Idle courtiers

Chapter 136

As expected of being a descendant of Xunzi, when Zhou Nan entered the village, he saw carved beams and painted buildings in front of him, and plaques hung everywhere in the hall.Look carefully at the words on the plaque, it is either a Jinshi or a winner of the Toad Palace.

According to the rules of scholars in this era, as long as you have achieved fame, your family will engrave a plaque and hang it high in the hall to show your glory.

Counting, in the past hundred years, the Xun family has produced three Jinshi.

However, when the Xun family reached the generation of Xun Juren's great-grandfather, the fortunes changed, and the two consecutive generations were all Baiding.Only in Xunju did he barely pass the provincial examination.Although his son Xun Dagongzi is a scholar, it is estimated that his future will stop here.

Zhou Nan looked at the guests in the hall again, but saw that they were all well-known country gentry and celebrities, and there were five or six officials in official robes, all of whom were rank officials of the sixth or seventh rank.

He recalled the mighty chariots and horses who came to mourn earlier, and felt strange that the Xun family was wealthy, but had no talents, and it was estimated that there would be no one in the next few decades.After the death of Xun Juren, there was no one in the family who could support the family.It is strange that these officials and gentry came to mourn so enthusiastically.

It is a normal state of mind for people to drink cold tea, and the official circles of the Ming Dynasty did not have the tradition of taking care of the families of martyrs.

A dark coffin was placed in the hall, and an incense table was placed in front of it.

Thinking that Xun Juren used to be a fellow villager with himself in Tang Shunzhi's curtain, Zhou Nan felt a little sad.

At this moment, I saw the host come in.

A well-maintained old woman in her early fifties, dressed in filial piety, came out to give everyone a little blessing, and said, "Forgive me for not paying enough attention, the Xun family has a new funeral. My husband died for the country, and I would like to ask all the adults, relatives and friends to come to express condolences." , the survivor Xun Ding is very grateful, and brought his son to give gifts to everyone."

Everyone stepped forward to bow their hands to Xun Juren's dead soul, and offered three sticks of incense, and then they were led by Xun's family servants to sit on a nearby chair and watch tea.

The offering of condolences also depends on the rank of seniority, and it took a long time before it was Zhou Nan's turn.

He stepped forward and bowed three times to Xun Juren's spiritual seat, and next to him, Madam Ding and Xun Xiucai returned the salute.

After offering incense, Zhou Nan introduced himself: "Ma'am, by the way, the Eldest Prince expresses his condolences. Zhou Nan, the governor of the Criminal Office of the Xiafu Yamen, has many relationships with Xun Juren. I am deeply saddened by the death of an old friend."

Hearing that it was Zhou Nan, everyone in the hall who knew his name looked over curiously, wanting to take a closer look at this legendary master of poetry.

Mrs. Ding was annoyed at Zhou Nan's lack of courtesy, and said coldly, "Thank you Mr. Zhou for coming to pay homage to my late husband, and let's have tea at the side." She was about to send him aside.

These words made Zhou Nan feel uneasy.

It turns out that in ancient times, the title "adult" was not a random shout, it was a term used by superiors to subordinates.If it is reversed, it is greatly disrespectful.For example, official Xiong Tui can call Zhou Nan "Master Zhou." When Zhou Nan calls him, he must give the official title "Xiong Lixing" or directly "Master."

If calling "Master Xiong" is equivalent to calling "Comrade Little Bear" in later generations, you are waiting to be put on shoes by your immediate boss!
Mrs. Ding is just a Juren's wife, an ordinary woman, and she is not ordered by the imperial court. It is a kind of humiliation to call Zhou Nan as Mr. Zhou today.

Zhou Nan is a pure egoist, and he doesn't rub the sand in his eyes.When he first entered the manor, he was angered by the two family members, and he directly hated the owners of the house, Mrs. Ding and Xun Xiucai. If the Sixth Miss could share a large amount of property from Mrs. Ding's mother and son, the idea would naturally come to pass.

After entering Zhuangzi for a long time, the anger in his heart calmed down a little, and he began to think that the division of such a large amount of property involved a lot.The parties involved don't know each other, and they don't hold any positions. Why not take this opportunity to gain something?Let's find an opportunity to have a good talk with Mrs. Ding later, and beat her up.

As for Miss Six, she is neither relative nor relative to me, who cares.

Moreover, building a good relationship with this kind of gentleman is also of great benefit to him as an official.

Seeing the attitude of Xun Juren's wife towards him at this moment, Zhou Nan also knew that this woman might not be a good match, and they probably couldn't reach an agreement at all.

Forget it, today I will uphold justice for Miss Xun Liu.Hehe, if you, Mrs. Ding, make me unhappy for a while, Zhou Nan, I will make you unhappy for the rest of my life.

Zhou Nan didn't leave, but still stood in the middle of the mourning hall, and said indifferently: "So that my wife can know that when Xun Ju was seriously injured and recuperated in Yangzhou, my official happened to be there. We are from the same township and belong to the same line of scholars. They call each other brothers. When Xun Juren passed away, I happened to be by his side. My heart is filled with grief when my old friend passed away. I came to your mansion today because I have something important to tell the lady in the mansion. I also ask my wife to invite Miss Xun Liu Come."

Mrs. Ding suddenly felt a little uneasy in her heart. The Zhima official surnamed Zhou said that he was by his side when her husband passed away, so it must not be a good thing to come this time and say that she wants to see Sixth Sister Xun.He shouted: "I am her mother. My daughter has not yet left the court, so it is not convenient to show her face in public. If you have something to say, tell me."

Anyway, she was determined not to let Zhou Nan see Sixth Sister Xun.

