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Along the Qinhuai River, the winter scenery is clear and desolate, with pedestrians busy on both sides. In the riverside house, there are music, flutes and drums, and the house is full of guests. Beautiful women dance under peach blossom fans. It is a prosperous scene.
In a house near the river, plum blossoms are dotted across the pink wall. From time to time, the sweet laughter of a woman can be heard from inside the wall, her voice like a yellow oriole, which is very suggestive.
Chen Zhenhui from Yixing straightened her hat to hide her hair which had not yet grown long, and then stepped off the carriage.
He is about 40 years old, but he is well-maintained and elegant, looking much younger than his actual age.
He went forward and knocked on the gate. With a creak, the gate opened. Two young and beautiful women looked at the visitor, bowed and asked, "Who are you looking for, sir?"
Chen Zhenhui did not answer, but looked at a woman in her thirties in the yard. The woman had a charming figure and the charm of time all over her body. She was wearing an apricot-colored embroidered brocade dress and a royal blue floor-length skirt. Her eyebrows were lightly drawn and her skin was like jade. She was also staring at him intently.
"Li Niang, are you okay?"
This emotional cry was enough to show that the relationship between the two was unusual. The two beautiful women at the door hurriedly invited Chen Zhenhui into the yard and then closed the door.
Chen Zhenhui stepped forward, held the woman's hand, and called out again, "Li Niang, I'm here to see you."
"It's been two years. Two whole years. Do you still remember me?"
"Li Niang, look at what you said, how could I forget you?"
"Where were you when the Tartars marched south?"
"The country is broken and everyone is displaced. This is the same for everyone." Chen Zhenhui stretched out his arms and held her in his arms. The two of them whispered as they entered the room.
The room was decorated with curtains and couches, and the furnishings were elegant yet not vulgar. A faint fragrance flowed in the air.
The two talked about the past, and sighed endlessly. In the days of the Tartar occupation, human life was as cheap as grass. It was not easy to survive. After experiencing such vicissitudes, meeting old friends again was naturally more precious.
Chen Zhenhui held her in his arms, as if he didn't want to let go for a moment. When he was moved, his hands began to gently caress her charming body. "Dingsheng!" Li Niang exclaimed passionately, and the two of them kissed each other immediately.
Chen Zhenhui couldn't resist the impulse in his heart and carried her to the bed. He undressed her and they had a passionate and affectionate time together.
After the sex, Chen Zhenhui hugged the soft body in her arms and said, "Li Niang, this time I came here, in addition to seeing you, I also want to ask you for help with something."
"What's the matter?" Li Niang frowned slightly and then quickly relaxed her brows.
"I'm sure Li Niang still remembers my good brother Taichong from Yuyao. Even Emperor Sizong called him a loyal minister and an orphan. But recently, he was framed by corrupt officials for discussing literature and Taoism with others and was thrown into the Yingtian Prefecture jail. Li Niang, can you help..."
"You came to see me because of him?" Li Niang interrupted Chen Zhenhui, her expression a little stiff.
She hadn't thought about asking Chen Zhenhui for anything, but she didn't expect that he hadn't come to see her for two years, and this time, he came to ask for something. This made her very disappointed.
"Li Niang, what's wrong with you? Don't you always like to make friends with heroes of the time?"
"Heroes of the time?" Li Niang said with a self-deprecating look, "Once. I thought Qian Qianyi was a hero of the time, with extraordinary integrity and character, but he surrendered! I thought Ma Shiying was a traitor to the country, but he did not surrender; I thought Hou Fangyu was a talented person of the time, but he ran away to Yanjing to be a slave; I thought..."
"Li Niang, stop talking."
"Dingsheng, I'm not talking about you, why can't I say it?"
Chen Zhenhui was a little unhappy and replied stiffly: "I told you not to say it, so don't say it."
Although Li Zhenli was born in a brothel, she was a bold and chivalrous person. Chen Zhenhui's blunt tone made her unable to hold back for a moment, and she loudly refuted: "As the saying goes, strong winds reveal strong grass, and time reveals a person's heart. It is now clear who is loyal and who is treacherous. Those who spoke the most passionately in my Meixiang Tower, when the Tartars marched south, either became cowards or slaves on their knees. They are not even as good as us brothel girls. They can be so humble and willing to be slaves, and they can't let people say anything?"
