Xuchang City Diesel Pump, Linying County Diesel Fire Pump

Xuchang City Diesel Pumps, Linying County Diesel Fire Pumps

Once, Bao Gong rode in a sedan chair to handle official matters and passed by on the street.

A child sits on a green stone slab, a bamboo basket beside them, covering their face with both hands, crying softly.

Bao Gong heard the child's crying and ordered the sedan chair to stop. He called the child to the front of the sedan chair and asked:

"Hey! What's wrong with you? Why are you crying so heartbreakingly?"

The child replied:

"I sell fried cakes. This morning, I made two hundred coins on the street and put them in the basket. Just now, someone was performing magic tricks here, so I stood on this slab of green stone and watched the commotion for a while. After watching, when I looked into the basket, the money was gone." Saying this, he started to cry, "Wah-wah."

Bao Gong, upon hearing the child's words, furrowed his brow in the sedan chair and thought for a moment before saying to the child:

"Your money was in the basket, and now it's gone; it must have been stolen by the bluestone slab. Officers! Take both the child and the bluestone slab to the county magistrate for interrogation."

Bao Gong was to interrogate the Qing Stone Slabs. This news spread like wildfire, from one to ten, ten to a hundred, and in an instant, everyone on the street knew about it. Many were curious and followed to the county magistrate's office to see how Bao Gong would conduct the interrogation.

Kongming entered the court, ascended the main hall, and had someone place the green stone slab in front of the judge's desk. The child stood beside the green stone slab, while the common folk gathered around the sides of the hall to watch the trial.

Bao Gong sat on the bench and began the interrogation:

"Flagstone, you stole the child's money. If you don't tell the truth, we'll start the torture!"

The bluestone remains bluestone, not a single stir in sight.

Bao Gong slammed the table in anger and ordered the officials to beat the Qing Shi stone slabs.

The common folk in front of the hall heard Bao Gong ordering the officials to beat the stone slabs with a bamboo rod, and each one wanted to laugh but dared not. As the two officials lifted the rod and struck a few times, the rod snapped in half. At this moment, the common folk on both sides of the hall couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Bao Gong not only did not smile, but also slammed the wooden block and said:

You folks are out of line, how dare you cause such a ruckus in the lobby! Officers, shut the main gate. Don't let them return.

The common folk saw Bao Gong's anger and quickly knelt down to beg for mercy. Bao Gong said:

"Alright, but each of you must come up with a substantial sum of money before I can let you go."

Kongming had the court officials carry a large jar of water and place it in front of the main hall. When the common folk came to pay their taxes, Kongming instructed them to throw their money into the jar, and he stood beside it to watch. Several common folk did so without incident and were allowed to leave the court. Then, another person threw their money into the jar as well. Kongming glanced at the water surface and saw a patch of oil floating on top. To this person, Kongming said:

"Scoundrel, you stole the child's money! Confess quickly!"

The thief was greatly surprised, trembling all over.

Pak Kung, also known as the court bailiff, conducted a search and found one hundred and ninety-nine coins on the person, counting the money he had thrown into the vat, totaling two hundred coins. Pak Kung then returned the two hundred coins to the child selling fried cakes. Next, he ordered the bailiff to severely beat the thief who had stolen the money and expel him from the court.

The common folk who had come to witness the trial now understood why Judge Bao had to question the stone slab, and each of them admired him deeply from the bottom of their hearts.