Chapter 464 Biquan Village
An eye that peeked out from the crack in the door happened to meet Zhu Lan's gaze.
The look seemed both vigilant and hostile, making people feel very uncomfortable.
Zhu Lan gave a friendly smile, turned around and walked forward, politely asking if he could have a glass of water, and filled the water bags of several people.
It was not until she got closer that she could see clearly that the person standing behind the door was an old woman with gray hair and a hunched back.
Her other eye was white, and she had obviously been blind for many years.
The old woman looked Zhu Lan up and down and spoke slowly:
"…From outside the country?"
Her voice was hoarse, like a wooden board scratching across a bumpy gravel road.
Zhu Lan nodded and said that the three of them came from other places and were passing through here on their way to enter Nanzhou City.
"Oh - if you want to go into the city, you better leave quickly. This Biquan Village does not welcome outsiders."
The old woman acted extremely indifferent. After she finished speaking, she closed the door and her footsteps could be heard fading away from inside.
"This old woman is so rude!" Wu Bao said angrily.
Wu She was also very unhappy, "That's right, it's just asking for some water, is it necessary to be so stingy?"
Zhu Lan was also very puzzled by the old woman's attitude just now, so he pursed his cracked lips and said:
"It's okay. There are several families ahead. We can go ask them."
So the three of them went door to door, but strangely, when those people saw that they were outsiders, their reactions were the same as the old woman's. They just urged them to leave the village quickly and were not even willing to give them a glass of water.
After asking a lot of questions, Wu She put his hands on his waist and gritted his teeth and said:
"Damn it, this village is really weird, as if we outsiders would eat people!"
Wu Bao was about to say something, but his eyes suddenly lit up and he pointed to the distance and said:
"Look, there's a well, let's get some water for ourselves!"
Zhu Lan took out the water bag. Just as the three of them approached the well, a little kid with braids suddenly rushed out from somewhere, with his arms outstretched, blocking the well.
"You can't drink this well water!"
He raised his head as much as possible and glared at Zhu Lan and the other two men fiercely.
Wu Bao shouted, "Why can't we drink it? I just saw someone drawing water from this well!"
"You are not from this village, so you cannot drink this well water!"
The little kid didn't give in at all.
"Hey you little thing--"
Wu She was already full of anger, and when he saw this six or seven-year-old kid bullying him, he immediately stepped forward and tried to push him away.
"Wait!" Zhu Lan quickly spoke out to stop him.
But she is no longer an official, and Wu She and Xu Bao are not her subordinates. They are so angry that they will never listen to her.
The little kid fell on his butt and immediately sat on the ground and started crying loudly.
His crying soon attracted nearby villagers.
Wu She had just drawn a full bucket of water from the well and was about to take out the water bag to fill it with water when he heard increasingly louder scolding coming from nearby.
Seven or eight villagers carrying hoes and rakes came towards this side aggressively. One of the strong men picked up the baby and coaxed him. He should be the child's father.
Zhu Nan and the other two were quickly surrounded by villagers, who were very aggressive and looked like they were about to take action.
The other side had more people and more power, and Wu Bao and Wu She's momentum finally weakened a bit, but they still held on and refused to give in.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Lan hurried out to smooth things over.
She apologized to the villagers very sincerely and took out a lot of silver, which calmed the villagers' anger.
The sturdy man holding the baby frowned and warned them:
“We in Biquan Village never entertain outsiders, and you cannot drink this water.
Hurry and leave, or don’t blame us for being rude! "
Zhu Lan and the other two finally passed through Biquan Village under the eager gazes of the villagers.
Seeing that no villagers followed him, Wu She turned around, spat, and cursed:
"A dignified official was passing by and asking for a drink of water, but he was chased out by a bunch of ignorant villagers.
This is the first time I've encountered such a thing in my life!"
Wu Bao also said angrily:
"The people in this broken village are so rude and unreasonable, yet it is right on the road leading to Nanzhou. No wonder no one wants to come to Nanzhou!
You deserve to be poor!"
Zhu Lan shook her head helplessly. At that moment, she was an exiled criminal official, so it was not easy for her to say anything more to the two of them.
But the village just now was really strange. Maybe there were some customs that were unknown to outsiders.
…
The three of them endured their thirst and climbed over another hill, and finally saw the shadow of Nanzhou City.
The seat of Nanzhou City was located in Yuping County. After entering the city, the three men went straight to the county government office to handle the handover procedures for the exiled personnel with the local authorities.
Hearing that the person exiled to Nanzhou this time was the famous Chief Censor Zhu Lan, Yuping County Magistrate Kang Gaoyi even stepped forward to deal with the matter personally.
