I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 427: Hometown of Confucius and Mencius
The county seat of Sishui in Yanzhou, Shandong, is adjacent to Qufu and Zou County, and is also considered the hometown of Confucius and Mencius.

Wang Dagui and his maternal uncle Qi Xing'an had some means. Within two days of returning to Sishui County, they had established connections and allowed Hai Rui and Hu Guangsheng to visit him in prison in the county jail.

The prison was dark and filled with a foul odor. Hai Rui and Hu Guangsheng covered their noses and followed the jailer down the long corridor.

The light from the bean-sized oil lamp flickered and was about to go out.

Behind the fences on both sides were all kinds of people. There were young men and boys huddled together; there were middle-aged men with numb expressions, picking at lice on their bodies and eating them; there were old men lying in a corner, wailing and screaming; there was a big man standing behind the fence, staring at Hai Rui and the other man with murderous eyes; there was a poor scholar sitting on the ground with his head down, muttering "It's unfair, it's unfair."

The jailer walked slowly in front, took Hai Rui and Hu Guangsheng around a corner, and entered the innermost layer of the prison.

"Are you two friends of Boss Qi?" The jailer walking in front asked without turning his head, his tone clear and bland.

"Yes, a friend I just met." Hu Guangsheng replied.

"Boss Qi is a big shot in our Sishui County. He has a say in everything from the county magistrate to the clerks. You guys are worth making friends with."

The jailer walked slowly, and the bunch of keys hanging on his belt jingled.

Hai Rui and Hu Guangsheng looked at each other, saw each other's eyes in the dim light, nodded in understanding, and Hu Guangsheng continued to speak.

"We were able to meet Boss Qi thanks to our friends. We are so lucky."

"Who are you to Yang Peng?" the jailer who was walking slowly in front suddenly asked.

"We are friends of Yang Peng's father and brother. He came to Shandong to collect mountain products a few days ago, but suddenly lost contact. After asking around, we found out that he was involved in a lawsuit in Sishui.

We happened to be in Shandong to collect the goods, so his family asked us to take a look and see if we could get it out if there was a chance. "

"Merchant?"

"Yes, we are merchants from Nanzhili."

"The world has changed. Money is more important than people now. Merchants are good, they make a lot of money, which is much better than us poor people."

"How can this gentleman compare with you? After the new official system, weren't you all transferred to civil servants? Your names are also on the list of the Ministry of Personnel. We common people have to call you officials."

"Hehe, that's bullshit! His Royal Highness's new policies are good, but the monks below have misinterpreted them. If we want to make the leap from carp to dragon gate and be added to the list of the Ministry of Personnel, we need to have our ancestors' graves smoking and Zhao Gongming protecting us."

"Zhao Gongming protects himself?"

"Silver opens the way! Yanzhou has a clear price. If you want to change from being a slave to an official, you need thirty-six taels of silver. This number is auspicious, and everything will go smoothly."

Hai Rui's face changed and he was about to speak when he was stopped by Hu Guangsheng.

My Lord Hai, your Mandarin with a Hainan accent is easily exposed the moment you open your mouth!
"We still have to pay." Hu Guangsheng spoke first while giving Hai Rui a look.

"So this world values ​​money more than people. As officials in the Ming Dynasty, we only care about money and nothing else." The jailer complained.

Hu Guangsheng heard it and asked, "Brother, you haven't collected enough money yet?"

The jailer sighed, "This world doesn't want you to be a good person. I used to be honest and only took what I deserved. I didn't dare to take a penny from anyone who got something for nothing.

Now, in order for my descendants to take the civil and military examinations and join the army and government, I have to risk my life to get rid of this lowly status. Alas! In this world, there is no way for good people to survive!"

We walked into a cell where six people, young and old, were imprisoned. They were sitting on both sides, leaving the most spacious and driest place in the middle to a young man who was sitting cross-legged.

"Yang Peng, someone is here to see you." The jailer knocked on the fence and spoke.

"Hey, someone finally came to see me." The man stood up, walked out of the darkness, and appeared in the swaying lights. It was Yang Yunpeng, the captain of Wang Yi'e's personal guards, the youngest son of his adoptive father Yang Shun, and a close friend like a brother.

He recognized Hai Rui and Hu Guangsheng at a glance, and his expression changed.

Hu Guangsheng spoke first: "Stinky boy, I haven't seen you for a few months. I don't recognize your brother Hu and your uncle Li!"

Yang Yunpeng said embarrassedly, "Hehe, I thought about it a lot, but I never thought it was Uncle Li and Brother Hu who came." Hu Guangsheng continued, "We are entrusted by your brother to come and protect you. Tell us, who did you offend that got you locked up here? Find out clearly so we can get back to you."

