First Minister of Ming Dynasty

"Remember clearly, this is not the Great Yuan Dynasty!"

In a word, Li Shanchang was so frightened that he knelt down in a hurry, and even said he knew.

Having taught Li Shanchang a lesson, Zhu Yuanzhang went straight out and flew on his horse without resting at all, so he took dozens of riders and chased Zhang Ximeng. He wanted to handle the matter himself.

Witnessing Lao Zhu leaving, Li Shanchang's back was soaked.

What a strict law enforcement Zhu Yuanzhang!

What made Li Shanchang even more terrified was that Zhang Ximeng was exactly as Zhu Yuanzhang said, which shows how close they are.

It's ridiculous that I still want to replace Zhang Ximeng, and the Mu family came to find him, and agreed to help me out according to their past habits in the Yamen... Looking at it now, it was all wrong.

Fortunately, it was the first time, otherwise I would be in trouble.

Li Shanchang is also honest, before he understands Zhu Yuanzhang's temperament and the team is used to it, don't just make up his own mind, you must be a man with your tail between your legs...

The lesson this time is enough for Li Shanchang to be honest for quite a long time.

On the contrary, the Mu family approached Zhang Ximeng to make contact and gave gifts to Li Shanchang. It was a multi-pronged approach. They thought it was a foolproof thing, but unexpectedly Zhang Ximeng's soldiers came!

The bell rang through the village, and all the thugs of the Mu family gathered. There were seven to eight hundred people, which was not a small number.

It turns out that Mu's family has compiled the thugs they usually raise into Xiangyong, and they will practice every month, so don't think they are easy to deal with.

Hearing that Zhang Ximeng was leading the army, the Mu family was in a hurry.

"Okay! It really is a group of unreasonable thieves! Since the old man begged them and they are unwilling to agree, let's fight to the death and see who can't bear it!"

"Command! All those good weapons, prepare me for battle!"

In an instant, the people in the village neighed, and hundreds of sturdy young men rushed to the fence of the village with strange screams, armed with knives and guns, waiting in full force.

Just as they were making preparations, Zhang Ximeng arrived with two brothers Wu Zhen and Wu Liang, as well as [-] soldiers and horses.

"Go and tell the inside, let them open the gate of the village, put down their weapons, follow us, and ask the lord for sin!"

Wu Liang agreed, mobilized his horse, and rushed over. He shouted twice in a row, but he was indifferent.

When it was the third time, suddenly a cold arrow was shot out, Wu Liang hurriedly lowered his head, the arrow flew over his head and pierced into the ground ten steps away.

Wu Liang returned to his horse, hid himself in a stirrup, grabbed the arrow and rushed to Zhang Ximeng.Wu Liang gritted his teeth, and said angrily: "Sir, not only did the Mu family not surrender, they dared to sneak up on lowly officials!"

"beat!"

Zhang Ximeng resolutely said: "Get into the stockade for me, and wipe out the Mu family!"

"As ordered!"

The Wu family brothers commanded their own troops, like a whirlwind, rushed up, what trenches, fences, in front of the iron cavalry, they are worse than toys!

The Wu family brothers took the lead and rushed to the front of the fence. First they shot arrows, then grabbed the wooden fence with their flying claws, and the cavalry worked hard together.

A hole was torn open in an instant, and the Wu family brothers drove in through the gap, stepped on the Mu family's thugs, drove straight in, and chased those fierce thugs of the past, running around the ground, worse than a flock of sheep... And this rush, It also marks that the big gentry is no longer the master of the place.

Power goes to the countryside!

Chapter 54 Justice Out of Fighting

The Mu family's stockade was breached in an instant, hundreds of thugs died, dozens of them died, less than a hundred escaped, and the rest were all captured.Among them are dozens of men from the Mu family, who are also listed.

Wu Liang also found out the one who shot him coldly, and punched him in the face like a rotten watermelon.

Zhang Ximeng pretended not to see it.

At this time, Lao Zhu came on horseback and found that the battle was over, he was quite regretful.

It's late, it's okay!

Seeing Lao Zhu coming, Zhang Ximeng was overjoyed.

"My lord, I still want to invite you if I don't come. There are too many things that I need to ask my lord to decide."

Without further ado, Zhang Ximeng dragged Lao Zhu to the Mu family's ancestral hall.

Lao Zhu didn't have any idea about the Mu family, he just thought they were ordinary landlords, but when he saw this magnificent and ancient ancestral hall, Zhu Yuanzhang was shocked.

