The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

When Chen Heng entered the room, he saw Mrs. Feng pulling Yinglian to kneel down and thank her. The usual calmness on his face was suddenly thrown away, and he stepped forward in a panic, and together with Xinda, he supported Feng.

Mom, I can't do it, I can't do it. He refused repeatedly, but the old woman was very persistent. Even though Feng's figure is stooped and thin, he is very strong.

Chen Heng obviously used his hands, and with Xinda's help, he still couldn't hold her back. Seeing that he couldn't stop him, he immediately turned around and looked at Dai Yinglian beside him, and shouted: Yinglian, what are you doing standing still? Come help Auntie quickly.

Zhen Yinglian, who wanted to thank her mother together, was even more stunned when she heard Chen Heng's words. Before she could figure out whether she should listen to her mother or Chen Heng, her hands had already reached out and hugged Feng's waist.

Oh, I'm here. She said blankly, making Chen Heng dumbfounded.

Fortunately, the three of them worked together to pull Feng back to his seat. Chen Heng tried hard to persuade the other party to express his gratitude. Chen Heng, relieved, sat down and took a breath.

He doesn't like to kneel down to others, and he doesn't like others to kneel down to him. Seeing that he had avoided the embarrassing scene, Chen Heng kept fanning himself with his sleeves. Seeing this, Xinda quickly made his second brother a cup of tea to calm his shock.

After Chen Heng drank this cup of tea, he quickly changed the topic to the future of mother and daughter, fearing that Mr. Feng would continue to make mistakes regarding his gratitude.

But this question took a long time to talk about. Feng, who was in a calm mood, thought for a long time before telling her little benefactor about her family's affairs.

Since Yinglian was abducted, Zhen Shiyin and Feng Shi have dispersed their family property, but no news about their beloved daughter has been found. A fire in the Calabash Temple completely burned down the Zhen family's house. The couple didn't even have the money to repair it, so they sold the land hastily and went to join Feng's natal family.

It was also in the home of Mr. Feng that Zhen Shiyin was so coldly looked upon that he thought of escaping from the world. In the end, he followed the Taoist priest who was passing by and never returned. Feeling deeply helpless, Mrs. Feng had no choice but to move out of her home and do some needlework to support herself in her parents' dilapidated hut, while she quietly waited for news about her husband and daughter.

Chen Heng listened silently and asked tentatively: Are you planning to return to your parents' home?

Feng didn't know how to answer. The mother and daughter were older and younger. Now that Yinglian has finally found her back, she naturally doesn't want to take her child back to her parents' home to suffer.

With her father's temper, seeing Yinglian like this, he didn't know what kind of arrangements he would make for her.

I haven't thought about it yet. Feng shook his head in frustration, then smiled calmly, Don't panic, young man. There will be a road before the car reaches the mountain. We will always find a way.

This old woman is actually only in her forties, even though her face is full of traces of being tortured by fate. But now, her perseverance in fighting fate allowed her to face the difficulties and obstacles in the future.

The maid who had followed her for more than 20 years also echoed from the side: Madam, it is a blessing to meet the young lady again. Compared with this, everything in the future does not matter. It is just a few more connections. , do more needlework. The younger one will definitely serve the lady and the young lady well.

Mrs. Feng nodded and told Yinglian next to her: Her name is Lv Shui. She has been with my mother through these years. When you see her in the future, call her sister.

Yinglian reacted and quickly stood up to salute Lv Shui and said: Sister Lv Shui, my mother...

Miss, I can't do it, I can't do it. Lv Shui avoided the salute, helped Yinglian up again, and wiped the corners of his eyes, If I can hope that Miss will come home, Lv Shui will die with peace of mind.

After the three people finished chatting, Chen Heng coughed slightly and attracted their attention. He has understood the difficulties of the Zhen family. The Feng family does not want to see their homeless daughter, and they are often harsh on her.

Judging from Feng's plan, he probably planned to return to Gusu to stay temporarily and take Yinglian with him to wait for Zhen Shiyin to return home. But it is more difficult for orphans and widowed mothers to survive in this world.

Just at this moment, bursts of firecrackers suddenly came from outside. Chen Heng couldn't help stroking his hands and laughing. He gave Xinda a wink and motioned for him to open the window to the west.

After the wooden window was opened, the originally dull sound of firecrackers became louder and louder.

