The imperial envoy had already given the order, and with the governor's urging, the work efficiency of the yamen was naturally very high.
According to the instructions of the officials, the people who were summoned were the heads of the Wang and Shi families.
The Wang family was easy to talk about, but the Shi family had been in the limelight for the past two years. The children of the family ran amok in Jinling and did things without restraint. Sometimes they did not even give face to the yamen. Not to mention other things, when the various branches of the yamen dealt with the Shi family, most of them met with a neither soft nor hard rebuff.
As the saying goes, even if your official is as clear as water, it is difficult to guard against officials as slippery as oil. Most of the secretaries in the various departments of the yamen were local people without ranks. Furthermore, father and son passed down their skills and positions in the family. In other words, although they were not part of the system and did not have any organization, they were still true local snakes. Especially in the marketplace, they had a very high reputation and social status.
This kind of big shot who had connections with both the black and the white did not have much culture. They also had a lot of Jianghu habits. To put it nicely, they were quick to repay kindness and revenge. To put it bluntly, they would seek revenge for the smallest grievance. However, they were quick-witted and knew how to act according to the wind. They were the true villains among the hypocrites.
For example, after offending them, if you continued to be rich and powerful, then nothing would happen. Even if you slapped their face a hundred times, they would still smile and pretend to be a grandson. However, if you showed signs of losing power, they would definitely take revenge. The face they had lost in the past would be recovered a thousand times over.
For example, right now.
The scribes and librarians were all quick-witted people. Seeing this extremely arrogant imperial envoy enter the yamen and point to summon the Shi family, they immediately became excited as if they had eaten Snickers bars.
As mentioned before, they were all well-informed local snakes. They were well aware of the apparent unity of the four great families in the past few years. Imperial Envoy Jia, who came from the Ningguo house, had an arrogant appearance after entering the yamen. It looked like he was relying on the Emperor's favor to do whatever he wanted.
This kind of teammate was good.
His background was big enough, and he didn't have a sense of propriety when doing things.
If he had a powerful background, it meant that he would be able to bear the responsibility after the incident, and he wouldn't be able to shirk his responsibilities and find a scapegoat. If he didn't know what he was doing, it meant that he had a decisive attitude and strong execution ability. With such a combination of a meat shield and damage dealer, he would naturally be an excellent ally.
And this imperial envoy, who looked like he had no idea, looked like he wanted to mess with the Shi family.
It was simply perfect.
Everyone knew that Jinling used to belong to the Four Great Clans, but because of the Great War of Tianyuan, the Xue, Wang, and Jia Clans declined one after another. Only the Shi Clan went against the trend and became stronger and stronger. And when they became stronger, they would naturally ask for territory under the sun, but territory was limited. What could they do? Of course, they would snatch the ready-made territory.
If the Shi Clan wanted to develop, they would naturally have to squeeze out the interests of the other three clans. This was no different from digging up someone's ancestral grave. Based on this point, the Jia Clan and the Shi Clan originally had an irreconcilable innate conflict. Although they appeared to be harmonious on the surface, in the dark, they would seize the opportunity to make a move without hesitation.
Now that this Young Master Jia, who didn't look like a good person, had become an imperial envoy, and he even had a gold medal and arrow token, how could they not use this as an excuse to make a move and make a move?
As for the reason and excuse?
Ha, wasn't there an infinite amount of these things?
Since ancient times, there hadn't been a single clean aristocratic family. As for whether they died or rose to prominence, it all depended on the Imperial Court.
If the Imperial Court said you were a virtuous person, then you were a virtuous person. If the Imperial Court said you were an evil force, then you were an evil force.
Because of this reason, the small officials in the government office quickly united the front line.
The imperial envoy and the Shi Clan could not live under the same sky. It was clear that he wanted to use this as an excuse to make a move. Furthermore, looking at his arrogant and despotic appearance, it was certain that he would not withdraw his troops until he turned the sky and earth upside down.
He held the gold medal and arrow token to eliminate competitors for his clan. Naturally, he had enough motivation and determination. Furthermore, even if the Imperial Court investigated, it would definitely be him who was held responsible. With such a heaven-sent opportunity, everyone naturally had to tightly unite around the imperial envoy. If there was a grudge, then there was a grudge to take revenge.
Since they understood this point, everyone exploded with an unprecedented enthusiasm for their work. They sharpened their knives and attacked the Shi Clan.
