Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 593 Fight back
A large number of people had gathered outside the Zhang family workshop.

The merchants from Shanxi, Beijing and Shandong were the main initiators of this group of rioters. About a hundred of them all changed into ordinary clothes such as short jackets and small hats, claiming to be ordinary people who came to watch.

Many scholars in the capital were instigated to come and "reason" with the Zhang family, the in-laws, and they were pushed to the front of the crowd.

The real common people may account for less than 30% of the total number.

Even if there were people who came to watch the fun, most of them were neighbors. They had received some benefits from the workshop and did not have much resistance to the Zhang family. They just came to see what was going on.

Next came the local Fang Zheng.

He brought some young men temporarily recruited from the local area. They had a relatively neutral attitude and were here mainly to maintain order.

Because the local head of the neighborhood was afraid of causing any trouble, especially since he knew that this was the property of the Zhang family, the foreign relative. If something really happened, the local head of the neighborhood would most likely be blamed.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Fang Zheng was an old man in his fifties, with the title of scholar. He led his men to block the flow of people.

Anyone who holds an unskillful job in Beijing and can be called a village elder, a gentry, or a local celebrity must have a certain background and be well-connected with the government. He must also have a large family and a strong foundation in the local area, and have the means to build relationships with both the upper and lower levels.

A thin man in his thirties wearing a straight robe and a kerchief on his head pushed through the crowd and greeted, "Is this Xu Fangzheng? I've heard of your name a long time ago... Today, this is a personal dispute between us and our in-laws, the Zhang family. Please don't interfere too much."

When Fang Zheng heard that the other party knew his background and dared to look down on the Queen's family, he immediately put away his contempt and asked, "May I ask who you are..."

The man said, "The officials from Shuntian Prefecture will arrive soon. There won't be any trouble here before then... Please step aside. Or just stand aside and be a witness."

"Don't cause trouble."

Xu Fangzheng led his men to the side and threatened, "If you don't call the government, I will. Come on, quickly notify the people from the Wucheng Military Department. If that doesn't work, go to the county government and call some officers over."

"Yes."

The servant who followed him quickly ran to the nearest government office to call for help.

……

……

"Come out, come out...explain the truth clearly!"

"The ones who bully and dominate the market are the Zhang family, our foreign relatives!"

"Those who bully others and monopolize business are the parasites of the court..."

"To exploit the common people is despised by the world!"

The crowd stopped at the entrance of the workshop and started cursing in different ways.

But the words seemed a little milder.

A young man who saw this scene nearby sighed: "It takes three years for a scholar to rebel! How can a businessman do that? Look, even scolding people lacks some momentum!"

It was Zhang Yanling.

Zhang Heling volunteered: "Second brother, let me go forward and curse back."

Qin Zhao asked, "Second Young Master, since you are already here in person, why don't you take charge of the situation?"

"no need."

Zhang Yanling looked around and found that people were constantly gathering here. In particular, he saw a familiar carriage approaching from a distance. It was the carriage from the Lizi Provincial Government. He immediately said, "I never thought that this group of people looked so ferocious. A little too cowardly...

"If it were me, I would lead people to rush into the yard, smash and loot, and if the other party dared to resist, I would shout 'the in-laws are beating people', and then lay down dozens of them, smear chicken and duck blood all over my body, and then carry people out, trying to make the matter bigger. Since they are here to cause trouble, is it necessary to talk nonsense at the door?"

Qin Zhao smiled and said, "So, at the beginning, Eunuch Liang's people were no match for you."

Zhang Yanling said: "I have never had a direct conflict with Liang Fang. I was dealing with the Peng family, that guy named Peng Mianfu."

Zhang Heling was furious when he heard this: "I get angry just talking about it. I was hit by a club that time. If I see that guy again, I will cut him into pieces!"

"Brother, save some strength for hitting someone later."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Let's go and meet them and see who is here!"

……

……

As soon as Li Zisheng got off the carriage, he saw Zhang Yanling and a few others coming towards him.

"Oh, nephew, you are here too?"

Li Zisheng smiled and bowed, not feeling at all like a senior. He performed the ceremony to a younger generation very smoothly.

Zhang Yanling asked with a smile: "Why do you bother to come here?"

Li Zisheng said: "I have nothing to do, and I heard that it's lively here, so I came to take a look? It's just a matter of time..."

"I'm just stopping by too."

Zhang Yanling said casually.

Pang Qing asked curiously, "Isn't this your property? Why are you stopping by?"

Zhang Yanling said, "It is precisely because they are my own that I came to see them. Otherwise, I would not bother to care... I am a little disappointed after coming here. It has not even started yet... But it is good this way. I can see the details of the opponent more clearly. I am sorry to have embarrassed you, uncle."

"What are you talking about?"

Li Zisheng looked around and asked, "Is your father not here?"

"He's not in now."

Zhang Yanling asked, "How about we go to another place to have tea?"

"No, I brought some people with me. If you need them, they are always at your disposal."

Li Zisheng pointed behind him.

In fact, there was no one following him, so the situation became somewhat awkward when he said this.

Pang Qing quickly explained: "In order to avoid being an eyesore, people are coming in batches and are gradually gathering here... Look, do you see the porters or porters carrying shoulder poles or tools in their hands? Most of them are our people!"

"hehe."

Zhang Yanling couldn't help but smile when he heard this.

Li Zisheng is an important official in the court. Not only did he come here to watch the fun, but he even brought people with him?

It really seems like a waste of talent.

"Uncle, please come this way," Zhang Yanling guided.

"Come on, come on. I'm bored at home. Today is a good time to see some fun." Li Zisheng greeted with a smile. "It's rare for me to have a chance to talk to you alone before. I wonder who these people are...?"

"I am the eldest son of the Zhang family."

