Even though I don’t know if crying out for injustice will have any effect at this time, when people are the slaves and I am the flesh, even if Qi Yuanwai bites the bullet, he can only treat the dead horse as a living horse doctor. Even if this Changlu County government office
It is said that the place was thoroughly cleaned yesterday, and many officials and even servants from Changlu County Magistrate Xu Cheng on down were imprisoned, but maybe there are still fish that slipped through the net.
Even Zhu Tingfang's previous selection of Chief Sun was just to pick out the tallest among the shortest among a bunch of rotten officials. It does not mean that people are clean. Therefore, he simply shouted fiercely: "I'm all here."
Everyone in Cangzhou City knows that our family has done good deeds, but General Zhu and Dr. Zhang listened to the traitors and put the blame on me and others. I don't accept it!"
Taking advantage of the fact that the Rui Cavalry soldiers and horses had not swarmed to capture him, and he still had a chance to speak, he almost without thinking raised his finger and pointed at the little peanut standing behind Zhu Tingfang, and raised his voice and said: "General Zhu, how dare you?"
Say, isn’t that kid behind you the kid who has been following Xian Yunhe, the leader of the thieves? You can keep such a small rebel by your side, but you can’t trust me and other gentry?”
"If we follow General Zhu and Dr. Zhang's approach, the traitors will be spared, but we who radicalize the good people will be doomed! That's really weird. How can a group of rebels call themselves good people? What's more, what's more, now
Everyone who is staying safely in the Changlu County government office, haven’t you ever radicalized the good people? I remember when Xu County Zun was here, I didn’t send you to suppress them?”
"It wasn't you who beat those spinners to a bloody head? It wasn't you who threw excrement in front of those people's houses and wrote the word "unruly people" on them? But so what? Those unruly people didn't know what was good and what was wrong, and they refused to obey the rules.
We never stole or robbed, and every penny we got was justifiable. As for the crimes you just accused us of, Dr. Zhang, you just want to inflict unnecessary crimes!"
"Where's the witness? Where's the physical evidence?"
Under Qi Yuanwai's fierce defense...or counterattack, several other old men who had just made plans to shed their skins also immediately woke up. Since Young Master Jiang took the initiative to plead guilty and accept punishment, it is obvious that he will not escape jail.
Disasters, and even life and death are in the hands of others, so they might as well put on a strong-willed appearance.
At least when the chaos has subsided, neither Zhu Tingfang nor Zhang Shou dared to kill them in public!
Although the Zhu family has won the trust of the emperor, they also have many enemies among the courtiers, and they have been attacked numerous times before. They do not believe that the political opponents of the Zhu family in the court have not been paying close attention to the changes in the situation in Cangzhou and will not seize this opportunity.
!
Listening to this high-pitched question, Zhang Shou turned his head and saw Xiao Peanut showing panic. There was a big commotion among the guards standing nearby. He had brought Xiao Peanut here on purpose. He suddenly
Touching his palms gently, he said with admiration: "Yes, yes, the danger of life and death can really bring out the greatest potential in people. I can't help but feel angry when I hear it, let alone others?"
"The censors in the imperial court should learn more from Qi Laoduo in terms of speaking skills, so that they would not have to retreat sadly because of their lack of words when they were having a huge quarrel in the court hall!"
Qi Yuanwai did not expect that Zhang Shou would suddenly say this. He glanced at the others on the left and right. He had to suppress the unspeakable uneasiness in his heart and protested loudly: "What I said is the truth. This civil unrest in Cangzhou
, there are many inducements, if it were not for us, those rebels might also riot..." In the final analysis, these four words, what does it have to do with me?
Before he could finish his words, he suddenly heard a huge noise coming from outside, as if many people had gathered outside the county government office. Having experienced a huge civil uprising, he suddenly felt chilled, and he couldn't bear the words that came to his lips.
He swallowed and went back. The officers who had been "selected" before could not help but look at each other, with fear written all over their faces.
Zhu Tingfang was too trusting. The one hundred sharp cavalry soldiers who had followed the eldest prince were sent by him to guard the houses of the six families in front of him. The two hundred people who had just arrived in Cangzhou were sent to "guard" the palace.
The eldest prince, as well as dozens of rebels led by Xian Yunhe, plus the prisoners captured today.
Even his capable entourage had been taken away by the second young master and the eldest lady of the Zhu family. There are probably only a dozen or so of them in the county government office now.
If there is another civil unrest outside...how can we cope with it with the few manpower we have now? Of course they are not clean, they will not be thrown out by these two people to quell the public anger, right?
