Idle courtiers

Chapter 13

After quickly rolling the lottery and running off the boat, all the villagers gathered around: "Brother Nan, what did you do just now?"

Zhou Nan clapped the burden in his hands: "Our food for the day and night is all here. It's getting late, let's go, or we may sleep in the city gate tonight."

The villagers just saw Zhou Nan talking and laughing happily with a group of scholars on the boat, and then they remembered that he had a reputation as a scholar, a well-known talent in the county, and a legendary Wenqu star who descended to earth, and they felt a little in awe.

Although he was curious about what was in Zhou Nan's package, he still followed him.

After a while, a group of people came to a pawn shop.It was completely dark, the willows were on the moon, and the shopkeeper of the pawnshop was directing two men to close the door and put on the board.

Seeing a scholar leading a group of villagers over, he shouted loudly: "The shopkeeper wait a moment." I was shocked, thinking to myself that I haven't received anything from a scholar these days. These scholars are not the children of rich families, so they are not easy to mess with. .

He cupped his hands and said with a smile: "So it's my husband, please sit down, buddy, let's enjoy the tea, watch the tea."

"No need, shopkeeper, take a look at how much money I can make if these things are with you." It was too late, and it was okay that I ate a few chopsticks, wine and food on the painting boat. From noon to now, there are still grains of rice not sticking to the teeth, but I can't stand the hunger, Zhou Nan didn't talk nonsense, and opened the package directly.

"Brother Nan, this is the lottery you earned earlier, just a few pens and ingots of ink, how much is it worth?" The villagers chattered, with disappointment on their faces.Although they don't study, they know the price of the four treasures of the study.When there is a big market in the town, a writing brush costs only a dozen yuan.

But I didn't want to, the shopkeeper's eyes suddenly lit up, he picked up a piece of ink, looked at it, and sniffed it again: "Good stuff, high-quality pine smoke, added musk and borneol, and it's made by famous masters. It's a pity to pawn this thing. However, this despicable name will not accept it."

"How to say?" Zhou Nan asked.

"Our Huai'an mansion is very humid, and it is not easy to store ink ingots after they are put into storage. After a while, it will be the rainy season. If it gets moldy, the ink will be ruined. Our shop is small and profitable, but we can't afford the loss. See Xianggong looks like a well-learned man, so why not use it for yourself."

The villagers said after hearing the words: "I just said that this thing is not worth a lot of money. It seems that I am really going to starve today."

The shopkeeper pointed to the Fang inkstone again: "This one can be taken away, yes, it is a good inkstone for the eyes, the material is high-quality, and the workmanship is also excellent. I don't know if my husband should take it alive or dead."

Zhou Nan: "Damn it." It's nonsense, and I can't take the imperial examination.Ordinary people are not willing to study the Four Books and Five Classics for nothing, and those things can't be exchanged for money.

"Well, the price of dead pawning is higher, but I don't know how much it costs to be a husband?"

Zhou Nan really didn't know how much it would cost. In modern society, this thing is a collection of literary and play properties, and the price is very high. An inkstone like this seems to be worth tens of thousands of yuan.However, this is the Ming Dynasty.The raw materials of She inkstone are in sufficient supply, and there is no speculation by merchants. They are just ordinary daily necessities.In addition, he is not a scholar, and he has no concept of the price of the four treasures of the study.

He stretched out five fingers of his right hand: "Shopkeeper, what do you think of this number?
The shopkeeper shook his head: "It's high, you know, Mr., this item is too selective for the buyer, so it's hard to sell it. My shop is small and the profits are thin, but I can't afford this kind of risk. How about this, Quan and you Make a friend, I will give this number." After saying that, he raised three fingers.

Seeing Zhou Nan nodding, the shopkeeper turned his head and said to the clerk, "Go, write a pawn ticket to Mr. Xiang, and seal another three liang of good snowflake silver."

"Three taels, is this stone worth three taels?" All the villagers opened their mouths wide in astonishment, and more than a dozen hands stretched out to caress the inkstone: "Hey, this is jade!"

"Brother Nan, I didn't expect you to earn three or two taels of silver just by walking on the boat. Why is it so easy for you to make money? Why are people different?" Last year.After deducting the imperial grain and national tax, the money you get is only one or two yuan, but it is not as good as Brother Nan reading a few lines of poems.

"Nonsense, Brother Nan, who is a gentleman who reads books, can you compare with him?" Uncle Qi chuckled.

The villagers looked at Zhou Nan in awe.

There were so many people, the shopkeeper was so anxious that he couldn't help shouting: "Don't move, don't move, if you drop it carefully, it won't be worth anything if you break it."

When Zhou Nan and others took the money and left, the shopkeeper told his staff: "You two let the news out, and say that the inkstone that Miss Meier used every day has fallen into my hands. If you want it, you can come to my shop. "He touched the bottom of the inkstone and smiled triumphantly: "Miss Mei Er is a well-known beautiful and talented woman in our county. If you know that her daily necessities are in the hands of the old man, young scholars who have not yet married can still fight for it." Break your head?"

On the base of the inkstone is engraved this line of words: "The warm wind will come later, don't get apricot blossom fat." It is Miss Mei Er's handwriting.

Miss Mei Er is a female literary youth, and she is also a goddess-level figure in the literature circle of Andong County. The poems and essays she wrote in her daily life occasionally flow out, but the shopkeeper knows her.

There is a word Chi in this poem, which is the name of the second young lady.

Three taels of silver is an astronomical figure in the eyes of the villagers, but to Zhou Nan it is just drizzle.According to ancient and modern prices, converted into rice, during the Jiajing period, this three taels of silver was only two or 3000 yuan, which is enough to buy a mobile phone in modern society, and it is still the kind that can barely play the king of pesticides.

