At the legal level of the Ming Dynasty and in the rules of the people, the eldest woman did have the conditions to dispose of slaves and maids, as well as concubines. Like Sha's concubine, who has never held a door ceremony, has never given tea to the eldest woman, and is not recognized, it is completely a concubine raised by a son born to a slave who accompanies the bed, and the Jia family really sold her, and there is nothing anyone else can do. At the level of official law, there is no handle to be found.

But there is a premise for all this, that is, the son of the Sha family is just an ordinary person and has no decent identity. Although concubines should recognize the eldest woman as their mother-in-law and their biological mother as their aunt, this does not mean that it really has nothing to do with their biological mother. One of the simplest truths, if the concubine recognizes the eldest woman as the mother-in-law, she can be completely cut off from the biological mother, so where is the difference between the concubine?

is like Xu Wenchang, when he became an adult, he did everything possible to take his biological mother back to his home to support him, but his grandmother couldn't interfere. Gu Dingchen, who is known as the old man of Qingzi Pavilion, knelt down and insisted on respecting his biological mother as his mother, and his mother-in-law did not have a good way to manage it. Although the eldest woman has the right to sell the concubine, if the concubine's son has a certain status, then it must be approved by the son, otherwise it will be very troublesome. In the case of Jiyin, it's even more complicated, he's a prisoner!

As a state-recognized scholar, the prison student is also a member of the Ming gentry system. Usually, this kind of person will be an adult, and children are not considered, and Hou Shou used it to impeach Lu Tiaoyang in exchange for Zhang Juzheng's side to give Hua Jiyin a prisoner status, which is considered a violation of the rules of the game. But with Zhang Juzheng's authority and Feng Bao's appearance, it is not difficult to do this. Including the confession document of the Ministry of Rites, a series of procedures are complete, and he is a legal court supervisor. This important news was not known to the Hua family.

When he got off the boat, Fan Jin didn't let Hua Jiyin tell him about it, and he obeyed his father's order not to tell the outside world. Coupled with the age of his one-and-a-half-oldest child, no one would have imagined that he would be a prisoner. As soon as Liu Fuzi saw Hua Jiyin's prison uniform, he knew that the Hua family was not easy to handle this time.

As a decent person in the gentry system, his biological mother was sold to others to make a child, which is already a scandal. The person concerned is tied up and stuffed with a hemp core in the sedan car, and the situation is not much different from kidnapping, which is even more intolerable. If no one sees it, naturally everything will not be mentioned, and now that a group of scholars have witnessed it with their own eyes, things will inevitably get bigger.

Generally speaking, it is difficult for Qing officials to decide family affairs, and the government is reluctant to intervene in conflicts within the clan. It is common for the patriarch to bully the small clan and the children of the clan, and no one cares. But everything has its limits, and the reader is a red line. For those who have meritorious reputation, the clan must be respectful, and if they don't confess, at least they can't be bullied. The biological mother who sold the prisoner's birth, this kind of eating appearance is really ugly.

Fan Jin falsely claimed that Sha was a fatal woman in front of him, just to attract attention and add language traps, Hua Zhengmao is a stubborn but inflexible person, and he fell for the trick. It was too much to make the people present mistakenly think that the Hua family had already known that Jiyin was a prisoner, and deliberately pretended to be stupid and did not approve and oppressed him. is also a scholar, even for the sake of his own group, and he can't back down.

Liu Fuzi has realized that he has fallen for Fan Jin. The purpose of his organization of this meeting is simply to let his gang see this scene and be a witness for him. With so many readers, the possibility of collectively reversing black and white is zero, and there will always be someone who stands up to uphold justice.

At this time, if you want to protect the Hua family and make things small, it is tantamount to filling in the pit for the Hua family with your own future, and you can't do it at all. The only thing I can do right now is to stop talking and see how things develop.