Chen Heng pointed to the blue sky outside the window and smiled at Mrs. Feng: Auntie, your trip comes by chance. I just remembered that there is a place in Yangzhou that can accommodate the three of you.

…………

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February 16th is an auspicious day.

The sky was bright and clear, with no clouds in sight under the blue sky. It’s a good weather for traveling, and Yangzhou people love to join in the fun. They had learned a few days ago that Zhifang Street in the west of the city was to be unveiled, and they had been looking forward to this ceremony.

Ordinary people love to follow the crowd. I heard that they have fun watching it. One word spreads to ten, ten spreads to hundreds, word of mouth. By the time Lin Ruhai came with the government officials, the west part of the city was already crowded with people, and the surrounding area was already blocked.

Lin Ruhai heard from Chen Heng that the three newspaper shops in the city had worked together to promote things in the west of the city since January. But he didn't expect that the people of Yangzhou would be so enthusiastic and that so many people would come.

At that moment, officials including Lin Ruhai couldn't help but straighten their official robes and black gauze hats. Only then, under the escort of the guards, did he pass through the crowd of onlookers and walk towards the center.

When they entered the venue and the crowd gathered again, they saw several guards hanging two long strings of firecrackers on bamboo poles on both sides of the archway.

The archway is ten feet high, covered with red silk cloth, and below is a wooden table with tributes. Needless to say, there are no details about the sacrificial animals on it. There is only an incense burner waiting for Lin Ruhai to put incense.

Seeing the prefect's arrival, the ceremony officer in charge of the ceremony quickly nodded to the officers on both sides. As Lin Ruhai raised incense and bowed three times, the sound of firecrackers also began to roar, and bunches of daytime fireworks also bloomed in the air.

good.

This is what the people like to see, and there is a constant stream of applause from all around. While everyone was watching, they were talking about Lin Ruhai's etiquette of paying homage. For example, what kind of gifts are for the Lord of the Land and what kind of gifts are for the God of Wealth? The old man likes to show off this kind of knowledge.

After Lin Ruhai inserted the incense into the incense burner, he took his subordinates and stepped aside. After listening to the sound of firecrackers, I waited for the etiquette officer's next command.

At this time, the light and shadow on the coronagraph happened to be in position, and the ceremony officer immediately shouted: The auspicious time has come.

There was another round of firecrackers, and Lin Ruhai, dressed in official robes, stepped forward alone and stood under the colorful ribbons of the archway. The archway has three gates, and colorful ribbons stand horizontally along the middle, covering the words on the archway. The two tail straps hang down and flutter in the wind.

Lin Ruhai stood at one place, raised his hand and pulled gently. The red silk ribbon was gently blown down by the morning breeze, and the Yangzhou people who had been curious for a long time were able to see the true face of the archway.

Qiupu Street.

Someone read out three big characters softly. The handwriting was naturally written by Lin Ruhai himself. Someone else looked at the small print on the side, In the spring of the sixth year of Wenhe, the Yangzhou government office was established.

This is interesting. The government officials who came to watch the ceremony did not expect that the prefect would give them all the opportunity to leave their mark in history.

Everyone's face was overjoyed, no matter how Yangzhou city changed in the next hundred years. This group of people, together with this archway, will be written into the official annals.

When they thought of this, everyone who was still complaining about the face project couldn't help but start whispering among themselves. Some discussed the origin of 'Qiupu', while others praised 'the magistrate's kindness'.

Li Bian's position was at the forefront of this group of officials. In front of him was Zhizhou Zhang Shangxian. He looked at the proud look on his face and heard the people behind him praising Lin Ruhai. He was also secretly angry, feeling that the situation in front of him was terrible.

Lin Ruhai didn't care about the reactions of his subordinates. He nodded slightly at the applauding people around him. Then he led the officials through the door of the archway and walked towards the street inside.

Next to the street behind the archway, there was a stone tablet covered with red cloth, waiting for him to go up and take it off. When Lin Ruhai opened it, the people who followed closely read out the words on the stone tablet again.

Piping training workshop.

Okay. A UBM reporter already knew the origin of these two names. But in order to tell the whole story, it needs to be left to the right person. Everyone, look at me and I'll look at you. This opportunity to shine was snatched away by Li Xuezheng.

