Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 340 It’s a Little Late
After a day of solving cases, Zhang Rong, still unsatisfied, followed the crowd away.

People chattered about what they had seen and heard today and shared their experiences.

Zhang Rong paced the street, repeating the four words "the rights of the common people" in his mind, like a bronze bell echoing in a mountain stream.

The county magistrate's words were pleasant and thought-provoking, and he always kept his word. He really hoped the county magistrate could make more decisions...

However, the judge is not made of iron after all, and he also needs to leave the court and rest.

Zhang Rong planned to go to a dilapidated temple outside the city, where his seventh uncle was waiting for him.

Just as he was on his way to his destination, more than ten patrolling Red Turban Army soldiers surrounded him.

Despite the Red Turban Army's reputation for being approachable, Zhang Rong subconsciously shrank his neck.

The bad reputation of officers and soldiers cannot be eliminated overnight. Even if a tiger smiles, cats and dogs will still be instinctively afraid.

A dirty and smelly beggar like him has the lowest status. Even children on the street can bully him. Even if the yamen runners see him and beat him up to vent their anger, no one will speak for him.

Unexpectedly, the burly Red Turban Army soldier did not make things difficult for him. Instead, he asked him about his well-being and told him that the Red Turban Army was using "work-for-relief" and that he could join in if he had no other options.

Zhang Rong was immediately shocked.

It was not easy for the Red Turban Army to judge cases fairly, but they actually cared about a beggar whose death was considered a waste of straw mats.

"I..." He wanted to vent the grievances that had been buried in his heart for many years, but changed his mind and swallowed it back.

The tragic experience made him afraid to trust strangers easily.

Who knows whether there is a malicious trap hidden behind the politeness and concern.

Anyone would be afraid to chew if they eat too many steamed buns with sewing needles mixed in them.

He nodded and bowed, politely declining the Red Turban Army's kindness.

But when he returned to the dilapidated temple outside the city, he saw his seventh uncle's sad face full of traces of time, recalled the years of wandering, thought of the family lying in the dilapidated graves, and remembered the blazing fire that night, and a strong thought came to his mind again -

Should I risk everything and go to the Red Turban Army to appeal for my grievances?

At dawn the next day, he told his uncle what he had seen and heard, as well as his thoughts, "I think..."

"Stupid! Have you forgotten how your entire family died?" Uncle Qi said, "You are the only one left in the Zhang family, and you still dare to make trouble?"

"The Red Turban Army's county magistrate made fair judgments, and the people applauded him."

"A new official has three things to do when he takes office. He wants to show his ability to his superiors, so naturally he has to hold a grand ceremony. After a few months, things will fall back to the old ways.

But have you ever thought about this? You are so powerless, without a penny, and even have to ask others for kindness for your daily meals.

If you go and complain so rashly, they will just think you are a crazy beggar and drive you away.

Even if the Red Turban Army puts on a good show, they will only be perfunctory towards you on the surface, but secretly collude with the gentry to make it impossible for you to appeal, and then burn you to death, leaving you with no evidence to prove your guilt.

Have you forgotten how your father was framed? If it weren't for our good fortunes, and if we weren't wandering around disguised as beggars, I'm afraid the injustice we committed back then would never be known.

I know you have resentment in your heart, but you have to think about yourself. We only have two lives left, how can we fight against these big shots? "

Uncle Qi pulled out two mixed-grain steamed buns from his pocket and handed them over. Seeing Zhang Rong's vacant eyes, he forced the buns into his hands and said, "Take it. It's better to live a miserable life than to die."

"But I saw the Red Turban Army suppressing the wealthy..."

"Killing a few wealthy families is just a warning to others and a way to extort money and food to supplement military supplies. The Red Turban Army is, after all, a rebel, and the court will definitely mobilize a large force to fight them.

Resisting the government troops is the Red Turban Army's top priority right now. Do you think they have the mind to offend the wealthy and powerful on your behalf?
We have been wandering in western Shandong for many years. In recent years, you have also heard many diners in the inn discussing current affairs, right?
Bandits are everywhere in the north. I don't know if the Zhu family can hold on to their power, but I do know that if the north is in chaos, it will be the common people who suffer. If the various lords kill each other, how can the north survive?
The grudges of the past are all over. It is the right thing to do to find a peaceful place early and live your life well.

I see the Red Turban Army recruiting poor people to enter Liao, so you and I can go and find a job to make a living.

In the future, whether the Red Turban Army retreats to Liaodong or establishes a separatist Yanyun state, you and I will have decades of peaceful life ahead of us. If God blesses us, we can each earn a fortune, marry a woman to continue our family line, and perhaps even have a chance to revive our family line.”

"I……"

Zhang Rong lowered his eyes and chewed the steamed bread as if it were wax.

