Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 349 Entrusting the Family Property, Wife and Children
“That’s ridiculous!”
Young Master Jiang, who was distracted by the pain, was completely awakened by the sudden shout. Then the loud bang of the gavel made him shudder, and he felt his butt hurt even more. He saw the eldest young master of the Qi family slumped on the ground like a frightened little rabbit, and couldn't help but cursed him for being useless.
But before he could decide whether to help the eldest young master of the Qi family, he heard Zhu Tingfang's cold voice.
"Everyone wants to be a filial son? Do you think that you must look for a loyal minister from a filial son's family? This is true, but it doesn't mean that those who come from a filial son's family will necessarily be loyal ministers! Jiang's son took the blame for his father, at least because his father had a decent character in the past. Why should you take the blame for your extremely evil father? Come on, kick Qi's son out and ask Dr. Zhang from the Imperial College to teach him a lesson!"
Since it was Zhang Shou who asked Young Master Jiang to come up with the idea, when Young Master Qi was carried out by two officers and thrown in front of the county government office, Zhang Shou, the instigator, naturally had no choice but to leave behind the screen and rush over. However, when he saw Young Master Qi sitting on the ground in despair, crying loudly, and smelled the pepper smell, he couldn't help but twitch his mouth.
Is it true that his emotions are so cold that he can't even cry?
If you really can't cry, then at least think about your previous painful life of being ignored by your biological father and treated harshly by your stepmother, then you should be able to cry, right? If the crowd of onlookers smell this pepper smell, how can you pretend to be a filial son? Compared with the silly but honest Jiang Da Shao, who was beaten with fourteen sticks on behalf of his father, it's really a far cry!
Zhang Shou thought so in his heart, but his face did not show it. Especially when he saw that the servants and generals of the Zhu family were very wise to isolate the onlookers from a certain range, he gently said to Master Qi: "Filial piety is a good thing, but if your parents and brothers are guilty of a capital crime, and you still refuse to admit the reality because of your so-called filial piety, then it is just foolish filial piety."
"But that's because I was muddle-headed all day, and I didn't take notice. I didn't give advice. I wasn't a good son, and I wasn't a good brother!"
Although Master Qi, who was still sobbing at this time, knew that he might not be able to fool many people by pretending to be so, his parents and brothers were all sentenced to death, so he was not so stupid as to think that he could manage the family business alone - given the situation of the Qi family, it would be strange if it was not swallowed up by others! He was already sitting on the ground, so he just fell to the ground and cried bitterly.
"As a son and an elder brother, how can I face the fact that my parents and brothers are all sentenced to death, and I am the only one who is spared? I beg the two imperial envoys to let someone else take over the Qi family business. I am willing to hide in the ancestral hall of my family, sweep the floor and repent every day to atone for the sins of my parents and brothers!"
Seeing that Young Master Qi was good at both singing and writing, Zhang Shou's attitude became more and more warm. Anyway, this was the character he had in Cangzhou, and he didn't mind letting this character become more popular. The villains were all played by Zhu Tingfang, the black-faced one, so he just had to try his best to play the role of a good person who cared about the people.
"Who do you want to take over your family business?" While saying this, Zhang Shou was thinking in his heart. He heard that Mr. Qi had several nephews, and one of them was even a scholar with good academic performance. It was said that he had a chance to pass the provincial examination next year.
Although there are other wealthy families in Cangzhou, it is not impossible to support a few more families to take over this mess, and some people may even flock to it, but the Book of the Later Han Dynasty says that it is better to use those who have done good than to use those who have done bad things. Prince Zhanghuai Li Xian, who died a violent death, once left a comment on this sentence, saying that if Qin Mu pardoned Meng Ming and used him to dominate the Western Rong. He felt that this principle also applied this time.
Therefore, today Zhu Tingfang cleaned up the most heinous criminals in these families, and he selected the remaining people from the families who were still useful. If possible, he actually hoped to pick an unrelated branch child to take charge of the Qi family, so that those seemingly innocent direct branches would not disobey the supervision in the future and cause trouble again.
However, when a family still has a legitimate son, it is a taboo to directly pick a collateral son to take over the family business. It is easy for people to think that the government is seizing someone's property.
Hearing Zhang Shou's question, the eldest son of the Qi family cried even harder. After a long while, he said word by word in a sobbing voice, "I am willing to entrust the Qi family to my dear brother Jiang!"