After walking in, I was even more surprised.

On the shrine in the middle of the ancestral hall, there is an ancient man with the appearance of a scholar, with a fluttering crown and full of bookishness.

"Sir, who is this?"

Zhang Ximeng looked at it and said, "It should be Zigong!"

"Zigong? A disciple of Confucius?"

"Yeah! Zigong was originally named Duanmuci. He used to do business between Cao and Lu, and he was considered a rich man under Confucius' family. The surname Mu originated from Duanmu. It is also possible to move here from Lu."

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but nodded, and there was a trace of solemnity in his expression.

Anyway, their family traced back upwards, and they were all poor tenant farmers. Unlike the Mu family, they can be traced back to Confucius' family. They are really a scholarly family, a rich family!

It is estimated that such a family background is a little worse than Yansheng Gong in Qufu!

Lao Zhu looked at Zigong's portrait again, but he didn't sit down.

Seeing Lao Zhu's restraint, Zhang Ximeng smiled and said, "My lord, speaking of it, this land of Haoliang is truly outstanding. Back then, Zhuangzi and Huizi were on this Haoshui, and they had debated about the joy of fish!"

Hearing this, Lao Zhu was taken aback for a moment, and he couldn't help being even more shocked. Before studying with Zhang Ximeng, he didn't feel much, but now that he is educated, he is more in awe.

"We remember that Zigong once redeemed Lu people who were slaves in a foreign land. After returning home, he didn't ask for compensation from Lu. As a result, he was criticized by Confucius."

Zhang Ximeng nodded, "That's right, Confucius believed that redeeming people to get compensation is also doing good deeds. Redeeming people does not require compensation, but those who ask for compensation will be criticized and ridiculed by everyone. Over time, Lu people who are slaves abroad No one cares about it, so Zigong has made it more difficult for Lu people to return home, so it can be seen that Confucius is an old man who knows how to adapt, reason, and has a flexible mind!"

In fact, if you read the Analects a little bit, you will probably have the same experience. Confucius is quite reasonable.Not only Confucius, but also Master Zhu.

If Zhu Xi really told others that starving to death is a small matter, but injustice is a major matter, so you should starve to death!

How can such a person conquer all scholars and gain respect and admiration?

But then again, why is this extreme statement so popular?Known to the world?become a fixed impression.

In the end, should we reflect on what Confucius and Master Zhu said, or should we think clearly about why some people deliberately misinterpret it?

Perhaps the latter is more worthy of research than the former.

Zhang Ximeng accompanied Zhu Yuanzhang to the next room, and when they came in, they were really horrified!

"Is this an ancestral hall, or a torture hall?" Zhu Yuanzhang blurted out, as far as he could see, there were raw cowhide whips, clamp sticks, irons... and even more bizarre torture instruments, which were more complete than prisons.

They bypassed a bunch of instruments of torture, and when they got to the wall, an even more frightening scene appeared. Just by the wall, there were a few dark things that seemed to be limbs.

After careful identification, it turned out to be a human arm, which had been chopped off and left to dry for an unknown amount of time, turning it into pitch black.

Looking up again, there are a few rope-like things hanging on the wall, but if you look closely, it turns out to be intestines!

Rao Zhang Ximeng, who had experienced several months of defending the city, saw these human parts and shuddered!

Just next door, Zigong, Confucius' favorite disciple, who was criticized by Confucius for not thinking carefully because of redeeming the people of the country.

Here is a torture hall, a living hell!

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was also quite ugly, and the veins on his temples couldn't help but tense.

"Okay, what a good Mu family! Don't throw away any of these instruments of torture, and use them all later!"

Lao Zhu turned his head, went back to the main hall, glanced at the statue of Zigong in the middle, and felt a sense of awe, leaving only a deep sigh!

"The children and grandchildren are unworthy, and the ancestors are ashamed!"

After Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, he immediately ordered, "Bring all the Mu family over here, and tell all the villagers to come and watch!"

When his subordinates went to deliver the order, Zhu Yuanzhang became more and more angry as he thought about it, and said to Zhang Ximeng, "Sir, aren't they afraid of embarrassing their ancestors?"

Zhang Ximeng sighed: "My lord, I think they are using their ancestors' prestige to pretend to be a tiger!"

Snapped!

Lao Zhu slapped the table hard, and said angrily, "Since that's the case, don't blame us for being rude!"

