Shipin Dalizheng

Jin Yaoyang was furious. How was Rong Tang injured? He chased him for eighty blocks, ran faster than a tiger, and climbed walls like a whirlwind. He was the one who was injured, okay?

Fortunately, Rong Qi did not continue to insist on characterizing Jin Yaoyang's behavior as "hunting down". Nangong Jing followed Jin Yaoyang's words and asked why he was "chasing down" Rong Tang.

Several of Jin Yaoyang's servants came to the court crying and accusing Rong Tang of bullying. They told how they were hunting in the mountains and were severely beaten by Rong Si and Rong Wu. They also told how the eldest young master went to Rong Tang to argue and was tied up and detained for several hours.

Since the trial was open to the public today, many people were watching outside the hall and heard a lot of discussions. The people bribed by the Jin family were lobbying, saying that Rong Tang was unkind and started the fight first, and that Young Master Jin was just taking revenge out of anger. For a moment, many people nodded in agreement, thinking that Young Master Jin did a good job.

"Sir, I have something to say," Rong Qi said.

"speak."

"Sir, that mountain is our private property. When we encountered them poaching on the mountain, we only warned them and didn't do anything to them. As for Young Master Jin's detention, it's completely absurd. He didn't see his stepmother to her burial the day before, and because he felt guilty, he took the initiative to kneel in front of her grave and kowtow to apologize. If you don't believe me, sir, ask Young Master Jin himself, is that true?"

Jin Yaoyang was about to curse, "You're the boss, I was forced to do this," but Jin Shizhao took the initiative to admit it for him, "Yes, my son Yaoyang is filial to his stepmother. He took the initiative to kowtow that day, not for any other reason."

I can't handle Jin Yaoyang all of a sudden, so why am I speaking for Rong Tang again? I haven't even practiced my lines at home!

Jin Shizhao's face turned ugly, because Rong Qi's words had a big loophole. If he didn't answer well, Jin Yaoyang would become a heartless and ungrateful illegitimate son who only wanted to get his stepmother's title and property, but had no respect for her at all.

"He's not filial at all."

The speaker was Master Rong San. He stepped forward and knelt on the ground, saying, "Your Excellency, I am the head of Rongjia Village. The land and hilltops of Rongjia Village are the private property of our uncle, used to accommodate us. In the past few years, we could still make a living by relying on the production of the fields and hilltops. In recent years, the seal of the uncle's house was stolen by Master Jin's concubine, and life in Rongjia Village has become difficult. Not only were the best paddy fields stolen, but even the hilltops were occupied. Whatever the villagers found on the mountain, they took most of it, and they often threatened to drive us away. Your Excellency, what is this? We, the Rong family, are the masters, but we have been bullied by outsiders for so many years. Please help us."

The villagers of Rongjia Village came forward to complain about their grievances and told about the oppression they had suffered from the Jin family over the years. It was so sad to hear and made everyone cry.

When they came, Rong Tang told them that as a son, he could not push his father too far, but as members of the Rong family, they could seek justice for themselves.

Nangong Jing frowned and looked sideways, "Master Jin, is this true?"

Jin Shizhao had a cold face and gritted his teeth as he looked at the Rong family members without saying a word. In fact, he had not yet thought of what to say.

Jin Yaoyang jumped in to argue, "What do you mean by 'theirs'? That's ours. My father is the son-in-law of the Bo family, and the Bo family's property is his property, so naturally he can do whatever he wants. You are a bunch of lowly people, and we provide you with food and shelter, yet you dare to be dissatisfied? You are really a favor, but you are resentful."

Jin Shizhao gnashed his teeth and cursed, "Shut up right there." At this moment, he really felt that his son was not smart at all. He didn't have even one tenth of his intelligence. Who did he inherit that from?

Nangong Jing followed up on Jin Yaoyang's words and asked, "So Young Master Jin thinks that since your father is the son-in-law of the Rong family, all the Rong family assets belong to the Jin family, which means they are yours. The land that the Rong family cultivates, the hunting and firewood they chop in the mountains are all yours, and it's only right that they pay tribute to you?"

