Mu Wanqing deliberately lifted the curtain of the carriage when entering the city. The city gate was still bustling with people coming in and out.
After entering the city, Mu Wanqing clearly felt a different atmosphere.
It is more lively than before, with more roaming vendors and peddlers beating small drums to attract customers.
When the people heard the sound, they opened their doors and ran out, picking out their daily necessities, needles and thread, rouge and powder, candies, toys, etc. Everyone was happy with smiles on their faces.
When the group arrived at the government office, Sun Tongzhi had already arrived with a complicated look on his face. "Miss Mu, why are you here again?"
He had to admit that the snack street was quite successful and had brought great changes to Liangcheng.
The taxes paid in the past few months have been a huge sum, more than they imagined.
Although the snacks are cheap, the profits are quite good.
All of this was brought about by the girl in front of me.
But, she is too troublesome.
Mu Wanqing smiled slightly, "A tall tree attracts the wind. There is really nothing I can do. I can only blame myself for being too outstanding."
Sun Tongzhi: ...
In consideration of the tax money she contributed, he reminded her, "Do you know that these people are just pawns? Do you know what the consequences will be?"
The real bigwigs were the estates owned by Xiliang officials and aristocratic families, who owned large tracts of land.
If the interests of these people are affected, the consequences will be disastrous.
You know, this force is too huge. Anyone who goes against them will have a bad ending. Even he, a native of Xiliang, dares not touch them.
He also owns land, but he has to follow the trend.
Mu Wanqing is such a smart person. She knew this day would come when she took action. She was facing the entire Xiliang interest group.
"I know." Her eyes sparkled, and she was eager to try. "Sir Sun, why don't we have another public trial? I really like public trials."
She needed a platform to speak out, but where was the channel these days? When the government issued an announcement, they would send people to beat gongs and drums and read it over and over again, which was both backward and troublesome.
Sun Tongzhi was dumbfounded. Not only was she not afraid, but she also wanted to do something big? "This..."
"Trust me, you won't regret it." Mu Wanqing curled her lips slightly, "I have something good again, better than the snack street."
Sun Tongzhi's eyes lit up, and he looked at her as if he was looking at the God of Wealth. If he had another snack street, the whole Liangcheng would be revitalized. Damn, I was so excited, "Are you sure?"
Mu Wanqing smiled slightly and said, "No matter what I do, I dare not fool you."
Sun Tongzhi was very excited and decided to go for it! He decided to take a gamble.
The owners of the manors were stunned to see the two people whispering. What was there to talk about when their identities and status were so different?
"Sir, please handle this impartially."
Sun Tongzhi was not so polite to these little rascals and asked coldly, "Are you questioning me?"
He has been an official for many years and is the highest official in charge of people's livelihood management in Liangcheng. Naturally, he has an official authority.
Everyone was shocked, "No, no, that's not what I meant..."
Sun Tongzhi ignored them and called his men over and ordered, "Come here, go to the street and beat the gongs and drums, and announce that the public trial will be held after one stick of incense, and ask the people to come and supervise."
"yes."
The owners of the manors looked at each other. This was completely beyond their imagination and different from what they expected. In their imagination, Mu Wanqing was besieged by them and knelt down helplessly, crying and admitting her mistakes.
When the news came out, not only were the people excited, but even the relevant officials knew about it and sent their servants to watch and get first-hand information in a timely manner.
When the Mu family heard the news, they could no longer sit still. They stopped doing business, closed their shops and ran over.
To them, Mu Wanqing was everyone's savior. It was she who single-handedly saved them from the sea of suffering and restored their freedom. From then on, everyone worshipped her like a god and obeyed her orders.
Mu Wanqing is also the spiritual leader of the Mudi clan. Only when she is around, everyone feels at ease following her lead.
They didn't dare to imagine what would happen without Mu Wanqing. Anyway, no matter what, they would not allow such a thing to happen.
They knew clearly in their hearts that they couldn't leave Mu Wanqing!
Mu Ziang ran in the front, extremely anxious, fearing that his sister would suffer a great loss.
But when he saw his sister, he was stunned. "Sister."
Mu Wanqing sat there drinking sour plum soup sip by sip, holding a book in her hand and slowly flipping through the pages, looking so relaxed as if this was her home.
Hearing the voice, she turned her head and smiled, "Second brother, are you tired from running? Are you thirsty? Have a cup of sour plum soup."
Mu Ziang was also a carefree person. Seeing his sister so calm, he immediately felt at ease, "Okay."
Sun Tongzhi was speechless as he watched the brother and sister eating and drinking, not treating this as a court at all.
Are the Mu family members foolish and bold? Or are they heartless?