Seeing Zhang Rong's hesitation, Uncle Seven grabbed his arm and pulled him towards him. "Come with me. You can't defeat those wealthy people. In this world, it's always the common people who suffer. Your parents in heaven would surely wish you peace and safety for the rest of your life."

Zhang Rong met Uncle Qi's eyes, and it was as if he saw himself reflected in his eyes, engulfed in a sea of ​​fire. "But, but I can't sleep!"

He recalled the night when the fire was burning countless times, and recalled his father trying his best to break down the door and rescue him.

He himself ran away, terrified to the point of tears. He hated himself for being such a coward that night, and hated the tear-stained face that had been printed on the riverbank.

If he were given another chance to choose, he would definitely try his best to put out the fire, even if it meant he and his family would die in the flames.

Unfortunately, no one can change the past. From that day on, his soul was lost, and only a body remained, wandering aimlessly in the world.

"I often dream of my eldest brother, second sister, fourth sister, and youngest brother, lying on top of me, crying out that their deaths were unjust... They were just half-grown children back then, like me. Those bastards set fire to children and killed them. How could they have any humanity at all? I've been holding this anger in for years, and now I finally get to see the honest and upright judge. How can I bear this any longer?"

"Hasn't your Zhang family been deceived enough by hypocritical scoundrels? If your father hadn't trusted the treacherous people, how could he have ended up like that? Do you want to repeat the same mistake?!"

"I saw it, I saw the chance to redress my injustice. It's right in front of me, and I can grab it with just one hand." Zhang Rong looked outside the temple, with expectation and madness intertwined in his eyes.

Zhang Rong took a deep breath, paused, and continued, "Over the years, I've been afraid of death. I've been hiding here and there, afraid to look into the eyes of the young masters and young ladies from the wealthy families. I'm afraid they'll murder me. I'm afraid of officials, I'm afraid of the officers and soldiers.

I was so scared of the slightest noise at night that I couldn't sleep. I was living like a dog!

The Red Turban Army's magistrate said, "I shouldn't be a dog. I also have the rights of a commoner, and I should have a choice."

"Alas..." Uncle Seven sighed, as if he had heard something absurd and foolish. "What if the Red Turban Army and that wealthy family are colluding with each other and want to kill you? What will you do?"

"Then it's death." Zhang Rong closed his eyes, as if he had made up his mind, and stood up firmly. "I've lived in disgrace for nine years, and that's enough. Today I want to stand up for myself and walk with dignity. Even if the Red Turban Army says one thing to my face and another behind my back, I will accept it. If I can't defeat them, then so be it."

"I, I won't let you go!" Uncle Qi suddenly blocked the door.
Zhang Rong came to the door and said, "In the past, I also thought that trying to stop a chariot with a mantis arm was beyond one's ability. But after hearing what the Red Turban Army said and did these days, I finally understand that the poor people can also cry out.

Even if I could just stand up and yell at those traitors, scare them, and make them know that there are no cowards in the Zhang family, it would be worth it. "All those corrupt officials act the same. No one will stand up for you. You're courting death!"

Uncle Qi's questioning voice suddenly softened, as if he saw a flower slowly withering, and his tone was filled with endless sadness - Zhang Rong suddenly knelt down and kowtowed nine times.

Zhang Rong thanked his seventh uncle for taking care of him for the past nine years, but unfortunately he was afraid that he would not be able to repay him in his lifetime, so he could only wait until the next life to repay him.

He immediately stood up, walked around Uncle Seventh's body and walked out of the ruined temple. He paused halfway and turned his head to look at Uncle Seventh, as if it was his final farewell before a life-and-death battle.

Zhang Rong finally embarked on an unknown road.

He felt a sense of relief throughout the journey. The shackles that had bound him for nine years were finally being released today. Whether it meant life or death, he was determined to move forward courageously.

The road to the county government office only required passing through a few streets and alleys, but Zhang Rong felt it was very long, as if he was regurgitating his previous life into his mouth and chewing it.

Just as he was halfway through his journey, Zhang Rong suddenly spotted the magistrate, Lord Lu, who had taken over the previous day's shift. He was dressed in military uniform, commanding dozens of soldiers and pointing at the streets along the way, seemingly urging the removal of the "illegal buildings" that were blocking the road.

Seeing that the person he was looking for was right in front of him, Zhang Rong made a quick decision and rushed over, throwing himself in front of the county magistrate.

Even though he heard the reflexive sound of the sword being drawn, Zhang Rong was still not afraid. He bent his legs and knelt on the ground, raised his hands high above his head, and slammed them on the ground with a bang.

"My Lord, I have been wronged. I beg you to help me!"

……

Lu Zhisen was startled by this unexpected stranger. It was the first time for him to encounter someone who "stopped the official and appealed for justice".

The player guards stood motionless beside him, hoping that the captain would be assassinated by the villains so that they could use this opportunity to start a big prison and kill more insects.

