The most powerful patriarch in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 173 An Opportunity Brought by a Tragedy
Chapter 171

I just wanted to find an entry point, but I didn't expect to find it so soon.

Hearing the loud noise outside, Lu Changle quickly walked out,

With such a big commotion, it is impossible not to show up.

When I went outside, I saw a lot of people kneeling outside the yamen,
There were more than 20 young men and women who were beaten all over the ground,
They were bound with ropes, and some had blood on their faces,

He lay motionless on the ground, not knowing whether he was dead or alive.

"I beg General Lu to uphold justice"

"These slaves are rebellious, General Lu wants to avenge Master Zhang"

"It's too hateful, dare to kill the master, please ask the general to sentence them to death"

As soon as Lu Changle appeared, members of the Zhang clan shouted for grievances,
The onlookers had three floors inside and three floors outside, with different expressions.

Some people take pleasure in other people's misfortunes, some people look angry, some people act nonchalantly,

Most of them are just for fun.

Lu Changle turned his head and asked Xu Qingle, the fellow magistrate of Fuzhou Prefecture, "Xu Tongzhi, is it appropriate for the general to come forward in such a matter?"

It is very strange that the top leaders in many places have run away and taken sick leave.

Most of the assistants are still holding on,
Quanzhou Prefecture is like this, and Fuzhou Prefecture is also like this,

There is a saying in the officialdom that the first rank of officials crushes people to death, and these "second children" have been suppressed all the time.
It's hard to taste the taste of the leader,
Even if there is a risk, you have to bite the bullet.
Maybe one day the time will turn around and I will become a regular directly.

Xu Qingle quickly said: "During the period of military control, the general has the right to handle all important military and political affairs. Only the general should judge such a big matter."

The imperial court has long been beyond the reach of Fujian,
There is nothing inappropriate about the surname Lu in Fujian now.

Min County is very close to Changle County, Xu Qingle also understands Lu Changle,
Lu Changle doesn't care much about people's origins and camps,

I only care about whether it can be used by him, but I can't find a chance to hug my thigh.

Naturally, it is an active cooperation.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Lu Changle glanced at him appreciatively,
He quickly said loudly: "Okay, this case will be accepted, and it will be dealt with in a special period. For the sake of fairness, let's have a public trial here. Tongzhi Xu, please listen in. If there is anything inappropriate, please correct it in time." .”

"The general has an order, how dare Xu refuse to obey it." Xu Qingle's eyes lit up, and he readily responded.

Soon someone brought tables and chairs, and a gavel,

Lu Changle sat behind the table, while Xu Qingle sat on the right side,
In order to show respect to Lu Changle, Xu Qingle sat with a slanted sign.

The bitter master's family was silenced by angry servants, and Zhang Mingfu, the patriarch of the Zhang clan, was the representative in the end.

Lu Changle saw that Zhang Mingfu's hair and beard were all white,

Someone moved a chair for Zhang Mingfu, and he was allowed to sit and make a statement.

Zhang Mingfu was obviously very useful, and after thanking Lu Changle repeatedly, he sat down on the chair with some pride,

Many gentry present nodded secretly, and their favor towards Lu Changle increased greatly.

When Yang Da, Lu Man and other servants saw it, their faces were ashen,

I didn't complain,

In their hearts, they all regard themselves as dead.

The matter was not complicated, Zhang Mingshan took advantage of the temptation and pulled Lvman into the room forcibly occupying it.
When Luman's husband, Yang Da, found out about it, he asked Zhang Mingshan to settle the score.
Insulted by Zhang Mingshan, he killed Zhang Mingshan in a fit of rage together with two good servants.
This incident stimulated those servants who were oppressed by the Zhang family,

More than 20 people gritted their teeth and killed all seven members of Zhang Mingshan's family, which became a massacre.

This incident alarmed the members of the Zhang clan in the same village. Under the leadership of the patriarch Zhang Mingfu,

The 23 servants who killed the master were all tied up and sent to the officials.

So there was this scene in front of me.

