Chapter 162: The True or False Master (19)
19
Vote? Vote for what?
Zhu Qingchen turned his head and looked at Lu Que with a confused look on his face.
What is he talking about? There is no such thing as voting in this world.
Lu Que asked again: "Zhu Qingqing, who do you choose?"
Zhu Qingchen hit him hard and whispered, "It's already this late, and you're still joking."
Lu Que said seriously: "I am asking you seriously."
The held hostage Lu Jiming reacted and shouted, "Lu Que, are you crazy? Father, Lu Que wants me dead! Lu Que has evil intentions, father, just look at him!"
Wenyuan Hou naturally saw it.
He wanted to rush forward and strangle Lu Que to death: "Asshole, that's your own brother!"
Lu Que hid behind Zhu Qingchen and said, "Master Zhu, protect me."
Weak and helpless, but will vote to kill.
Facing Zhu Qingchen, Wenyuan Hou had no choice but to retreat.
As a result of Lu Que's interruption, the sky became darker, and the "bandits" on the cliff and the soldiers on the opposite side all lit torches.
The mountain was ablaze with fire.
At this time, the people sent by Wenyuanhou also returned.
The man dismounted, untied the bag on his back, and handed the things to Marquis Wenyuan: "My Lord, it's all here, the land deeds, all are here."
"Okay, okay." Wen Yuanhou immediately saw hope, his eyes lit up, "I got what you want! Let my son go!"
He took the bag, shouted towards the cliff, and rushed forward in a hurry.
But those big men pulled Lu Jiming and retreated: "My Lord, don't come over!"
Lu Jiming stumbled and almost slipped, and quickly shouted, "Dad, don't come over! Listen to them!"
Wen Yuanhou stopped immediately and said, "I have brought the things. You have to take them, right? Do you really want to take my son with you to die?"
"We want to take what belongs to us, but you can't come over. Wenyuanhou Mansion is full of tricks and they go back on their words. We can't trust them!"
The people on the cliff looked around and finally reached a consensus. Their eyes fell on Zhu Qingchen: "Can Master Zhu help us check it?"
Zhu Qingchen nodded slightly: "Of course, I'm happy to help."
"We will tell Master Zhu the names of every family in the village who was deceived. Please check the land deeds and IOUs. If everything is correct, we will
Let’s release Lu Jiming.”
“It’s natural.”
"Master Zhu, thank you for your kindness. We in the whole village will remember your kindness."
"You're welcome."
Zhu Qingchen stretched out his hand to Wenyuan Hou, who reluctantly handed the bundle to him.
After receiving the package, the big men asked Wenyuan Hou to step back and not approach the contracts again.
Zhu Qingchen found a flat stone on the edge of the cliff, opened the bundle, spread it on top, and then found two or three small stones to use as paperweights and press on the contract.
He lifted his robe and sat cross-legged in front of the stone.
The soldiers held torches and surrounded him so that he could read the words on the contract clearly.
Most of the soldiers came from poor backgrounds, and after listening to the farmers' account of what had happened, they were all filled with indignation and held their breath.
If Wenyuan Hou was not the Marquis, they would have rushed up and beat him up long ago.
The big men on the cliff reported the names of their families one by one.
Zhu Qingchen quickly flipped through the various papers to find the ones that belonged to them.
To reclaim fertile land from the pile of rocks, not just one or two acres of land, but a large field, it is hard to imagine how much energy they must have spent in the past three years.
In order to reclaim the land, they borrowed a lot of money from the Marquis's Mansion.
The Marquis' Mansion probably took advantage of their ignorance and signed an IOU with them, not only with excessively high interest, but also with collateral. Because they were originally farmers in the fiefdom and had no land of their own, they usually used indentures as collateral, and even their three or four-year-old children were not spared.
This move by Wenyuan Marquis Mansion is really...
Not only did they get food and land, but they also got a large number of slaves.
If the incident had not been exposed, I'm afraid the Wenyuan Marquis Mansion would have become rich overnight.
The more Zhu Qingchen looked through the contract, the more frightened he felt. They could actually do such a thing.
Zhu Qingchen raised his head and looked at Marquis Wenyuan in the light of the fire.
Wenyuan Hou knew he was in the wrong, so he stepped back and avoided his gaze.
Soon, all the contracts were checked, Zhu Qingchen put the things away again and said calmly: "No mistake."
Wen Yuanhou breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, Master Zhu, please give the things to them and help me bring my son back. Thank you very much."
Zhu Qingchen held the life and property of the whole village in his arms, stood still, and looked back at the mountain road behind him.
