First Minister of Ming Dynasty

The old man was not yet sixty, full of vigor, and he said coldly: "I just told them that letting their daughter go out to work will ruin the family style, and when the time comes, they will be dismissed and returned home, and the ancestors will be ashamed. As for others, I never said at all, what twenty bolts of silk, it is their one-sided words!"

Xia Yu wasn't angry either, but said again, "It's true that you didn't give them silk, but did anyone take your silk?"

"No! Absolutely not!" Old man Wei denied it categorically, "This old man has to ask himself, there is nothing to offend his conscience, if there is half a lie, the sky will be struck by lightning!"

"Okay!" Xia Yu nodded again, "Bring the people from the Jiangning County Government here."

Soon, seven scribes and yamen servants lined up and appeared in the lobby.

"Do you know this old man?"

Xia Yu pointed at Old Wei's head. Several scribes looked at it and nodded helplessly.

"Hui Fuzun, the silk workshop of Wei's son-in-law, used to pay tribute to the Yamen every year, fifty bolts of silk!"

Xia Yu said again, "What about this year? Did you receive it?"

"Accept, received!"

"Then is there anything else to explain?" Xia Yu glared at them, "Tell me!"

A few people shivered for a moment, and quickly said: "Yes, follow the silk, return it, and tell us that if the government runs the weaving workshop, they will not make a lot of money. Please, please let us go with the flow."

"What is pushing the boat with the current? What kind of water is going with it? What kind of boat is pushing?"

Xia Yu asked again and again, but the scribes couldn't take it anymore, so they could only say, they told Jiang Ning county magistrate that Han Xiuniang's case was indecent and against the rules, so they shouldn't be interrogated lightly, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous!

Xia Yu glanced at Old Wei's head, and found that the guy's face changed suddenly and he was trembling all over.Maybe he didn't expect that all the people in the yamen were actually arrested.

It doesn't matter, Xia Yu turned around and asked Li Xi, "Shang Shu, this case involves the magistrate of Jiangning, do you need to arrest him?"

Li Xi said with a sullen face: "Catch it! Capture it immediately! No matter who is involved, we will investigate to the end!"

Chapter 256 The Truth About Farming and Reading Heirloom

Soon, Song Gui, the county magistrate of Jiangning, was brought in.

"Song Gui, why didn't you try Han Xiuniang's case?"

"Because..." Song Gui also trembled, "Because this case is complicated and contrary to ethics, it will be difficult to handle at once!"

"The case is complicated? How complicated is it! Are you serious about asking? Or do you just believe it after hearing what the people below say? Or do you take advantage of it and deliberately shirk responsibility and deceive others?"

When Song Gui heard this, he was frightened and hurriedly said: "Fu Zun, I have been wronged. I have heard about this case before, and there are many complaints from the people, so I have to submit it to the Fu Zun and ask the Fu Zun to deal with it..."

"shut up!"

Xia Yu immediately interrupted Song Gui, and asked, "You said you understood it, who did you understand it with? Where did the complaints from the people come from?"

"speak!"

Faced with this situation, Song Gui was also in a state of chaos, so he could only say: "For Huifu Zun, I will ask a few famous scholars for advice. There are elders with virtues...in this case, there is Old Wei!"

When everyone heard this, there was an uproar. The scribe named Wei bribed the scribe, and the scribe left and right the magistrate. In turn, the magistrate asked the surname Wei for advice... The logic is closed. If this can figure out the truth, then there is a ghost !

Xia Yu only felt his scalp tingling. Frankly speaking, he had already prepared for the worst, but asking this question still made him shudder a little more than expected.

If we don't stop here, we can blame the surname Wei on everything.

He peeked at Li Xi, Li Xi had vaguely understood what was going on, and he was also uneasy, but he really didn't have the guts to stop there.

Li Shanchang has already stated his position on this matter. When facing Zhu Yuanzhang, he can talk freely and say that he is wholeheartedly for the overall situation, but facing Li Shanchang, put away these nonsense as soon as possible, Li Xiangcai will not accept this trick!

