Chapter 41041 Breaking Limbs
Du Qingtang and Fu Wen returned to the literary gathering and saw the county magistrate Meng Hong, dressed in a green official robe, talking to someone, so they waited quietly on the side.
Soon, the man left with a look of ecstasy on his face, and it was their turn to step forward and pay their respects: "Your humble servants greet the County Magistrate."
County Magistrate Meng raised his hand and said, "No need to be so polite. You must be Du Qingtang and Fu Wen?"
"Your Excellency the County Magistrate, I am Du Qingtang/Fu Wen."
County Magistrate Meng smiled and said, "Du Qingtang, your 'Village Days' is quite interesting. It reminds me of my childhood, when I lived by the mountains and rivers, picking flowers in my spare time. It was truly a joy. And Fu Wen's eight-part essay on patriotic scholars and philanthropists, some of the arguments in it really resonated with me..."
Du Qingtang had had many long conversations with Emperor Qingyuan. In response to County Magistrate Meng's praise, he simply said calmly, "Your Excellency, you are too kind."
It was Fu Wen's first time to come into close contact with an imperial official. Even though he was only a seventh-rank county magistrate, it made her nervous and timid.
But as her eight-legged essays were appreciated, perhaps because of Du Qingtang's company, or perhaps because of Magistrate Meng's amiable nature, she gradually relaxed and answered Magistrate Meng's questions with ease.
"I heard that you two just entered the academy not long ago. What books are you studying now?"
"Your Excellency, I have currently read the Four Books and Five Classics, The Book of Zhou, and The Records of the Grand Historian..."
Afterwards, County Magistrate Meng tested them again.
Du Qingtang and Fu Wen responded in a serious tone. County Magistrate Meng smiled, twirling his beard. "Very well. I look forward to your performance at next year's literary conference."
After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and his followers presented him with two copies of "The Analects of Confucius".
This is the reward given by the county magistrate to those who perform outstandingly in the literary meeting, and this has been the practice in previous years.
"I also hope that you will avoid arrogance and impatience, continue to work hard, and make great progress."
"Yes, I will follow your instructions."
Du Qingtang and Fu Wen took the books, bowed respectfully and then stepped back.
"Phew—I'm so nervous! My heart almost jumped out of my throat."
After walking away, Fu Wen patted his chest with a look of relief on his face.
Du Qingtang flipped through the book and found that there were even annotations on it. The handwriting was vigorous and powerful, most likely written by County Magistrate Meng himself: "Relax, the County Magistrate is also a human being."
Unlike the previous county magistrate who indirectly caused the death of Boss Du, County Magistrate Meng came here to take office five years ago. Since then, he has done many practical things to benefit the people. The people love him very much, and Du Qingtang also has a good impression of him.
Fu Wen nodded. She also discovered that the book was suspected to be privately owned by County Magistrate Meng. She was so excited that she hid in the corner and read it eagerly.
Du Qingtang didn't want to debate with anyone, nor did he want to mingle with the crowd to recite poems and compose couplets. He simply sat down next to Fu Wen and flipped through a book.
I don’t know how long it took, but I heard a loud bang.
Du Qingtang was startled and almost tore the pages of the book. He calmed himself down and looked in the direction of the voice. Xie Guang had his clothes wide open and was sitting on the ground in a dissolute manner. He was holding a wine jug in his hand and looked drunk.
The table next to them was overturned, and wine glasses and side dishes were scattered all over the floor. It was obviously the work of this person.
The laughter and conversation stopped abruptly, and hundreds of eyes came towards him from all directions.
Liu, Wang, and Hu, who had been frequenting Du Ji's snack stall recently, were so overwhelmed that they wished they could find a hole to crawl into. They whispered, "Xie Guang, you're drunk. We'll take you home."
"I'm not drunk!" Xie Guang pushed Liu away and yelled with a thick tongue, "Du Qingtang, you're a hypocrite!"
Du Qingtang, who instantly attracted countless glances, both openly and covertly, said: "......"
