Chapter 23 Chapter 23: Li Yunniang’s Heart is for Wu Ciyou, Grandma Zhang’s Affection for Sheng Gong

After Grandma Zhang drove Kong Lingpei away, she didn't show up for a day.Wu Ciyou and Li Yunniang were worried and uneasy.Until it's time to light the lights.This mysterious Grandma Zhang brought a doctor to treat the two of them, ordered them to take medicine, and arranged another house for Yunniang.After the soup and rice were used up and everything was in order, I went to sit in the west wing room: "You two, I came as soon as I said I would go, who wanted to make such a show. I was busy during the day, so I had to come at night-I am a Don’t be offended by those who do crops without the etiquette to accompany guests.”

Yunniang and Wu Ciyou rested for a day, and their spirits improved a lot.Wu Ciyou came over and gave Grandma Zhang a deep salute.Yun Niang, who was sitting on the chair next to her, said: "Ma'am is so kind, we will repay you one day." "Hey, don't say that. Saving someone's life is better than building a seven-level pagoda! This Lingpei of the Kong family was not bad when he was young, but he didn't think that the longer he grew, the less he would be a thing! He met Zheng Chunyou once half a year ago, and when he came back, he was like a ghost again. Zhong Sanlang, it's Wu Sangui again, and he's about to become the Son of Heaven again. It's like he's bewitched, and he's only looking forward to chaos in the world! Didn't you see that since the land enclosure was stopped the year before last, it's only been a few days for the common people to have a peaceful life? What barbarians Those who are not barbarians, who cares about ordinary people? Kangxi respected Confucius and Mencius, respected heaven and ancestors, and he was so reasonable in dealing with things, I think he is also Chinese."

Wu Ciyou listened, his eyes were shining brightly, but he couldn't say a word.He lowered his head and sighed with emotion. Yunniang asked, "Grandma, what did that Kong Lingpei say about us?" "I told you—you're a big thieves; you said his name is Yu Liu—he's Yu Qi's elder brother, and you said that Zheng Futai asked the truth." "Grandma, what do you think?" "It's all nonsense! Who doesn't know that Zheng Chunyou wanted to harm people again? He killed Yu Wu and Yu Ba in the first year, and they all became rebels! Whoever he wants to kill is a rebel! During the seven years of rebellion , I’m only in my teens, how can I have someone at the age of Mr. Yu Liuxiang? ——Speaking of you, it’s even more unbelievable. How can such a delicate girl with yellow flowers be a thieves? Amitabha, it’s a sin! !"

"Grandma, you understand righteousness. To tell you the truth, I'm really a 'thief'!" In her heart, she was very grateful to Grandma Zhang, and she didn't have the slightest warning, so she told her childhood experiences, how she came to Wang's house, and then He was almost killed, how he went up to Zhongnan Mountain, why he went down the mountain to save Wu Ciyou, and what kind of person Wu Ciyou was... Tell Grandma Zhang all about it.After hearing this, Grandma Zhang burst into tears for a while, became hairy for a while, opened her mouth to smile for a while, and filled her chest with anger for a while.

"My dear girl, you survived a catastrophe, and you are really reborn as human beings. Hey! This is several times more lively than what is said in the big book and the drum poem. If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't believe what I said—since that Su The girl has already converted to my Buddha, I see that you two are a natural match, why can't you--" Yunniang blushed before finishing her sentence, and Wu Ciyou also stared at the dark night outside the window bewilderedly. , sighed and lowered his head. "Let's not talk about that." Seeing the embarrassment of the two, Grandma Zhang smiled, "You guys settle down here first, you can be considered brothers and sisters. When you calm down, you can accompany him to Beijing to see the emperor." Want to get up and say goodbye.

