Chapter 1502. Catch them all in one fell swoop (9).
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Yang Youliang is an ordinary tenant farmer in Nanjing. He is about the age of knowing his destiny. He has a stooped and thin figure, an old and weathered face, and dark and rough skin. He has the appearance of an ordinary old farmer.
However, there is a reason why the Huangzhuang forces chose Yang Youliang as one of their representatives to participate in the debate.
Yang Youliang was not a native of Nanjing, but was born in the Beijing-Tianjin area. He was taken in by a storyteller as his apprentice since he was a child, and he learned the art of rapping and telling ancient stories. He was extremely eloquent, and he followed his master until he was thirty years old.
He traveled around the world and made a living by telling stories in various restaurants.
But in this era, the status of storytellers is not high and they are regarded as low-class. Unless they are extremely famous, they cannot make much money. When Yang Youliang was thirty years old, he followed his master to Nanjing to make a living, but he did not expect that his master
Unaccustomed to the local environment, he soon contracted a serious illness and passed away, leaving Yang Youliang alone in Nanjing.
However, Yang Youliang was lucky at that time. He met a widow by chance, and the two quickly fell in love with each other. This widow inherited dozens of acres of farmland and a farmhouse in the suburbs of Nanjing from her deceased husband, which could be owned by Yang Youliang, who had been wandering for half his life.
A stable life, and Yang Youliang's eloquence also won the favor of the widow, so it didn't take long for the two to get married and live together.
From then on, Yang Youliang himself completely said goodbye to the wandering life of a storyteller in the world, and focused on farming. From a storyteller, he became a farmer. Although farming was very hard work, it was far better than the wandering life in the world before.
However, Yang Youliang's stable life did not last long.
In this era, widow remarriage was originally an extremely sensitive topic. In addition, Yang Youliang and his wife lived together directly without going through the formal marriage process. Yang Youliang was from a lower-income family and was suspected of marrying into the mother-in-law. This series of circumstances all led to
There were a lot of rumors, and Yang Youliang and his wife were looked down upon and ignored by the villagers, and they were soon isolated.
Being ostracized and isolated by fellow villagers was also one of the taboos of this era, because in the feudal period only by uniting with fellow villagers and relying closely on clan power could they have any chance of resisting the oppression and plunder of the wealthy gentry clan.
After Yang Youliang and his wife were ostracized and isolated by their fellow villagers, they soon became soft persimmons who could be bullied by others, and their property was soon targeted by the Wang family, a fellow gentry from the same town.
Then, there are some commonplace things.
Under the Wang family's clever and plundering tactics, Yang Youliang and his wife lost all their land and were reduced from farmers to long-term tenant farmers. From then on, they could only make a living by working for various landlords.
But after the Jin gentry Wang Jiaqiao took away the property of Yang Youliang and his wife, they quickly set their sights on the farmhouse property of Yang Youliang and his wife.
This time, Yang Youliang couldn't bear it anymore, so he gritted his teeth and turned to the nearby Huangzhuang. He changed from a Jingent tenant to a Huangzhuang tenant. Under the protection of Huangzhuang's power, he finally saved his remaining real estate.
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The Huangzhuang forces chose Yang Youliang as one of the representatives to participate in the debate because they took a fancy to two characteristics of Yang Youliang. One was that Yang Youliang's experience of losing his land could expose the hypocrisy of the Jin gentry forces and prevent the Jin gentry forces from occupying the moral high ground. The second was that Yang Youliang
His experience as a storyteller made him eloquent and eloquent, unlike ordinary farmers who are honest, timid, and clumsy in tongue.
Therefore, as soon as this public debate began, the Huangzhuang forces sent Yang Youliang to take the lead, catching the Jin gentry forces by surprise.
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"My lords, the common people are being grievances! The common people are being grievances..."
After crying a few times to attract everyone's attention, Yang Youliang recounted his detailed experience of losing his land in public.
