Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 814 The Pain of Liberation

Under this kind of law, the oppression and even persecution of good people versus lowly people, masters versus slaves, must have been common and commonplace, because it was in line with the laws and social customs of the time. Except for rare cases, the government and even society as a whole acquiesce or even support these behaviors.

Therefore, Cao Wenzong and others easily discovered a large number of cases of masters beating, raping, plundering and even killing slaves in the homes of arrested Hebei nobles. This is nothing at all. After all, in ancient China, rebellion was a heinous crime. Since these people were involved in the rebellion, most of the time, their whole family would be beheaded and the three tribes would be exiled. They didn't care about a few more charges.

But the problem is that this time is different. Although the evidence is conclusive, those who participated in planning the assassination of Liu Peiji and conspired to provoke the civil war were also beheaded, but a large number of them did not personally participate and were just implicated for various reasons. People were not punished with capital punishment as in the past. Some were released directly, and some were only punished with very light punishments, such as fines.

When these lucky people returned home happily, before they could even sit down, they often received documents from the government inexplicably, learning that they had been accused of various actions against slaves and other lowly households, and they returned home in confusion. yamen. The vast majority of them would cry out for injustice, and some would even pull out the "Tang Laws and Comments" and argue with the officials in the hall, saying that their actions did not violate criminal laws.

Faced with this kind of argument, the officials in the hall usually only say one sentence: "This is the order of the general! The previous treatment of you in the case of Liu Peiji's assassination was also the general's intention!" The defendant in the hall usually will Shut up immediately to show compliance.

These guys soon became the object of laughter in the market, but one thing is certain. The public unanimously believes that these people still have an advantage. After all, if Wang Wenzuo did not go online to comment on Liu Peiji’s assassination case, these people would basically The whole family was left feeling cold.

Moreover, Wang Wenzuo’s punishments for these people were basically the same: releasing the offended slaves and eliminating the dependence between the slaves and the offenders; and compensating the slaves with fines, rather than dividing the offenders themselves by an equivalent penalty ( That is similar to murder for life). This is also more in line with the social environment at that time. After all, the distinction between good and humble has been a custom for thousands of years and is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Wang Wenzuo has a lot of slaves in his own family. Naturally, it is impossible to directly abolish the distinction between good and humble. There is a law Everyone is equal before others, and slavery is prohibited.

However, they believe that God has the virtue of good life, and untouchables are also human beings, not livestock. The master must treat his slaves well and is not allowed to beat or harm them at will. If it is violated, the master must release the violated slave, and since the released person has no ability and capital to make a living, the master must give a sum of money as the slave's capital to make a living.

This approach was supported by most people in the society at that time. After all, Wang Wenzuo’s approach did not deny the hierarchy of the feudal society at that time. The money paid by the punished was only the resettlement fee given to the slaves, which was in line with the morality of the time. concept. Even the gentry who opposed this act could only say that Wang Wenzuo was too kind, but could not say that he was contrary to the general principles.

Wang Wenzuo's protection of the slaves had a consequence that was unforeseen by people at the time, but had a great impact on later generations: these released slaves generally had a large sum of money in their hands, but many of them were originally in the hands of their masters. My family is not engaged in agricultural activities and lacks experience in agricultural production. Even if I know how to farm, it is difficult to buy land for farming in the densely populated Hebei area. As a result, most of them devoted themselves to the shipping industry, industry and commerce, salt industry, reclamation industry, medicinal materials and other industries where the gentry had less participation, and became the ancestors of many famous industrial and commercial owners in later generations. Therefore, later generations of history called it the "Hebei Slave Liberation Movement."

In front of a government office in a certain state in Hebei Province.

"These are the rewards for you. These are your body deed documents. Keep them all! From now on, you guys will have nothing to do with our Li family! It's settled!" A young man in brocade clothes had a displeased face. He pointed to the rattan box on the ground and a stack of documents next to it and said to the old man in front of him.

"Thank you, Master, for the reward!" The old man knelt down almost instinctively, and more than a dozen men, women, and children behind him also knelt down, saying in unison: "Thank you, Master, for the reward!"

"No kneeling!" The young man in Jinyi jumped aside with a look of dismay on his face: "Didn't you hear what I just said? You guys have nothing to do with our Li family anymore! Do you understand? I am no longer your master. , you are no longer my slaves. From now on, there will be nothing between us!"