"This person is full of deceit and cunning. She maliciously slandered her cousin, who sponsored her education, destroying his reputation and repaying kindness with hatred. Such a person should be condemned by thousands of people and expelled from the academy and never be admitted again. But she has a hateful tongue, twisting right and wrong, distorting the truth, and attracting the sympathy and pity of countless people."
"No one believes me! Ahhhhh, I'm so angry!" Xie Guang roared to the sky and smashed the wine jug hard, splashing the wine everywhere. "Where is justice? Where is fairness?"
"Just wait for me, you idiots. Sooner or later, I'm going to... mmmmmm!"
Before he could finish his words, Professor Zhu, who had rushed over after hearing the news, had his mouth covered and dragged him out.
"The text will continue."
Professor Zhu's face turned grim, and he left in a hurry after leaving this sentence.
"Who is this guy? Why is he drunk and crazy at the literary meeting?"
"Is Du Qingtang the one who composed 'Village Day' just now, summoned by the county magistrate?"
"What's the conflict between them? Who's right and who's wrong?"
The students in the introductory class answered without hesitation: "Of course Du is right and Xie Guang is wrong!"
"What do you mean?"
"This story all started last month..." The student from Enlightenment Class D told everyone the truth, then said righteously, "Xie Guang is a man of low character. Classmate Du has suffered this misfortune completely undeserved. Please do not misunderstand Classmate Du."
"That's natural."
"I know Yuan Sheng. He's a true hypocrite. He usually pretends to be a decent person, but in fact, he is extremely immoral and often hangs out in prostitutes."
"Do you remember the rumor a while ago about a scholar named Yuan who was having an affair with someone without any intermediary? The protagonist was this Yuan Sheng!"
"Ugh, how disgusting! He himself has a terrible reputation, how dare he slander others?"
"Maybe it's because I'm not clean myself, so others can't expect to be clean either."
"According to what you said, this Du Xiandi is truly a wonderful person. Not only is she a brilliant writer, she is also quite talented in riding and shooting, and she has a broad mind. I would like to get to know her."
"Zhang also has this intention."
Everyone spontaneously searched for Du Qingtang, but after searching everywhere, they still couldn't find her.
Until someone said: "She left through the side door as early as when Xie Guang was taken away."
The scholars who were interested in making friends with Du Qingtang booed in disappointment.
"Never mind. There's always a chance."
......
"I wonder if Xie Guang is ill? At such an important literary gathering, he's using his drunken rage to drag you down. I think he did it on purpose!"
After the incident, Du Qingtang didn't want to become the target of public criticism and be watched like a monkey, so he took advantage of his classmates to educate his classmates about Xie Guang's bad behavior and slipped away with Fu Wen.
Fu Wen was so angry that he looked like a pufferfish. His fair face turned red and his footsteps became extra forceful, as if he was stepping on Xie Guang.
As the person involved, Du Qingtang was very calm: "Calm down. Those who are invited to the literary gathering are people who can distinguish right from wrong. They will never be led by the nose by Xie Guang. And even if it was intentional, this is the last time. There will never be a second time."
Fu Wen was confused. "There won't be a second time? In my opinion, Xie Guang is stubborn and won't change his ways despite repeated admonitions. He won't give up fighting you just because the professor scolds him. Why is Qingtang so sure?"
Du Qingtang sighed helplessly. Fu Wen had a kind nature and was the only friend she had accepted over the years. His only shortcoming was that he was too naive.
"I openly provoked him earlier, precisely to provoke him and make him make a mistake in his impulses," Du Qingtang said slowly. "Thirds of a time, there's no such thing as a three. Ah Wen, do you think I'll keep him in the academy forever, stirring up trouble, opposing me every day, and causing me trouble?"
Fu Wen suddenly opened his eyes wide and pointed at Du Qingtang: "You you you you!"
Du Qingtang: "...Speak nicely."
Fu Wen swallowed his saliva, calmed himself down, looked around to make sure no one was around, and then whispered, "You did it on purpose!"
Du Qingtang nodded without comment and sighed, "I finally understand."
Fu Wen scratched his head embarrassedly. "I was a little surprised at the time. Qingtang, you've always been cautious, so why were you so easily angered by Xie Guang and said those words? It turns out you had other plans. This whole thing is so brilliant!"