Under the Imperial system, the government office imitated the centralization of power by the six departments. In each province, county and county government office, there were six offices for officials, ceremonial soldiers, and penal workers. They were in charge of all matters under the government. Holding the gold medal to summon the Shi Clan to the government office to listen to the investigation was snatched by the Dian Li of the penal chamber.
This Dian Li was surnamed Liu. He was clever in small matters, but not in great wisdom. When he spoke and did things, he only wanted to think clearly. He had an old grudge with the Shi Clan. Simply put, in the past two years, the Shi Clan had become arrogant and inflated. Originally, there were a number of casinos and brothels under their name that had to pay Dian Li a monthly salary. However, in the past two years, they had slowly stopped paying.
Dianli Liu had kindly come to remind them several times, but he was humiliated by the impatient Shi family. Humiliation was a small matter, but if they didn't pay up, it would be like killing one's parents. Naturally, Dianli Liu regarded it as the greatest hatred in his life.
However, before, the Shi Clan had been in the limelight. No matter how much Sir Liu hated them, he could only silently wait for an opportunity. Now that the clouds had parted and the moon had risen, the imperial envoy had fallen from the sky. What was he waiting for?
After Sir Liu knelt to receive the gold medal, he ordered his capable bailiffs. Carrying an unbearable excitement, a dozen people majestically charged towards the Shi Clan.
He was much more playful than Jia Shidao. On the way there, he had already prepared a perfect script. Relying on his simple aesthetic instincts as a slippery official, he had meticulously concocted a perfect face-slapping drama. Laying the groundwork, acting like a pig, taunting and provoking hatred, and even pretending to be pretentious and face-slapping, all in one go.
Simply put, the process was like this.
When he arrived in front of the Shi Clan's door, he did not directly show the gold medal, nor did he say where he came from. First, he made a big fuss in front of the door and guards for a while. Then, he made a big fuss, saying that the venerable old master Jun Yu was here and wanted the Shi Clan's third housekeeper Li Xing to come out and speak.
This housekeeper Li Xing was not just anyone. He was the person who had previously humiliated Dian Li over the matter of the silver.
When enemies meet, their eyes are especially red. Sir Liu suppressed the murderous intent in his heart and crazily pretended to be pretentious in front of housekeeper Li Xing. He showed off the sly and cunning face of a villain who was intoxicated with success. He kept saying that the Shi Clan had to cooperate, otherwise there would be great harm.
In short, he was just bragging, but he did not say that he had the gold medal token arrow.
Housekeeper Li was infuriated and impatiently asked him what he wanted. That was what Dian Li had been waiting for. When he heard that, he trembled even more and arrogantly said that the Shi Clan had robbed Wang Ren's coffin. After the venerable heard about this, he ordered me to lock up the Shi Clan's father and son and bring them to the magistrate's office for questioning.
That was probably his tone.
He was very arrogant, very domineering, and looked like a villain who was using his position to avenge a personal grudge. He looked so arrogant that it was as if the famous Shi Clan's master, who had dominated Jinling in recent years, had become his prisoner.
This kind of law enforcement attitude was not something that the Shi Clan, the most powerful clan in Jinling, could tolerate. Even a slightly powerful clan would not be able to tolerate such humiliation.
As expected, Housekeeper Li was furious. Looking at Lord Liu, who was jumping up and down and shouting, he gritted his teeth and said, "Get lost!"
As soon as Housekeeper Li said the word "get lost", Dian Li's carefully crafted plan was already half completed. Housekeeper Li immediately yelled, "How dare you stop me from enforcing the law! How dare you yell at a civil servant! Do you still have any respect for your master? Do you think that the king of Jinling can't punish you?!"
When it came to inducing interrogations and fishing, Housekeeper Li was nothing compared to Dian Li, who had been through hundreds of battles and had a profound family background. Soon, the two of them began to curse at each other, and the matter became more and more serious. Soon, it attracted a lot of people from the Shi Clan.
When Butler Li, who was extremely angry, said, "In Jin Ling city, the Shi family is the law" under his own guidance, Mr. Liu's body trembled violently.
He felt that his soul had suddenly risen to the outside of the 33rd layer of Lihen Heaven. He felt that the light of the sun was shining on his soul. He felt that his body was as light as a feather. It was as if he had entered a mysterious realm. Even time seemed to have turned back.
Yes, it was turning back. He felt that he had returned to the time when he was 15 years old.