When the Mu family saw this scene, they felt relieved. Is there anything that the patriarch can't solve?
The time was up. Mu Wanqing tidied herself up, stood up, glanced at the crowd with her beautiful eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
Everything that was supposed to come has come. The stage is set, and we are just waiting for the show to begin.
Sun Tongzhi was sitting at the top. He slammed the gavel and asked, "Who is in the hall?"
Mu Wanqing was calm and composed. "I am the owner of Shuimu Farm, Mu Wanqing, and I am here to sue these people for attacking my farm without any reason and forcibly smashing the door with ill intentions."
The onlookers were furious. "No way! How dare they do this in broad daylight? Are there still laws?"
"Isn't this Miss Mu from the snack street? How did she offend these people?"
There are also different opinions, "If one bowl doesn't make a sound when struck, but two bowls make a jingling sound, there must be something wrong."
Mu Wanqing glanced over indifferently, her eyes full of indifference. The man's heart trembled and he involuntarily avoided her gaze.
A villager complained angrily, "Your Excellency, this woman robbed our villagers. According to the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, those who have signed a contract cannot switch to another person at will. If you break the contract, you will be sued. We couldn't bear to see it, so we said a few words, but we didn't do anything to siege her. Please investigate it clearly."
What? No way? There is such a thing? Everyone became even more excited.
Mu Wanqing was surprised. "Rob your people? Am I right? I'm not that kind of person."
The owner of the manor sneered, "Please look, sir. This is the contract. Zhang Er, Li San are my villagers. They are mine for life, but now they have been snatched away by this woman..."
Mu Wanqing laughed, "You make me sound like a bully who rapes women. A weak woman like me can't do that. But judging from your tone, you often do this kind of thing. I'm different from you."
She also threw a contemptuous look, which made Master Shen very angry, "Do you dare to hand over the person and explain it clearly in front of everyone."
"Of course, sir, please send someone to bring these two people here." Mu Wanjing looked frank, without a trace of panic. She also had a beautiful and innocent face that made people believe her involuntarily.
After Sun Tongzhi gave her permission, Mu Wanqing started to tear it up, "However, I have a question for Master Chen. You have a deed, and so do I. I am a law-abiding person. All the deeds are on file with the government. It stands to reason that there is no possibility of duplication. What's going on?"
The point was captured in one sentence, extremely sharp.
Manor Master Shen's expression changed several times, "How should I know? Maybe you used some shameful means."
Mu Wanqing frowned and turned around to complain, "Sir, Master Chen accused me of bribing officials and committing corruption for personal gain. This is a serious crime. Please take charge and investigate this matter strictly."
"Oh, yes, he may be hinting that the official is you."
Damn, Master Shen's face cracked, angry and furious, "You are talking nonsense, I didn't, sir, don't listen to her nonsense..."
Mu Wanqing was very imposing. "Then tell me, what do you mean by shameful means? Or do you mean that the government made a mistake? Or do you mean that there is a dark hand behind the scenes that can override the law and even fabricate the matter of one person having two contracts?"
Every word is like a sharp blade, piercing the vital point.
Everyone's face changed. The people were shocked, as if they had heard something incredible.
Master Shen wanted to rush over and cover her mouth. Oh my god, he finally learned a lesson from her methods.
A sharp tongue can kill.
“You…you…”
Others came forward to help, "You are such a vicious girl, be careful you won't be able to get married."
Nowadays, cursing a girl that she will never get married is the most hurtful thing. The women watching all changed their expressions and glared at him angrily.
But it couldn't hurt Mu Wanqing at all, she didn't care about such things at all.
"Master Shen, you didn't forge the contract privately, did you? You'll lose your head if you do that."
Master Shen was going crazy, "Shut up."
Mu Wanqing laughed, "What's the point of me keeping my mouth shut? If you have the ability, shut up the world and silence everyone present."
Her slender hand drew a circle, encompassing the crowd and the police officers, and finally, her finger fell on Sun Tongzhi.
"Sir, you should be careful when you go out. Be careful not to be silenced."
A nerve in Master Shen's brain completely broke, and he rushed towards Mu Wanqing in a rage, "Go to hell."
But before he could get close to her, he was subdued by the officers and could only feel helpless and furious.
"You're just feeling guilty." Mu Wanqing looked down at the frantically struggling man, "Ah, I suddenly understand why you want to kill me."
She looked outside and saw crowds of people, making it impossible to move forward.
She sighed softly and said loudly, "This is what happened. Not long ago, my farm was short of manpower, so we recruited a group of villagers. We only charged 30% of the rent for the land, and also provided them with brick and tile houses. I guess they felt uncomfortable because they were outshined by me, right?"