Du Qingtang laughed. "Xie Guang is a smart guy, but he doesn't like to use his brain. If he had thought twice before acting, this situation wouldn't have happened. Let's go. The literary gathering is too noisy. Let's go back to the dormitory and read."
Fu Wen hugged the Analects tightly in his arms and sighed, "As expected of a successful Jinshi, the annotations on it have truly enriched me."
Du Qingtang deeply agreed, and the two of them discussed the annotations in the book as they walked towards the dormitory.
On the other side, Yao Xuan took his time changing his clothes and prepared to go and reminisce with County Magistrate Meng.
It had been several months since they last saw each other, when County Magistrate Meng accidentally broke his leg while inspecting the small town under his jurisdiction, so he went to visit him.
As soon as I went out, Professor Zhu came hurriedly from the opposite side.
Yao Xuan saw that he was in a hurry and looked angry, so he asked, "What happened?"
With County Magistrate Meng in charge of the literary association, nothing should go wrong. Could it be that there is some important business going on at the academy?
Professor Zhu informed Yao Xuan of Xie Guang's actions and sternly declared, "Last month, this man attempted to frame Du Qingtang, resulting in dozens of injuries. I had his father come to the academy and severely reprimanded him. I thought he would correct his mistakes, but I didn't expect him to go back on his word at the literary gathering and attempt to damage Du Qingtang's reputation!"
Yao Xuan raised his eyebrows slightly, Du Qingtang and Xie Guang?
Professor Zhu had no idea what he was thinking, so he said righteously, "Principal, what Xie Guang said and did is truly abhorrent. We must not tolerate it. He should be severely punished to serve as a warning to others!"
Yao Xuan twirled his beard in deep thought. After a while, he spoke, "Since this man refuses to change despite repeated admonitions, let him return home and reflect on his actions."
Here, returning home to reflect on your actions will not take just one or two days. You can come back after you have reflected on yourself.
The so-called returning home to reflect is just a euphemism for leaving the academy.
Professor Zhu nodded and said, "When Xie Guang sobers up, I will tell him to go home and reflect on his actions."
Yao Xuan turned away and went to see County Magistrate Meng to reminisce about the past.
Talking about the talented writers at the gathering, County Magistrate Meng said with a smile, "The one who impressed me the most was definitely not Prime Minister Cao's grandson, but two others named Du Qingtang and Fu Wen. They were only in their teens, but their poems and essays were truly impressive to me."
He briefly described their works: "It is said that the writing reflects the writer, and this is indeed true. I knew at first glance that they were good children. Perhaps one day, they would be able to enter the officialdom and serve the emperor."
"I also tested their knowledge. They have a very solid foundation. They are truly young talents. When I was their age, I was still digging in the fields and didn't even know what the Four Books and Five Classics were..."
Yao Xuan knew that he was going to reminisce about the past and recall the good and bad times, so he cooperated and pretended to listen attentively, but he was thinking in his heart that the writing was indeed like the person.
As sharp and unstoppable as ever.
After reminiscing about the bitter past and thinking about the sweet past, County Magistrate Meng changed the subject: "Zijing, I heard that the man from Xiajing sent someone to ask you to serve as an official?"
Yao Xuan's face suddenly turned cold, and his tone was stiff: "You know, I won't take up an official position."
County Magistrate Meng knew he had spoken out of turn, but he still had something to say: "I know you, Zijing, have no interest in the court, but even if not for yourself, you should think about Jingzhou. The Qi family is not easy to deal with."
Yao Xuan raised his hand to interrupt his persuasion: "I have made up my mind. There is no need to mention it again."
County Magistrate Meng sighed and gave up, turning to other matters.
......
Xie Guang was dragged away while conscious.
He knows what he is doing.
He has fallen into Du Qingtang's hands so many times, this time he is determined to destroy Du Qingtang in one fell swoop!
There are so many scholars who hate evil at the literary gathering. If what he said gets out, it will bring disaster to Du Qingtang.
He was waiting for the day when Du Qingtang would become infamous.
Xie Guang imagined the scene of Du Qingtang begging for mercy with tears streaming down her face, and fell asleep soundly under the influence of alcohol.