The infantry attendant was loyal and drew his sword, holding it in front of the intruder's face, while protecting Lu Zhisen behind him.

"Don't be nervous."

Lu Zhisen waved his hand, and more than ten attendants nodded and each took a step back to make way for the advance.

Lu Zhisen personally lifted the commoner up and told him that he was not the county magistrate at the moment. If he wanted to report to the authorities, he should go directly to the county government office. The new magistrate would enforce the law impartially and make the decision for him.

Unexpectedly, the commoner knelt down again, crying loudly, saying that his case implicated a powerful gentry and that he had been hunted by evil hands for years. He had no other recourse but to trouble the great judge...

When Lu Zhisen heard key words like "the mastermind", "murder to silence witnesses", and "eradicate the roots", he immediately became interested, and the other players and guards also looked eager to try.

There is a big case here!
Lu Zhisen held the young man's shoulders and clearly felt a strong tremor coming from the thin and dirty body in front of him.

Lu Zhisen couldn't help but sigh, wondering how much courage this young man mustered to risk being arrested by the mastermind and come alone to file a complaint.

Lu Zhisen tightly grasped the young man's sweaty hand and declared firmly and loudly, "No matter which family committed the crime, no matter how many bigwigs are implicated in this injustice, I, Lu Zhisen, will take care of it today!"

Lu Zhisen looked straight ahead and clearly saw the young man's worried and sad face relax, like a bright comet across the night sky.

The young man’s grievance was not complicated.

He was born in Pingdu Prefecture and there are nine people in his family.

My father was a clerk in the government office, earning a living from his work and food. Our family also had more than 20 acres of fertile land that was managed by tenants, and we lived a happy and prosperous life.

But who would have thought that the eldest young master of the Bai family would take a fancy to his second sister and say that he wanted to marry her as a concubine. But everyone knew that the young master of the Bai family had a bad temper and would often beat and scold people.

Young Master Bai's concubine died suddenly two years ago. It was said that she died of a cold, and the rumors did not dare to mention the other possibility.

Father Zhang thought that although his family was not rich, they were still well-off.

Even though the Bai family was a big local family, there was no need for his Zhang family to rush to be someone's mistress, not to mention that they might "die suddenly", so they politely declined the "kindness" of the young master of the Bai family with a reason.

Unexpectedly, Master Bai bore a grudge against the Zhang family because of this, and immediately colluded with the clerks to tamper with the tax accounts, resulting in a tax deficit of three thousand taels, which he insisted that the Zhang family pay to make up for it.

Although his Zhang family is a well-off family, they cannot afford three thousand taels of silver.

My father had no choice but to seek help from others and sell his furniture and land, but he still couldn't make up for the deficit in the accounts.

At this time, the second sister stepped forward and was willing to devote herself to the young master of the Bai family for the sake of her family.

But Master Bai got tired of my second sister after a few months, and one night he threw her in front of the Zhang family's door like garbage.

At that time, my second sister was completely naked and looked extremely embarrassed in front of her family. A few days later, she was found drowned in the river.

A murder had occurred and the tax deficit had not been resolved, so my father decided to seek an explanation.

It just so happened that the prefect had just taken office at that time, and the cases he had solved were all remarkable.

My father took out most of his property and handed it to the prefect, asking him to make the decision for the Zhang family.

Unexpectedly, the prefect appeared to be selfless and promised to get to the bottom of the matter, but he turned around and sold out the Zhang family.

Upon learning that the Zhang family was determined not to give up, the Bai family immediately made a gesture of reconciliation. They held a grand funeral for the second sister, contributed money and effort to make up for the Zhang family's losses, and even wrote off the tax deficit.

But just when the Zhang family thought a new life was about to begin, a fire suddenly broke out in the house that night, and the doors and windows were locked. If his father had not desperately banged on the door, Zhang Rong would have died in the fire.

The happy family fell apart in an instant. Poor Zhang, out of nine people in the family, he is the only one who survived to this day.

If he hadn't been chased by the assassin and hadn't fallen into the river by chance and survived, I'm afraid that in the eyes of everyone today, his Zhang family was just an accidental fire and had nothing to do with the Bai family.

He has lived for several years and endured until now, just to redress his grievances one day and bring the hypocritical Bai family to justice!
After telling his grievances, Zhang Rong's eyes were filled with tears and his throat was so hoarse that blood could almost be squeezed out.

He finally removed the dozens of thorns that had been pent up in his heart for years.

Even if Master Lu gave an order and ordered the guards to behead him in the streets, he would feel relieved.

Just as he was waiting to be beheaded by the butcher knife of the "official-gentry collusion," he suddenly heard a roar from above his head, "Damn it! The Bai family cooperated with paying taxes and selling land, but they are actually such traitors behind the scenes!"

(End of this chapter)