The tongue of the cow was cut, the cow was slaughtered, and the thief turned himself in
In the long 5,000-year history of China, many famous and well-known geniuses have emerged who have been praised for thousands of years. They include Gao Tao, a pioneer of justice, Song Ci, the originator of authoritative forensic medicine, Di Renjie, who is known as "China's Sherlock Holmes", and Xu Yougong, the most outstanding judge in ancient times.
But if you want to ask which one is the most loved by the people and the most unforgettable, it is undoubtedly our famous minister of the Song Dynasty, known as "Bao Qingtian". So, who is this Bao Zheng?
Why did he win so much respect from the people?
During the Northern Song Dynasty, an old farmer's cattle mysteriously lost their tongues. Bao Zheng was so shocked by this case that he decided to solve the mystery in a unique way.
So why is Bao Zheng so bold? What kind of secret is hidden behind this case? Let's walk into the small village of the Qingli period and find out.
In this small village, the old farmer and his cattle are the most important laborers. However, when the day dawned, the old farmer found that his ploughing cattle had lost their tongues, and the whole village was thrown into panic.
After Bao Zheng learned the news, he decided to take over the case and use his wisdom and courage to reveal the truth. Bao Zheng believes that the old farmer's cattle must have had their tongues cut out to cover up some bigger secret.
He decided to use this to lead himself to reveal the truth. And this bold approach also made people see Bao Zheng's wisdom and courage. So, why did the old farmer's ploughing cattle lose their tongues?
What kind of secret is hidden behind this case? How will Bao Zheng reveal the truth? Let's look forward to the answer together.
The old farmer was so anxious that he could only turn to the cow doctor for help in the face of the old cow's injury. However, the cow's tongue had been cut off, and it had lost a lot of blood and was dying. The level of veterinarians in the Song Dynasty, for this situation, could only watch the cattle die.
This is not only the loss of the old farmer, but also his only labor force, and if he loses this cow, his farming will be seriously affected. What's more, in the Northern Song Dynasty, cattle were an important labor force, and if someone killed a ploughing ox, they would be sentenced.
The old farmer knew that this was a battle against the cattle thief, and he had to stand up and fight for the old cow and his own life. He took a deep breath, then led the injured old cow and walked to Kaifeng Mansion, hoping that the cow doctor could help him.
This hateful thief has really hurt him a lot, and he must bring this thief to justice with his own hands! He had to go to the official and seek the help of Lord Qingtian of Kaifeng Mansion.
Lord Bao of Kaifeng Mansion is notoriously fair and selfless, and he will definitely be able to find out that thief! As soon as Lord Bao Zheng in the backyard of Kaifeng Mansion got up, he heard a cry for help from outside the door.
He immediately put on his clothes, followed the sound to the front of the hall, and saw an old peasant kneeling on the ground to redress his grievances. The old farmer was dressed in **, his face was haggard, and he was holding an injured old cow beside him.
The old cow's mouth was full of blood, and he looked very pitiful. Bao Zheng stepped forward and asked with concern, "Uncle, have you encountered any difficulties and do you need my help?" ”
The old peasant looked up and saw a dark-skinned man with a crescent moon on his forehead. Although he had never seen Bao Zheng, as soon as he saw his righteous and awe-inspiring appearance and the crescent moon on his forehead, he knew that he was the great blue sky of their Kaifeng Mansion - Lord Bao Zhengbao.
The old farmer cried bitterly and grabbed Bao Zheng's sleeve and told him something that made him feel heartbroken: "My lord, the tongue of the small people's farming cow has been cut off, this is the only cow in the small people's family, how can the small people's family survive without it?" ”
After Bao Zheng heard this, he looked at the bloody tongue of the ploughing cow and immediately understood everything. In the Song Dynasty, the law of ploughing cattle was very strict, and no one could slaughter ploughing cattle except for illness or accidental death, otherwise they would be severely punished.
Therefore, the man who cut off the tongue of the ox must have his purpose. Bao Zheng thought for a moment, and immediately thought of a way to solve the case. He decided to find out this ruthless person as soon as possible, so that the ploughing cattle could get the protection they deserved and protect the livelihood of the people in the Song Dynasty.
Uncle, your cow has had its tongue cut, does anyone know? Bao Zheng asked. The old farmer replied with a puzzled face: "I haven't heard of such a thing, I was ready to go to the field early in the morning, and I found that the cow had its tongue cut, so I hurried over to Kaifeng." ”
Bao Zheng nodded after hearing this, "Uncle, don't cry, I'll pay you for another cow first, and you can take it back and slaughter it, how about it?" The old farmer sniffed, shook his head, and said, "My lord, this is unacceptable, how can the little people collect your money?"
