Hu Zhizhang threw the crutch to the maid, sat down and said: "Brother Yan, what kind of big shot do you think this old man is? Even though he has thousands of acres of fertile land, in the eyes of their officials, he is just a servant, how can he be noble? I'm used to it.
Now I just have to leave it to fate."
Yan Laifu said: "This matter is related to our future and destiny. We must not just sit back and wait for death. Even if Mr. Hu is unwilling to disobey, you must think about the thousands of villagers behind you."
"The reason why I am so worried is precisely because of this." Hu Zhizhang sighed, "They are just rectifying official studies now, which is harmless, but looking at this posture, they will inevitably extend their hands into social studies in the future. Once this hole is opened, they will
You can't block it if you want to. You must have a countermeasure. Blindly hiding here and there is not the answer after all."
Yan Laifu said: "Now that the county magistrate is urging me hastily, it is not impossible to postpone it temporarily due to my illness. As for the matter you mentioned, it will not be too late to discuss it later."
"Is there any reason for you and me to be sick at the same time? It's just perfunctory and hard to believe."
After hearing this, Yan Laifu thought hard for a while, then suddenly clapped his thigh and said, "How about this? You first send someone to the Yamen to report the illness. When they come to me, I will say that 'people who speak lightly cannot decide the affairs of the school alone'."
So they refused to go. Even if they had resentment in their hearts, there was no reason for it to happen."
"My younger brother has a brilliant idea!" Hu Zhizhang was overjoyed, "I will write a letter and ask my servant to send it to the Yamen!"
The county magistrate had arranged a table of wine and food in the inner hall. He waited here for a long time, but no one came. The food was already half cold, and then he saw a servant in coarse clothes hurried over and handed over Hu Zhizhang's handwriting.
Go up and tell him that his master has been suffering from wind and cold recently and is not feeling well. He is unlikely to be ill. Please discuss it another day.
The county magistrate and others read the letter, but had no reaction at all. Only the officer who came from the mansion scolded loudly and extremely unpleasantly. He couldn't resist, so he had to say a few words, and ordered the servant to return quickly with the letter, and called Yan Laifu.
One person came to discuss matters.
Not long after, Squire Yan replied according to his previous words and declined the meeting. The county magistrate was greatly disappointed when he got the news. He looked at the food on the table lonely and didn't say a word for a long time. The magistrate's servant was even more bored and confused.
He was angry, but he was worried about the magistrate's face, so he pretended to smile and called all the officials in the yamen to come and eat the food and wine, but he couldn't swallow a bite.
After everyone dispersed, the county magistrate summoned his confidants and said: "I think the policies above are too harsh. They are just running an official school. Why bother adding the word 'kill' to everything and making all the good Huanghuang ethics and ethics a sham?"
murderous soldiers
Qi, who will dare to send their children to school in the future and get involved in these bloody events? Hu and Yan Ergong are willing to be loyal to the government. This will only implicate me and them in the enmity. If we get into trouble, the villagers will
How can we maintain order?"
All the confidants advised: "It doesn't matter if there are some misunderstandings. An explanation will be enough in the future. But if the two men are beheaded, many farmers will be difficult to govern for a while, and Qufu will be in chaos! They don't obey orders, and you can only make peace with them."
They are of one mind!"
The county magistrate nodded: "I think so too. It's better to slow down this harmful new policy if possible."
One person came up with a plan and said: "It is better to report the situation to the government office and wait for instructions; at the same time, send people to the countryside to post notices to remind the two gentlemen to make full preparations. Although the matter cannot be resolved, it can still be nipped in the bud."
The county magistrate greatly agreed. Not waiting for the next day, he sent two government servants on fast horses, each holding more than ten notices, and rushed to each village to post them. The two went separate ways, but because they had nothing on them, they
They all borrowed glue from the villagers' homes and pasted the notices on the wall one after another. They didn't even consider the people's inquiries.
.
Most of the people were illiterate and couldn't understand, so they hurriedly asked Mr. Hu to read it. Although Hu Zhizhang's legs and feet were weak, he dared not be careless when encountering such a big event. He walked out of the house quickly and even threw a pair of old legs.
They all ran strong and strong.
He arrived in front of the earthen wall and read out several lines of writing on the wall. It read: 'I would like to inform the local villagers: The prefect has issued an order to send a special envoy to build a school and discuss it with the squires Hu and Yan.
You should be aware of the good intentions of the country. If you see any powerful landlords who obstruct the new government, you should send them to the government and kill them without fail!'
The villagers in all the villages were shocked when they heard this. They all stood there numbly and looked at Mr. Hu. After Hu Zhizhang finished reading, he was so scared that he was sweating profusely, his face was deathly pale, his whole body was trembling, and even his teeth were shaking.
The servants were horrified. They carried Hu Zhizhang and limped back to the mansion. They fell on the bed and felt that their bodies were as cold as ice and their eyes were straight. They hurriedly got the brazier to keep him warm.
The news quickly reached Yan Laifu's ears. He was frightened and anxious. He hurriedly put on a coat, called his servants to get up the sedan, and came to Hu Zhizhang's house.
Yan Laifu walked into the inner courtyard and saw that the door and windows of the bedroom were closed, and several maids were sitting outside the door crying. He asked anxiously: "What happened to your master?"
A maid wiped her tears, raised her head and replied: "Master Hu was just urged by the villagers to read the notice. As he was reading, for some reason, he suddenly started to tremble all over. He was so cold that he was carried back to the house, and his body was getting worse.
Those who have cold hair and unclear speech may be seriously ill!"
Yan Laifu stamped his feet and murmured: "I keep talking about pretending to be sick, but now I'm really sick..." Then he gritted his teeth and ordered them: "Open the door quickly, and I'll take a look at him!"
Hu Zhizhang was covered with a quilt and a wet cloth wrapped around his forehead. When he saw the door slightly open and Yan Laifu coming hastily from the outside, he shouted in a low voice: "Yan Shidi..."
Yan Laifu immediately knelt down in front of his bed, touched his head a few times, asked with wide eyes, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine..." Hu Zhizhang reluctantly shook his head twice, "My nephews and nephews from the Shicai clan came over to visit me. They warmed themselves by the fire and rubbed themselves. I'm feeling much better now."
"In this critical time, you must not fail!" Yan Laifu was very worried and clenched his hands.
"It's just a minor illness that frightened the people in the government... Did you read that notice?" Hu Zhizhang raised his eyes slightly.
"I just saw it. I can only say that the situation has changed drastically, and it is really not optimistic." Yan Laifu said thoughtfully.
"How about you go to the county government office and settle this matter?"
Yan Laifu flatly refused: "This matter can still turn around. I have a way. If it can be the best, it won't be too late to compromise with them if it doesn't work out."
"Please speak!" Hu Zhizhang suddenly became energetic and moved his body forward vigorously.