"Bold, what are you going to do?"
Several officials at the yamen gate were shocked. They drew their swords one after another and stepped forward to surround the tall young man.
A mere untouchable was beaten openly in front of the government office. Are you tired of living?
"The Emperor of the Song Dynasty has decreed that no government or individual can stop anyone who goes to Jinling to attend the martial arts lecture hall! This thief openly defied the decree and refused to let me enter the Yamen to apply for a certificate. Should I die?"
The young man was calm and unafraid.
"Brothers...brothers, give me...kill him!"
Zaoli lay on the ground, covering his chest with one hand, pointing at the young man with the other, and spoke with difficulty.
"Kneel down and beg for mercy, or I will chop you down right away!"
A soap official shouted angrily.
"Let's try and see who dies first!"
The young man was calm and composed.
"Brothers, chop him!"
The soap officials on the ground screamed angrily in pain. Several soap officials were menacing and holding sharp knives, but they hesitated to step forward.
Although the young man's face is a little childish, he is as tall as an iron tower and looks like he is not stingy, making him difficult to deal with at first glance. They usually bully honest people, but they still have a lot of fear of these desperadoes among the people.
"What?"
"Want to bully someone?"
Seeing the soap officials surrounding the tall young man, the charcoal workers and woodcutters outside the yamen gate gathered around him one after another. Everyone was holding poles and sticks, but they surrounded a few soap officials.
"What are you going to do?"
"Get out of here!"
The charcoal workers and woodcutter's expressions were unkind, while the police officers stood together back to back, holding swords and confronting the common people as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
The Anfeng Army is located in a frontier fortress, and the people are tough and martial arts are practiced. These charcoal workers and woodcutter are not good at it, and they will suffer losses if they don't do it well.
"stop!"
An official in green robe walked out of the lobby, entered the front yard, and soon arrived at the yamen gate.
"I've seen Mr. Zhijun!"
All the officials were relieved, put away their swords, and saluted the officials together.
"Lv Wende, a grassroots citizen, pays homage to Mr. Zhijun."
The tall young man bowed respectfully and saluted Zhijun.
The besieging charcoal workers and woodcutters looked at each other in confusion. The second uncle waved his hands, and everyone dispersed and took a few steps back.
"You are so brave! Where are you from? You dare to injure an official at the yamen gate. Don't you know that the law is strict?"
Zhijun's eyes were cold and stern, and he was full of airs, but he was frightened in his heart.
These few charcoal workers are nothing. Once a civil uprising is triggered, they will be unable to live without food.
"I learned that the military minister, the villain Lu Wende, is from Lujiazhuang in the west of the city. He makes a living by chopping firewood and burning charcoal. The villain's ancestor is the Lu family of Donglai, and the villain is the descendant of Lu Mengzheng, the Duke of Wenmu."
Lu Wende was neither humble nor arrogant, and bowed again.
"It turns out he is a descendant of Duke Wen Mu."
Zhijun nodded, then his face turned cold.
"Lu Wende, since you are from a famous family, you should know the laws and etiquette. How can you do such crazy things?"
He doesn't care about Prime Minister Lu Mengzheng's descendants, they all happened a hundred years ago. Although the Lu family was in decline, it was very powerful in the local area, and many of his descendants were desperadoes, so he had to treat them carefully.
The frontier affairs of the Song Dynasty were weak, the people's livelihood in the frontier fortress was in decline, and the people's life was difficult. Being on the border between Song Dynasty and Jin Dynasty, we must take into account the forces of all parties and be considerate of the people's sentiments. It is best not to cause trouble if possible.
"Knowing the military minister, I am a humble man who is willing to live in poverty and be happy with morality. He abides by the law and never commits crimes or abuses. Today I just want to go to the city to apply for a certificate so that I can go to Jinling City to take the martial arts exam and serve the country. Who knows this? The thief will not let the villain enter the yamen, and even says that even if he resists the order, he will not let the villain enter."
