Son! You're so confused! If you want to raise an outsider, then raise an outsider. Why do you have to be so obsessed and want to help her? You killed your wife! If you die, how do you expect me to live? My son, my son … "
A sorrowful voice suddenly cried out. Ma Qiao turned his head and saw that the wailing woman was not far away from him. Two middle-aged men were supporting her and trying to console her with tears streaming down their faces. They were probably her sons. The old woman had a head full of white hair and was pounding her chest and stamping her feet. From her crying, it was clear that she was Wu Guangde's mother.
"Mother, your son is innocent. Your son is innocent …"
On the execution platform, Wu Guangde looked at his mother and closed his eyes tightly. Tears flowed uncontrollably from his eyes.
"Start the execution!"
Tang Zong picked up a red stick and threw it in front of the table. He sternly ordered.
Behind the four pillars, the ropes were pulled up. The four criminals couldn't help but stand up. But the ropes continued to rise. Their feet left the ground and their bodies were suspended in the air.
"Son …"
The old woman cried out and fainted. The two men supporting her hurriedly put her down and pinched her philtrum to save her.
With Wu Guangde's death today, no one would know the true cause of Bao Yinyin's death. Maqiao could also get away scot-free. However, the scene in front of him deeply pierced his heart. The fear and hesitation in Maqiao's heart immediately disappeared. He suddenly separated his arms and squeezed through the crowd. He quickly rushed forward and shouted, "Don't hurt the innocent! I killed her! "
The surrounding commoners saw someone rushing to the front. Initially, they were very unwilling to use their backs to block. But when he shouted, they couldn't help but be shocked. "Hua la", the crowd split to the left and right, allowing him to rush to the front.
Two men holding swords stopped him. Maqiao pointed to the execution platform and shouted, "Let him down. I killed her. I killed her. I, Maqiao, killed her. It has nothing to do with Wu Guangde!"
Behind the execution platform, Tang Zong suddenly stood up. His face changed and he asked, "What did he say?"
… …
"Uncle, Auntie, I'm leaving. These days, I'm indebted to you for your hospitality. I'm very grateful."
Yang Fan stood at the entrance of the mountain. He turned around and cupped his hands towards the mountain people who were sending him off.
The mountain people were simple people. Everything in their house depended on the mountains. The mushrooms and vegetables they picked, the wild hares and pheasants they caught were used to entertain the guests. They didn't feel that there was anything wrong with it. But they received a very generous reward from him. They felt very apologetic. Today, when Yang Fan was leaving, the whole family sent him off.
"Big brother, take this smoked rabbit and eat it on the way."
The hostess was a village woman with a round face and a strong body. She forced a wrapped smoked rabbit into Yang Fan's hands. Yang Fan couldn't refuse and took it. He put it into his horse bag and cupped his hands towards them. He held the horse's reins and walked down the mountain.
The simple and honest old farmer's lips moved a few times. In the end, he didn't say anything polite. He just smiled and waved at him. The big yellow dog on his knee barked twice.
In the lush green, there was a small path about a foot wide that had been trodden out over the years. The trees on both sides were dense and some unknown red and yellow pea-sized fruits were scattered all over the trees and shrubs. He didn't know what these fruits were.
The mountains in the distance were verdant. Looking back, the mountain hut was already hidden in the verdant green. Only a corner of the eaves could be faintly seen. It gave people a sense of tranquility when they looked at it.
Yang Fan let out a light breath. Whether it was the sea of the Nanyang or the mountains of Wangwu, they all gave him a sense of peace and freedom. He liked this kind of peaceful life. But in life, many times he couldn't choose the life he wanted according to his heart. This time, he still had to plunge into a reign of terror.
Suddenly, Yang Fan was a little envious of his Great Master's free and easy life.
Yang Fan didn't directly rush to Luoyang. He first rushed to a nearby town, sold his horse, and disposed of all suspicious items. Then, he rented a mule and rushed back to Luoyang.
When Yang Fan returned to the Xiu wen workshop, it was just past noon. As soon as he entered the workshop, Yang Fan sensed that the atmosphere was a little strange. There weren't many people on the street, but their expressions were a little strange. Even these few people gathered together and whispered to each other, shaking their heads and sighing.
Seeing this, Yang Fan suddenly became suspicious.
Note: This case is based on a real case from the Tang Dynasty. The difference is: In the real case, it wasn't the man who was having an affair that pushed the woman to her death. Instead, it was the woman who was so angry that she snatched the knife and killed him. Later, because her husband was wrongly convicted, she voluntarily turned herself in.
Human nature is complicated. Everyone has their own moral standards. If they don't conform to your moral values in one matter, it doesn't mean that they don't have high moral values in another matter.
There are many people in the marketplace who are loyal. Maqiao is a typical marketplace person. He's lazy, lustful, sneaky, and doesn't seek to improve himself. But he's also a person who values affection. He values family, values friendship, and has a sense of responsibility.
Ordinary people couldn't compare to outstanding big shots in some aspects, but in some aspects, they weren't inferior to them, or even better.
A person with flaws all over the body also has a bright spot. A person who is praised as a saint also has flaws and flaws.
This, is a person!
This, is a person!
This, is a person's charm!
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