Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 770: Justice lies in the hearts of people?
Realizing that Zhang Shou was the now famous Donggong lecturer Zhang Xueshi, Jin Wenquan who wrote "Zhongyi Zali" and Guo Sheng who wrote "Sui Shi Zhi Zhi", I felt mixed emotions. After all, my grandson was only a little younger than Zhang Shou, but he was not only an official, but also the teacher of the Donggong prince, but they were still running around in the imperial examinations, trying to pass the imperial examinations.
The only thing they could comfort themselves with was that Zhang Shou was not a scholar who had fought hard in the imperial examinations, but was appointed by the emperor out of preference, which was not in line with the rules. However, a boy younger than Zhang Shou appeared in front of them, and told them in a particularly sincere and earnest tone that he was also a juren!
This simply made them feel that they had passed the imperial examination in their thirties, and then failed in six or seven imperial examinations, but were unwilling to use their status as a juren to seek official positions. At their age, they were simply living a dog's life...
Therefore, facing Liang Chu's earnest request, both of them felt that they really couldn't say something. When Zhu Er saw Zhang Shou looking at him, he immediately rushed to introduce: "Brother-in-law, they are the authors of "Zhongyi Zali" and "Sui Shi Zhi Zhi". Although these two agricultural books are not long, I have asked people to read them to the masters who are good at planting in Zanghai Lower Court."
"They all said that a lot of things in the book are really useful, especially some methods of increasing production, which are worth trying. Moreover, those planting tips are obviously something that people without practical experience cannot write about."
After hearing what Zhu Er said, Zhang Shou didn't even look at the three unlucky candidates. He smiled and said to Jin Wanquan and Guo Sheng, "My second uncle has always been fond of farming. When he went to Cangzhou before, he visited the people and searched for those high-yield cotton seeds. For this purpose, he stayed in people's houses and talked with many experienced farmers. So I think he came to visit you two for this reason."
After helping Zhu Er establish his character, he saw Liang Chu, who was embarrassed because he didn't get an answer, so he continued with a smile: "Brother Liang was invited to visit my master, Grand Tutor Ge, together with his master Baisha. When he heard that something was going on here, he volunteered to come out with me. Even my master was furious when he heard about this, saying that the newly-appointed candidates looked down on their seniors. What kind of culture is this!"
Ge Yong actually knew about this? When the three scholars from Yingtian Prefecture heard that what happened here was a bad news that spread far and wide, they really panicked. One person was angry that he might be beaten for nothing, but the other two realized that they would be tied up together, and they were already regretting it, so they were not happy.
If the rumor spreads not only by the people of Suzhou, but also by the old Grand Tutor who is regarded as the most respected person in the capital, then wouldn't their chances of taking the imperial examination next year be in vain?
The worst result is that not only will their chances of passing the exam next year fail, but their names will be remembered by those with ulterior motives, and they will all fail in every future exam! They are not willing to have their bright future ruined when they can pass the exam before the age of 30!
So, the two young scholars who originally thought that they were just accompanying their companions made a prompt decision and both stepped forward to apologize to Jin Wanquan and Guo Sheng. One said that he didn't know the truth and helped the wrong person just because of his companions' gossip, and asked for forgiveness for the offense; the other said that he had no intention of disrespecting his seniors and had not had time to speak since he came in just now...
Anyway, the two were so sincere and humble that Jin Wanquan and Guo Sheng, who had no time to answer Liang Chu and Zhang Shou, looked at each other and finally spoke this time. After all, they had already put their attitude at the lowest point, and they didn't want to be involved in such irrelevant people.
"You two don't have to be like this. Just now... it was just a misunderstanding." Guo Sheng, who was two years older, spoke up and set the tone. Seeing Zhu Er curled his lips but didn't object, and the others around him didn't make a fuss, his next words were much smoother. "After all, you two also came here with your friends, so it's inevitable that you think he's right."
However, he was not so tolerant of the guy who had just come over to shout. After a self-deprecating smile, he sighed and said, "Old Jin and I have known each other for many years and have similar interests, so we often go out to the countryside together. A few years ago, when we went to a village near Yingtian in spring, we saw a young man taking a singing girl to appreciate flowers and trampling on the farmers' crops but refused to compensate."
When the man said this, the onlookers who were just purely partial to the party immediately exploded. In the spring, when farmers were sowing and raising seedlings, this guy who was beaten for his dirty mouth and insulted others just now, actually brought the singing girl with him, trampled on the seedlings and refused to pay? This is simply too despicable!
