The Baochang gritted his teeth and said, "We will also repay the grain from these years; I beg the Young Master to show us a way out, for the sake of being fellow townsmen."
Zhu Ci sat in the seat of honor, pondering for a long while before saying, "As the year-end approaches, if news of this matter reaches the Capital, neither A-gong nor A-fu will be pleased. They sent me because I miss my hometown but cannot leave due to my official duties. You people are truly disappointing. Forget it, I don't want to be entangled with you. It's not impossible to avoid punishment, but I have conditions."
The Baochang immediately said, "Young Master, just give the command, we shall obey without fail!"
Zhu Ci leaned back and said, "I don't care who demolished the house or who occupied the fields. Have the house repaired for me before the New Year. As for the fields.. I will consider them leased by you, I'll provide a formal document later. You must pay the rent for these years in full; this is the only way to avoid punishment, otherwise, don't blame me for not covering for you."
Upon hearing this, the Baochang nearly burst into tears. Even though he was a local gentry, he had no grain or money on hand; Xi Zhong's family had moved away more than ten years ago.
More than ten years of rent, all for fertile land, how.. how could such a sum be gathered all at once?
And there's also repairing the houses, which also requires a lot of money.
If the villagers cannot come up with this money, he will have to cover it himself.
However, he also knew that the Young Master had indeed shown mercy, but it was still much lighter than being sentenced to one hundred strokes of the cane or being exiled three thousand li; either of those two would be fatal.
Therefore, he flashed a smile even more unsightly than a sob, bowing repeatedly as he said, "Thank you, Young Master, for showing mercy."
Zhu Ci raised an eyebrow. "What? You can't do it?"
The Baochang gritted his teeth and said, "I can do it, but I wonder if the Young Master could grant us a few more days? This old man doesn't have that much on hand for the time being.."
Zhu Ci glanced at him, fell into silence for a long while, then said, "Forget it. As the year-end approaches, I do not wish to be too coercive; it wouldn't look good if word got out. Pay as much as you can. If you truly cannot pay it all back, then starting from next year, in addition to the regular rent, you will have to pay a portion of your harvest in grain to settle the debt. How does that sound?"
The Baochang's heart sank, but he was quick-witted and immediately asked, "I wonder how the Young Master intends to handle those lands?"
Zhu Ci waved his hand and said, "When the time comes, sign the contract and you can continue to farm them."
He had no choice but to let them farm it; even if Zhu Ci took it back, it would only end up lying fallow.
He can't even tell wheat sprouts from chives; he'd probably be a worse farmer than Tao Yuanming!
The Baochang was overjoyed: "Thank you for your kindness, Young Master! Thank you for your kindness, Young Master!"
Zhu Ci gave a huff. "Enough. I will be staying in the county for a while. Once the residence is repaired, send someone to inform me. Additionally, the lease must be formally registered at the government office."
The Baochang agreed repeatedly. Zhu Ci stood up, glanced at Dalang, said, "I'm not very familiar with the county; you lead the way."
Dalang immediately responded and hurriedly went out to lead the way.
Zhu Ci rode his mule all the way to the county. However, Xiaoshui was simply too small, with no inns available for lodging at all, so in the end, he just rented a two-entry courtyard house.
This courtyard was the largest among the houses available for rent. When Zhu Ci inspected it, he said with a look of disdain, "It'll do."
After saying that, he shot a glance at Dalang and said irritably, "If you hadn't caused such unnecessary trouble, I wouldn't have to stay here. Once I return, I'll tell your father that the ancestral home must be repaired as soon as possible. If you can't resolve this and end up provoking my brother, you'll all be in serious trouble!"
Dalang bowed repeatedly and said, "This lowly one understands. Young Master, please calm your anger."
After Dalang left, Zhu Ci stood in the newly rented house and rubbed his chin. After staying in that Small Mountain Village for one night, he had changed his mind slightly; the Small Mountain Village was sufficiently secluded, while the local customs weren't particularly simple, the people there were not wicked or evil.
Transportation was indeed somewhat inconvenient, but it wasn't particularly isolated. Most importantly, there was a coastline; comparing it to the nautical charts in his memory, there were also ports nearby, making it a place that could serve as both a base for offense and a stronghold for defense.
