Rice is just pickles!
It's a little bad, but it's better than going on a hunger strike, right?
It turns out that the people held in this cell were all those who were designated as traitors by the heavenly book, and were not loyal and good.
If he went on a hunger strike and starved to death because he refused to admit that he was a traitor, that would be a big joke, wouldn't it?
Unlike young people, I have already lived for a long time, but I can no longer act on impulse.
After two or three days of starvation, the young man may be fine, but he himself cannot bear it!
Hunger strikes must be individualized!
Ruan Dacheng believed that he could carry it for three days at most, and that was without being executed by the feudal lord.
If you are beaten severely and go on hunger strike again, your life will be short-lived...
The feudal lord sent a meal, but in the end he went on a hunger strike. Isn't this embarrassing himself?
When I had such courage, why did I bother to seek refuge with the nine thousand-year-old Wei Zhongxian?
I am a human being too!
I also want to eat!
If I don’t eat, I will still starve to death!
On the other hand, can a hunger strike prove that one is not a traitor?
Isn't it self-deception to go on a hunger strike without proof?
Wei Xuelian and Gong Dingzi went on a hunger strike with the people in the cell opposite. Didn't they think twice before doing such a thing?
Do they have the same status as you two?
Later, he really became a loyal man and was released by Chongzhen. What about you two?
Carrying the name of his second minister, he was half-starved to death, and then he was betrayed...
Even if you are going to die, you must be a well-fed ghost, and you cannot go to the execution ground hungry!
Not wanting to eat when you are about to die is not a sign of integrity, it is stupidity!
"Master Ruan!"
Gong Dingzi was still unwilling to let this senior eat the bowl of rice, but Ruan Dacheng seemed quite willing to eat it.
"Okay! If I want to go to Jiuquan as a teacher in two days, I can always have a meal, right?"
Ruan Dacheng was raking rice while looking for a simple excuse to excuse himself.
This guy is probably used to being pampered and has not suffered much from factory guards.
If you are willing, just go hungry for a few days before talking.
After three days, I'm afraid this meal will be regarded as a good dish.
"Master Ruan! Why do you say this? If Master Ruan and I go to the disaster together, Chongzhen will definitely be regarded as a coward!"
Gong Dingzi felt that as long as Chongzhen cherished his reputation, he would not do such a despicable act.
"Xiaosheng, if you think you are innocent, you should think carefully about how to deal with the three-law division trial! Your Majesty may be lenient with Zhongliang and ignore the past grudges. But for the second minister, the Ming ancestral system, accepting fifty taels is very difficult. Skinned!"
Seeing that Peng Bin and Chen Mingxia received special treatment, Ruan Dacheng would naturally consider carefully and not follow the crowd anymore.
Obviously, the young man in front of him has not yet changed his mind and still feels that he is superior to others and can even be pardoned.
"...How dare Chongzhen inflict crimes on scholars?"
Of course Gong Dingzi knew the conditions of being skinned, and he was a little scared when he thought of this kind of torture.
"It's not whether His Majesty dares to execute you, but whether you dare to take the risk. If you accept more than fifty taels of silver, and you first deal with His Majesty and then confront Him, what do you think His Majesty will do? Same thing. , the salt merchant evades taxes, and after being caught, if he cannot produce proof of full tax payment, will your Majesty release him directly?"
Ruan Dacheng was a little disappointed with this young man. It would be fine if he had never been an official. After being an official, he was still so stupid. It was really hopeless.
Regardless of any walk of life, being manipulated by others is a taboo!
Those people in the imperial edict who have no reason to blame will naturally be released.
Those who were caught by Emperor Chongzhen decided that it would not be that easy if they wanted to escape unscathed.
Do you think Chongzhen is still the emperor in Beidu who was fooled around by his ministers?
With the example given by the prince earlier, no matter how stupid Chongzhen was, he would still not copy it?
