Chapter 17 Prohibition of Learning and Dismissal (3)
"Wei Huai..."
Wei Huai was walking with Xia and Yang under the Huaiqing Bridge when they saw a group of officers and soldiers among the dense crowd. The officers and soldiers were leading the way, as if they were rushing towards him.
It has to be said that Wei Huai still felt fearful. "Let's go quickly." Wei Huai called to the two of them in a low voice and hurriedly turned around and ran away.
They squeezed among the tourists and turned out from a corner; Wei Huai stretched his neck from time to time to look back and saw that they were following closely, not letting go for a moment.
They turned into an alley again, and bumped into a wall about ten feet high, which was impossible to climb over. Wei Huai hurriedly walked out of the alley, but a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder, almost staggering.
"Where do you want to run? You can hide from the first grade of junior high school, but you can't hide from the fifteenth grade!" An officer came out from the corner and grabbed Wei Huai and held his head firmly.
"You...what reason do you have for arresting me?"
"Reason? You forgot that audacious letter you wrote to the prefect? You may be sentenced to death!" He roughly pulled Wei Huai, "Quickly leave!"
"Don't even think about it!" Yang Huaisheng yelled behind him.
"I know that the two of you are colluding with this prisoner. I'm going to be lenient now and won't argue with you. If you dare to disturb my routine, you will go to jail with him!" The officer did not look at Yang Huaisheng and said to the army.
The soldiers tied up Wei Huai and took the people away.
"You guys stop!"
Yang Huaisheng couldn't hold back his anger and strode forward to stop him; but Xia Yuanlong had quick eyes and quick hands and pulled him back in an instant, holding his hand and admonishing: "This is not the time to get angry. Brother Zhong Fang, you
It’s too reckless! Why not find a place to gather the people first and encourage them to protest to the court later? Wouldn’t it be better if there are more people and more power? I’m right, brother Zhong Fang..."
Yang Huaisheng then gave up and followed Xia Yuanlong back to his residence in a depressed manner.
The officer escorted Wei Huai to the cell. Since he had not yet been convicted, he was not shackled and allowed to move around the prison without restraint.
One day later, the prefect discussed with Prince Wan and sentenced him to "inciting the people and having evil intentions. He should be executed according to the laws of the country. Now he will be spared according to the circumstances and will only serve for thirty years." Then he ordered the officer to wear a shackle on Wei Huai
Lock it and put it in the room.
Although the prefect strictly prohibited the news, the news spread like wildfire and shocked the entire city of Nanjing. Yang Huaisheng was extremely angry, so he planned with Xia Yuanlong to set up tables and chairs at the old stage on the street and convene with great fanfare.
The common people attracted many people to stop and watch, so that more and more people came, and the crowds surged, and the people behind even stood on tiptoe and looked up eagerly.
Xia Yuanlong stood in the middle of the stage and coughed. Under the clear blue and cool sky, facing thousands of people, he shouted: "People! Mr. Wei was imprisoned for criticizing bad government.
Do you all know that?"
"I know it all!..." Although there were some noises in the audience, this sentence was still shouted out in unison.
"Okay," Xia Yuanlong raised his voice again, "I don't understand. As a good official who serves the country and the people, shouldn't Mr. Wei have some insights into the law? But he was imprisoned for this matter! May I ask?
Could it be that Nanjing, as big as Nanjing, cannot tolerate people who vocally resist?!"
"Yes! Yes!" The people below were agitated.
"It seems that there is a person in the government who is clinging to the throne and is blocking us from getting back our rights. This is our Lord Prefect! The Prefect of Nanjing!"
There was a lot of noise and thunder in the audience, but he was not afraid of disturbing the officials. Yang Huaisheng was surprised. He didn't expect him to be so fearless.
"Master Prefect, look at what good things he has done for you. Since he took office, he has not suppressed annexation and has not changed people's livelihood. In addition to blocking people's opinions, if you think about it carefully, he has a government that can be called one or two!
They regard us as slaves and reduce us to nothing, so why not show them that you all have backbone and are the kind of proud people who cannot be easily offended!"
After that, the people in the audience shouted "Okay" in unison, and surrounded Xia Yuanlong as he walked down from the stage with cheers. His eyes were full of indomitable spirit, and he stood directly in front of the people.
, like a general on the battlefield, leading them towards the prefect's Yamen.
However, Yang Huaisheng suddenly escaped. Some people suspected that he wanted to be a 'deserter' and hurriedly blocked the road and asked: "Does Mr. Yang want to run away?" Yang Huaisheng shook his head firmly: "I want to buy a coffin."
So, without any explanation, he quietly left amid the crowds of people.
This team was truly magnificent. They gathered together like a giant python on the move. From the stage, across the road, and along the alleys, every house heard the majestic protest outside the window, which almost spread throughout the country.
After traveling half of Nanjing, we stopped in front of the prefect's Yamen.
"Bring back the Weiji wine!" some people shouted.
The Yamen servants saw that every pair of their eyes was filled with anger, and thousands of eyes were cast here, which would make anyone tremble.
However, they adhered to the wishes of the prefect and did not dare to retreat easily. They just showed off their spirit and shouted: "Cool people! Cunning people! Have you forgotten how the last time... last time ended? Then... then Wei Huaidu
Let... let enter the room!"
"How dare you say this!" Xia Yuanlong spoke angrily, "We are here to rescue Wei Jijiu! What reason do you have for arresting people? First, they said it was 'inciting the people', but he
It's just leading the people to petition, how can we talk about inciting? And when you say 'deliberately evil', do you think there is someone in the yamen who is like a roundworm in the belly of Jijiu, and even knows what he is thinking?"
Those government officials were not good at eloquence, so when they said this, they were immediately speechless.
"Let Wei Huai out of prison quickly!"
The prefect heard it very clearly in the study, but still ignored it. He practiced calligraphy on his own, and even picked it up and asked a servant: "How do you like this calligraphy?"
"Brother Xian, what you say doesn't work. I will risk my life to rescue Jimin!"
Xia Yuanlong looked back and saw Yang Huaisheng and a few people running over dragging a coffin. Yang Huaisheng put the coffin on the ground and placed it in front of the stone steps in the lobby. He knelt on the ground and worked hard towards the Yamen.
shouted: "Master Prefect!"
The magistrate was so confused by his shouting that his writing skills became chaotic, and his writing gradually became unsightly. "I won't write anymore!" The magistrate sighed heavily. "Then Yang Huaisheng..."
"I, Yang Huaisheng, am also a member of the Imperial College, so I naturally want to complain about the wine sacrifice! Has the prefect seen the coffin next to me? You can't see it. Let me tell you, I specially had this coffin painted with earthen paint. The color is pitch black.
Yes! This coffin weighs, it should be eighty kilograms! This coffin is still long, nine feet long! If you don't let Wei Huai go and appease the people's anger, I will bump into the coffin in your Yamen..."
The prefect couldn't help but sweat broke out on his forehead. He was panicked and looked at a servant with an embarrassed look on his face, as if he wanted to give some orders.