Lu Changle checked the testimony of both parties, turned to Zhang Mingfu and said, "Patriarch Zhang, in your opinion, how should this case be judged?"

Zhang Mingfu was flattered and stood up and saluted: "I dare not make judgments, everything depends on the general."

"Just listen to Patriarch Zhang's opinion. Patriarch Zhang can speak freely. I will have my own opinion on how to judge."

"General, lowly slaves like Yang Da dare to commit crimes against their superiors and cruelly kill their masters. It can be said that the crime is extremely heinous. It is not enough to punish the people with capital punishment. I implore the general to uphold justice." Zhang Mingfu said angrily.

Lu Changle asked curiously: "Patriarch Zhang, you just said that Zhang Mingshan is your clan brother, you should know him well."

"This... the general's words are well known."

Didn't we discuss the issue of execution just now, and suddenly asked about this kind of thing again,
The topic changed so quickly that Zhang Mingfu couldn't even turn the corner.

Lu Changle nodded and said, "I don't know if your brother is an official, or is he a relative of the emperor?"

"If you go back to the general, the brother of the family is just a mere child, an ordinary family, and he doesn't have that kind of blessing to become a relative of the emperor." Zhang Mingfu replied honestly.

"Oh..." Lu Changle raised his eyebrows, slapped the gavel suddenly, and shouted loudly: "Bold, the Taizu has ordered that only important officials and honorable officials of the third rank and above can raise slaves. A mere child, dare to raise slaves privately. Where should the law of Ming Dynasty be placed?"

The sudden slap on the gavel made Zhang Mingfu's heart skip a beat and almost missed it.

When Lu Changle got angry, Zhang Mingfu didn't dare to sit any longer, and knelt on the ground all of a sudden,

Kowtowed and begged for mercy: "Little old fool, I made a mistake. I am not a private slave, but a righteous man and righteous woman."

It is no secret that wealthy families in the south of the Yangtze River have a habit of keeping slaves.
But to raise and raise, you can't openly pierce that layer of window paper.

"A righteous man and a righteous woman?" Lu Changle said angrily, "If it is a righteous woman, Zhang Mingshan is a child who has read the sage books, and to act like this to a righteous woman is simply inferior to a beast."

Recruited into the family by acknowledging relatives, the righteous woman is equivalent to the righteous daughter, and doing that kind of thing to the daughter,
Whether it is from the law or moral ethics, it must not be tolerated.

For a moment, Zhang Mingfu's forehead was covered with cold sweat, and he quickly argued: "No. It's not that there must be a misunderstanding. Mingshan is actually. In fact, it must be that person who seduced him, yes, that's how it is."

Recognize private slaves, that is Passover;

To admit that you are just a righteous man and a righteous woman is to ask a beast that is not as good as a beast,

No way forward.

Lu Changle glanced at Xu Qingle, Xu Qingle immediately understood,

He reprimanded loudly: "Zhang Mingfu, the general took time out of his busy schedule to uphold justice, ask you what you want, say what you want, dare to say half a lie, be careful not to be merciless, be careful to put yourself in it, know what is false accusation Sit down?"

Zhang Mingfu is just a small patriarch, and he should be polite when he sees a yamen servant on weekdays.
After being reprimanded by Lu Changle and Xu Qingle successively, he almost lost his courage,

He didn't dare to hide anymore, and told the whole thing.

Anyway, Zhang Mingshan is dead, face and laws don't matter anymore.

The most important thing is to remove yourself first.

Lu Changle pretended to be embarrassing and said: "Both parties are at fault, this is embarrassing, Xu Tongzhi, you know the law of the Ming Dynasty by heart, in your opinion, how should we deal with this matter?"

For a moment, the attention of the field fell on Xu Qingle again.

Xu Qingle took a long breath, and quickly said with a straight face: "General, according to the law of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Mingshan surpassed the law of raising slaves. The circumstances are still very serious. He should be punished for the crime and confiscated his property. However, he was backlashed, as the saying goes. The deceased is the elder, and his family is allowed to collect and bury him, and he will be buried in peace."