Waiting for someone.
Wenyuan Hou didn't know what he meant, so he quickly asked, "Master Zhu, are you going?"
Zhu Qingchen remained motionless: "Don't worry, my lord."
Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves came from the mountain road.
Zhu Qingchen took a step towards the mountain road instead.
I saw two soldiers holding a torch in one hand and the reins in the other, leading the way.
Lin Jingzhe rode a horse and followed behind, with a large group of soldiers behind him.
Lin Jingzhe raised his hand and shouted, "Master!"
The person Zhu Qingchen has been waiting for is here!
These soldiers were dressed in black armor, which was different from the soldiers in the government.
When Wenyuan Hou saw their attire, he suddenly realized what was going on.
Imperial Guards! It's the Imperial Guards! The Imperial Guards around the Emperor!
Zhu Qingchen sent Lin Jingzhe into the palace? !
Wen Yuanhou widened his eyes in disbelief and looked at Zhu Qingchen: "You you you..."
He originally thought that he should quickly give the things to these "bandits" and rescue Lu Jiming first.
After these "bandits" left with the land deeds and the IOUs, he sent people to chase them and said that it was all fake. These people were crazy about money and made up stories to accuse the Marquis's mansion.
It is normal for a few people to die or be seriously injured while chasing fugitives, and the situation can always be suppressed.
But now...
Zhu Qingchen ignored him and asked Lin Jingzhe: "We have all the evidence of the Marquis's crime. What is your majesty's order?"
The evidence of guilt refers to the land deed and IOU that were sent by Marquis Wenyuan himself.
Wen Yuanhou finally reacted and rushed forward, trying to get the "evidence" back, but was held down by the soldiers.
In an instant, all the people who were working for Marquis Wenyuan and his wife were subdued.
So that's it! So that's it!
They didn't want to make any exchange from the beginning. They were just playing tricks on Wenyuan Hou Mansion from beginning to end.
He tricked him into handing over the evidence, tricked him into bringing out the witness, and Zhu Qingchen even checked the contracts one by one in front of him!
Zhu Qingchen had long known what Wenyuan Hou thought was going on. Their original plan was to make trouble in front of the emperor at all costs!
Marquis Wenyuan was held down by the soldiers, his eyes were bloodshot, and he struggled hard: "I am the marquis bestowed by His Majesty himself, who dares to touch me? Who dares to touch me?"
Lin Jingzhe rode his horse and stopped in front of him. He dismounted, took out the imperial edict from his waist, and read it in front of him.
"Your Majesty has ordered that all of you follow the Imperial Guards into the palace immediately. There must be no delay."
"Marquis Wenyuan, if you insist on resisting, according to His Majesty's order, you can be put in the shackles."
That's something only serious criminals wear? The emperor actually wants to give it to him?
Wen Yuanhou was stunned and almost fainted.
It’s over, it’s all over now!
Zhu Qingchen turned around and said to the other side of the cliff: "Now that we have the witnesses and evidence, and His Majesty has also known about this matter, you can come down now."
Several big men quickly said, "Yes, thank you Master Zhu."
They worked in the fields all year round, but they were not stupid. They knew that the land deeds were all in the name of Wenyuan Marquis's Mansion. Even if they tore up the IOU and got the land deeds, the land they had worked hard to cultivate for three years would not be theirs.
The Wenyuan Marquis Mansion was able to turn the tables and report the case to the government, saying that they were robbers.
Therefore, after receiving advice from Master Lu, they chose to kidnap people in a busy city on the third day of the spring examination, and they also chose to trust Master Zhu.
Now, they can finally go to the palace to seek justice.
Lu Jiming and Yi Zizhen are of no use to them.
The two big men took back the knives that were across their necks and pushed them forward: "Let's go, we have no intention of killing anyone."
They are all hardworking farmers and would never do anything like killing people.
But unexpectedly, after standing for a long time, Yi Zizhen and Lu Jiming's legs and feet became a little stiff.
The big man originally wanted to push them back to a safe place, but Lu Jiming's legs went weak and he subconsciously grabbed Yi Zizhen.
Yi Zizhen panicked, as if a scorpion had crawled onto her body, and she screamed and pushed him away: "Get out of here!"
Lu Jiming was pushed by him and took two steps back, standing directly on the edge of the cliff.
It was pitch black at the bottom of the cliff, and it was bottomless. Lu Jiming looked back and cold sweat broke out on his face.
He also became anxious, and rushed forward and pinched Yi Zizhen fiercely: "Are you crazy? They didn't push me down, but you wanted to push me down!"
