Zhong Niangzi Wanfu

Chapter 41 Qin Shen
一
Due to family changes, Wen Shu could not celebrate the New Year with Zhong Lan and others in Qin Lin. After entering the twelfth lunar month, she returned to Yong'an to prepare for the implementation of the plan to open the Dongchang commercial line.

Zhong Lan began to prepare to set up a private school. With Shen Feng here, the official report was easily completed.

Within three days, Shen Feng handed over the official approval certificate to Zhong Lan.

"Jinyu Academy." Zhong Lan looked at the certificate in his hand and was overjoyed, "'Huai Jin holds Yu Xi, a gentleman is like Heng', it's a good name!"

"I wonder where the lady plans to build the academy?" Shen Feng poured hot water into the cup to moisten the tea.

"There is a house not far away in the western suburbs. I have already bought it." Zhong Lan put the voucher away, stepped forward to take Shen Jie's teacup, and poured the tea water into the bowl.

Shen Feng took the tea cup, poured hot water on it, put the lid on it and put it aside. He half-thought about it and said, "It seems that the house in the western suburbs turned out to be the private property of You Mansion?"

"That's right. The Youfu used the house as compensation in lieu of banknotes to the Gao couple. Because the place was a little remote, they never rented or bought it. The house was empty. They were old, so they could collect rent at home and enjoy their leisure time. .”

"I'll spend some money to renovate the surrounding area. It's not a big building, but it's still good for a hundred or so children to study in."

"Then who do you plan to let as your husband?" Shen Feng rubbed the teacup, tried to see if the water was warm enough, poured the tea into a fair cup, divided out two small cups, and handed one of them to Zhong Lan.

Zhong Lan took a sniff, and the fragrance overflowed, and he suddenly felt relaxed and happy: "Mr. Bai can't help but know the way of planting, and he is also familiar with poetry and books. I also invited two candidates from the county who are not planning to take the scientific examination."

Zhong Lan's eyes were fixed on Shen Feng who was drinking tea, and the corners of his eyes were crooked: "You are the county magistrate, and you have been a Jinshi. When you have free time, you can come to preach and learn, so that everyone will think of you."

"What about the position of mountain chief?" Shen Feng took a sip of tea.

"I am a layman. I don't know much about the six arts of poetry and calligraphy, and I don't know about the teaching and management of the academy. Naturally, you are the one to do it." Zhong Lan handed the handkerchief to Shen Feng.

Shen Feng took it and wiped the corners of his mouth, understanding that Zhong Lan was trying to win a good reputation for himself: "The county government is busy with business, so I may not be able to stay away all the time. But I have a more suitable person to recommend to you."

Zhong Lan raised his chin with interest: "I'm all ears."

"The former magistrate of Qinlin County, Mr. Qin Shenqin."

Zhong Lan was stunned, not expecting that Shen Feng would mention him: "Why him?"

"His ancestral home is Yong'an. He was diligent and good at learning when he was young. Before he was appointed as the magistrate of Tanlin County, he was also a young and talented young man with a horse's hoof. He was a talented man who was famous for a while."

"But he didn't care about Gao's case at the beginning, blaming it all on you. Many of Tan Lin's previous unjust cases were suppressed by him silently." Zhong Lan said doubtfully.

"And this time his position as county magistrate fell to you. I'm afraid it's too late to hate you. How can you be a good captain of the academy?"

Shen Feng thought for a while and then said: "I understand your concerns. But when I was investigating You Mansion before, I sent Ma Lin and Wang Zhiduo to inquire about this county magistrate: He has served as the county magistrate of Tan Lin for more than [-] years, and he is obedient to the people. Rule by doing nothing. Even though the You family is on hand to control him, he often chooses the lesser of two evils and often takes care of the people under the oppression of the You family in private. Once he is dismissed from office, many people complain about him. "

"This time the Governor personally inspected the You Mansion, and the crime he was convicted of was just negligence. I have read his file. He has been watched by the You Mansion before, and most of the time it was recorded as a helpless act. After I was promoted to County Magistrate , someone wanted to unite with him to harm me, but he refused. The day you were kidnapped, he came to deliver the news."

Zhong Lan stretched out his hand to interrupt Shen Feng: "Even if you say all kinds of good things about him, I still don't believe that Youfu is like a quagmire and he can monologue in it. He has always been a bystander when it comes to right and wrong. As a county Order, this is a dereliction of duty and a sin."

Shen Feng was silent for a long time: "It's better to do this. After he was deposed, he has been idle in Qin Lincheng's house in the south of the city. Tomorrow will be the day of rest. I will ask Jiang Liu to pay homage to the Qin Mansion. You and I will pay homage to him tomorrow and then make a decision. ?”

"That's fine." Zhong Lan finally responded.

two

Shen Feng sent the invitation, which surprised Qin Shen, but he still accepted it.

The carriage with a sign bearing the surname "Shen" slowly stopped in front of Qin's house.

"Sir, the concierge has already sent the message." Jiang Liu lowered his head and opened the curtain of the carriage.

Shen Feng had her hair tied up with a gold hairpin and was dressed in a casual blue robe and white coat. After stepping on the footstool and getting out of the car, she turned around and helped Zhong Lan out of the car.

Zhong Lan wore a light purple dress and a long moon-white coat with wide sleeves. She wore a Shuzhuang bun with two Ruyi jade hairpins and a few small golden butterflies in her hair. She looked at the simple and heavy door plaque and put on Shen Jie's head. The hand entered the door.

When the two of them walked to the atrium, they saw Qin Shen rolling up his sleeves and trimming the bamboo in the courtyard.