"Li Niang, you!"
Chen Zhenhui didn't expect things to turn out like this. Although Li Zhenli didn't say anything about him, he had the closest relationship with Hou Fangyu, and now Hou Fangyu had indeed gone to Yanjing with Qian Qianyi.
Li Zhenli's use of Hou Fangyu was tantamount to a slap in his face. In shame and anger, he stood up, put on his clothes, and left in anger.
After leaving the courtyard, he got in the car and hurried back to the guild hall in Taoye Ferry, contacted Fang Yizhi and more than 20 people, and went to Yingtian Prefecture together.
In the past, if this group of celebrities marched through the streets in a mighty procession, they would surely attract a large number of people to follow and admire them.
But now, the people along the street just pointed and smiled playfully.
The Donglin Party members used to enjoy high prestige in Jiangnan, and the famous figures in the Donglin Party were sought after wherever they went.
During the Wei Zhongxian period, officials went to Jiangnan to arrest members of the Donglin Party. The people of Jiangnan also rushed to resist, which caused great unrest.
Zhang Pu, the leader of the Fushe Society, wrote an article titled "Epitaph of Five People", praising the Suzhou citizens for their "fearlessness of violence", "passion for justice, and disregard for death", and their courage to fight against evil forces.
Zhang Pu had excellent literary talent and wrote passionately. However, tens of thousands of soldiers from Liaodong died fighting for their country, but Zhang Pu did not write articles to praise them. Why did he value these five people so much and went to pay homage to them again and again
The reason is very simple. The five people in the tomb died because they resisted the officials and protected the Donglin Party.
From these events, we can clearly see how amazing the Donglin Party’s appeal was at the time. It had reached the point where it could call on the people to fight against the government.
Moreover, the article by Zhang Pu, the leader of the Fushe Society, openly characterized the Donglin Party as just and the government as unjust. This not only incited civil unrest but also seized the moral high ground.
But the Qing army's march southward was like a magic mirror, revealing the true nature of the Donglin Party members.
It is undeniable that many people among the Donglin Party also rose up against the Qing Dynasty.
However, since more than half of the Donglin Party members surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, including Donglin leaders such as Qian Qianshi and four princes such as Hou Fangyu, the Donglin Party had become infamous.
The Donglin Party has almost lost its appeal among the people.
Chen Zhenhui and Fang Yizhi were two of the four young masters of the Fushe Society. They took the lead in going to Yingtian Prefecture to rescue people. Naturally, the people of Jinling regarded this action as the action of the Donglin Party.
Therefore, no one along the street responded to them.
Of course, there were also many people who went to watch the fun, but they were just there to watch the fun instead of cheering for the team.
Chen Zhenhui was very angry with Li Zhenli, so he decided to vent his anger. When he arrived at the Yingtian Prefecture government office, he immediately went up to beat the drum to appeal for justice.
The clerk in front of the yamen saw them coming aggressively and hurried forward to stop him and said, "What are you doing? Are you going to gather together to cause trouble?" the yamen officer asked loudly.
"Get out of the way! I want to beat the drum to protest my injustice!" Chen Zhenhui was not afraid at all. She pushed the bailiffs away and rushed forward.
Dong! Dong! Dong! The Yingtianfu's injustice drums sounded, and the sound spread throughout the streets, attracting more people to come and watch. Soon, the Yingtianfu became very lively.
Luo Runan, the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, heard the drum and went up to the court. Chen Zhenhui and twenty other people walked in proudly, showing the unyielding spirit of warriors heading to the execution ground.
"mighty!"
"mighty!"
The two yamen runners shouted in a loud voice, and Luo Runan, the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, banged the gavel and asked loudly, "Who is in the hall? Why are you beating the drum?"
Chen Zhenhui replied: "Students from Yixing, including Chen Zhenhui, have come here to beat drums to appeal for justice."
