Although Wang Laowu was just a farmer, he was good at observing people's words and expressions. Hearing that there was no blame in Qiu Yizhi's words, he felt relieved and led Qiu Yizhi and Zhao Chengxiao into the hall. He kept talking: "I was wondering how early in the morning, two magpies landed on the branches, chirping for an hour before flying away. It's true that the nobles are here, but my place is a little shabby and doesn't meet the master's eyes. I really wronged the master!"
Qiu Yizi saw that apart from a set of high-quality hardwood furniture in the hall, there was no other decoration - let alone ancient books and volumes, famous paintings and calligraphy, there were not even one or two vases - it seemed luxurious but lacked elegance.
Qiu Yizi was not polite and sat down on the main seat, saying with a smile: "Wang Laowu, there is a saying that goes 'When a man has been away for three days, he should be treated with new eyes', and this saying applies to you exactly. I haven't seen you for a few months, and yet you are here to hold a trial and act like a county magistrate."
Wang Laowu stood by respectfully, scratching his head and said, "I had no choice but to do this!"
Qiu Yizi laughed when he heard this: "Does being an official have to be forced? What's going on? Tell me the truth!"
"Alas!" Wang Laowu sighed, "After my master came to Huaiyin County and taught Sun Baopi a lesson, he went to other places on official business. But I was unlucky. Sun Baopi sent people to arrest me. I suffered countless beatings and was finally charged with treason and sentenced to death. I was locked up in jail, waiting to be killed. My father also died of illness at this time." When he said this, Wang Laowu's eyes seemed to be a little moist.
Qiu Yizi also sighed and said, "Come to think of it, this is also my fault for not doing things well. I'd like to apologize to you first!"
"I dare not, I dare not!" Wang Laowu continued, "But I didn't expect that Sun Bapi was not stupid. He listened to the advice of Mr. Zhao in the county and really prepared military rations and sent them to the Youyan army. Later, the King of Youyan won several battles, captured the capital, and became the emperor. Sun Bapi was recommended for his great merit. Although he didn't get promoted, his position as the county magistrate became more and more stable."
Qiu Yizhi listened in deep thought, and then heard Wang Laowu say, "Sun Bapi won the prize, so he naturally wouldn't embarrass me anymore and let me go. But in this way, my family has been destroyed, so I might as well give it a try and say that I am an old friend of yours and I will be an official in Beijing soon. Sun Bapi was really afraid of me and rewarded me with such a house. He also thought that I could help him after I went to Beijing, so that he could get promoted and make a fortune. Later, all the villagers knew that I had a say in front of Sun Bapi, so they asked me to say hello when they encountered something, and Sun Bapi gave me face and listened to me. In this way, I became the second master in Huaiyin County."
Qiu Yizi smiled and said, "You have no other choice but to do this... But the judgment of this case is unfair, otherwise I would really reward you with a county magistrate!"
Sun Papi said, "The master is the emperor's man, so he may not know the intrigues here. Take the matter of the two brothers just now for example. If it is brought to Sun Papi, both families want to win the lawsuit, so they will have to bribe the higher-ups. If Sun Papi delays it intentionally or unintentionally, the two families will miss the farming season and their families will be ruined. Maybe by then, the land will not belong to them anymore!"
After hearing this, Qiu Yizhi heaved a long sigh and said, "Although your words may be vulgar, they are a great article on official administration!"
Wang Laowu replied, "I can't even read a single word, let alone write a long article! But I do know that the Emperor exempted Henan Province from taxes for two years after ascending the throne. Officials have no excuse to take advantage of this, so they are all eyeing the fat piece of meat from lawsuits!"
Qiu Yizi praised: "Great! Just based on your few words, Wang Laowu, it is another great achievement. J Remember when I said goodbye to you, I said I would help you to become a successful person. Now I have received the emperor's order to go to Shanyin County in Jiangnan to serve as the county magistrate. Why don't you come with me to take up the post?"
Wang Laowu hesitated for a long time and was reluctant to answer.
Zhao Chengxiao, who was standing by, got anxious and cursed, "You bachelor, you are poor and mean, but I don't know what my master likes about you? You dare to put on airs? What's wrong with you? Have you been wronged by following my master?"
Wang Laowu quickly waved his hands and said, "No... No..."
Qiu Yizi didn't care at all and said, "Don't I know the tricks in your heart? You are now a 'Second Master' in Huaiyin County, but if you go to Shanyin County, you will just be a servant under me. How can you be so powerful now?"
Wang Laowu's thoughts were exposed, and his face immediately turned red. He was unwilling to admit it, and only said: "How dare I think like that?"
Qiu Yizi said, "This is human nature. I might as well tell you here that I am not a small county official, but a distant nephew of the current emperor, and I have made great contributions in the campaign against the rebellion. The emperor originally wanted to make me a high official, but I found it troublesome, so I just wanted to be a county magistrate in a wealthy place in the south of the Yangtze River for fun. As for that Sun Baopi, I only need to tell the emperor and he will take off his official hat immediately. Do you believe it?"
Qiu Yizhi said this with confidence, and Wang Laowu couldn't help but believe it, but he was also frightened. Even though he had a sharp tongue, he could only stammer and say, "It turns out...it turns out that the master is...actually a royal relative!"
Qiu Yizhi was quite pleased with this, so she smiled and said, "Why? Are you willing to go with me now?"
Wang Laowu was a bold man to begin with. After his father died and he had nothing to worry about, he gritted his teeth and said, "I will definitely not be treated badly if I follow the master. I will go with the master now!"