"...The Wang family used clever tricks to plunder. When they purchased the grain that the common people had worked so hard to cultivate, they used various reasons to owe the common people the money they paid for selling the grain, saying that they would have to wait three months before the balance could be settled!
But the next season's farming was about to begin, and the common people still needed to buy seeds, maintain food and clothing, and had no choice but to borrow a sum of money from a loan shark. Who would have thought that this loan shark was also the property of the Wang family?
The trap set by the Wang family!
Three months later, although the Wang family returned the money they owed to Xiaomin, Xiaomin was shocked to find that the amount of money he owed usurious loans was actually more. No matter what, he couldn't plug this hole, and he owed usury money.
However, due to the continuous increase in interest rates, Xiaomin tried his best but was unable to save it. In just two years, Xiaomin's land was taken away by the Wang family, and the Wang family also wanted to further take away Xiaomin's house.
House……
Fortunately, the nearby Huangzhuang came to the rescue in time and took in the Xiaomin couple. If not for Jiang Guanzhuang's generous help, the Xiaomin couple would have become refugees and completely become servants of the Wang family..."
Having said this, Yang Youliang turned around and knelt down, looking at the other debating representative of the Huangzhuang forces, Jiang Dawei, the eunuch of Guanzhuang. He kept kowtowing and shouted loudly: "Jiang Guanzhuang, you are the reborn parents of Xiaomin and his wife, our life-saving benefactor.
!Xiaomin and his wife will never forget your kindness!"
After grossly praising Jiang Dawei, Yang Youliang turned around again and glared angrily at Wang Jiahe, the head of the Wang family, one of the debate representatives of the Jin gentry forces, and cursed loudly: "Wang Jiahe, you are a polite scum, dressed like a beast! Under the oppression of your Wang family,
How many people have been displaced and their families have been destroyed? Do you have the nerve to stand up and accuse Huangzhuang of competing for profits with the 'people'? Which 'people' are you competing with? Are you the only one who is qualified to be counted as a 'people', while ordinary farmers like us are the only ones qualified to be counted as 'people'?
Can they only be counted as domestic animals, pigs and dogs?”
Following Yang Youliang's public accusation, Wang Jiahe's well-maintained fat face turned livid and extremely ugly.
Wang Jiahe didn't know a small person like Yang Youliang at all, and the little property owned by Yang Youliang and his wife was not worth his personal attention.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! However, the Wang family is very powerful in Nanjing. The characteristic of this family is "extremely good at raising children". It can be said that they are full of children and grandchildren. Although there are not a few outstanding figures, there are a lot of them.
He has children all over the government and the public, and has a large number of daughters and granddaughters who are married to major forces. He is called the "Spider King" by the outside world, which means he is good at weaving webs;
It is precisely because of the large number of Wang family members that Wang family branches exist in almost all villages and counties in Nanjing and even in the entire Jiangnan region. The Wang family's industries are also spread throughout Jiangsu and Zhejiang. With the continuous expansion of the Wang family's power, such as the Yang Youliang couple's
This kind of experience occurs frequently under the plundering of various branches of the Wang family, and it can be said that there is nothing new about it.
Therefore, although Wang Jiahe did not know Yang Youliang, he knew in his heart that Yang Youliang's accusations were most likely not false. Such methods were indeed the Wang family's style of doing things, and the Huangzhuang forces would never dare to falsely accuse the Wang family in public on such an occasion.
But in public, and because the reputation of the Wang family was at stake, Wang Jiahe naturally could not admit it. Even though he had guessed that the Huangzhuang forces must have prepared conclusive evidence in advance, he still firmly denied it.
So Wang Jiahe stood up suddenly, raised his finger and pointed at Yang Youliang and cursed loudly: "Shameless untouchables! My Wang family is a scholarly family and has always had an excellent reputation. In which year did we not provide relief to the people? In which year did we not build bridges and roads? How many people are there in Jiangnan?
Have you been favored by my Wang family? How can I allow you to slander me for nothing?"
