Chapter 161 Strange Poetry Collection
Liu Yue was overjoyed, "So you can talk!"
Zhu Chao slowly stretched out his two little hands and made a "want to be hugged" gesture to Zhu Lan.
Zhu Lan's nose suddenly felt sore and he took little Zhu Chao from Liu Yue's arms.
Liu Yue asked: "Do you know her? Is she really your sister?"
Xiao Zhu Chao still looked a little confused, but nodded slightly.
Now Liu Yue had nothing more to ask, and she repeatedly reminded Zhu Lan not to let such a small child run around again. Zhu Lan thanked Liu Yue profusely.
If it weren’t for Liu Yue, Zhu Chao would have lost his life long ago!
Zhu Lan then asked Liu Yue if she had seen other women around Zhu Chao. She remembered Du Lanfang said that she wanted Chunzhi to take Zhu Chao back to her hometown.
Now Chao'er has been found, but Chunzhi is not seen.
Liu Yue shook her head and said she hadn't seen it.
Zhu Lan felt a little regretful. After all, it was a living life. He could only go back and ask the Zhu family to pay to appease Chunzhi's family.
…
By the time all the relief supplies were distributed, it was already evening when everyone dragged their tired bodies back to the county government office.
They discovered that another carriage had stopped in front of the county government office.
After entering the inner courtyard, Ouyang Ye found Qian Zhubu and asked about the carriage at the door.
"Oh, that's Lord Song Mian, the doctor from the Ministry of Water Resources. He also arrived today." Qian Zhubu replied. He was soaked to the skin and his pants were covered in mud. It was obvious that he had just returned from the flood relief site.
"Where is Lord Song now?" Ouyang Ye asked. According to etiquette, they should go to pay a visit to him.
Qian Zhubu waved his hand and said, "Lord Song went to the dam to survey the waterway as soon as he got off the carriage. He hasn't come back yet, but he lives in the yard next to yours."
"Master Qian, may I ask if there are any books such as county chronicles in this county government office? We would like to borrow some." Zhu Lan suddenly said.
Chief Clerk Qian thought for a moment and said, "Yes, yes. Our county magistrate used to keep many of his books in that room. You can go in and look for it yourself." After that, he pointed in a direction to Zhu Lan and hurried away.
Everyone was exhausted both physically and mentally at this point. Having seen the people living after the flood, they felt even more heavy-hearted and walked towards the courtyard where they lived.
"Ajiang, Ajiang?" Duan Wenqing shouted as he entered the courtyard, but there was no sign of Ajiang.
A Jiang was about the same age as Zhu Chao, and she was originally asked to stay in the county government office and wait. How come she disappeared in half a day?
Just as everyone was about to split up to look for them, they heard A Jiang's voice from behind the wall, "Brother and sister, you are back."
She staggered over carrying a wooden basin full of washed clothes.
After asking, Duan Wenqing found out that after they left the county government office, A Jiang washed all the dirty clothes they had collected on the road by himself.
"Wow, our little A Jiang is so capable!" Qiao Youyou reached out and pinched her little face.
Zhu Lan then introduced Zhu Chao to A Jiang. The two were of similar age and could keep each other company here.
…
The disaster outside was severe, and Zhu Lan and his companions had no appetite to eat or drink, so they simply cooked some porridge for dinner and then dispersed.
Zhu Lan was thinking about the county annals. She wanted to know as much as possible about the local grassroots situation, so she came to the room that Qian Zhubu mentioned.
This looked like the study of the county magistrate Li Yishen. After lighting the oil lamp, he found that there were not many books in the room, and they were all scattered on the ground.
Zhu Lan paused, and a possibility suddenly flashed through his mind. Could it be that someone had come here to search?
What are you looking for?
Zhu Lan thought for a moment. She knew too little information and had no clue.
She bent down and picked up all the books on the ground one by one, and put them neatly aside.
She had just found the "Long'an County Chronicles" when her eyes were attracted by another book.
"Collection of Poems by Yi Shen".
This County Magistrate Li is actually a poet?
Out of curiosity, Zhu Lan opened the book and found that there was indeed a poem on each page. However, after reading only two pages, Zhu Lan's brows were already tightly furrowed.
"Eight or nine geese in front of the yard, clucking. Every day they welcome me home, singing loudly inside the door."
What is written... It's a mess, not even a limerick.
It's horrible, and looking at it any longer would be a disservice to yourself.
Zhu Lan shook his head and was about to put the book aside, but suddenly paused.
This paper...
She stretched out her fingers and touched it repeatedly, only to find that it seemed thicker than ordinary paper.
This feeling was very strange. Zhu Lan frowned and thought for a moment, then picked up the book and held it against the oil lamp on the table.
The oil lamp was behind the pages of the book, and the dark yellow light shone through the paper, making the words on the pages look messy.
Zhu Lan's heart trembled. This page of the book actually has a layer in between?
She didn't dare to open it rashly, so she sat down at the table again, moved the pages closer to the candlelight, and struggled to decipher the densely packed small characters between the layers.
What's written on it seems to be some accounts?
…
Song Mian, a doctor from the Water Department, finally completed the initial assessment of the flood disaster with a few of his men, returned to the county government office to have lunch, and called over Qian Zhubu.
He did not forget what King Qi had told him.
It is said that Li Yishen had an extremely important account book in his hand, which he secretly recorded. In addition to the tax situation of Long'an County, there were also records of bribery by Jiangzhou officials. Perhaps he wanted to use it to save his life.
However, Bi Cong acted faster and killed him directly. He then asked Daying to find the account book, but he failed.
This time Song Mian came to Long'an County. On the one hand, as a doctor of the Water Department, he should be the one to deal with matters such as the dam breach. On the other hand, His Royal Highness Prince Qi sent someone to convey a message, ordering him to search for Li Yishen's relics in his official capacity and make sure to find the account book.
"Sir Song, are you looking for me?" Qian Zhubu asked with his back bent.
"I want to ask you, did Lord Li leave any books behind when he was alive?"
Qian Zhubu thought, why are they all interested in books? He still said respectfully, "Yes, they are all in your study. A female student who came to help with the disaster relief is in there. She said she wanted to read the county annals of Long'an."
Song Mian's face changed slightly, "Who agreed to let her in?"
Seeing that Chief Clerk Qian was too frightened to speak, Song Mian knew that now was not the time to dwell on the matter.
"Go over here right now and bring all the books in Magistrate Li's study to me!"
After that, he paused and said, "No, I will go with you!"
…
The light was on in Li Yishen's study. Qian Zhubu brought Song Mian to the door, "Sir, this is it."
Just as Qian Zhubu was about to knock on the door, he was pushed aside by Song Mian, who then pushed the door open violently.
The female student inside seemed to be startled by the sudden noise. Seeing Qian Zhubu and Song Mian in official uniform, she said in surprise:
"Master Qian, who is this gentleman?"
Song Mian walked up to Zhu Lan with a sullen face, his eyes falling on the book in her hand, revealing a hint of danger.
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