Chapter 369: All the dignity is gone, what else do you need to save face?
Kong Shangyi secretly gritted his teeth and glanced at the two faces of Zheng Haizhu and Zhu Yipai, which showed neither joy nor anger.
A pair of ugly men and women working together!
Not to mention the Yue Wusheng who danced like a god and howled in mourning, the descendants of Zhang Cong who followed him must have been arranged by them.
The Zhang family of Wenzhou Prefecture...isn't it the same as Zhang Yaofang, the chief historian of Lu Prefecture, who is from Zhejiang?
The lack of protection was the idea given to the Lu family by Zheng a long time ago, and he brought people here to wait.
But when Kong Shangyi saw that Zhu Youxiao did not come, he thought that after all, the future prince had not been alarmed, and there might be room for redemption.
So he swallowed a large lump of turbid air in his throat and strode to Wang Song from the Ministry of Rites.
"Master Wang, the music and dance students of Lu Fan must have some misunderstandings about the rituals and music of Confucius Temple. And the person who claims to be a descendant of Zhang Ge does not know the authenticity. I am afraid that he is a villain with ulterior motives."
Wang Song knew that the current situation was getting worse and worse, and his first thought was how to get himself out without wading into the muddy water that surged out without warning.
However, the people in the Ministry of Rites, including himself, have always taken advantage of the Confucius family and taken advantage of others. If he doesn't step up at such a critical moment, after returning to Beijing, he will not be regarded as a pewter spearhead and discarded as a worn-out shoe by his superiors?
Wang Song then bluffed his face and scolded Zhang Xisheng: "Look at your turban, you already have a reputation? I don't care whether you are Zhang Ge's nephew or not. As a scholar, being so presumptuous in front of the Confucius Temple is just a rat trying to gain fame."
, How can I become an official? If you are still entangled here, I will not just reprimand you in public!"
Zhang Xisheng raised his chin and responded with a sneer: "What? It's too early for me to call myself 'the Ministry of Rites', so I have to mention the word "Ministry of Rites". Is it going to deprive me of my reputation? Mr. Wang, everything in this world should be discussed first.
Didn’t we just show off our official power when we came up? The dignified Ministry of Rites, which has always claimed to select loyal, upright and virtuous talents for the country, would silence us so angrily even if the scholars said a few words of truth? Then it’s a pity that I didn’t take them to find them today.
Master, otherwise you will never get any justice."
Zhang Xisheng said, turned around and pushed the two farmers out, loudly encouraging: "Qufu is the Qufu of the Ming Dynasty, not the Qufu of his descendants of the Kong family. I, a member of the Zhejiang Province of the Ming Dynasty, can stand here and speak. You guys
Why don’t the people of Shandong in the Ming Dynasty dare to talk about the grievances they suffered to the master of the emperor’s eldest son and the general of Lu Fan?”
These two farmers were biological brothers. They had sold their children a month ago and went to join the Wenxiang Sect. Unexpectedly, a man who claimed to be the servant of the imperial envoy found them and not only gave them money, but also saved them from losing their wives and children.
They were called bandits and arranged a good job for them, which was said to be for Long Live Lord. If they succeeded, they would be rewarded even more in the future.
As soon as the two brothers put their minds together, they thought that it would be better to be favored by the imperial court than to rebel with the Wenxiang Cult, and they were immediately ignited with the hope of changing their destiny.
Until yesterday, they finally understood that they were coming to complain at the gate of Yanshenggong's Mansion, and that famous scholars would rush in front of them. These two peasants, who were full of grudges against the Confucian landlords, were gearing up, just waiting to open fire.
.
At this moment, in order to let more onlookers hear clearly, the two did not rush in front of Zhu Yipai and Zheng Haizhu, but knelt down on the spot.
The elder brother raised his voice and said loudly: "Mr. Qingtian, our village belongs to Qi Wangzhuang ever since our ancestor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty conquered the country. Later, the king of Qi disappeared, and the court did not take our village.
It was allocated to the King of Lu. For many years, we have been farming the land and paying for food. Unexpectedly, Yan Shenggong’s Mansion took a fancy to our fertile fields over there and forced us to donate them. The villagers were unwilling, so they just set off.
The county magistrate doesn’t dare to interfere with the destruction of fields..."
"You, you unscrupulous people, don't talk nonsense!"
This time, Kong Shangyi, who did not need to be sidelined, came forward. When he heard that the "grievance" was directed at "Yanshenggong's Mansion", Kong Yinzhi immediately spoke angrily.
But he was really feeling weak in his heart.
What the two farmers said is probably true.
From the founding of the Ming Dynasty to the present day, the Confucius Mansion has received thousands of land grants, not just around Qufu, but all over Yuncheng, Juye, Pingyang, Dong'a and other places.
The flourishing houses of the Confucius family, indeed, relied on their noble status to continuously occupy new private lands, either inducing or forcing farmers to donate land to the name of the Confucius family.