"Check...continue to check! Song Gui, write down the names of those famous scholars, gentry and elders! Arrest them all and confront them face to face!"

With Li Xi's words, Song Gui had no choice but to follow suit. After the list was made, Xia Yu and Li Xi both read it. These two people's heads got bigger a few times... It's a bad thing, they know several people in it , Even if you don't know it, you have heard the name.

What should we do now?

Grasp!

What else to do but catch!

This time the situation was special, Guo Ying made a direct move, and the troops of the Arch Guard Division dispatched, and quickly escorted a dozen or so gentry and elders from Jinling.

Tell me, what happened to Han Xiuniang's case?

"Three cardinal guides and five constant rules, the principle of heaven and earth. Women shouldn't come out to do things. If you stay at home honestly, how can there be such a big disturbance? We defend the righteous way, speak out with justice, and have a clear conscience!"

Xia Yu sullenly said angrily, "How dare you lie? There's no benefit for accepting the Wei family, so how can you get angry with them?"

"Where is the Tao, where is the righteousness! Mr. Xia Fu, you are also a scholar, don't you even know this truth? When you entered school, the master didn't teach you well?"

Xia Yu was speechless. These old fellows were about to point their noses and curse at others, saying that they had insulted the teacher.And what's worse, they really have the qualifications to speak when it comes to seniority.

In addition, Xia Yu could vaguely guess that these people didn't lie, and they probably really didn't have the benefit of accepting the Wei family.

But the problem is that they are both members of the scholarly community, and they have been in touch with each other for a long time. When encountering a problem, they stand together and stand up together, which is nothing new.

At this point in the case, it was already a little out of the investigator's control, even if it was Li Xi, he couldn't make the decision.

"It's approaching noon now, let's rest for half an hour and continue the interrogation in the afternoon!"

This reflects Li Xi's sophistication. If he directly announces his resignation, he will probably be dissatisfied because of this. He can only use the name of rest to delay.

Sure enough, he said it was a rest, but he didn't leave. Isn't it just a lunch, people can't die from starvation, let's see how this thing ends?

Li Xi and Xia Yu hurried to the second hall. As soon as they arrived, Zhang Ximeng and Li Shanchang were waiting here.

"Li Xiang, Zhang Xiang, here, what should we do with this matter? The officials really don't know how to end it?"

Li Shanchang remained calm, looked at Zhang Ximeng, "Mr. Zhang, what do you think?"

Zhang Ximeng said indifferently: "Brother Li, there are two layers. I can solve one layer. I'm afraid it will be hard for you to solve the remaining layer."

Li Shanchang understood, and immediately smiled and said: "Well, I just happened to listen carefully to Zhang Xiang's high-level remarks."

They chatted briefly, and they didn't wait for half an hour, and there were so many people watching!

Zhang Ximeng and Li Shanchang were promoted together, and now there are four adults sitting in the hall, which is a bit shocking.

Zhang Ximeng was the first to speak, and he smiled, "During the discussion just now, we talked about Gang Chang and women should not come out to do things. It can be heard that these are some doubts about myself. At this moment, I want to hear Listen to the big guys."

As Zhang Ximeng said, he stood up and walked forward.

Those famous scholars still wanted to reason with Zhang Ximeng, so they clenched their fists and put on a fight... Who would have thought that Zhang Ximeng passed them and walked to the entrance of the hall, and said to the people of Jinling with a smile: "Fellow folks What do you think, tell me, is it appropriate for women to come out to do things?"

Zhang Ximeng casually pointed to a middle-aged man, "Tell me, is it suitable?"

The middle-aged man shrank his neck in fright, "I don't dare to talk nonsense, I'm afraid of being beaten by my wife!"

In one sentence, it caused laughter, but he was still a strict wife.

