Anecdote of "A Nail"

During the Qing Dynasty in the Southern Song Dynasty, on a summer morning, the county magistrate of Xiuzhou in the south of the Yangtze River received a report from his fellow villagers that four people died in the Yao Ji Hotel in the east of the city last night, leaving a nail on the door. Four people were injured at once, and the people were in a panic. Magistrate of a county is very nervous ...

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During the Southern Song Dynasty in founding ceremony, Jiangnan Xiuzhou. One summer morning, the magistrate of a county received a report that four people died in the Yao Ji Hotel in the east of the city last night, leaving a nail on the door. Four lives were lost, and the people were in panic. Magistrate master nervous, hurriedly took the chief to town east exploration.

There was a thunderstorm that morning, and the streets were wet. The courtiers rushed to the scene carrying sedan chairs, slippery and shaking, sweating and panting. County grandfather got off the sedan chair and went to see it immediately. The onlookers at the door of the store got out of the way for a day, and the magistrate of a county came. The stranger pulled a boat along the river alone and came to Yingziyan. I saw a bird flying out of a hole in the mountain with something in its mouth. With the clanging sound, something from Huang Chengcheng fell out of the bird's mouth and landed in front of foreigners. It slowly rolled its eyes and sniffed: "I have a lot of delicious food, and I am afraid of you." After that, Huang Buren came to the restaurant in his backyard with a big meal and pointed to several jars of wine: "Don't say that Wen Buren is stingy, please eat and drink enough today. But I have one condition. You can drink as much wine as you want. " Huoshao liquor is a local liquor with a very high degree and a pungent smell. If you drink too much, you will definitely get drunk, and it is estimated that you will be drunk unconscious, not to mention drinking on an empty stomach. . The stranger picked it up and found it was a gold ring. He put it in his mouth. "Brother Sambo, you are so kind to me. I thank you very much! Since I'm leaving soon, I have something important to tell you: isn't your marriage still undecided? " I have a sister at home. She is very smart and looks like me. When I leave, I will definitely discuss with my mother and give her to you. I think you will, but you should come to my house early. "Take a bite, soft, real gold, and quietly hold it in your arms. On the way, Di Bao pointed to a nail on the lintel and said, "This nail was newly pressed, and it is exactly the same as the' nail' left at the last theft scene. The store door was washed clean by rain and no other abnormalities were found. " The magistrate watched carefully for a while and followed Dibao into the shop. The scene in front of us was terrible: an old woman knelt on the ground and cried her eyes out; On the ground lay a man with his lower trachea cut and a bloody axe in his hand. Hanging on the beam is a thin * * *; In the room near the stairs, a naked man fell to the ground and rolled his head in the corner; There was a woman lying in bed with her head and neck cracked in half ... The magistrate was scared and the chiefs were also thrilling. Everyone present felt very scared and horrible.

While watching, Di Bao introduced to the county magistrate: "The man with an axe in his hand is the owner of the hotel, the woman who hanged herself is the proprietress, the bartender is naked, and the girl on the bed still doesn't know whose family it is." The crying old lady is the mother of the hotel owner. The old man lives in a foreign country. He didn't come until he heard the news in the morning. He didn't know anything. Yaoji Hotel generally opens earlier. Today, a drinker saw the door closed, pushed it hard and opened it. He stood at the door, found that the boss and the wife of shop-owner died, and quickly reported the case ... "