There are so many branches of the Kong family, and each branch has so many "thugs". Not to mention occupying land, it is not uncommon to bully men and women, and set up private execution halls. Anyway, every county has heard that it is related to Yan Shenggong's mansion.
, they all turn a blind eye.
Who would have thought that in the past, ordinary things that splashes of water could not turn over turned into shit behind the door. At dawn, someone opened the door and threw the shit into the sun in front of the Confucius Temple.
"Unruly people? Haha," Zhang Xisheng said with increasing momentum, "Confucius once said that cultivating oneself is to bring peace to the people. He also said that being respectful, tolerant, trustworthy, sensitive, and merciful are the ways of a benevolent person. But you guys
These descendants of Confucius are so greedy for profit that they do not hesitate to push the people to a dead end, beat their bones and suck out their marrow, and call them unruly people. I think there are five other words that are suitable for you, the beetles of the country and the scourge of the people.
That is: greed, harshness, deceit, stupidity, and evil! Yesterday I burned incense and reported it to my ancestor Zhang Ge, and I will continue my ancestor's legacy and report the matter of Qufu to the imperial court."
"We are willing to go north with our benefactor and file a petition together!" The two brothers from Qi Wangzhuang also followed suit.
There was a burst of firecracker-like applause from all sides, mixed with the cheers of the common people.
Zheng Haizhu, who was standing with his sleeves behind his back, quickly looked at each other with Zhu Yipai.
There was no hint of joy in the expression, but the meaning was unspoken.
Qufu, far and near, is no longer a piece of iron with the word "hole" stamped on it.
Shandong is a province with thoroughfares from north to south, and Yanzhou guards the main canal. The different surnames left over from the previous dynasties, as well as the different surnames imported through business, gradually formed clans. If you are good at business, you will be an official, and if you are good at officialdom, you will buy land. However, Qufu Kong
At one time, the family even controlled the appointment and dismissal of local civil servants, and now it has intensified its efforts to annex land. How could it not cause dissatisfaction among families with different surnames?
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! At this moment, those long-robed scribes who applauded and applauded, and some men in brocade robes who looked like members of the Communist Party of China, all had expressions on their faces that finally revealed their anger. Most of them were
A member of an aristocratic family whose surname is not Kong, but who also needs to participate in the distribution of power and resources.
At this point, Zhu Yipai was truly convinced by the woman around him since he met her.
These chess pieces of hers were definitely not arranged one by one on the chessboard after she received the instructions from Lord Long Live.
Where is the time?
She was probably thinking about this game when she went to Beijing last summer and passed by Yanzhou for a short stay.
There are no weak soldiers under a strong general. When she gives orders, her subordinates are indeed powerful. The masters and servants find these people from south to north. They are either from good family backgrounds or have pitiful grievances. Rarely, they are all brave soldiers, as straightforward as destroying the dead.
Run towards the seven inches of the descendants of Confucius.
The only one who was brought in temporarily and sang the opening scene was probably Zhu Yuewen, a music and dance student from the Lu family.
This further shows that Zheng is not as arrogant as some famous frontier generals in her actions. She does not have the word "foolproof" in her mind, but changes her plans for the advance at any time, just to make the front more overwhelming.
Zhu Yipai twitched the corner of his mouth and sighed lightly to Kong Yinzhi, Wang Song of the Ministry of Rites and others: "Oh, my general is not strict in his rule, and that Yue Wusheng is also a rough-tempered man. Let me comfort him."
The complexion of Kong Shangyi and Kong Yinzhi's uncle and nephew was already greener than the stone bricks paved at the entrance of the Confucius Temple.
Just as they stared blankly at the young prince of Lu Fan, who was neither an enemy nor a friend, walking towards the actors who had stripped off their clothes in Yanshenggong's palace with fluttering sleeves, they heard a rush of footsteps behind them.
Cao Huachun's young father-in-law came running like a gourd.
"Zheng, Master Zheng, brother, he went to the gate of the county. He said he was going to sell his craftsmanship in exchange for wages. Eunuch Cao couldn't persuade him no matter what."
…
Inside the south gate of Qufu, beside the well under the towering trees, parked were the palace sedans brought by horse-drawn boats from the capital.
With the sedan as the center of the circle, dozens of steps around were filled with large guards and small firemen, all watching with vigilance the people of Qufu County who were arriving in droves.
Zhu Youxiao was sitting on an armchair in front of the sedan chair. Cao Huachun stood on his left hand side and the more interesting one on his right hand side.
On top of several large rocks stacked crookedly, a three-foot piece of white paper was pressed with a small stone.
There are five big characters in the letter: Gongshuzi's successor.
At this time, it was the most lively time of the day in the county. I heard that the eldest son of the emperor was selling carpentry skills on the street, and the crowds who were originally going to the Confucius Temple to watch the "big show" were like ants smelling sweeter cake crumbs.
, turned around one after another, and gathered towards the south gate.
Zhu Youxiao was able to maintain a calm face and straight shoulders using the Tianjia style that he had learned well in the capital.
