After the county magistrate Sun Junze died, his body was collected by the cook Li Ziqiao.
Because there was no money, they dug a hole in the mountain and buried it directly with soil.
If there was no money to use a stone monument, a wooden board was used to simply erect the monument.
Paper was burning on the brazier in front of him. The money spent on the paper was what Li Ziqiao earned from working as a cook in the yamen over the years.
Fortunately, Li Ziqiao, who did not know how to read, had several officials from the government office to help write the inscription on the wooden board.
Without their help, Li Ziqiao would probably have to spend more money to hire someone to write the inscription.
"Sun Junze."
After shouting, Li Ziqiao choked up and continued while burning the paper in the brazier: "This is the first time I call you by your name. You are a good magistrate of the county. I know all this."
"I don't believe it's your fault that the relief food didn't reach He County. This is the first time I've seen a county magistrate like you."
As he said this, Li Ziqiao's tears couldn't stop flowing down again.
Wiping away tears, Li Ziqiao continued to speak in front of Sun Junze's grave with red eyes: "You just left like this, and I haven't even had time to repay you properly. If you hadn't taken me in a few years ago, you would have let me live in the Yamen." As a cook, now I might be begging on the street.”
"When I first met you, you looked so handsome. Later, when I saw how nice you were to the people, I admired you again. But I am timid and have never dared to tell you. . I don’t know why, but when I stand in front of you to convince the people, I rush, but if I say that I love you in front of you, I really don’t dare.”
"Now, I regret so much that I couldn't tell you."
"Don't worry when you get there. The relief food has arrived. Although there are fewer people in He County now, the streets and alleys in He County will be full of people in a few years. Don't blame yourself too much when you get there. It’s not your fault, it’s their fault.”
Speaking of which, looking at the grave in front of him, Li Ziqiao was so sad that he couldn't speak.
Turning his head and looking to the side, he saw that there was a cliff not far from him, and over there was He County. From here, he could see the entire He County.
Seeing this scene, Li Ziqiao turned around and wiped her tears again. Seeing that there was not much paper left in her hand, Li Ziqiao said to herself again towards the grave: "Look, you can see the entire river from here." County. Maybe this He County is the city you hate the most. You hate the people who deceive you when you are young, don’t listen to you, and oppose you everywhere. I didn’t hate it before, but now I do. "
"I hate those people who are making trouble for no reason. I hate that they bullied you when you were weak and opposed you everywhere. I don't know if the new magistrate will treat them well. In short, I don't want to stay in He County anymore."
"Thank you, too, for taking me in and giving me food to eat. These paper money today will be the only thing I can repay you with."
"I have decided that from today onwards, I will not get married. I don't know since when, I have always reminded myself in my heart that I am already yours. You haven't married yet, and I know that your eldest sister has been wronged I know it too. Don't worry, even though you haven't said many sweet words to me in the Yamen over the years, every time you praise me and say that the food I cook is delicious, I am very happy. "
After finishing speaking, Li Ziqiao opened the food box he brought and took out the dishes one by one. While carrying them, he said again: "I just made these meals and they are still hot. From now on, You can’t eat the food I cook. If there is another life, I will still be willing to cook for you every day. If there is another life, I will definitely strive to become your wife. Even if I can’t, then I will be your best friend."
After watching the paper in the basin burn out, and then watching the heavy fog outside dissipate a lot, Li Ziqiao stood up, looked at the grave in front of him, wiped his tears with his sleeves, and tidied his hair with his hands. , straightened his face, and gave a fake smile: "From now on, I plan to go out and take a look. If I meet the master who teaches me how to practice swordsmanship, then I will follow him. When I become stronger, I will help you find your family, and then help You take revenge."
"Okay, let's not talk anymore. I'm still on my way." After saying this, Li Ziqiao turned around and walked a few steps, but couldn't help but look back at the tomb with only a wooden sign, and couldn't help but drop his eyes. Tears fell.
This time she made up her mind to leave.
That drop of tear fell into the wet soil and stayed here forever.
…
A few days after arriving in Xinzhi County of He County, Qin Envoy Cen, who was responsible for the disaster relief, had already hurriedly returned to Yanyang City, the capital.
At night, the Cen family sat together and ate happily.
Seeing the master's happy appearance, Madam Zhou was also very happy. She happily took a chopstick of meat and handed it into the master Cen Wenxing's bowl. She said with a smile on her face: "Master, you have had a hard journey along the way."
Looking at his wife like this, and seeing the two sons in front of him now making a difference, I couldn't be happier.
"Anze."
At his father's words, Cen Anze raised his head.
"Dad has won the position of Minister of the Ministry of War for you. You must work hard and don't let down all your hard work." Cen Anze said with expectation.
After listening to his father's words and looking at his smiling face, the eldest son Cen Anze smiled slightly: "I know, dad."
After talking about their eldest son, Cen Anze, Cen Wenxing, the Minister of Household Affairs, looked at his second son, Cen Chunri, and said, "Cen Chunri, you have to learn more from your elder brother. You are an errand in Zhan Shifu, right?" Don't blame your father for not helping you. Your eldest brother is just lucky."
"I'm not surprised." The second son, Cen Chunri, said with a smile.
