Following the path up Jinping Mountain, there is a treasure place with a negative yin facing the water and excellent Feng Shui. This is where the ancestral tomb of the Cui family is located.
There are several thatched huts built in front of the tomb mountain gate. Through the small forest behind the huts, you can see the villages and houses arranged in rows at the foot of the mountain, all of which belong to the Cui family.
An old man wearing a white linen robe is sitting on a rock with his eyes closed and meditating. He is the elder of the Cui family, Cui Chu.
Cui Dong finally came over, a little out of breath, and stepped forward to salute: "Uncle."
He looked down the mountain and realized that he could see the elegant bamboo grove where they gathered. It would be even clearer if he had a telescope.
Thinking like this, Cui Dong turned his eyes and glanced at the old servant serving Cui Can. He actually saw a long box on the plate next to him.
"The ancestors have created a good fortune, and the descendants will receive all the blessings and misfortunes. You are born in the Cui family and enjoy the protection of your ancestors. However, if your ancestors' virtues are not cultivated, the remaining shadow will be gone."
"Yes." Cui Dong said, "I sincerely respect your uncle's teachings."
After talking about Zude, he also talked about Cui Jing using his friends to cover up his mistakes.
After hearing this, Cui Xu slowly said: "I am deaf, so I didn't hear clearly who you were talking about just now?"
"Jiji is a child's friend."
"You just wrote a poem for Yuan Xiaoshu, right?"
"Yes." Cui Dong responded.
Cui Can asked: "Then do you know why the Cui family invited Yuan Xiaoshu to come?"
Cui Dong said: "I don't know."
"It's just to identify your friend's good fortune." Cui Can looked at his old servant and said: "Show him the result of identifying Yuan Xiaoshu."
"Here." The old servant took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and unfolded it in front of Cui Dong.
Cui Dong looked around and saw the word "Du Wu" written on it.
He couldn't help but asked: "What does this mean?"
Cui Can said: "You know Huangfu Ran, haven't you heard of the Five Sons of Chunwei?"
"My uncle is saying that he is actually the emperor's best friend... Du Wulang?"
"With your intelligence, can't you really see that?"
Cui Dong smiled bitterly and said: "I only care about like-minded friends when I make friends. I have never guessed his identity. If I really find out, I'm afraid he won't be friends with me."
"Let me ask you." Cui Can raised her hand, pointed to the Luoshui River in the distance, and said, "Is that Cui's field?"
"no."
"Seventy years ago, the ancestors of the Cui family were persecuted by Lai Junchen. They sold half of their land and made accommodations. After Wu came to Jinping Mountain, he inscribed the words 'Jinping Wonders'. My grandfather said that the same thing happened when Lai Junchen came here for the first time.
Sitting in that elegant house, keeping calm." Cui Can said slowly: "Can you understand what the old man said?"
"Uncle, are you worried that I will lead a wolf into the house?" Cui Dong said, "But Du Wulang is definitely not as cruel as Lai Junchen."
Cui Can sighed and said: "The problem is not Lai Junchen or Du Qi, but the emperor standing in the Mingtang. He has the same intention as Empress Wu back then."
Cui Dong said: "Then what should I do?"
"The Cui family is not greedy for power, nor does it imitate others to cling to the powerful. Let's send this giant Buddha away." Cui Can said, "Remember, you can give him whatever you can afford, so that you can live up to your friendship."
Cui Dong understood what he meant. Whatever Cui Dong could not afford, the Cui family could not give to Du Wulang.
"Uncle, what about Cui Jing?"
Cui Wei said to the old servant: "You go with Thirty-nine Lang to investigate. Don't let one or two scum appear in the clan."
"Here."
Cui Can sat there alone. After a while, a servant came over and said, "Alang, the county chief is here."
~~
Du Wulang sat in the elegant house a little lost, thinking about things in a mess.
Before, Daying Xixi thanked him for his "unfailing kindness", which made him feel like a sage. However, the same thing happened, but he did not change Chunlan's fate.
To put it bluntly, someone's fate has nothing to do with him. He is nothing. With or without him, Cui Jing would always be in trouble with his maids and abandon them all the time.
After thinking about it, Du Wulang looked up and found a figure outside peeking at him.
He then chased after him and called out to the other party.
"Yanfang? It's really you. Come with me."
Du Wulang walked a few steps quickly and took the inkstone to the bamboo forest, where he decided to persuade him again.