I raised this cow when I was a child, and I really can't bear to let it die so innocently. "Don't worry, as long as you do what I say and slaughter the cow, ** will be exposed. ”
The old farmer took the injured old cow home, and instead of continuing to farm, he accompanied the old cow in the cowshed, and watched the old cow's breathing gradually weaken, and his heart was very painful.
At this time, he remembered that Master Bao Zhengbao said categorically, as long as he slaughtered the old cow, he could find the real culprit. However, he couldn't do anything when he saw the old cow dying and struggling.
So, he decided to wait for the return of the catcher in Kaifeng Mansion, hoping to find another way to solve the problem.
Bao Zheng demanded that an announcement be issued as soon as possible, emphasizing that the government will strengthen the protection of ploughing cattle during the spring ploughing period. With Bao Zheng's entrustment, the old farmer was given the money to buy the cattle, and told him that breaking up the beef and taking it to the market to sell was an important step in arresting the prisoner.
Although the old farmer was puzzled, he still believed Bao Zheng's judgment and came to the market early the next morning with fresh beef to sell. The market was bustling with activity, and the old farmers quickly found a vacant stall and began to sell fresh beef.
In the Song Dynasty, beef was an extremely rare form of meat, as the imperial court forbade the slaughter of cultivated cattle. The shouts of the old peasants caused a crowd to surround them, but strangely enough, although many people came to see the meat, no one offered to buy it.
The old peasant was not anxious, and shouted on the spot. Soon, a woman couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, why did you kill the cow?" Only then did the old farmer realize why no one wanted to buy his cattle.
In the Song Dynasty, only sick or old dead cattle could be slaughtered, and although this old cow was a little old, it was not old enough to that extent, so everyone thought it was sick and did not dare to buy it.
The old farmer calmly replied to the woman: "My cattle did not die of disease, but died of wounds. The woman who got the answer immediately bought half a catty of beef, and others also rushed forward to buy it, and all of a sudden, the old farmer's stall became extremely lively.
In order to ensure the smooth progress of spring plowing and spring planting, the government will strengthen the protection of ploughing cattle and strictly prohibit private slaughter. If the cattle are sick, they can apply to the government for free cattle doctor diagnosis and treatment, and if they are invalid, they can only be slaughtered according to the certificate issued by the cattle doctor.
Those who slaughter cattle without permission will be severely punished, and those who report will receive a reward of 300 taels of silver from the government.
In the tea shed, the owner of those eyes could no longer sit still after hearing the news of severe punishment and silver reward. He excitedly ran to the front of Kaifeng Mansion and reported to the head catcher that someone had illegally killed cattle.
The person who came to report it was a neighbor of the old farmer, named Li An. Looking at the man in front of him with a look of ambition, Li Zhutou, who was on duty, expressed his admiration for Master Bao's clever calculation, and he silently led people to the front of the hall.
Power! Military! With the voices of the catchers, Lord Bao walked up to the court, slapped the wood, and ascended to the court! "Who is the hall! Bao Zheng asked. Ang Lee, a man who rarely went out of the village, was so frightened by the battle in front of him that he stammered.
He trembled and said that the old farmer killed and sold cattle, and the excitement and greed in his eyes were clearly seen by Bao Zheng, who was sitting on the upper seat.
It turned out that the tongue of the old farmer was cut off, and it was actually this man's doing! Bao Zheng clenched Xiangmu and asked sternly: "Why did you kill the cow and why?" ”
Li Anxin was flustered and blurted out: "It's because the cow's tongue is ......."Before he could finish speaking, he covered his mouth in horror. Bao Zheng took the opportunity to ask: "What's wrong with the cow tongue?" ”
Li An trembled in fear and said, "I cut ...... the cow's tongue."Finally, he confessed his sin, and it turned out that he had cut off the tongue of the old farmer's cow with his own hands.
Ang Lee, who knew that he had been exposed, sat on the ground dejectedly, with empty eyes, and slowly told what had happened.
Li An turned out to be the neighbor of the old farmer, and the two families had a grudge for generations, which caused them to be incompatible. Out of the grievances of the two families, he cut off the tongue of the old farmer's cattle. After the truth was revealed, the old farmer was late, and when he saw Li An sitting in front of the hall, he scolded him.
After a few minutes, the old farmer's mood calmed down. In the end, Ang Lee was duly punished for deliberately injuring the cattle, and the old farmer took the newly purchased cattle home.
In this small village, there is a well-known secret, that is, the grievances of the Liu and Li families for several generations have reached the point of hating each other. On that day, the old farmer of the Liu family led his ploughing cattle out and prepared to work in the fields.
On the way to the field, he happened to meet Ang Lee next door.