Li Taibai has a poem called 'Qiupu Song', in which there is a sentence 'The water is like a horse, and the sky is flat here'. I think it comes from here. Li Bian stroked his beard and couldn't help nodding for his family. , This poem is suitable for the occasion, but I prefer the sentence 'A handful of tears from afar, for me to reach Yangzhou'. Where are you?

After speaking, he looked around to see everyone's reaction. The result was as expected. No one wants to cheer for it in public.

Seeing this, Li Bian was secretly anxious. If this continues, wouldn't it mean that we are betraying the Prime Minister's trust? These officials in Yangzhou are really insecure.

Lin Ruhai didn't know what happened among his subordinates. He just continued walking along the straight street. The architecture here is different in style from other houses in the city.

Yangzhou people generally like exquisite and compact styles. But in order to meet the construction deadline, Pilianfang pursued the northern style of opening and closing in style, which is really unique.

In addition to the iconic white walls and black tiles, the construction of its houses is different from the usual customs in Yangzhou. Lin Ruhai saw this and nodded secretly. He doesn't ask for good looks, as long as they are practical.

When the prefect approached with a neat queue, the female embroidery workers lined up on both sides of the street, led by several old masters, bowed to Lin Ruhai and saluted, Mr. Xie Qingtian, a civilian woman.

This time, no one arranged it. Chen Heng and the newspaper shop only did publicity work, clarifying the government's intention to build Zhifang Street.

It's just that most of the women here are refugees outside the city. They probably didn't expect that despite all the hardships they had to come to Yangzhou last year, they would be treated like this by the local government. Thinking of the county magistrates in their hometown who did nothing, and then looking at the Yangzhou magistrate, their gratitude cannot be expressed in words.

The human heart is made of flesh. There is a saying in the Book of Songs: Give me a papaya, and give me a jade in return. This sentence best illustrates people's simple emotional psychology.

Even though Lin Ruhai had seen too much of the world, he was shocked by their behavior when he saw this. He originally just wanted to find another way to make money for Yangzhou to help His Majesty succeed. But looking at the sincere and expectant faces in front of him, how could he not be moved?

The so-called heaven will give a great responsibility to this person, I guess it refers to the mood at this time.

Lin Ruhai stayed there for a moment, then returned the courtesy and said: You don't need to do this. Please ask for orders for the people, make decisions for the people, and live for the people. This was my ambition when I was studying in this mansion.

Magistrate Lin, who looked a little excited, turned to look at the officials behind him and ordered a fierce general to come out, Commander Xin.

exist!

Xin Geng was also among those invited today. The fierce general wearing armor and lying on a sword stepped out of the queue, cupped his fists and made a half salute.

Send some soldiers and horses to patrol this street day and night to protect their safety. Lin Ruhai pointed to the women and children around him.

Judging from the field of view, there are quite a lot of women and children living here. Lin Ruhai was also worried that they would be harassed in the future, so he sent additional officers and soldiers in addition to the official duties.

yes!

Xin Geng took the order and returned to the queue. He was entrusted by His Majesty and came to Yangzhou just to help Wei and Lin succeed. Now that he heard Lin Ruhai's order, he would not refuse.

Lin Ruhai, who had arranged this matter, took the officials through the streets again. When I encounter a store that is open, I will walk into it and ask questions.

Direct guests from three newspaper shops followed the story from beginning to end. They are all capable men in their respective stores. They were sent by their boss just to remember today's scene in their hearts and write a beautiful article when they go back to build momentum for the Yangzhou incident.

The opening of Pilianfang is a major event in Yangzhou. Not only does Lin Ruhai take it seriously, people in Yangzhou who have heard about it for a long time are also curious about the future of this neighborhood.

Spring is approaching, and it’s time to plant mulberry and raise silkworms. Everyone is waiting to see whether the government office will accomplish a great thing or make a big fool of itself. But no matter which one they are, why shouldn't they become a topic of conversation after dinner?

The embroidery masters and female workers who will live here are the ones who most hope that Zhifang Street will become a success. Most of the women who can come here to find work are from poor backgrounds. The men in the family either fail to live up to expectations or die early. Thinking that the family's future livelihood will be maintained on this street, they can't help but feel anxious and expectant.

After Lin Ruhai finished inspecting all the streets, he returned with the people from the government office. These women returned to their houses excitedly and began to think about the future.

The women who lived in seclusion finally had their own means of livelihood. Even though I have to show my face, even though my income is meager at the moment, I still have one thought. It's better than selling yourself in a brothel or working in a wealthy family, doing something to serve others.