When Hua Jiyin arrived with a group of young people in the Hua family, he also felt a little strange when he saw Hua Jiyin's prison uniform. Surprised, he asked, "Jiyin?" Where did you find your clothes? You can't wear this garment messily, so take it off quickly. Also, why did you bring someone to the house to make trouble, he is really ignorant? Hurry up, or be careful about the family law! ”

Fan Jin snorted coldly: "The court prisoners are also going to be beaten, your county is really a good folk custom." Admire! Admire. Even in Jingshi, I have never heard of anyone daring to beat and insult prisoners at will, and when it comes to Jurong, I can be regarded as an eye-opener. ”

Master Liu glanced at Hua Jiyin, "Great Minister, people say that brothers and friends are brothers, not to mention that Brother Ling is now a prisoner of the imperial court, and he is a prisoner with you, you should speak carefully, and you should not joke at will and misunderstand." ”

Hua Jiyin was stunned for a moment, "Prisoner? How old is he, how did he become a prisoner. My father was favored by the imperial court back then, and his son was imprisoned, and he was the little nephew. He is a doll, how can he be qualified to be a prisoner. ”

Fan Jin smiled coldly and said to Guan Qing: "Show the body to the young man, since he is a shadow eunuch, he should always know the words!" He said to Mr. Liu again: "Mr. Liu, I have heard for a long time that the customs in various places are different, and the custom in your county is that the bride is dressed like this and tied up in a sedan chair?" ”

Seeing that Fan Jin and so many guards also had the courage to do so, Sha Shi shouted with all his strength: "Master Fan, help, the concubine must keep the festival for the master, don't marry." It was they who forcibly tied up the concubine and sent it away, and the concubine had to keep the festival! Ask Master Fan to be fulfilled! ”

Forced to marry?

At this time, among the scholars who came with him, there were already popular people with pale faces. Among the dozens of young talents, some people realized that this might be some conspiracy by Fan Jin, and they didn't plan to speak. But there are always impulsive people, whether it is tied up and married, or the current scene of mother and son crying, it makes these people feel compassionate, and it is also contrary to their three views.

As a group of people who have read books and understand the truth, the quality of this group of readers is relatively higher than that of ordinary people, and the sense of justice is also strong, and some people can't help but scold:

"How can this be true? I have a simple and simple demeanor, when did I do such nonsense to force a woman to marry? The Hua family's family of cultivation and reading is known as a virtuous person in the countryside, I just think I am really a gentleman, who would have thought that it would be so ridiculous? The face of our Jurong County will be lost by you this time! ”

"Yes, so many clansmen have brought weapons here, why do you still want to fight? Forced to marry by force, is it really when our Jurong County has no king's law? ”

There are rich and poor people in the Xiucai class, and there are relatively poor books living in the land of fish and rice. These people may not be pleasing to the eye when they look at a big family like the Sha family on weekdays, and when they get the opportunity, they will naturally fall into the ground. The necessity of maintaining Sang Zi gave way to the need for retaliation, and he followed the help:

"It seems that the folk customs of our Jurong are indeed indescribable, and it is no wonder that they are looked down upon by outsiders. I have only heard of forcing women to keep festivals, and the first time I heard of forcing women to remarry, the style of the flower family, tsk, I have been tsk. Let's go back, but we have to talk about this rare matter to others, so that people can know what this house of goodness looks like. ”

Liu Fuzi looked at Hua Jiyin, "Daxianggong, in my opinion, let's let people go to the Sha clan to tie the rope first, let's have something to say, let's go to the house first, this is not a place to be reasonable." ”

Fan Jin, who entered the Hua family's mansion again, was in a very different mood from the last time. Last time, I was just a spectator, and no matter what, it had nothing to do with me. This time, Fan Jin was preparing to give this strong hostess an unforgettable lesson.

The mourning hall of the Hua family has not been removed, although due to the corpse, it has to be buried early, but there are still some sweeping work that has not been completed. According to folk customs, it is considered that the bones are not cold within three years, let alone at the moment, at this time, it is indeed difficult to stand on the basis of marrying a woman who is determined to observe the festival.

Some of the scholars in a large group of scholars want to be righteous and brave, and some people want to show their bravery and integrity in this matter because of the beauties, so they are more active. As the Hua family entered the mansion, their faces sank like water, their eyes were like fire, and they glanced at the Song family from time to time, and the latter also responded with a warm look, which made the hearts of these scholars beat wildly, like stepping on clouds.

