During the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, there was a salesman named Ding Erguo in Dingjiazhuang, Xiangyang, who sold needles, threads and brains. He went out early every day carrying a load, shaking his rattle and going from house to house, shouting and hawking, and only returned home after sunset.
One day in early winter, Ding Erhuo traveled too far away from his hometown and didn't get home until dark. When he was carrying a peddler's load on the mountain road and passing through a forest, he suddenly heard the sound of poetry being read aloud in the forest, which was quick and slow and melodious in the night wind. Ding Erguo couldn't help being surprised, thinking: It's getting late, whose young master is still reciting poems in the forest? Could it be that he is nervous? He put down his load and listened carefully. I found that the sound of reading seemed to be by my side. Ding Erguo felt that there was a ghost in the forest, and he became afraid. He dared to cough twice and shouted: "The universe is bright, the stars and the moon are in the sky, which family's evil spirit is causing trouble in the forest, terrorizing passers-by? Come out to see me quickly, otherwise, my five-foot-long pole will not be used." You're welcome!"
Ding Erguo shouted so loudly that the reciting stopped abruptly. In an instant, he saw a puff of smoke coming out of a new tomb not far away from him, and a white-faced scholar wearing a wide robe and long sleeves appeared. The scholar looked around to see where the dog went after it died , and asked Ding Erhuo: "Brother, it's so late. You are walking through the forest alone. Aren't you afraid of tigers, wolves, ghosts and monsters? I apologize for disturbing you just now when the boy recited poetry. Ah." The scholar then shouted, "Miss Ma Hua, come here quickly, I want to see who this passerby is." At this time, a beautiful girl of eighteen or nineteen years old was holding a bowl of oil lamp. He and the scholar gradually walked up to Ding Erguo and saluted, "Brother was frightened just now. It's all my fault that Xiaosheng didn't recite poems. Xiaosheng apologized. This is polite."
After the scholar finished the ceremony, the girl said happily: "Isn't Mr. Lang thinking every day that he wants to ask a passerby to do things for you? I met this kind brother tonight, why not just ask him to handle it. Why are you hesitating?" The scholar said repeatedly: "Okay, okay, please ask this big brother to help me do three things."
"Three things to do, three things to do? I am a salesman selling needles and threads. I am a rough man and illiterate. What can I do for you?" Ding Erguo asked blankly.
"What are you talking about?" The scholar smiled and said, "Brother, there is no need to be humble. In my opinion, you are the only one who can help me." He asked Ding Erguo to sit down on a stone bench by the roadside, and said to Ding Erguo humbly. : "Brother, to be honest, the poem Xiaosheng read just now was just to attract your attention. I really have something to ask for, and I hope that my brother can help me generously."
Ding Erguo didn't know why, so he quickly stood up and bowed to the scholar: "Master, if you have anything to ask me for, you might as well just tell me."
It turned out that this scholar was a young scholar in Nanyang City named Zhu Bao. More than two months ago, when the new subject examination started in the capital, he came to the capital with two servants. Because there was a state official in Xiangyang who was a close friend of the scholar's father, Master Zhu wrote a letter asking his son Zhu Bao to detour to Xiangyang on his way to Beijing to visit his uncle Jin, who was a state official. Unexpectedly, Zhu Bao revealed the large amount of money he was carrying on the way and was discovered by the bandits. The bandits ambush in advance in the mountains and forests where Zhu Bao and his two boys must pass. When the scholar Zhu Bao and his two boy servants passed by, they were going to where the dog died . They were robbed by the bandits and killed the scholar Zhu Bao and his two boy servants. He was buried in a newly buried grave, then took away all his belongings and escaped.
At this point, the scholar Zhu Bao burst into tears, and the girl standing aside was also very sad. She said: "Mr. Sir, there is no need to be sad. If you want to ask this elder brother to do something, please tell me quickly. He is still on his way."
