Chapter 88 People from the Capital (3)
Meng Wenli quickly accepted the result and then brought up the matter of Meng Guanqi being bullied: "I set off from the capital after the Lantern Festival and arrived in Lin'an Prefecture on the 25th. I visited Prefect Song as a member of the Meng family. He promised me that he would no longer interfere in Lu Zhang's affairs."
Magistrate Meng was taken aback: "He gave up on Lu Zhang?"
Meng Wenli smiled and said, "He has no choice but to give up. He's just a minor prefect; he can't shake our big tree."
Magistrate Meng said, "What does Lu Zhang have to say now? My brother has only arrived in Biyang County at this time; this man must be quite difficult to deal with."
Meng Wenli said, "It was just a desperate struggle. Originally, Prefect Song gave him a letter, asking him to resign and return to his hometown to farm with Lu Weifu. He couldn't bear to give up the wealth and status of officialdom, so he tore up Prefect Song's good intentions. I spent some time collecting evidence, and I happened to meet a woman from Biyang County who came to the Lu residence looking for someone..."
Magistrate Meng's eyes flickered: "The woman who came from Biyang County to the Lu residence looking for someone? Who is she looking for?"
Meng Wenli said, "According to the woman, her son, Baohe, had been taken away from his former employer, the Zheng family, by Lu Weifu last July and had not been seen since. This woman had been to the Lu residence many times, but was driven away each time... until a gardener, unable to bear seeing her heartbroken, quietly told her that Baohe had been beaten to death a few days after returning with Lu Weifu last year, and his body had been thrown into a mass grave..."
Magistrate Meng had long guessed Baohe's fate, but he didn't expect the Lu family to leave such a big problem unresolved, allowing Meng Wenli, who had just come from the capital, to find an opening: "Since Baohe's mother has already come to our door, why doesn't the Lu family give her some money to send her away, instead of letting her cry and make a scene in front of the mansion?"
Meng Wenli said, "I initially thought the Lu family was reluctant to pay compensation because they were worried about the money, but when I asked, I found out that this woman didn't want any money at all. She just wanted justice for her son, so no matter how the Lu family threatened or bribed her, she remained unmoved. So I helped her out. She has already reported the case to the authorities, accusing Lu Weifu of murdering innocent people. Prefect Song chose to cover it up and not interfere in the matter. Right now, the entire Lu family is in complete chaos."
If a young master like Lu Weifu, who has some official background and considerable wealth, were to kill a servant and be reported to the yamen, he would at most be fined a few taels of silver. This is because servants who have sold themselves into slavery are the property of their masters, and it is the master's right to decide how to deal with them.
But he, who was always successful and never cared about the lives of his servants, ran into a brick wall with Baohe. Baohe was just a hired helper for the Zheng family and was still a commoner in terms of household registration. In addition, his mother, who was determined to seek justice for her son, became the last knife that stabbed him.
Anyone who kills civilians without cause and cannot obtain the forgiveness of the victim's family can be sentenced to death.
Even if the Lu family managed to pull some strings, losing his scholar title and being exiled to a labor camp a thousand miles away was inevitable.
Meng Wenli set off from the capital on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month and arrived in Lin'an Prefecture on the twenty-fifth. Now it is the eighth day of the second lunar month. He only spent half a month sending Lu Weifu to prison, and it is estimated that he will never be able to return to Lin'an in his lifetime.
This is the power of aristocratic families.
Meng Wenli said, "If Lu Zhang had accepted Prefect Song's suggestion and resigned immediately to take his family back to his hometown to farm, none of this would have happened. A thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole. He probably never thought that the death of a lowly commoner would be the key to the downfall of his entire family. This is also the retribution for his years of pampered life, forgetting his roots, and not respecting the people or human life."
Magistrate Meng was very grateful: "If it weren't for my cousin's help, Qi'er would have had to swallow this bitter pill in silence. He has always been filial and would never have dared to mention it in front of us. In the long run, it might have become a mental obsession. Now that this tumor has been removed, it can be considered that a difficult thing for him to say has been put to rest."