The magistrate of a county searched up and down, and found that the oil lamp in the shop was still on, there was a yellow book on the ground, and the boss hung a cloth bag with dozens of taels of silver around his waist. There were no signs of fighting at the scene, and there were no footprints of theft. How did four people die together? What caused it? Is it "a wedding custom in a certain place in the Ming Dynasty: there is a flower mat on the bride's bed, and the bride needs to turn it over. Someone asks," Did you turn it over? "The bride is naturally embarrassed to answer, but the troublemaker will keep chasing her until the bride blushes and says," It's overturned! " "This is probably the most civilized version of the bridal chamber swearing. On such occasions, yellow jokes can naturally be popular, and pornographic lantern riddles are even more common. So many shy girls grow into fierce girls overnight, probably because of the sexual enlightenment of people who have sex. Li Yu called "watching Chun Qing (erotic picture), reading * * *, listening to Sao sound" boudoir music in his erotic masterpiece "Meat futon", which was widely publicized. Sure enough, Li Shishi sang "The River of No Return", thinking that Song Jiang, who met his bosom friend, had an attack on the removal. He wanted to "speak out the depression in his chest and present it to the chief executive", and he was too excited to want it. Actually, it's not convenient to ask Li Shishi directly. He just wants to know who these generous and mysterious uninvited guests are and which way the stars come from! The law is a little too open. But after all, it's just "listening", for fear that the parties will find that some areas are actually "flirting": Fang Xinqu, a popular song in Sichuan in the Ming Dynasty, is really a masterpiece in this respect-"Look at the bride's hands, feet and waist. If the bride doesn't send it herself, we will reach out for money." Unfortunately, this song has not been completely handed down, but it is conceivable. What's more, it has developed to the point of being moved. The person who is moved is naturally the bride, while the groom and the fairy are just angry and dare not speak. Only by nailing "killing for money" or someone faking the crime scene ... the magistrate seems to be at a loss. He had to order his people to inspect the body and dispose of the scene, inform the villagers to claim the body and seize "a nail", offer a reward to the insider who reported the case, and bring the relevant personnel to the government office for questioning.

The book was posted and people rushed to tell each other. First of all, it was reported that two beggars chased a woman in the street last night, and the little woman ran into the Yao Ji Hotel. Half an hour later, another old couple from the countryside went to the yamen, saying that their daughter had recently lost her mind and didn't come back last night, asking for an appraisal. The magistrate asked the chief to take it to identify the body. When the old couple saw it, they said that they were their daughters of evil deeds, and they were in tears. The county magistrate ordered the old man to take the body back for burial first.

Next, the judge arrested and tortured the two beggars. At first, the two beggars only said that they saw the girl having a good time. The prince had hope for the girl, but he felt disappointed and uneasy. The next night, he was about to go to the dance when Maria came back from outside with a basket of goose eggs. She said, "Your Highness, you are going to dance in Guangxu tonight. There is a martial man named Zhang En in Changli County, Yue Ying. Dance, right? " "Don't be annoying. I am bored to death! " "Will you take me?" I wanted to kiss her, but when I saw her escape into the hotel, I gave up and never followed her again. After being tortured in class, they still admitted that they wanted to molest the little girl last night, but refused to admit that they committed murder in the shop. The director had to put them in prison.

The next day, the inspection results showed that the bartender and the little girl had a good time, and their heads and necks were cut by the axe in the hands of the hotel owner, and the boss's neck was also cut by the axe. The proprietress hanged herself. She had no other injuries. Did you do it alone? Why do nails leave marks? Why did the proprietress commit suicide? At midnight, the magistrate of a county pondered the case under the light, but could not draw a conclusion. At this moment, a window was suddenly opened and a paper ball was thrown in from the outside. The magistrate of a county picked it up warily. It said, "Please release these two beggars. I am a witness and a nail. " He was pleasantly surprised.

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Speaking of this "nail", it is a famous thief in Xiuzhou. He only steals from the rich, not from the poor. Every time he succeeds, he will nail an iron nail on the door of that house as a sign to inform the owner, so people call him "nail". "A nail" has committed crimes for many years, but he has never been caught. No one can tell his true face. This time, "a nail" was put on the door, and the magistrate of a county certainly welcomed it.

The magistrate of a county posted a placard: anyone who can report the address of "a nail" will be rewarded with 820 silver; The person who can make "a nail" appear will be rewarded with 1200 silver. At that time, people in Xiuzhou City offered suggestions one after another, and those insatiable people rushed to boast of Haikou and promised to bet with "a nail". A big family named Zhang Fu threatened to keep a fat pig at home to see if "a nail" could be stolen.

