Chapter 306: Power and Ambition [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Using "purple" as a name is a good thing, but the meaning behind Yu Zi's name is not so good. The name is derived from the Analects of Confucius, which says: "I hate purple usurping the place of vermilion; I hate the music of Zheng disrupting the elegant music; I hate those who use glib tongues to ruin the country."

"Purple" means defect.

It is not a true color, but a flawed color.

"Vermilion" is the primary color, while "purple" is a mixed color.

Therefore, the character "紫" (zi) was also associated with "heresy" and "evil" in the eyes of the world. Yu Zi knew this, yet she still chose "紫" as her name. Coincidentally, the village and the elderly couple there were surnamed "朱" (zhu), which shows her stubbornness and determination.

If Heyin is a poor and desolate place, then Zhujia Village is the "best of the best" among poor and desolate places. The terraced fields cultivated near the village are mostly low-fertility fields with little good land.

The village has dozens of households living deep in the mountains.

The village is located in an extremely remote area.

Because of the inconvenience of entering and leaving the village, except for those who go out to "do business," ordinary villagers only leave the village once a month on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month to go to the market and exchange their own crops for rice, silver, money, or other necessities. At first glance, it is no different from an ordinary village.

When Kang Shi arrived with his men, they found only scattered thatched huts with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys. Looking around, they saw two or three thinly dressed women bending over, gathering wild grass in the fields. A dozen or so men sat together at the village entrance, chatting and laughing.

They spotted Kang Shi and his entourage from afar.

All eyes were on Kang Shi.

Their faces showed more curiosity and scrutiny.

There was no fear or terror.

You rarely see unfamiliar faces in Zhujia Village throughout the year, unless a son of a family reaches marriageable age.

When have I ever seen so many unfamiliar faces at once?

In the past, they had only dealt with commoners dressed in coarse linen clothes. This was the first time they had ever seen a refined scholar like this young man, dressed in brocade robes and adorned with jingling earrings. He was followed by dozens of people, making it the grandest spectacle they had ever witnessed.

Soon someone turned around and went to invite the village chief, who was old, respected, and the most knowledgeable person in the village.

The village head lived near the village entrance and arrived quickly.

Kang Shi secretly surveyed the layout of the village.

Without wasting words upon meeting the village head, he directly showed him the document bearing the seal of the Prefect of He Yin: "The Prefect intends to build Fugu City, and the city is in dire need of manpower. He has ordered me to recruit people from various villages. I would like to trouble the village head to call out all the villagers, young and old."

Muramasa was somewhat surprised to hear this.

His heart was filled with worry, his brows furrowed and his heart pounding.

Is this another round of forced labor?

The village headman respectfully accepted the document, but did not immediately go to carry it out. Instead, he asked the question that had been bothering him: "It is not that I am questioning the messenger, but Zhu Family Village is isolated from the outside world. I do not know when the River Governor has brought a new prefect?"

Kang Shi replied, "Our lord has only recently taken office and is busy with worldly affairs. He has not yet had time to issue documents to notify all the places under his jurisdiction."

Muramasa said no more after hearing this.

Judging from the wording, this new prefect is indeed very new.

However, having served as the village head of Zhujia Village for over twenty years, he had seen far more of the world than the peasants in the village. The title of prefectural governor sounded very impressive, but in the Heyin area, the prefectural governor was all show and no substance.

Not only were they useless, they were also extremely short-lived.

"Please wait a moment, messenger, I'll take care of it right away." Muramasa felt much less dismissive, then asked, "How long will this corvée labor last?"

Kang Shi, though young, was a cunning old fox. He could tell at a glance that the village head was just being perfunctory under his seemingly anxious face. He then smiled and said, "This is not a labor service. Our lord has spent a lot of money to conscript starving people, but we are still short-handed, so he ordered us to come."

"If the village head can help me recruit one more person, I can get ten more coins in hiring silver." Kang Shi took out a rather large piece of silver from his sleeve.

Muramasa's heart skipped a beat.

He lowered his voice and asked, "Is the envoy truly there?"

Kang Shi said, "Of course it is true."

Upon hearing this, Muramasa suppressed his wildly beating heart and the greed that was about to burst forth, feigning concern.

Kang Shi then mentioned how much grain a person could earn by working five hours a day, which made the onlookers and eavesdroppers nearby envious, and the village head was completely persuaded. Now the weather is cold, the first snow has fallen, and the old and young of Zhujia Village are all staying at home with nothing to do, only coming out to bask in the sun when the weather is nice.

It's a situation where they're just sitting around and spending all their savings without earning anything in return.

The harvests have been getting worse and worse in recent years.

However, the amount of rice and grain handed over kept increasing.

Every household was so poor that they couldn't even afford to eat.

He carefully read the document, though he didn't know many characters and found it difficult to read, but he understood most of it, and it was almost identical to what the messenger had said. The village headman relayed the message, instructing each household to bring their people out to assemble.

She went home to look for her son.

