Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 12 Liu Hunfan

"What do you want?"

The old official stood at the door of the classroom angrily, looking at Liu Taozi standing outside the door, gritting his teeth.

Behind him was a pale young man, breathing heavily, pointing at Liu Taozi.

"It's this person. We were studying in the forest garden, and this person was about to attack us!"

"What a bad guy!"

"How can such a person come to the county school?"

Liu Taozi saw that the person had powder on his face, most of which had fallen off, and the pair of jade fingers were trembling as they pointed at her.

The old official hesitated to speak at this moment.

He looked at Liu Taozi deeply, and then looked at Lu Qubing standing aside.

"Lu Lingshi, is this how you take care of the Law School?"

Lu Qubing's face was pale, not much better than the painted young man opposite him.

"I came out to look for something."

Liu Taozi spoke.

"What are you looking for?"

"I want a shovel and a bucket of water."

The rosy-faced young man screamed, "You bumped into us!"

"I asked him to get it."

Lu Qubing spoke.

"We have to blast this guy out!!"

The man was still shouting.

Everyone inside the door stood up and looked over here without saying a word.

More and more people gathered outside the door, pointing and having fun.

"What are you yelling about?!"

A man strode over with many servants. The onlookers were surprised and bowed to greet them.

Fei Zongxian came here with a frown, looked at the people around him, and his eyes finally fell on Liu Taozi.

"What happened?"

The old official bowed his head and said, "Doctor Fei, this person left the classroom without permission and disrupted the county school."

Before the old official could finish his words, Dr. Fat started roaring.

His voice was sharp. "Who said you are not allowed to leave the classroom? How come I didn't know that?"

The old official stopped talking immediately. Fei Zongxian looked at the young man in powder and paint beside him. Seeing his delicate appearance, his eyes were full of disgust and anger.

"You guys should be kicked out of the county school! You hang out all day and don't study. Do you want me to write a letter to your father?!"

The man immediately became timid and took a few steps back, also without saying a word.

Fei Zongxian looked at Liu Taozi and his eyes softened.

"You should study hard and don't be bothered by these people. If anyone makes things difficult for you in the future, come find me!"

"How can the atmosphere of the county school be like this? This is a place for studying!"

"If anyone dares not to follow my instructions again, I will hand them over to the county government and punish them with flogging for negligence!"

After scolding everyone, Fei Zongxian led his servants away. Taozi saw that the servants were holding exquisite boxes in their arms.

The old official watched him leave, then looked at Lu Qubing, "Lu Lingshi, you have already made a mistake once. If you make such a mistake again, it will not just be a demotion."

Lu Qubing lowered his head and said nothing.

The old official glanced at him and was about to leave, but Liu Taozi took another step forward.

"A shovel and a bucket of water."

The old official ignored him, waved his hand, and led the crying student away.

Lu Qubing didn't breathe a sigh of relief until they left. He looked at Liu Taozi with resentment.

"Brother Taozi, you have caused me so much trouble."

“This law school cannot be left.”

"I have read the new law and the county school regulations, and I have never seen such a provision."

"This"

Lu Qubing was speechless for a moment. Are regulations meant to be used?

That is for viewing. If it were five years ago, perhaps it could be done according to the regulations, but now
He left in a hurry, rarely speaking.

Soon he brought the shovel and bucket needed for the peaches, but the bucket was empty.

The people in the pigsty were still looking at the situation outside in confusion.

Since they entered the county school, no one dared to step out of the pigsty. Instead, some people broke in and ridiculed them harshly.

This was the first time they had seen a situation like today.

It even alarmed the doctor in the county school.

Liu Taozi picked up the shovel and walked into the yard skillfully.

As everyone stared at him, he took off his shirt and started shoveling the dirt.

Taozi was very strong and could lift up a lot of soil with one shovel, revealing a pit. He shoveled the arrows that were scattered everywhere into the pit and then filled it with soil.

The sun shone on the strong bronze skin. Different scars were crisscrossed and densely distributed on the body. Sweat dripped, dust flew up, and was quickly flattened.

Everyone was stunned.

At some point, several people came up to Liu Taozi.

It turned out to be that Qihu.

"come together!"

He looked at the people on his left and right, "What are you all standing there for?! Come together!"

"If you don't have a shovel, use your hands!"

At the same time, another seven or eight people came forward. For the first time, everyone in the yard showed such fighting spirit. They worked together and carefully buried every filth in the pigsty.

Liu Taozi even dug out a toilet next to the courtyard wall. He surrounded it on three sides with some sundries and knocked around. It turned out to be a real toilet.

The sky gradually darkened.

The courtyard was clean, with water sprinkled everywhere, and a brand new toilet appeared next to the wall.

Lu Qubing looked at the scene in astonishment, not knowing what to say.

Qihu wiped his dirty face and suddenly felt touched.

“I have been here for more than thirty days.”

"I" He looked at Liu Taozi on the side and wanted to say something, but Liu Taozi strode away.

Liu Taozi lay on her side on the bed, holding a book in her hand and reading carefully.

