"Who is it?" Fei Ying suddenly entered the room with a lamp in his hand and shouted loudly, making the dark shadow in the room fall to the ground in fright.
The lights illuminated the people who entered the room. The old emperor and Ji Ruobai also stood up and looked at the people sitting with some confusion.
The person who came was not a gangster, but a very handsome young man, about eleven or twelve years old. It was probably the first time for him to do this. At this time, he was so nervous that he clenched his hands tightly and his whole body was shaking.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The old emperor stood up, walked to the table, poured himself a cup of tea, lowered his head and took a sip.
Feiying hurriedly guarded behind him, staring at the young man warily.
The young man's lips moved. He wanted to speak, but no sound came out for a long time. It was not that he was mute, but that he was too nervous and his throat was temporarily stuck.
Feiying and the secret guards in the dark were both on alert, and they would not be fooled by someone who looked like a child.
Having seen battlefields and intrigues, they know better than anyone that the people or things that make people take them lightly are often the ones who stumble the most.
"My name is Zhu Ruizhi, and I am from Zhujia Village, ten miles away from Qingfeng Inn." Zhu Ruizhi took a long time to speak. He glanced at the old emperor timidly, and quickly figured out the other person's identity.
After all, it is not common to see a man with such majesty and the power of oppression.
Even the county master he had seen before was not so majestic.
Presumably, he must be a high official.
Zhu Ruizhi thought of this, his eyes looking at the old emperor became brighter and brighter, even with a bit of expectation and anxiety.
Naturally, the old emperor did not miss the change in his expression. He glanced at Feiying, who immediately understood and withdrew his wary gaze on Zhu Ruizhi.
You have something to tell me." The old emperor asked with a smile. He poured a cup of tea and pushed it to the edge of the table in front of Zhu Ruizhi.
Zhu Ruizhi did not dare to drink tea. He knelt down with a plop: "Please save my mother, I sneaked into the house today to steal some silver.
I know I am ashamed of my ancestors by doing this, but my mother is really seriously ill. If there is no more money for treatment, I am afraid..."
When he said it, he couldn't help but burst into tears.
From his intermittent words, the old emperor and Ji Ruobai understood his situation.
Zhu Ruizhi lost his father when he was five years old, and his mother was devastated and mentally depressed. Later, she was infected with cold and could not take care of him at all.
Instead, Zhu Ruizhi became the one who supported his mother. At a young age, he did not know how to farm the few acres of land at home.
He had no choice but to resort to begging and stealing. Zhu Ruizhi was also caught, but he was too young and the government let him go several times. Moreover, Zhu Ruizhi never stole money from ordinary people. He always looked for people who looked either rich or noble. People start.
During the day, when the old emperor and Ji Ruobai were checking into the inn, he happened to see them.
There were maids and guards following him when he went out, so he must belong to a wealthy family. This was Zhu Ruizhi's first impression when he saw the old emperor and the two, so he started to think of stealing money in the middle of the night.
The old emperor was sighing after hearing this. He sighed slightly and turned to look at Ji Ruobai: "Xiaobai, how do you think it is best to deal with him?"
Zhu Ruizhi trembled when he heard this. He shifted his gaze to Ji Ruobai, who had been ignored by him, and his throat suddenly felt dry.
He never expected that the person speaking to this group of people would actually be a six-year-old child.
Ji Ruobai jumped off the couch, walked up to Zhu Ruizhi, put his hands behind his back, and said slightly, "Grandpa, in my opinion, Zhu Ruizhi deserves to be punished for stealing."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Ruizhi's fists clenched slightly and then quietly unclenched.
Ji Ruobai changed the topic: "However, considering that the original intention is to support his mother, he is also a filial son. If he does something wrong, he will have to bear it, and there will naturally be punishment."
The old emperor stroked his white beard, withdrew his admiring gaze and nodded: "What Xiaobai said is absolutely true, what kind of punishment is this?"
"Just finish reading this book." Ji Ruobai handed the copy of Sun Tzu's Art of War to Zhu Ruizhi, "You can read the words."
Zhu Ruizhi was stunned. He didn't expect the punishment to be like this. He nodded: "My father was a teacher when he was alive, and I was enlightened with him."
"A gentleman loves money and gets it in the right way."
Ji Ruobai had a long chat with him, "But my mother once said that you should never criticize others from the commanding heights without experiencing other people's situations. If I were you, I would probably steal money to support the family.
"
When Zhu Ruizhi heard this, tears fell instantly.
The most common criticism he heard along the way was that the villagers ridiculed him for bringing his father's face into disgrace. Every time he was brought back from the government by the head of a village, he would be told that he was not as good as his father.
The next day, the old emperor and Ji Ruobai went to Zhujia Village.
Zhu Ruizhi entered the village and looked at him from all directions.
"He went to steal again. Who did he offend this time? He might even lose his life."
"No, Mr. Zhu's whole life of wisdom was ruined in the hands of this kid."
Discussions poured into Zhu Ruizhi's ears. He bit his lower lip tightly and did not let go until it bled. He clenched his fists and looked at the villagers calmly: "I'm back."
The carriage Ji Ruobai and the old emperor were riding in stopped. Hearing these words, the old emperor frowned and opened the curtain.
Fei Ying and Nian Yun hurried forward to greet him.
The villagers were also attracted by the sudden arrival of the carriage, and Aunt Zhang boldly stepped forward to touch the carriage.
After all, they may never be able to ride in a carriage in their lifetime.
Fei Ying held the handle of the sword, drew it straight and said to Aunt Zhang: "Back off."
Aunt Zhang was so frightened that she swallowed nervously and took a few steps back with a flattering smile on her face: "It's an old woman. I'm more polite. I'm more polite."
The head of a village also hurriedly stepped forward and said with an apologetic smile: "I don't know who the noble person is coming from. The villagers rarely see carriages. I'm really offended just now."
"No problem." The old emperor got off the carriage, followed by Ji Ruobai.
The villagers didn't dare to blink. After all, the grandfather and grandson in front of them were so outstanding that they were either rich or noble at first glance.
I just don't know who they came to this village to find.
Ji Ruobai looked around and looked at Zhujia Village. Like all villages, Zhujia Village had dense trees and crops were planted everywhere in the fields.
It is now May and June, when watermelons are about to mature. The green watermelons in the fields make people salivate.
"Zhu Ruizhi, please wait for me and my grandfather." Ji Ruobai held the old emperor's hand and he raised his head, "Grandpa, let's go to Zhu Rui's house first and then take a look at this pastoral scenery."
The old emperor nodded in agreement, but the people around him were so surprised that their jaws almost dropped.
I never expected that this seemingly noble man would go to Zhu Rui's house.
However, Mrs. Zhang, a talkative woman, felt that this matter was not what it seemed. Zhu Ruizhi had always been sneaky. Although he did not steal from the villagers, he must have stolen from others.
Otherwise, how can a widow and a young son survive?