This is also true, the Xun family is a rich and scholarly family after all, how can the young lady in the family be easily seen by others, isn't that a joke?
Zhou Nan also felt that his words were a bit abrupt, so he sneered and said, "Before Xun Juren died, he left a suicide note to explain what happened after his death."

"What, my husband still has a suicide note, give it to me quickly!" Mrs. Ding was shocked, and without regard for her face, she yelled and stretched out her hand to Zhou Nan.

Zhou Nan shook his head: "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry, when Brother Xun died, I told the officials to hand it over to Sixth Sister Xun. However, this matter is of great importance. Since it is not convenient for Miss Six to come out in front of everyone, please ask a few adults to do it for you. Turn it on and be a witness."

As he spoke, he turned his eyes to the officials in red robes on his left.

The division of the Xun family's property is directly related to Mrs. Ding's vital interests. If I hand the letter to her, I'm afraid that this woman will turn her face and deny it as soon as she gets the letter. I really have nothing to do with her.

How to hand over the letter to the officials who came to express condolences is to go directly to legal procedures.

Zhou Nan asked: "May I ask who among the adults is in charge of Huai'an Civil Affairs, and I will watch Xun Juren's suicide note with me at the Criminal Court?"

Everyone has already vaguely felt that Xun Juren's letter must involve family business. The so-called upright officials can't solve family affairs, no matter how they do it, it will be thankless.No sound.

For a while, there was silence in the mourning hall.

At this time, an old man in Taoist robes in his fifties came up and said gently to Zhou Nan: "Old man, Ding Qiguang, Magistrate of Shanyang County, Mr. Zhou, please open the letter and share it with me."

Zhou Nan froze: "Are you the magistrate of Shanyang County?"

The old man smiled slightly: "Is there any impersonation?"

Several other officials looked exciting, gave each other a wink, and nodded at the same time: "Governor Zhou is the official of Shanyang who is close to the people."

Zhou Nan had also heard of Ding Qiguang's name before, and Shanyang didn't have much sense of existence because it was in Fuguo County.In the officialdom of Huai'an Prefecture, the county magistrate seemed to be invisible.

He took the letter out of his pocket and unfolded it.

Mrs. Ding and Xun Xiucai also gathered around and looked at it intently.The mother and son are the immediate family members of the deceased, and they wanted to read the suicide note. Since Dingzhi County did not object, Zhou Nan had no reason to drive them away.

Seeing this, Madam Ding burst into tears: "Yes, it is the deceased husband's own handwriting."

Xun Xiucai also cried: "Seeing the letter is like a face, it is the ink left by my father."

Xun Juren had been wandering around for ten years and hadn't returned. In addition, he complained about Madam Ding's jealous eyebrows.

After hearing the news of his death and seeing the coffin, the mother and son cried a few times in front of outsiders.At this moment, seeing that the large amount of property in the letter was divided, I felt anxious, and the crying sounded extremely sad.

Zhou Nan had been observing the mother and son carefully, but seeing Mrs. Ding was furious, with naked hatred for herself as the messenger flashing in her eyes, she was naturally very happy in her heart.Haha, you know the fate of offending me, Mr. Zhou, right? Cool, my happiness is based on your pain.

I like to see you hate me so much, but you look helpless.

Zhou Nan: "Dingzhi County, Xun Juren has already explained the funeral, and please read this letter in front of all the guests, to comfort Brother Xun's spirit in heaven."

"It should be." Zhixian Ding nodded, and suddenly said to Zhou Nan: "Governor Zhou sent letters for his dead friends, running thousands of miles, which is the style of the ancients. I admire you in the heart of the county, and the Xun family also appreciates your kindness. By the way, listen. It is said that Zimu and Hao Miao have a long-term wish, and they want to make Hao's family settle in Shanyang. The imperial court has already ordered the local officials to properly resettle the refugees. I also know that the people's livelihood is difficult, so I can let the road citations be prepared and come to the county. I am also grateful for the kindness of Junfu and the imperial court for the handling of the yamen's house."

Zhou Nan was a little confused. Why was Ding Qiguang so enthusiastic about helping Hao Miao to register in Shanyang? The person surnamed Hao has nothing to do with me.By the way, it must be because of my reputation, everyone in the world thinks that I have an affair with Mrs. Hao.

It's really hard to explain how much money can be melted by everyone's mouth, and how many bones can be destroyed.

No, what Ding Qiguang wants to sell my favor, I don't understand what he is talking about.

After Ding Zhixian finished speaking, he raised the letter in his hand and said to the guests in a loud voice: "My brother-in-law's suicide note said that he knew he was seriously injured and died this time. Although he can die for the country this time, he has no regrets. Rest assured is the wife and children at home, I hope the wife treats the children well, and urges the children to study and make progress..."

Anyway, it was some irrelevant scenes, these were not written in Xun Juren's letter, they were all made up by Dingzhi County.

Zhou Nan was puzzled, and Jier was shocked.

At this moment, Mrs. Ding next to her burst into tears and said: "My husband said that he is especially worried about his daughter, the sixth sister. All the property in the family is handed over to the concubine and the eldest son to take care of it. I am also grateful for Governor Zhou's sending letters from thousands of miles away. He is a first-class figure in our house, and he wants to entrust Sixth Sister to him for life, thinking that... a concubine's room.

In the end, she wiped away her tears again, and said to Ding Zhixian: "Brother, my husband passed away, and my heart is like a mess. I entrust my elder brother with all the affairs of the family."

Ding Zhixian looked at Mrs. Ding with a look of astonishment, and he sighed for a while, shaking his head and being speechless.

"Ah!" Zhou Nan was dumbfounded, and there was only one thought in his mind: It's so dark, I'm not afraid of black society, I'm afraid of society's blackness!

Everything in the mourning hall is completely silent, except for cigarette smoke curling up, and a few pieces of paper ashes flying in the wind.

(End of this chapter)