Lu Qubing sat opposite, looking up and down at the man in front of him.

"Brother Taozi, is it worth offending those people just for a vassal state?"

"I don't like eating with the smell of yarrow."

Lu Qubing smiled and said, "I don't like it either."

"But this is only temporary. If you offend them, you may be driven out. Fei Gong is a man."

Lu Qubing was silent for a moment, but still gritted his teeth and said, "He has a bad reputation. I heard that he once forced a few people to death. He paid some compensation and was demoted here."

"Don't get too close to him. He's not a good person. He once told me."

Lu Qubing pursed his lips but still couldn't say anything.

"It's too dirty, easy to get sick, easy to die."

Taozi answered puzzlingly and continued reading her book.

“I have never heard of that.”

Lu Qubing's eyes looked at him brighter and brighter, even with envy.

"Brother Taozi is really brave."

"I lost my parents when I was young, and I was raised by a few elders. I was timid since childhood and never dared to be lawless like you. The only time I was brave enough to do something, I made a mistake. Not only did I lose my job, but I was also put here. They said I was allowed to manage, but in fact I didn't have to do anything."

"I don't have many friends, and no one thinks highly of me."

"I will probably be stuck here for the rest of my life, with no way out. I've read a lot of books, but I really don't know how to do it. When you did it before, I asked the gatekeeper and found out the specific procedures. But I clearly knew the specific procedures, so why did I ask?"

“I was very happy that day because it was the first time I accomplished something.”

"But they have all returned. I don't need to go there anymore. I can only stay here. I have nothing to do all day. I blame this world for making me accomplish nothing."

Liu Taozi finally looked at him.

"If a person has ambition, nothing can stop him. If you are timid and afraid to do it, why do you blame others?"

After saying that, Liu Taozi put away the book and closed her eyes to rest.

Lu Qubing's eyes were dull and he fell silent.

He said nothing that night.

That night, it was also very quiet outside. No more faint screams or sounds of chasing could be heard.

The next day, the old official came to feed him as usual.

When he walked into the yard, he almost thought he had taken the wrong road.

The courtyard was clean and tidy, no longer filled with any foul smell. The ground was sprinkled with water, and in the distance there was a brand new toilet, which represented the dignity of everyone.

He rubbed his eyes and said, "What the hell?"

Everyone had already lined up.

No matter how the old official looked at them, he felt that these people seemed to have become a little different. They all washed their bodies, and the foul smell, whether in the courtyard or on their bodies, had dissipated.

Qihu deliberately made room for the seat in front of him, and when he saw Liu Taozi walking out of the house, he waved to her cordially.

"Brother Taozi! Here! Come here!"

The lackeys behind him also had smiles on their faces at this moment.

Liu Taozi pretended not to see them and stood at the end of the line.

After getting their meal, everyone still squatted in the courtyard to eat.

But this time there was no foul smell to accompany me, so I enjoyed the meal very much.

Just when everyone was about to finish eating, Lu Qubing walked in from outside.

He held a book in his hands, looked at everyone, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

He hesitated for a long time, then spoke with a trembling voice.

"Everyone~Students!"

Everyone immediately looked at him.

Lu Qubing's face flushed and his hands holding the book trembled slightly.

"I think. I think, today, I will organize you to study together. Taking the exam is not just about reciting, but also about applying the law. You are lacking in this aspect."

"I, I can explain it to you. If you are willing, I can organize a lecture after dinner."

The law office was completely silent.

Everyone looked at Lu Qubing in front of them in shock.

Bones fell out of someone's mouth.

Many people slowly looked at Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozi put down her bowl and chopsticks, "In that case, I would like to thank Mr. Lu."

Everyone thanked him one after another.

The old official widened his eyes. He looked at the piglets, then at Lu Qubing, and until he left, he looked back every three steps, his face full of disbelief.

Everyone brought books and knelt in the yard seriously.

Someone took off his clothes and spread them on Lu Qubing's bed. He then sat on the clothes, holding the "Linzhi New Code" in his hand, and began to explain to everyone the practical application of the law.

He must have been in charge of the examinations for minor officials, and he could even name many original questions from past exams.

Very professional, asking questions one by one and then answering them.

This was an unexpected surprise for the piglets. It was the first time for them to study so seriously.

Lu Qubing not only tells stories, he also quotes some real events.

After explaining the law, he also explained to everyone the specifications and writing methods of official documents.

Everyone listened in ecstasy.

Lu Qubing became more and more confident as he spoke. Speaking was his strong point, and once he started talking, he actually spoke for more than an hour until his mouth was dry.

Finally, when he stopped, everyone stood up.

"Thank you, Lingshi!"

Lu Qubing looked at the heads lowering in front of him, his face became more and more rosy, and his eyes turned into crescents due to his smile.

"No problem, no problem, this is what I should do. If you think it's okay, I can give lectures often in the future until everyone has learned it!"

In the past, people always looked at Lu Qubing with contempt and rudeness.

But at this moment, everyone was very respectful.

The piglets then became students.

(End of this chapter)