"It doesn't matter?" The old man was stunned. He looked at the young man in brocade with some confusion: "Doesn't that mean that the young man can no longer raise horses for you, and the young man's sons and daughters can't work in the master's mill? Is the Zhifang doing something?”

"Of course not!" The young man in Jinyi laughed: "Old man, haven't you figured it out? My family has even returned the deed to you, what else are you thinking about? Can any cat or dog enter our Li family?"

"Then, where will the little old man and his family go to eat, where will they live? What will they do for a living?" The old man suddenly panicked.

"Then -!" The young man in Jinyi pointed at the box: "Didn't the government make a ruling? We, the Li family, are required to compensate you for fifteen pieces of brocade and three hundred guan for your livelihood. Our family has already complied with the ruling made by the government. , I’ll give it to you every penny, so you can live off that box!”

The old man looked at the box, and then at the dozens of bewildered family members behind him, and asked the young man in Jinyi: "Sir, can you take this box and the deed document back, so that the little old man and his family can be together?" Like before, working as a slave for your family?"

"That can't be done!" The young man in brocade raised his voice proudly: "The governor has already sentenced us, the Li family members, for being mean and injuring the slaves, and they are really guilty. Therefore, all the slaves who were injured must be released and given a chance to live. Money. This is the judgment of the Governor. Of course, our Li family must abide by it one by one. We have given you the documents of your life and the money for living. If you want to return it, you will fight against the Governor. To resist the government is to resist the general’s orders, and you will be beheaded!”

"Beheading?" The old man was already trembling with fright at the series of words of the young man in brocade. He didn't know why he wanted to go back to work for his master to make a living, so he had to fight against the master, the government and the general? Finally he asked, "Well, what should I do?"

"Ask yourself!" The young man in Jinyi laughed: "You are no longer a slave of our Li family, why should I worry about you? Think carefully, after you finish eating the money in this box, If you figured out a way before, you can definitely do it! Hahahahaha!" The young man in brocade laughed and turned around to leave.

The old man took two steps to catch up, as if he wanted to continue begging the other party to accept him, but in the end he stopped and returned to his family. Facing a pair of desperate eyes, he lowered his head and sighed: "I thought the government The master was trying to save us, but he didn’t expect it to happen like this. What should we do?”

"The Li family doesn't want us, why don't we find another one and sell ourselves?" A young and strong man asked: "There are more than a dozen people in our family who have skills and skills. We won't lose any money if they take over!"

"I'm afraid it won't work!" said a middle-aged man next to him: "To accuse a slave of his master is to ruin his reputation. No one will accept us. If nothing else, it is just to teach his slaves a lesson. These masters They won’t accept us either.”

"But we didn't go out to report the master!" said the young and strong man: "The government obviously found out about this matter, and then punished and sentenced it! There are more than ten people in our family, and we have done nothing from the beginning to the end. ah!"

"It makes no difference at all in the eyes of those owners!" The middle-aged man said with a bitter smile: "Anyway, this whole thing started from our family. They will only be satisfied if our family starves to death on the streets!"

"Starve to death on the streets!" When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but shudder. Even in the prosperous era known as the Zhenguan Reign, starving to death on the streets was a common thing. Who among the people here has not seen a few? But they never thought that one day they would be in this situation. After all, they were slaves of the Li family. They didn't have to worry about labor and national taxes. As long as they served their masters well, they would still have enough to eat. "Then let's use the money to buy a piece of land in the countryside and farm our own land to support ourselves!" said the young man.

"Buy land? How can things be so simple!" The middle-aged man shook his head and said: "This land needs to be registered as a household before it can be granted land. You can't buy it. Even if you buy it, the land owners will give priority to selling it to their own clan members. We Foreigners can’t buy this kind of thing even if they have money!”

"Then get registered!"

"That will only kill you faster. First of all, there must be land to grant. This place is densely populated. Where can there be extra land for you? And you have to do hard labor after registering. The government will give you a piece of paper and let you build the city. We have to build the city, and if you are asked to dig the river, you have to dig the river. At least six or seven people from our family will have to grind their bones!"

"Then, isn't there no way out?"

"Nonsense, if there is a way out, why do people ignore good and good citizens every year and sell themselves to be slaves? Isn't it that good people can't survive?"

"This government is really troublesome!" Someone finally stopped and cursed.

"Yes! Since ancient times, it has not been a big deal if the master beats the slave a few times. It is a matter of course, but they want to interfere!"

