Gentlemen are best at connecting things together.
When transportation is inconvenient, travel is inconvenient, and the channels for obtaining information are single. The only channels for ordinary people to obtain external information are from the government and local gentry elders.
Therefore, ordinary people are more willing to believe what the elders of the country gentry say.
After a night of communication, hundreds of Qufu people, led by a group of scholars, gathered outside the Yamen of Qufu early the next morning.
Among this group of scholars, the one with the highest reputation was just a scholar. Seven or eight of them were children, and the rest were scholars who had studied for several years but failed to obtain any reputation.
"Let them go, let them go."
The leading scholar shouted loudly in the direction of the county government office.
Other scholars and people gathered outside the Yamen also shouted, asking the Yamen to release him.
The several guards outside the Yamen all raised their fire guns, and the bayonets on the muzzles were pointed at the crowd gathered outside the Yamen.
tread! tread! tread!
A rush of footsteps came from inside the Yamen, and soon a group of more than thirty soldiers filed out of the Yamen and blocked the front entrance of the Yamen.
"Why are you arresting people and letting me, the elder of the Kong clan, go immediately?" The leading scholar looked at the extra soldiers with the tiger-character flag. There was no sign of fear on his face, and he still shouted loudly toward the Yamen to let them go. .
However, just because he is not afraid does not mean that others are not afraid either.
Many people in the crowd already had a hint of retreat in their eyes. If they didn't feel that if they left at this time, they would be easily resented by others, I'm afraid someone would have sneaked away secretly.
"Let's all go back. If anything happens, we can't besiege the government." Kong Zhenkan walked out from behind the door and stood on the stone steps at the yamen's door.
His eyes scanned the crowd.
Among the crowd, he saw servants from several clansmen.
"Your Majesty, you came just in time. People from the county government arrested him. Should you let him go? Don't forget that you are also a member of the Kong family." The scholar knew Kong Zhenkan.
Almost all scholars who have participated in the imperial examination in Qufu in recent years have met Kong Zhenkan, the magistrate of Qufu County.
After all, if you want to take the imperial examination, the first step is the county examination.
"I know you, your name is Kong Yan." Kong Zhenkan's eyes fell on the scholar in front of him.
The scholar slightly cupped his hands and said, "Yes, he is a student."
"I remember that you are also a scholar. Don't you know what the crime of attacking the government is?" Kong Zhenkan asked in a deep voice.
"Government?" The scholar snorted softly and said, "Students don't think this is the government of Ming Dynasty, and the government of Ming Dynasty will not just arrest people in prison."
Kong Zhenkan's face sank when he heard this, and he said: "What a nonsense, the Ming Dynasty government is not Ming Dynasty government. Since we are arresting people, there is a reason to arrest them. Just take the people back and stop messing around here." "
Drive away the scholar in front of you.
After all, he was a scholar raised by the Kong family. He didn't want to see a scholar from the Kong family lost in such a meaningless fight.
"As long as they are released and the people holding the tiger-character flag come out to apologize, the students will leave immediately." Xiucai said to Kong Zhenkan.
】
Hearing this, Kong Zhenkan's face darkened.
I was trying to save him, and I didn't want to see such a talented person wasted like this, but I didn't expect that the other party would go even further.
"Whether to release people or not is a matter for the government. As a scholar, you should spend your energy on scientific examinations instead of leading people to besiege the county government. Listen to my advice and go back. Don't be tempted by others to interfere with the affairs here. "Kong Zhenkan decided to give the other party one more chance.
He didn't want to see such a young talent doing this.
"Studying is to understand the truth. Students come here to learn this truth. You arrest people for no reason and want to seize other people's property. What kind of banditry is this? If you don't let people go today, we will wait here and let Qufu's Let the common people see how you bandits oppress the good people." The scholar Kong Yan shouted loudly.
"Yes, as long as you don't let them go, we won't leave."
"We won't leave until we let him go."
The crowd shouted.
Seeing this, Kong Zhenkan knew that good words could not persuade the damn ghost. Since the other party was determined to stay and cause trouble, he was too lazy to persuade him.
Turning, he looked at the other people outside the Yamen and said: "I don't know who you listened to and came to the Yamen to cause trouble, but I want to tell you that there are reasons to arrest people. You There's no point in standing around here, it's better to disperse first, and when the public trial is held, we will know why we arrested the people."
Since Kong Yan didn't listen to the advice, he set his target on others.
As long as most of the people gathered outside the yamen are persuaded to leave, the remaining two or three people will not cause much trouble.
"If you don't give us an explanation today, none of us will leave. Who knows if you will come to settle accounts one by one after we leave." Scholar Kong Yan shouted loudly.
I was afraid that someone would really listen to Kong Zhenkan's words and choose to go back and wait for the public trial.
When Kong Zhenkan heard this, his beard almost stood up with anger.
If he didn't understand at this time that the Kong Yan in front of him had already been bribed, he would have served as the magistrate of Qufu County for so many years in vain.
"Yes, if we don't leave, we must let them give an explanation, otherwise they will think that our Kong family members are easy to bully."
someone in the crowd shouted again.
It was obvious that Kong Yan was not the only one who was bribed.
"Deputy Battalion Chief."
Just as Kong Zhenkan was thinking about how to persuade the crowd gathered outside the county government office to go back, someone behind him called out to the Deputy Yingzheng.
When he heard the sound, he immediately looked back.
I saw Yu Huai walking out with a few soldiers.
"That's him, the person he ordered to arrest." When the scholar Kong Yan saw Yu Huai, he pointed at Yu Huai and shouted loudly, hoping that others could see Yu Huai clearly.
"Yes, I ordered the arrest of the person." Yu Huai admitted frankly.
The scholar Kong Yan said: "Since you admit it, why don't you let him go immediately? You arrest him for nothing without any reason. No matter what your identity is, you must be reasonable."
"Everyone!" Yu Huai ignored him, but looked at the noisy crowd outside the Yamen and said loudly, "Many of you gathered here at the Yamen after being bewitched by others. I don't blame you. After all, you were also bewitched by some. It was deceived by someone with good intentions.”
"Don't listen to his instigation. Let's capture him and exchange him for the elders of the three and five clans."
The scholar Kong Yan did not give Yu Huai a chance to speak more, so he called on everyone around him to besiege Yu Huai.
However, before he could make any move, the tiger-character flag soldiers guarding in front of the Yamen took a step forward with the muskets in their hands and forced back a few people who wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.
