"My name is Zheng Ping."
Zheng Ping gave a slight salute to the young man in front of him. The young man in front of him was full of nobility, and he could not be concealed at all.
It also felt a little more approachable. Even if Zheng Ping didn't want to talk more, he still subconsciously replied.
"Zheng Ping? But the one who promoted filial piety and integrity in Anqing County?"
Zhu Xiongying smiled.
Zheng Ping's heart condensed. He was just a small citizen in a county. When it comes to promoting Xiaolian, there were more and more famous Xiaolians from various states.
Someone in the capital could actually recognize him. If it weren't for the closeness the young man in front of him made people feel close to him, Zheng Ping would have felt that this person was uneasy and well-intentioned.
"Are you..." Zheng Ping asked.
Zhu Xiongying stretched out his hand, "Why don't we find a place to talk?"
Zheng Ping had no friends in Beijing, and he didn't know where to go at the moment. In addition, the young man in front of him was really mysterious, so he nodded blankly.
Along the way, Zheng Ping didn't notice the people around him at all. He looked at the young man beside him and only guessed the young man's identity in his heart.
At the very least, this person must be a noble son.
Zhu Xiongying led Zheng Ping to sit down in a private room. It was the same restaurant where the big eater of the Zhu family had challenged him before. Just as the shopkeeper was about to respectfully greet His Highness Shengsun, he was stopped by Zhu Xiongying's eyes.
The shopkeeper is also a smart person, and he immediately understands.
"What do you want to eat, sir?"
"It's such a cold day, let's have hot pot."
Zhu Xiongying said directly.
"okay!"
After a while, the steaming hot pot was brought to the table in front of the two of them. Zheng Ping was so excited when he saw such a rich cuisine.
Subconsciously I fumbled in my pocket, trying to make sure I had enough money.
Zhu Xiongying, who noticed Zheng Ping's actions, smiled and said,
"Brother Zheng, don't worry, how can this meal cost you?"
Zheng Ping shook his head and said, "How can this be done..."
Zhu Xiongying stretched out his hand to stop, and his movements carried the air of a superior. Zheng Ping, who couldn't even defeat Aunt Li in the village, could only obey.
"Brother Zheng, I am an official in the Ministry of Household Affairs in the Central Government. All records of filial piety and integrity are in the Ministry of Household Affairs. You are the only one who rejected the filial piety and integrity in all the major prefectures in the Ming Dynasty. What does this mean?"
Zhu Xiongying briefly mentioned the matter of treating guests to dinner, and then changed the subject, not only introducing his origins, but also explaining why he recognized Zheng Ping.
Zheng Ping looked at the wrapped box in his arms, his eyes full of sorrow, and murmured,
"How can I be worthy of Xiaolian? I am an unfilial son..."
Zhu Xiongying was silent.
He came to see Zheng Ping privately, not only for the sake of Xiaolian, but also for himself.
As soon as Zhu Xiongying got the information about this incident the day before yesterday, he immediately understood why Zheng Ping's mother drowned herself. That was because she didn't want to drag her son down anymore.
It didn't happen suddenly, it was just that Zheng Ping suddenly knew about it.
Zheng Ping's mother's thoughts are very similar to those of Zhu Xiongying. Before Zhu Xiongying came here, his mother had taken care of the food, clothing, housing and transportation for patients suffering from ALS for more than ten years.
I didn't want to drag my mother down, so I chose to commit suicide. My thoughts and stance were exactly the same as those of Zheng Ping's mother.
However, as Zhu Xiongying became more mature, he realized that his choice might not be the right one.
Therefore, he wanted to come and meet Zheng Ping. He wanted to know what Zheng Ping, who was in the same situation as his mother, thought about it.
It can be regarded as the fulfillment of the last wish.
"Brother Zheng, my condolences."
Zheng Ping's eyes were red. He wanted to cry, but he had no tears to shed.
Facing this young man whom he met for the first time, Zheng Ping suppressed his heart for several days and had some desire to talk.
Zheng Ping shook his head and said,
"Little brother, I live up to my reputation as a filial son. When I was studying in the imperial examination system, my mother was farming on the ground and never let me have a cold meal, just so that I could go to high school.
How can I live a good life for a few days when my mother needs me to take care of her? But my mother never blamed me.
I...I, what have I done? "
Zhu Xiongying was a little distracted when he heard this.
After she leaves, will her mother blame herself for not doing a good job like Zheng Ping did?
........
"If you ask me, Zheng Ping of Anqing County is not too stupid to voluntarily give up the name of Xiaolian.
Are these people worthy of sharing a name with us? "
Zhu Yuanzhang walked outside the mansion where Xiaolian from all over the country was housed. He couldn't help but stop when he heard this.
Due to the distance between Xiaolians from various places, the first ones to arrive were only Xiaolians from various places around the capital. Not even a half of them came.
But Lao Zhu really couldn't bear the loneliness and couldn't wait to meet these filial piety and integrity first.
Zhu Yuanzhang came happily. As soon as he walked outside the mansion, he heard the discussion of Xiaolian from all over the mansion, and his face instantly darkened.
Lao Zhu also heard about Zheng Ping.
Fu Ren, the commander of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion standing next to Lao Zhu, saw this and strode into the mansion to stop these filial and honest words.
"Wait!"
Zhu Yuanzhang stopped Fu Ren, and Fu Ren stopped suddenly.
"His Majesty..."
Zhu Yuanzhang said expressionlessly,
"Hmph, let them continue talking, and let's listen to what they have to say."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Fu Ren secretly wiped his sweat.
"Brother Hu, you can't say that."
"What can't be said like that? I heard that Zheng Ping's old mother didn't have warm clothes or enough food to eat. How can people like Zheng Ping, who are just trying to gain fame and fame, take care of the mother who gave birth to him and raised him like this?!"
"this..."
"Brother Liu, what do you think?"
"It was all Zheng Ping's fault that his mother drowned herself. Such a big mistake should not be made."
"Zheng Ping's mother, I'm afraid she just doesn't want to drag Zheng Ping down. I heard that Zheng Ping was the local Jieyuan and has a bright future..."
"What's the use of talking about this?! It's Zheng Ping's fault that he can make Zheng Ping think this way!"
"Yes, I support Brother Hu! Just say that Zheng Ping has both hands and feet, but makes his old mother unable to wear warm clothes and eat well, so he is not worthy of being ranked with us!"
"I'm ashamed to be with this person too!"
"Brother Zhao, you are such a nice person, and you still help these people get away with it!"
It was originally a great thing for the imperial court to select Xiaolian from all over the country, but because of Zheng Ping's incident, Zheng Ping became the center of attention in an instant.
As for the discussion about whether Zheng Ping is filial or unfilial, just listening to what these people say, the majority are unfilial.
Speaking of which, filial piety is one of the few things that requires both process and result.
If the process is good but the result is not good, then it is not done well.
If the process is not good and the result is good, it will not work.
Chinese people value filial piety most, and filial piety is also the quality that Chinese people value most, but it is difficult to define filial piety.
But Zheng Ping's reputation as unfilial was crucified.
"Hmph! From what I see, you can all stand and talk without back pain!"
Xiaolian was already on the same page in the mansion, but a different voice suddenly came from outside the mansion. Xiaolian in the mansion couldn't help but frowned and looked over.