At first, the noise and shouting outside were so chaotic that it seemed a little hard to hear. But as the sounds gradually unified, people like Zhu Tingfang, who had excellent ears, gradually distinguished the words that were repeated. Soon, not only him, but also even
Zhang Shou, Xiao Huahua, Qi Yuanwai and others, and even the guards, all heard clearly.
"Please ask the imperial envoy to make decisions for the people of Cangzhou!"
The expressions of Qi Yuanwai and others immediately changed, and the expressions of the officers also changed. But what made them even more frightened was that Zhu Tingfang actually laughed, then stood up and flipped up his clothes and said: "This is really new. Could it be that it is in Cangzhou City?"
What other major case happened that made the people so angry that they besieged the county government? Since you are just in time, come with me and Dr. Zhang to have a look."
Having said this, he didn't give others a chance to refuse and shouted sternly: "Come here!"
In an instant, Zhang Shou saw a row of tall men in uniforms filing out, holding swords and standing solemnly. Even though there were only a dozen or so people, there was still a look of sternness. As Zhu Tingfang nodded, Qi Yuanwai and others showed no signs of movement.
Without the ability to resist, he was easily picked up one by one, and immediately after, seven people stood in front of those officers.
Although the swords were not unsheathed and no one took action, under the watchful gaze of those seven men, several officers could not help but tremble. Finally, under the gaze of those men with a sense of compulsion, they obediently followed Zhu who was striding forward.
Tingfang and Zhang Shou walked out, not even daring to delay deliberately because there were people following them.
It wasn't until they were about to reach the gate of the county government office that the shouting gradually became clearer. Although there were many people, there should only be dozens or hundreds of people standing up to the sky, not hundreds or thousands, so they felt a little relieved.
Some.
As long as there aren't too many people, that's fine, as long as it's not another bunch of rioters trying to occupy the county government office... Who would have thought that a group of lowly people who they can usually bully would come to their door again and again and eat them all?
A bear's heart and a leopard's courage!
"Listen to the people outside the door. If you have any grievances or sufferings to complain about, please step back three steps from the door. Wait for me to come out and report in detail. If when you open the door, there are still people three steps in front of the door.
Punished for bumping into an official!"
Following Zhu Tingfang's order, the originally closed county government door was slowly opened. At this moment, except for Zhang Shou and Zhu Tingfang, who were a little bit concerned, everyone else couldn't help but feel excited. Although Zhu Tingfang had already said it first,
But God knows if those people outside will be blinded by anger and rush in all at once?
Especially Qi Yuanwai and others who were being escorted and had to be at the front. As the two doors slowly opened, they saw pairs of glaring eyes and felt the real anger. Their hearts were even more excited.
It reaches the throat.
"General Mingwei, please make the decision for the people of Cangzhou!" A loud voice in the crowd shouted, and then he stood out from the crowd, strode forward, pointed at Qi Yuanwai's nose and cursed angrily, "This is the old man
The common man occupied the widow, seized her property, and even sent her two children to the so-called charity hall to raise them. The steward of the charity forced them to work day and night, and the seven-year-old son died of exhaustion!"
When all the members came out, their hearts skipped a beat. Just when they were about to speak, someone shouted: "I once worked in that charity hall. If the children resisted, they would be hung up with ropes and beaten with wooden sticks. If any children escaped, they would be beaten.
He was tortured endlessly. When he died, he tied his body with stones and threw it into a smelly pond at the back! Just because I said a few words too much, I was kicked out of the charity hall and threatened, so I had to live in the street!"
After this person, someone else shouted loudly: "These big dog owners colluded with the dog official Xu Cheng to replace the good rice in the granary, and then replaced it with moldy and rotten old rice and put it in the warehouse! Every time
When it comes to porridge, they also use those rotten old rice to fool people, and how many poor people are not eaten to death every year!"
"The Huang family is so old that they still forcefully take over the marriage contracts of a lot of young folk girls...His son, who is the best in Longyang, has taken over many sons from good families!"
Qi Yuanwai never knew that the so-called public anger would one day completely erupt in such a form. Although there were only a few dozen people outside the county government office at this moment, the one after another shouting made them accustomed to things that they did not care about in the past.
All the crimes were exposed. Amidst the abuse and accusations, he could only forcefully calm down and try to defend himself.
"It's simply ridiculous. Just because these three people are like tigers and everyone speaks for themselves, can they arbitrarily accuse us?"
However, compared to him, the other old men had long been disturbed by the chaotic sounds and atmosphere, but they could not even utter such sophistry. Seeing that they could only support themselves, the whole team was very angry.