Xue Bai is right. To change this world, we must start with the abolition of slavery. You can first set up a model to try.
Yanfang was a little afraid of Du Wulang, lowered his head, and carefully pulled back his sleeves.
"Yoshiro-kun."
"Let me ask you, are you really not referring to it anymore?" Du Wulang said, "What do you think? Why did you suddenly change your mind?"
Yanfang hesitated and whispered: "I want to tell Mr. Ji Lang that Chunlan was not killed by you. But if I tell him, can Mr. Lang keep it a secret for me?"
"Don't worry, I won't say you told me."
Yanfang hesitated for a moment and said: "Chunlan was pushed into the river, and someone else did it."
"who?"
"It was the third manager who pushed it."
Du Wulang was stunned for a moment and asked, "Why did the third steward push her into the river?"
"I... don't know." Yanfang said, "Jirou-kun asked Sanjuro to arrest the third manager and you will know after questioning."
After that, he bowed, turned around and ran away.
Du Wulang wanted to talk about the exam, but he had already ran away.
After waiting for a long time, Cui Dong finally saw the elder coming over. Du Wulang couldn't wait to tell him that it was the third steward who killed the maid. Cui Dong immediately asked the third steward to be taken in for interrogation.
After a lot of twists and turns, the third manager saw that the matter was exposed and finally admitted it.
"Yes, the villain confessed. It was the villain who pushed Chunlan into the river and drowned."
"Why are you doing this?"
The third steward raised his eyes slightly and glanced in the direction of Cui Jing. He did not dare to give the real reason, but said: "The villain wants Chunlan to be my little one. That little bitch has a big heart. No.
Ken, the villain had a grudge and drowned him."
Cui Dong was so angry that he personally stepped forward and kicked the steward over, and ordered: "Send him to the official."
The servants rushed forward, tied up the third steward and took him away.
Yanfang stood behind with his head lowered and watched this scene. Seeing that Cui Jing was still standing there, he felt a little regretful, for fear that Lord Jilang would call him out.
However, Du Wulang thought of something, followed up with the third steward, and said, "Wait a minute, let me ask you something."
"Please speak, Mr. Yoshiro." Although the third steward was tied up, he still nodded and bowed.
"I'm asking you, what did you say to Yanfang when you were at the county office, and he suddenly changed his mind."
"The villain didn't say anything." The third steward responded simply.
Du Wulang couldn't help but be disappointed, and then heard another strange sentence.
"Since ancient times, there has never been anyone who is a low-ranking official in the imperial examination. Why would Mr. Jilang do such nonsense? If you want him, just talk to the villain, and the villain will do it."
"What's the meaning?"
Du Wulang was stunned when he saw the three stewards giving him flattering looks. The lewdness in their eyes made him quite uncomfortable.
When the other party was taken away, Du Wulang didn't even realize what it meant.
It wasn't until he looked at Yanfang again and found Yanfang avoiding his eyes with fear that he suddenly thought of a possibility.
"No way? He doesn't think I am..."
~~
Feeling that Mr. Yoshiro was looking at him again, Yanfang quickly lowered his head to avoid it.
He didn't even know what to do.
Before going to the county office, he originally thought that he would be able to get ahead by following Yoshiro-kun, but what he encountered at the county office suddenly woke him up.
In this world where family background is the most important, how can a lowly person take the imperial examination? Who is Yoshiro-kun, how can he possibly accomplish this? Moreover, the questions asked by Yoshiro-kun are not at all like the imperial examination questions in previous years.
Then, why did Yoshiro-kun help him?
It was the third manager who gave Yan Fang the answer.
——"I know you're itching and can't wait to follow Yoshiro-kun."
When Yanfang heard this, he turned around and saw Mr. Jilang hugging Cui Dong. He immediately understood that these two people had a habit of cutting off their sleeves, so Cui Dong gave him to him.
Yoshiro-kun.
He had encountered this matter once or twice. Cui Jing's friends often made similar jokes.
"Hahaha, the Cui family did not match Forty-Three Lang with a maid, but they paired him with this handsome scholar. It seems that the elders underestimated Forty-Three Lang."
This is the reality Yanfang has faced in his life.
He believed that others would help him take the imperial examination, but he was too naive to almost believe it.
When his dreams were shattered, he finally accepted his fate.