Besides, that "nail" is really human nature. He stole the rich, but he spoke bravely and let the poor export gas; He left the Olympic bid to let the government know not to wronged others; He is invisible, in order not to compete with the master, so as to quit in the future. This time, he happened to find out the truth of the murder case in that hotel. He also wanted to tell the government everything he saw, but he was afraid of being slandered and all his efforts were wasted. So, he adopted the strategy of throwing stones to ask for directions. Now the magistrate of a county rewarded him with an appearance, so he showed his unique skills and let the fat pig show his face first.

One night, "a nail" quietly went to find one. He first put some sweet wine in the pig trough, and when the pig was drunk, he put on the prepared clothes, put on his hat and left on his back. Along the way, the pig kept snoring "cough, cough". When a pedestrian approached, a nail would curse: "Kill a thousand knives! I told you to drink less, but you didn't listen! Sleeping like a dead pig makes me uncomfortable! " Passers-by in the dark are in a hurry. Who would suspect that he is not carrying a drunk?

The next morning, Zhang Fu saw that all the pigs in the stable were gone. I feel that there is a big party in Jujia Town, beginning of autumn this year. There are many local products in mountain products in May, and there are many more off-mountain guests doing business than before. There are a sea of people, crowded around, only the town is full of gongs and drums, and the applause is endless, and people are watching from inside and outside. I saw the boxing and performing arts of the old man and two women. The old man is in his teens, burly, with a good face, beating drums to cheer. Two handsome and thin women each held a double sword competition. It was stolen by a nail. I heard someone outside say that there is a butcher shop on the street, and the sign says "Zhang Fu is merciful, fat pigs send the poor". He hurried to find out and heard the butcher say, "Brother, don't look. The words "Zhao Gongming Li" and "Da Song Yong" are written on the edge of Mazu's tomb! A clairvoyant eye has already seen the words on it. Early this morning, I saw a pig tied to a slaughter stool and a piece of paper stuck in an iron nail, which read: This pig 180 kg was brought by Zhang. Please sell it at half price after slaughter, but put up a sign that says "Zhang Fu is merciful, fat meat is sent to the poor" and there will be a reward in the future. As he spoke, the butcher showed the nail and the note to Zhang Fu, saying, "Everyone in the street knows that Zhang Fu boasted badly and let a nail steal pigs. Now that he succeeded, he wanted the old man Shima Jinlin to go home and immediately took out a large sum of money to ask the matchmaker to propose to Miao Hua's father. Miao Hua's father also knew that Ma Jinlin was a clever old man with a small reputation in Shili Township, and his son was handsome and his peers, so he agreed to this marriage. Give it to the people, even the princess must fear him. Business people talk about credit. Since Nail believes me, of course I will keep my promise. This is a Jianghu rule, or I will be punished. You see, I changed the word' meat' to' Oh, my little pigeon, I was going to be a soldier that year. what do you think? Can you wait until the beep? If you can wait, I will marry you. What do you use to prove that you have to wait for me for the New Year? "The word" pig ",ok? "

Zhang Fu listened to the butcher and had to admit that he was unlucky. In order to witness the true face of "a nail", he went to the county government to receive a reward. These days, he waited at the gate in person, even without seeing half a stranger, and the pigs flew away. The more Zhang Fuyue thought about it, the more unwilling he became. He let it out that if "a nail" could get close to his wife within three days, he would marry his daughter. Hearing this, everyone praised Zhang Fu as a gentleman and a true gentleman. "A nail" was secretly pleased when he heard the news. On the one hand, he heard that Mrs. Zhang is very romantic, and Miss Zhang is even more talented and beautiful. On the other hand, he retired after he got married.

Peter said that after Zhang Fu got wind of it, he took care of his wife and stayed at home, ordered his family to take good care of her, and put forward the idea of asking the magistrate to protect the house. The magistrate of a county felt that Zhang Fu was very loyal, so he sent two clerks to secretly stare at Zhang Zhai.

However, "a nail" knows all this like the back of his hand. The next day, when people were unprepared, he smeared ink on the "important bucket" for women to relieve themselves.

On the morning of the third day, there were many people watching at the door of the county government. On business, they found a nail and a piece of paper on the door, which read: I have seen Mrs. Zhang's body clearly. She has a black birthmark. Please ask my master to verify and marry Miss Zhang with me. I will report the truth about the murder of Yao Ji Hotel. The magistrate of a county hurried to ask his wife.