"In order to protect his wife, Yang Da gathered his accomplices to kill the seven members of Zhang's family. His feelings are pitiful and his crime should be beheaded."

"Many righteous men and righteous women who have been bullied by the Zhang family are only out of righteous indignation and can only be regarded as accomplices."

"The lower officials thought that the three main assailants, Yang Da, Yang Erniu, and Chen Jinshu, were cruel and unforgivable, and executed a beheading formula against them."

"The remaining 21 people are regarded as accomplices, poor people who have nowhere to go and who have been bullied. The death penalty is inevitable, but the crime of living is hard to forgive. Sending them to the coolie camp and letting them contribute to rebuilding the homeland of the people of Fujian is also considered a crime and meritorious service. "

"Zhang Mingfu, the patriarch of the Zhang Clan, is both a brother and a patriarch. Not only did he not report what he knew, but he also tried to hide it for his younger brother. According to the law of the Ming Dynasty, he wore a ten-jin shackle for three days and was exiled for five hundred miles."

Ever since Lu Changle invited him to sit and listen, Xu Qingle knew that he was going to be a tool person,

or a scapegoat,
Obviously, if Lu Changle favors Zhang,
You don't need to be tried, you can be executed directly,
He didn't do that, instead, he went to trial, obviously to give justice to those private slaves,
There are some things that he can't say in person, let himself say it for him,
If you gain, you will lose. If you want to hug Lu Changle's thigh, you must pay something.

What is reputation? It is fundamental to make a difference in troubled times.

Lu Changle has captured the whole of Fujian in more than a year.
The rural protection team under his command, more than 1 people, miraculously wiped out the Zheng brothers,
I heard that you have a powerful weapon in your hand,

Xu Qingle was very optimistic about Lu Changle's future, and cooperated fully from the beginning.

"Little old fool, he did something wrong, please be merciful, General." Zhang Mingfu turned pale with fright, kowtowed and confessed.

Not to mention being exiled for five hundred miles, just wearing a ten-jin shackle for public display for three days,

On such a hot day, my old bones probably won't be able to carry it for a day.

The members of the Zhang clan were also terrified, kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy.

When they first came here, they were all furious and vowed to avenge their clansmen.
I never thought that the clansmen did it wrong in the first place.

Watching things get worse step by step,

Everyone has long since lost that thought, and they are thankful to be able to retreat unscathed.

Lu Changle asked people to help Zhang Mingfu, and said loudly: "I believed that patriarch Zhang was deceived by Zhang Mingshan, and he is already old, so he can't make trouble anymore. Patriarch Zhang please get up."

"General is wise, general is wise." Zhang Mingfu thanked again and again, and stood up with a look of fear.

Lu Changle waited for him to stand up, and announced loudly: "This case has been clarified, and the verdict is as follows"

"Yang Da, Yang Erniu, and Chen Jinshu are the principal offenders. Their means are cruel and their influence is bad. Considering that there is a reason for the incident, they were also bullied in the Zhang family for many years. They rewarded three cups of poison soup and left their whole bodies."

"The rest of the righteous men and righteous women are all accomplices. The death penalty can be avoided, but the living crime cannot be forgiven. All of them will be sent to the coolie camp to make meritorious deeds."

"Zhang Mingshan seriously transgressed and violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty. He confiscated his family property according to the law. Considering that death is a big deal, he allocated 300 taels from his family property for funeral purposes."

"You can take it?"

Yang Da struggled to his knees, knocked his head three times in a row, and said loudly: "Small one, obey, obey!"

Unexpectedly, he could save his wife's life. Yang Daxi was overjoyed and shouted to be persuaded repeatedly.

Yang Erniu and Chen Jinshu knew that they would not survive,
Now you don't need to hack into a thousand pieces, but you can still leave a whole body, it's worth it.

Not to mention the others, they are all convinced,

Zhang Mingfu was afraid that Lu Changle would be unhappy and repent,
Not only deserved to be loud, but also led the tribe to call the general wise.

Thus, under Lu Changle's long-sleeved dance, a tragedy happened.
It's pretty well resolved.