Yi Zizheng was pressed to the ground by him, and he felt that his head was hanging in the air and was about to fall.
He struggled hard, shouting until his voice was hoarse: "Get out of here! Who told you to jump on me and grab me? Lu Jiming, you wanted them to kill me just now, right?"
He didn't even call him "Brother Jiming" anymore.
Yi Zizhen didn't know where he got the strength from, he pounced, and the two of them turned over and headed towards the cliff.
The edge is one step closer.
The "bandits" didn't do anything to them, so they started fighting among themselves.
Fighting on a cliff is simply a life-threatening move.
Yi Zizhen held Lu Jiming tightly, hugged his legs, and tried to push him off the cliff: "You keep shouting? Why don't you shout? Anyway, the Earl's Mansion is finished, and your Marquis' Mansion is also going to be finished, so let's all die together!"
"I finally had a couple of days of good life, but your family insisted on courting death. Now look! Everything is over! You are not even as good as me. At least I still have a place to live in Linjia Village! Once the Marquis' Mansion falls, you will be nothing!"
Seeing that Yi Zizhen was a little crazy, Lu Jiming turned around to look at the cliff that was just a stone's throw away, and quickly apologized: "I was wrong, Zizhen, I was wrong, don't get excited..."
The two people were entangled together, with half of their bodies sticking out of the cliff. If you ignore the incessant cursing in their mouths, they were like two mandarin ducks entangled in each other's arms, going to die together.
Finally, Lin Jingzhe led the soldiers and pulled them back from the edge of the cliff.
Lin Jingzhe said: "His Majesty is still waiting to see you, don't try to fake your death to get away with it."
Lin Jingzhe had them put on shackles and chains to control them.
The group set off for the palace.
Several soldiers holding torches led the way, escorting the people from Wenyuanhou Mansion.
Lin Jingzhe rode a horse, Zhu Qingchen and Lu Que took a carriage, and several big men got on the carriage of Wenyuan Hou Mansion.
Behind them were soldiers holding torches.
A group of people walked along the mountain road, the firelight was bright, forming a winding fire dragon.
It took about a quarter of an hour to get back to the capital.
What happened in the afternoon caused a sensation and the whole city knew about it.
But now, the ones who were captured were not the "bandits" but the Wenyuan Marquis family. What's going on?
The people were talking about it and speculating on the reason.
The team marched through the long street and entered the palace.
The emperor had been waiting in the hall for a long time. When he saw them coming, he stood up immediately and told the eunuch, "Give Master Zhu and Master Lu a seat."
Zhu Qingchen thanked him, put on his clothes and sat down.
The emperor asked, "What is the reason for the kidnapping incident in the city this afternoon? Please tell us, Master Zhu."
Zhu Qingchen nodded and said sternly, "Your Majesty, the Wenyuan Marquisate deceived the people and seized their land. They also disobeyed the imperial order and pretended to obey. They are guilty of all these crimes."
Zhu Qingchen recounted what had happened one by one and handed over the evidence he had just obtained.
Several big men made their statements and recounted the situation at that time.
The emperor clenched his fist and pounded the table: "This is simply outrageous!"
He pointed at the Wenyuan Marquis' family and cursed, "For the Earl of Changping's incident three years ago, I sentenced you to a three-year salary penalty and a reduction of half your fiefdom. I took into consideration that you were accomplices and might not have known about it."
"But you, not only did you not reflect on your mistakes, you even tried every possible way to make money, and even brought Yi Zizhen to your mansion! I punish you, and you pass the punishment on to the people? This is simply unheard of!"
Wenyuan Hou wanted to argue: "Your Majesty, please understand. If there were only me, my wife and children in my house, we would not dare to do this. But there are hundreds of people in my house, and we really can't survive. That's why..."
The emperor was so angry that he slammed the table and said, "Nonsense! The Marquis's family is large and powerful, but their fiefdom is only reduced by half. It doesn't mean they can't survive or they want you to starve to death. Look at yourself, you, your wife, and your son, which one of you is not dressed in splendid clothes? Which one of you doesn't have a ruddy complexion?"
"Even Yi Zizhen, since you said he came to your house before the New Year, he only lived in your house for a few months. In these few months, he, who has been in Linjia Village for three years, was able to eat lavishly. You still dare to say that you are wronged?"
"How else do you want to wrongly accuse me? You didn't eat the people in Zhuangzi alive, so you are wronged?" The emperor slammed the table and concluded, "You are simply greedy! It's abominable!"
"Come here, pass on my order!" The emperor raised his hand, and the eunuch hurriedly stepped forward and whispered, "Return all the land and grain to the people. Let the government handle it overnight."
