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Chapter 587 Bait

"Has Yan Daoxin's date been set?" This coarse cloth outfit looked like the kind of thing you'd never see in a crowd, but wearing it made Zhu Yu feel inexplicably nervous.

Lu Qing nodded: "He will be executed in the West Market in two days."

Zhu Yu sighed.

According to the rules of Dajin, beheading and other extreme punishments cannot be carried out between the spring and autumn equinoxes. Now that more than ten days have passed since the autumn equinox, she had been guessing that news might come at any time. Now that the matter has been settled, she still couldn't help but feel her heart pounding.

"Logically speaking... shouldn't he be allowed to meet with his family before the execution?" Zhu Yu asked.

Lu Qing gently shook her head: "That person said that Yan Daoxin is a monk, so there is no need for any farewell ceremony with family members."

Zhu Yu sighed and said nothing more.

In the afternoon, Fu Lu returned from outside, along with Fu Wen and He Min.

Fu Wen told Lu Qing that He Min had already taken care of everything in the countryside, and from now on, he would mainly continue to teach the maids and young servants in the small courtyard of Yunyin Pavilion to read and write.

"Mr. He, please bear with this for a while. Once things are more peaceful outside, it would be nice to set up a school in the capital." Zhu Yu felt that He Min was really unlucky. He and his daughter were living a peaceful and happy life. They hadn't offended anyone, but then this unexpected disaster struck. Zhu Yu couldn't help but feel sorry for him and offered his words of comfort.

He Min shook his head with a wry smile: "My benefactor, there's no need to comfort me. I have no more worries now. As long as my daughter's revenge can be avenged, I have no other desires."

"This capital city is teeming with talented people. I am but a mediocre person. What do you mean by 'school'? My benefactor has truly overestimated me."

“That’s not how it works.” Zhu Yu shook his head at him. “Land in the capital is incredibly valuable. If we’re talking about places for the children of noble families to study, there are countless such places. And there are indeed many wise and virtuous scholars teaching there.”

But in this capital city, most people are just ordinary folks. They are already struggling to make ends meet just to live in this precious place. Where would they find the extra money to send their children to private schools where great Confucian scholars debate the classics?
We recently went out for a walk and found that many children who can't even read a single word dream of becoming shop assistants or accountants, which is just wishful thinking.

So if things become peaceful in the future, I hope you can set up a school so that children from families who can't afford much money can also have the opportunity to learn some characters and read some books, so that when they go out to find a job later, they'll have a wider path to success."

These were Zhu Yu's heartfelt words. This period of time was probably the longest she had ever stayed in the capital. Without the high walls of the Prince Xiaoyao's mansion, she had the opportunity to see another side of the capital.

Beyond the grand mansions of high-ranking officials and nobles, in the alleys and lanes where ordinary people live, those children whose parents are too busy making a living to care for them are actually not as well off as some farmers.

In Zhuangzi, there are usually schools that use low-cost methods, like the one He Min used before. If you encounter a kind-hearted person like He Min, he won't mind if a child who can't afford to pay secretly listens in from the side. Instead, he helps more children get rid of the situation of being illiterate.

Land prices in the capital were extremely high. Many low-ranking officials couldn't even afford to buy a small house in the capital with their salaries, let alone ordinary people who could afford to send their children to school.

He Min lost his daughter, and his former estate became a place of sorrow for him. He had no other thoughts but to avenge his daughter. The capital needed teachers who could educate the children of ordinary families, and He Min needed a reason to live. The two could complement each other perfectly.

He Min listened to Zhu Yu's words and agreed wholeheartedly. He had always wanted to prevent those children from growing up in poverty and struggling to make ends meet, spending their lives doing the menial jobs, earning the least money, and living a life of hardship.

Even if one is not aiming for officialdom, being literate makes it easier to be valued, whether for working or apprenticing.

These wishes are certainly good, but when he thought about the expenses involved in realizing them, he couldn't help but feel a little troubled: "But..."

Lu Qing seemed to see through He Min's thoughts and nodded to him: "Mr. He, you don't need to worry about the expenses of running the school. As long as you are willing to teach, we will naturally take care of these things once things are more peaceful outside."

"Of course I'm willing!" He Min nodded vigorously, "The magnanimity and kindness of my two benefactors fill me with utmost respect!"

I will definitely do my best in my teaching duties.

“There’s no rush. I estimate you’ll be staying at Yunyin Pavilion for some time, so there’s no need to think about things too far ahead right now,” Lu Qing said.

He Min repeatedly agreed, and then told Lu Qing and the others how the talisman had helped him bury his daughter. Before leaving, no one could stop him, and he finally knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to Zhu Yu and Lu Qing before wiping away his tears and going back.

After He Min left, Lu Qing asked Fu Wen, "Did you find anything this time you went out?"

"Master, on the day we left, after I left the city, I hid He Min and the carriage in a grove. Then I sneaked back and discovered that there were indeed spies deliberately planted around Yunyin Pavilion."

However, Manager Liu is meticulous and thorough in his work, so those people didn't have a chance to sneak in and investigate. But it's clear that they're after you.

As for which side they belong to, it's hard to say right now.

These past few times you and your wife went out, they probably didn't recognize you. When I disguised myself and went with He Min, they didn't recognize He Min either, so they didn't follow us. Instead, they kept lingering around Yunyin Pavilion, as if waiting for you to show yourself.

"Yes, Master!" Fu Lu nodded hurriedly and said, "Today you asked me to go out and buy some things, but I found that I've been watched ever since I left Yunyin Pavilion."

That person followed me from a distance until I finished shopping and returned to Yunyin Pavilion.

However, whether it was because he had been rebuffed before or was afraid of being exposed, that guy didn't seem inclined to follow him in and stopped outside.

"What are you going out to buy?" Zhu Yu asked curiously. She didn't think that living in Yunyin Pavilion required her to personally go out and buy anything. Liu Yueyao often didn't even need anyone to tell her how to arrange things properly.

Therefore, the fact that Lu Qing would send out such a large and conspicuous target as the talisman must mean that there is some other purpose behind it, most likely that it was used as "bait".