Chapter 114 Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen

Wang Zhengfu, courtesy name Zuoren, a Manchurian, was a Jinshi in the Jiaqing period.Starting from the secretary in the cabinet, in Beijing, he sacrificed wine from the fourth-rank Guozijian, and then sent it to Shuntian Mansion.In Shuntian Mansion, he started from Fu Cheng again, and stopped being promoted, and started to be demoted.When Wang Zhengfu was an official in the capital, he belonged to the category of capable personnel, and the annual evaluation by the Ministry of Officials was also good or excellent.Judging from Wang Zhengfu's appearance, this member can be regarded as the kind who has his own opinions and a sense of justice.

Putting down Wang Zhengfu's resume, Zeng Guofan picked up the tea bowl casually. At this moment, the officer on duty led an old man into the office. As soon as the old man entered the room, he fell to his knees and said: "Your servant Wang Laosan kowtows to your lord!" Zeng Guofan said casually: "Wang Laosan, you raise your head, the Headquarters has a few questions to ask you, you must answer honestly, and you are not allowed to lie." Wang Laosan agreed with "yes" and raised his head. When Zeng Guofan saw Wang Laosan, he was stunned: This Wang Laosan looks so familiar!

Wang Laosan was dry and thin, with small eyes and a flat nose. Although he looked about sixty, he didn't have a beard on his chin. A sarcoma the size of a copper coin stood out on his left cheek.It was this sarcoma that was very familiar to Zeng Guofan, as if he had seen it somewhere. Zeng Guofan stared at the sarcoma and thought for a long time, but still couldn't remember, so he asked, "Wang Laosan, where are you from? What have you done before?" Wang Laosan replied: "Responding to the words of the adults, the slave is from Daxing County, Shuntian Prefecture. He has always been the doorkeeper of the rich family."

Hearing the word Daxing, Zeng Guofan suddenly remembered that when Zeng Guofan went to Daxing to check the etiquette system and the county school, he had seen this Wang Laosan in Daxing County School. Zeng Guofan asked: "Wang Laosan, what did you study in Daxing County?" Wang Laosan replied: "The slave has been a concierge for Daxing County School. How does your lord know?" Zeng Guofan asked, "Why did you come to Wanping again?" Wang Laosan replied: "The imperial court sent a man surnamed Zeng to the county school for assessment, and beheaded more than a dozen scholars. After the surname Zeng left, the imperial court sent special personnel to rectify the county school. Many adults were removed at once, and the concierge was not used. There is no need for a servant, so he was introduced to Wanping Qibiejia’s house to watch the house and clean the yard.”

Zeng Guofan said sadly, "This is an acquaintance." Zeng Guofan asked again: "Wang Laosan, what kind of person is Qi Biejia? Please tell me in detail and come and listen to me." Wang Laosan said: "Qi Biejia's name is Zhuanyan, and he is the chief judge of Shuntian Mansion..." Zeng Guofan saw that Wang Laosan was about to eloquent, so he cut off the conversation and said: "Wang Laosan, you are the only witness of Wang Zhengfu's rape, please tell me about the process of Wang Zhengfu's rape." Wang Laosan said: "Returning to my lord, it happened that Master Biejia was on vacation at the mansion that day. It was around noon, and Wang Zhengfu came to knock on the door and said that Biejia asked him to come to enjoy the chrysanthemum. The servant led him to the big house. The master's study, let him wait, and the servant went to report. Who knows that the servant returned to the study, but Wang Zhengfu was nowhere to be seen. At that time, the servant thought: Where did this Wang Zhengfu go? So I searched around. I found the young lady's bedroom. The slave heard the sound in the room was wrong, so he rushed in, but saw my young lady was naked, and Wang Zhengfu was standing beside her! My lord, this Wang Zhengfu is really..."

Zeng Guofan interrupted Wang Laosan and asked: "Wang Laosan, the main hall sent you here today, I just hope you tell the truth, don't you know the main hall?" Wang Laosan said: "Slaves don't know adults." Zeng Guofan said: "Don't you know Mr. Zeng who went to Daxing County to study and handle cases?" Wang Laosan said: "Master Zeng, my slave, I have seen it, but I didn't see it clearly. However, I heard that the master surnamed Zeng was dismissed and beheaded by the emperor when he returned to Beijing." Zeng Guofan said: "Wang Laosan, this is the end of today's question about the Benbutang. Listen clearly, the Benbutang is Mr. Zeng who went to Daxing County to study and handle cases. Go down!"