The Zhang family extermination case is just an introduction.
Soon, Minnan Express began to publish the tragedy and the final verdict.

Hufang sent people to investigate the situation of long-term workers, prostitutes and prostitutes in each household,
The reason is to strengthen management and prevent homicides.

Secretly, Lu Changle asked the intelligence team to spread the news,
As long as the righteous men and women are registered with the government, they can also divide the fields and land.

Then, in order to increase tax revenue and strictly investigate the hidden population, the imperial court will vigorously investigate the situation of raising private slaves,
Some people also vowed that the rural protection team suffered too many casualties and needed a lot of money for pensions.
After Lu Changle, the general who suppressed the bandits, tasted the sweetness,

Want to make money by keeping slaves privately,

The news spread more and more widely, and the more it spread, the more outrageous it became.

There are also people who swear that the people in the households of the rural protection team secretly made deals with those righteous men and women.
The partnership will confiscate the property of the masters who raise slaves privately,
There is Zhang Mingshan's mistakes,
Those gentry and wealthy households who raised slaves privately scrambled to release the long-term workers, righteous men and righteous women in their families,
I'm afraid, the family wealth accumulated from generation to generation is afraid that it will be wiped out in one day,
Besides, those house slaves, who heard that they could divide the fields, would not have the heart to serve others.
More and more domestic slaves sabotage their work and deliberately contradict their masters,
The eyes looking at the master's house are also different, green, as if they want to eat people,
Where do you dare to stay, just send it away early,
I'm afraid that one day if I become ruthless and kill the master like Yang Da, I won't even be able to save my life.
More and more people went to the office of the rural protection team to inquire about the news.

Lu Changle saw that the fire was almost ready, and took the initiative to express his attitude: I am a loyal minister of Ming Dynasty, as long as everyone does not do anything wrong, I will definitely be fine. Gentlemen and wealthy households are not allowed to raise slaves privately, but they can hire maids and nurses, as long as they follow the rules That's fine.

Anyway, the effect is achieved,

From all over the country, there was a long queue of young and strong people who went to the households of the rural protection team to register, and demanded resettlement and land allocation.
They are all freed from the gentry and wealthy households,
Lu Jinqing and Yang Zhengshu kept mobilizing people to help, and they were almost insanely busy.
According to Yang Zhengpu's estimate, there are more than 15 young adults who came to register.
Later numbers are estimated to be even higher.

All of a sudden, there are so many young and strong people, and many abandoned lands are manned.
Gan Hui and Lu Jinyuan were also happy and took the opportunity to attract a lot of fresh blood.
Those nurses trained from childhood have strong physique and good foundation.

Proper soldier seedlings save a lot of effort in laying the groundwork,
There are also many dependent craftsmen and business talents who were snatched away by commercial houses and logistics rooms.
This strategy can be said to be perfect.

The benefits don't stop there, the gentry and rich households are already short of manpower,
After releasing a large number of private slaves, the family's fields were even less cultivated.

Even if you don’t plant, you have to pay the tax in full.
The gentry and rich households had no choice but to sell their fields cheaply.
When the Zheng family was in power, an acre of good paddy fields could sell for 15 taels of silver.
After Lu Changle distributed the official land, military farmland, and unowned land to the people who had no land to cultivate,
It quickly fell to around nine taels of silver,

After the private slaves were released this time, the price dropped further,
Six taels of silver can buy an acre of good paddy fields,

After the news came out, many people, rich households, and big families around Fujian went to Fujian to buy fields and land.

The land is so cheap, if you buy it, you earn it,
Besides, the current situation in Fujian has stabilized, and some places are not closing their doors at night.
The government orders are clear, and the subordinate officials do not bully or blackmail the common people.
Compared with those places that are afraid of soldiers and thieves, it is simply a paradise,
Fujian's population is booming again.

Under Lu Changle's planning, there is a thriving and prosperous scene in Fujian.

However, thousands of miles away in the capital city, the clouds are overcast,

The whole city was filled with a mournful atmosphere.

(End of this chapter)