The old farmer and Ang Lee are enemies of each other because of the grievances of several generations, and they ignore each other. Looking at the back of the old farmer leaving, Li An stared viciously at the back of him and the ploughing ox, silent.
Since that encounter in the field, the two families have rarely met, but in order to vent his anger, Ang Lee actually made a dangerous act of cutting the tongue of a cow. The people of Kaifeng Mansion were puzzled by how Bao Zheng solved the case, so Bao Zheng sat down and explained the secret and key to solving the case.
First of all, according to the laws of the Song Dynasty, it was illegal to slaughter a ploughing ox without permission. If a ploughing cow had its tongue cut out, the cow would certainly not survive according to the level of cattle doctors at the time.
If the cow doesn't survive, it can only wait for it to die a natural death. However, it can be seen from the old peasant's shabby clothes that his family was not wealthy. In this case, the old farmer will definitely slaughter the cattle before they die, because the cattle that die of natural causes will certainly not sell for a good price.
However, the cow did not die of disease or old age, as long as the old farmer sold the cattle and sued the government, the cattle were sold by then and the evidence was gone, who can prove that the old farmer's cattle were slaughtered because they were cut off?
* Intended to sue the old farmer so that the old farmer would be punished and cut off the cow's tongue. However, Bao Zheng had a different way of thinking, he proposed that the old farmer slaughter the cattle and **, and then issue an official announcement to lure them out by taking advantage of **'s greedy psychology.
Bao Zheng's shrewdness and intelligence won the admiration of everyone in Kaifeng Mansion. Not only did he foresee the purpose of **, but he also used that purpose to bring him to justice, which is truly breathtaking.
However, Bao Zheng's fate with Niu is much more than that. In the fourth year of Jiayou, he ** the third envoy Zhang Fangping and dismissed him from office. Subsequently, the newly appointed third envoy Song Qi was also dismissed by Bao Zheng**.
After two recalls, the position of the third envoy was vacant, and the emperor could not find a suitable candidate for a while, so he asked Bao Zheng to temporarily serve as the third envoy.
When Ouyang Xiu publicly questioned Bao Zheng's reputation for justice, pointing out that he had taken away other people's cattle because others had trampled on the field, and coveted the three divisions to make this fat difference, the entire court was put on the cusp.
For others, this kind of questioning is undoubtedly an inextricable dilemma. However, Bao Zheng defused the crisis in a unique way. He took advantage of Ouyang Xiu's doubts and took the opportunity to recuperate at home, temporarily avoiding the position of the third envoy and living a quiet life.
But even so, Song Renzong was unwilling to let the court lose Bao Zheng's stability. Therefore, he decided not to let Bao Zheng be too idle, and let him go out of the house again. Bao Zheng did not disappoint Song Renzong, he proved his strength with outstanding performance, and was transferred to the Privy Council, and later was reused by Song Renzong, and was transferred to the Ministry of Rites.
However, in the final appointment, Bao Zheng chose to refuse.
Bao Zheng, the word Xiren, Hefei Feidong people, Tiansheng five years in the Jinshi, Ren Zhi County. Because he was obsessed with his parents and relatives at home, he applied for transfer to Feidong. Despite the closer, he couldn't find enough time to spend with them.
As his parents got older, Bao Zheng decided to resign from his official position and devote himself to taking care of them at home. However, the happy days did not last long, and Bao Zheng's parents passed away one after another.
This made him deeply distressed, his shape was broken, his whole body lost a lot of weight, and he was unwilling to leave the grave of his parents. Seeing Bao Zheng so depressed, the elders of the Bao family decided to help, patiently persuaded him, and finally let him regain his strength and start his journey of establishing a life for the people.
Bao Zheng, who rejoined the officialdom, lived up to expectations, he was strict and fair, selected talents, and asked for the people's lives. His majesty and prestige deterred the powerful, while his fame was widely praised among the people.
His uprightness, honesty and selflessness have made him the most admired expert in judging cases in the hearts of the people.
In the final analysis, the key to Bao Zheng's admiration in the Zhijuniu case is that he adheres to his principles and does not follow the trend. When everyone only sees the motive on the surface, only he dares to go beyond conventional thinking and gain insight into the real motive.
What's even more admirable is that he made good use of this motive, counter-planned, set traps, and finally brought ** to justice.
In this Internet era, the amount of information we face is like an insurmountable river, and it is easy to get lost in it, lose our judgment, and be swayed by the thinking and consciousness of the public.
Therefore, we need to be like Bao Zheng, always keep our hearts clear, not be limited by public thinking, and trust our own judgment, so that we can be our own masters in this era of information.
References:[1] Encyclopedia Bao Zheng[2] Encyclopedia Bao Zheng's Cattle Case.