He admitted that he had too much ambition and too little talent, and he admitted that being a book boy for Cui Jing was a great blessing for him. At least Cui Jing didn't have a habit of cutting off his sleeves, and being a book boy was a decent job for lowly servants like them.
If it weren't for Chunlan's death, Yanfang would have planned to be Cui Jing's book boy for the rest of his life.
But he was still a little unwilling, he wanted to compete with fate.
Chuntao had told him in private that Chunlan was pushed into the river by the third steward. But he knew that Cui Jing ordered the third steward to do this.
Yanfang thought about it for a long time, and finally came up with a plan today, planning to use the hands of Cui Dong and Lord Jilang to get rid of the third manager. He then turned to Cui Dong, who had more prospects, to look for opportunities to make up for the shortcomings of the manager.
But things didn't seem to go smoothly. At the critical moment, Cui Dong was taken away, and he was targeted by Yoshiro-kun again.
"Inkstone."
Yanfang quickened his pace and wanted to escape, but Yoshiro-kun had already run after him and stopped him.
"You didn't believe that I could help you, so you changed your mind. If so, I might as well tell you my identity."
"Yoshiro-kun, I have no talent or learning."
"My surname is not Ji, but Du. My surname is Du, and my surname is Qi, and I am my best friend today."
Du Wulang said, waving his hands, showing a youthful air that was not suitable for his age, and said: "I'm not lying to you, I can let you take the exam to get rid of your citizenship, because we want to implement the imperial examination and abolish slavery!"
Yanfang was frightened and froze there, his face turned pale.
Du Wulang said: "The establishment of imperial examinations and the abolition of slavery is a road that His Majesty has personally walked. 'There is no road in the world, but when more people walk it, it becomes a road'!"
With a "pop" sound, Yan Fang fell to the ground.
He couldn't believe that he was so lucky, but he was so eager to change his destiny, like a drowning man grabbing the straw that saves his life.
"The sky has opened its eyes and is finally willing to take care of us untouchables who live like mosquitoes."
"Can you set another example for the lowly people in the world?" Du Wulang said, "I have to see your talents."
"Okay, I will take it with you and ask Mr. Lang to take a look at it."
Yanfang's trembling hands took out a bunch of crumpled papers from his arms and handed them to Du Wulang with both hands.
Du Wulang took it excitedly, but when he took a look, he found that he didn't know whether it was good or bad. He just muttered: "You still need to practice your handwriting."
Yanfang swallowed and became even more nervous.
"Mr. Lang, I have something to report to you."
"Just say it."
"Actually, it was Cui Jing who ordered the third steward to kill Chunlan." Yan Fang said: "The villain knows that Chunlan is pregnant with Cui Jing's flesh and blood, and has been using this to force Cui Jing to accept her as his concubine."
Du Wulang frowned and said, "Don't worry, I will not let these two masters and servants take human lives lightly. They will have to pay the price."
~~
Not long after, Du Wulang asked Cui Dong for the inkstone again, and this time he wanted to take away Yanfang's parents.
Cui Dong didn't say anything and quickly nodded in agreement.
This actually made Du Wulang very embarrassed.
Cui Dong hesitated, but out of friendship, he reminded Du Wulang a few words.
"Ji, Brother Ji. I see that you are very concerned about these slaves, but..."
"Just what?"
"These people's lives are miserable and pitiful. You and I can lend a helping hand, but don't get too close to them."
"Why?"
Cui Dongdao: "They come from a humble background, so they inevitably attach great importance to money, profit, and lack of shame. They will be disrespectful when they are close, and resentful when they are far away. They are quite difficult to get along with. In short, you need to have a sense of propriety when it comes to promoting favors and fighting enemies."
Du Wulang said: "How can there be such a generalization?"
"well."
Cui Dong sighed and talked about one of his past events.
"I was like you in the past, and I was quite close to my servants. There used to be a servant girl who tended flowers and plants in my courtyard. I saw that she was gentle and kind, so I couldn't help but reward her with more cakes and seasonal fruits. After we got to know each other, I saw that her home was poor, and I gave her some gifts.
The dining room sends some grain, flour, meat and poultry every month. I had good intentions at that time, but I didn’t want to let her have other ideas. One time when I was taking a nap, she came into my house. From then on, gradually,
She began to ask for things from me, from small items such as sachets to gold, silver, and jade. In the end, she actually asked me for my identity... But at the beginning, I was just out of good intentions.