The personnel handover was handled by Wu Bao and Wu She, and Zhu Lan could only wait outside the county government office.
Not long after, Wu Bao and the other man walked out of the county government office, both with a look of relief on their faces.
Wu Bao walked up to Zhu Lan, clasped his fists and said:
"Master Zhu, we two brothers have completed our mission and are planning to return to the capital.
This Southern Province is not like the capital, you have to be more careful in everything."
Wu She smiled and said:
"Don't worry, we just met Magistrate Kang, he said he is an old acquaintance of yours and will personally arrange accommodation for you.
With him here to take care of you, you will definitely not suffer any injustice in Nanzhou."
Zhu Lan recalled the care they had given him along the way, and as they parted, he felt grateful. He bowed and said:
"Thank you two brothers for your help along the way. If we can meet again in the future, Zhu Lan will definitely repay you."
"My Lord, I am sorry for your words. Please take care of yourself. Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
After Wu Bao and Wu She left, an official in a green robe walked out of the county government office. He looked like the county magistrate.
"You are Zhu Lan, right? The county magistrate invites you to come over."
Zhu Lan followed the county town into the inner hall of the county government. There were several chairs in the room. A short and fat official was sitting there sipping a bowl of hot tea. It was the county magistrate Kang Gaoyi.
"I didn't expect that Zhu Zhongcheng, who was stirring up trouble in the imperial court, would come to a small place like Nanzhou. He really brought glory to this humble place."
Kang Gaoyi blew lightly on the tea and spoke leisurely.
Zhu Lan sensed a subtle atmosphere, looked at the other party, and asked:
"Just now Wu Yayi said... that you and I are old acquaintances, why do I have no impression of you?"
Kang Gaoyi raised his lips slightly and said in a long tone:
"You sit in the Censorate, high up there, how can you remember us little officials?
Besides, the two people from our county just now were quite respectful to you and probably received a lot of money from you.
If I don't say this, will they leave with peace of mind?"
Zhu Lan narrowed his eyes slightly and said nothing.
"You high-ranking officials think you can control the fate of others at will, but you never expected that the tide will turn and you will also suffer the consequences, right?
Zhu Zhongcheng - Oh no, I forgot, you are just an ordinary person now.
You are so bold, Zhu Lan, this is an important place of the county government, why don't you kneel when you see me?"
Kang Gaoyi fixed his resentful and excited gaze on Zhu Lan, with a look of revengeful pleasure in his expression.
Zhu Lan thought carefully about the name Kang Gaoyi in his mind and finally remembered it.
That was three years ago. The Censorate was investigating a case of buying official positions that shocked the government and the public. Among the officials implicated was Kang Gaoyi.
He prepared tens of thousands of taels of silver to send to the capital, hoping to buy the position of prefect of Nanzhou.
However, he happened to meet that high-ranking official in the capital and was investigated by Zhu Lan, and finally his property was confiscated and he was exiled.
Although Kang Gaoyi did not have time to give away the ten thousand taels of silver he had prepared, he was also implicated because of his close contacts with the high-ranking official. In the end, he could not even serve as a judge and was demoted to the magistrate of Nanzhou County, with no chance of promotion within ten years.
Seeing Kang Gaoyi succeeding like this, Zhu Lan couldn't help but smile and said:
“Sir Kang, I am not talented, but although I have lost my official position, I am a legitimate candidate for the imperial examination, and my achievements are still there.
A seventh-rank county magistrate, no one kneels before him. "
Kang Gaoyi forced a gloomy smile on his face, laughed sinisterly twice, and said:
"It doesn't matter. This county will not compete with you for this momentary pride.
Now that you have been exiled here, this county has the final say on how to accommodate you.
County Magistrate Wang, let her go to Biquan Village."
"Biquan Village!?" County Magistrate Wang's face changed when he heard it, and there was even a hint of fear in his eyes, as if he had thought of something terrible.
"Sir, this Biquan Village is..."
"Why? The people of Biquan Village have suffered a lot. But I have always been fair and just, and I treat all the exiles equally.
You can't give someone special treatment just because he's famous, right?"
He looked at Zhu Lan meaningfully.
"Are you right... the former Lord Zhongcheng?"
Zhu Lan and Kang Gaoyi looked at each other for a moment. Zhu Lan's calm look made Kang Gaoyi feel a little guilty.
No matter how powerful the other party was, that was all in the past. Now she was powerless and fell into her own hands, what was there to be afraid of!
Kang Gaoyi felt more confident as he thought so.
Zhu Lan retracted his gaze and smiled faintly:
"What Lord Kang said makes sense. I will follow Lord Kang's arrangements."
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