Although Yang Youliang was eloquent, he was still a commoner and naturally feared the powerful. When Wang Jiahe confronted him personally regardless of his status, Yang Youliang couldn't help but shrink back, a trace of fear flashed across his expression, and he no longer dared to scold him in public.
But the forces in Huangzhuang were obviously well prepared and had expected this. After seeing Yang Youliang being too shy to speak, Jiang Dawei, the eunuch in charge of the village, quickly stood up and said, "Oh? The head of the Wang family thinks that Yang Youliang framed the Wang family?
Then should we bring out all the relevant witnesses and physical evidence now and let everyone comment on it?"
After hearing this, Wang Jiahe's expression froze, but he did not dare to speak at all, because he had already understood that Huangzhuang's forces must be well prepared. As long as he dared to speak at this time, Jiang Dawei would definitely produce all kinds of conclusive witnesses.
The physical evidence completely discredited the Wang family!
When Wang Jiahe was in a dilemma, and several other debate representatives of the Jin gentry forces were caught off guard, it was the seventh prince Zhu Hejian who took the initiative to stand up and resolve the dilemma for the Jin gentry forces.
Zhu Hejian stood up with a frown, looked at several representatives of the Huangzhuang forces, and warned seriously: "Jiang Dawei, and this Mr. Yang, I must remind you that this is a place for debate, not a government court! Mr. Yang
I also sympathize deeply with your unfair experience, but if you want to complain, you should go to the Nanjing government to report the case. I will definitely do my best to seek justice for you, but you should not stand here and scream in public!
This public debate was to determine whether the existence of the imperial estates was reasonable, whether the imperial court should abolish the imperial estates in the south of the Yangtze River, and whether the various conflicts between the Jin gentry forces and the major imperial estates were disrespectful acts of contempt for the imperial power.
Sin! Other irrelevant matters are not suitable to be expressed in public here!"
Zhu Hejian's statement not only resolved the embarrassment of the Jin gentry forces, but also surprised everyone. Unexpectedly, Zhu Hejian not only did not favor the Huangzhuang forces during the debate, but also deliberately protected the face of the Jin gentry forces.
For a time, the views of the Jin gentry forces on Zhu Hejian also changed greatly.
In fact, the reason why Zhu Hejian stood up to defend the Jin gentry forces was not because he supported the Jin gentry forces, but because Yang Youliang's mission had ended.
The existence of Huangzhuang was a royal private property established by the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and it was run by eunuchs from the inner court who had always had a bad reputation. Therefore, in the minds of people from all walks of life in the government and the public, this phenomenon was naturally extremely unreasonable.
The emperor competed with the people for profit, and the eunuchs in the inner court oppressed the virtuous. The various conflicts between the Jin gentry forces and the imperial village forces were a righteous act by the Jin gentry forces to defy power and uphold justice!
This concept was prevalent in the hearts of the sages from all walks of life in Nanjing who were watching and witnessing, which put the imperial power and the gentry power in a naturally weak position during the public debate.
Therefore, Zhu Hejian found a figure like Yang Youliang and made him one of the debate representatives of the Huangzhuang forces. When the public debate officially began, Yang Youliang was the first to appear, taking the lead, and publicly unveiled the hypocrisy of the Jin gentry forces.
, kicked the gentry forces off their moral high ground.
In short, although Zhu Hejian could not improve the image of the Huangzhuang forces, he could directly vilify the image of the Jin gentry forces, which could also allow both forces to be treated relatively fairly in terms of public opinion.
However, the chess piece Yang Youliang can only be used to seize the enemy first, but cannot be used to pursue the victory. Otherwise, once the Jin gentry forces come back to their senses, they will definitely confront each other tit for tat and expose all the evil deeds of the Huangzhuang forces in public.
Although the Jin gentry forces oppressed the people and took advantage of others, the Huangzhuang forces were not clean in this regard. Both sides were evenly matched, and the eldest brother did not mention the second brother.