"
Du Wulang scratched his head and asked, "What happened next?"
"Aniang sent her away." Cui Dong said, "This is something that children from aristocratic families often encounter. Those servants are from humble backgrounds and cannot talk to you about poems and books. They can only keep asking for them. Although the Cui family is big, I
I don’t want to be treated as a mine of gold and silver. When we interact with others, we must be able to look at each other on an equal footing.”
After that, Cui Dong drank a glass of wine and paid tribute to Du Wulang.
He didn't say anything else, but Du Wulang could feel that after this glass of wine, Cui Dong didn't want to deal with him anymore.
~~
In the field, an old farmer was cutting grass with his body bent.
"Grandma!"
Yanfang shouted and ran quickly to the old farmer and said: "Grandpa, follow the child quickly. The child has met a noble man and is going to take the children's examination. You should also return to your hometown!"
When Lao Yuan first heard this, he became anxious. He didn't expect his son to be so stubborn and still so ambitious today, so he scolded his son.
The scoldings are still the same. What will happen to the food that has been planted? How will the Cui family repay their kindness? How will they repay the rent they owe after returning home? How will they make a living in the future?
"Grandpa, I told you that the court has a new policy. If you return home, you will be exempted from rent, the acres will be redistributed, and there will be a loan for spring seedlings. All the food you grow next year will be yours!"
"Idiot, I listen to you, one year of drought can wipe out the old Yuan family."
"The imperial court will provide relief in times of disaster..."
"The imperial court, the imperial court, we are no longer the common people of the imperial court, but we have finally become the servants of the Cui family!"
Seeing that his grandpa was so stubborn, Yanfang cried angrily again and cursed: "What's so good about this bastard servant! Have you forgotten how my sister died?!"
Lao Yuan was stunned and his body froze there.
"If it weren't for your sister, would you be a book boy?"
"The Cui family has already given us all away. It's written in black and white. I can't blame you for this! We are slaves and we are just like objects. The master can give it away to whomever he wants!"
When Yan Fang shouted, Old Yuan Tou opened his mouth, but he had nothing to say.
The wind blows through his wheat field, and the wheat waves are layer by layer, which is really beautiful. This year is a good harvest.
But this wheat field has never been his.
Before leaving, Yanfang went to pay homage to his sister again.
His grandfather and grandmother never said how his sister died that year, but as he grew older and saw more, he recalled the whispers between his mother and sister when the family was sleeping on the Datong bunk. He already understood what was going on.
"Silly girl, don't let your husband deceive you. I think it's better to marry a tenant instead of climbing on those high branches."
"No, Mr. Lang said he likes me."
Yanfang didn't know which husband of the Cui family they were talking about, but he only knew that Sister A was really beautiful that year.
But his mother-in-law didn’t believe this and asked again: “Did you really say that?”
"Um."
"But what does a guy like him like about a clumsy girl like you?"
Yanfang still remembers his sister's joyful tone.
"He said my eyes are beautiful, sparkling, like stars in the sky..."
At night, the team marched from Shou'an County to the outside of Luoyang City. Yanfang raised his head and looked at the starry sky. What he saw was a sky full of stars, seemingly tens of millions of them.
~~
Cui Dong lost a friend, which was a pity.
That day, he was sitting in the elegant house reading a book. When he heard someone bringing tea in, he opened his eyes and immediately frowned.
"How could it be you?"
"Go back to Thirty-nine Lang, the villain is back." The third steward knelt down in front of Cui Dong and said: "The villain deserves death for his crime, and I came here to plead guilty to the gentleman."
Cui Dong was furious. His kindness made him unable to see such a careless person wandering around under his nose, as if nothing happened.
"What's the use of pleading guilty to me? What you owe is to be punished by the government!"
"Replying to your words, the county office has already punished the slave." The third steward said: "According to the law of the Tang Dynasty, if the master kills a guilty slave without reporting it to the government, he will be punished with a hundred sticks, and the villain has been punished with a hundred sticks."
"What did you say?"
Cui Dong was surprised, and looked the steward up and down, and saw that although he deliberately looked like he was staggering, he was actually not injured at all.
"Okay, okay, okay, you're going to teach me Tang Law, right? I've been taught... Come on!"
Cui Dong's entourage immediately entered.
"Mr. Lang."
"Bring the knife, I want to kill this evil servant today, and I will ask the county office to give me another hundred canes!"