After an unknown amount of time, he was suddenly awakened by someone pushing him hard.
Professor Zhu stood by the bed, looking down at him. "Xie Guang, your behavior at the literary gathering was extremely abominable. It will have a negative impact on the academy and Du Qingtang. I have reported this to the headmaster. From today on, you will return home to reflect on your actions and do not need to come here again."
Xie Guang accepted this well.
If his father hadn't forced him, he would have given up wanting to stay in the academy.
What is the use of reading?
He is not short of money. Even if the family is divided in the future, he can still become a rich man. Why should he suffer the hardship of studying?
Xie Guang got out of bed and gave a perfunctory bow: "Yes, I will take my leave."
Professor Zhu watched him walk away gracefully and shook his head slowly. "This child is incorrigible. Instructor Sun's good intentions are doomed to go to waste."
Xie Guang left the academy and went straight to the brothels.
He ordered a few pretty girls and had a great time drinking and listening to music.
The only regret is that Brother Yuanxian is not in the county town, otherwise I would have asked him to come along.
Xie Guang drank a lot of wine and played with the girls until he fell into a deep sleep in the second half of the night.
When I opened my eyes again, it was already evening.
Xie Guang thought to himself that something was wrong, pushed the woman away, put on his clothes hastily, left the brothel, and took a shortcut home.
He hasn't been home for two days and one night. If his father knew he was sleeping in a brothel, he would probably break his legs!
Xie Guang ran into the alley and saw a man walking towards him. He had no time to avoid him and bumped into him.
"court death!"
He only heard a curse, and then a fist as big as a sandbag hit his face. The severe pain made his eyes go black and he fainted on the spot.
When I woke up again, I saw the familiar bed curtains.
He had come home and was lying in his bed.
Just as I was about to get up, I found that my left leg was wrapped like a dumpling and it hurt when I moved.
Xie Guang cried out in pain and asked the servant beside him, "What happened?"
The servant did not dare to lie and told the truth quickly.
On the day of the literary gathering, Xie's father unexpectedly learned that Xie Guang had "showed off" in front of all the scholars in the county. He was so angry that his eyes went dark. He put down the account book in his hand and came back to beat his son without stopping.
As a result, I waited for a whole night but still didn't see Xie Guang.
Xie's father was angry and thought Xie Guang was avoiding him, so he didn't send anyone to look for him. Until the evening of the next day, Xie Guang still didn't come back.
Xie's father knew that something was wrong, so he sent someone to find Xie Guang.
The servant of the Xie family searched all the places Xie Guang often went to, and finally found Xie Guang unconscious in the alley next to the brothel.
Xie Guang was robbed of all his belongings, but the other party was not satisfied and beat him up until his face was bruised and his legs were broken before leaving.
Xie's father was furious. He suspected that this was an act of malicious revenge and the murderer was Du Qingtang, who had caused Xie Guang to be expelled from the academy.
But he did not act rashly, but sent people to investigate secretly.
This investigation actually allowed him to find some unexpected things.
Xie Guang being robbed was indeed an accident, but it was not an accident either.
This story begins three years ago.
Back then, Xie Guang was beaten up by his father for frequenting brothels. He ran away from home in anger and met a villain on the way who wanted to rob him of his money and kill him.
If Yuan Sheng had not happened to pass by and protected him with his life, Xie Guang would probably have disappeared from the world.
Since then, the Xie family regarded Yuan Sheng as Xie Guang's savior. Xie's father also had a very good impression of Yuan Sheng and once planned to marry his daughter to him.
Xie's father reported the case to the authorities, but they were unable to catch the criminal, resulting in him still being at large.
Just when Xie Guang was unconscious, Xie's father's men found a passing witness, followed the clues and caught the murderer. They discovered that this person was the criminal who had committed a crime and escaped three years ago.
The criminal said that he had been targeting Xie Guang for a long time, but Xie Guang was always surrounded by people whenever he went out, so he could not find an opportunity to attack him.
Until yesterday.
Xie Guang was hanging out in a brothel, and the bad guys were waiting outside for him.
As soon as he came out, he was knocked unconscious and robbed.