Zhang Shou was stunned. What kind of a development was this? The eldest son of the Qi family actually entrusted his family business to the eldest son of the Jiang family? I haven't heard that these two are good friends! With the support of Zhang Chen, the eldest son of the Qi family locked up the powerful stepmother of the eldest son of the Qi family in the ancestral hall. It was not purely out of sympathy, but because the eldest son of the Jiang family... still had a conscience.
Almost in an instant, a series of thoughts flashed through Zhang Shou's mind.
Noticing that the crowd around him were talking about it, he simply asked directly, "Oh? Why is it so? Your Qi family is also a prominent family in Cangzhou. Don't you have other children with clean backgrounds and outstanding abilities?"
When he asked this question, someone in the crowd immediately echoed: "That's right, how can we hand over our family business to outsiders?"
The eldest son of the Qi family seemed to have not expected that Zhang Shou would not agree immediately, but raised doubts. He had originally cried all over the ground, but he raised his head pitifully, his face was black and white due to dust and tears, and his eyes were red from crying.
His voice was dry and weak. "The Qi family has many children from other branches, but some are distant relatives, some have never shown any talent, and some are only good at studying. I cannot delay their imperial examinations... But the most important thing is that my dear brother Jiang is a filial son. It is because of him that I have just realized how a son should be. Moreover, he has a kind heart and will definitely take good care of my wife and children."
In an instant, there was a burst of amazement all around. Amid such exclamations, Young Master Jiang's reputation, which had been rising rapidly recently, became even more prosperous. Being able to be entrusted with one's wife and children was a high level of trust in this day and age. Who would have thought that Young Master Jiang, who was once regarded as a coward and incompetent, was actually a filial son and a kind man?
Zhang Shou looked at Master Qi with a subtle expression. Seeing that he was not joking at all, he said without turning his head, "Go to the hall and report this to General Zhu, and then call Jiang Dalang out."
When Young Master Jiang saw Young Master Qi imitate him but was chased out of the court by Zhu Tingfang, he was so frightened that he dared not even utter a word, let alone beg for mercy. Therefore, when Ah Liu hurried in and asked him to leave in a cold voice, he almost sat down on the ground, even though he could barely stand!
It was not until Zhu Tingfang spoke that he followed Ah Liu out with a guilty conscience. But when he passed the blood-stained platform after leaving the court, he felt his buttocks, which were already extremely painful, began to twitch again. Not knowing what happened outside, he whispered, "Although the eldest son of the Qi family listened to my instigation, that was also the intention of Dr. Zhang and Master Zhang..."
Ah Liu, who was leading the way, turned a deaf ear to Mr. Jiang's explanation until he stopped talking as if he didn't know where to go. Then he said calmly, "Be prepared."
Mental preparation? What mental preparation? Young Master Jiang was bewildered, and didn't even notice that Zhang Chen, who had taken off his black dog-skin uniform, had quietly followed him out. When he arrived at the gate of the county government, before he could say anything, he saw Zhang Shou suddenly turn his head to look at him, followed by Young Master Qi, and then...
Wow, there were at least hundreds of onlookers from all directions, and they all looked at him!
Having never experienced the feeling of being watched by thousands of eyes, Young Master Jiang felt his scalp tingling and his knees weak. When Zhang Shou began to relay Young Master Qi's request, he did not react at all and just stood there stupidly.
Entrust the Qi family to me? Entrust your wife and children to me as well? What does that mean?
Zhang Shou saw the silly and cute Jiang Da Shao with his mouth slightly open, his eyes dull, and a look of confusion as if he didn't understand what he heard. Then he looked at Zhang Chen behind him, who was covering his forehead and couldn't bear to look at his silly expression, so he retracted his gaze and nodded to the pleading face of the Qi family's eldest son.
"Since you trust Jiang Dalang and have entrusted him with your wife, children and family business, now that Jiang Dalang is here, you can ask him to take up the burden of your family."
How could Master Qi not see Master Jiang's surprise and bewilderment? Although the two had not known each other well before - after all, one was the eldest son of the Qi family who was suppressed by his father and stepmother's younger brother to the point of being depressed, cowardly and inactive, and the other was the eldest son of the Jiang family who was burdened with all the household chores by his powerful father and had not learned even a little bit of shrewdness - however, he knew what kind of person Master Jiang was.