Seeing that she was going to leave, Yunniang felt a little reluctant, and hurriedly said: "Grandma, don't be busy, it's early! I am a little puzzled about today's matter: I heard that the Kong family is very powerful in Shandong, and the government relies on it. It seems like you are afraid of grandma, how can you restrain him?" Wu Ciyou stared at Grandma Zhang with his eyes wide open. This was also a huge question that had lingered in his heart all day. Grandma Zhang turned around and poured a cup of tea for Wu Ciyou and Yunniang each, and then slowly he talked about this past event that happened more than seven hundred years ago:

It was the time of the Later Tang and Five Dynasties, when the world was in chaos, the people were in dire straits, and the Kong family's family fortune gradually declined. "At that time, the forty-second-generation father-in-law Kong Guangsi was in the palm of the Confucian family. This father-in-law was passed down in three generations. This father-in-law had a son named Kong Renyu in the fiftieth year of his life. Three thousand acres of land, one valley, Just such a seedling, afraid that it would not be able to survive in the mansion, so I asked my nurse Zhang to take it home and raise it.

At that time, there was a sweeper named Liu Mo, who changed his name to Kong Mo because he was working in the mansion.The old man saw that he was diligent and honest, so he handed over the treasury, famous utensils, treasures, and the genealogy of the 60 families in the clan, including the Confucian family.At first people didn't take it seriously. ——Who would have thought that Kongmo saw the chaos of the world, so he took the opportunity to steal the money from the treasury first, and then changed the family tree of the ancestors privately.After a long time, Jing said that his surname was Kong, and he was also of the blood of a saint.

"Later, on August 15th of the third year of Qianhua, the old man held a banquet in the garden, and invited the family members to have wine. Kong Mo was holding the banquet, and after the second watch, Kong Mo supported the drunken husband. The old man went back to his room, took advantage of no one, and strangled the old man to death. "After Kong Mo killed the old man, he came out to summon the people of the Confucian mansion and said: The old man has passed away, and he has something to say before he dies. He told Kong Mo to take over the seal. He also said that Kong Renyu was the old man's concubine and the illegitimate son of an outsider. Not allowed Kong's cigarettes, ordered people to arrest and kill them. The people in the mansion had already been bought by him with money, and a group of thugs ran straight to Zhang's house with lanterns, torches, knives, guns and sticks.

"Grandma Zhang's family happily paid homage to the old moon, and was about to go to bed when they heard howling outside the door like a flood. I don't know what happened. When the door was opened, it was Kong Wei who was swarming with dozens of people. Come in—scared grandma for a moment. Kong Mo was in the shadow of the lamp, holding a bright knife in his hand, and immediately forced grandma to hand over Kong Renyu. If he didn't agree, he would kill everyone! "Grandma walked into the room trembling, and saw her youngest son was fighting for mooncakes with Kong Renyu on the kang, creaking and crawling all over the kang. She went up and picked up Renyu, kissed, and tears fell like broken beads I fell down. I wanted to hug outside, but I couldn’t let go, so I picked up the dog. The dog’s two warm little hands held the moon cakes and stuffed them into grandma’s mouth, calling, “Mother, eat, eat, eat.” Well!'... A mother gave birth to a child and raised them, and they are all darlings!