Wang Laosan was taken aback, and while retreating, he muttered in a low voice: "Master Zeng was not dismissed and beheaded!" After dealing with the matter, Zeng Guofan returned to the mansion very late. Zhou Sheng told him quietly: "Master, someone from Xiangxiang has brought you three jars of pickled vegetables and five pairs of cloth shoes. It seems that one of the jars was pickled by the old lady herself." Zeng Guofan hurriedly got off the sedan chair and went to the square hall to see the butler Tang Xuan drinking tea with the third brother of the Nan family.When the third brother of the Nan family saw Zeng Guofan walking in, he hurried over to greet him, and was hugged by Zeng Guofan.Tang Xuan went out to arrange dinner.At the dinner table, Zeng Guofan deliberately unsealed the altar of vegetables pickled by his mother, carefully took out two chopsticks, and carefully sealed the jar.

Zeng Guofan looked at the pickles, and suddenly asked the third brother of the Nan family: "The old lady hasn't pickled vegetables by herself for several years, why..." The third brother of the Nan family replied: "Not only the young master is strange, but everyone in the house is also strange!" Zeng Guofan was stunned, then stopped talking and started eating. He asked the third brother of the Nan family to eat more tofu and pork offal, but he only ate the pickled vegetables. Seeing that Zeng Guofan only ate pickled vegetables, the third brother of the Nan family said, "Young Master, you also eat vegetables! The pork offal in the capital tastes really good!"

Zeng Guofan said "eat, eat", but the chopsticks still only picked up pickled vegetables, and the circles of his eyes turned red again and again, as if he was enduring great sadness. Finally, the third brother of the Nan family saw two bright things flowing out of Zeng Guofan's eyes, which flowed all the way into his rice bowl.After the meal, Zeng Guofan personally carried the altar of vegetables pickled by his mother into the study, and asked Li Bao to make a pot of tea, and then sat down to talk with the third brother of the Nan family. Zeng Guofan asked quietly: "Third brother, Gao Tang's old mother hasn't pickled vegetables by herself for several years, and now she suddenly does the work herself. Could it be that the old lady has some discomfort? Just tell the truth and don't hide it from me."

The third brother of the Nan family hesitated for a moment and said: "The old lady was indeed ill for a few days last month. She had a high fever, talked nonsense, and yelled the name of the young master. After taking a few doses of Changsha Xiangzi's medicine, her illness weakened. But he wanted to pickle a jar of vegetables by himself. He said that he hadn’t done it for a long time, so he might be unfamiliar with the technique. The whole family thought it was the old lady’s whim, so they didn’t stop them too much. Who knew it was pickling for you! Not only did the salt and vinegar cook by myself, but even the mud seals were done by myself. After putting on the mud seals, I packed the other two jars that had been marinated for a long time together with the wives of several rooms, and let the little ones go to Beijing. Bring it over. The little one is about to go on the road, and the old lady repeatedly asked the little one not to forget to ask the young master if it tastes good? Is the salt heavy? Is the acidity enough? The old lady said, the young master just eat it, She can still pickle!"

Tears welled up in Zeng Guofan's eyes, and he choked up and said, "Gaotang's mother is sixty years old, how can she still do these things! I knew my mother's heart when I first saw this jar of pickled vegetables. My mother and I have been together since the last time we visited each other. Farewell, it’s been six years since Youran. My mother was already old at that time, with more gray hair than black hair. I always cherish my mother’s health in my heart. And how much my mother hopes to stay with her son day and night in her old age Ah! The ancients said, 'Have children to prevent old age'!" As he spoke, the tears flowed more and more urgently. The third brother of the Nan family said: "Young master, you don't have to be so sad when you grow old. Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety cannot be both, and the old lady knows this truth!" Zeng Guofan stopped crying slowly, took a sip of tea, and said: "Third brother, as usual, I can save my marriage once every three years. I wanted to ask the emperor for leave to go home and stay with my mother for a few days. But I gave up the idea because of the many things. I went back to Hunan for business. Although Xiangxiang was close at hand, I had to face the house and dare not enter because I was afraid of being discussed! I didn’t even dare to see the master when he came to the provincial capital! I When I got off the sedan chair and heard Zhou Sheng say that the old lady had pickled a jar of pickles for me, I knew that my mother was eager to think about my son, but she couldn't express it. Mother's nature is not very verbal. Although she doesn't speak, how can a son? How can you not know the mother's heart! Third brother, you go back to your hometown tomorrow, and bring back all the ginseng and the relics of the former emperor that I have been rewarded in the past few years. Tell the old lady that I will ask the emperor for leave after I finish the case at hand. , go home to see her old man." The third brother of the Nan family fell to his knees with a plop and said, "Master, the whole family is looking forward to your words. The crops in the countryside have not been good in the past few years, otherwise, the old lady would have come to Beijing long ago! The little one is looking forward to seeing you." This old saying, I will explain it to my family when I go back tomorrow!" This sentence made Zeng Guofan burst into tears.