The third steward was frightened when he heard this, and quickly kowtowed and begged for mercy, saying: "I am very loyal to the Cui family. Over the years, I have really fought for my master's family..."
While they were making a fuss, a maid hurried over and Wan Fu said, "Mr. Sir, please come over, Madam."
Cui Dong pointed at the third steward and went to see his mother-in-law.
His mother-in-law liked to talk about Buddhism and was kneeling in front of a Buddha statue to chant sutras. When she heard him coming, she didn't even raise her head and said, "Let the three stewards go."
"Auntie, you don't know what he did."
"As a mother, I only know that he works tirelessly for you."
Cui Dongdao: "When did the child send him a favor? But my mother-in-law didn't know that he killed a maid for Cui Jing..."
"Amitabha." The woman kneeling on the futon sighed and said, "I didn't want to tell you this, but your grandpa is very angry."
"Made a friend because of the child?"
"That year when you were about to enter the Imperial Academy of Dongdu, Chun Zhi made a big fuss. Do you know who cleaned up the mess for you?"
Suddenly hearing the name again, Cui Dong stood blankly on the spot and murmured: "Haru Zhi?"
"It's the third manager. He is indeed a loyal servant. He not only handles things for Cui Jing, but also for you."
"Wha...what? As you said, grandma, you let Chunzhi get married."
"Marry? She only cares about you, a rich, handsome, unparalleled and famous young man. How can she marry someone else? She would rather die than destroy you!"
Cui Dong's eyes gradually lost focus, and he asked with some fear: "You... what did you do to her?"
"With your intelligence, it's not impossible to guess, but you are too lazy to care, but do you know who Haruzhi's brother is?"
"It can't be Yanfang, right?"
"That's why I said, your grandfather is very angry. He didn't expect that such a smart boy like you could do such a stupid thing. In the past, no matter how dissatisfied the bookboy was with you, he was still a servant of the Cui family.
He will suffer both losses, and with the stewards watching, they can kill him with a stick at any time. It would be better for you to send him to the emperor's famous people, don't you know the principle of 'promoting rice's kindness and fighting rice's hatred'?"
Cui Dong stood there, already in despair.
He didn't expect that he and Cui Jing were actually the same. He thought he was noble, but in fact he was stained with blood in this pool.
This is how he does not care about official career and economics, but hides safely under the protection of his ancestors while tearing apart the bones and sucking out the marrow of thousands of miserable slaves.
"My child... my child..."
"Although this matter is minor, the emperor is near Luoyang. If this matter is used to suppress the Cui family again, your grandfather asked you to visit two people. One is your good friend Huangfu Ran, and the other is Cui Youfu, the censor Zhongcheng. Tell the truth and details.
He told them that in Shou'an County, the Cui family will definitely comply with the imperial court's wishes and let all the fleeing households return to their hometowns."
Cui Dong did not expect that his family would bow down so soon.
He had previously heard comments from brothers in the clan, most of whom said that the emperor's various new policies were intended to take money out of the pockets of the wealthy families. The Cui family had no intention of taking the lead in resistance, but they would certainly not cooperate honestly.
"Don't think about it." The woman sighed: "It's not because of you that I brought back Du Wulang."
Cui Dong left the Buddhist hall in despair and returned to his residence, only to see the three stewards still standing there with their bodies bowed.
"Mr. Lang, I heard that you are going to prepare a generous gift. I have already prepared it. Please take a look."
Cui Dong looked at this man's face and felt disgusted, but he couldn't change anything...
~~
Luoyang, Mingtang.
Xue Bai put down the paper in his hand and said: "Not bad, he is a useful person."
"Really?" Du Wulang said: "It seems that I have made a meritorious service again."
"It's just the beginning." Xue Bai said: "I will issue a decree on reforming the child examination, emphasizing that those who pass the child examination, regardless of their original status, will be members of the imperial court in the future. You secretly let him take advantage of this loophole.
.”
"Exploiting loopholes secretly?"
"Yes, after he is selected, we will let those who are dissatisfied make a fuss. If they make a big fuss, I will act later and issue an edict in anger to express my attitude of abolishing slavery and attract supporters."
Du Wulang could barely understand and nodded secretly.
"This matter must be kept confidential. We must not let the news leak out and let others guess our intentions."
"Your Majesty, don't worry."
At this moment, a eunuch came in and said, "Your Majesty, Cui Zhongcheng wants to see you."