Lu Wende bowed again, his voice loud and clear.
"I also ask your Majesty to deal with it impartially and set the record straight. After I arrive at Jinling City, if I am lucky enough to meet the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, I will definitely bring this matter to Heaven and speak kindly to my Majesty."
"My lord your army, I have been wronged! Don't listen to this bully's nonsense!"
Zaoli struggled to get up, his eyes were panicked, and the entire left side of his face was swollen.
This Lu Wende has a sharp tongue and uses the Emperor of the Song Dynasty to suppress others. Who can bear this big hat? Seeing the flash in Mr. Zhijun's eyes, I was afraid that he was about to suffer.
"If you know your husband, I don't dare to lie. So many people have witnessed it with your own eyes. If you don't believe me, you can ask them one by one."
Lu Wende pointed at the people who were besieging the yamen gate and showed no mercy.
"Ms. sir, you are a military officer. You must enforce the law impartially and make decisions for the common people!"
"My lord, please enforce the law impartially and give justice to the common people!"
The people at the Yamen Gate, including the charcoal workers and woodcutters, started making loud noises together.
There were more and more people, and they were so fierce that Zhijun's expression suddenly changed and he started shouting.
"Pull this thief out of the yamen, beat him up with 30 big boards, and tie him up outside to show the public, as a warning to others!"
"My lord, please spare my life!"
The official was frightened and wanted to beg for mercy, but he was dragged out by two officials and started fighting outside the Yamen.
"My husband loves his people like his son, he is fair and strict, and the little people thank your husband!"
Lu Wende knelt down and kowtowed to Zhijun.
The people at the yamen knelt down together and worshiped.
"Knowing the military minister, the great blue sky!"
"Your Majesty makes decisions for the people, what a good official!"
"Everyone, please get up and disperse."
Zhijun glanced at the people who stood up, turned to Lu Wende, and smiled coldly.
"Lu Wende, you are a talented person who knows how to take advantage of the situation and influence the public opinion. If you become famous and prosperous in the future, don't forget me and the local folks!"
The Anfeng Army was located on the border between Song Dynasty and Jin Dynasty, and the people's customs were fierce. There were many fierce and violent people in Lujiazhuang who danced with guns and played sticks. It would be a blessing if the descendants of the Lu family, headed by Lu Wende, could join the army and serve the country.
"I would like to express my auspicious words to you, the Prime Minister of the Army. I will bear in mind my Prime Minister's teachings!"
Lu Wende bowed deeply and looked much more respectful.
Zhijun nodded, turned around, and walked towards the government office lobby.
"Lu Wende, don't you want to apply for a voucher? Why don't you hurry up and follow? Aren't you afraid of delaying your trip to Jinling City?"
A Jinling Martial Arts Hall recruited students, which caused a lot of confusion. I don’t know if the new emperor’s move was just a whim, leaving a piece of chicken feathers in the end?
"Master Zhijun, please!"
Lu Wende took a few quick steps and followed Zhijun into the Yamen lobby.
After leaving the Zhijun Yamen, everyone returned to the village and rested for the night. After dinner the next morning, Lu Wende followed the clan members into the dilapidated Lu family's ancestral hall to pay homage to the Lu family's ancestors.
"I think of my ancestor Wen Mugong. When he lived in Luoyang in the past, he went to a monk temple and stayed in a broken kiln at night. He had no clothes to cover his body and no porridge to satisfy his hunger. People dislike gods and hate them. This is due to time, luck and destiny. Later he climbed high and reached the third level. , entered Zhongshu, the highest-ranking official, ranked among the three nobles. People have aspirations to reach the sky, and they cannot succeed unless they are lucky."
The clan members gathered together and the ancestral hall was full. The clan leader stood in front of the memorial table with a solemn expression and carefully warned Lu Wende who was kneeling in front of the ancestor's memorial tablet.