He was resentful, and when he thought of Zhang Shou's previous imprisonment of the youngest Mr. Jiang, he felt that the other party had deliberate intentions.
He mustered up the last bit of his strength and shouted loudly: "You are charging us gentry because of the accusations made by a group of rioters. Dr. Zhang, you, a doctor of the Chinese nation who have read the books of sages and sages, ask yourself, are you not acting out of selfish motives?"
At this moment, the noisy crowd suddenly fell silent. Just when Qi Yuanwai thought that his angry rebuke had finally shocked the group of unscrupulous people in front of him, and also made Zhang Shou speechless, he suddenly heard an old but calm voice.
the sound of.
"A scholar is a gentleman. He learns to occupy his position and uses his talents to do things. When he is an official, he governs the place and ensures peace. At home, he educates the inside and outside and ensures the peace of the family. Do you think you are worthy of being called a scholar when you are just trying to gain fame and reputation but are actually doing a lot of evil?"
Following this voice, an old man whose temples were mostly white but still energetic appeared in front of everyone. He was dressed in linen and had flat shoes with a cloth belt. At first glance, he seemed to be just an ordinary old man from the market, but at first glance he looked like an ordinary man.
This man, all the members of the team took a breath of cold air. Not only him, but the other old men who had just been scolded in a panic and angry manner were also stunned.
That was Xu Weng, an old scholar who had failed many times, but he was deeply respected in the city of Cangzhou. Because he was profound in knowledge, he also opened a school in Cangzhou to teach people, and treated everyone equally, so he was extremely famous, even if they had sons and nephews in their families.
Officials tend to be polite to this person. How could a bunch of lowly people invite this highly respected old Confucian?
Shocked and angry, Qi Yuanwai finally shouted: "Mr. Xu, don't be fooled by these rioters..."
"Although I am old, I am still sharp and sharp, and I am not so easily deceived by others! Today I saw with my own eyes three corpses pulled out of the pond. One of them had not even lost its skin and flesh. It was obvious that it had not been long since it was thrown in.
Wu Zuo saw it with his own eyes. Based on their skulls and stature, everyone was definitely no more than ten years old... It was simply outrageous and horrible to look at!"
"It is said that old people are like old people, and young people are like young people. Although I have heard the rumors about your charity hall, I never thought that there is such a human tragedy! I know you people, if
If something goes wrong, blame it on the steward or on the servants. Anyway, you are just clean and innocent, and it seems like you didn’t do anything..."
"But if you didn't do anything, how could there be so much resentment among the people in Cangzhou? How could the weird things happened before? How could so many people come to surround the county government office in the middle of the night and demand justice from the imperial envoy!"
Xu Weng, who was much older, became more and more excited as he spoke. The more excited he became, the louder his voice became. After the last roar came out, he was shaking with anger and unsteady on his feet. He suddenly staggered and his whole body suddenly tilted to the side.
At this moment, a pair of hands stretched out from his side and supported him steadily. He turned his head and nodded slightly in embarrassment before coughing.
"The officials and gentry colluded, worked together, deceived the superiors and deceived the inferiors, and abused the people... God really gave you human skin for nothing!"
Zhang Shou had already seen clearly that the person who helped Mr. Xu was none other than Zhu Ying, who was dressed in men's clothing. Even under the light of the torches, her face still looked gorgeous and refined. See the eldest lady
She was smiling and winking at him, but he didn't expect that she would make such a big fuss tonight and he couldn't help but smile back at her.
Zhu Tingfang, who was watching their flirtations from the side, had extremely complicated emotions. If he couldn't see that this was exactly the same as the situation when Zhu Ying brought those thugs before, he would be blind! Everyone in the capital thought that he was his sister.
She is a idiot who likes to show off her clothes and accessories... Now look at everything she does, it's like beating the old master to death with random punches!
He withdrew his gaze from Zhu Ying, nodded slightly to Xu Weng and said, "So, Mr. Xu came here today as a witness?"
"That's right!" Xu Weng nodded heavily and said word by word, "We, Cangzhou, have abundant resources, abundant resources, and outstanding people. How can our reputation be ruined by these wolf-hearted things? I beg you, the Imperial Envoy, to punish these scoundrels who are harmful to the people and return Cangzhou to me.
A bright future!"
Hearing this, Qi Yuanwai, who had been in a state of overexertion from the beginning, tilted his head and fainted. As soon as he fell down, the other old men who had been following him immediately lost their position. After you look at me,
As the first person fell down and pretended to be unconscious, the others hurriedly followed suit and pretended to be dead, as if they were lying to themselves and not listening to the growing shouts.