You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 389 Complaint!

Chapter 389 Complaint!
The county magistrate had a bitter face.

"Then what do you suggest we do? The Duke Yansheng's steward is going to invite me for drinks tomorrow."

The advisor pondered for a moment.

"Sir, I have a plan."

"Speak quickly!"

“We’ll pretend we don’t know anything about this family relationship! We’ll treat it as a regular case of a fight resulting in death! Ignorance is no excuse, and if the people don’t report it, the officials won’t investigate. The county government has no idea that these two people are related.”

"Wonderful, wonderful."

After reaching an agreement, the magistrate swiftly convened the court and delivered his verdict.

The clerk walked down to the hall and loudly read:
"Upon investigation, it was found that Kong Qingfu, a student of this county, disregarded the teachings of the sages and repeatedly stole radishes, which was discovered by the landowner Kong Qingsheng. The two had a verbal altercation, which escalated into a fight. Kong Qingfu pushed Kong Qingsheng, and Kong Qingsheng's servant, indignant, stepped forward to help. During the fight, Kong Qingfu was accidentally killed. The county ruled that although Kong Qingsheng was innocent, he must pay 5 taels of silver in funeral expenses to the deceased. His servant, who beat someone to death, was punished with 30 strokes of the cane and exiled to Dengzhou, considering his eagerness to protect his master."

"Your Honor, I'm innocent!"

"How dare you, you shrew, roar in the courtroom! I will spare you from this punishment today, out of consideration for your grief over losing your husband. Guards, throw her out of the county office!"

"As ordered."

The family members of the aggrieved party were violently driven out of the county government office by the yamen runners, suffering a miserable fate.

……

To outsiders, the deceased Kong Qingfu was not of lowly status; he was a legitimate descendant of Confucius and a relative of the Duke Yansheng, Kong Xingxie, beyond the fifth degree of kinship.

But in reality, Kong Qingfu was just a roadside resident.

The reason is simple: there are just too many people with the surname Kong! There are 5 people with the surname Kong in Qufu alone! There may be hundreds of thousands of descendants of Confucius all over the world.

In Qufu, there are countless descendants of Confucius who farm the land, sell vegetables, empty chamber pots, and drive carts, but no one takes them seriously.

Only those with money and power deserve the surname Kong.

Without money or power, do you even deserve the surname Kong?

This wrongful conviction did not attract much attention. When the neighbors mentioned it, they would just shake their heads and sigh that Kong Qingsheng was unlucky, and then go about their own business.

However, no one expected that Qi, the wife of the deceased Kong Qingsheng, was a fiercely independent woman.

After burying her husband, Qi secretly sold her only four acres of meager land and two thatched huts, and embarked on a journey to file a lawsuit with her only son.

She didn't go to Yanzhou Prefecture, but went directly to the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office in the provincial capital!
For ordinary people, filing a lawsuit is a blood-stained path.

They traversed mountains and valleys, endured wind and rain, lived in fear and anxiety, and exhausted their wealth.

Jinan Prefecture.

The city gate.

"Mom, I'm hungry."

"Be good, just bear with it a little longer. After the lawsuit is over, Mom will buy you braised pork pancakes."

"Ah."

With sheer willpower, the mother and daughter managed to reach the imposing gates of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's office.

……

The doorman, seeing the disheveled mother and son who looked like beggars, cautiously approached.

"What?"

"Sir, I have suffered a great injustice."

"roll!"

"Sir, this is a matter of life and death!"

Lady Qi took out the petition.

To everyone's surprise, the doorman didn't buy it at all, and tore the petition to shreds.

"Go to hell, human life is nothing, get lost, or I'll put you in jail."

Logically speaking~
After the official shouted like that, the ordinary women dared not cause any more trouble.

But Lady Qi was a woman of strong character; she actually rushed towards the grievance drum at the door, trying to snatch the drumsticks. Once the grievance drum sounded, the master had to hold court.

The doorman was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat.

This was no ordinary woman.

"You son of a bitch, who are you going to sue?"

"This woman wants to sue the magistrate of Qufu!"

The doorman gasped, then began punching and kicking.

"You shrew, you're no ordinary shrew. Your master is going to let you taste the power of the law."

"Mother~"

The already sick son cried his heart out.

