Han Si is a lazy man.
Since childhood, Han Si didn't like studying. Even when his family whipped him to go to a private school, he could still make the teacher so angry that he almost choked to death on his phlegm.
In the end, the family gave up on Han Si.
When he was fifteen, Han Si's parents died, and he became a poor man. He spent all his time wandering around Ya County, doing some sneaky and fraudulent things.
Many years have passed, and Han Si no longer has any valuables except for guarding a shabby thatched house.
If the head of the Han family had not had some status in Ya County and forbade anyone to buy that shabby thatched house, Han Si would have frozen to death on the street long ago, given that Ya County is a lawless place with endless bandits.
After all, Yanzhou is located north of the Yangtze River and connected to Mizhou, so it is a bit cold even in spring.
At this moment, Han Si, wearing a tattered cotton jacket with cotton wool leaking out, was kneeling in a small dark room, kowtowing continuously, with snot and tears flowing out uncontrollably.
"Please spare my life, Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy! Please spare my life, Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy! I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong! I shouldn't have defied the majesty of heaven and deceived you as if you were an ordinary outsider. I really know I was wrong..."
Han Si was also a tough guy. Even though his head was bleeding and he was seeing stars, he still insisted on kowtowing continuously.
Seeing that Han Si's face was covered in blood and he was about to collapse, a flash of fire appeared in the darkness, and then with a hissing sound, a small wooden stick lit the candle.
The person lighting the candle carefully put away the matches. This was a new treasure distributed by the Works Hall to the staff of the Holy Academy. It was far more magical than the flint or tinderbox before.
"Hmph!" the man snorted coldly.
Han Si's body trembled, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He stopped kowtowing, raised his head slightly, and secretly looked at the man.
In the candlelight, the man's brows looked a little sinister, but it could be seen that he was a quite young man, no more than twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with thin lips, delicate features, dignified eyes, and a solemn expression. He just glanced at Han Si casually, as if a king was looking down at him.
Han Si shuddered and said hurriedly, "Master, I know I was wrong. If you just let me go, I will do anything for you."
The man sat on the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and said, "I have killed more monsters than you have ever seen."
The fierce murderous intent flew out like a real sword, and the chill was overwhelming. Han Si felt as if he was in the coldest days of winter. An unprecedented fear rose in his heart, and he continued to kowtow instinctively.
Han Si realized that he might have provoked a monster among the human race. An ordinary scholar could not have such a strong power. He thought of the legendary power of Wen Dan. At least one must be at the first level of Wen Dan to be able to exert it slightly. However, such a young person has broken through the first level of Wen Dan. He is definitely not an ordinary scholar, but most likely a child of aristocratic family.
Not to mention the head of the Han family, even the local county magistrate, or even all the local officials combined, cannot compare to the hair of a child of a noble family.
"Stop first." The man said slowly.
Han Si hurriedly stopped kowtowing.
"Do you know why I didn't kill you?"
"I don't know." Han Si said honestly.
"My last name is Han too."
Han Si was like grabbing a life-saving straw, and hurriedly said: "So it's the eldest master of our family. Your nephew... no, your great-nephew greets you."
Han Si raised his head and laughed, the blood on his face made him look as hideous as a ghost.
The man was actually amused and said, "I, Han Shouling, am of a high rank, but it is rare to have a nephew this old. Although you are a villain, you are smart and sensible. Get up and wipe your face." As he said that, he threw out a roll of wet towel.
"Thank you, great uncle." Han Si showed an honest smile and wiped his face while enduring the pain. Even when he touched the wound, he just gritted his teeth tightly and didn't make any cry.
After Han Si finished wiping, Han Shouling threw a thick stack of documents to Han Si and said, "This is your file in the county government. Don't pretend. I know you can read. Take a look for yourself."
Han Si was so scared that he dropped his towel, took the thick document, and then flipped through it with gritted teeth.
The more Han Si read, the more shocked he became. These were records of his criminal behavior over the years from the county government. Not only did they include crimes that he had been punished for, but they also included some crimes that he had asked others to help eliminate. There were even a large number of cases related to him, but because there was no evidence, there was nothing they could do to him.
After just flipping through a few pages, Han Si knelt on the ground again and cried, "I beg you, great uncle, to save me. I have committed those minor offenses, but those major crimes have nothing to do with me! Although I have been naughty since I was young, I am very timid. Whenever there is a slight disturbance, I will be the first to run away. If I were really a murderer who killed people without blinking an eye, how could the successive county magistrates let this great merit go? Great uncle, I have never killed anyone or robbed anyone..."
Han Si didn't even dare to mention some of the major cases.
Han Shouling smiled and said, "Whether you have committed a capital crime or not, your opinion does not count. The county magistrate's opinion does not count. I have the final say!"
Han Si cried and complained: "Granduncle, I am really wronged. I only heard about those disasters but did not participate in them."
Han Shouling ignored Han Si and asked himself, "Do you know which Han family is the most honorable among the human race?"
"Of course it's the famous Han Fei family..." Han Si was just saying it casually, but halfway through, he was shocked and stared at Han Shouling with wide eyes. Then, a look of fear appeared on his face and he trembled. If Han Shouling said another harsh word, he would be scared to the point of shitting and pissing.
Han Shouling smiled and asked, "What is the most noble place of the human race?"
Han Si no longer had the courage to answer, but under Han Shouling's gaze, after more than ten breaths, he forced himself to think normally and said slowly: "Of course it is the Holy Court."
Han Shouling continued to ask: "Who is the first person among all the saints?"
"Of course it's Fang Yun Fang Xusheng, the current left prime minister." Han Si answered seriously.
Han Shouling nodded and said, "Although I passed the imperial examination at a young age, I am still a virtuous man. I am not behind others. I am proficient in dog fighting, horse racing, hawk training, and demon training. If it had always been like this, it would not be bad. However, my cousin Han Shoulu, who followed me closely in the past, was promoted to Hanlin before me, and he will become a great scholar in the future. This makes me very embarrassed. I, Han Shouling, also need to save face! I am a cruel person, so I found Shoulu and threatened him with his embarrassing childhood experiences, asking him to find a way out for me. Even if I can't surpass him, I can't fall behind him too much. He pointed out a clear way for me and asked me to help Fang Xusheng. As long as I can catch Fang Xusheng's eye, I will become a university scholar within 20 years, and it is not a problem to even have a few children who have the opportunity to become great scholars."
Han Si gently wiped the sweat from his face. He had seen many dandy young men in the county, not to mention the ones in the prefecture and the state. But compared with this young man from aristocratic family, those dandy young men were just playing house.
Han Shouling took a sip of tea and continued, "I think this method is good. It just so happened that Fang Xusheng and Shengyuan wanted to clean up the dirt of Jingguo. The Criminal Hall was short of people, so I went to serve the old master for a day and asked for this job. I heard that Yanzhou is the most unruly, and there are several places in Yanzhou that are most famous. They have even made up a slogan, called 'The stealing in Yu Mansion, the robbery in Heiyuan County, and Ya County has never had an emperor since ancient times'. I am very curious. It is said that unruly people come from poor and remote places. These unruly people don't even care about the law? So, I brought my family to take a look and help Jingguo govern this place."