"Get out of the way, get out of the way, Mr. Hu has something big to do!"
Seeing the crowd in front, Yan Laifu immediately rushed up and chased away the many people blocking the door. After struggling back and forth for a while, he finally made way for a main road and let others hold Squire Hu out.
The minor official couldn't see clearly behind him at first, but after they walked out of the temple gate together and looked around, he saw that the villagers had formed a human wall on the flat ground in front, wrapping them up in three layers. He was so overwhelmed that he was really surprised - after all, he had never seen such a huge formation when he came here.
"Everyone," Yan Laifu bowed in a circle to everyone, "Mr. Hu dragged his sick body and was already exhausted mentally and physically. He wanted to sacrifice the saint and then leave. However, the county parents had an order to announce, so he had to stay for the time being. Therefore, please don’t speak loudly or interfere with the official business of the government!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the subordinate officer added another sentence: "This matter is related to the great government of the imperial court. It is not suitable for you and other small people to know everything. Don't watch the excitement here. Everyone, please step aside and allow me and Mr. Hu to go back to the house to discuss!" "
Although the people didn't quite understand it, when they heard the word "retreat", the crowd immediately became agitated and became restless. People who wanted to retreat and those who wanted to advance crowded together, and the originally neat team was no longer in shape. At this critical moment, several men even took advantage of the chaos and rushed forward. They shouted with wide eyes: "Since it is official business, what can we hide? I dare not say it openly. Do you want to harm Hu?" , Mr. Yan!" Fortunately, he was noticed by a dozen servants with sharp eyes and quick hands, and they blocked him out.
The subordinate official was at a loss what to do about the situation and stood upright in a daze. Seeing that the time had come, Hu Zhizhang stepped forward and shouted to everyone: "Countrymen, please stop making noise, be quiet, be quiet! I will discuss it with the scribe and give you a satisfactory answer!" "
After saying that, there was silence for a moment. Seeing this scene, he felt very proud and turned to look at the subordinates: "Sir, if I don't follow them, I'm afraid I won't be able to get out of this door."
The junior official clearly felt the weight of Squire Hu's words. On the other hand, he was just a humble official. How dare he go against the will of the public. At present, he had no choice but to obey: "Squire Hu's words are reasonable. I hope you can stop these people." , so that the county magistrate’s order can be conveyed as soon as possible.”
Hu Zhizhang readily agreed, and a smile appeared on his sallow face. He coughed twice and said to all the people: "I have made an agreement with the scribe. Now you can stay if you want to stay, and go if you want to go. There will be no hindrance!"
The clerk then took out the document from his arms, asked Hu and Yan to kneel on the ground, and read slowly: "This county has received a report from the government office, and if it is impossible to expand the county's schools, it should be forcibly promoted. , there must be no delay. Now that I heard that Mr. Hu is ill, I specially sent a member of the civil service to go and have a look at the illness. If his thoughts are still clear and he is not seriously ill, he should leave immediately, otherwise he will be considered for a serious crime!"
"Grassmen take orders..." Hu Zhizhang bowed to the clerk and stood up with difficulty, but he was not stable. He pressed his forehead tightly with his hands, as if he was about to faint.
"Mr. Hu, are you okay?" Yan Laifu hurriedly helped him, and took the opportunity to turn his head behind him and wink at the few accompanying Jin gentry.
"Hey, may I ask, sir," one of the gentry said, "What is this 'expansion of county schools' all about?"
Naturally, the subordinate officials would not be so polite to them. They just glanced at them from the corner of their eyes and said, "You don't care about the field, why do you need to know?"
"School fields? What does the expansion of the county school have to do with the school fields?" The gentry still refused to give up. "I just want you to explain it. You are not engaging in any conspiracy. Is it really like what the villagers said, is there something else? Don’t you want to draw a picture?”
"Yes, they are in charge of the countryside with our generation, and they have great authority. They can't turn a blind eye to what's going on outside the window." Yan Laifu said smoothly.
The subordinate official was forced to do nothing by these words and nodded impatiently: "Okay, okay, you have the final say, I will tell you everything! This expansion of the scale of official schools was originally a new policy strictly punished by the imperial court, but that The two of them felt that their school land alone could not afford the expenses for the expansion. So the superiors were in trouble and asked the county boss to talk about this matter. I made it so clear, do you understand?"
In the crowd, the men who had been making noises listened the most carefully. When the subordinates finished explaining, they kicked up their legs like rabbits, swarmed up, ran to a conspicuous position, threw their arms and shouted: "Father!" Folks, have you heard this? Our two masters, Hu and Yan, are always thinking about the school. Not only did they donate many acres of fertile land, they also helped them manage the land. Even the tenant farmers who farmed the school fields were grateful for their kindness. ! Not only did the government not appreciate this painstaking effort, but they also carried out a major expansion. If they couldn't afford it in the future, wouldn't they have to pay for it themselves? What the government did really chilled the hearts of the gentry all over the world! What's more, Master Hu's condition is so It's so serious that I'm already dizzy, but I still have to walk for a long time to go to the Yamen for talks! The people in the Yamen are torturing people like this, they are obviously forcing Mr. Hu to die!"
These men spoke so emotionally that they could not help but move most of the people present, and instantly ignited the burning anger in the hearts of the villagers. The peaceful atmosphere that had just been restored suddenly deteriorated at this moment. The villagers became excited, beating the wall in front of the temple and banging against the door in front of them. Among the noisy voices, a few unified voices can still be vaguely distinguished: "Let Mr. Hu go back to his house to rest! Stop this discussion for the time being!"
The situation at the scene was simply a mess, and the servants couldn't keep busy. The gentry who had just questioned the subordinates was afraid of taking responsibility, so he took advantage of the chaos, got into the crowd, held his head, and ran away.
The subordinate official himself was even squeezed out of the way by the crowd. Looking around, he couldn't even find any trace of Squire Hu. Seeing that the situation was completely out of control, he had no time to take care of official business. He threw away the official documents and fought with the people for the road. He ran more than 20 steps away, even his hat was torn off, his hair was hanging down, and he escaped in embarrassment.
"Are the people making trouble?" The magistrate sat in the second hall with his legs crossed, took a sip of tea and gave him an understatement.
"Master of the county!" The subordinate official knelt on the ground with a sad face, "Those villagers were instigated by Yan Laifu and became lawless! If the unruly people are allowed to do so, how can the government carry out the order? Please send the army to arrest the culprits quickly!"
"The so-called law does not punish everyone, how can you ask me to take care of this matter?" The magistrate sighed, "Okay, you have been frightened a lot, go back and rest quickly. I will report this matter to the government and hand it over. Leave it to Mr. Futai to deal with."