If the Heavenly Book is used to stabilize the court and the court can't afford to cause trouble, it will be free to deal with the scholars!
"this……"
Gong Dingzi also understood that his current situation was equivalent to that of those salt merchants.
If you are willing to fill the gap, you can save your life.
On the contrary, it will be even more difficult to get out of the imperial prison.
"Master Ruan, in your opinion, how should we respond?"
Wei Xuelian listened for a long time and got some clues, but he was still not sure, so he planned to test it out.
"Just two words!"
"oh?"
"Pleas guilty!"
"Ah? This..."
Wei Xuelian and Gong Dingzi, as well as Hou Fangyu who was listening with pricked ears, were all astonished.
Isn't this too cowardly?
If he pleads guilty, doesn't it mean he has bowed his head to Chongzhen?
"Ruan Dacheng! You old man! How dare you teach the younger generation badly! Don't listen to his deceptions!"
Even though Ruan Dacheng didn't speak loudly, Yang Weidou in the cell opposite heard part of the content across the corridor.
"You are a loyal and good person, so don't worry about it. We will find our own way out and will not involve you!"
Ruan Dacheng did not intend to engage in a verbal confrontation with him and directly chose to give in.
"Chaozong! Xiaosheng! Ziyi (characterized by Wei Xuelian)! Don't listen to what this old man says. If the old man votes against Wei Yi, you will definitely be killed!"
Several people in the cell opposite, except for Chen Mingxia and Peng Bin, seemed to have loosened their attitudes. This was a situation that Yang Weidou was determined not to see.
"We bear the bad name of two ministers. If we don't save ourselves at this time, will we have to wait for His Majesty, Emperor Gao, the ancestor of the immortal world, to pardon us?"
Ruan Dacheng teased this person with disdain.
"What a self-rescue! You old man! You are just doing casual things in the name of self-rescue. I have long seen clearly the true nature of you, an old man!"
Yang Weidou hated this kind of traitor and wanted to kick him to death.
"We bear the name of two ministers, but you have never done it before. We don't want to sit back and wait for death, and you obstruct it. If we listen to what you say, can you ensure that our lives are safe?"
This kind of person cannot help others and actively wants to hold them back. This is the most abhorrent thing.
"Ruan Dacheng! Don't threaten me with this! A real man should be indifferent to fame and wealth and regard death as home. How can he be a person who is greedy for life and afraid of death?"
It is really shameful to admit guilt in order to survive, and it is unworthy of being a scholar, and his words and deeds will be scorned from behind.
"Hmph! How can you be indifferent to fame and fortune when you accept benefits from merchants in private? Don't you think the content of what you said is inconsistent? Do you also think that accepting benefits is a human thing? You accept a hundred taels of silver as a favor, and others accept it as a favor. Ten thousand taels of silver is also a favor!"
When Peng Bin was arguing with him before the meal, he had exposed this person's background. In this case, Ruan Dacheng should take advantage of the situation and expose it again.
"You... old man! Your intentions are so sinister! You are clearly trying to make trouble and confuse right and wrong!"
No matter what the other party said, Yang Weidou was determined not to admit it.
"No need to go into details, just tell me whether you have accepted it or not? Is it considered a favor if you have accepted it?"
"Old man! You and I are at odds with each other!"
"The recipient of the gift can actually be so confident! It's really a shame in the world! From this point of view, all the thieves who are greedy for ink in the world are innocent!"
"You... Ouch! This old man will definitely die a good death!"
Yang Weidou could not refute the other party for a while, and in anger, he could only curse the other party.
"How can I die if you, a 'loyal and good' person like you, don't die? If I die, I will make a speech in front of the King of Hell. When you come down, I will make you spit out all the benefits you have received!"
Ruan Dacheng was well-informed, and it was not uncommon for him to get into verbal quarrels. How could he lose to a junior in a quarrel?
"...old man...cough...cough!"
Yang Wei, who was choked by the opponent, was so angry that he started coughing. This old man was really difficult to deal with.
