Miss and farmhand

Huang Xingyu accused Huang Xingtong of colluding with Japanese pirates and bandits. There were several witnesses, but still no physical evidence. This scene was all too familiar; it was practically a repeat of the Zhou family's Xiaoshidang case from last time. Zhao Yuze was invited to come and see.

However, this time there was no framing involved, and they didn't even expect to win the case. They just ostentatiously displayed a pot of dirty water, ready to be smeared in front of everyone. As long as the facts are established, it was a crime of conduct, not a crime of harming others, so there is no need for a judgment.

Moreover, this time Shen Jingzong didn't even need to step forward. He remained behind the scenes, and the complicated relationship between the Huang brothers wasn't revealed beforehand. At first glance, it seemed like a sibling rivalry. Later, when Huang Xingyu himself explained the reason, it turned out that the honest older brother couldn't control his lawless younger brother and couldn't bear to see him fall further into depravity. So he sought help from the local government to restrain him and prevent him from committing an irreparable crime.

After finishing his appeal, Shen Jingzong was about to say, "Why go to such lengths?" having already achieved his goal of splashing dirty water, when Zhao Yuze spoke first.

"Colluding with Japanese pirates and traitors. Are you referring to Kobayashi, the one you keep mentioning? Wasn't he proven innocent in the Xiaoshidang case? Why are you bringing him up again?"

Shen Jingzong paused for a moment, then quickly put on an ambiguous smile and said, "Well, they are Japanese after all... Your Excellency must know that."

Zhao Yuze continued, "There's also the claim of treason, referring to Ji Zheng, the notorious pirate in your area, right? Since he's a pirate, why is there never any pursuit by the coastal defense forces? His fleet moves about just like any other merchant ship. According to the people at the coastal defense, he's actually a major force in trade."

"This..." Shen Jingzong hesitated for a moment, then said tactfully, "The local coastal defense forces are simply no match for a pirate force of that size. Everyone is seeking a solution. We've already fought, but for now, we're focusing on negotiations. The people of the sea cannot withstand further fighting."

He was certain that the people from the garrison would say that, and would not admit that he had never fought against Ji Zheng.

Actually, it's been more than a decade since we last fired a shot.

Zhao Yuze nodded and said, "I have heard about that person's strength, and it is indeed not something that a local coastal defense can contend with."

Shen Jingzong breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he had agreed with him.

However, he quickly regained his composure.

"However, how exactly should we talk?" Zhao Yuze asked, glancing at him indifferently.

coming.

Zhao Yuze's question was so meaningful; he specifically asked about the legal matters but not what they discussed. This was undoubtedly because he had received a tip from Huang Xingtong that Shen Jingzong and Ji Zheng's relationship went far beyond mere discussion; it was a relationship of mutual protection and a massive transfer of benefits.

Shen Jingzong immediately composed himself and replied, "Your Excellency, please do not listen to slanderous words. I swear to Heaven that I have never had any private dealings with pirates, nor have I ever taken a single penny of bribes from them. Some of the goods brought ashore were simply unmanageable, so I left them to the dock merchants to handle. They have a hard time making a living, and this is a way of benefiting the people. However, as an official of this dynasty, I have absolutely upheld the dignity of the court and the orthodoxy of the Central Plains, and have not shown any possibility of compromise to them."

Shen Jingzong spoke righteously, but in reality, it was simply because the Zhou family had fallen, providing a natural opportunity to settle accounts. His private treasury had also disappeared when the Zhou family was divided up, and it was Ji Zheng's men who handled the matter; he wasn't implicated at all. Although the losses were huge, at least his reputation was clean.

154.

"That's true. You don't know, when they sent people to search the ship, they were all fierce and menacing. They all thought there were some escaped criminals hiding on the ship and that they would behead them if they took me away. When I was caught, they even put me in shackles, almost like I was in a cangue. I really thought I was going to die. Unexpectedly, they sent me ashore safely, and a fat steward came. I couldn't understand a word he said. One minute he was threatening me, asking if I knew any dangerous people on the ship, and the next minute he was smiling at me, telling me not to forget him if I made a fortune in the future. I was dumbfounded. When he saw that I didn't speak, he seemed to become wary again and took me down to be locked up. He didn't even remove the shackles from me. I stayed in a storeroom for a short while before someone came to take me out and remove the shackles from me. The people who took me away were from the Huang family. I even saw them stuff a very heavy purse into the fat steward's hand. When the fat man saw me off, he even hugged me and called me brother. He was such a good change of face."

Huang Xingtong was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in two examinations and held the official position of Hanlin. Later, he voluntarily resigned from his post and returned to his hometown to run a school. Jianshan Academy is a well-known and excellent academy in the prefecture.

Huang Xingyu, however, was unsuccessful in the imperial examinations. As the elder brother, he was still only a Xiucai (a lower-level scholar) and had repeatedly failed the exams. He could only work as a tutor in the academy run by his younger brother.

Shen Xuying was the youngest daughter, and her upbringing was more relaxed. She first met Huang Xingtong at a lantern festival when she was young. Huang Xingtong helped her solve twenty riddles, winning her a lantern depicting a moon rabbit pounding medicine. Several years later, Huang Xingtong passed the imperial examination at the county level and came to the Shen family to propose marriage. Shen Xuying was naturally willing, but her parents disliked the Huang family's low social standing, considering him only a minor scholar. They insisted he return after passing the provincial examination. Shen Xuying caused a scene at home, becoming the laughingstock of her peers for her eagerness to marry. However, when Huang Xingtong returned, he had become a Hanlin scholar, a position of great importance. Naturally, her parents' objections disappeared, and Shen Xuying happily married him.

Shen Yurui, being the eldest daughter of the first wife, had been raised differently from a young age and always believed that the best of everything should be hers. But where could she find another Hanlin scholar in such a small county as Jianshan? Not to mention Jianshan County, even the entire prefecture might not produce a single Hanlin scholar in a single examination. Shen Yurui had once mocked Shen Xuying for being so eager to get married, especially to a poor scholar. Now, feeling embarrassed, she realized that she was five years older than Shen Xuying. With her younger sister from another branch of the family getting married, she also felt the pressure. Upon inquiring, she learned that the Huang family also had a scholar taking the imperial examinations. Thinking that the two brothers couldn't be too far apart in ability, she used this as an excuse to persuade her parents and hastily got married.

Although Shen Yurui and her cousin Xuying were from different branches of the family, all the women of the Shen family were beauties, with long faces and slender figures. However, Shen Xuying had always been in poor health, and was rather thin and pale; Shen Yurui, in her youth, had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and was tall and slender, but in recent years, due to her husband's career setbacks, she had also lost weight, and over the years, she had become withered, with sallow skin, sunken eyebrows and eyes, a long philtrum and thin lips. If it weren't for her still-bright clothes, one might mistake her for a busybody housekeeper.

Because of this, Huang Chu used to think that his aunt was just a nice person with a sharp tongue and a straightforward temper, but she was always concerned about the health of Huang Chu and his daughter.

She hadn't noticed such a straightforward intention in her past life.

In her previous life, the third Miss Luo eventually stayed at their house.

Even in a small gathering in the inner quarters, no one would openly discuss the marriage prospects of their daughters. Since the aunt was being so blatant, the others could only pretend not to hear and remain silent, giving Miss Luo some face.

But this in itself is extremely unusual.

Pretending not to hear is the same as hearing and understanding.