Soon, Wu Liang escorted the Mu family over. The leader was an old man with a gray beard named Mu Ren. Behind him was Mu Xin who claimed to be Mu Yingyuan's uncle, and dozens of other men. A large area of ​​blackness.

Outside the ancestral hall, there were thousands of villagers who came after hearing the news, and there were even more people who rushed over from surrounding villages to help the old and the young.

From the old man with a stick to the children of a few years old, they all came.

This kind of scene is not uncommon. Once upon a time, every New Year's festival, or to punish lawbreakers, everyone would be required to gather.

The Mu family's ancestral hall is very famous in Dingyuan.

Any conflicts in the surrounding villages will be handled by the Mu family, and there is no need to bother the government to intervene.

His ancestors were disciples of Confucius, so could it be unfair to do things?

It's just that no one thought that one day, in this ancestral hall, the Mu family would actually be kneeling below.

Could it be that the world has changed?

"We promulgated the land division order, why are you unwilling to cooperate?" Zhu Yuanzhang said in a low voice.

The old guy in the lead, Mu Ren, gritted his teeth, and replied: "This field, this land, has been owned by the Mu family for thousands of years. Why should it be divided? You may have a reason?"

At such a time, Zhu Yuanzhang naturally does not need to speak. Zhang Ximeng smiled and said, "You are right. It is because your family has owned everything for thousands of years, so you have to give up everything. You also live on a piece of land. How can your family Have you been sitting back and reaping the rewards?"

These words immediately caught Mu Ren's attention, and at the same time, there were some touches among the crowd, and some people began to whisper and discuss in low voices.

Mu Ren was stunned for a long time, and finally sighed: "Okay! We admit it, and we will pay as much as we are told! Is this the head office?"

"No!" Zhang Ximeng said decisively: "I just found out that you have set up torture halls privately. How many innocent people have you killed in these years?"

As soon as these words came out, the Mu family members were dumbfounded, and Mu Ren also had shortness of breath and his face changed.

"I, our family has abided by the precepts of our ancestors for generations, treated people with benevolence and righteousness, and have a great reputation. If someone asks us to uphold justice, we are only doing things for the folks."

At this time, that Mu Xin also stretched his neck and shouted: "That's right, if you don't believe me, just ask the folks, they can all testify for us! If we are wrong, someone will come out to testify!"

Sure enough, after he said this, among the crowd, after a brief discussion, a middle-aged man trembled and knelt on the ground.

"Master please check clearly, Mr. Mu is a good person!"

"Yes, Master Mu is indeed a good person!"

A few more people followed suit, saying that the Mu family is a good person.

Zhang Ximeng didn't panic at all, at this moment, a woman came up with a child.

"Master Qingtian, I want to sue the Mu family! Sue them for stealing our property!"

It was Mu Ying who spoke!

Ma smiled and encouraged, "Don't be afraid, child, it's time to settle accounts with them!"

With Mu Ying standing up, the people outside became even more excited, and the buzzing was endless.

Mu Ying took a deep breath and told what happened to her parents.

And among the crowd, there are quite a few who remember Father Mu. They remember that during the great disaster, only his father was thinking about the big guy and lowered everyone's land rent, but he didn't expect that good people don't live long...

"I beg the master to be the master!"

An old man knelt down, followed by dozens of others, all weeping bitterly, telling about the Mu family's crimes... Soon, the voice of denouncing the Mu family was earth-shattering and condemned by thousands of people!

Zhu Yuanzhang finally stood up slowly, looking down at the distraught Mu family.

"All the heinous Mu family members will be executed! Just in this ancestral hall, let their ancestors watch!" As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, all the people outside knelt down and kowtowed for their kindness.

There is justice in this world!

The sound of crying and cheering went straight to the sky...

Chapter 55 Zhu Yuanzhang's Happiness

In front of the Mu family ancestral hall, on a temporary platform, red scarf soldiers escorted the Mu family up.The leader is the grey-haired Mu Ren.

This old man who was still stubborn in the hall was crying bitterly at this moment. His old body was softer than noodles. Zhu Yuanzhang was no stranger to such a scene, because he had killed a salt merchant in Haozhou City.

At that time, he chopped off the opponent's head with a single knife, and Guo Zixing came to condemn him.

Now he is the one who is completely in charge, this gray head is only in his mind.

Is this what life and death feel like?

Zhu Yuanzhang was immersed in it and did not rush to order.