Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

Tian Jingwen was stunned for a moment, feeling that these words sounded familiar.

Sun Dasheng was also stunned for a moment, feeling that his elder brother would be more domineering when he said the same words.

“Everyone in the world believed that the Kong family was the source of Confucianism and the foundation of Confucianism, and that no one dared to touch the Kong family.

Go to hell!

I want to see whether the Kong family's reputation is more powerful or the gun in my hand is more powerful."

Zhang Shikang respected Confucius. Even though Confucianism has developed to this day, Zhang Shikang still believes that Confucianism has many merits.

But this does not mean that Zhang Shiyao Kang respects the descendants of Confucius, nor does it mean that Confucianism has no dross.

It’s a very simple truth. Confucius is a sage, but his descendants are not. The reputation of your ancestors can give you a buff, but it doesn’t mean that you are really awesome.

Duke Chengguo is the best example.

Before leaving the capital, he had ordered the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate the Kong family. He was really shocked when he investigated.

The Kong family has been inherited for more than a thousand years, and now the area of the mansions of their direct descendants alone has reached an extremely exaggerated level.

The Confucius Mansion covers an area of ten hectares, which is equivalent to about 150 acres in later generations. It has more than 800 pavilions, towers, etc., divided into nine courtyards in front and back, and three routes in the middle, east and west. It is known as the best family in the world.

In an era when a courtyard house with three courtyards is considered a wealthy family, Kong Fuguang's courtyard house has nine courtyards, and there is more than one.

With the continuous addition of titles by successive dynasties, the building area of the Confucius Mansion has continued to expand.

This is only the residence of the direct lineage of the Confucius family, Duke Yansheng, and does not include the countless side branches that have branched out over the past thousand years.

Although Qufu is superficially called Qufu, it would be more appropriate to call it Confucius Mansion.

The lineage of Duke Yansheng was very good at networking. On the one hand, they were close to the bureaucrats and gentry, and on the other hand, they were also very good at currying favor with the rulers of the dynasty. For more than a thousand years, they could be said to be in great prosperity.

Almost every time a new emperor ascended the throne, he would confer various titles and official ranks on the Duke of Yansheng, as well as more generous rewards.

In addition, the Kong family is very good at scheming. They use their privileged buffs to annex land and acquire industries. You can't even imagine how many terrible things they have done.

The most outrageous thing is that the rulers of all dynasties were like blind people. Even though they knew that the Kong family was rich and cruel and had done all kinds of evil things, they still tried their best to protect them.

Not only the rulers, but also the literati in the world are like this, as if only in this way can they prove that their beliefs are not wrong.

After all, Confucius is a sage, so how could his descendants be bad people?

Zhang Shikang responded with a laugh.

Descendants of saints, right?

A Confucian role model, right?

The spiritual pillar of the world's literati, right?

The greatest family in a thousand years, right?

I'm going to lift your fig leaf and let the whole world see how many dirty things you have done!

I want to be the gravedigger of the Kong family!

This is certainly not easy. Zhang Shikang can even imagine how many scholars will criticize him at that time.

But he didn't care, because his reputation among the bureaucrats and gentry was already bad.

Tian Jingwen had long known that the Grand Marshal was unconventional and never followed rules in doing things, and now it seemed to be true.

Of course, this is a high EQ statement. To use the words of those people, it means acting recklessly, being arrogant, unreasonable, and incomprehensible.

But if one wanted to bring down the Kong family, the collected evidence alone was not enough. Zhang Shikang sat there for a long time, refilling his tea twice, before his eyes finally lit up.

"Captain Tian, how is your literary talent?" Zhang Shikang looked at Tian Jingwen with interest.

Tian Jingwen was stunned for a moment, not knowing why the Grand Marshal suddenly asked this, and said honestly:

"Replying to the commander, I am ashamed to say that I am just a scholar."

It’s really embarrassing to talk about this as an old scholar in his forties.