"It's okay if you don't blame me, it's okay if you don't blame me." After muttering to himself, the master Cen Wenxing looked at his second son's wife Wang Yalin with a kind face: "You two have been married for a year or two, it's time to have a child. ”
"I know, dad." Wang Yalin said shyly.
"Okay, it's good to know, it's good to know." After muttering to himself, Master Cen Wenxing didn't know what to say.
Cen Wenxing, the master, is very satisfied with the appearance of the Cen Mansion today. The eldest son Cen Anze is now the Minister of War, and the second son Cen Chunri is not a high official, but he is still a minor official in the court.
The eldest son and second son are now married, and the eldest son now has a child of his own.
At this moment, Cen Wenxing hoped in her heart that her Cen Mansion could live in peace and soundness, and she would be satisfied if she didn't have to worry about food and clothing.
Among the money embezzled by Mozhang Rongyang Mansion and local prefect Mo Kaiping, Cen Wenxing only got a small share, while prefect Mo Kaiping got more.
It's not that Cen Wenxing, the Minister of Household Affairs, doesn't love money, he does too. In his heart, he has no worries about food and clothing, and reputation and official position are the most important.
Call him a good official, but he is also corrupt with the prefect of Rongyang Prefecture; call him a bad official, but he embezzles the least amount of money compared to other corrupt officials.
Today, if we talk about who has the most money in Yanyang City, everyone would probably think of the current left prime minister Su Yunqi, whose Su Mansion has the most money. However, he contributed the most money to Jiang Lai's disaster. Now, His money is more than the treasury, but how much money does the treasury have?
It's not the Liu family's cloth shop in the capital. If the fire hadn't happened before, it would have been the largest. However, after the disaster, the Liu family's property no longer had much. The Liu family was originally very prestigious. Suddenly he became a real farmer.
Now, if we want to say whose family has the most money, it is the family of Ding Liu, the Minister of Rites.
Ding Liu, the Minister of Rites, donated the least among several fund-raising efforts. However, the money that is greedy is the most.
Let's not talk about this for now, let's take a look at the almost forgotten ten-year-old Chen Ziyuan who lives far away in Xitong County.
More than a month later, he is still thinking about the business test questions he encountered in the provincial capital that day.
He lay on the table, watching his mother selling steamed buns, looking at Uncle Xu busy, and then looking at fat Zheng Chui sitting in front of him eating steamed buns. Zi Yuan sighed.
"Eh."
A sigh came out, and the fat man Zheng Zhui, who was eating steamed buns, looked over: "Zi Yuan, why is this? Do you want me to take you out to play?"
Listening to Zheng Zhui's words, Zi Yuan shook his head, sighed and said, "No."
"Be happy. Like me, we have food and drink, so we don't have so many worries." Zheng Zhui smiled proudly.
"Uncle Chui, do you think there are more good people or bad people in office?" Zi Yuan asked.
Chunxu, who was passing by, ignored Ziyuan's words and continued busy with his work. However, with his ears, he could hear the words of Zi Yuan and Zheng Zhui word for word.
"Well, there must be a lot of bad people." After saying this, Zheng Zhui asked Zi Yuan: "Zi Yuan, do you know why my parents were gone when I was young?"
From Chunxu's words in the past, Zheng Zhui had already known Ziyuan's life experience, but in the past two years, he thought about Chunxu's words: "Ziyuan is still young, so he doesn't want to tell him everything, for fear that he won't be able to accept it. Only Let him slowly see through the world, then know why his parents died, and then take revenge.'
Every time he thought about this sentence, the fat man Zheng Zhui could understand it. After all, Zi Yuan's life experience was not much different from his own.
Zi Yuan shook his head and looked at Zheng Zhui with an unknown face.
"When I was still very young, my father owed money to others for no apparent reason. My grandfather said that my father was framed by others. It seemed that my father had a good friend who often liked to gamble and lost. A lot of money, but no money to repay. My father has never read a book, but he has read some books. When he wrote the IOU later, he wrote my father's name."
"I don't know if those people are really stupid or pretending to be stupid. It's obviously not my father's debt. They came to my father with the IOU and insisted that my father owed them money. My family was poor at that time, and we couldn't afford food, rice, oil and salt. How could we have any money? Still. A few times later, when we couldn't meet each other, they even beat my mother. My father protected my mother. But later, for some reason, my father and mother were beaten to death by them. Fortunately, my grandfather was holding him in his arms at that time. I escaped, otherwise I would have been beaten to death by them."
"The government also sent people to investigate, but it was just a pretense, saying that my parents committed suicide because they couldn't let it go."
After listening to Zheng Zhui's words, ten-year-old Zi Yuan sympathized: "They are too hateful. What about your father's best friend?"
"Hey." Zheng Zhui sighed and replied: "If we could find him, my parents wouldn't have been killed by them in vain."
"Then have you...ever thought about revenge?"
Zheng Zhui nodded: "I think so, otherwise...why would I learn Kung Fu from your Uncle Xu? Just so that I can one day avenge my parents."
Seeing that Ziyuan was still thinking about what happened in the provincial capital that day, Zheng Zhui, who knew a lot, said, "Forget about the exam questions. This world cannot be changed by you alone. Besides, you Aren't you also selected for the imperial examination? Don't think too much about it. From now on, like me, Zheng Zhui, I will fight against injustices, make decisions for the people, and show the shame of those dog officials."
"Yeah." Zi Yuan responded.