As long as a person has a way forward, the fire in his heart will probably burn out.

What's more, the prefect was personally present in this matter, so there wouldn't be any arrears of wages. Didn't the Lord Magistrate say before he left that if you have any grievances from now on, you can go to the government office to beat drums and complain about your grievances?

With such a prefect who makes decisions for them, they will surely feel more at ease in the future.

…………

…………

After Li Bian returned home, he was very depressed. He picked up his pen and deliberately wrote a letter to the capital to inform him of the difficulties in Yangzhou.

Wei Yinghong and Lin Ruhai run the Yangzhou government office in such a way that water cannot be poured in and oil cannot be exhausted.

If he had known this was the case earlier, he should not have listened to Tian An's instigation and come here to suffer alone.

He thought about it angrily, but also felt that asking for help from the capital immediately would be looked down upon.

I can only stop writing with regret and drink boring tea in the house. Fortunately, it's not like no one cares about him in the city.

It was only in the afternoon when a salt merchant in the city sent a greeting card and wanted to invite him to his home for a chat.

Li Bian put down the invitation and laughed loudly, I just said, how can everyone in Yangzhou City love Lin Ruhai.

He has only been here for seven or eight days, and there are already people eager to invite him. Doesn't it mean that the people's support can be used?

Li Bian went back to the house and changed his clothes. After tidying up for a while, he led his master, who was dressed as a servant, out.

When he arrived at Feng Zhu's home, several Yangzhou salt merchants had been waiting here for a long time.

When everyone met for the first time, the atmosphere was very warm. Feng Zhu, who took the lead, led Li Bian to the top. After he sat down, Feng Zhu quickly introduced everyone.

Li Bian nodded and signaled one by one, very much like a Beijing official. After the etiquette was completed, Feng Zhucai clapped his hands and asked the servants to serve the dishes.

After three rounds of drinking, let's drink with two or three trivial matters. Li Bian boasted that he was in the capital and often visited the Prime Minister's house. He also talked about some gossip about the dealings of big families. These are all trivial matters, just to let these salt merchants see their own strength.

Li Bian would also have a headache, if he were elsewhere. He could just imitate the Prime Minister and just smile and nod. It's a pity that now, he really lacks some useful people in Yangzhou. Li Bian, who was eager to make meritorious service to the Prime Minister, behaved so rudely.

Feng Zhu saw it and was happy in his heart. You are short of people, and we are also short of legs to hold you.

He had already heard about what happened at the dock that day. I knew that this new academic administrator had a great background, far greater than Mei Hanlin. Behind him, not only the prefect of Jinling stood up for him, but also the Prime Minister and the Supreme Emperor supported him.

When the bragging atmosphere reached its peak, Feng Zhu sent out some calligraphy works by famous people, and then he suddenly looked sad.

When Li Bian saw him crying suddenly, he couldn't help but want to laugh, so he asked, Why is Brother Feng like this?

My lord, I don't know. Ever since Mr. Wei and Mr. Lin took office, there have been some important matters in the Yangzhou Mansion. We honest and responsible people have donated generously, eager to help them. But the two of them are still not satisfied, and they always change. Method is plotting against us.

Feng Zhu pretended to wipe his tears. Seeing that Li Bian kept smiling and saying nothing, he secretly thought that the Beijing officials were really difficult, so he had to continue, A few years ago, we were asked to donate money when we set up an academy. Later, we were asked to donate money to raise food for disaster relief. Today, Zhifang Street has taken another layer off of us. Sir, even if we have some property, we can't help the prefect plundering it like this.

Li Bian had betrayed his face earlier, and now he was thinking about taking it back, so naturally he didn't want to act immediately. Just a slight 'Oh? ’ is considered a response.

You old boy, this was not the case when you received gifts before. Feng Zhu also felt sad and angry. Each of these officials was more shameless than the last.

Sir, please ask the prime minister to make the decision for us.

Feng Zhu led the other salt merchants to stand up and respectfully saluted the leader, Li Bian.

Li Bian also took Qiao and ate a few chopsticks by himself. He deliberately ignored everyone for a while, then smiled and said: I was just thinking, why bother the Prime Minister with such a trivial matter. I have forgotten you all, hahaha, sit down quickly, sit down quickly.

