mtl008 Chapter 204 Confidence Taken a Crushing Blow
Chapter 204 Confidence Taken a Crushing Blow
Chapter 204 Confidence Taken a Crushing Blow
Despite being missing an arm and a leg and having just turned sixty, Li Yuanzheng's spirit is in no way inferior to that of a young person.
Especially during the years when the imperial court had no time to attend to Qucheng, the people here almost survived on the help of Li Yuanzheng, the prefectural official who didn't give face to anyone but was wholeheartedly for the people.
To improve the lives of ordinary people, he learned textiles, dyeing, embroidery, sericulture, papermaking, bamboo weaving, iron smelting...
He possessed more than a dozen skills, including some that violated imperial edicts, but he always taught them to the people in a different guise after learning them.
He disliked fine clothes and preferred discussing with experienced farmers how to improve crop growth. He liked to use his fists to persuade domineering and conservative families and sent his daughter to an orphanage to learn to read and write.
He will give justice to every victim who finds him or whom he sees, but he will not deliberately cause suffering to his wife, children, and elderly parents because of his official reputation.
As long as it doesn't involve matters of principle, he would tacitly allow his wife to accept some of the fruits, vegetables, cloth, meat, and eggs that neighbors or victims brought him as a token of gratitude.
If a vendor insists on giving him a sugar painting or doll, he'll think of bringing two back for his grandchildren.
If someone truly repents, he will personally teach even the most unruly boy.
He has publicly reprimanded anyone who has made a mistake, even if they are a highly respected elder.
Furthermore, he would never allow the exploitation of or abandonment of children, or the selling of offspring, to occur within his jurisdiction.
Therefore, even the most ignorant and scoundrels in the surrounding towns respected Li Yuanzheng greatly.
Lu Jian, who used the alias Wang Hao, originally thought that he had joined the old man's ranks. Even if he didn't completely satisfy the old man, he thought that with his talent and knowledge, he could at least leave no room for criticism.
did not expect--
"Hey! You young man, I've told you not to fertilize like this! It'll kill the crops!"
Li Yuanzheng slapped Lu Jian on the head, snatched his manure basket and held it against his crotch, then reluctantly demonstrated it again.
"That damned old man!" Lu Jian roared in silent rage.
While fertilizing, Li Yuanzheng cursed, "Really! I've never seen such a stupid young man."
Nothing about him satisfied him!
I should have known better than to accept him...
Then comes rice planting.
"Have your feet never touched the ground since you were born? They're either planted more densely than roadside weeds or sparser than desert grass!"
Okay, okay, let's turn the soil over then, that should be easy, right?
"Who exactly are you trying to bury?"
“…” After a moment of silence, Lu Jian, who had indeed dug pits to bury many corpses, moved on to another spot to dig.
"Aaaaaah, you're going to wear out the hoe if you keep digging like that!"
"Is this what you call weeding?! Can't you even tell the difference between rice seedlings and weeds?"
"Ugh! Really!"
"Never mind, you go and cook for Wednesday's wife."
......
After a few days, Lu Jian's mentality collapsed, and he became haggard.
He had hoped to take this opportunity to learn about Li Yuanzheng's character and the true situation in Qucheng, but he never expected to be so frustrated.
He clearly experienced hardship and exile in his youth; these things should be...
“That means those days weren’t too hard,” Baili Ce patted him on the shoulder, handing him a bowl of water with a look that said, “You’ve had too much good fortune.”
It's so great not having to treat him like an emperor!
What? Aren't you afraid he'll retaliate?
Of course she was afraid, but it was what she deserved.
As the saying goes, don't let fear of hardship prevent you from enjoying the sweetness of life.
Anyway, she's very happy now.
"Hmph..." Lu Jian drank the water with a look of disgust, having seen through everything.
This person has no concept of the distinction between ruler and subject, and is clearly trying to frame him for the things that Song Zhaohe arranged for him to do.