The criminal admitted his crime and fell to the ground crying, "I was paid to do this. Please be magnanimous and spare my life for telling you the truth!"
Xie's father asked, "Whose money did you take?"
The villain replied: "It's the man who saved Master Xie."
Xie's father was furious. Could it be that Yuan Sheng had been playing tricks on him and his son?
Xie's father had the criminals sent to the government office, and said with a cold smile: "Yuan Sheng has benefited a lot from the Xie family over the years. It's time for him to return the favor."
He had no intention of sending Yuan Sheng to see the official.
Apart from the criminal's one-sided statement, there is no other evidence to prove that Yuan Sheng hired someone to kill someone.
Xie's father pondered for a long time and called the housekeeper: "You go to Dahe Town tomorrow..."
The housekeeper took the order and left, and Xie's father personally told Xie Guang the truth.
Xie Guang was furious because his leg was broken. When he learned that Yuan Sheng was not his savior but the culprit who almost harmed him, his eyes widened, his facial muscles twitched violently with anger, and his eyebrows were raised on one side and lowered on the other, making him look like a funny clown.
"So..." Xie Guang's voice was hoarse, "What Du Qingtang said is true. She is not an ungrateful person, nor does she repay kindness with enmity?"
Xie's father had no idea and only said, "Whatever the truth is, you've become the laughing stock of all the scholars in the county just for the sake of momentary pleasure. I'm very disappointed in you."
Xie Guang opened his mouth. This was the first time his father said "disappointment".
Xie's father added, "I'm letting you study because I'm thinking about your eldest brother inheriting the family business. As the second son, you'll only get 30%. If you can pass the imperial examinations and get a high-ranking official position, your life will be better... Never mind, never mind. I gave up hope years ago. You'll have to take care of yourself."
Looking at his father's departing back, Xie Guang's face turned pale and he sat on the ground like a pile of mud. His wounds were bursting with blood but he was unaware of it.
-
The big exam is on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, and after that you can go home and take a vacation.
After the literary gathering, the students of Qingyuan Academy had no time to savor the joy of discussing and reciting poems, but instead began to review and prepare for the exam.
On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, Du Qingtang finished a Chinese studies class and spent the rest of the time in the dormitory, studying classics, policy essays, poetry, calligraphy, arithmetic... He worked so hard that he was exhausted. He also did not forget to practice calligraphy, in case he failed the calligraphy test tomorrow and had to take a make-up test next year, which was a waste of time.
Fu Wen kept pace with her throughout the whole process and did not stop until 11:30 am.
By then, the ink in the inkstone had run out, and their right hands, which were holding the pens, were covered in red marks, trembling slightly, and had lost consciousness.
Fu Wen lay on the table, his cheeks stained with ink without him noticing, and he was barely breathing: "Qingtang, save me, I'm about to vomit."
Du Qingtang was also very tired, especially his shoulders, neck, and wrists, but he could still hold on: "I'll be fine after the exam tomorrow, and I can rest for half a month."
It would be nice to have a break for half a month, but Fu Wen was happy yet unhappy.
Resting means going home, and she doesn't want to go home.
Fu Wen sighed. If only she wasn't a child of the Fu family, it would be much better. "Let's go get some water and wash up."
Du Qingtang put down his hands that were massaging his shoulders and neck, picked up the wooden basin and went to the bathroom.
......
The next day, the bimonthly exam arrived as scheduled.
That morning, Du Qingtang slept until he woke up naturally, went to the cafeteria with Fu Wen to have breakfast, and then went to the classroom with his schoolbag.
Just like the previous quizzes, there was a testing room for every fifty people, and each candidate sat alone with no one on either side.
Each class has five sets of examination papers, and the instructor must ensure that the examination papers of the candidates are different from those before, after, and on the left and right.
Du Qingtang and Fu Wen were not in the same examination room. She was in Class C, and Fu Wen was in the classroom opposite Class C.
Du Qingtang found his seat, sat down, placed his pens and ink as usual, and waited for the exam to begin.
What a coincidence, Cao Xingcan is on her left.
The two looked at each other, then looked away silently.