Because they were brothers, Magistrate Meng arranged for Meng Wenli to stay in the east wing of the inner courtyard, where Meng Guanqi had originally lived. That evening, the two brothers drank and chatted happily, with Steward Zhao accompanying them. The servants who had come from the capital all knew Meng Wenli, and seeing him in a foreign land was like seeing a family member. They were all very happy. Meng Wenli and Magistrate Meng drank until they were completely drunk.
When Li Xiaoxiao met her relatives from Beijing for the first time, she looked them over curiously several times. Her impression of Meng Wenli was that he was rich, very rich!
Meng Wenli wore several large gold rings inlaid with rubies and jade on her hands. It was estimated that one of them could buy a courtyard as big as theirs. Moreover, she was very generous and gave red envelopes to all the servants in the house. She took one and opened it to find ten taels of silver!
Li Xiaoxiao touched the gleaming silver and sighed. She was really rich lately, and she couldn't even spend all of it.
Meng Wenli stayed in Biyang County for three days. Seeing that Magistrate Meng was really busy and the place was too poor and there was nothing fun to do, he said on the fourth day that he wanted to leave: "I have been away for a while. Now that things are settled, it is time to go back."
Magistrate Meng asked Liu to prepare local specialties from Biyang County for Meng Wenli to take back to the capital as gifts. Liu was troubled. The pastries and cakes were not as good as those from famous shops in the capital. The plum wine was good, but she was afraid that it would be damaged on the way and that it would be too heavy to transport. So she asked everyone for advice on what to send.
Li Xiaoxiao had already finished turning the soil, and the seeds were soaking in the water waiting to sprout, so she had stayed home these past few days, which was quite rare. When she heard Liu's predicament, her eyes lit up: "Send some hairpins, huh? Where else can you find hairpins as pretty as the ones from our Biyang County?"
Liu and Granny Qi exchanged a glance and said with delight, “Yes, yes, I didn’t think of that. The hair ornaments in our Biyang County are especially beautiful. Granny Qi, go out and buy fifty of them and have my cousin take them back to share with my sister-in-law and nieces.”
A single hairpin costs only thirty or forty coins, and even fifty hairpins would only cost a little over one tael of silver, but they are quite bulky! Five hairpins in a box can hold ten, which seems like quite a lot.
In the end, Liu bought some plum wine and some long-lasting pastries, and asked Meng Wenli to take them back with her hair ornaments.
Before getting into the carriage, Meng Wenli slipped a purse into Magistrate Meng's hand: "This is the deed to a two-courtyard house in the east of the capital, along with two thousand taels of silver. Don't refuse. Although you don't live in the capital anymore, you might be transferred back someday. And what about Qi-ge'er? He'll have to go to the capital for the imperial examination, right? Do we, as family, have to rent a place to live outside when we go back?"
Magistrate Meng's heart sank: "He has no merit and cannot accept such a generous gift."
Meng Wenli patted him on the shoulder: "We're brothers, so let's not stand on ceremony. You know my family doesn't lack these things. Besides, you can't be without a place to stay in the capital. What if the royal family sends more rewards over, and you have them carried back to the palace? That wouldn't just be a loss of face for you, it would be a loss of face for the entire Meng family."
Magistrate Meng could no longer bring himself to refuse.
Meng Wenli said, "After we return to the capital, I will let Mao Neng's family move in and help you manage the house, so that when you go back, it won't be overgrown with weeds and you won't have nowhere to stay."
Magistrate Meng had no choice but to accept.
In the capital, the east is rich and the west is noble, while the south is poor and the north is lowly. Master Meng came from a business background, so houses in the west of the city were hard to buy, but houses in the east were plentiful.
Although he knew that Third Master Meng had given him the house because of the imperial family, he was still very grateful for their help at this time.
Meng Wenli was right. His family's roots were still in the capital, and it would indeed be inappropriate for them not to have a house.