On that unforgettable day, he plucked up the courage to steal some money from his father's cabinet and went to the brothel that he had been thinking about for a long time. With a red face, he went into the room and hugged the young lady who was leaning against the window and smiling at him ten days ago. He kissed her, touched her, and hugged her soft and white body that he had never felt before. Relying on his instinct, he moved crazily. He felt that his body was cheering, and his soul was singing. Then, an indescribable feeling of trembling ruled his body. From his brain to his toes, every inch of his body was trembling.
Even though Little Missy had long since passed away, he would never forget the feeling of that moment. It was like the calm before the storm, like the first spark before the fire. It was a kind of enlightenment, a kind of reminder, a kind of intuition. That was the voice from the deepest part of his soul. It was rooted in desire, and it let out the loudest sound before everything finally arrived. It said, "Now is the time!"
Lord Liu's soul was roaring.
He felt that his soul, his life, his destiny, after that day when he was 15 years old, had climbed to a new peak.
Just like when the young man howled and crazily moved his body, Lord Liu laughed crazily and took out the golden token arrow that was tightly clenched in his sleeve.
Time was divided here.
Heaven and earth were turned upside down. The sun and the moon did not shine. A simple and shallow soul at this time was sublimated.
At this moment, the disciplinary officer of the Jinling government office had an epiphany. He suddenly realized that there was another thing in this world that could give him a thousandfold pleasure in his soul other than shooting himself up. It was the pleasure that came from taking revenge. It came from the resentment and unwillingness of the lowly. It was the most primitive desire and impulse that every ordinary creature that was oppressed and exploited contained in their hearts. It was the most primitive desire and impulse that was contained in the heart of every oppressed and exploited ordinary creature.
How proud and elated it was.
He looked at the originally arrogant housekeeper Li's expression change. The arrogance froze, then became shock, and then panic.
He looked at the surrounding Shi family members. The disdain and contempt turned into confusion and panic.
He also looked at his subordinates and companions. Their faces also showed the excitement of finally showing their trump card … Their emotions were linked together, from anticipation to finally getting what they wanted.
On this day, the civil servants of the Jinling Yamen became good friends.
Everyone's expressions were unprecedentedly synchronized and consistent.
— — Awesome!
The golden token represented the supreme imperial power. It represented the greatest order in the country and even the world. It represented the most powerful and credible community.
Lord Liu roared, "The golden token is here. Under the orders of the imperial envoy, I have come to summon the Shi family's father and son. The one surnamed Li, in front of this golden token, say it again. What is the law of Jinling?"
Steward Li instantly realized that this was an extremely vicious and premeditated trap. He broke out in cold sweat and collapsed to the ground. Unknowingly, the crotch of his pants was already wet. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, in public, he had indeed shouted out such words. The outcome could be imagined.
The empire had a long history, and the imperial power was deeply rooted in the people's hearts. Not to mention, the imperial power and the majesty of the country were simply deeply rooted in the people's hearts. Everyone in the lawful camp had to unconditionally obey and respect the imperial power. For example, when the golden token appeared, the Shi family members all knelt down on the ground.
The nature of this matter immediately changed. If it was a small official who came to visit, let alone the young master, he probably wouldn't even be able to see the face of the young master. A housekeeper would be able to send him away. But this time, it wasn't Dianshi Liu who came, but the golden token. It was as if the emperor had personally come to visit. If you really wanted to look at it carefully, the Shi family members, as long as they could breathe, would dress up and kowtow.
The responsible ones crawled and rolled to report to the head of the family. The rest of the people knelt down on the ground. Their hearts were filled with shock and anger. Occasionally, they would glance at housekeeper Li, who was lying on the ground. They couldn't help but feel a little sympathy. This housekeeper Li was finished.
But more than that, they were surprised and frightened. The golden token that fell from the sky seemed to indicate something.
Housekeeper Li was indeed finished.
When the head of the Shi family heard the news, he rushed over and met with Dianshi Liu. Dianshi Liu was indeed a man who clearly distinguished between kindness and hatred. After acting tough, he didn't forget to follow up with a knife. He calmly repeated what housekeeper Li had said. Under the eyes of everyone, he couldn't deny it. And since Dianshi Liu came with the golden token, killing housekeeper Li was the worst thing he could do. Thus, the head of the Shi family was forced to sacrifice the rook to protect the general.