Yang Yunpeng rolled his eyes and said, "I was collecting mountain products here and had packed my luggage to go back home, but I encountered the fourth young master of the Han family robbing a woman at Jiunu Pass. I couldn't hold back and punched Han Lao Si, and then I was caught here."

Hu Guangsheng turned around and asked the jailer, "Brother, do you know who the Han family is?"

As he spoke, he quietly slipped over a silver dollar.

The jailer put the silver coins into his sleeves and said, "Han family? There are several Mr. Han in Sishui County. Yang Peng, please explain it in more detail."

"His father is called Han the Butcher, and he pretends to be Master Han. He calls himself the Fourth Young Master Han."

"Oh, Han the Butcher from Dongmen. He used to be a butcher, making a little money from slaughtering pigs to eat. Two years ago, his daughter was taken in as a concubine by the third master of the Kong family. He became rich immediately, bought land and a house, and occupied the meat stall in the Dongmen Vegetable Market. The pork from Dongmen had to be sold to him and was not allowed to be sold anywhere else.

Last year, he became one of the village heads of the Kong family in Sishui, collecting part of the rent on behalf of the Kong family. What's more, he asked the scholar to take a name, changed into a long-sleeved shirt, and became a master. The fourth child in his family is the worst. In the past two years, he has relied on his sister to do all kinds of bad things except human affairs.

Yang Peng, if you beat him, this matter is easy to handle, but also difficult to handle! "

When Hai Rui and Hu Guangsheng heard this, they knew there was something mysterious about this matter.

With a wink, Hu Guangsheng scolded Yang Yunpeng in the prison: "Boy, you are always causing trouble here. Now we know the reason why you committed the crime. Now go out and ask around to see if there is any room for change.

You kid, stay inside quietly and don't cause any more trouble."

Yang Yunpeng glanced at Hai Rui, who was standing next to him with a sullen face, and his heart skipped a beat.

What did I do wrong to deserve this person coming here?

But it’s okay. Once this person comes, let’s see how peaceful Shandong can be and how your damn Kong family can live freely.

He quickly replied: "Uncle Li, Brother Hu, please rest assured, I will never cause any trouble. I will just stay here and be a grandson!"

After being transferred out of the prison and seeing the sunlight in the yard, Hu Guangsheng felt his heart warmed. The gloomy atmosphere that he had been exposed to in the prison seemed to have dissipated under the sunlight.

But the more Hai Rui thought about it, the angrier he became.

Who would have thought that the Confucius Mansion, which bears the reputation of being the greatest sage and teacher, would actually bring disaster to the local area and harm the people to such an insane and horrifying degree.

The hometown of Confucius and Mencius has been made foul and smelly by these bastards!

Hu Guangsheng took advantage of the heat of the silver dollar to ask: "Brother, my Yang Peng beat up the fourth son of the Han family. What is the easy and difficult way to deal with it?"

The jailer hesitated for a moment, but finally said with a kind heart, "Butcher Han is too fast, and he likes to pretend to be refined, trying to get in with the Confucian scholars, but the gentlemen in the county don't like him and think he is vulgar.

The county magistrate, the county magistrate, the chief clerk, the heads of the various departments, and the clerks all disliked him, and thus disliked Han Si. Your Yang Peng beat up Han Si, and the county magistrates were willing to do him a favor.

It’s just that Butcher Han is connected to the Kong family, and this relationship is a bit tricky, so those masters asked for a high price.”

After saying that, the jailer shook his head and said, "I don't have any solution at all. You should continue to look for Boss Qi. He has many connections. If you are willing to spend money, it won't take long for your nephew to be released."

Hu Guangsheng quickly and quietly stuffed another silver dollar into the jailer's pocket: "Brother, my Yang Peng is in there, please take care of him and make sure he doesn't suffer any more. This way we can have an explanation when we return."

The jailer's eyes lit up, he put his right hand into his sleeve, and smiled, "Okay, okay! Don't worry, I promise I won't suffer any injustice!"

Walk out of the county prison and go around the alley to the main gate of the county government office. Looking inside from the main gate, you can see a stone tablet standing in the yard. This is a stone tablet that all county governments in the Ming Dynasty have.

The warning stone tablet set by Emperor Taizu has the three characters "公生明" on the front and the official motto on the back: "Your salary and salary are the blood and sweat of the people. It is easy to abuse the people, but it is hard to deceive God."

Hai Rui took a look inside, then turned to Hu Guangsheng and said angrily, "It is a great irony to have these three words 'Gong Sheng Ming' placed here!
The hometown of Confucius and Mencius, this is the hometown of Confucius and Mencius that all scholars in the world yearn for! "

(End of this chapter)