After the confrontation on the archery field that day, Cao Xingcan always looked at Du Qingtang with deep and inquiring eyes, as if he would not stop until he found out her secret.
Du Qingtang said at that time: "......"
She just thought that Cao Xingcan was sick and could not pass the test as well as her, so she tried to get the pleasure of victory from other aspects.
Unfortunately, he was destined to be disappointed.
Du Qingtang lowered his eyes and silently recited "Mencius" to pass the time.
Soon, two examiners walked into the examination room and began distributing the test papers without saying a word.
"No cheating is allowed during the assessment. Once discovered, you will be given a serious offense. Three offenses will not work. If you commit three offenses, you will never be hired again!"
Everyone said in unison: "Yes."
When Du Qingtang got the test paper, the first thing he did was to review the questions.
This exam still has three questions, two on classics and one on examination poetry. It is a little difficult, but within a controllable range and not a big problem.
After Du Qingtang reviewed the questions, he had a general idea of how to solve them. Then, the gong sounded outside, and the exam officially began.
......
The first question on the Five Classics.
“To establish a government by employing risky men without cultivating virtue will be a disgrace to the world.”[1]
This sentence comes from "The Book of Documents". "Dangerous people" refer to treacherous and flattering people. If a monarch appoints treacherous and flattering people to govern the country and does not pay attention to moral education, then the monarch will not be able to make remarkable political achievements.
It seems very simple, and the discussion starts directly from selecting talented people.
However, in conjunction with the context of "Book of Zhou: Establishing Government", Duke Zhou also emphasized the importance of governing the country by law.
This is a trap. If you are careless and only look at the surface, it is easy to miss the deeper things.
Du Qingtang picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote the 326-word Five Classics text in one go.
The second question is about the Four Books.
“A gentleman does not seek to be full when eating, nor to be comfortable when living. He is quick in action and cautious in speech. He follows the Way and rectifies it. He can be said to be studious.”[2]
This sentence comes from "The Analects of Confucius" and emphasizes the moral cultivation of a gentleman. It is much simpler than the first question.
Du Qingtang quickly finished writing an essay on the Four Books and then looked at the third test question, a poem.
"The birds scatter and the flowers fall."
Just five short words, from Xie Tiao's "Visiting Dongtian".
To be honest, even today, Du Qingtang still has a headache when it comes to the test poems.
But it is a compulsory question type in the imperial examination and cannot be avoided, so we can only face the challenge head-on.
Du Qingtang pondered for a long time and wrote "The birds have scattered and the flowers have fallen, and the word 'flower' is written in five words and six rhymes" on the straw paper.
In this way, the three questions are completed.
Afterwards, Du Qingtang revised and polished the two scriptures to ensure that the test poem rhymed with "hua", and then copied it into the test paper in regular script.
Just like the quiz, Du Qingtang handed in the paper early after finishing it.
The examiner will seal the paper on the spot and it cannot be opened until the examination is finished.
Cao Xingcan looked at Du Qingtang's receding back and chose the latter between handing in the paper and continuing to polish it.
Never mind, Du Qingtang’s score has already been determined. Instead of competing with her on who should submit the paper first, it is better to ensure the quality of the paper and strive for first place.
......
After testing the classics, policy essays, and poetry, the next step is the Six Arts of a Gentleman.
Except for arithmetic, the other six arts of a gentleman are tested on the spot.
Du Qingtang got A grades in etiquette, calligraphy, music and archery. She deliberately let her guard down when shooting arrows, so only six out of ten arrows hit the bull's eye, and the rest were all in the seventh or eighth ring.
Arithmetic problems were her strong point, and she finished solving all ten problems in just over half an hour. After handing in the paper, she returned to the dormitory to pack her luggage and prepare to go home.
After packing up the luggage, Fu Wen also came back.
"Qingtang, do you know? Teacher Huang praised my calligraphy for improvement. It seems I made the right decision to buy the calligraphy master's copybook. Today's test was so difficult. One of my classmates in the exam room was lying on the table crying loudly, saying he couldn't write..."
While Fu Wen was muttering to himself, he quickly packed his luggage, put on his bookcase and left the dormitory.
When he reached the gate of the academy, Du Qingtang saw classmates Hu, Liu, and Wang.