"Good!" Qiu Yizi praised, "You are indeed a quick-witted person. That's what I want you to say! I'll give you half an hour to pack some valuables. Come with me now!"
Wang Laowu said, "I am penniless and have nothing to bring with me, so I will just go with you!"
Qiu Yizi nodded and said, "Alright! But I think this silk robe of yours doesn't look right. Go get some tight clothes from your brother Zhao and put them on. At least you can look like someone you can command, right?"
Wang Laowu agreed immediately, took a set of clothes from Zhao Chengxiao and changed into them immediately.
Seeing that he had changed his clothes and looked neat and tidy, Qiu Yizhi gave him a few more instructions: "You, Wang Laowu, are smart and honest, but you are too bold and can't control your mouth. Let me tell you, my identity is a confidential matter and cannot be easily revealed to others. If you say a word more, it will be a disaster for your life. Do you understand?"
Wang Laowu also knew the weight of Qiu Yizi's words, and nodded in agreement, and then said: "Since you are in Huaiyin County, why don't you go and see Sun Baopi? He seems to be in the county government office."
Qiu Yizi said without thinking: "What kind of platform can Sun Baopi be on? Is it worth it for me to meet him in person? We don't need to see him. I don't want to stay in Huaiyin County any longer. Let's set off now."
Wang Laowu heard Qiu Yizhi's firm words, so he could only nod and say, "Okay, okay. Since you said so, I will lead the horse for you."
So the group quickened their pace, left Huaiyin County, and headed southeast.
Along the way, it was a sunny and bright spring day, and Qiu Yizi walked very comfortably. Soon they arrived in Shandong Province.
Shandong is the place where Confucian saints were born and taught. It has been a prosperous place since ancient times, with many scenic spots and historical sites. Qiu Yizhi was not in a hurry to travel, so he took this opportunity to climb Mount Tai, visit the Confucius Temple, drink at Baotu, and visit Penglai. He spent a whole month traveling before thinking of going south to take up his post.
It just so happened that Shandong was the hub of the Han Dynasty's water transport, with a Grand Canal leading directly to the south of the Yangtze River.
Qiu Yizi rode a horse every day in the north and seldom took a boat. He found this very novel, so he asked Wang Laowu to find a passenger boat so that he could go south downstream.
Wang Laowu had just become Qiu Yi's disciple and was trying to curry favor with her, but it didn't take long before he found a boat.
Qiu Yizhi saw that the boat was a rather large pleasure boat, about 60 to 70 feet long and 20 to 30 feet wide, with two floors, so she asked Wang Laowu, "Laowu, don't you think this boat is too small?"
Wang Laowu replied, "Sir, this boat is still small? There are only twenty-one of us in total. This boat can at least carry forty or fifty people. Isn't it big enough?"
Qiu Yizi smiled and said, "Of course it's enough to carry a few of us, but we also have 20 horses. How do you think this boat can hold them all?"
"Hey!" Wang Laowu said with a smile, "I've already thought about this. Young Master, just sell the horse here, get the money, and then go to Jiangnan to choose a few identical horses, so that the cabin won't be filled with the smell of horses..."
Before Wang Laowu finished speaking, Qiu Yizhi's personal soldiers had already burst into laughter.
Some said, "Old Five, do you think these horses are just animals that turn the soil in the fields? If you want to sell them, sell them. If you want to buy them, buy them."
"That's right! Lao Wu sold himself with a tag on his head, but the money he got might not even be enough to buy a horse's tail!" someone echoed.
"Who said that? If we compare the skills of plowing the fields, Lao Wu might not be inferior to these horses. Lao Wu, do you want to buy a body or not? They don't want it, but I do. How about ten taels of silver?"
"I'll give you twelve taels!"
"Twenty taels, one price!"
As they talked, the topic turned to Wang Laowu's sale.
This bachelor was not a coward. When he heard them laughing at him, his face turned red and he cursed back, "Bullshit! Do you think I'm a whore? If you want to sell yourself, go sell yourself!"
Someone heard this and replied, "Based on your appearance, I think you'll starve to death even if you end up in a brothel!" After saying that, there was another round of sneers.
Qiu Yizhi heard this, fearing that this group of rough people would cause trouble, and hurriedly shouted: "Are you all full and have nothing to do? Anyone who says another word will not be able to eat for the next two days!"
These personal soldiers all knew Qiu Yi's identity, and when they heard what he said, they immediately fell silent.
Qiu Yizi then turned to Wang Laowu, whose face was flushed red, and said, "Laowu, this is not your fault. Look at these horses, each one is a fine horse from the Bohai grassland. In a war, one more horse is better than ten more men! Take the big blue horse under my crotch, for example, it is a genuine Ferghana horse, which is hard to come by. Even if someone offers the entire Huaiyin County in exchange, I may not agree!"
Wang Laowu realized that these horses were actually priceless. He was stunned for a moment, and it took him a long while to react. He said, "I didn't know these horses were such treasures. I almost missed the big event. I'll go find another boat and I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
This bachelor was really decisive and efficient. In less than the time it took him to smoke a cigarette, he found another ship - a grain ship that had been used to transport grain to the north and then emptied out to head south - although it was a bit simple, it had plenty of space for transporting horses, and by cleaning the bottom of the warehouse, he even saved on hay for the horses.
Qiu Yizi was originally a very simple person, and didn't care about these luxurious decorations at all. He just thought this ship was very good, so he boarded the ship and headed south. (To be continued)