While thinking, Zhu Ci wandered around the town and stopped by the only eatery in town for a meal.
However, as soon as he entered, his footsteps faltered. Many people dressed in tight-fitting martial attire with long sabers hanging from their waists appeared in the eatery.
These people looked like the personal guards of some high-ranking official, but.. why would this Small Mountain Village have drawn them here?
Zhu Ci had barely stepped through the door before he drew the attention of those people. The group exchanged glances, one of them immediately stood up to block Zhu Ci's path.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: The customs here are truly simple and honest, so easy to fool. The Great Cat King nods in satisfaction. jpg
This chapter still includes New Year's Eve red envelopes~ The next update will be at 6 PM~
Chapter 26
The man sized Zhu Ci up from head to toe before asking, "An outsider?"
Zhu Ci replied nonchalantly, "That depends on how I say it."
The man frowned. "If I tell you to speak, you speak. What do you mean, 'how to say'?"
Zhu Ci suddenly lost his temper and shouted, "Whose guard are you? You show no respect for rank or status; even a magistrate wouldn't dare speak to me this way."
The man's eyebrows shot up. "Do you believe me when I say I'll have you arrested and thrown in jail right now?"
Arresting me and throwing me in jail is nothing. If you have the capability, throw me into the Imperial Prison. I'm just afraid that seeing the Jinyi Guard will make your legs tremble.
The man's expression changed upon hearing the words Jinyi Guard, at that moment, another man who looked like black charcoal stepped forward and said, "Young Master, please do not be angry. This subordinate has a violent temper; if he has offended you, we offer our sincerest apologies."
Zhu Ci's expression softened slightly as he said, "Bad temper? What kind of skill is it to be bad-tempered toward a commoner?"
The man from before was still somewhat unconvinced, thinking to himself that you weren't a commoner either; you were a Scholar.
However, with Heitan in front, he didn't say anything else.
Heitan asked in a gentle voice, "I wonder where you have come from, young master? Why are you stopping here?"
Zhu Ci gave them a puzzled look. "This is the site of my ancestral home. I have returned to pay respects to my ancestors; is there anything wrong with staying here?"
Heitán looked him up and down for a long while, appearing somewhat hesitant, before finally asking, "I do not know your surname, young master, nor where you reside?"
Zhu Ci looked at him with a half-smile and half-smirk: "Do you really want to know? It wouldn't be much if you didn't know, but if you truly find out, he won't have a good day today."
Zhu Ci pointed at Baopiqi.
Baopiqi gave a cold snort. "Then you might as well show it. I want to see what kind of precious figure in this Small Mountain Village can actually get the better of me."
Zhu Ci just looked at Heitan, Heitan didn't seem to take Zhu Ci seriously; his expression was gentle, but in reality, he still said, "You are joking, young master."
Zhu Ci said calmly, "I am from the Capital, my surname is Xi, my grandfather is the Earl of Changxing."
Earl of Changxing?
Heitan's expression changed instantly; not to mention him, even Baopiqi turned pale.
They might not know who the Earl of Changxing was, but such figures were not people they could easily provoke. If this person before them truly was a scion of the nobility and chose to pursue the matter, Baopiqi would indeed suffer the consequences, he might even lose his life.
Heitan hesitated slightly, "Does the young master have any identification?"
Zhu Ci knew he didn't believe him, so he threw the travel permit directly to him and said, "Look closely."
Heitan took a quick look at it before immediately returning it with both hands, saying, "So it is the Young Earl. I hope the Young Earl can forgive my rudeness."
He really is the descendant of an Earl? Baopiqi was a bit stunned and immediately followed suit to pay his respects.
Zhu Ci gave a huff and said, "What 'Young Earl' this or that? I am currently nothing more than a Scholar without any official rank, so I am not particularly formidable."
Heitan thought to himself that this youth looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old. Even if he came from a family of profound learning, a scholar in his teens—even if not a prodigy—would certainly be exceptionally gifted. Combined with his family background, it was certain that this young master would rise rapidly in rank in the future. If he were to be held a grudge by him, then in the future.. his entire family would likely be in danger.
Oh, forget the future; he has the ability to kill his entire family right now!