"That's enough, it's your turn. Get some paper and pen."

While Zhang Shikang ordered someone to get the four treasures of the study, he whispered to Tian Jingwen what to write.

Tian Jingwen just nodded at first, but as he listened more, his eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.

"Marshal, this is not good, right?"

He is an upright person. Although he hates evil, he is ultimately a sincere man and feels uneasy if he does this.

Zhang Shikang, however, scoffed at this.

"I'm asking you, is the Kong family taking the lead in obstructing national policy?"

"Yes." Tian Jingwen replied honestly.

"Has the Kong family done a lot of things to bully the people in the village?"

"Yes, not only that, my humble investigation has found that the Kong family has had several murder cases, most of which were settled by them using power and money."

"Look, you have learned to answer quickly.

If that's the case, then the Kong family must be guilty, right?"

"Yeah." Tian Jingwen and Sun Dasheng nodded.

"That's it. Since he's guilty, just kill him. Everything else is just a minor detail."

Zhang Shikang was very patient and persuasive, and Sun Dasheng looked like he was learning.

"The Marshal is right, Mr. Tian, hurry up, I will grind ink for you."

Sun Dasheng urged.

……

On that day, Zhang Shikang, along with a thousand guards, rushed to the Kong family together with Sun Dasheng and Tian Jingwen.

That evening, the group arrived in Qufu.

A team of one thousand people may not seem large, but for the officials and dignitaries in Qufu City, it was a huge uproar.

Upon learning that the person leading the troops was the current commander-in-chief, Qufu County Magistrate Feng Erhe was almost frightened to death.

He visited Zhang Shikang that evening and wanted to hold a welcoming banquet for him, but was sternly rejected by Zhang Shikang.

Apart from the officials, the most surprised were the Kong family.

Anyone with a sound mind would know why the current military marshal came to Qufu in person at this critical juncture.

The current Duke of Yansheng, Kong Yinzhi, summoned the clan leaders of the Kong family to discuss the matter that night.

The shock of the demise of the Shanxi merchants has not yet subsided, and those in power know clearly that the demise of the Shanxi merchants was the work of this great marshal.

They would not be so foolish as to think that the Grand Marshal came to Qufu for a pilgrimage.

Kong Yinzhi believed that even the beggars on the street who came to worship at the Confucius Temple would not believe that Zhang Shikang would come.

This playboy, who is known as the most dissolute man in the capital, came to Qufu this time, and he must be targeting their Kong family.

However, Kong Yinzhi was generally only shocked for a moment when he first heard the news.

As the clan leaders arrived, they began to recount the misdeeds of this disgraced young man from the capital, as well as the hatred that the court officials and gentry all over the world had for him.

Zhang Shikang has been compared to Wei Zhongxian of the previous dynasty, and some people have said in a few words that those who do evil will eventually perish.

It is believed that Zhang Shikang’s arrogance will not last long, and he will be like Wei Yan, who was defeated when the tree fell.

Originally, Kong Yinzhi was planning to make some compromises with Zhang Shikang, which was nothing more than paying the unpaid commercial and industrial taxes.

But taking the lead in lowering commodity prices is absolutely not acceptable.

The imperial court can raise taxes, but it must not impose them on the Kong family. They can pay, but it will be paid by the untouchables.

He believed that this was enough to give Zhang Shikang face. Not only would it allow the Kong family to have an explanation to other business colleagues, but it would also give Zhang Shikang a way out.

A group of elders discussed in the Confucius Ancestral Hall until late at night before finally reaching a consensus.

"Patriarch, when we go to see that playboy tomorrow, you must not bring down the reputation of our Kong family."

"Yes, Patriarch, you should let Zhang Shikang know that the reputation of the Kong family for thousands of years cannot be easily shaken by him, Zhang Shikang."

"My Kong family will never compromise with the traitors!" Duke Yansheng Kong Yinzhi bowed to all the clan leaders and made the promise.

……