Chongzhen Daming: Starting from Coal Mountain

Chapter 299

At this time, there is a small county called Mengcheng in the north of Fengyang Mansion.

Chongzhen took his two sons dressed up as merchants, and stood outside the crowd in front of the county government's eight-character wall to watch the excitement, surrounded by Hu Guozhu, who also looked like a business traveler, and a dozen barbarians.

At this time, there are two groups of people confronting each other outside the Mengcheng County Government.

One party was wearing a soap suit with a waist knife on his waist, looking like a government servant, there were about a dozen of them.

The other party wore bamboo hats and cloth clothes, and many of them were barefoot. They held all kinds of knives, most of which were hatchets or sickles, but there were at least hundreds of them.

Because the difference in the number of the two sides is too great, the Yamen servants are like facing a big enemy.

Wu Yingji, who went to inquire about the situation elsewhere, quickly returned to Chongzhen, and said in a low voice: "I have already asked clearly, it is because of a marriage robbery lawsuit."

Chongzhen said: "What kind of marriage robbery lawsuit?"

Wu Yingji: "A scholar in Yijia Village talked about marriage, but the new daughter-in-law hadn't had time to go through the door. She met Yi Yuanwai during a market, and then Yi Yuanwai also took a fancy to the new daughter-in-law and wanted to marry her back home. As a concubine in the ninth house, the two families clashed, and Yi Xiucai suffered a great loss."

"The new daughter-in-law was also forcibly married by Yi Yuanwai."

"Yi Xiucai refused to accept it and sued Yi Yuanwai to the county government."

"It is said that the county magistrate of Mengcheng was demoted from Nanjing. He used to stay in the Imperial Academy before. He was a stunned young man. In a fit of anger, he brought the yamen servants to snatch Yi Xiucai's wife back."

After a pause, he said again: "Then I angered the Yi family."

"Annoyed the Yi family?" Zhu Cihong asked, "Yi Yuan's family?"

"It's Yi Yuan's family." Wu Yingji nodded, and then said, "It's not just Yi Yuan's family, but the entire Yi family in Mengcheng."

Zhu Cilang said solemnly: "The whole family with the surname Yi?"

"Yes." Wu Yingji said, "The Yi family has already said that as long as the county magistrate of Mengcheng handed over Yi Xiucai and his new wife and apologized to the Yi family, this matter will be over. If not, the entire Mengcheng The Yi family did not agree, and the current hundred or so people are just the first wave."

Zhu Cijiong said angrily: "The Yi family wants to kill officials and rebel?"

"Rebellion is impossible." Wu Yingji said, "But with the influence of the Yi family in Mengcheng County, it may be easy to add some obstacles to this young county magistrate."

Chongzhen said: "Is the Yi family very powerful in Mengcheng?"

Wu Yingji nodded and said, "The student just asked about it. The surname Yi is the largest surname in Mengcheng. More than half of the Dingkou people in the county have the surname Yi, and Yuanwai Yi happens to be the patriarch of the Yi clan."

"Aren't these people afraid of the government?" Zhu Cijiong said angrily, "How dare they besiege the county government."

"They are really not afraid of the government." Chongzhen said, "The reason is very simple, because if the government wants to effectively govern Mengcheng County, they have to ask them, so unless they kill officials and rebel, Otherwise, even if the Fengyang Governor's Office knows about it, it will just say a few words."

Zhu Cihong said: "Is this what the father said about the imperial power not going to the countryside?"

Chongzhen said: "That's right, it is because of these clans that the imperial power cannot go down to the countryside, because the people in the countryside don't listen to the imperial court's orders at all, but only listen to the words of the head of the clan and the elders of the clan."

"Are these people stupid?" Zhu Cijiong said, "Yi Xiucai is also from the Yi family, how has he been bullied by that bullshit patriarch? They are still willing to listen to that bullshit patriarch?"

Chongzhen sighed: "They are not stupid, but helpless."

"Helpless?" Zhu Cijiong asked in bewilderment, "Why are you helpless?"

Chongzhen said: "Because the patriarch and the elders have the right to speak in the clan, they can easily manipulate anyone in the clan. Whoever dares to oppose the patriarch and the elders will be able to make him unable to survive in the local area. When it is time to divide the water in the dry season, let this family be the last one to divide the water, and the crops will basically die. Another example is the sentry. Yao servant."

"Isn't this messing around?" Zhu Cijiong said, "This is too unfair."

"Fair?" Chongzhen said with a smile, "There has never been real fairness in this world."

Zhu Cihong frowned and said, "Father, is there really nothing the court can do about these clans? Could it be that these patriarchs can only be allowed to bully men and women in the village?"

"Not all patriarchs and elders bully men and women, and they are in Yurou Township." Chongzhen waved his hand, and said, "Most patriarchs and elders still want face, can basically be fair, and can assist the court to a certain extent. To deal with public affairs, such as food collection and dispatching, it is definitely not enough for a few officials in the county government to catch up quickly."

Zhu Cijiong frowned and said: "Father, I don't understand this matter. Isn't it just about collecting grain and dispatching servants, so the court can't recruit more yamen servants to catch up with officials, and have to get used to these bastards?"

"Good question." Chongzhen smiled and said to Wu Yingji, "You tell King Ding the reason."