However, the prices in ancient times were not high, so you can enjoy yourself.

Soon, Zhou Nan took all the villagers into a hotel and booked a room.Then he said to Xiaoer: "When you bring a table of wine and dishes, you must have meat, and you can't see a single bit of green. The meat must be fat, and the fat and thin are seven or three, and the fat and thin are three."

Seeing the corners of his mouth dripping with oil and seeing the adoring gazes of the villagers, Zhou Nan sighed in his heart while drinking: Unexpectedly, I, Zhou Nan, would also embark on the road of no return to plagiarizing the poems of later generations.It's just that one of Nalan's poems was only exchanged for more than 2000 yuan, which is a huge loss!

The villagers don't have much food on weekdays, and it happens to be the busy farming season, and their physical strength is exhausted. Everyone feels extremely satisfied after eating a lot of food.Someone said: "Zhou Yang really lost his mind and went crazy. Such a capable elder brother refuses to admit it. He didn't have to miss this meaty meal. I feel bad for him. Brothers, in my opinion, if I have Brother Nan like this A big brother, even if it is a fake, you have to admit it." After drinking too much wine, everyone was a little drunk.

Seventh Uncle snorted, "You little bastard Zhou Yang, falsely accusing your elder brother, his morals are too bad, I will never let him go."

Hearing everyone talking about Zhou Yang, Zhou Nan couldn't help but frowned, and thought to himself: This kid said he wanted to find someone to prove that I was a fake Zhou Xiucai, he seemed obsessed, and he didn't know who he was looking for?However, there is nothing to worry about.He is an ordinary farmer, and he can find any important people.I used to be a scholar at any rate, and Shizhi County was also a Jinshi.Scholars in the world are one family, and the government will stand by my side.Even if there is something to do tomorrow, if you see what you are doing, you can still lose to him?

Shi Zhixian is really too lazy, he usually sleeps in the morning.Therefore, Zhou Nan's case will be tried in the afternoon.

Zhou Nan and all his fellow villagers slept until three poles in the morning. He took a group of villagers for a stroll around the county town and bought some snacks for each of them at his own expense. I'm sorry, it's a mere gift, please accept it.What's more, you put down the work in the field and go to the county town for a day and a night. After returning home, you are afraid that you will be beaten and scolded by the mother-in-law at home. These things just take home to make the girls happy.

Everyone laughed and said: "Brother Nan is really careful, he even thought about this. It seems that this matter must be guarded against, and my life is important. Let's thank Brother Nan."

After lunch, everyone went to the county government again with a roar.

When they reached the ground, Zhou Yang was already waiting there. Hearing Zhou Nan and the others calling, he sneered and gave everyone a hard look.Then he said: "Thief, you are so bold that you dare to come here. There is a way to heaven if you don't go, there is no way to hell to come in."

Zhou Nan sighed: "Brother, you and I are brothers, and it is my fault for the current situation. But, can't you be more open-minded, money and family property are just external things, if you want to If you want the ten mu of land, just ask, but for the sake of seeing the dead parents, why would I refuse?"

Everyone said: "Yes, yes, Zhou Yang, you have gone too far. My brother broke his bones and connected his tendons. How could he become enemies?" The villagers were all simple and looked at Zhou Yang with contempt.

Zhou Yang was furious, and pointed at Zhou Nan: "You wait, you wait, the county magistrate will give me justice, if you cry. If you die, that bitch Yunniang will also be killed. "

Uncle Seven stomped his feet angrily: "What a beast, how can there be any reason to curse your brother and sister-in-law to death?"

Just as they were cursing, a drum sounded, and the yamen guards in the courtroom let out a burst of "mighty" and then someone shouted: "Let Zhou Nan and Zhou Yang go to court in Zhoujiazhuang."

It turned out that Shi Zhixian had already woken up to take care of things.

Zhou Nan and Zhou Yangru knelt down on the stone slab in the lobby again like yesterday, and kowtowed: "Xiaomin has seen the elder."

"Everyone look up and answer." Shi Zhixian patted the gavel and started the formal trial: "Zhou Yang, a villager in Zhoujia Village, you sued Zhou Nan for pretending to be your eldest brother Zhou Nan and occupying the widow's wife. Yesterday, when my judge tried the case, you He also said that there are important witnesses, did they bring them?"

"If you go back to the old man, he has already brought it."

"pass!"

Soon, a slender woman with a green gauze on her head walked towards the court from the side room of the yamen.

Zhou Nan turned his head and glanced quickly, and praised in his heart: "Good figure, devil's pace, is it a brothel girl? I just don't know what she looks like, but she is wearing a green gauze, but I can't see clearly...Zhou Yang The witness mentioned in the mouth turned out to be a woman... What... What's going on... Could it be that this woman knew Zhou Xiucai before, and the relationship is still very close... A confidante... This is troublesome. The one who knows you is the person next to your pillow. The two of you are naked and skin-to-skin, and you can't hide any privacy. For example, the location of the birthmark on your body, or even your body position... At that time, if this woman asks that kind of privacy question, I will If one doesn't deal with it properly, wouldn't it mean that your identity will be revealed?"

Suddenly, he felt something was wrong in his heart, and sweat came out from his vest, and he turned his head away hastily, leaving only his back for the woman.

The woman entered the court, "The daughter of the people, Mei Chi, has seen the county magistrate." Just as she was about to kneel down, Shi Zhixian raised her head slightly: "Excuse me, stand up and talk."

A nerd in Shizhi County, this woman has a slim figure, she should be a great beauty.Tell her to kneel down, spoil the scenery.

(End of this chapter)