Zhang Fu's woman is rational and open-minded. She went into the back room and was found by her grandmother. She was surprised at the black ink on the * * *. How did this ink get on her? The woman told the county magistrate the result, and the county magistrate explained to Zhang Fu that he should arrange the marriage as soon as possible.

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Now Zhang Fu has nothing to say. Although he didn't want to marry his daughter, he agreed that the magistrate of a county should preside over the wedding.

"A nail" was sheltered by the county magistrate and told the truth. Shi Liang, whose real name is, is the grandson of Liangshan hero whose fleas move on drums. Because of social unrest and bad luck, he came to Jiangnan anonymously to find a place to live. At midnight that day, "a nail" went to Xiuzhou East to find the target. He saw a woman being beaten by two wave beggars, and then he saw the woman running into the Yao Ji Hotel, so he followed him all the way to the top of the building to observe. The bartender is watching a dirty joke, which is hard to understand. When he saw a young woman coming into his arms, he was really welcome. As soon as he pushed the door, he dragged the woman to bed to do things. The woman didn't resist, just let nature take its course. After a while, the hotel owner came back from business outside and heard a woman's voice. He went to the back room and saw a dog man and a woman doing good deeds. Thinking that his wife was * * * by the bartender, he picked up an axe and said, "Little red guy, how dare you rob my woman!" " "The axe fell, the head above rolled to the ground, and the head below was crooked.

In the dark, the boss misunderstood his wife's affair and left the nun by the road. People come and go in Li Jiazhuang. It was discovered a long time ago that the old nun put all the dry food she picked up in the sun until the water in the dry food completely evaporated and dried like a stone. She just packed up and didn't know what she had done. Killing her by hand is a catastrophe. He doesn't want to live by himself. So he went from the back room to the shop, raised his axe and shouted, "Madam, I'm coming!" " "I put the axe under my neck and fell down. The proprietress who slept upstairs heard the noise and ran downstairs in a panic, and was overwhelmed by the little old masons. Her own spells are most afraid of being cursed by pregnant women. This new daughter-in-law is pregnant, not a fuel-efficient lamp. The old stonemason suddenly faded, and all the disciples looked at each other. The Korean daughter-in-law was at a loss, stamped her feet and left without looking back. The heads of the two men tripped and her hands screamed with fear. At the moment, there is a flash of lightning in the sky. With the strong light, the proprietress found her boss lying in a pool of blood. She frantically barked at Feng Zhen's ghost, begging Sun to spread her paintings, which made the whole Cui Yun building panic, and no one dared to approach at will. Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, after several strong winds, people found that Peng Ling's oil lamp went out strangely, and soon there was a woman's faint cry. A few brave people touched it and looked at it. Suddenly, they were shocked. I saw Feng Zhen weakly standing up from the coffin that had not been closed, with tears in his eyes. Someone asked in confusion and learned that Sun was moved by the immortal in the underworld when she painted the phoenix Jane in this way. She made an exception and allowed the phoenix Jane to return to her grandson, and she slowly came to life. " Help ",but no one heard, threw himself on the boss and shouted," Lang Jun, why? I don't want to live! You wait for me! "It all came too suddenly.' A nail' wanted to help, but it was too late. In the morning, thunder and lightning, dark clouds rolling. In order to have an ancient Ming dynasty woman "please" in the future, "a nail" left a code word on the door of Yao Ji Hotel and then left quickly. ...

After hearing a nail's statement, the magistrate of a county confirmed that the process was consistent with his speculation, so he ordered the master to announce to the public that the case was clear, the deceased was responsible and the beggar was released. Afterwards, the magistrate of a county thought that "a nail" was a rare talent and wanted to keep him in the county government for a job. A nail thanked him, but didn't promise. Three days later, "A Nail" married Miss Zhang. After the marriage, they lived in seclusion in Lin 'an, Zhejiang. Since then, "a nail" has disappeared in the rivers and lakes.

From "Folklore" 20 15.4

(Duan Mingtu)

Something unheard of.