Governor Hu Zhili and county magistrate Li Cai have all received the news, but no one has shown up. The county order sent a chief with a message, so that Liu Lao Fuzi had full authority to deal with this matter, and the governor of the yamen was also a friend of Hu Zhili's side, Gu Fuzi, he was a regular manager of Wenmu, quite good at learning, and Hua Jiyin had a lot of dealings, from the standpoint, he was naturally inclined to Hua Jiyin.

But the problem is that Fan Jin's side is not completely unprepared. In addition to Fan Jin himself, the two generals of the Wei Mansion and Feng Mingqi himself can be regarded as witnesses. Behind them is the huge Wei State Mansion, this kind of noble who is actually in charge of the army does not have to sell the governor's face in everything, plus the old hatred of Tianhuazhuang has not disappeared, at this time, if Hu Zhili is taken by the Xu family, Xu Bangrui will not be soft at all, and he will definitely find ways to embarrass this Dazhongcheng.

After checking the paperwork, Gu Fuzi found an opportunity, called Hua Jiyin outside, and said in a low voice: "Brother Hua, you did something wrong this time. Hua Jiyin is a prisoner, and his biological mother can also sell? Even if you want to sell it, you don't know it, and you sell it far away, so that people have nowhere to find it. It's better for you to do things now, and let this little beast move to the rescue, and these dozens of talented people are witnessed, in other words, it is ironclad evidence, and it is not easy to do it anywhere. ”

"This is also the intention of the mother, and the younger brother has no choice. Besides, Hu Zhongcheng didn't object, who knew that little beast was a prisoner? What kind of prisoner is he, a concubine ......"

"Silence!" Gu Fuzi made a gesture, "What is Hu Zhongcheng doing in charge of your family's affairs?" If you want to sell a concubine, do you want Dazhongcheng to give you a public announcement? This is not a thing, and who knows that this woman does not want to marry at all, and this kind of thing can be forced? If there is a human life, who will be responsible at that time? For the sake of our friendship, I will mention you, don't mention Dazhongcheng, otherwise you will have to do business. I've tested it, and it's true. He's a prisoner. And a shadow prison, just like you. The two of you are superior in this regard. Although you are a descendant, if you bully your younger brother too much, you will not be able to say anything. What's more, that little beast has Fan Jin's backing, this guy is difficult...... You don't know. ”

Gu Fuzi couldn't explain that his proprietor received a letter from Jingshi Liu Zheng, but he lost his temper in the room for several days, and hated Hua Zhengfang's unclear death, but he couldn't help it. Even a person like Liu Zheng who has been in the public for half his life can't see the flaws in the letter, and Hu Zhili won't have a way. Sha's mother and son couldn't ask anything, and he had no objection to selling Sha's for the purpose of venting his anger, but it was impossible for him to come out and support this behavior.

Fan Jin's ability, Hu Zhili also learned a thing or two through letters, it is said that he is Zhang Juzheng's adviser, and even this time Zhang Juzheng won the love without causing a large-scale backlash, Fan Jin Juju made great contributions. It was Fan Jin who jumped in the southeast no matter how he jumped, as long as he didn't violate the red line, Hu Zhili would not recruit him. The Hua family has no special confidence in provoking Fan Jin, and Hu Zhili will not publicly come out to help the Hua family stand on the platform.

Gu Fuzi said again:

"Fang Cai Fan Jin said that he plans to go to court! This is not a joke, Brother Hua Shi must be prepared. ”

"Lawsuit? What kind of lawsuit can he fight? ”

"What lawsuit? Naturally, it is a lawsuit to seek justice for Hua Jiyin! said that one of your family coveted the family property, forced the prisoner to marry his biological mother, and forced the wife to remarry, this matter is a big trouble, no matter whether the lawsuit is won or lost, it is Ling Zun's face that is lost. At that time, everyone will know about this matter, and the Hua family will not be able to raise their heads in the county and even the provincial capital. Brother Shi, you have to think about it, there are dozens of showmen and dozens of mouths present today, and they go around to preach a thoroughfare, do you still want to do your business in the county, and do you still want to test your fame? Besides, this matter is a big problem, it's not your Hua family's people who are lost, it's really Jurong's people! ”

