There was constant shouting and cursing outside. Yang Dacheng was holding a shovel and confronting the intruders in the yard. The hostess in the room was holding her child nervously, looking outside in fear, her face pale.
The child in the hostess's arms struggled out, and wanted to take the broom in the house to go outside to help his father. The hostess grabbed him on her legs, slapped him, and then held him tightly in her arms, fearing that the child would run out and be bullied.
"Stay indoors honestly, I'll go out and take a look." Zhu Ping'an put down his bowl and chopsticks, touched the naughty child's head and said something to comfort him, then got up and walked out. It was only right and reasonable for him to help this family.
"Young man, don't go out. Be careful that they may implicate you. These people are unreasonable." Seeing Zhu Ping'an was about to go out, the heroine couldn't help but persuade him. She couldn't bear to see Zhu Ping'an being implicated for no reason.
"It doesn't matter. Even if you don't follow the rules, you should still follow the law."
Zhu Ping'an shook his head slightly and walked out of the house.
"Oh..." The hostess cried out as she watched Zhu Ping'an walk out. She felt that Zhu Ping'an was just a scholar who knew nothing about the world and how dangerous the world was, and she was very worried.
The naughty child in the hostess's arms stretched his head to look at Zhu Ping'an going out, and wanted to follow him out, but was held down tightly by the hostess and could not move.
Zhu Ping'an walked out of the house and saw Yang Dacheng confronting five sloppy policemen in the yard. Behind the policemen was a middle-aged man with a moustache wearing a satin robe. He looked rather wretched and was holding a folding fan in his hand in the middle of winter, as if he was trying to highlight his unusual status.
"Hey, where did this boy come from?" An officer saw Zhu Ping'an walking out of the house and looked at him with his head tilted.
The other officers also looked at Zhu Ping'an in a nonchalant manner, and they were gradually surrounding him.
"He's just a student passing by. Don't make things difficult for him." Yang Dacheng said to the officers while leaning on his shovel, then turned to Zhu Ping'an and said, "Young man, have your meal and get on with your journey."
Seeing how much Yang Dacheng cared about Zhu Ping'an and seemed to be protecting him, the officers did not believe what Yang Dacheng said.
"Tsk tsk, Cripple Yang is quite righteous. This must be your relative, I haven't seen him before, oh. Now I remember, your wife seems to have a useless brother who is also studying, hahahaha, I heard that after studying for ten years, your brother-in-law didn't even pass the first level of the boy's test, the county test. Hahaha, this must be him, right?"
One of the officers seemed to have thought of something, and he laughed so hard that he fell backwards. The look he gave Zhu Ping'an became particularly disdainful.
Think about it, after studying for ten years, he couldn't even pass the first level of the Tongsheng exam. What kind of person is that if not useless? The Tongsheng exam has three levels. He couldn't even pass the county exam after ten years, not to mention the more difficult prefectural and academy exams. He is not a good student at all! This kind of scholar is truly useless. How can he not be despised
"Haha, if you ask me, you should stop studying. You are totally not cut out for it." Another officer shook his head and sneered.
"But it's not hopeless. Have you seen our Huang Cuandian? Our Huang Cuandian is a scholar and a popular figure around our county magistrate. If you take our Huang Cuandian as your master, get our Huang Cuandian's guidance, and then use our connections, you still have great hope." The officer said patiently at the beginning.
"Of course. We Huang Cuandian are busy with official duties and we can't give instructions or help to anyone. However, if you and our Huang Cuandian become relatives, then it will be different. Hehehe, if Huang Cuandian is your brother-in-law, then it is natural for a brother-in-law to teach his younger brother-in-law."
The officer who was speaking winked at Zhu Ping'an, making people want to kick him in the face.
"What nonsense are you talking about? This young man is just a student passing by." Yang Dacheng was so angry that his face turned blue.
"Tsk tsk, Yang the Cripple is still as stubborn as before." The officers laughed disdainfully. They did not believe what Yang Dacheng said at all and firmly believed that Zhu Ping'an was Yang Dacheng's brother-in-law.