"In fact, there is no need for this. Let's all reduce our contributions to 30% so that the people can have enough food and clothing and build a harmonious world together." She cupped her hands, her expression sincere and touching, "Everyone, I sincerely invite you to join us in this great cause."
Like a stone that stirs up a thousand waves, there is a buzzing sound and the people are getting excited.
It turned out that the rumor was true. Miss Mu was so kind that they wanted to go too! They wanted to live in a brick house!
When those who didn't know about it before heard this, their eyes suddenly lit up and they started asking around.
The owners of the manor thought that she was mentally ill. How could she say such a thing?
Ridiculously naive and unrealistic.
"Ridiculous! This rent is a customary agreement. How dare a mere woman like you break it?"
Mu Wanqing opened her big, pure eyes and said, "Why not? Can't women care about the world? Can't women worry about the world? Can't women be loyal to the emperor and serve the country? You think so, but ask these people, do they think so?"
Rights are earned through one's own efforts, not given by others.
There is no such thing as a peaceful life. It is the countless predecessors who fought for victory for future generations with their blood.
This is directly related to the interests of the people, and the people are no longer standing by and watching, but standing up one after another. "Miss Mu, you are absolutely right, women are also human beings, why can't they do it?"
"It's really funny. Women are not allowed to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. What kind of people are they? I wonder what the emperor would think if he knew?"
"You guys are a bunch of grown men bullying a little girl. How shameless! As a man, I am ashamed to be associated with you."
"Ms. Mu, we all support you. You are amazing, beautiful and kind-hearted, and you are different from these bad guys."
"Ms. Mu, they hate you for breaking the rules. You take 30% and they take 60%. You can keep people but not their hearts. Sooner or later, chaos will break out. That's why they hate you so much."
"Don't be afraid, we will all protect you." It was so touching that a girl stood up for their welfare.
Mu Wanqing has accumulated enough favorability points, and her prestige is also gradually building up. When it reaches a certain peak, everyone has to be polite to her.
Although she has opened a snack street now, in the eyes of some people, she is still a second-rate businessman.
No matter how much money you make, you won't get any respect.
Among the four classes of people, scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, merchants are ranked last and their status is even lower than that of craftsmen.
Of course, she is also seeking the greatest benefit for the people, and the two are not in conflict.
Sun Tongzhi looked at Mu Wanqing, then at the excited crowd. This is what people want.
But when will she throw out the things in her hands? I am looking forward to it.
A voice suddenly rang out, "Miss Mu, if the ruler is not straight, it cannot be a square; if the compass is not straight, it cannot be a circle. Rules are very important for governing a country. Anyone who changes the rules without authorization will cause irreparable damage to the country. You are frivolous and ignorant for your own selfish reasons, and you have violated the rules without authorization, and you are complacent about it. I express my deep contempt." Note (1)
A pale-faced scholar squeezed in from the crowd, looking arrogant. Sun Tongzhi's eyes narrowed. Wasn't this Zhao Yifan, Du Shuai's second son-in-law? How did he get involved?
Mu Wanqing looked at him for a few times and suddenly asked, "Excuse me, how many fields do you have at home?"
Zhao Yifan was stunned for a moment, then his face darkened, "I'm telling you the truth, you can't even understand this?"
This look of contempt and disdain really deserves a beating.
A hint of coldness flashed across Mu Wanqing's eyes. "You only said half of the sentence. I will complete it for you. If the ruler is not straight, it cannot be used to make a square; if the compass is not straight, it cannot be used to make a circle. The self is the rule of things. I have never heard of someone who can correct others by bending himself. This comes from the Huainanzi Quanyanxun by Liu An of the Han Dynasty. It means that the things that are used as rules must be fair and strict. We must set an example and play a role model. I have never heard of someone who can make others become upright gentlemen by being dishonest." Note (2)
Zhao Yifan was stunned. "That's not how it should be explained. There is no order without rules..."
Mu Wanqing interrupted him and said, "This sentence comes from the Li Lou Chapter in Mencius. It means that we should follow certain rules when doing things. These two sentences seem similar, but they are actually a little different. You are not good at reading books, so let me teach you."
This was a great humiliation for Zhao Yifan, who had a high opinion of himself.
He was about to curse back when Mu Wanqing hit him hard, "This sentence can also be extended to mean that a country has its own laws and a family has its own rules. As a human being, you must abide by these rules. Then let me ask you, which national law stipulates how much percentage of land rent should be collected? And which family rule is this?"
Zhao Yifan's mind went blank.
The author has something to say:
Note (1) From the Huainanzi Quanyanxun by Liu An of the Han Dynasty.
Note (2) This explanation comes from the encyclopedia.
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