He paused, and lowered his voice again, "Liu Gu's attitude is very ambiguous now, and I'm just afraid that I want to calm things down." Although the governor's yamen can suppress the county yamen, it can't suppress a single word. Really let Fan Jin spread the news from beginning to end, if the Wei State Mansion intervened, it would not be good at that time. ”

Hua Jiyin also gradually understood the stakes at this time. Originally, he sold Sha's by himself, and if he caused the established facts, there would be no problem. The person carried through the door, the water was difficult to collect, and the advance and retreat were in their own hands. But now something happened before the person could send it over, and the initiative was in the hands of the other party.

In addition, Hua Jiyin's identity as a prisoner is very different from that of a schoolchild, the latter is at his own discretion, but the former can speak in court. As Gu Fuzi said, Jiangning is different from other places, and the governor can't cover the sky with one hand. Wei Guogong and the town guard Zhongguan and even the six yamen inspectors, too many institutions are constrained, Hu Zhili does not dare to be too partial, otherwise he will have to trap himself.

Today's biggest mistake was to let a group of people testify, and witnessing Sha's being tied up like that confirmed her determination to keep the festival. These talents are afraid that the world will not be chaotic, and if they don't ask, they will definitely make a big deal about this matter and make trouble in the city.

In the South, the power of public opinion is sometimes more terrible than that of the government, and it is not only their means to crush people under their tongues, but also suitable for others to use on them. If you let the whole township poke yourself in the back, things will be a little tricky.

But...... It's not easy to solve it. At least for now, but there is no position to come out and make peace.

Just when he was embarrassed, a family member ran over and said, "Master, the old man has arrived." ”

This clerk is also a scholarly family, cultivating and reading heirlooms, and is a very influential squire. He and Hua Jiyin are sons and daughters, and they are also quite prestigious in the literary world. The arrival of such a person at this time is a savior. Hua Jiyin hurriedly followed the subordinate to the door, and the middle-aged clerk had already walked in from the outside, but when he saw Hua Jiyin, he was not kind, only slightly arched his hand, and his face was ugly. Get straight to the point and ask:

"Brother Hua, I heard a rumor at home, saying that your family forcibly tied up the old lady's side room and sold it in a sedan chair? I don't know who spread this rumor, and the intentions are so vicious, you should be vigilant and suppress this rumor, otherwise your family's reputation will be damaged. ”

"Brother Wen, things are not what you think, there are some hidden secrets in it...... This time, Brother Ren came just in time, and I have to count on Brother Ren to come forward and say one or two items on his behalf, so as to avoid some unnecessary misunderstandings. ”

"You and I are close relatives, and this is the right thing to do. I rushed over to talk about the matter, and I can't let this kind of rumor ruin the prestige of you and me and even Jurong. Where the man is, I will go to him. ”

The clerk went out into the room, and it didn't take too long, so he sent his servant to invite Hua Jiyin. When I came to the upper room, I didn't see the clerk and Jiyin, and when I asked, I realized that the two were in the hall. Hua Jiyin didn't know what the two of them were doing in the hall, but she saw Fan Jin sitting on the main seat with a blank face, looking unfathomable, and she couldn't guess how the negotiation was going for a while, so she had to come to the hall. As soon as he entered the door, he saw the clerk looking at him like water, and without waiting to speak, he got up and said:

"Brother Hua, your family's family affairs, the old man is inconvenient to take care of, so I will leave. I just want to say that the little girl's Geng sticker is troublesome for you to return to me, and I will send someone back to Ling Lang's Geng sticker later. The marriage between our two families is over. If you don't agree, everyone will go to the yamen to argue! ”

As he spoke, he walked out of the door, Hua Jiyin felt like he had been hit on the head, I didn't know what was going on, he hurriedly stepped forward and wanted to grab the clerk, but he didn't want the latter to shake the sleeves of his robe unceremoniously, opened his hand, and said coldly, "Wolf ambition!" For the sake of a few family property, even my own hands and feet can be harmed, and these people still want to be in-laws with me? Looking at Hua Jiyin's gaze, he lost his former respect, and only deep contempt remained.