"Marquis Wenyuan is dismissed from his post and stripped of his title. Lu Jiming, who harbored a criminal, is stripped of his status as a candidate. Together with the former Earl of Changping, get out of the capital."
"Ah..." Wen Yuanhou and Lu Jiming suddenly lost their strength and fell to the ground.
Annoyance, regret, and unwillingness swept over them in an instant.
They finally saw a glimmer of hope. As long as they waited for the spring exam results to be announced and Lu Jiming passed the exam and became an official, they would be able to completely smooth over this matter.
Why...why at this time?
If they were given a little more time, they could get out of their predicament and become the powerful people in the capital again.
Lu Jiming couldn't accept the reality and shouted, "Dad, you killed me! You were fine, why did you have to do this?"
Wen Yuanhou shouted at him, "If you didn't have me, where would you get the money to wear good clothes and eat good food? Where would you get the money to support Yi Zizhen? Are you blaming your father now?"
Lu Jiming turned around and saw Lu Que sitting quietly on the side, and shouted again: "Your Majesty, Lu Que is also from the Wenyuan Marquis's Mansion, why shouldn't he be punished!"
Lu Que leaned towards Zhu Qingchen and said, "Hmm, Zhu Qingqing, protect me."
Several big men quickly knelt down and pleaded: "Your Majesty, please understand. When we were wandering outside the Wenyuan Marquis's mansion, the eldest son repeatedly persuaded us and gave us advice, wanting to help us get the farmland and food back."
"The eldest son is not of the same ilk as the Marquis's Mansion. He has never used a cent from the Marquis's Mansion, but has treated us very kindly. We are willing to vouch for the eldest son. He has nothing to do with this matter."
The emperor nodded slightly: "I know. The eldest son has a leg disease, and the Marquis's Mansion has never valued him. They want him to pave the way for the second son, so I didn't punish him."
The emperor paused and said to Lu Que, "After the Wenyuan Marquisate is settled, the eldest son can stay in the Marquisate, but the title..."
Lu Que stood up and saluted: "I understand."
Wenyuanhou and Lu Jiming shouted "unfair" loudly. The father and son were unprecedentedly united and wanted to drag Lu Que into the water.
The emperor was too lazy to pay attention to them. He frowned, waved his hand, and ordered people to drag the whole family away.
It's noisy.
He turned his head and looked at the group of men who had kidnapped people: "Although there are reasons for what happened, you did kidnap people in the street, causing panic among the people."
Upon hearing this, several big men also knelt down and apologized: "We know that kidnapping people in the street is an unforgivable crime, but we are really desperate, so we came up with this idea. We already knew before we took action that if we let horses cause trouble in the downtown area, we would be imprisoned for three years at the least, and beheaded at the worst. We are willing to accept the punishment, and have no regrets. We just implore Your Majesty to take care of the people in the village."
The emperor asked, "Master Zhu, what do you think?"
Zhu Qingchen stood up and saluted: "Your Majesty, I think that since there are reasons for this incident and it did not cause any casualties among the people, it can be dealt with leniently."
"Spring is coming soon. If we lock them all up in jail for three years, I'm afraid the spring ploughing will be delayed. This winter, the whole village will be doomed. Your Majesty doesn't want to see such a scene."
"That's right." The emperor pondered, "What does Master Zhu mean?"
"Isn't the Artisan Institute developing new agricultural tools? Why not let them do hard labor there, temporarily requisition their fields as experimental fields, and let them assist the Institute in developing agricultural tools?
Help the craftsmen do their work. "
Upon hearing this, the eyes of several big men lit up.
Is there such a good thing in the world? Farming and serving a prison sentence at the same time?
Zhu Qingchen cleared his throat and said, "Don't think too much. It's hard labor. You have to do everything. Even though it's military service, if you don't do well, you will be punished."
The big men kowtowed immediately and said, "We will not refuse even if we die."
The emperor thought about it and nodded: "That's good too. I'll consider it as a way to atone for my sins."
The group was overjoyed and hurried to express their gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Zhu Qingchen fulfilled his promise and accompanied them into the palace. A few days later, he brought government officials with him to the village to remeasure the land they had reclaimed and issued them new land deeds.
It was also on this day that Wenyuanhou and his family were beaten with a stick and driven out of the capital in disgrace without taking anything with them.
Lu Jiming placed his hopes on the spring examination. He refused to leave and cried and made a fuss in front of the palace gate, wanting to see if he could pass the exam and whether he had a chance.