"Yes." Wu Yingji cupped his hands and said to Zhu Cijiong, "His Royal Highness King Ding already knows about the loss, but does His Royal Highness Ding know where the money and food lost by local officials have gone?"

"Does it need to be said?" Zhu Cijiong said, "It must have been corrupted by local officials."

"No, it's only a small part of the local officials who are greedy for ink." Wu Yingji waved his hand and said, "Most of them are actually brought by local officials to welcome and send them away, and there are also officials such as recruiting yamen servants, arresters, and Master Qiangu."

Zhu Cijiong said in astonishment: "The money received and sent by local officials is paid out of the treasury. I know this king, but the money for the recruitment of yamen servants, arresters and officials in local states and counties is also paid out of the treasury? Doesn't the imperial court pay salaries? "

Zhu Cihong nodded and said: "The imperial court only distributes the salaries of the chief officials and assistant officials of the local prefectures. The salaries of the yamen servants, arresters and officials need to be raised by the local prefectures and counties themselves, and the imperial court will not bear it."

"This?" Zhu Cijiong immediately became dumb. Is there such a thing?
"Jiong'er, now you know the reason." Chongzhen said, "Just keeping these yamen servants and clerks has overwhelmed the imperial government's finances, recruiting more yamen servants and clerks will directly go bankrupt. "

"Father, but this is too irritating." Zhu Cijiong said, "We know that the clan power is harmful to the court, but we still have nothing to do with them. This is really intolerable."

"There are so many helpless things in this world, if you get angry about everything, how can you get over it?"

Chongzhen waved his hand, and said: "However, clans like the Yi family in Mengcheng still have to be dealt with. They dared to mobilize strong men to surround the county government. This is out of bounds and must be severely punished!"

After a pause, Chongzhen said again: "Wu Yingji, go and tell Yan Yingyuan and Xu Yingwei to lead the scholar battalion into the city and arrest all the strong men of the Yi family. After the situation subsides, move half of the Yi family in Mengcheng to the city. Kaifeng, especially the patriarch, will be resettled in Kaifeng within five service periods, and must be resettled separately."

For such a large clan, it is best to take it apart and arrange it.

It is best not to have a situation where one surname dominates anywhere.

A thousand scholars led by Yan Yingyuan and Xu Yingwei were stationed not far from the city.

After receiving Chongzhen's order, a thousand scholars soon marched into Mengcheng County.

Facing the heavily armed scholars, the hundred or so strong members of the Yi family could not give up the slightest desire to resist.

Seeing Yi Yuanwai and more than a hundred strong men being escorted away, Zhu Cijiong let out a sigh of relief.

"Father, I finally let out a bad breath." Zhu Cijiong said, "Otherwise, I will not be happy for the next few months."

Chongzhen turned his eyes to the direction of Nanjing, and said quietly: "It is easy to break the clan in the county, but it is difficult to break the clan in the heart. The most difficult thing to break is the clan in the hearts of the people."

"The clan in your heart?" Zhu Cijiong looked blank.

Yan Yingyuan and Wu Yingji felt that these words were vaguely familiar.

After thinking about it for a while, the two of them suddenly remembered, isn't this just a copy of what Mr. Shouren said after he put down the bandits in southern Gansu, "It's easy to break the bandits in the mountains, but it's hard to break the bandits in the heart"?

The clans in the county that the Holy Majesty mentioned must be the ones with the surname Yi.

So which clan is the clan in the heart mentioned by the Holy One?
With this question in mind, the two of them turned their gazes to the direction Chongzhen was looking at. Is this the direction of Nanjing?Could it be that the clan in my heart is in Nanjing?Could it be that the Holy Majesty was talking about the Donglin Party?

……

Outside the Sanshan Gate in Nanjing.

Wherever Ma Mingpa's prison cart passed by, the people were all outraged.

Facing the raindrops of rotten vegetables, rotten eggs and even excrement and urine, Ma Mingtao felt heartache, how ignorant, how ignorant are these people really?

You have all been deceived by the Donglin Party!
The real dog officials are those from the Donglin Party!

However, Ma Mingpao no longer had the strength to defend himself, nor did he want to defend himself again.

There is nothing more sad than death, since you are so willing to believe in the Donglin Party, then wait for the Donglin Party to bring disaster to the country and the people to the point of subjugation, and be killed by Jiannu.

The prison van was quickly brought to the execution ground.

The yamen servants of Yingtianfu stepped forward to open the prison cart and took Ma Minglu down.

The executioner also showed his ghost-headed sword, took a mouthful of soju and sprayed it on.

The crowd of onlookers applauded immediately, and they were all waiting for the moment when the steel knife fell and the head landed on the ground, and two old women had already prepared steamed buns, waiting to be stained with blood.

It is said that steamed buns with human blood can cure tuberculosis.

However, at this moment, there was a rapid sound of horseshoes.

The three officials sitting on the execution stage turned their heads to look.

But I saw a dozen or so riders galloping from the direction of Yanziji Wharf.

Seeing this team of cavalry, the scarlet-robed official sitting in the middle suddenly became anxious, immediately took out a beheading lot from the stick and threw it down the stage, shouting sharply: "It's [-]:[-] noon, execution!"

The little official in charge of guarding the sundial said in astonishment: "My lord, there is still a quarter of an hour until three quarters past noon."

"This official said that the time has come, so it means that the time has come." The scarlet robe official said sharply, "Execution!"

(End of this chapter)