Luo Runan remained calm, stroked his long beard and asked, "What grievances do you have, and who do you want to sue?"
"Students are going to sue Yingtian Prefecture!"
As soon as Chen Zhenhui said this, the people watching the trial outside the court suddenly burst into an uproar. They came to the government office to sue someone else. This was really a rooster laying eggs. This was the first time I had seen this.
Luo Runan stroked his long beard and asked, "You want to sue this government? Fine. But explain the reasons clearly."
The people outside were in an uproar again. I thought the prefect would be furious, but he was so nice to me even when he was accused to my face. What happened today was really weird.
Even Chen Zhenhui and the others did not expect Luo Runan to react like this. They were stunned.
"... ... .Sir, Mencius said that the people are the most important, the country is second, and the monarch is the least important. Huang Zongxi, a candidate from Yuyao, said that in ancient times, the world was the master and the monarch was the guest. What the monarch managed throughout his life was for the world. Huang Zongxi's words were exactly the same as what Mencius said, but he was arrested and imprisoned in Yingtian Prefecture because of this. I dare to ask the prefect, Sir, is what Mencius said wrong?"
Luo Runan asked calmly, "Are you here to beat the drums and avenge Huang Zongxi?"
"Exactly!"
Luo Runan leaned back in his chair, looked at Chen Zhenhui and the others calmly, stretched out his hand, drew out a red-headed warrant and threw it into the hall, and ordered the yamen runners: "Come on, each of you will be punished with ten strokes of the cane."
The two groups of yamen runners rushed over like ferocious tigers, and without saying a word, they pushed Chen Zhenhui and others to the ground. They pulled up their pants, revealing their white buttocks. Snap! Snap! Snap! For a while, the big boards kept falling down, and the sound kept coming in the hall, making Chen Zhenhui and others scream in pain.
After the fight, Luo Runan stood up, straightened his clothes, bowed to the north, and said loudly: "The King of Qin has an order that the Qin Dynasty will not punish people for their speech. Although Huang Zongxi's speech was inappropriate, he has been released unharmed according to the King of Qin's order. The case has been closed. You still come to this government to beat the drum to complain, and even have the audacity to sue me. Do you think this dignified Yingtian Prefecture is a place where you can do whatever you want?"
Compared with the pain in their bodies, the humiliation of being stripped naked and executed in public was even more embarrassing for Chen Zhenhui and the others. Their eyes were red and they were ready to fight to the death, but Luo Runan's words struck them as if struck by lightning, and they were all dumbfounded!
Huang Zongxi was released? How is this possible? How come we didn't know about it
The pain pierced through her torn buttocks. She wanted to take this beating in vain. Chen Zhenhui stiffened her neck and said, "May I ask, sir, when was Huang Zongxi released? We have been waiting for him day and night, but why haven't we seen Huang Zongxi in person?"
Luo Runan took out the memorial and said, "This is the King of Qin's red-inked approval. Please read it carefully and see if I am lying to you."
When Chen Zhenhui and others took a look, they saw the red comment on it: The Great Qin will not punish the man based on words, so let him go.
Since there are red-ink comments, this matter must be true. Then what about Huang Zongxi and others
Luo Runan smiled coldly. He had specifically waited until this group of guys came to his door before he ordered the bailiffs to release the man. Of course, it was impossible for Chen Zhenhui and the others to see Huang Zongxi in advance, but no matter what, the man was released. Although the time difference was only a little bit, but, a little bit was enough.
He slammed the gavel again and shouted, "Come on, you are suing officials as a common people, and it is an unreasonable and false accusation. The leader will be beaten with another twenty strokes of the cane!"
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ps: Brothers, we have fallen to the last place, we need to push forward... Push forward... Let those fresh chrysanthemums bloom in front of us... God's chrysanthemums are so fresh and tender, and they are clamped very tightly, brothers must be firm! Otherwise, we can only lie down, raise our snow-white buttocks, and tremble while waiting for others to come... No, we can't do this!
I'm begging for monthly tickets, I'm begging for monthly tickets so much. Brothers, please give me twenty or thirty votes, let's go for it!
.(To be continued..)
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