His weakness was cultivated since childhood, and Young Master Jiang's naivety and stupidity were also indulged by his comfortable life. Therefore, knowing that Young Master Jiang had no preparation at all, he struggled to get up, knelt down again in front of Young Master Jiang, and then cried: "Brother Jiang, the Qi family has fallen to this point, you must help me... No, save me!"
Young Master Jiang was completely flustered at this time, and he almost instinctively reached out to pull the man down. But he had just been beaten with fourteen sticks, and his buttocks were still burning. How could he have the strength to pull up ?
So, not only did he fail, but he fell directly on Master Qi! This time, his back clothes, which had just been hit by fourteen sticks and had a little blood on them, were suddenly exposed because of his whole body falling forward.
Even though they had just heard the screams of the four Jiangs, and saw Master Jiang being carried out, barely breathing, many officials and common people still had some doubts about the so-called caning. Just now, they saw Young Master Jiang staggering out, and now they saw Young Master Qi fall instead when someone tried to help him, even screaming and unable to get up, with clear marks of the caning on his buttocks, so they no longer had any doubts.
In addition, the three members of the Qi family were severely punished and might be beheaded... This is something that has not happened in Cangzhou City for many years!
Young Master Qi didn't mind Young Master Jiang's sudden fall. He even ignored the pain from the collision and carefully helped him up. Then he pleaded with tears in his eyes: "Brother Jiang, the Qi family has fallen into this state because of the misconduct of my parents and brothers, and my incompetence and negligence, but there must be other evildoers in the Qi family!"
"I am incapable and powerless to deal with these. I guess my cousins and distant uncles and brothers are even more helpless, so I can only entrust it to you. I believe you can definitely clean up all those bastards in the Qi family! I also entrust you with the resumption of work and so on that General Zhu and Dr. Zhang mentioned before. I only hope that you can wash away the stigma of the Qi family, and I can also live up to my ancestors!"
As he spoke, he banged his head against the ground, and soon blood started to ooze out.
"If my son was not still young, and if it weren't for the fact that he and I were the only ones left in the Qi family, I would have wanted to die here to atone for my sins! Brother Jiang, please have mercy on me..."
Young Master Jiang was so upset by Young Master Qi's crying. Even though he was the one who mentioned this matter to others, he never thought that this matter would actually fall on him! He looked at Zhang Shou helplessly, but saw that Zhang Shou did not comment; he looked at Zhang Chen, but saw that Zhang Chen's face was full of disappointment; when he looked at the surrounding onlookers, he suddenly heard a loud voice.
"Promise him!"
Following this voice, the noise of booing continued, so that Young Master Jiang's face gradually turned red. Although he knew that Young Master Qi was mostly acting, he must be sincere in entrusting him with his family property, wife and children, and he believed that he was sincere too... As for the onlookers, he really didn't expect that he would get so much support one day, even if it was just to follow the crowd!
Zhang Shou had been watching quietly from the side. When he saw Young Master Jiang raised his hand and rubbed his eyes vigorously, he knew that this somewhat stupid rich young man must have made up his mind. Sure enough, the next moment, he saw him staggering to his feet, staring at Young Master Qi for a long time, and finally bowing solemnly in return.
"Since you trust me, I will definitely live up to your expectations. I will gather the most capable accountants and take a clear inventory of all the Qi family's assets. If even a penny of the property falls into my Jiang family or anywhere else, I, Jiang Siyuan, will commit suicide to apologize!"
The roar of applause instantly resounded everywhere. Even though there were some people in the crowd who were laughing at the joke, some who were just watching the fun, some who were gloating, and some who wanted to vent their anger... at this moment, this scene undoubtedly conformed to the values of most people. After the cheers gradually died down, Zhang Shou smiled and said, "It's good to have a result. I'll go and tell General Zhu right away."
Seeing Zhang Shou smilingly nod and turn away, Young Master Jiang reacted and hurriedly stumbled after him. Young Master Qi was still stunned by Young Master Jiang's swearing words, and it took him a while to realize it, feeling ashamed and guilty.
He entrusted his family business to Young Master Jiang only because he was afraid that his uncles and brothers would be more greedy and take over his business in the future! It was not because he really trusted Young Master Jiang to that extent... In the final analysis, he actually took advantage of him!
Thinking of this, he simply knelt down and said loudly: "Brother Jiang, you don't have to worry about the increase or decrease of the family property. I trust you! I would like to thank you for your kindness. I will repay you in the next life!"