It was getting late, so Magistrate Meng escorted Meng Wenli to the city gate, and the two parted ways.
The coachman was Meng Wenli's confidant. He had followed Meng Wenli all over the country doing business and had seen all kinds of things. After leaving the city gate, he couldn't help but say to Meng Wenli, "Fourth Master's family lives too poorly. Our servants live in better houses than his."
Meng Wenli said, "Don't look down on people because they are poor. I think the fourth brother is a man of action. Being a local official is not necessarily worse than staying in the capital. At least he doesn't have to live in fear anymore. Look at him now, he is healthy and energetic. Have you ever seen this kind of spirit in the capital?"
The coachman said, "That's true. The Fourth Master used to be weak and timid, and didn't look very energetic. Now he seems much more shrewd and capable."
The two chatted all the way and arrived at the outskirts of Lin'an City at dusk. Just as they were about to enter the city, the coachman was pushed aside by the guards: "Make way, a caravan is coming out. You can go in after they come out."
The driver moved the rickshaw aside and saw that there were still many people lined up in front of him. He was in a hurry to relieve himself and said, "Sir, I need to use the restroom. Please wait here for a moment."
Meng Wenli was tired after traveling all day and was resting with his eyes closed. Hearing this, he simply hummed in response and then paid no more attention.
No sooner had the coachman left than a procession of carriages bearing royal banners emerged from the city gate and headed toward Biyang County amidst the attention of the crowd.
When the driver returned after relieving himself, he saw the tail of the caravan. It looked familiar, and just as he was about to take a closer look, the people in line behind him urged him, "Are you going to move or not? The city gates are about to close."
The coachman didn't have time to take a closer look, so he immediately got into the carriage and drove into the city, forgetting all about the caravan he hadn't had a chance to see clearly.
The caravan carrying the royal flag rested for a night at a post station along the way, and the next morning it set off in a grand procession towards Biyang County.
Madam Liu had just seen off Magistrate Meng, who was planning to stay in the countryside for four or five days, and was about to go back to her room to rest when Steward Zhao excitedly requested an audience: "Madam! Someone from the palace has arrived to deliver an imperial decree to His Excellency! I will go and fetch His Excellency right now. Madam, please go to the front courtyard to receive the distinguished guests from the palace."
Liu felt a sudden darkness before her eyes and almost fainted: "Who did you say came? An imperial edict from the palace?"
Steward Zhao said urgently, "It's true. General Pang is the one leading the way to deliver the imperial decree. Granny Qi, quickly prepare the incense table for receiving the decree. Madam, go to the front courtyard to greet General Pang and the eunuchs and guards from the palace—"
Liu grabbed Zhao, the steward, and said, "Steward Zhao, you can't leave! If you leave, there won't be any men in the house. How can I, a woman, entertain a group of men?"
Steward Zhao paused for a moment, then immediately realized, "That's right, the master has left with Zhao Jian, along with a group of yamen runners. If I go to find the master, it's not convenient for my wife, a woman, to entertain people from the capital."
Madam Liu and Granny Qi were extremely anxious, only then regretting not hiring more servants. With Meng Xian gone, only Steward Zhao was left in the house; there wasn't even a messenger boy!
She suddenly had a bright idea: "The yamen runners have all gone out with my husband, but the warehouse clerk must still be here. Liuzhi, go to the yamen right away and find the warehouse clerk. Tell him to intercept the master and bring him back."
Willow Branch hurriedly agreed and ran out the door.
The leader from the palace was Pang Shi. Upon seeing Lady Liu, he smiled and bowed, saying, "Madam, this humble general has come to bother you again."
Liu smiled apologetically: "General, you've worked hard. Our master just went to the countryside this morning and has already sent people to look for it. It may take a little while."
Pang Shi said, "It's alright. Your Excellency is diligent in governing and loves the people. Your concern for agriculture is of utmost importance. It's just that we've come at an inopportune time."
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