Finally, the emperor summoned him and threw his article on the ground: "What a mess you wrote! I thought you were a genius, but it's all bullshit!"
Lu Jiming picked up his article and read it again and again in disbelief.
His article was so exaggerated, how could it be possible...
It was not until then that Lu Jiming realized that it was Yi Zizheng who coaxed him!
He regretted it. He shouldn't have brought Yi Zizhen home at that time, he shouldn't have hung out with Yi Zizhen, and he shouldn't have believed Yi Zizhen's lies.
Lu Jiming left the palace in a daze.
The family had nowhere to go, so they thought of relying on Yi Zizhen and going to Linjia Village to make a living.
But who would have thought that when Yi Zizhen saw that the situation was not good, he dragged his weak body that had just been beaten with a stick, and ran away with strength that he didn't know where he got from.
He doesn't want to be entangled by the Lu family.
He fled all the way back to Linjia Village. His biological mother was shocked to see him coming back with injuries all over his body: "Zizhen, didn't mother teach you to get close to the Marquis' Mansion? Why are you..."
"Don't mention it, the Marquis' Mansion has also collapsed! It's all over!"
"What should we do? I'll pack my things now and we'll run..."
"Where can I run to? I fled back to the capital and was discovered by His Majesty. His Majesty ordered me to show my face to the government office every month. If I don't go, it will be a capital crime!"
"ah……"
"Fortunately, I dumped the Lu family.
, I think they want to come back with me. I'm not stupid, who dares to bring them back? I'm the one who supports them? This house is not big and shabby, how can I share it with them? They are dreaming."
"That's good. My son is smart."
"Of course."
But Yi Zi really forgot that Lu Jiming had been to Linjia Village and he still remembered the way to Linjia Village.
On the morning of the fifth day after Yi Zizhen returned to Linjia Village, the Lu family came to his door.
Yi Zizheng yawned and went to open the door, but before the door was opened, it was smashed by Lu Jiming.
He rushed in and the two men wrestled with each other.
From then on, the two families were entangled and would never be separated, no matter how far apart they were.
It can also be regarded as a continuation of the friendship between old friends in another sense.
*
The dust has settled.
All matters have been dealt with and the results of the spring examination have been announced.
Lu Jiming is such an idiot, even if the examiner read his essay, they would give him the lowest grade, so he has no chance at all.
Xiao Xiao Pei and Xiao Xiao Liu are both on the list, ranking high, and will soon prepare for the palace examination.
After Zhu Qingchen dealt with the remaining trivial matters in Wenyuanhou Mansion, he took the time to take them to Dajue Temple.
This time Zhu Qingchen learned his lesson. He took his students and stayed at Dajue Temple the first night.
This way you can be the first to incense the next day!
Early that morning, Liu Yun and Pei Zhen yawned and stood behind the teacher.
Zhu Qingchen heard them yawning and turned around quickly: "Don't be disrespectful to the Bodhisattva."
"Oh." The two of them shut up obediently.
Zhu Qingchen said seriously: "You don't understand. Back then, your grandfathers were the top scholar and the third scholar respectively, all because I came to worship the Buddha early in the morning."
Liu Yun asked: "Did Master also burn the first incense that year?"
"..." Zhu Qingchen choked up, "No, I was the last one, and I didn't get the chance to compete with other students."
"The last one is so powerful!" Liu Yun was shocked, "It must be useful!"
"Of course."
Zhu Qingchen lit up the incense and gave it to two students: "Here."
After offering incense with the two students, Zhu Qingchen, under the guidance of the little monk, went to the nearby Buddhist temple to pay homage to several old school officials, who were his colleagues in the first world.
Thinking about it now, it seemed as if the group of little old men were still in front of him.
The young monk said, "Master, don't be sad. When the old scholars left, they were very happy."
Zhu Qingchen held up the incense stick and asked doubtfully, "Hmm? Happy?"
The young monk explained, "They say that if you fight for the first incense stick in your lifetime, you will continue to fight for it after you die. Whoever's tablet is first in Dajue Temple will have the most students, and whose students' students will be able to pass the exams, and whoever will be remembered for eternity."
Zhu Qingchen smiled. This was indeed something they could say.
After burning incense and coming out of the incense hall, Zhu Qingchen suddenly saw that there was another tablet in the next room——
Congratulations on becoming Qingchen!
Zhu Qingchen: ???
He turned around and looked at Little Pei Liu: "Who made this for me? Your grandfather?"
"Of course not. Grandpa always said that the Master is a god and will never die."
"That……"
The young monk explained, "Master, this is a tablet for longevity. It was set up by my master's master at the request of a donor named Li."!
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