"Yes, a few whips and sticks won't kill you. Having nothing to do, no place to live, and no food to eat will kill you!"

"Okay now, the Li family returned us the deed documents and gave us some money. But what happens after we finish eating? Are we waiting to die with our eyes open?"

Facing the complaints from his family members, the old man kept his eyes closed and said nothing. Only his trembling lips could express his inner pain. After a while, he paused and stood up: "Stop arguing. Since the Li family doesn't want us, we have to find another way to live. Now everyone is going to the city separately to ask around. Is there a way to survive? As long as we can have food to eat and clothes to wear, we can tolerate nothing else! Leave it alone!"

The family followed the old man's instructions and went around to ask for a way out. Only the old man and his wife and two children sat by the Yamen to look after the box and the deed document. It was not until dusk that everyone came back in twos and threes. Everyone was dejected. After asking, they found out that no matter which shop or workshop they were in, as soon as they heard about their identities, their heads immediately shook like rattles, and even their names were shaken. He didn't listen to any pleas. The only good thing is that no one released the dogs to drive them away, they just kept telling them to get out.

"I can see it!" The young man complained: "This is to kill us! Damn, we are really on the road to death. I will drag two of them to see the King of Hell even if I die!"

"Shut up!" The old man's angry beard trembled violently: "What unscrupulous words are you saying? When has our family ever done anything that violates the law? If you say it again, get out of here! I don't have a son like you!"

"What can we do without food? We can't live and watch starving to death, right?" the young man retorted unconvinced.

"Who said there's no food?" The old man patted the box on the side: "Isn't there enough for you? Boss, go over there and buy some cakes, plug this stinky mouth, and save him from spitting shit!"

The middle-aged man responded, took some scattered copper coins from the box, went to the tea shop nearby to buy some dry biscuits, and begged for some tea. The tea shop owner asked his waiter to make biscuits while asking, "You haven't found a way out yet?"

"Yes!" The middle-aged man sighed: "No! I've been begging all over the city, but no kind-hearted person is willing to help!"

"Hey! This is not a matter of kindness!" The tea shop owner smiled: "Whoever takes you in will offend not just the Li family, but all the big families. As long as there are slaves in the family, who is willing to do it because of it?" Give the slave a few whips, that’s it!”

"Yes, I understand this, but it's not our fault!" The middle-aged man cried out: "After all, we are not the first to be the leader, it is the government that regulates us!"

"What you said is true, but the big families don't dare to deal with the government, so they have to deal with you!" The tea shop owner smiled: "Forget it, there's no point in saying this. Anyway, neither the government nor the big families are the ones to offend. It’s okay. The most important thing for you right now is to find a way to survive!”

"Yes, you are always kind-hearted, but you are only willing to take shelter?" the middle-aged man begged.

"Me?" The tea shop owner laughed: "I don't have this ability, but I do have a way, it depends on whether you are willing to endure the hardship!"

"We are not afraid of hardship!" The middle-aged man hurriedly said: "You will know that our family has horse breeders, blacksmiths, carpenters, and weavers. We all rely on our strength to make a living. There is no one who cannot endure hardship!"

Today’s chapter is a very personal chapter for me. Liberation is a very special word in the vocabulary of our New China. But as he gets older, Weber pays more and more attention to another question: What will happen to Nora after she runs away? After destroying the old system and destroying the old relationships of personal dependence, can you establish a new system and new relationships to make the people live a better life? If you can't do it, the people will turn against you, society will develop in the opposite direction, and the people will even beg the old rulers to put heavier shackles on them. You cannot use this to accuse the people of being ignorant, conservative, and backward, because this is your problem and your responsibility. You cannot demolish the old houses instead of building new ones and let the people get wet. The people have no obligation to pay for your lofty ideals.

Therefore, in this book, Wang Wenzuo is an outstanding feudal bureaucrat, warlord, and lord most of the time. Only on rare occasions does he look like an enterprising reformer. He never made a big show of reform, but worked carefully bit by bit, trying not to attract too many people's attention, so as not to attract opposition. Because he did not want to demolish the old houses of the Tang Dynasty, but could not build better new ones, the people were drowned in the rain and ran to build a shabby house that was not as good as the Tang Dynasty, and became the sinners of history.

Finally, thank you to the brothers who tipped and voted yesterday. As I said before, 4k a day is not a big problem, but it is difficult to say that. After all, the income from online writing is too low compared to my income. I hope everyone will continue to support me.