Zhu Bao wiped away his tears and pointed to the girl holding the lamp and introduced him to Ding Erguo: "Her name is Ma Hua. She is eighteen years old this year. She is the owner of the new tomb and my landlord. Three months ago, Miss Ma was killed. After my stepmother was assassinated, she was buried here. I met her under the Nine Springs. Seeing that she was kind and intelligent, she and I shared the same fate and loved each other very much. Although we were buried in the same tomb, we shared the same tomb. We have different coffins, but we have not been officially married by a matchmaker, and what is missing under the grave is the Iceman Axe. I am very ashamed, so I hope to find a kind-hearted Yin and Yang person to be a matchmaker for us. Tonight, we are lucky enough to meet my eldest brother, which is a success for us. My wish, please ask brother to be a matchmaker for us?"
"Am I going to be a matchmaker for you?" After the scholar Zhu Bao finished speaking, Ding Erhuo asked in confusion, "You and I are separated by Yin and Yang. How can I complete the task you have entrusted me?"
"Brother, don't be anxious. I have a marriage certificate here. It says that I am willing to marry Ma Hua. I just ask you, sir, to burn this document in the Chenghuang Temple and pray for Zhu Bao and Ma Hua." The two of us can be matchmakers. In addition, I also have one hundred taels of silver prepared by Miss Ma Hua. Please buy a big coffin for us and come here late at night to dig up this new grave and dig out our graves. Put the bones into the new coffin, put them together, and bury them here. If you can complete this, we and I will always be grateful for your kindness." After the scholar Zhu Bao said this, he turned around to get one. The big bag of silver was handed to Ding Erguo. He said, "Brother, this is a lot of money. You can buy a big coffin. With the remaining money, you can buy fields, do business, and enjoy your life."
It was the first time that Ding Erhuo saw so many snowflakes and silver. His eyes rolled and his heart was pounding. After taking the money, he promised the scholar Zhu Bao: "Don't worry, sir, I will definitely fulfill your trust." At this time, the scholar Zhu Bao took out another letter from his sleeve and asked him You must meet Mr. Jin, the official of Xiangyang Prefecture, in person. After that, the scholar Zhu Bao and the girl Ma Hua turned into two puffs of smoke under the dusk moonlight and entered the tomb.
Although Ding Erguo got a hundred taels of silver, he couldn't help but feel uneasy and shivering in his heart. He stood there for a moment, rubbed his eyes, and after regaining his composure, he picked up the load and hurried home.
When Ding Erhuo arrived home, he opened the firewood door and entered the house. He hurriedly lit the oil lamp and poured out the money from his wallet. He stared straight at the pile of snow-glossy silver, touched and knocked it with his hands, and scratched his head, thinking it was real silver, and he couldn't help laughing with joy. I thought: Zhu Bao, you fool, you asked me to buy you a coffin with so much money, and you asked me to go to the Chenghuang Temple to burn the marriage certificate for you, and you asked me to send a letter to Lord Guan Jin of Xiangyang Prefecture, hehe, I'll help you die. I'm not that stupid or naive when it comes to things! Tomorrow I will use the money to rent a shop in Xiangyang City to do business, make a fortune, build a house and land, and marry a wife. I will no longer be a picker of goods and go from house to house selling needles, thread, and brains to earn a small amount of hard-earned money! At this time, Ding Erhuo put the wedding documents and the letter to Mr. Jin in the box and ignored them. He hummed happily and went into the kitchen to cook two dishes and drank a bowl of wine. After drinking and eating, he went to bed and fell asleep, dreaming of getting rich and marrying a wife.
The next day, Ding Erhuo really stopped carrying goods and went to Chuanxiang to sell needles, thread and brains. He came to Xiangyang City with new clothes and rented three large shop fronts. Then he called a cart and went to the big merchant Hei Liangxin to buy a lot of goods in bulk and loaded a large cart with them. Ding Erhuo was sitting in the carriage like a big boss, urging the coachman to hurry back.
When Ding Erhuo was happily cleaning up the shop and placing the goods, four guards suddenly rushed in and tied Ding Erhuo away with ropes without any explanation.
In the lobby of the state capital, Ding Erhuo saw the big businessman Hei Liangxin standing aside. He couldn't help but was shocked. He must have happened. Could it be that Boss Hei wanted to blackmail me, Ding Erhuo, and came to the lobby of the state capital to falsely accuse me, Ding? Second-hand goods? Just as Ding Erguo was thinking this, Lord Jin, the state official, grabbed the gavel tree and smacked it, and cursed angrily: "Bold and cunning Ding Erguo, how dare you use magic to blind people, use dark silver as pattern silver, and buy black merchants A lot of goods? Call me!"