"Dalang, the emperor Tianen founded the martial arts hall and recruited talents from all over the world. You are good at riding and shooting, and you are both civil and military. When you arrive in Jinling, you must bear the humiliation and bear the burden. You must be admitted to the martial arts hall, fight on the battlefield, make contributions, and restore the ancestral line of my Lu family. Glory. Do you remember it?"
The patriarch's face was solemn, and he warned the young Lu Wende seriously.
The Jinling Martial Arts Hall is recruiting students, and talents from all over the world are gathering together. It is an excellent opportunity for restless young people like the Lu family.
It is also a good opportunity for the Lu family, which has been in decline, to turn around.
"Dalang, remember the patriarch's teachings!"
Lu Wende knelt down and bowed, feeling extremely solemn and heavy in his heart.
He was good at both civil and military skills, and he was already confident about getting admitted to the Jinling Martial Arts Hall, but his clansmen paid so much attention to it, which made him feel guilty.
The Lu family was in such a state of poverty that they had to make a living by burning charcoal and cutting wood. As a leader in the Lu family, he seemed to have no choice and no shirking his duty.
"Dalang, I belong to the Lu family. Among the younger generation, you, Erlang and Sanlang are all skilled with sticks. But you are the most spiritual. After going to Jinling, if you can enter the martial arts hall, you will be lucky enough to become the emperor's disciple. You must study hard, make great achievements, and promote my Lu family."
Lu Wende's father also spoke earnestly and earnestly.
"Father, dear ancestors and uncles, Da Lang swears in front of the ancestors' souls that when I go to Jinling, I will definitely revive the reputation of the Lu family and not dishonor the heroic spirits of my ancestors!"
Lu Wende knelt on the ground, solemnly swore, and bowed again.
At this moment, he was burdened with too much, not only his own future, but also the glory of the entire Lu family.
"Get up. Offer incense to your ancestors."
Lu Wende stood up, and the clan leader stepped forward to offer incense to his ancestors.
"Everyone join me in reciting "Han Kiln Fu" and offering sacrifices to our ancestors!"
"Han Kiln Ode" was written by Lu Mengzheng, the sage of the Lu family and the prime minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, when he was in decline. All descendants of the Lu family know it by heart.
The patriarch started, and everyone followed, reading together with unusual solemnity.
"The sky is unpredictable, and people are prone to misfortunes and blessings. A centipede with hundreds of legs cannot move as fast as a snake; a rooster with two wings cannot fly as fast as a crow. A horse has a journey of a thousand miles, but it cannot go by itself without a rider; a man has the ambition to reach the sky, but he cannot do it without luck. .
Gai Wen: In life, wealth cannot be immoral, and poverty cannot be changed. The article is unparalleled, Confucius was troubled by Chen Bang; the military strategy is outstanding, Taigong fished in the Wei River..."
After everyone read the matter solemnly, the clan leader picked up the baggage on the table and handed it to Lu Wende.
"Da Lang, this is a little money collected by the clan members as payment for you. Please cherish it all the way south!"
"Dalang, people have great ambitions and cannot achieve it without luck. Jinling Martial Arts Hall is your opportunity and your luck. Whether you can seize it or not depends entirely on you!"
My father made his final hopes and comments.
Lu Wende carried his baggage and came out. Villagers were seeing him off along the road, which stretched for more than a mile until he left the village entrance. The dark and honest faces are full of hope and smiles, and everyone is reluctant to leave.
When leaving the village, Lu Wende's parcel contained a lot more food and clothing.
"Brother, take care along the way!"
"Brother, remember to send me a letter when you get to Jinling!"
Several young brothers Lu Wenfu and Lu Wenhuan kept sending Lu Wende on board, and then they reluctantly waved goodbye.
"Who knows if you don't suffer in the side court? Even if you die, you can still smell the fragrance of the bones of a hero. At the end of the banquet, the emperor of the Han Dynasty presented the seal to the marquis..."
Lu Wende murmured, his mind already flying to the distant Jinling City.
Jinling, Jinling Martial Arts Hall, what kind of place is that?