Lady Qi was imprisoned for half a month, where she suffered greatly and became emaciated. When she was released, she discovered that her son was gone.

Maybe dead.

Maybe it was carried away by a dog.

Perhaps she was abducted.

In any era, a son is a widow's last hope. Qi Shi lost her last hope, and life had no meaning for her anymore.

Lady Qi's hair turned white overnight.

Only one thought remained in her mind—to sue!

I'd rather risk my life than let my enemy be brought down.

……

The journey from Jinan Prefecture to the capital is nearly a thousand miles.

In the 17th century, this was an almost insurmountable distance for a penniless and powerless widow.

But hatred is the best motivation.

Human potential is limitless. Qi begged, kowtowed, and asked questions all the way, and after a full five months, he miraculously arrived at the gate of Yongding.

She approached and inquired about any respectable people dressed in silk that she encountered along the way.

"My lord, where can we appeal to the emperor?"

"I don't know, I don't know."

Everyone avoided him.

Just kidding, once you get involved with this kind of person, it's like touching flour with wet hands—you can't shake it off.

In the vast capital city, Lady Qi had no idea where to go.

He takes things one step at a time and lives by begging.

South City.

A wonton shop.

"Lord Zhou, you've arrived."

"Old-fashioned scale".

"Okay, please wait a moment."

The shopkeeper quickly brought over a bowl of wontons, two sesame seed cakes, and a plate of neatly shredded pickled vegetables.

Authentic~
Yao Qisheng looked up: "Pei Gong, you're late."

"Yes, I had some things to do today, so I was delayed."

Upon their return from Liaodong, the Grand Secretary rewarded them for their contributions.

Zhou Peigong was promoted to the sixth rank of Principal of the Ministry of Justice, and Yao Qisheng was promoted to the fifth rank of Grain Supervisor of Tongzhou Granary.

The two sat facing each other, eating and chatting about important matters of the court.

“Brother Yao, I’m on duty today and I heard something unusual from my colleagues: that person in the Forbidden City went to the Basilica of Our Lady.”

Yao Qisheng choked and coughed incessantly.

"real or fake?"

"of course it's true."

"What does that person want to do?"

"I dare not think about it, I dare not say it, I dare not speculate."

"My goodness, is it not enough that the Forbidden City has produced one monk, do they also need to produce a foreign monk?"

"Shhh."

Zhou Peigong is much more composed and reserved now than he was during the imperial examinations. He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, and said in a low voice, "Do your job well, work hard to get promoted, and let's see what he does."

Yao Qisheng sighed deeply.

……

Zhou Peigong suddenly looked up.

"Sitting in the grain office is a lucrative position."

"Yes, without the strong recommendation of the Governor-General of Liangjiang, I would never have been able to hold this position in the Grain Bureau. If I don't embezzle or cheat, I can earn 30,000 taels of silver a year."

"Brother Yao, you've become a rich man. This meal is on you today."

"Hehe, from now on, I'll treat you all."

The two were very close friends and chatted very casually.

Zhou Peigong wiped his mouth.

"Shopkeeper, give me another 20 sesame seed cakes."

"Can you eat this?"

"I'll take it back and eat it slowly. The Ministry of Justice is a lowly department, and I'm short of money. I have to support my elderly mother, pay rent, and feed myself. My meager official salary is hardly enough."

"I have 20 taels here, you can take it first."

"No."

Why are you being so polite with me?

"How can a superior give gifts to a subordinate? I certainly don't want your money."

Just saying.

Zhou Peigong caught sight of a beggar standing outside the shop, his eyes fixed on the pile of sesame cakes in front of him, and he was immediately filled with pity.

He grabbed two pancakes.

"do you want to eat?"

The beggar rushed in, grabbed the sesame seed cake, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Slow down, slow down."

Suddenly, the beggar froze, then collapsed limply to the ground, his mouth full of flatbread.

"Ouch, he choked! Quick, get him some water."

The shopkeeper quickly brought over a water jug.

Zhou Peigong took the water jug and gulped it down, causing the beggar to cough violently until he finally caught his breath.

"Thank you, sir."

"Are you a woman?"

"Yes."

Zhou Peigong looked him up and down, then frowned and said, "Why did it come to this?"