Unfortunately, he used the pretext of praying for blessings to leave the palace without permission. If she were to expose this and be scolded by the censors, that would be a minor matter; it would be a major matter if he were targeted by her enemies.
[This refers to Wang Qingyan]
"If you're so capable, why don't you do it yourself?"
Lu Jian didn't believe it. They were both pampered and privileged; how could she be any better than him?
However, facts have proven—
"This is what rice planting should be like!"
"Your fertilizing technique is really perfect!"
"Great! You even know how to raise fish! Quick, go teach them!"
"What? You can raise silkworms too? Great, great! I'll give you an extra ten, no, twenty jin of the first harvest of rice this year!"
Two more days passed. Having proven utterly useless and deserving to return home, Lu Jian finally left, carrying with him Li Yuanzheng's assessment of him.
"I have never seen such a stupid person!" He left Qucheng with two taels of silver.
Shortly after Lu Jian left, Bai Li Ce received replies from the Fifth Master and Bai Li Ming.
One said he's been very busy lately and will come to Qucheng again when he has time.
One of them asked Qu Cheng if life in the city was tough and whether she wanted to return to the capital. If she didn't want to go back, Baili Ming could call the old steward or someone from the mansion to take care of her.
If she finds it too much trouble, she can simply send someone to help her renovate her place, plant some exotic flowers and plants for her, and if she needs more living expenses, she can just ask Baili Ming for more...
"Sigh..." After reading the letter, Baili Ce was moved, but he also had ninety-nine points of trouble.
These people always wanted to care about her, but were also afraid of hurting her.
I want her to open up and make more friends, but I'm also afraid she'll go against her own heart and make things difficult for herself.
Therefore, we can only be very careful and avoid any methods that might touch her "scars" in order to protect her self-esteem.
Actually, they just need to communicate with her openly and honestly, like that dog emperor Lu Jian.
Unfortunately, because they love you so much, your loved ones often think that your strength is just an act.
The indifference you showed was all in the past; it was just a facade to reassure them.
Therefore, Baili Ce's replies to them were all only two words long.
Okay, give it to Fifth Master.
Never mind, give it to Baili Ming.
......
During their time in Qucheng, Song Zhaohe and Baili Ce saw each other frequently, but their conversations consisted mainly of official business and agricultural matters.
It's so normal that a lot of people are worried about him.
However, with Lu Jian gone, everyone's focus finally shifted.
To paraphrase one of the neighborhood chiefs, "I don't know how someone like Wang Hao became your friend."
Um... Having learned the inside story from Baili Ce, Song Zhaohe felt embarrassed for Lu Jian, but was also worried that if it got back to Lu Jian, he would be in big trouble.
I just wanted to say a few words in defense of Lu Jian, "Brother Wang is actually...quite knowledgeable."
"Come on, come on," one farmer said bluntly. "He can't do anything from weeding to watering, and he can't even chop firewood properly."
"That's it."
"He has a lot of strength, but he can't even cut pig feed."
"He managed to puncture the pot even while trying to light a fire. Sigh... It's heartbreaking to think about. That was a pot I'd used for eighteen years!"
"He went to pick some wild vegetables, and even following the example I gave him, he still picked the wrong ones, which is bad enough, but the worst part is that not a single one was correct..."
Well, the first harvest feast after the summer harvest turned into a denunciation meeting for Lu Jian.
Moreover, it was instigated by the most important court official he valued most.
Why don't I take this back to the capital and get a pair of little shoes to wear? Hehe...
However, just as Baili Ce thought his wicked scheme had succeeded and was secretly gloating—
"Hey, I heard Brother Song isn't married yet?"
not good!
Bai Li Ce clutched his stomach and left the field like the wind...
"Oh, this..." The villagers who were just about to act as matchmakers suddenly found themselves in an awkward situation.
They didn't even dare to slurp the soup.
Song Zhaohe, however, looked at the empty seat with some disappointment, but he was not discouraged.
He even openly toasted everyone, saying, "Come on, let me toast you all."
"Thank you all for taking care of Mr. Song during this time."
......