"Everyone talk about it. After all, this is a matter that will fall on your head. Even if you object, as long as it makes sense." Zhang Ximeng asked for a long time, but no one came out to object.

There was even a person who dared to say: "We came here to listen to this case, just want to know if the mother-in-law can still come out to make money in the future, can she supplement the family?"

Zhang Ximeng said immediately: "Are you willing to let the honored lady come out?"

"Yes! My family has a lot of children. There are eight of them. If I can earn more, a fool would not like it!"

"What about in the past? Madam, why don't you do anything?"

"No, no! My mother-in-law can spin, embroider, and do some work, but she doesn't earn much, and she may not always have work."

……

After the man finished speaking, several other people stood up and said similar things.

The reason why Han Xiuniang has attracted so much attention is that most people are concerned about one of the most basic things, can women still do things openly and aboveboard?

In fact, all the rules and regulations are worthless in the face of survival.

Just like many women in the countryside, the women in Jinling City also have to do things. Most of them are not qualified to shut themselves at home and enjoy a comfortable life.

Zhang Ximeng nodded slightly when he heard the big guy's words, which was basically consistent with his judgment.

Most of the women are not not participating in the labor force, but they are unable to participate in the labor force dignifiedly.

Zhang Ximeng smiled and turned around, and returned to the hall, "Li Xiang, you have seen it too, the matter is very clear... Poor people generally hope that women can come out to do things, but these sages, gentry and elders are basically against it. Very interesting!"

Li Shan said: "Zhang Xiang is wise, he should be able to solve the confusion for everyone!"

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "I don't want to talk about it, I just want to say it. Please refer to it... It is said that men farm and women weave, men work outside and women work inside. In a family, do women have less burden than men? I'm afraid it may not be true. It is the husband and wife who join hands and shoulder the burden together, so that they can live a more prosperous and prosperous life. Since most people's families are like this, they give women land, let women study, and come out to do things. Women can also be the head of the family. Supporting the family business seems to be a logical thing, at least earning a little more money to make life easier is always right."

"I'm just curious, why do well-educated and virtuous elders hate women so much? Is there something unspeakable hidden in it, or it's simply because of the habits of Gang Chang... Then you might as well ask one more question, how did this Gang Chang come about? of?"

Zhang Ximeng cadenced and faltered, his words became sharper, and he began to break through the complicated appearances to the core.

Li Shanchang, Li Xi and others couldn't help cheering up. Every time like this, Zhang Ximeng can say amazing things. Today is just a good time to experience how powerful he is!

"Think about it, everyone, if women are not granted land and are not treated as human beings, is it necessary to have a man in the family to set up a household?"

"Let's assume a situation. Your family has a thousand acres of good land, and you need fifty tenant farmers to help you cultivate it. Half of the harvest will be handed over to you every year. You can enjoy the benefits and live comfortably... At this time, what do you think? What is it? Do you want these fifty households to be your tenant farmers forever, and never change? Men plow the fields, women do housework at home, men have to take care of their wives and children, and cannot leave the family, so they will be tenant farmers all their lives, even for generations , that's all!"

"But what if women can also set up a household and support the family business? Every year, except for plowing and harvesting, men can go out to do things without worry, earn some money, and improve their lives at home. Or simply, men stay. Plowing the fields, taking care of the family, and women going out to make money... No matter what, the family will get better and better. If you accumulate more money, you can buy land, or send your children to study. After a lifetime of hard work, the next generation may be able to change the family... …Everyone, please think, who is the least willing to see this result?"

Before Zhang Ximeng finished speaking, Li Shanchang took a deep breath and his face changed drastically.To be honest, he also knew that the gentry were unwilling to elevate the status of women.

But it is really difficult for Li Shanchang to explain the truth clearly.

But after Zhang Ximeng's incisive and incisive analysis, the big guy suddenly realized that there was a deep calculation in it.

Not granting land to women and tying women to their homes is actually using women and their families as a shackle, which in turn is tying men, fixing men to the land, letting them work at sunrise and rest at sunset, face to face. Facing the loess with his back to the sky, he cares flawlessly.