"At this moment, the door was kicked open with a 'wow'! Kong Mo stepped into the room and asked murderously: 'Which one is Kong Renyu?' Seeing this battle, the two children let out a 'wow' in fright. Crying loudly. The mother and son hugged each other, crying until the sky was dark... Grandma thought to herself, I have three sons, but the Kong family only has this one seedling, so she gritted her teeth and picked up the dog and handed it to Kong Wei... That dog Shocked and frightened. She hugged her grandma's neck and refused to let go, crying, "Mother, I'm afraid..." "Grandma patted the dog and stuffed all the candy mooncakes on the kang into the child's arms: "Son, don't be afraid , don't be afraid, it will be... ready in a while! '" Kong Mo identified the child as Kong Renyu, grabbed him and killed him on the spot... "In order to avoid misfortune, Grandma Zhang's family ran away and lived in the mountains near Shimen for more than ten years. Grandma spun thread day and night, weaved cloth, embroidered for others, washed clothes and sewed poorly. Kong Renyu was studying. In the reign of Emperor Mingzong of the later Tang Dynasty, Kong Renyu went to Beijing to take the exam, Jinbang High School. The imperial court awarded him a bachelor, and came back to pick up his grandmother to go to Beijing. Only then did my grandmother dare to explain this to him. "Kong Renyu heard her grandmother's story, and rushed back to the capital overnight, wrote down her tragic life experience in detail and presented it to the emperor. The emperor Longyan was furious, and sent troops to Qufu to take the end of Kong, and chopped it into pieces in the capital. The saint is dead Zong's family, this is called Renyu, this is the forty-third generation of the Confucian family 'Zhongxingzu'." Yunniang was refreshed when she heard this, and asked with a smile, "So, the name 'Grandma' has been passed down?" "Hey... the girl is so smart, it's really like this. After Kong Renyu became the Duke of Yansheng in the Confucian Mansion, she never forgot the kindness of the nanny, the savior, and the upbringing and teaching. She asked the emperor for permission, and made the Zhang family the generation of the Confucian Mansion. Benevolent relatives. "Grandma" is the official name, passed down to the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhang family. Every generation of Yan Shenggong will respectfully present a bamboo-jointed crutch with a dragon's head. Now it has been passed down for 20 generations. Yes. With this crutch, even Lord Yansheng can beat him, not to mention the servants of the Confucian Mansion." "Oh! No wonder grandma scared Kong Lingpei away when she said she was going to take a cane in the morning. Haha..." "What kind of thing is he? For seven hundred years, the Confucian Mansion has been related to the Zhang family for generations. My eldest daughter is the wife of Duke Yan Sheng. Our Zhang family doesn't value these things, but the Confucian Mansion is a descendant of a saint. , the world admires, the most important thing is a word of courtesy and a word of letter. Kong Lingpei wants to make trouble here, let the Kong family know, it’s strange if he doesn’t skin him? Well, it’s getting late, you guys rest , Now, you two know the identity and background of my grandma, so you should not be afraid. You can rest assured to heal your wounds. There are still a few young students in the Confucian Mansion. I will call them over in a few days and learn from Mr. Learn. Let them grow faster too." After Grandma Zhang finished speaking, she got up and left. Wu Ciyou and Yunniang looked at her back, feeling restless for a long time. Although Li Yuliang and Wu Ciyou escaped from the government office, and Grandma Zhang bumped into Kong Lingpei again, Zheng Taizun, the prefect of Gunzhou, still decided to go on a red mission and execute all the criminals in custody.The reason is very simple, since Wu Ciyou has left and cannot get it back, he, the magistrate, cannot do it, so he must flee to Yunnan and Guizhou immediately.The 30 death row prisoners in the prison, except for the four thieves and adulterers, were either officials who mutinied in Yunnan and returned to the Central Plains, or the rebellion of Zhong Sanlang's congregation.Once his true face is exposed, the higher authorities will review again, let these "traitors" escape from Zheng Chunyou alive, what face will they have to meet King Pingxi!Therefore, when Kong Lingpei came back to report the news that Wu Ciyou could not be captured in Qufu, Zheng Chunyou was frightened at first, and then burst into wild laughter: "Haha...ha...ha! Unexpectedly, I, Zheng Chunyou, managed miserably and exhausted all my resourcefulness, and I was still a mirror flower, a mirror image, a mirror image... haha..." Hearing his sad and strange laugh, Kong Lingpei was stunned: "Tai Zun... you... this is?" "Tai Zun? The Tai Zun is gone. Ling Pei, three years to clear the magistrate, one hundred thousand snowflake silver, I have been here for one and a half years, do you know how much I scratched?" Kong Lingpei was dumbfounded and dared not answer. "Hmph—are you embarrassed to guess? Let me tell you, I have stolen 150,000 yuan! The 150,000 yuan was divided into three shares, one was given to King Pingxi; one was given to the third prince Zhu; and the remaining fifty thousand I used Come and take care of the people around