"If you two think that someone else can vouch for you, I didn't say anything about it just now, and you guys haven't heard of it either!"
Ruan Dacheng guessed that the two young men in front of him still had illusions about advancing and retreating with others, and they were not very inclined to confess.
"...Master Ruan, please let this junior think twice!"
After Gong Dingzi said this, he looked at Wei Xuelian, who was also noncommittal.
Confession sounds easy, but it is a matter of great importance to your reputation.
However, there is some truth in what Ruan Dacheng said. His situation is different from that of his colleagues in the cell opposite, so we must not generalize.
The other party is loyal and good, and he is a second minister.
If you make the same mistake, the other party can be released, and you may be beheaded.
The prerequisite for survival is to plead guilty. Only if you plead guilty can you get the emperor's pardon.
If you don't plead guilty, you must find a way to save your life. Obviously, the group of colleagues opposite don't have any good options at the moment.
When Gong Dingzi and Wei Xuexian looked at each other, they both saw the desire to survive in each other's eyes.
It was this desire that forced him to change his previous firm stance and soften his attitude.
"Baishi (Chen Ming Xia), I wonder how you confessed your crime? Can you tell me?"
Ruan Dacheng did not rush the two of them, and instead asked Chen Mingxia about his way of survival.
"Master Ruan, don't worry. I will tell you everything I know! It's not difficult to plead guilty. It's just a matter of writing down what you did on paper, including the gifts you received, the identity of the other party, and what you participated in."
"So Easy?"
"Your Majesty doesn't want to kill all the scholars, so why do you have to make it so complicated?"
"Is this true?"
"Gu Yanwu was immediately pardoned by His Majesty for his meritorious service in the fight against the Qing Dynasty. The Book of Heaven says that his grandfather will pass away in two years, and His Majesty ordered him to return home and fulfill his filial piety. If this is true two years later, we will know that what the Book of Heaven says is true."
"Ah? This..."
"Xu Fuyuan, Zhou Maoyuan, Chen Zilong, Chen Zhenhui and others were also pardoned by His Majesty for the same reason. The situation of the two of us was just the opposite, so we were imprisoned here."
After all, you have confessed your guilt, so there is nothing to be ashamed of anymore.
Even after eating the chicken legs, are you still afraid of being called a traitor?
"After Baishi Kezhi pleads guilty, will he be given a lighter sentence?"
This is what Ruan Dacheng and the other three people are most concerned about. If they don't get lenient treatment, why should they plead guilty? Isn’t this asking for trouble?
"Your Majesty did not say it clearly, but I speculate that it may be so. Master Ruan, I believe that your Majesty's biggest enemy today is the merchants who evade taxes. It is unwise for us scholars to protect the unscrupulous merchants. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has resigned from Many unscrupulous merchants in the northern capital have found their account books, and many housekeepers have taken the initiative to report their illegal activities. If Jiangnan merchants are implicated, where will we be placed? At that time, we, the scholars, will be faced with a mountain of irrefutable evidence. Will we be able to survive? Such courage to make sophistry? If the merchants pay taxes according to regulations, but are exploited by the imperial court, it is our duty to advise them. Now that the merchants are blatantly evading taxes, and we are trying to absolve them of their crimes, we can only count them as treacherous. If we use the benefits of seizing Min It's an excuse, but it's just a joke! Turn a blind eye to the Lianghuai salt merchants' wanton purchase of thin horses, turn a deaf ear to the many profiteers, and just say that the imperial court is extorting excessive taxes, can it live up to your own conscience? Saying that the people are miserable, dare to ask the profiteers who spend huge sums of money? What about the common people? If we count them as common people, why are they suffering so much? If we don’t count them as common people, how can the imperial court seize the benefits of Min? If you accept gifts from profiteers and speak for profiteers, how are you any different from the worms who go to jail to mine? ? I think I have figured it out. If our Ming Dynasty is really destroyed by the Donglu, it will probably be caused by such a perverse act! Is it too much to say that it is perverse? I think it is not too much. Accepting sacrifices is a felony, and accepting gifts is a second felony. It is a third felony to support profiteers, it is a fourth felony to insult His Majesty, it is a fifth felony to resist the imperial court, it is a sixth felony to participate in petitions, and it is a seventh felony to call for a strike. Those who commit these seven crimes are thieves, not scholars. Insulting Your Majesty and ignoring the court are To do one's own thing is to be unfaithful. To invade the country by knocking on the gate and ruining the lives of the people without doing one's best is to be unfilial. An unfaithful and unfilial person, how dare he call himself a scholar, he is no better than a pig or a dog!"