Because housekeeper Li spoke arrogantly, he was ordered to be severely punished with eighty paddles and then expelled from the Shi family. This was to show that what he had said just now had nothing to do with the Shi family.
And from the tone of the head of the Shi family and the eighty paddles punishment, housekeeper Li was definitely going to die. Being expelled from the Shi family was just a way to show his attitude and to avoid responsibility.
As a result, Dianli Liu successfully acted pretentious and slapped people in the face. Furthermore, he used the opportunity to kill Housekeeper Li, who had a personal grudge against him. Not only did he reach the peak of his life at this moment, he also understood the true meaning of the world — people live to act pretentious and slap people in the face.
All these actions were done in one go. It could be said that he was a hero.
After his thoughts were clear, he began to say some polite words to show that housekeeper Li was arrogant and domineering, and that the Shi family was strict and strict.
The head of the Shi family solemnly thanked him. Of course, this was just polite words. They all knew that this was not a serious matter.
Dianshi Liu was very clear about public and private matters. After settling his personal grudge, he naturally began to focus on official matters.
He clearly conveyed the imperial envoy's speech and spirit to the Shi family. He also went straight to the point and told Shi Laoye, "The matter of your Shi family going to the Wang family to steal the coffin has been revealed. The imperial envoy orders you to immediately take your two sons and Wang Ren's coffin to the yamen and report. There is a gold medal bestowed by the Emperor here. Sir Shi, please move quickly."
The head of the Shi family felt as if he had eaten shit.
What the f * ck, imperial envoy?
Where did the imperial envoy come from?
He was stunned for a moment by this blow and could not make any sense of it. The situation was like this, so he had no choice but to lower himself to chat with Dianshi Liu with a smile. Normally, he would not even bother to look at such a minor official, but now he could not. He knew nothing about imperial envoys, so he had to find out some information.
After taking out a stack of banknotes, he successfully gained the friendship of Dianshi Liu and his group. He also found out the identity of the imperial envoy. It wasn't a secret anyway, so there was no harm in telling them.
The head of the Shi family felt as if he had eaten a second pile of shit.
What the f * ck, Jia Shidao?!
He was an imperial envoy?
How the f * ck was this possible?
His first reaction was that this was f * cking fake. His second reaction was that the emperor had taken the wrong medicine.
It was no wonder that he had doubts. After all, the Shi family had a powerful backer. They also had a mission in Jinling, so they more or less knew some inside information. Ever since the famous general of the six armies silently died, the Jia family's situation had been extremely awkward. How could Jia Shidao be an imperial envoy?
Dianshi Liu didn't want to stay any longer. He also didn't know much about this matter. This trip to show off and slap people in the face was very satisfying. There was no need to hook up with the Shi family and make the imperial envoy angry. So he urged Mr. Shi to hurry up and leave, in case the imperial envoy got anxious.
With such a big thing happening, even the old and cunning head of the Shi family didn't know what to do at the moment. He could almost feel the malice coming from Jia Shidao and the imperial envoy. No matter what, breaking into someone's home and taking the coffin of someone's family member out of the mourning hall was really outrageous. It didn't make sense at all. Jia Shidao wanted to use this opportunity to cause trouble, and he was right.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but get angry.
Motherf * cker … those two little bastards!
All of this was clearly the fault of Shi Tailong and Shi Wengong. If those two little bastards hadn't taken the coffin on a whim, how could Jia Shidao have caught them?
And the most important problem was that Wang Ren's coffin couldn't be opened at all.
Those two little bastards' reason was that they had discovered something strange about the coffin and felt that it must have something to do with "that thing," so they took it home to study. This reason made sense, but the problem was that the coffin was really strange. No matter how much they studied it, they still couldn't open it.
Now that the imperial envoy had sent someone to rush them, this matter most likely couldn't be denied. After all, not only were there many people in the Wang family who could testify, there must have been many people on the streets who saw the two little bastards take the coffin and gallop on their horses. Now that they had the token and arrow, were they going to just hand over the coffin like this?
Fine, fine, fine. The token and arrow were here. This matter wasn't a crime. It was better to first hand over the coffin and then write a letter to that person to ask them to investigate what exactly was going on with the imperial envoy. Then they would ask how they should deal with it. As for the imperial envoy, he would first make up a similar reason to fool them.
In any case, I've thought of everything, even using the common sense of the strange people, but no matter what, I can't open the coffin. If it were you, you wouldn't be able to open it either.