In the end, the gentry who have a large amount of land are naturally beneficial.

Interestingly, the scholar-officials boasted that farming and studying were inherited, but how many of them actually went to the fields to farm?

You plow the fields honestly and provide for me to study comfortably. Perhaps this is the true meaning of farming and reading heirlooms!

Chapter 257 Who doesn't want to have a good life!

Zhang Ximeng said earlier that the mission of the Son of Heaven boiled down to the equal distribution of the land, and this can be said to have established the highest standard for the Zhu family army.

But at that time, Zhang Ximeng still had half of his stuff, and he didn’t explain it clearly, or he didn’t have time to explain why it was wrong to annex the land. The aristocratic families owned the land, but many aristocratic families were not bad people, at least not on the surface. Justice, caring for orphans and widows, building bridges and repairing roads in local areas, setting up schools, cultivating customs, encouraging goodness...

If you really observe carefully and look from the inside out, you will find that the landlords of the aristocratic families are not useless, and the common people do not all regard the landlords as enemies.

Zhang Ximeng advocated cracking down on the powerful and sharing the land evenly. Although he was supported by Zhu's army, he was not so popular in the civil service system under Li Shanchang's command.

There are advantages in this, but there are also some reasons that have not been explained clearly.

Today, I can finally say it through.

The most basic needs of a person are to have enough food and clothing, a piece of land, a few mulberry trees, men farming and women weaving, naturally.

Is this really the case?

Is this how the rural villages have come here for thousands of years?

At least, since the Qin and Han Dynasties, and even the earlier Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, it has not been so simple. .

As we all know, the dog army destroyed the Western Zhou Dynasty, and during the Warring States period, the Xiongnu continued to invade the south... The land of the Central Plains was divided into a bunch of countries, and they attacked each other endlessly.

In order to cope with internal and external troubles, the establishment of a unified country has become the proposition of the majority of scholars. It is just that there are differences on which country can unify the world and what strategy to use to unify the world.

Since the establishment of the great unification in the Qin and Han Dynasties, the pattern of the Central Plains has changed. He has established great martial arts externally, solved the threat of the Huns, and made great efforts to govern internally. The world is peaceful and the people are happy to work.

But the unification of the dynasty is not without cost, that is, it needs to maintain a large administrative team of officials and a strong standing army.

From the standpoint of the common people, on the basis of men farming and women weaving, a fixed part of the harvest should be allocated every year to support the emperor's officials and support the expenditure of soldiers and horses.

In an agricultural society, apart from some silk and silk cloth, what can be used as general currency is food!

Food is the foundation of everything, to fill the stomach, pay taxes, rent, store food for shortages, and fight against various risks... So a strong and strong man is the natural head of the family.

Even if women are clever and can earn more money, it doesn't matter, after all, money can't bring real security, food can!

This is a basic law of the agricultural age, but it is only half of the story. There is another half that many people ignore.

Whenever the world is peaceful and the population grows, the land will become tense, and although the development of agricultural society is slow, it is not without development.

After a long period of accumulation, there will always be new farm tools and high-yielding crops, and the land will produce more food under intensive cultivation.

Taking the Song Dynasty as an example, after the introduction of Champa Rice, a farmer could produce enough grain to feed three people after a year of cultivation, which is far more than that of the previous generation.

What should I do if the family has a surplus of labor?

As smart as you are, would you immediately think of developing industry and commerce, absorbing excess labor and creating more wealth?

Following this line of thought, should we elevate the status of women and release them from the shackles of the family... enter workshops, engage in handicrafts, reel silk and weave cloth, improve the family situation, and increase the tax revenue of the court by the way, so as to realize the prosperity of the country and the prosperity of the people? .

If you think about it in this way, in fact, what Zhang Ximeng did should have been done in the Song Dynasty, and even in the Tang Dynasty when the government military system collapsed, it could have been done.