When Ding Erguo heard this, he was so frightened that he peed his pants and lost his soul. He kowtowed and begged for mercy: "Sir, please forgive me, please forgive me. I am wronged. I am willing to tell you the origin of this silver truthfully." So, Ding The second-rate guy told Mr. Jin the whole story of seeing a ghost in the forest and getting the silver. But how could Mr. Zhou Guan Jin believe the nonsense he said? Then he ordered: "Ding Erhuo, you want to use lies and nonsense to deceive people, no way! Come on, hit me again!" Ding Erhuo kowtowed again and said: "Sir, everything the villain Ding Erhuo said is true. , If you don’t believe it, I still have the marriage certificate written by the ghost scholar and a letter to you in the box at home.”
Seeing that Ding Erguo was telling the truth, Mr. Jin quickly ordered the officer to take Ding Erguo to his house to get the marriage certificate and the letter before making a decision.
Within an hour, two officers came back with Ding Erhuo in custody, and presented the wedding certificate and letters with both hands.
Lord Jin, the state official, couldn't help but be stunned after receiving the marriage certificate and letters. I saw that the letter was clearly written with my own signature. Needless to say, this is the name of a good friend. Master Jin was shocked when he saw this. His friend's son Zhu Bao had been missing for more than two months. His father and his family had come to the mansion many times to inquire, but there was no news. How could there be a letter delivered to Ding Erguo? Mr. Jin pondered for a moment, then raised his head and asked the audience: "Ding Er, do you know whose name is written on this letter?"
Ding Erhuo replied: "My lord, I am illiterate and don't know whose name it is. I only know that the ghost scholar asked me to burn the marriage certificate document in the City God's Temple, and asked me to give this letter to the state official. Sir. I was afraid of trouble and didn't want to help that ghost scholar, so I didn't do it."
"You greedy and unconscionable bitch, you take money from people and don't do anything. It's so wicked." After Master Jin read the letter from his friend, he opened the seal of the wedding document and took it out to read. He was shocked again. What kind of marriage document is this? I saw blood and tears on it, and it was written in detail that more than two months ago, on my father's order, I detoured to Xiangyang Mansion to visit Uncle Jin. Unexpectedly, when passing through a mountain forest on the way, I was brutally robbed and killed. One master and two servants died. The robber was Xiangyang. Hei Liangxin, a big businessman from the east gate of the city. After this black man robbed me of three hundred taels of silver, his business became even bigger. There is also the Ma Hua girl in Mazhuang Village outside Xiangyang City. She was obviously murdered by her stepmother, but she was actually said to have died of a sudden illness. The girl Ma Hua shed tears in the underworld and continued to complain about her grievances, but there was no one to redress her grievances.
After reading the marriage document, Mr. Jin burst into tears, so he ordered the police officers to escort Hei Liangxin to the court, and then quickly went to capture Ma Zhang, the stepmother who killed Ma Hua. In the lobby, Hei Liangxin and Ma Zhang had no choice but to confess, and each told all the facts of the crime. After the two criminals signed and stamped their confessions, they were both put on death row.
Then, Master Jin asked Ding Erhuo to lead the way to the forest to identify Miss Mahua's grave. Mr. Jin ordered the officers to dig up the grave, and saw that his nephew Zhu Bao's face was life-like and had not yet rotted. The bones of his two servants were still intact. According to Ding Erhuo's words, he bought three high-quality wooden coffins with a lot of money. A large coffin was used to bury the corpses of Zhu Bao and Ma Hua, and two servants were buried in a coffin near the tombs of Zhu Bao and Ma Hua. Then offerings and incense are placed on the tomb, and firecrackers are set off as a sacrifice.
After the sacrifice, Mr. Jin called Ding Erguo to him and gave him a severe scolding. However, Ding Erguo was not punished. Fortunately, he acted out of conscience. Otherwise, Mr. Jin would not have seen the marriage certificate of his nephew Zhu Bao, and the two murder cases would never have been solved. Master Jin asked Ding Erhuo to behave in a safe and orderly manner after returning home, and stop taking advantage of money and money without conscience.
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