Zhang Heling patted his chest and said.

"Haha, another nephew Zhang is here too. Is he a merchant from Huizhou? I seem to have met him once before, but I forgot his last name." Li Zisheng greeted him.

Qin Zhao hurried forward and saluted, but said nothing.

Li Zisheng turned around and asked, "Nephew, are you ready? I heard from Bingkun that this time they came specifically to target you, and it's going to be quite a big deal.

"I was originally planning to ask Shuntian Prefecture for help, but today I can't even get through the gate of Shuntian Prefecture. It seems someone has already given me a heads-up. My words are useless now that I've lost my position!"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "It's okay, it's okay. It's hard to deal with people from the government. It's just right that you brought people with you, and I brought people with me too. Look at those rough guys standing by the wall. There are wooden poles, bricks and other handy things nearby, or they happen to be leaning against baskets and wooden barrels with weapons in them... These are my people."

"Um!?"

Li Zisheng took a quick glance and found that those people were tall and strong. They seemed to be smiling and harmless, but in fact, there was a sense of hostility in their eyes. He was startled and said, "Is it such a coincidence? My dear nephew, I actually had the same idea as you..."

"Yes, I also think it's quite a coincidence that it coincides with yours, uncle."

Zhang Yanling said.

Li Zisheng asked: "How are you going to deal with it? Do you want to hear my opinion first?"

Zhang Yanling said, "I'd better let my brother explain this to you."

"Um!?"

Li Zisheng immediately looked at Zhang Heling curiously.

Zhang Heling rolled up his sleeves and said, "These people dare to come and cause trouble. How can I let them have it easy? If they come one by one, I'll beat them one by one. If they come two by two, I'll beat them two by one! I guarantee they'll be beaten to a pulp."

"It's not good to be so violent, right?"

Pang Qing reminded him, "Not only does it hurt the harmony, it's also a disgrace to society. I see there are many weak scholars on the other side, they can't stand a beating."

"Ugh!"

Zhang Yanling sighed, "This is what I thought. They dared to come to our house to cause trouble. They said that we were bullying the villagers, but they were unarmed and unprepared. It was obvious that they looked down on our Zhang family."

"Haha."

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "Yes, they say that your Zhang family bullies others by taking advantage of your power, but they are fearless. In fact, they know that Lai Zhan and your Zhang family are too proud to fight them. What they say and what they think are two different things."

Zhang Yanling said, "It just so happens that my uncle and I have the same opinion. They are scolding us for being too bullying, but at the same time they think we dare not do anything to them, so they are so unscrupulous. If that's the case, why don't we just help them? Find some people and beat them up?"

"This……"

Li Zisheng couldn't figure out the situation for a while.

Zhang Yanling continued, "My father always said that trees need barks and people need dignity, but it also depends on the occasion. If we are facing those who are shameless, why should we give them face? Respect is worthless in the face of power and status."

"Hehehe..."

Li Zisheng couldn't help laughing.

But this smile is neither cheerful nor perfunctory, but contains deep meaning.

Zhang Yanling asked, "Uncle, did you bring people here to help me clear the area and beat people?"

"Exactly."

Li Zisheng smiled.

When Pang Qing heard this, he couldn't help but frown and quickly reminded Li Zisheng with his eyes.

We can't let this kid do whatever he wants.

Didn’t you say that you brought people here to escalate the situation?

How did it become the gang leader's family that beat people?
Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "You see, you are a big shot, but you came here today for such a small matter. I am very grateful to you. You are indeed my father's best friend. I have nothing to repay you."

"It's very polite of you to say that."

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "Didn't you help me before when I was in the imperial prison? I'm just returning the favor! Next, are we going to start fighting right away? I'll tell Bingkun a few words. If you're going to fight right away, I have to step aside to avoid accidental injuries."

Zhang Yanling said, "Don't worry. I have arranged for my mentor Mr. Chai to come forward and reason with them first. If they are willing to stop, a fight can be avoided. Otherwise...if they are unreasonable, then we can only beat them with sticks."

"Yes. This young man is teachable."

Li Zisheng said, "Well, nephew, I see your Mr. Something has come out! You go over and arrange it first. I'll talk to Bingkun and come back later."

"Okay, uncle, you go ahead."

After Zhang Yanling saluted, he led Zhang Heling and others to gather at the door.

……

……

"Master Dao, you can't let that kid do whatever he wants."

Pang Qing said worriedly, "The capital is the best place, under the feet of the emperor, and the world is clear. Beating people here is a serious crime. Isn't this just taking advantage of the intentions of those troublemakers to damage the reputation of Zhang Guozhang?"

Li Zisheng sighed, "I thought I was very capable, but I didn't expect to be outdone by this kid... I'm so ashamed."

"what!?"

Pang Qing was shocked.

Li Zisheng said: "Fame, wealth, and moral reputation are all just empty talk. If Lai Zhan and his family were really the kind of people who valued their reputation, would they defile themselves by associating with a notorious traitor like me, and even help me so much when I lost power?"

Pang Qing curled his lips and said, "Zhang Guozhang may not really care about those false reputations."

"Yes, he doesn't even care about his reputation, but he still cares about beating up a few scholars and the accusation of bullying the market?" Li Zi said, "After all, I am too narrow-minded."

Pang Qing said: "You don't have to say that. It's not necessary."

Li Zisheng pointed around and said, "Look at those people, they are the ones that Zhang's son brought here. They are all fierce and eager to try. This shows that he is not just pretending, but is really ready to teach those who come to cause trouble a lesson.

"That's right. My brother and nephew don't care about my reputation, so why should I cling to it? If others bully me, do I have to reason with them? Today's incident is like a battle in the court. If others provoke me, I will fight back with a stick. Only in this way can I live up to the name of a powerful official!"

(End of this chapter)