Seeing the two people coming side by side, Qin Shen wiped his sweat, handed the utensils in his hands to the boy next to him, walked forward with a smile, and saluted Shen Feng: "Long time no see, Lord Shen."

"Master Qin is so elegant." Shen Feng nodded in return with Zhong Lan.

"Master Shen has forgotten again, I am no longer an adult. If you don't mind, you can call me old man, sir, or even directly address me by name." Qin Shen invited the two of them in.The three of them sat down in the main hall, and Qin Shen ordered tea to be served.

Before he could speak, a child of about three years old ran in and lay in Qin Shen's arms: "We have finished the lessons Mr. taught you yesterday. Can we go to the backyard to play for a while?"

Another child also ran in and yelled aggrievedly: "Sir, sir, he lied. His homework is very difficult and he is the only one to complete it! He just wants to play alone and we will be punished!"

The two children were instantly at war with each other and were about to start a fight.

"Don't be rude." Qin Shen scolded softly, "Why don't you salute Mr. Shen and Mrs. Zhong quickly."

Only then did the two children discover Shen Yan and Zhong Yan who were sitting beside them, they quickly stood still, and respectfully saluted and greeted them.

"Qin Zhili, pay homage to Mr. Shen and Mrs. Zhong."

"Qin Zhiyi, meet Mr. Shen and Madam Zhong."

Seeing how cute the two little children were in their pretense, Zhong Lan asked Chang Huan to step forward and help them up.

Qin Shenci smiled and stroked the heads of the two children: "Go and tell your brothers and sisters that we will have a day off today and just finish your homework before tomorrow."

The two children were instantly overjoyed, reconciled immediately, and walked out the door hand in hand.

Looking at the backs of the two children, Zhong Lan couldn't help but ask, "Are these two Mr. Qin's descendants?"

Qin Shen smiled and shook his head: "I am not destined to have children. Zhuo Jing passed away 30 years ago. These two children and the dozen or so people I brought with me to the back house are all beggars I adopted."

"Their parents died either because of Youfu or due to natural disasters and man-made disasters in Qinlin. I can't do anything but adopt them privately. I will treat them with courtesy when they are young, and teach them poetry and calligraphy when they grow up, in order to atone for their sins." Qin Shen smiled lightly. He stood there, his eyes full of loneliness.

Shen Feng and Zhong Lan looked at each other.

"I heard that Madam Zhong is going to set up an academy for the children of poor families in Qinlin. Before that, why not repair the almshouse for these beggars?"

Unlike private schools, the construction of almshouses has always been a matter for the government. Although Zhong Lan had once thought about helping to repair the almshouses, she didn't understand what Qin Shen meant by what he said, and she didn't expect that Qin Shen would turn his back on guests. She couldn't help but He became vigilant: "Mr. Qin is joking. The workhouse is a matter of the county government. My adults will take care of it. I am a woman and I can't talk about it."

"Ms. Zhong, there is no need to be so wary of me. Master Shen is the county magistrate now, and I am an ordinary citizen. We are so different from each other, so naturally I will not do anything that is not good for you." Qin Shen heard the meaning of Zhong Lan's words and was not annoyed. Laugh back.

"Master Shen first became the county magistrate. Although he has contributed to the Pinggao case, it is not enough to stabilize the county magistrate's position. If you want to make your political achievements more attractive, building water conservancy and civil engineering, and supporting the poor and running schools are also indispensable."

"The almshouse in Qin Lin has been neglected in recent years, and the rice for the poor in the porridge factory is also of varying quality. Now that Mr. Shen is ruling the Qingming Dynasty, why don't you become a good person?"

Shen Feng, who had been silent for a long time, stopped Qin Shen's words: "I think it is useless to deal with county affairs without being rude or reckless. Nowadays, the academy is the county administration, and the almshouse is also the county administration. Only when one thing is completed can everything be done. Everything is possible, this is what my husband taught me."

When Qin Shen heard this, he held out two fingers: "Qin has no children and no one to inherit his legacy. If Master Shen has any concerns, Qin is willing to contribute 2000 taels to repair the almshouse. Why don't Master Shen give it to Qin?" A chance?"

Then Qin Shen took Zhong Lan and Shen Feng to meet the children in the back house of Qin Mansion.

Children of different ages were playing together. They were all neatly dressed, with reddish faces and calm demeanors. When they saw Qin Shen, they all stopped and called him sir.

Zhong Lan and Shen Feng left the Qin Mansion and got on the carriage.

"So, are you going to take these 2000 taels and run the academy and the workhouse together?" Zhong Lan asked.

"I went to inspect Qin Lin's almshouse years ago. Now that it's winter, repairs cannot be postponed. Money is not abundant in the county now, and the documents I submitted to the magistrate a few days ago have been returned."

Shen Feng looked at Zhong Lai and said, "If we have these 2000 taels, the workhouse and the academy can be run together. If you still think it's inappropriate, then count it as a loan from him and we will pay it back when the county treasury has enough money." That’s it.”

Zhong Lan lowered his head and fiddled with the handkerchief slightly, thinking that the children in the backyard of the Qin Mansion were not fake, and said for a long time: "If you say he is worthy of being the headmaster of Jinyu Academy, then let him try."

"It's just that the workhouse matter involves 2000 taels. This is not a small amount. You and I have to be careful." Zhong Lai took Shen Fie's arm and reminded him.

"I understand." Shen Feng patted Zhong Lan's hand to reassure her.

In the end, Shen Feng collected 2000 taels from Qin Shen in the name of county government debt, wrote a detailed IOU to him, and hired him as the headmaster of Jinyu Academy, so that all beggars in the Qin Mansion could study in the academy.

(End of this chapter)