As he talked, Chen Mingxia unconsciously stood on the side of Dayi and spoke eloquently, making Peng Bin nod his head repeatedly.
"..."
These words left Wei Xuelian and Gong Dingzi, who had fought with them before, speechless. Could it be that they really went too far?
"Chen Mingxia! You two ministers, don't talk nonsense! Confuse others!"
After hearing this, Yang Weidou became furious. He slapped the fence and shouted at him.
"Brother Yang! You are loyal and good, so take care of yourself! Don't forget, you and I are still brothers of steel!"
Peng Bin directly stopped the scolding for Chen Mingxia. It seemed that this guy was still very motivated.
"fart!"
"Yeah! Steel fart brother!"
"Get out~!"
"Steel Fart Roll Brother!"
"Peng Bin! Go to hell, you thief!"
"Words of loyalty are really offensive to our ears!"
"Get out~!"
"Brother Steel, do you want to fart again?"
"Pembin dog thief shall die a good death!"
"It's really offensive! You are so loyal and kind!"
"Get out~!"
"Ha ha ha ha……"
The jailers heard Yang Weidou's roar from a distance, which combined with Peng Bin's deliberate words made everyone laugh again.
After Peng Bin moved in, at night, instead of being scary, the prison was very humorous, and the guards were no longer lonely on duty.
"Master Ruan can think about it slowly, as long as he thinks clearly before being interrogated. With all due respect, your Majesty asked us to plead guilty, which shows that your Majesty can control the situation. Otherwise, I am afraid that your Majesty will send us to Beidu. went……"
"Ah? This..."
"When you arrive in Beidu, you will be at the mercy of the Crown Prince. Master Ruan must have heard of the many tricks of the Crown Prince!"
"..."
The prince was privately called the "Devil Boy" by Jiangnan scholars!
At just a young age, he already has a heart like a devil and tricks like a ghost. How can he not be hated and feared by others?
Previously, the prince used thunderous means to rectify the officialdom of the Northern Capital, causing more than half of the officials and their families to be affected.
All of them, including the censor Guang Shiheng who was considered outspoken, were sent to Shandong to mine.
Committing such a despicable act of persecuting scholar-officials has already made all the scholars in Jiangnan hate the prince to the bone.
Many people were hoping that the northern capital would be captured by the Donglu, and Huang Taiji's cavalry would be able to capture the prince alive and then put him to death.
However, things went against expectations. Not only was the northern capital not occupied by the Donglu, Huang Taiji also took the initiative to withdraw his troops...
"People in their twenties may be able to withstand the pain of mining. At Master Ruan's age, I'm afraid his days will be numbered when he reaches the mining area."
Chen Mingxia didn't want to scare Ruan Dacheng intentionally, but just gave him a warning.
In addition to the normal recruitment of miners, the mining area is not so polite to prisoners.
Mining there, the intensity of the work is equivalent to being captured by the Donglu and working as a slave.
Even if he is really exhausted, the worst he can do is throw his body into the wilderness and feed it to wild dogs, without even digging a hole.
"..."
Wei Xuelian and Gong Dingzi were both a little scared when they heard this. They still wanted to have fun in their lifetime.
Mining? ? ?
Don't make such a joke!