Heitan felt a sense of misery in his heart, unable to understand how such a golden phoenix could be nesting in this remote corner of the world.
He hurriedly smiled apologetically and said, "We were reckless before, please do not blame us, Young Master. If you do not mind, we shall treat you to this meal today."
Zhu Ci let out a huff. "You are lucky. Before I arrived, A-gong specifically told me to keep a low profile, otherwise none of you would have escaped."
Yes, yes, this way, Young Master.
Their group had already taken the best seats in the eatery, someone immediately vacated a seat for Zhu Ci.
After Zhu Ci sat down, Heitan immediately said, "We won't disturb the Young Master's meal."
Wait." Zhu Ci said, tilting his chin up. "Sit down, I have something to ask.
Heitan's heart sank. He slowly sat down on the stool, but he didn't dare sit fully; he just perched on the edge, as if he were waiting to stand up at any moment.
Zhu Ci acted as if he hadn't seen it and asked, "What are you doing looking for outsiders here? Could it be that an outsider has committed a crime?"
Heitan breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing that this young master was not looking for trouble with him, said, "It is nothing like that. Rather, a young master has run away from home, my master has sent people to help search for him."
Run away from home?
Zhu Ci's ears perked up, he asked with a feigned look of curiosity, "It's almost the New Year, why would he run away from home now?"
“Who knows.” Heitan also seemed full of resentment. “Maybe the Young Master is unhappy.”
After he finished speaking, he explained to Zhu Ci, "That young master is of a similar age to the young master, his appearance bears some resemblance, which is why we asked a few extra questions."
Similar age, similar appearance.. Zhu Ci immediately asked, "Similar to me? What do they look like? Let me see."
Heitan immediately pulled a piece of paper from his chest, upon unfolding it, the portrait was revealed.
Zhu Ci's heart skipped a beat when he saw the portrait; it looked exactly like him, or rather, it was him!
It was merely him dressed in commoner's clothing after he had separated from Zhu Ci; he only changed into the scholar's attire after he left alone later.
Of course, no matter how similar a portrait is, it can never be exactly like a photograph; this portrait could be said to look like him, or it could be said to look like Zhu Ci.
And the name on the portrait was the false identity the Hangzhou Prefect had arranged for him.
He looked surprised. "It really does bear a resemblance to me. No wonder. Sigh, it's the Lunar New Year and the weather is cold; it hasn't been easy for you all either."
Hearing Zhu Ci relax, Heitan immediately began to vent his grievances, complaining that they had already tracked them all the way from Wujiang, only to have all contact lost.
During the meal, Zhu Ci also deliberately guided the other party into revealing that their master was the Magistrate of Jiading, but it seemed this magistrate had also received orders from his superiors.
Having asked what he needed to ask, Zhu Ci stood up and said, "Alright, I'm full. You two continue."
He said as he slapped dozens of copper coins onto the table, "Shopkeeper, the bill, please."
Heitan saw this and immediately stood up, saying, "That won't do, that won't do. We agreed that this meal would be our apology; how could we let the Young Master pay?"
Zhu Ci handed the copper coins directly to the waiter and said, "Since it was all a misunderstanding, let it be. It hasn't been easy for you all, this meal doesn't cost much, so there is no need for you to treat me. I have matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave now. We shall meet again."
This.. The Young Master is truly magnanimous; we shall never forget your kindness.
Zhu Ci waved them off and strode out of the eatery.
After going out, he strolled along the street with a relaxed expression, but his heart was extremely heavy.
These people were clearly looking for him, but he didn't know exactly how far the news had spread, or which group of people was searching for him.
Combining this with those two people who had been tailing him earlier, Zhu Ci felt it was extremely strange.
The only people who could possibly be implicated in his disappearance were those two eunuchs; as for the rest.. aside from the Empress, neither side would likely care whether he returned or not.
With Zhu Ci in hand, the Donglin Party has likely already begun preparations to overthrow the current Emperor. Ma Shiying's life and prosperity are entirely dependent on Zhu Yousong; the Crown Prince is of no consequence to him, as Zhu Yousong has other sons regardless.
Even the Empress, judging by the false identity she had prepared in advance, likely did not want her son to return to those murky waters.