Hearing this, Feng Zhu couldn't help but think of Mei Hanlin's kindness. At least the other party would not make things difficult for him like this.

When the salt merchants finished the work again, Li Bian began to talk about it again, I didn't expect that all the merits of the magistrate are behind you selling your blood and cutting your flesh. It's really annoying. The more I listen to it, the more I can't stand it.

Please save me, sir. Feng Zhu said hurriedly.

Didn't you come up with any ideas before? Li Bian began to inquire. He didn't believe that these people were just drunkards. They could save such a family fortune. Some of them had clean hands and feet.

Li Bian wanted to use this sentence to hear the details of these people. See what means you have and what abilities you have that you can use for yourself in the future.

Feng Zhu was also a little embarrassed when he was asked this question. They have really thought about it, but it's just not convenient to say it.

They looked at each other, a little troubled. Li Bian saw their embarrassment and simply said: You and I didn't do anything, just say it boldly. Even if we talk about it over the wine table, the court won't blame it.

That's what you wanted us to say. Feng Zhu thought in his mind that the people of the Yong Dynasty were open and there was indeed no precedent of punishing people for their words.

But Feng Zhu was also cunning. He just winked and asked another person to come out and answer.

This man had a simple mind and thought he would be able to show his face in front of Li Bian. He quickly stood up and said excitedly, We originally thought that we would cooperate with Mr. Wei and Mr. Lin's arrangements and wait for them to get promoted and then look forward to the arrival of Mr. Qingtian. Who would have thought , Mr. Wei left, but Mr. Lin stayed.

Li Bian laughed when he heard this. This plan was not stupid at all, it was even a bit clever, but it was too passive and made people laugh.

Then you might as well wait a little longer. When Mr. Lin is promoted again, you won't get what you want.

Sir, we have had such a hard time waiting. The man thought bitterly and waved his hands repeatedly, wishing that Li Bian would take back his words quickly.

Hahahaha, keep talking. Li Bian sounded amused and took another sip from the glass, encouraging him to speak freely.

Seeing that he had amused the Beijing official, the man got bold and said: Later, we asked someone to do the calculation. Do you want to send some money to Mr. Lin's family, just asking for a merciful place and mercy? In the end, I gave it The money that comes into the house is transferred to his wife and donated to the almshouse.

Li Bian nodded and asked his master to fill up the wine for him. He took a sip and then said leisurely: You don't even want to know where Mrs. Lin's family is from. How can you be so interested in your family's money?

What happened next? Li Bian asked again.

Um... The man looked at Feng Zhu and saw that he kept winking at him. He thought he was telling him to speak boldly, so he simply said bravely, Later, I thought about letting Mr. Lin fall down or something. It's better to stay at home and recuperate. This matter...

He suddenly saw Feng Huishou with a sad and regretful face. He quickly changed the topic and said cautiously to Li Bian, whose face turned gloomy, I only thought about this once, and Feng Huishou scolded me. He said that I was a brainless idiot. I only know a few things. It’s nothing that can be done on the table.”

Humph. After hearing this, Li Bian's gloomy expression softened slightly. I saw him pointing his hand at the person in front of him who was bending down to apologize, Your distant relative should really thank you for not killing him.

Yes, yes, that's what you have learned from me. The salt merchant nodded quickly and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Don't mention this matter anymore. Li Bian dropped the wine glass heavily on the table, which shocked the salt merchants.

It's no wonder that Li Bian protected Lin Ruhai's safety. They, civil servants, still have a set of rules for fighting for power among themselves. Everyone fights back and forth, focusing on making peace without breaking up. If you really think of some tricks in the gutter, you are breaking the rules.

You can buy a murderer today, but why don't you know if someone will give up money and pay for your family's life tomorrow?

If anyone dares to do this, he is going against all the civil servants of the imperial court and is seeking death. If an official was really ordered to die by the imperial court, the officials sent to assist the investigation would definitely investigate to the end without any accommodation.

No matter how much Li Bian wanted to bring down Lin Ruhai, he would not use such despicable methods. At that time, not only will he not be reused by the prime minister, but he will be sold out and vent his anger to the angry officials.

They are all pretentious scholars. How can scholars use swords to kill people? That is the style of military attachés.

In the Dayong Law, there are many names used for Lin Ruhai.

Aha, aha, six thousand words. I didn't ask you to wait in vain. Today I am so up to date!