"Tell me what you do and why you are here." Fang Zhengyi guided Wang Erzhu with words.
"I... am a farmer. I couldn't make a living in Xinzhang County, so I wanted to come here to do some business." Wang Erzhu was still a little scared.
Yang Yingcai frowned and said, "Can't make ends meet? That's nonsense. Xinzhang County has always had good policies to help the people. How can you not make ends meet when you have land? You have to speak properly without any lies."
"If you are a lazy person and don't make progress, you can't blame others for your bad life!"
Lazy? I am a lazy?
Wang Erzhu felt dizzy.
Although both his parents had passed away, his father died early, so he was the only able-bodied laborer in the family, and he had always been the one to run the family business.
I work diligently on the farm every day, busy from morning till night, and tired as a dead dog.
Lazy man...this is a great insult to his character.
Wang Erzhu felt wronged and angry. Tears welled up in his eyes and he shouted, "I have tried very hard to live! What right do you have to call me a lazy guy?"
Fang Zheng felt very sad.
Poor Wang Erzhu, he is still slandered even when he is lying down. It is really miserable.
"I work before dawn every day and rest only when the sun goes down. It turns out that life is not too bad for one person. I can make a living."
"But after he came, everything changed!" Wang Erzhu said, pointing at Sun Sheng angrily.
Sun Sheng's eyes widened in disbelief.
He... thought he was diligent and loved the people, but he didn't expect that this country bumpkin who came out of nowhere would slander him in front of His Majesty!
Is this person a hired helper by Fang Zhengyi? !
Although he had such doubts in his mind, Emperor Jing obviously did not trust him now.
Sun Sheng didn't dare to say anything more.
Wang Erzhu continued to cry: "Since this bastard official took office, Xinzhang has changed."
"Prices were stable originally, but then the government restricted people from raising prices, and it became harder and harder to buy. To the point where you couldn't buy it without using backdoors and paying a higher price, prices in the city kept getting higher and higher."
"Not only that, I have to go to the city to work odd jobs during the slack season to make ends meet. In the past, I could find a good job and earn some money by selling my labor."
"But later, some small workshops in the city were taken over. They hired few people and did a lot of work. The money they earned was not enough for me to eat. I simply lived at home and didn't dare to go out. I didn't have to move around, and I could eat one less meal."
"If you get too tired from work and then get sick, you won't have money to treat it!" Wang Erzhu's voice became louder and louder. "Those pharmacies have also been taken over by rich people. The price of medicinal materials has increased several times. When you get them, you don't know whether they are real or fake! Do you know?"
"I have a neighbor who...suffered from a cold and sold his land to buy medicine. In the end, his illness was not cured and he lost his land!"
Wang Erzhu's voice was filled with tears. He pointed at Sun Sheng and said, "It's all because of you! I live in fear every day now!"
"I'm going to be starving soon, and there's not much money left in my savings!"
"Many people around me have had their land taken away by big landlords at low prices. We want to go to the government to appeal...but we can't even get into the government office, and they are beaten and scolded."
"What can we do? We can only complain in private, but you won't even allow us to complain! If we are heard, we will be thrown into jail!"
Wang Erzhu beat his chest and stamped his feet: "I'm scared... I'm scared that I won't have food to eat, I'm scared that my family's ancestral property will be taken away by others, I'm also scared of the court... What have I done wrong! You still want to call me a lazy guy?! I just want to live a normal life!"
Panic flashed across Sun Sheng's eyes. "Impossible! This either happened to you alone, or you are lying!"
"I lied?!" Wang Erzhu pointed at himself with his backhanded finger, his eyes wide open, "You bastard official! You still want to blame me?!"
"Where is your conscience? Do you think you can bully me endlessly just because I'm an ordinary citizen?"
"There is only one orchard left in my family. It was passed down to me by my father. I don't plan to keep it now... It is my ancestral property, ancestral property!" Wang Erzhu burst into tears.
"Do you think I don't want it? I have lived in Xinzhang all my life, but now I can't live anymore, I can't live anymore!"
Wang Erzhu's emotions were out of control, and everyone present was secretly shocked.
It seems that there is something else going on that they have completely overlooked.
However, Sun Sheng had already lost his composure, pointing at Wang Erzhu and yelling, "Shut up! Lies, all lies, Your Majesty, this man must have been hired by Fang Zhengyi to slander me... I get news from Xinzhang County every three days, and the people are living in such a miserable state, how could I not know anything about it!"
"You still want to accuse me of lying?" Wang Erzhu was so angry that he pounced on him with his teeth bared.
Caught off guard, Sun Sheng was knocked to the ground and the two began to fight.
This unprecedented change shocked everyone. Yang Yingcai reacted and shouted, "Someone! Pull them apart!"
"Don't move, let them fight!" Emperor Jing said in a deep voice.
"Guo Banban, I asked you to investigate secretly in Xinzhang. Should I get something out of it?"
Guo Tianyang walked out and whispered, "I have made great achievements. Your Majesty, do you want to hear it now?"
"Tell them."
"Yes, I secretly sent people to investigate many gentry families and government offices in Xinzhang County. It is indeed as Lord Fang expected. These local forces have basically united under the pressure of Sun Sheng's high-pressure tactics."
"Sun Sheng was kept in the dark, and the gentry families secretly bought up the shops and land of the common people at low prices. The people in the government acted as thugs to protect them. Whenever Sun Sheng visited the people, they united to put on a show."
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