"Excuse me, the county magistrate, why do you want to move my Gui clan away? We are not a big clan. My great-grandfather's "Xiang Jixuan Zhi" records the decline of my Gui clan. Everyone in the world knows that my Gui clan is just a poor family. Officials, not noble families, you asked us to move to India, may I ask the Xu family, why did the Xu family, a powerful family in Kunshan, not receive the notice!"
Gui Jideng, a scholar from Kunshan, came to the county government office because his family received an order to move his family, and went to the county magistrate Yan Maocai to argue.
Yan Maocai said impatiently: "I don't know about this matter! We are only reporting the situation of each clan in the county truthfully, and the specific clans to be relocated are decided by the higher authorities! Even if you are not a prominent clan when you return home, you can still be regarded as a scholarly clan. Third, it can also reach the threshold of a clan that needs to be relocated!"
After saying that, Yan Maocai left Gui Jideng to dry in the front yard and returned to the backyard.
Gui Jideng was helpless for a moment, and he naturally realized that there might be corruption.
Because Gui Jideng knew very well how many wealthy families there in Kunshan had fields and industries far greater than his own.
Otherwise, he wouldn't. Although unlike his younger brother Guizhuang, he was a liberal scholar, he also supported the separation and relocation of the big families in the south of the Yangtze River, just because he clearly remembered all the embarrassing things that happened when he returned home and was taken over by big families from the same town. .
But Gui Jideng didn't expect that the imperial decree he supported would actually change his clan when it came.
Gui Jideng didn't know what to do for a moment.
But after thinking about it for a long time, he decided to stay in the county government.
Because he didn't believe that he was the only one in the Gui clan who was in this situation.
It was as expected by Gui Jideng.
Not long after he came to Kunshan County Government, many scholars came one after another, and most of them were scholars from poor families and even poorer peasant families.
"Brother Li, Brother Zhao, and Brother Sun, are you here because of the clan relocation order?"
"Exactly, I don't understand. I have no land, no property, and am alone. I make my living by writing articles for newspapers. How can I be considered a wealthy person! But the government wants me to move my clan! Isn't it funny?"
"It's really funny! There must be something fishy in this!"
Therefore, Gui Jideng proposed: "Then let's ask the county magistrate to give us an explanation and ask the county magistrate to publish the list of the big families in the household demarcation. We want to know why we, a small family, are not considered a wealthy family at all. , why were the clans moved! And have the big clans like the Xu family and the Wan family been listed among the big clans in Kunshan?!"
"Yes, we need the county magistrate to give an explanation so that the students will not be confused!"
"Please give me an explanation from the county magistrate!"
"If you don't give an explanation, we will go to the provincial inspector to complain!"
All the scholars present shouted angrily.
At this time, Xu Qianxue came over and shouted: "Everyone, please listen to the next words!"
All the scholars also calmed down and looked at Xu Qianxue.
Xu Qianxue said: "Xu has long said that immigration policies since ancient times have not been good governance, but you don't think so. Instead, you mistakenly believe in the words of Huang Lizhou and Gu Tinglin, thinking that relocating large clans can inhibit annexation! Now, you must have I have also seen that even if the Holy One issued this order to suppress the annexation, the order will still change when it reaches the lower levels, and in the end it will be the poor families of the common people who will be affected!"
After saying that, Xu Qianxue added: "So! This policy of relocating clans should not have happened for a long time!"
"But the clan power is too strong, and it is indeed a constraint on personal freedom. Mr. Lizhou is right. If we want people to be free, to be free to engage in any profession, to be free to choose marriage, it is not just to get rid of the monarch's control over us. We must get rid of the shackles of our clans! Separating the big clans and weakening their power is an important step in realizing human freedom!"
Gui Jideng retorted to Xu Qianxue at this time.
"That's right! Since ancient times, if a local power is too strong, it will affect the peace of the country, and it will also restrain the people individually, but it will only benefit the direct sect! As for relying on the large population of the clan, bullying small families and occupying water sources , seize their land, and even threaten the government, not to mention! It is indeed a good thing for the imperial court to divide and relocate the big families! "
Another scholar named Li Jianian also started talking.
Xu Qianxue angrily shouted: "Nonsense! By forcing the big clans to separate and move, doesn't it violate the principle of free movement? Are the big clans just Han people?!"
"The imperial court does not govern by granting absolute freedom to the people. Instead, it believes in what Gu Tinglin and those scholars with Xingming society background believe. They want the world to be public and unified. If you, the big family, think it is unfair, go and stop it. If the imperial court does this, it has nothing to do with us.”
Gui Jidian replied.
After hearing this, Xu Qianxue was very disappointed and couldn't help shouting: "You hypocrites are really in vain! You have the nerve to say that you believe in freedom! You just want to make your own profits and freedom, and you hope that the court will restrict the plans of others for you." You are shameless for benefiting from freedom!"
After Xu Qianxue finished shouting, he rolled up his sleeves and left.
Like Xu Qianxue, students belonging to wealthy families have basically left here.
As a result, the liberal scholars in Jiangnan were divided. In disputes involving specific interests, liberal scholars with different origins obviously had great differences.
Gui Jideng also began to wonder whether there was something wrong with his thinking, whether he really only thought about his own freedom, or whether he should not think that giving freedom to the people was the most correct thing at the moment. governance philosophy.
"It's them! They refuse to implement the clan relocation order. If we don't deal with them as soon as possible, they will file a complaint!"
And just when scholars like Gui Jideng, who believed in free thought and whose interests had been harmed by the decree of relocating the rich clans, gathered to discuss how to solve the matter, Xu Qianxue led a group of black forces armed with weapons. He surrounded the place and said a few words.
Therefore, this group of black forces rushed over with knives and directly attacked and killed the scholars who were gathering by the river.
"ah!"
A scholar was stabbed on the spot and screamed.
Many other scholars were also hacked to the ground one after another.
Gui Jideng, who also came here, hurriedly ran towards the river and jumped into the river without saying a word.
Xu Qianxue was quite disappointed when he saw this. He couldn't help but come back and said to Yan Maocai, the magistrate of Kunshan: "Those who wanted to cause trouble were all killed, except for one who jumped into the river!"
"Did you see who jumped into the river?"
"Gui Jideng!"
"I will send people home now. You take your people to search along the river! You want to see people alive, and you want to see corpses dead. Although we have His Majesty the Seventh Prince above us, the eldest son of the Emperor behind His Majesty the Seventh Prince is still in this province. You’re on patrol, but you can’t take it lightly!”
The county magistrate Yan Maocai immediately gave orders.
…
"You're saying that you received reports from the people about murders happening by the river back home?"
Wen Yuren, the governor of Jiangnan, was prompted by his brother Wen Tiren to find some officials related to the seventh prince for impeachment. After learning that Yan Maocai was an old official of the seventh prince when he was the county magistrate, he made a special trip to Kunshan incognito.
But Wen Yuren didn't expect that as soon as he arrived in Kunshan, he would encounter a group of people from the patrol station, holding firearms and rushing to a place where a murder was said to have occurred.
Therefore, he stopped these people, showed his identity as governor, and asked.
"I dare not lie to you! It was indeed seen by the fishing people with their own eyes. They said that many husbands were killed, and dozens of them were hacked to death!"
The military attache from the governor's office replied.
After hearing this, Wen Yuren felt bad, and at the same time he was very excited. Knowing that he finally had the opportunity to impeach the people around the seventh prince, he immediately ordered: "Go to Kunshan County Government!"
7017k