I told my wife about the good news.

The old woman looked hesitant.

"Is the youngest going too?"

Muramasa said, "Of course we have to go."

The old woman said, "But my daughter-in-law has only been here for half a month, and her belly hasn't shown any signs of pregnancy yet. My youngest son is about to leave..."

Muramasa's family has three sons.

The eldest and second sons have already married and moved out, while the youngest son recently got a new wife. Eager to have children to carry on the family line, he listened to the village head and his wife's advice and spends every day with his new wife. It's the off-season for farming, and there's nothing else to do.

Muramasa remained silent for a long time after hearing this.

To find a wife for their youngest son, the two elders and their eldest and second eldest sons pooled their resources and finally managed to find a wife for their youngest son.

Because the pay was low, and because the youngest wife had already given birth to two children, she was no longer a virgin.

They and the youngest child were both dissatisfied with this.

The seller said that the youngest daughter-in-law's two children from her previous marriage were both healthy, chubby boys. She had a very large bottom, and could easily give birth to a grandson with a simple stretch of her leg, saying it was effortless and she wasn't delicate at all. If it weren't for her age, would she really be able to buy one for this little money?

Muramasa hesitated for a long time but gritted his teeth and bought it anyway.

Now we're just hoping that the youngest son's wife will be fertile and give him two children, so he can die in peace and meet his ancestors.

Thinking of this, Muramasa felt a little regretful.

What's the pity?

It's a pity that the beautiful widow died a few years ago.

If that incident hadn't happened, I could have shamelessly asked my old buddy about it, and asked him to let his pretty widowed daughter-in-law be my youngest son's wife. That way, I could save money and have a free tutor...

Tsk tsk.

Unfortunately, the youngest child wasn't grown up yet at that time.

He glanced at the old woman and said fiercely, "What do you know?"

He then said, "Call the youngest son here."

The village head was the undisputed leader in Zhujia Village. When this good news spread, people soon came to ask if it was true. When they found out it was true, they smiled innocently and said, "Can I have one too? I'm strong and can do a lot of work."

A fellow villager laughed and said, "You?"

I don't know how many people to recruit. It would be best to recruit them all. If I only pick the best few, then everyone around me will be a competitor.

He was embarrassed and annoyed: "Why can't I do it?"

Another villager laughed and said, "How come you're doing so well? Your wife has been here for so long, and she's still controlling you."

Two marriages were arranged in Zhujia Village that year.

One of them was the youngest son of the Muramasa family.

One of them is this man.

The youngest son is much younger than this man, and his wife is already very obedient. The couple stays at home all day and is rarely seen. On the other hand, this man is constantly being scratched by his wife, leaving him with wounds and scars all over. The whole village knows about it.

The man, enraged and embarrassed, retorted, "Hmph, she was well-behaved yesterday."

Another man said, "If it weren't for us brothers giving you advice, would she have been obedient? You have to beat the wife you bought, beat her to death. The more you beat her, the more obedient she'll become. If you pamper her, she'll take advantage of you and even try to cheat on you..."

The man looked like he had learned a lesson.

Humbly seeking guidance: "Please teach me a few more moves, sir."

He married this woman when he was old, and he wanted to treat her well, but she looked down on him and secretly flirted with a fellow villager who had received an education.

If his cousin hadn't told him, he wouldn't have known that this dishonest woman was cheating on him. Last night, he got angrier and angrier as he thought about it, and he finally used the trick he had learned, which worked.

I was also a little annoyed that I had used it so late.

Literary minds and scholars possess a level of perception that surpasses that of ordinary people.

These people have loud voices, and they talk quite loudly.

He heard every single word clearly.

Yu Zi, dressed as a servant, was initially puzzled when she saw his brows furrowed and his fierce aura growing stronger. However, seeing the familiar villagers gathered together laughing and chatting, she vaguely guessed what was going on.

Kang Shi asked her, "Has it always been like this?"

Yu Zi said, "It was slightly better before."

When adults talk about it, they rarely do so in front of children.

Yu Zi knew roughly which families had brought their children in through proper marriage and which had brought them in through forced marriage. Generally speaking, it was about two out of ten families. But now they were getting poorer and poorer, and women from other villages knew how poor Zhu Family Village was just by hearing the name, so they couldn't find proper husbands.

Even if you offer a woman from your family as a bride, there's no guarantee anyone will agree to it.

If he can't marry her, he can only hope to sell her off.

Yu Zi had been away from Zhu Family Village for many years and didn't know which new faces had appeared in the village. Her expression darkened slightly.

Kang Shi said, "What's the difference between rotten and very rotten?"

Yu Zi naturally knew there was no difference.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes,

Kangxi said there was a severe shortage of manpower, and anyone who could work in the fields could try. Even if they weren't selected, they would still receive three days' worth of rations. Wouldn't it be a waste not to take advantage of such a good opportunity?

Regardless of age, everyone who could breathe and walk came.

Kang Shi's brows gradually relaxed.