you! Therefore, I am the number one corrupt official in the current dynasty, but I am the number one clean official for King Pingxi and the third prince Zhu! If something happens to me, please spread the word to the world." "Then why? Wu Ciyou didn't leave Gunzhou, we still have to find ways to catch him!" Zheng Chunyou smiled coldly, "If I have soldiers in my hand, I still need you to say it. It's a pity that the imperial court didn't garrison troops in Gunzhou. You Confucian Mansion has soldiers, but they don't listen to your orders..." "Tai Zun, you, if you leave, what should I do?" Without saying a word, Zheng Chunyou came to the table, picked up a pen and wrote a note, then carefully stamped his official seal, and handed it to Kong Lingpei: "Take this note to the warehouse to pick up 10,000 silver bills, and fly far away, to Yunnan. If you go to Beijing to vote for your son, you will be successful!" "What about you?" "Me? Don't worry—I'm not stupid! Today, all four doors will be opened. After executing the prisoner, I will flee with money!" As he spoke, he drafted the murder statement himself without any details.After finishing writing, I looked at it again and saw that Kong Lingpei was still sitting in a daze, so he said, "You still don't go, what's the matter?" "I'm afraid... I'm afraid Wu Ciyou will steal my home..." "The country is gone, so how can I have a home? Let me tell you a piece of news. After my cousin Zhu Fuxiang was dismissed from office in Gu'an, he met up with the big thieves Liu Dabara in Baodugang. More than 700 people gathered together. I have written a letter to ask him to pay attention. He knows the reason why he will not let Wu Ciyou go. Now... As I said, I turned around and took off the long sword hanging on the wall, pulled it out and flicked it, and the sword issued a buzzing metal sound. Trembling, "What I hate the most now is Huangfu Baozhu!How did the prince choose such a person to handle such a big event?If it wasn't for his negligence and soft heart, I, Zheng Chunyou, would have suffered today's disaster? " Kong Lingpei was still listening to Zheng Chunyou's words in a daze, but Zheng Chunyou suddenly raised his sword and stabbed at him. Kong Lingpei couldn't dodge in time, and the sword pierced through his back. "You!" Kong Lingpei's eyes widened with anger, and he tried his best not to fall down, "Why are you doing this? Tell me so that I will understand!" Zheng Chunyou drank a cup of herbal tea, smiled and said, "A patriot cannot love his family, he must cherish his life, and he who cherishes his life must betray his friends! I am helping you, and Wu Ciyou will copy you even if I know that I killed you." home?" After Kong Lingpei listened with his eyes wide open, he fell on his back and died without a sound.Zheng Chunyou drew his sword, pulled the tablecloth off the table, wiped it clean, put it on his body, went out and locked the door behind him. The execution ground in Xicai Market was bleak and murderous.Thirty-two swordsmen all wore crimson robes, black belts, and their right arms were bare.The hook of the sharply sharpened Ghost Head Knife is facing outwards, and the broad back of the knife is pressed against the hairy chest.They stood impatiently and stomped their feet lightly, their faces glowing black and red. The execution ground was surrounded by yamen servants, and even the magistrate's yamen was emptied.There is a koan on a high platform facing south in the middle.Dozens of death signs were neatly arranged.Zheng Chunyou was wearing a brand-new official robe, and after standing in the case, he held a vermilion pen without hesitation or sloppiness-marked the card and handed it to the secretary to issue it.Seeing that the servants of each class were already in place, Zheng Chunyou ordered: "Get ready, I will supervise the execution myself!" Zha—" There was a long answer like thunder below, and he pushed the prisoner who had inserted the death card out. Seeing the commotion of the bustling common people, they all stretched their necks to watch. Suddenly, a child's shout came from the crowd: " slow!Human life is at stake, and words have no basis.Since the magistrate is ordered to kill people, he should show the official document and let everyone see it. " On the execution ground, the executioners, the tortured, the onlookers, and the government servants were all stunned by this shout: "Where is the wild boy who is so bold, and dares to find fault with the magistrate at this time." Zheng Chunyou It was even colder to hear it, but he knew that at this moment, there was no room for hesitation or delay, and he shouted angrily, "Bold! Come, someone, take this little bastard down for Fa-rectification." rushed over.Unexpectedly, the child neither evaded nor dodged, but walked out head-on.His footwork was light and quick, and his moves were quick. Before everyone could see his face clearly, a guard who was running ahead had already been caught by him.I saw the child twist the guard's arm with one hand, and pull out his waist with the other hand to match the sword. With a click, one of the guard's arms fell to the ground, and there were exclamations from around the execution ground.The child stood in the middle of the field in a high-spirited way: "Zheng Chunyou, open your dog's eyes and see, your grandpa Qinghouer is here, followed by the imperial envoy. Are you a dog official coming to pick him up?"