"Tell me what you do and why you are here." Fang Zhengyi guided Wang Erzhu with his words.
"I... am a farmer. I can't survive in Xinzhang County, so I want to come here to do some business." Wang Erzhu was still a little scared.
Yang Yingcai frowned and said, "Can't you make it? You're talking nonsense. Xinzhang County has always had good policies to help the people. How can you not make it if you own land? You have to say it carefully and don't make any lies. "
"If you are a lazy person and don't want to make progress, you won't be able to rely on others to live a good life!"
Lazy guy? Am I a lazy person?
Wang Erzhu felt a little dizzy.
Although both his parents died, his father died early, and he was the only strong laborer in the family. He had always taken care of the family business.
Farming diligently every day, busy from morning to night, as tired as a dead dog.
Lazy guy... This is a huge insult to his character.
Wang Erzhu felt aggrieved, and anger grew in his heart. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he roared: "I have worked very hard to live! Why do you call me a lazy man!"
Fangzheng is obsessed with sorrow.
Poor Wang Erzhu, it is really miserable to be slandered even though he is lying flat.
"I go out to work before dawn every day, and I can only rest when the sun goes down. It turns out that I can live a pretty good life alone, and I can make do with it."
"But everything changed after he came!" Wang Erzhu said, pointing at Sun Sheng angrily.
Sun Sheng's eyes widened in disbelief.
He... thinks he is diligent and caring for the people, but he didn't expect that this old man who came out of nowhere would slander him in front of His Majesty!
Is this person a shill for Fang Zhengyi? !
Although he had this doubt in his mind, Emperor Jing obviously didn't trust him now.
Sun Sheng didn't dare to say anything.
Wang Erzhu continued to cry: "Xin Zhang has changed since this dog official took office."
"Originally, prices were considered stable, but then the government restricted other people's price increases, and it became increasingly difficult to buy. So much so that it became impossible to buy without going through the back door to increase prices, and prices in the city became higher and higher."
"Not only that, during my spare time, I had to go to the city to work and find odd jobs to make ends meet. In the past, I could still find a good livelihood and earn some money by selling my energy."
"But later, some small workshops in the city were taken away. They hired few people and did a lot of work. The little money they earned was not enough for me to eat. I simply didn't dare to live at home. You don’t have to move around when you go out, and you can skip a meal.”
"Once you are exhausted from work, and you get sick again, you won't have money to treat it!" Wang Erzhu's voice became louder and louder, "Those drug stores were also taken away by rich people, and the price of the medicinal materials increased several times. I don’t know if what I bought is real or fake! Do you know?”
"I have a neighbor who... just because of a cold, he couldn't bear it and sold his land to buy medicine. In the end, the disease was not cured and the land was gone!"
Wang Erzhu's voice was filled with tears. When he said this, he directly pointed at Sun Sheng: "It's all because of you! I live in fear every day now!"
"I won't be able to eat soon, and I don't have much money left at home!"
"How many people around me have had their land taken away by big landowners at low prices. We want to go to the government to redress our grievances...but we can't even get in through the yamen door, and they have to be beaten and scolded."
"What can we do? It's just a few complaints in private, but you won't let us complain! If we hear them, we will be thrown into jail!"
Wang Erzhu beat his chest and stamped his feet: "I'm afraid... I'm afraid that I won't have food to eat, I'm afraid that my family's ancestral property will be taken away by others, and I'm also afraid of the court... What have I done wrong! You still want to call me a lazy man ?! I just want a normal life!"
Panic flashed in Sun Sheng's eyes: "Impossible! This is either happening to you alone, or you are lying!"
"I lied?!" Wang Erzhu pointed back at himself, his eyes wide open, "Gou Guan! Do you still want to blame me?!"
"Where is your conscience? Do you think that just because I am an ordinary person, you can bully me endlessly?"
"There is only one orchard left in my family. It was passed down to me by my father. I don't plan to take it anymore... It is my ancestral property, my ancestral property!" Wang Erzhu cried loudly.
"Do you think I don't want it? I have lived in Xinzhang all my life, but I can't live anymore, I can't live anymore!"
Wang Erzhu lost control of his emotions, and everyone present was secretly surprised.
It seemed that there was something hidden in it that they didn't see at all.
However, Sun Sheng had already lost his sense of control and pointed at Wang Erzhu and shouted: "Shut up! Lies are all lies. Your Majesty, this person must be found by Fang Zhengyi to slander me... News about me below in Xinzhang County Every three days, the people are living in such misery, how could I know nothing about it!"
"You still want to fucking accuse me of lying?" Wang Erzhu was so angry that he rushed forward with his teeth and claws bared.
Caught off guard, Sun Sheng was thrown to the ground, and the two began to fight.
This unprecedented change shocked everyone. Yang Yingcai reacted and shouted quickly: "Come here! Pull them away quickly!"
"Don't move, let them fight!" Emperor Jing said in a deep voice.
"Guo Banban, I asked you to secretly investigate in Xinzhang, you should gain something, right?"
Guo Tianyang walked out and said softly: "I have gained a lot, your majesty. Do you want to listen now?"
"Tell them."
"Yes, I secretly sent people in Xinzhang County to investigate many gentry families and yamen in the county. Indeed, as Mr. Fang expected, these local forces have basically united together due to Sun Sheng's high-pressure methods."
"Sun Sheng was kept in the dark, and the gentry family secretly purchased people's shops and properties at low prices. The people in the yamen acted as thugs and escorted them. Whenever Sun Sheng visited the people, they would join forces to put on a show."
"This slave has asked them to sign and deposit these evidences of crime. Does Your Majesty want to see them now?"
After hearing this, the ministers fell into silence, with only Sun Sheng's wailing and Wang Erzhu's roar
Emperor Jing raised his hand and glanced at the crowd with his deep eyes: "No need, have you all heard? There are so many pillars of the country and veterans of the two dynasties, but no one found the problem! On the contrary, a young Fang Zheng took a look A transparent one!”
"As Zhengyi once said, keep your feet in the mud... You all talk about the people, but who really cares?"
Yang Yingcai couldn't help but defended: "Your Majesty, Sun Sheng was just deceived by a traitor. If he continues to be beaten, he will be beaten to death!"
"Deceived by traitors? Why are there all traitors in Xinzhang County except him? Didn't he create these traitors by himself?" Emperor Jing said indifferently.
"Your Majesty, if you continue to fight, you will really die." Fang Zheng warned in a low voice.
Sun Sheng was just a scholar. He couldn't withstand three punches from Wang Erzhu, a farmer. He was basically pinned to the ground and beaten.
Now his nose is bruised, his face is swollen, he is vomiting blood in his mouth, and his condition is very miserable.
Emperor Jing waved his hand upon seeing this.
Fang Zhengyi hurriedly stepped forward, trying to pull Wang Erzhu away.
It doesn't matter if Sun Sheng dies, but if Wang Erzhu kills a scholar, it will be a big problem.
The two of them beat the ground until it was covered in dust. Fang Zheng felt it was dirty and took out a silver ingot from his sleeve.
When it was handed to Wang Erzhu's eyes, Wang Erzhu's eyes were fixed and he stopped moving.
Fang Zheng smiled and said, "Stop it, Erzhu, there are all official servants here."
...