If the Jin gentry forces also begin to frequently expose various evil deeds of the Huangzhuang forces, the situation will gradually get out of control, the reputation of Huangzhuang will be further damaged, and the calls from the government and the public for the abolition of Huangzhuang will become louder and louder.
Therefore, Zhu Hejian naturally gave up when he saw the opportunity. After using Yang Youliang to vilify the image of the Jin gentry forces, he immediately stood up to maintain the order of the debate, saying that the two sides should not sue each other and file lawsuits during the debate. It seemed that he was safeguarding the Jin gentry forces.
Face actually prevented the Jin gentry forces from using the same means to fight back.
However, Zhu Hejian's consideration was only a hindsight to several debate representatives of the Jin gentry forces. Although they were all "contemporary great scholars", they also lacked a bit of quick wit. Instead, they mistakenly thought that Zhu Hejian was defending them. Only Song Dynasty
Song Jicheng, the direct grandson of the family, was vaguely aware of Zhu Hejian's true thoughts, but he was too junior and remembered some of Zhou Shangjing's instructions, so he chose to stand still and watch with cold eyes, allowing Zhu Hejian's plan to succeed!
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! On the other side, after Jiang Dawei, the eunuch of Guanzhuang, heard Zhu Hejian's serious warning, he saw that the atmosphere of many spectators around him had changed due to Yang Youliang's public accusation. Finally, it was
Reluctantly, he sat back down and called Yang Youliang back to him.
But after sitting down, Jiang Dawei still couldn't help but take the opportunity to sarcastically say: "Huh! You Jin gentry always accuse us Huangzhuang of fighting for tenants, but you don't know that the reason why the tenants defected to Huangzhuang one after another is because you Jin gentry oppressed too much.
The tenants have lost their way of living. We in Huangzhuang take in the tenants out of consideration for the Holy Heart and love for the people. However, you Jin gentry are hostile to our Huangzhuang because of this, just because the existence of our Huangzhuang prevents you from oppressing the people unscrupulously!"
With Jiang Dawei's public ridicule, the debate seemed to have finally gotten back on track.
As soon as Jiang Dawei finished speaking, another debate representative of the Jin gentry forces, Lao Bai Cunshou, a family scholar of the Bai family in northern Jiangxi, got up angrily and retorted loudly: "That's nonsense! Your imperial village is obviously a waste of people's power by accepting tenants.
Wow! The reason why the tenants continue to seek refuge in Huangzhuang is just because they are affiliated with Huangzhuang and do not have to pay taxes to the court! But if this situation continues for a long time, it will be very detrimental to the country and the people.
It’s a big disadvantage! The sage said…”
Afterwards, Bai Cunshou began to quote scriptures and talked endlessly about the words of Confucian saints. In summary, the royal family should not compete with the people for profit, the imperial court and the gentry should rule the world together, and the imperial power should not go to the countryside.
However, Bai Cunshou's remarks made everyone in the audience nod frequently, thinking that Bai Cunshou was worthy of being a contemporary great scholar, with detailed and reasonable arguments.
However, the Huangzhuang forces knew that their ability to debate scriptures was far inferior to that of the Jin gentry forces. At this time, they naturally would not pay attention to Bai Cunshou's quotations from scriptures. Various sages said so, but they still acted out of common sense.
Jiang Dawei, as one of the debate representatives of the Huangzhuang forces, has a clear mission, which is to fight against the Jin gentry forces.
After Bai Cunshou's rambling finally came to an end, Jiang Dawei stood up again and sneered: "Oh? The Bai family always said that the tenants took refuge in the imperial village just to avoid the court's taxes? Then... your gentry forces must be attacking the court.
Did you pay your taxes truthfully?"
Subsequently, at Jiang Dawei's signal, another debate representative of the Huangzhuang forces, Guo Sizong, the aide in charge of accounts in the Nanjing Guarding Eunuch Mansion, also stood up.