Chapter 150 Do you still have this ability?
A gentleman's character should be judged by his moral conduct. It would be a bit of a generalization to only look at how he treats his wife.
Just when I was about to say something, I found that she had already closed her eyes and fell asleep. She seemed to be sleeping a little uncomfortably, with her brows tightly knitted.
The Fourth Master lowered his shoulders slightly to make it less tiring for her to lie down, then he shook his head and laughed without comment.
She's just a little girl, why should I talk to her about state affairs?
It seems that he is also crazy.
Wenjiu didn't sleep well after all. She was awakened by the noisy voices outside the carriage. She opened her eyes drowsily and found that the carriage had stopped. "Master?"
"Yeah," the Fourth Master responded, patting Wenjiu on the back.
Wen Jiu also subconsciously followed the Fourth Master's gaze and looked outside. His eyes widened instantly: "Master, what's going on?"
When they first entered Jinyang City, it was the Fourth Master who sneaked her in at night. That night, the Jinyang City God seemed to be a deserted city.
Now, the entire street was packed with people. Common people knelt densely at the gate of the government office, kowtowing continuously.
"Please, let our master go!"
"Our adults are really good people!"
"Please be merciful, our Lord is truly a good man!"
"Please let us adults go..."
…
Wen Jiu vaguely remembered the Fourth Master's instructions and asked, "Master, is this the news you asked Master Buyan to spread working?"
The Fourth Master nodded solemnly, "I was just testing the waters, but I never expected this to be the result."
He got off the carriage with the warm wine in his hand and walked towards an old man in the distance: "Old man, why are you pleading for Liu Yu?"
The old man glanced at the Fourth Master and said, "Who are you? You're dressed like this, and your accent doesn't sound like someone from Jinyang. Don't you even recognize our Lord Liu?"
The Fourth Master frowned slightly: "Has Liu Yu done you any favor?"
The Fourth Master frowned, which was indeed a bit scary. The old man next to him took several steps back in fear: "You...you...what do you do?"
The old man looked at the Fourth Master with vigilance, and it looked like he was about to turn around and call for help in the next second.
Wen Jiu saw this and went over to pull out the Fourth Master, saying with a smile, "Don't be afraid, old man. My husband is used to staying in the military camp and always has such a cold face. He has no ill intentions.
We are here to visit relatives. We have some history with Master Liu and are worried that he might have encountered something, so we are asking this question. Could you please tell us about it, old man?
"Oh," the old man breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this: "He looks so handsome, isn't he a military officer? I'm so old and confused."
Then he continued, "Our master is in trouble now. It's ridiculous to say that he embezzled grain. A few years ago, when it rained heavily, the wall of my tavern collapsed. We were short of money that year, and it was you who filled the gap yourself. How could he embezzle grain?"
Wen Jiu's face was full of admiration: "So Lord Liu is really a good official."
The old man nodded immediately after hearing this: "Yes, and there is also Old Lady Li. She has never had a son in her life, and all her daughters have been married far away. We adults have been supporting her with money all the time.
"The lord barely wears a new pair of boots all year round, so what can he possibly be corrupt about? Why don't they arrest the most corrupt officials in the imperial court, but instead arrest high-ranking officials like us?"
When the Fourth Master heard this, his eyes widened: "How dare you!"
The old man shrank back in fear: "This... this..."
Wenjiu secretly pinched the Fourth Master's arm, signaling him not to speak.
Wen Jiu turned around and said to the old man gently, "Please don't take it to heart, old man. He hates evil and hates evil. He is just angry at those corrupt officials!"
The Fourth Master was stunned by the pinching. Hey, this little girl dared to fight him!
After all, he knew that he couldn't get anything out of her, so he stood behind Wen Jiu and waited for her to ask.
The old man patted his chest after hearing this and said: "But it scared me, an old man."
Then he kindly said, "If you are a relative of Master Liu, I'm afraid there is no way to find your relatives. Master is in trouble now, and we are here to plead for him."
Wen Jiu nodded and said, "Thank you, old man. My husband and I have only met you once, so we are not familiar with each other. But my relative lives in the west of the city. My husband and I just went to his house to take a look, but there was no one there, and the things seemed to have not been used for many days. Old man, do you know where my relative has gone?"
I haven't seen anyone yet, so I'm really worried."
"It's okay, it's okay." The old man consoled her. "It's over there in the west of the city. He might be staying in the charity hall. There's been a lot of banditry lately, and many wealthy families in the city have suffered. Many people have gone to stay in the charity hall, which is guarded by soldiers."
After hearing this, Wenjiu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and continued, "I'm relieved when you say that. But, with so many people, does the charity have food for everyone?"
The old man continued, "Where can we get food? The price of food changes every day. It's not just Jinyang that's in trouble. Even in the nearby cities, the price of food is almost sky-high. Only the adults' charity hall still has two bowls of rice porridge to drink.
Everyone can contribute money and effort, and wait until the snowstorm is over. That's all."
After hearing this, Wen Jiu immediately took out half a silver ingot from his sleeve and said, "Old man, this is the contribution of my husband and me."
The old man immediately refused: "How can I accept this?"
Wen Jiu said firmly, "Just consider it as a token of your appreciation. Please accept it."
Then Wen Jiu asked again: "You just said there is a corrupt official nearby?"
When he said this, the old man turned pale with fear. He put his finger on his lips and shushed: "Young lady, please don't speak too loudly."
After glancing around to see if there were any other people around, the old man said, "How can life be easy with a governor like that right here?"
After hearing this, Wen Jiu and the Fourth Master looked at each other, and then Wen Jiu immediately asked, "Old man, what do you mean?"
"You might not know this, but that governor bought his position. A while ago, a fellow villager of mine came to seek refuge with him. The area under his jurisdiction was even more destitute. The meager grain they collected year-round had to be handed over, leaving a family of five wailing with hunger. They couldn't even get enough to eat. Now that they've been hit by a disaster, I don't know what to do."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with the old man, Wenjiu and the Fourth Master said goodbye.
The Fourth Master couldn't help but look at Wen Jiu and said, "I didn't expect you to be this capable?" It was the first time in his life that he saw someone asking such a question. The old man even gave them heartfelt advice as if they were juniors. It was really rare.
"I'm just saying a few nice words to coax the old man, please don't laugh at me." Wen Jiu frowned immediately: "Master, will this matter become more and more difficult?" The Fourth Master is only a Beile now, but it involves the current Governor of Shanxi. I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with.
Meeting Wenjiu's gaze, the Fourth Master smiled and said, "It won't be difficult. On the contrary, it will become smoother and smoother. Just wait and see. There should be a result today."
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