Wen asked Muramasa, "Is that all the people you have?"

The village head was holding a roll of household registers containing the names of all the villagers.

He said sincerely, "Most of them are here."

Kang Shi took it and found that the characters on it were surprisingly delicate and beautiful. The handwriting looked like that of a young lady from a wealthy family. The strokes were elegant and free, with a rare charm. It was not at all like something that a rough old man like Cun Zheng could write.

"Your handwriting is really good."

Yu Zi's expression darkened.

because--

Old Village Chief smiled and said, "Replying to the messenger, this was written by a widow in the village. It is truly an honor to receive praise from the messenger."

Upon hearing this, Kang Shi's smirk faded.

He had a pretty good idea of ​​who the widow was.

Where is he/she?

Old Village Chief said, "The person is no longer here."

"Oh, I have offended you."

Kang Shi closed the scroll and handed it to Yu Zi, whose eyes were silently reddening. He glanced at everyone and asked, "Is everyone here?"

That's a completely nonsensical question.

Muramasa thought the question was directed at him.

I don't know how to answer.

Who is eligible?

Yu Zi was puzzled at first, but she inherited her mother's intelligence and quickly understood after recalling Kang Shi's actions.

She restrained her gaze, trying not to reveal hatred, and glanced out of the corner of her eye at the familiar faces in the crowd, who looked much older. She nodded emphatically and replied, "They're all here."

The adopted child, "the family heirloom," is also there.

He's still as carefree and nonchalant as ever, looking down at the sky.

Yu Zi had just overheard the two old people discussing that their precious grandson would be fourteen next year and that they should help him find a wife.

They even mentioned Yu Zi, saying that the servant girl beside the envoy was handsome and looked familiar, but unfortunately too thin. If she were a little plumper, she would be a girl and a good match for their grandson. They planned to do some work, save up some money, and find a small-time seller to inspect their goods in the spring.

Upon hearing this, Yu Zi's lips twitched slightly.

At that moment, I didn't feel hatred, I just found it ridiculous.

Kang Shi nodded, stood up, waved, and, under Muramasa's gaze that shifted from joy to suspicion, uttered that sentence—

"Everyone's here! Take them all down!"

Along with the dozens of people, there was also the literary energy surging from beneath his feet, which formed a literary energy city wall around him.

This unexpected turn of events greatly frightened everyone.

They had all come to assemble excitedly after hearing the good news, but they weren't carrying any weapons. Even if they wanted to scatter and run away, they couldn't escape—either they would be kicked to the ground after taking only two steps, screaming in pain, or they would be bounced back by the Wenqi City Wall.

Fight back desperately?

Someone had already placed a knife against their necks.

What if they tried to steal the knife?

A scream pierced their eardrums without warning.

Following the sound, they saw a man whose left hand had three fingers chopped off! Clutching his bleeding hand, veins bulging in pain, he writhed on the ground. This scene stunned everyone. Muramasa, captured, shouted, "You're not the envoy?"

Kang Shi said, "Yes, that's me."

"They're here to recruit people too."

"They just won't pay."

"I won't give you the money, but I want the person."

Kang Shi didn't bother to look at him and flicked his finger.

He coldly ordered, "Take them all away. Anyone who resists will have their hands chopped off first. If they still don't listen, their ears will be cut off. If they still don't listen, their eyes will be gouged out and their feet cut off!"

Every word he uttered was filled with chilling murderous intent.

It also released a bit of oppressive force.

When have these troublemakers ever seen anything like this?

Coupled with the oppressive force, they were so terrified that their hands and feet went limp, let alone resist. They were all tied up and strung together.

Mission accomplished, Kang Shi rose, brushed off the dust that had settled on him, and mounted his horse: "Young Lady Yu."

Yu Zi was still reeling from the shock of experiencing the literary energy up close. She remembered that this was the very thing that had subdued her last time, leaving her no chance to escape. This was—

Is it the power of literary inspiration?

One person trapped dozens of households in Zhujia Village.

Yu Zi remembered that among these people were quite a few who could hold down their runaway wives with one hand and beat them to death. They were strong, and being targeted by them was like being entangled in a spider web, with no way to escape. They faced a desperate situation where they would be trapped and die for the rest of their lives!

Kang Shi, whom she judged to be "gentle and refined, and obviously not capable of fighting," subdued everyone simply by standing still (which was not actually the case)! In that instant, she heard a loud, pounding sound in her chest, and the desire for power ignited her ambition.

"I am here."

"The complaint is ready."

Yu Zilang said loudly, "It's finished."

It was placed right in her arms.

It was warmed by her body heat.

It is also stained with the blood and tears of her mother's half a lifetime.

Looking back at the crying and chaotic crowd of people in Zhujia Village, Yu Zi had never felt so light, as if there was a warm and kind force in the darkness.

He was supporting her body.

Kang Shi pointed his sword at a song and said, "Keep up."

_(:з)∠)_

I've finally finished writing.

(End of this chapter)