"What are you doing? How can you speak like that? It's really disrespectful."
Zhu Ping'an stood next to Yang Dacheng, pointing at several officers, his face flushed, looking like a complete nerd.
Zhu Ping'an's words and his nerdy appearance made the officers look at each other and laugh. They thought it was insulting. This boy was a nerd who had read too much and became stupid. He was simply a waste among wastes.
"If you take the land from the people, you have to pay taxes to the king. This is the rule."
"Taizu once said that people should know their share, and that paying land taxes and labor service to support the emperor is their share."
Huang Cuandian didn't mind the cold and opened his folding fan to fan himself twice. He opened his mouth and spoke in an official tone of classical Chinese, as if he was doing things according to the rules.
"So, doing corvée labor is the rule set by our great ancestor, and we are following the Yellow Book. Yang Dacheng, it's time for you to go to the Great Wall to serve. If you don't go, it will be a violation of the law. The lighter punishment is imprisonment, and the heavier punishment is death."
Huang Cuandian closed his folding fan, stretched out his right hand to touch his mustache, looked at Yang Dacheng and spoke righteously.
Seeing Huang Zuandian's skillful use of classics, far-fetched charges, and threats, so skillful, so shameless, and so breathless, Zhu Pingan knew that this person had been doing this for more than once or twice, and for more than two years.
County officials are not as good as the current ones. Sometimes, the dereliction of duty at the grassroots level is even worse! The harm is even greater!
Because their dereliction of duty and abuse of power directly affect the working people!
The corvée system must be changed! The official system must also be changed!
Zhu Ping'an watched this scene and silently took note of it in his heart.
"It's ridiculous! I just did the labor service of digging rivers and clearing silt in the early spring, why do you want me to serve at the Great Wall in winter? You are simply abusing your power for personal gain and going too far! You framed me and deliberately injured my leg when I served in the spring! Now you want me to serve at the Great Wall again, is there any law?" Yang Dacheng glared at Huang Cuandian, wishing he could tear him into pieces in one bite or two. This scum is targeting his wife, and if he gives in to such a scum, he would be unworthy of being a human being!
"King's law?"
Huang Cuandian stroked his mustache and laughed disdainfully, "I'm talking about the king's law. Haha, it's the king's law for you, Yang Dacheng, to go north to the Great Wall to perform labor service!"
What I am talking about is the law!
The Dianshi in the county government are not even up to par, and the money he has saved is nothing. Yet he dares to say arrogantly that what I say is the law. He is really so arrogant and domineering that he has no scruples!
"Taizu issued a policy to exempt corvée labor. The noble, virtuous, capable, those serving in public affairs, the elderly, and the sick were all exempted and submitted to the emperor's books every year. Brother Yang has a disabled leg, so he is exempted from corvée labor."
After listening to what Huang Cuandian said, Zhu Ping'an raised the corners of his lips and spoke.
After Zhu Ping'an finished speaking, the yard was silent for a few seconds. Several officers looked at each other, and then burst into laughter.
"This kid has really become stupid from studying too much!"
"That's right. Do you really think you can rule the world just by knowing a few words?"
"Hahaha... idiot"
Huang Cuandian also smiled disdainfully while stroking his mustache. He fanned his folding fan twice and said righteously, "The sick can be sacrificed, but how sick can be sacrificed and how serious the sickness is, it is up to us to decide. Now that the Tatars have invaded the border, it is the time to use people. Yang Dacheng has a minor leg injury, so he should put state affairs first and quickly go north to serve the country and repair the Great Wall."
"Did you hear that? Our Huang Cuandian is a scholar. You, a half-baked scholar, can't compare to him."
"Haha, that's right, that's what it is, showing off one's sword in front of Guan Gong, how ridiculous."
After Huang Cuandian finished speaking, the officers laughed at Zhu Pingan unscrupulously. (To be continued.)