But he clearly felt that his lips were trembling uncontrollably, and the back of his neck began to feel hot, and he was obviously sweating.
Master Zheng confessed to him that his father, Zhu Changluo, did not know about the role he was given. Master Zheng said that she, the prince's teacher, dared to risk angering Tianyan or being jailed and sentenced to death, but she had to do it hard in Qufu.
I wonder if His Highness the Prince has the guts to tell the world how short of pay the imperial court is.
The young man who was having a conversation late at night was full of blood and agreed without any hesitation.
But when he really sat under the light of day and faced the surprised faces, Zhu Youxiao was enveloped in a complicated embarrassment again.
Cao Huachun's slightly bowed posture allowed him to easily see Zhu Youxiao's micro-expression.
The little firebrand's statement that "Eunuch Cao can't be persuaded even if he tries to persuade me" is of course false.
But Cao Huachun's last hesitation finally faded away when he heard reports from his close associates that Zhu Yuewen had opened the ceremony at the Confucius Temple.
Facts have proved that Master Zheng, who was desperate, was indeed sent into the same boat as Zhu Yi.
Since this woman means what she says, she can't stop her from temporarily adding extra drama to her during this trip. She is too cruel to be offended easily.
The Sacred Heart is unpredictable, maybe Long Live God will appreciate this move?
Even if you don't praise him or not, at least the act of causing trouble at the Confucius Temple is more "deviant" than the emperor's eldest son raising money on the street, right? So the pressure on his end is not too great.
On the contrary, the woman Zheng's hints to her were very tempting.
She was optimistic about Eunuch Wei, but not about Eunuch Wei becoming the Supervisor of Ceremonies. Eunuch Cao was a graduate of the inner study, and his prospects in the inner court were unlimited.
Thinking of this, Cao Huachun lowered his body a little lower and asked Zhu Youxiao in a low voice: "Brother, there are a lot of people here."
"Well, how about the Confucius Temple?"
"Just now, a servant came to report again. The nephew of Mr. Zhang Ge of the previous dynasty gave him a scolding, which won the praise of many scholars."
Zhu Youxiao said "oh".
In the brief silence, a young male's aggressive instinct filled his chest.
Those musicians and dancers who play the harp, and those descendants of Zhang Cong who are not even qualified to be civil servants, are all doing it. I am the eldest son of a powerful dragon, and I have an arrow on the string. How can I be cowardly?
"Cao Banban, why don't you yell?"
"As commanded, I will speak now."
Cao Huachun took out a wooden cart with a turtledove's head from the box behind the chair.
This was half of the wooden wheel cart that Zhu Youxiao made while he and Song Yingxing were pondering over the steam engine model during the half-month stay at Prince Lu's Mansion.
When I say "half", it means that the mature steam engine part has not yet been attached. The main body of the four-wheel rolling frame is complete. If you string a rope in the beak of a turtledove, it can be pulled by human power.
Cao Huachun strode to the crowded crowd of onlookers and said loudly: "The establishment of slaves is rampant and the Liao Dynasty is fierce. I, the official of the Ming Dynasty, fought bloody battles at the border, ah, guarding the military fortresses in the north to prevent the Tatars
They came in with the intention of harming the people of Ming Dynasty. The soldiers were so desperate, long live the Lord, he was also very distressed. He directly saved one hundred thousand taels of silver from the inner treasury and sent it to outside the customs. But as the saying goes, when the war breaks out,
, ten thousand taels of gold and one hundred thousand taels of silver, where is enough? Our eldest son of the Ming Dynasty shares the worries of the emperor and contributes to the country. Today, he uses the things he has spent all his efforts to make over the years to exchange for some silver with everyone.
For military pay.”
After all, Cao Huachun was also a graduate of the inner study room, a highly educated person among the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty. His opening remarks were concise and not difficult at all, and the faces of the people of Qufu County showed expressions of understanding.
Cao Huachun looked at six routes and had already locked onto the first target.
"Young Master, how about taking this dove cart home? It's not expensive, it's only ten taels of silver. You see, if the cart is pulled up, the little wooden figure on top can even drive around."
The person chosen by Cao Huachun was a boy of seven or eight years old. He was dressed in rich clothes and wore a beautifully crafted silver collar around his neck. At first glance, he looked like a child from a wealthy family.
The child was really not as suspicious and timid as the adults around him. His eyes were fixed on the carriage and he was already walking towards Cao Huachun.
The housekeeper beside him dared to hesitate. He kept bowing while busy and said to Cao Huachun: "Ah, the villain's master's family is really blessed. Forgive me, I only have five taels of silver with me, so this is it."
Let the boy go get some more quickly."
Cao Huachun kindly put the cart into the boy's hands and said to the steward: "Don't worry, we'll be waiting. You masters and servants, you have to thank His Royal Highness the eldest son of the emperor, right?"
The housekeeper hurriedly took the boy and knelt down to kowtow to Zhu Youxiao.