Without Xie Guang, they all smiled more and were discussing what to eat at the night market in the evening.
Du Qingtang suddenly laughed.
Fu Wen asked, "Have you thought of anything interesting?"
Du Qingtang did think of some interesting things.
As a shrewd businessman, Xie's father believed that Yuan Sheng was Xie Guang's savior without any investigation.
Du Qingtang couldn't bear to see his poor old father being deceived, so he decided to be a good person and help him see the truth.
In her previous life, she had spent a lot of effort to find the person that Yuan Sheng bribed, so naturally she had to make the best use of him.
"Suddenly I remembered that Xie Guang knocked out his teeth near Du Ji."
"That's pretty funny."
Du Qingtang and Fu Wen said goodbye and went their separate ways.
Although the Xie family is a merchant family, they also have many connections. She would never allow the Xie family to lend a helping hand to Yuan Sheng when he was imprisoned.
She wanted to make Yuan Sheng go to hell alone and helpless.
......
After Yuan Sheng came out of the private school, he did not go home but went straight to the brothel.
On the fifth day after Yuan Xue murdered his father and mother, people from the gambling house came to his house and started smashing things up again.
Yuan Sheng didn't dare tell anyone that Yuan Ping was dead, so he could only hold his nose and borrow money from everywhere.
In the end, he borrowed three hundred taels from Xie Guang, plus the one hundred taels from Yuanshi for the ghost marriage and the one hundred taels Xie Guang had lent him before. After paying off his gambling debts, he had two hundred taels left, which was enough to support him all the way to Xiajing.
The house that was destroyed by the gambling thugs was still under repair and could not be moved in until after the New Year. During this period, he could only spend some money to temporarily live in a brothel.
While on the road, Yuan Sheng thought of Du Qingtang.
He didn't expect that even Xie Guang would be defeated by her.
Thinking about his current situation, notorious, homeless, and without a father and mother, Yuan Sheng felt so angry that his heart was bleeding and he cursed the crazy woman in his heart.
He wanted to take revenge on Du Qingtang, but he didn't dare to act rashly. If the crazy woman went crazy again, he couldn't afford the consequences.
The only thing he could do now was to lie low for the time being, and wait for Du Qingtang to take part in the imperial examination, and then take her life in one fell swoop!
Just as he was thinking about it, a large hand holding a palm-leaf fan suddenly grabbed his collar and dragged him into a narrow alley.
Yuan Sheng was shocked and angry, and shouted fiercely: "There are many people coming and going around here, what do you want to do? You know I..."
Just as he was about to move out of the Xie family to intimidate this person, a piece of smelly cloth blocked his mouth.
The next moment, there was a sharp pain in the calf.
Next is the thigh.
Finish with the left leg and switch to the right leg.
Then the left hand, and the right hand.
Finally, the left arm and the right arm.
The man, as strong as a bear, pressed Yuan Sheng to the ground and broke his arms and legs with a clean move.
Yuan Sheng was twitching in pain and rolling his eyes.
He wanted to shout and beg for mercy, but the cloth was blocking his mouth and he could not say anything but could only whimper miserably.
Yuan Sheng's mind was in a state of confusion, and he was about to faint. The person who had attacked him leaned close to his ear and spoke in a ghostly voice, "My master asked me to ask you, when you played that self-torture trick, did you ever think about the consequences?"
A self-torture tactic?
What is the self-torture trick?
When did he ever use the strategy of inflicting pain on himself?
Yuan Sheng thought about it with his little remaining rationality, and in a flash, he suddenly remembered that three years ago, in order to get close to the Xie family, he bribed a ruffian to rescue Xie Guang when he was in danger, and successfully became Xie Guang's savior and a guest of honor of the Xie family.
It was for this reason that he came up with the delusion of letting Yuan Xue marry into the third branch of the Xie family and become the second wife of Mr. Xie.
So... the Xie family knows the truth?
Yuan Sheng's pupils suddenly shrank and he wished he could die immediately.
The man fulfilled his wish and picked up a stone and threw it at him.
Yuan Sheng only felt a sharp pain in his forehead and then lost consciousness.
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