Like their counterparts in most provinces across the country, the farmers of Xiaofanzhuang maintain a state of life where the sun rises and the sun sets. Pen ~ fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info the sun goes down and you can't see it, so you have to call it a day and go home. But on this day, just as the peasants were trudging out of the fields with their tools on their backs, and were about to return to their lodgings with their tired bodies and muddy legs, a gong suddenly sounded, attracting everyone's attention.

"Fathers and fellow villagers, after dinner, when the lamp is in hand, come to the courtyard. Regardless of the surname of the man or woman, all of them have to come. This matter is related to how much food tax you should pay this year and how much service you should serve. If anyone does not come, he will have to give an extra portion when he returns and distributes the money and food. This is the order of the patriarch, if anyone does not come, do not cry when it is time to pay the money and food. ”

In the Ming Dynasty, it was illegal to assemble without permission, and in principle, an assembly of more than 10 people could trigger a criminal charge, or even arrest. But principles are always principles, and actual implementation is another matter. After all, this is not the year of Hongwu, and the so-called ban is just nonsense written on paper for people to see, not a code of conduct to guide life.

There is no royal law in the countryside, and the words of the patriarch are more authoritative than the emperor's decree. What's more, when it comes to money and food, no one dares to be careless, let alone talk about the ban of the imperial court. Filling up the food indiscriminately, he rushed to the yard, and when it was time to hold the lamp, the whole yard was already full of people. Even the butchers of Hu and other indifferent characters also crutches, and with the support of Sister Hu and Hu Er, they went to the courtyard to find a place to sit down randomly.

Sister Hu had a few more slap marks on her face, but because her brother sold pork and didn't get back the silver, the father didn't beat his son, but blamed his daughter for sticking it upside down, and he must have stolen money to subsidize Fan Jin. Sister Hu has been beaten and wronged a lot of times, and she doesn't know much about anything, she only hides the more than one or two pieces of silver close to her, and she can't let her father know whether she is alive or dead.

Although Hu Butcher's feet were not good, his temper was still big, so he found a tree and sat down, scolding and scolding: "Lao Tzu is unlucky, and he gave birth to such a money-losing goods as you!" When someone gives birth to a daughter, he can find a powerful family and let his father-in-law enjoy happiness. It's good for you, but you took your own sticky self to stick the little white face, I don't think that Fan Jin looks like a rich person, you must not be good with him. Today's trick, I heard that he also made it, he doesn't do his job all day long, only engages in these crooked ways, what can he do! Look at him, how did he run behind the patriarch? ”

Fan Changwang and Fan Changyou are both extremely authoritative people in the village, and a few bearded clan elders must only be respectful in front of them, but Fan Jin, a young man, is behind the two of them, with a leisurely appearance, which makes these farmers feel quite rebellious.

Seeing that the people were almost coming, Fan Changwang coughed a few times, held a cigarette pouch, stood on the earthen platform in the middle of the courtyard, picked up the mallet and struck it on the gong.

"Folks, be clean, listen to me! Our big and small Fan Zhuang takes the surname Fan as the first surname, but we have never bullied other people with small surnames. Everyone drinks water from a river and eats rice grown in a field. In Fan's heart, he never distinguishes what Fan's surname is, he only knows that he is a fellow villager. thinks that this patriarch is just thinking about doing his best to seek some benefits for the villagers. But this position is not easy to sit, there are the court and the grain chief above, and the families below also have their own difficulties. I, the patriarch, am in a dilemma, I am not a human inside and outside, and my life is very sad. But such a burden, I don't pick, someone has to pick it, I can't just find someone to get rid of such a heavy burden, so I have to endure hard work and scolding myself to maintain this situation. This time, the situation is not easy to maintain, some of you may have heard that Mr. Hong gave us an order, which is a military order from the Governor Yamen! ”

He relayed Hong Chengen's order word by word, and most of the villagers in the yard had already learned about it through the grapevine, but getting the news from Fan Changwang's mouth was equivalent to getting official confirmation, and the yard was like someone throwing a firecracker down, and it boiled in an instant.

People in this era naturally don't know what venue discipline is. Hu Butcher also scolded in a low voice: "Straight lady thief, I said what to do when I called us here, it turned out that I wanted to change the way and harm us who are not surnamed Fan." I want to see who dares to pull Lao Tzu's Ding, who dares to ask Lao Tzu for money! ”

On the stage, the gong sounded a few times in a row, and finally suppressed the sound below, Fan Changwang said: "I have discussed with the Changyou brothers, and we also know the difficulties of the villagers. It is difficult for the court, and it is also difficult for everyone, if you want to have the best of both worlds, you have to suffer yourself. Jin Tsai took eighteen taels of silver out, and the rest, I and my elder brothers made up together, and we always had to make up enough silver to support the levy, and never apportioned half a penny to the villagers. However, the regular tax levied in advance has to be collected by the villagers with some effort. Otherwise, if the officers and soldiers took the cards and went to the countryside, it would be difficult for our village to be saved. Besides, Lao Yu is here to put a sentence, as long as I am still the patriarch of the Fan family, no one will be dragged to be a master in Fan Zhuang, regardless of Fan surname and foreign surname, no one will be treated equally, and no husband will be served! ”

The hustle and bustle in the audience gradually dissipated, and then, I don't know who took the lead in cheering, applause sounded like thunder, and someone pulled his neck and shouted: "The patriarch is wise!" The old man is so benevolent and righteous, he actually paid the levy for us, where can such a patriarch be found! ”

This man's voice was very loud, and the applause couldn't suppress his voice, but Hu Butcher's voice was brighter than him, and he scolded angrily: "Let your horse go!" If you want to talk about benevolence and righteousness, it is also benevolence and righteousness, and I took eighteen taels of silver out to pay taxes for everyone, and it is not in vain that I give him pork to eat in three days on weekdays. ”

Originally, in the survival state of Fan Zhuang, the little surname was bullied by the surname Fan and had to hug up a group to defend his own interests. The external size of Fan Zhuang was bullied by the Hong family, and these foreign surnames were not interested in coming forward. When the Fan family passes on the loss to themselves, these small surnames will join hands again and deal with the Fan family. The situation of the Fan family has always been internal and external troubles, and they are caught between the front and back.

But this time, Fan Changwang took the initiative to finish the grain tax for all ethnic groups with small surnames, but these people were really moved. After all, looking at the whole country of the Ming Dynasty, I am afraid that it will be difficult to find out that the patriarch with a big surname pays taxes for people with foreign surnames. The hostility of the people towards the Fan family turned into respect, and the eyes of hatred fell on the head of the Hong family, and the entire small Fan Zhuang was unprecedentedly united.

Fan Changwang said again: "Folks, listen to me first. Although you don't need to pay for the levy, but the matter is not so calculated, Jin Tsai has something to say to you, please listen carefully. Jin Tsai is a talented man who has won the head of the case in the county, and in the future, he may be able to raise people, and everyone has to listen to his words. ”

Most of the villagers don't know much about what the head of the case is, but when they heard the people and looked at Fan Jin, they were a little more in awe. And the eighteen taels of silver that Fan Jin took were astronomical sums of money in this kind of small village.

The generosity and the identity of the scholar made the villagers ignore Fan Jin's age, and when they watched this sixteen-year-old young man walk on the high platform, no one had any contempt or disdain, and they all listened attentively to Fan Jin's words.

Fan Jin raised his voice lightly, arched his hand downward, and then began his speech, and the content of this speech can be summed up in two words: popularization of law.