p;他指着被篡改的条文,"苏府却添了‘无男丁者视同绝户’," 银签子戳向田契上的三房私印,"用家奴的指印盖过官印," 望向林宇,"这田契不是文书," 声音发闷,"是绞杀百姓的绳套。"
林宇的火枪突然指向房梁,五具无指尸体在阴影里摇晃,断指处的血痂已发黑:"老子在矿场见过更狠的 —— 断指充丁,断田充税," 枪管扫过李二妞的断指,"朱元璋的‘休养生息’," 冷笑,"成了他们的‘休民养贼’!" 忽然撕开田契,背面的暗纹显现出三根断指交叉的三房族徽,与前文在管家袖口发现的暗号完全一致,"原来早就算计好了:断指、夺田、顶名," 指向尸体,"三步绞索,活活绞死百姓。"
陈墨从尸体发髻取出半片残破的《算学启蒙》,泛黄的纸页上用米汤写着算术,墨迹里混着暗红的血点:"三丁折银九两,陪嫁田七分,税银三钱..." 他指着被血浸透的页码,"李二妞算到这里,笔就断了," 望向尸体右手的断指,"她用断指血接着写," 指向田契暗纹,"把数字刻在了陪嫁田的地契上 —— 这是她最后的诉状。"
寅时初刻,陈墨将田契与摊派表并列,发现 "李二妞" 的名字在三本册籍上呈现三种面目:户籍牒上的 "已故女丁" 盖着火漆印,摊派表的 "顶名三丁" 旁画着缺笔 "损" 字,田契上的 "无主荒田" 钤着三房族徽。"他们在玩身份绞杀," 他用炭笔在沙盘画了三个圆圈,每个圆圈都套着断指图案,"活人变死人,死人变顶名,顶名变荒田," 声音哽咽,"每亩三钱的税银," 戳向沙盘中心,"是用百姓的断指在秤!"
林宇的枪口突然顶住陈墨的肩甲,铁甲的温度透过官服传来:"你说,苏府的田亩清册," 指向窗外漆黑的苏府,"是不是每笔良田都沾着断指血?" 忽然想起在义庄看见的场景:新坟前摆着断指和田契残页,每个坟头都插着半片火漆印,"那些哭坟的老妇人," 望向李二妞的尸体,"手里攥的不是纸钱," 砸了砸田契,"是被夺走的地契和断指!"
陈墨取出从苏府三房搜出的《良田清册》,每页天头都标着缺笔 "损" 字,对应着断指数量:"表面是‘新垦良田’," 他指着官方批注下的隐形墨字,"暗线里记着‘断指抵田,丁税三钱’," 银签子划过李二妞的条目,"每个字都是用断指血写的," 望向林宇,"和暗格里的密写布帛," 指向停尸床,"是同一个人的手。"
卯时将至,林宇的火铳在停尸房泛着冷光,映得田契上的三房族徽像滩凝血。他忽然用火枪管挑起盖尸布,少女腕上的勒痕在灯光下格外狰狞,绳纹里的松脂颗粒清晰可见:"收了田还要顶名,顶了名还要充公," 声音像绷紧的弓弦,"苏府这是要把人活剐了炼油!" 转身时甲胄擦过陈墨的衣袖,铁叶间露出半片暗格布帛,"明日卯时三刻,随我踏平三房!老子要让他们的火漆印," 火铳上膛声清脆,"永远盖不了百姓的田契!"
陈墨望着尸体脚踝的朱砂痣,忽然想起李顺的临终遗言:"田在人在,田亡人亡。" 他将田契残页放在少女手中,断指血与靛青染剂在羊角灯下融为一体,形成一道暗红的符印 —— 与前文在青泥岭义庄看见的百姓血书完全一致。"大人,这不是普通田契," 他指向田契暗格,"是青泥岭百姓用断指刻的《告地状》," 望向窗外的苏府,飞檐下的灯笼映着 "耕读传家" 的匾额,"苏府的每寸良田," 握紧银签子,"都浸着断指户的血。"
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