Seeing the heated reactions of the crowd, Guo Sheng said calmly, "We were so angry at the time that we couldn't help but reprimand him, but the young man refused to accept it, so we couldn't help but act like seniors and said some harsh words. We didn't expect that he would remember us and hate us like this."
"You... you are talking nonsense!" The young scholar who had covered half of his face and clamored to go to Shuntian Prefecture to file a complaint was immediately shocked and angry, especially when he saw his two companions looking at him with contempt. He realized that he was now isolated and helpless, and he became even more anxious, "What evidence do you have? Don't slander me!"
"The farmer at that time once said that he would recognize you even if you turned into ashes. Moreover, if one of what Brother Guo said is false, we two will never have a chance to take the imperial examination in the future. Do you dare to swear such a poisonous oath?" Jin Wanquan couldn't help but interrupt. Seeing that the other party's face immediately turned red, he sneered, "Swear on your own future in the imperial examination. How about it? Do you dare?"
"What... don't you dare!"
Zhang Shou only saw that the stubborn young man trembled for a long time after blurting out such a sentence, but he couldn't utter the oath no matter what. It seems that most scholars these days inevitably believe in heaven, earth, ghosts and gods, and it is impossible for them to swear like a toothache curse like those idle people in the market.
Seeing the guy's eyes flickering, he said slowly, "In this case, it seems that who is right and who is wrong is obvious. Although I am not from Suzhou Guild Hall, I want to speak for you. If you don't want to apologize or swear, then don't you feel embarrassed to stay here any longer?"
As soon as he said this, Zhu Er immediately chased after him and shouted, "That's right, if you don't want to admit it and apologize, then get out of here!"
"You have polluted our Suzhou Guild Hall for no reason! You are such a disgrace to our society. You did something wrong and now you are trying to put the blame on others. If it weren't for the second young master Zhu's righteousness, you would have succeeded!" The person who said this was a Suzhou businessman. While speaking, he deliberately nodded slightly to Zhu Er, and it was obvious that he was trying to curry favor with the second young master of the Duke of Zhao's mansion.
"What a sin! Trampling the young crops will bring punishment from heaven! In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, even Cao Cao cut off his hair in exchange for letting his troops trample the young crops, right?" The one who said this was an old man. While shaking his head and sighing, he said to Hua Huizhu in a serious tone, "In the future, the Suzhou Guild Hall must also keep a close watch on the gates and not let people like this in!"
"He claims to be a juren, but I think he is even worse than that white-faced treacherous minister!" This was the busybody who continued to insult the old man by following his words.
Amidst all the noise, the two candidates who had "turned back" at the critical moment saw their young and energetic companion's face turn pale and blue, and finally he covered his face and ran away. Although he left, they knew in their hearts that as long as the matter spread, even if Zhu Er, the second son of the Duke of Zhao, had to bear some responsibility for the assault, his companion would be finished.
No wonder people were vague about it before, only saying that before he passed the imperial examination, he was spit on and insulted by two pedantic old scholars. So now that he has passed the imperial examination, he wants to get back at them before the joint-court examination. It turns out that he was in the wrong in the first place!
As for why he didn't come back to fight for this place , the reason was very simple - even if he was the first place winner, who could guarantee that he would pass the exam in one subject? How many first place winners had failed the imperial examination once or even several times? This was not the Tang Dynasty, as long as he was the first place winner of the Jingzhao Prefecture in Chang'an, he would definitely pass the imperial examination. Now was not the time when he could use his connections to get a job!
Therefore, although they did not immediately add insult to injury when they watched their former companion stagger away, they could not help but apologize sincerely again. Only after Jin Wanquan and Guo Sheng expressed their understanding again did they quickly take their leave.
Otherwise, if they stay here, are they going to denounce their former companions like others do?
As they left, Zhu Er felt his back straightened. He was naturally convinced by Zhang Shou, and now he was particularly fond of Liang Chu, who was brought by Zhang Shou. In the past, he hated the so-called talented people who had passed the imperial examinations at a young age, especially when this young boy was a juren.
Since Ke Ren had spoken fairly, he enthusiastically introduced Jin Wanquan and Guo Sheng, whom he had only met for the first time and was not familiar with at all, to Zhang Shou, and also introduced them to the young scholar.
The two old scholars who had not yet fully understood the situation had no chance to refuse the familiar second son of the Duke of Zhao's mansion, and could only meet Zhang Shou and Liang Chu one by one. They were soon stunned by Zhang Shou's next few words.