Jin Yaoyang didn't answer yes, but the expression on his face showed that it was correct.

Outside the hall, there was a clamor of swearing and cursing. Those who were promoting the Jin family were completely unable to suppress the noise and tactfully shut up. Forget it. This was a family property dispute, not a criminal case. No matter what, Jin Yaoyang would not be imprisoned, beaten, or exiled.

"He took the property of Earl Jian'an and turned around to bully his clansmen. How shameless! My Lord, we cannot let such a despicable person get away with it. We must give justice to our family!"

Amid the public outrage, a dozen men walked into the courtroom from outside. Unlike the villagers of Rongjia Village, they were all ragged, disabled, and had suffered a lot of hardship and suffering.

"Who is this person in the hall, and why are you here?"

A middle-aged man with one hand missing stepped forward and said, "Your Excellency, we are wounded soldiers who have retired from the Rong family army and are currently living in Fuxin Village. We have some grievances and would like to complain to you, Your Excellency, and hope you can make a decision for us."

As soon as he heard the name Fu Xinzhuang, Jin Shizhao felt that something was wrong.

As expected, when Nangong Jing heard that it was a retired wounded soldier from the Rong family army, his expression softened and he asked, "What grievances are you suffering? Tell me in detail."

The old wounded soldier said, "When we retired, the court didn't give us any severance pay. So it was our uncle who offered us his own farmland to house us. Over a thousand acres of farmland housed six hundred wounded soldiers. Originally, the brothers relied on the produce from these fields to barely survive. But a few years ago, the farmland was taken over by a new owner, rumored to be the second brother of Minister Jin's concubine. He took 60% of the produce for himself. Since then, the six hundred wounded soldiers have been starving and struggling to survive. Last year, a drought reduced the harvest, and 80% of the food was stolen by the head of the farm, Yang Zhuangtou. The winter was also extremely cold, and with little food and clothing, more than a dozen of our brothers died of starvation and freezing..."

As he spoke, his voice choked with sobs and he fell to the ground. The others also started to sob.

Another person cried, "Life was tough. A relatively young wounded soldier on the farm finally found a wife, and last year a child was born. There was nothing to eat or drink at home, and the child fell ill. We couldn't go to the city to seek help from Madam Rong. When we arrived at the Bo's mansion, they wouldn't even let us in. They said the Bo's mansion was now run by Concubine Yang, and she couldn't care less about the lives of unrelated lowly people, so they sent us away. The child didn't make it, and is gone."

Jin Shizhao broke out in a cold sweat. Wasn't he aware of all this? He knew everything, but at the time he thought it was a minor matter. Now he realized that he had also offended the emperor.

The imperial court had no money, so Earl Jian'an used his private property to help the imperial court accommodate the wounded soldiers, which was a great help to the emperor and stabilized the morale of the army.

Now that it has been revealed that the Yang brothers oppressed and plundered the wounded soldiers, causing them to starve to death, freeze to death, or die from disease, the court will only blame him for this.

He looked for help at the helpers he had hired at great expense. At this moment, those people kept their mouths tightly shut, as if they were welded shut and refused to speak. He knew that the problem was solved.

Outside the hall, there were constant insults and curses, and the public's anger almost reached its peak.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "This matter, this matter I don't know, I will go back and find out..."

"My lord, it's more than that."

Rong Qi intensified his accusation again, "Our young master had nowhere to stay, so he lived in the shabby courtyard of Rongjia Village. Seeing that the people in the clan were living in hardship, they wanted to do something to improve their lives. So the whole village gathered some money, and some went to the town to buy things, and some came to the capital to buy things. As a result, those who went to the town were beaten by Yang Yi Niang's brother and their things were stolen. And the young master suffered such a tragic fate in the city. My lord, if Madam Rong knew about this, she would be so sad to know that her own son had suffered so much!"