"Since the teacher knows about this, I think he is also concerned about what happened. If you two are willing, can you accompany Brother Zhu to the Ge Mansion? After all, Brother Zhu is actually a disciple of the teacher. If I go back to speak for him, the teacher may not believe it. If the two parties go together, it will be different."
At this point, without waiting for Jin Wanquan and Guo Sheng to say anything, Zhang Shou looked at Hua Huishou with a smile and said, "Now that things have come to this, why don't you go with me? However, the Hua family and I have some friendship, so in order to avoid being seen as partial, is there anyone willing to testify?"
When they heard that they were going to the home of the most important person in the dynasty, Grand Tutor Ge, to testify for Zhu Er, the 20 or 30 people who were just watching the excitement suddenly became excited. For a moment, they were really scrambling to get in. If it weren't for the leader Hua personally stepping forward to maintain order, a fight would have almost broken out.
Jin Wanquan and Guo Sheng, the two old scholars, had experienced a lot in the world. Even though they knew that seeking justice for themselves was false and that clearing Zhu Er's bad name was the real deal - of course, those who wanted to go with them probably all wanted to show off in front of Grand Tutor Ge. They also had to admit in their hearts that Zhang Shou was not as easy to mess with as his elegant appearance suggested.
It was clearly a serious incident, but now it was completely one-sided. Maybe, by the time they went to see Ge Yong, the news would spread all over the city in less than a day.
Liang Chu, who had not received a positive response just now, also kept chiming in: "Yes, yes, my master Mr. Baisha must be waiting at the Ge Mansion. He is also very concerned about the situation here. How about the two of you go together?"
This is a lie with open eyes. In fact, the young man was afraid of being blamed when he returned. However, the two old scholars had also heard of the reputation of the proud descendants of the Chongren School, among whom Chen Baisha from Guangdong was the best. Since the people were also in Ge's house, the two looked at each other and finally agreed. In just a short while, Hua Huishou had already selected five so-called "witnesses".
Although there were obviously too many people, Hua Huizhu had already tried his best to reduce the number of people, otherwise everyone present would have wanted to follow. Facing such a large number of people, Suzhou Guild Hall naturally sent a few extra carriages by Hua Huizhu. This time, Zhang Shou gave his carriage to Liang Chu, Jin Wanquan and Guo Sheng, and he and Zhu Er took a carriage.
When the carriage started moving, he asked with a fake smile: "Brother Zhu, is it really such a coincidence today?"
Zhu Er was full of nonsense in front of others, but he knew he couldn't fool Zhang Shou. He laughed dryly and explained in a low voice: "Sixth brother came to me personally and said that he and Yingying had agreed to do something to help you get out of this situation. But how can I help you for no reason? Isn't it a coincidence that Zhu Yi just found those two..."
He paused as he spoke, and then his voice became even softer: "They went to visit friends at the Suzhou Guild Hall but found nothing. I hurried over there. I originally planned to hire two idlers to cause some trouble when I met them, and then I would swoop in to help them. But I never thought that they were ready, and three people actually showed up just now!"
Zhang Shou was immediately filled with suspicion. It was normal for Ah Liu to go to Zhu Er for help because of Zhu Ying's order, because before Ah Liu sent him to the Ge Mansion's study, he told him that Zhu Ying had something for him to pass on, so he had to leave for a while... However, before Zhu Er's arrangement was put into use, he encountered the real cannon fodder, which was a bit too coincidental.
He put this question aside for the time being and inquired about what had happened to Zhu Er in detail, including the alleged beating and the entire conflict. He learned that it was Ah Liu who had taken Zhu Yi to the Ge Residence to report the conflict. He could not help but laugh and cry. He immediately pulled open the curtains and looked around, only to find that Zhu Yi was following him outside, but Ah Liu was nowhere to be seen.
He had no choice but to let down the curtains, and then said to Zhu Er in a bad mood: "Don't be so pretentious when you get to Ge's house. There may still be a few old masters left there. Even if everyone else has left, Liang Chu Liang Shuhou's teacher Chen Baisha must be there. That's what the teacher said himself, he is the proud disciple of the Confucian master, don't talk nonsense."
"Don't worry, brother-in-law. If you sincerely admit your mistakes, you will be treated leniently. If you are unruly, you will be beaten to a pulp. I have long understood this principle." Zhu Er's awareness, which had only come after being tempered by his father and brother, was fully revealed at this moment. "Besides, I have finally found these two people. I am counting on them to compile the Complete Book of Agricultural Policy together. Of course, I have to behave well in front of them."
Zhang Shou helplessly put his hand on his forehead. You have already beaten someone for justice, do you think this counts as performance?
