diskusbooks Chapter 446 Jun Qirui's Memories 2
Chapter 446 Jun Qirui's Memories 2
Afterwards, he pawned the last of his mother's jewelry, hired a doctor to treat his mother and sister, and returned the money to Manager Lin.
After his mother and sister recovered from their injuries, he planned to take them to the Guanglin Prefecture government office to file a complaint.
However, when Manager Lin heard about it, he tried his best to stop him, saying that not only was he being reckless, but he had also alerted the Chen family.
Yes, looking back now, he was indeed reckless.
It was his ignorant recklessness that caused his mother and sister to suffer such great humiliation.
Later, they heard from Manager Lin that the eighth concubine of the Yongchang County magistrate was Chen Ping's younger sister, which meant they were destined to lose the case.
He said he would go to the prefectural city to file a complaint, and if that didn't work, he would go to the state prefecture, and if that didn't work, he would go to the capital.
However, the innkeeper advised him not to fight a losing battle and to gather more evidence.
Back then, he wouldn't listen to advice and insisted on going to the prefectural city. Seeing how determined he was, Manager Lin didn't try to persuade him anymore.
Unfortunately, when they arrived at Guanglin Prefecture, they met Prefect Yao.
The conclusion was simple: they had too little evidence.
Too little evidence...heh...
Upon hearing the prefect's words, he gripped the sweat-dampened corner of his sleeve, a metallic taste rising in his throat, which he swallowed down.
The spring sunlight streamed through the carved window lattice, slicing across the official robes of Prefect Yao. The xiezhi (mythical beast) pattern, embroidered with gold thread, gleamed with a cold light, appearing even more imposing than the forced smile on his face.
"Your Excellency's words... do you mean I should swallow this injustice?" He heard his hoarse voice echo in the hall.
Is there no way to seek redress?
Prefect Yao picked up his teacup and took a sip. The crisp sound of the covered bowl hitting the porcelain saucer startled him.
That saying: "Young people, don't be ignorant of the times."
Ha ha……
Are they out of touch with reality?
Staring at the xiezhi on his official robe, it seemed to come alive, its horns pressing against his spine.
Finally, Prefect Yao also told him that if he insisted on appealing, it might be too late.
Not only would his scholar's degree be stripped away, but his mother and sister would also be exiled to that harsh and cold place along with him.
So cruel!
He tilted his head back and swallowed his grief and indignation, then looked at the plaque on the wall that read "A Clear Mirror Hangs High," which stung his eyes.
Finally, he stuffed his bleeding fist into his sleeve and turned to leave.
……
He recalled that the next time he saw Prefect Yao was at the county government office in Ling'an County.
When he saw himself again, he was a completely different person from when he first met him.
It was on that day that he learned that Prefect Yao was Lu Yunqing's senior brother.
The reason Prefect Yao helped him was because of Dongfang Jin, since the Yao family wanted the tea-making technology that Dongfang Jin possessed.
The message he brought was that Chen Guangzong, the magistrate of Yongchang County, was corrupt, lawless, and disregarded human life.
They not only fabricated false cases and seized farmland, but also bullied the people in every way.
Once the evidence of his crimes was irrefutable, the imperial court was furious and sentenced his entire family, including nine generations of relatives, to be implicated, their property confiscated, and he exiled to Ningguta.
Chen Ping's entire family was implicated, and their property was confiscated. Most of the villagers in Chenjia Village, Honghe Town, were also exiled.
Fortunately, Chen Ping didn't mention the three of them, otherwise they would have been implicated as well.
Prefect Yao said that the Jun family's property is unlikely to be recovered because there is no evidence.
If they bring it up now, not only will the Jun family's property not be recovered, but he, his mother, and his sister will also be exiled.
Since Chen Ping didn't mention it, and their household registration is in Lingwu Village, there's no need to bring it up again.
After hearing those words, he no longer felt as much hatred for that "father".
That's good, they'll have an even better life from now on.
……
When his mother learned of this, she advised him not to sue, saying that those things could not be brought into the world and could not be taken away when they died.
Living is the way to go.
Yes, staying alive is the most important thing.
Despite his reluctance, he still bid a sorrowful farewell to Guanglin Prefecture with his mother and younger sister.
Misfortune never comes singly; before he had gone far, a petty thief stole all his money.
In a daze, I mistakenly arrived in Ling'an County, which turned out to be the opposite of my hometown, Guangling Prefecture.
With no money in his pocket and no chance to meet a kind person like Manager Lin again, he had no choice but to beg for food on the streets to survive.
With winter fast approaching, three years of wandering had already made him taste the bitterness of human nature.
After finding their way back to Guangling Prefecture, they mistakenly arrived at the foot of Lingwu Mountain.
Looking at the towering, imposing mountains, he felt a deep, icy desolation—there was no way forward, and he was lost in the wilderness once again.
People say that "there's always a way out," but at this moment they felt like they had reached a dead end, and despair was growing wildly in their hearts.
But when he caught a glimpse of his mother's sickly appearance and his sister's confused eyes, he swallowed the bitterness in his heart.
His gaze fell on the solitary house at the foot of the mountain, its carved beams and painted rafters exuding an air of nobility. He secretly thought that perhaps he could make a living with his scholar's degree.
Unexpectedly, no one answered the door after knocking for several days, and he was starving.
He had no choice but to risk going to the surrounding cornfields to find some food, but eventually collapsed from exhaustion in the field.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw a family of four standing in front of me.
The man was as tall and imposing as an iron tower, with two hideous scars running diagonally across his left cheek.
With each step, the soles of his boots crunched on the stones, and the rustling of his clothes seemed to conceal a vast army.
His temperament was enigmatic and difficult to discern, resembling both a bandit leader ruling a mountain and a fierce general conquering the battlefield.
When the woman beside him lowered her head, her dark blue eyelashes cast butterfly-wing-like shadows on her snow-white skin.
His phoenix eyes were slightly upturned, and his pupils, like obsidian soaked in morning dew, shimmered with a captivating light.
Her eyebrows are like distant mountains shrouded in mist, and she exudes a natural charm without the need for makeup.
The silver butterfly hairpin swayed gently at her temples, making her skin appear even whiter than snow. Her lips were like newly blossoming crabapple blossoms, and her dimples rippled like spring wine.
She truly possessed the beauty of "eyelashes fluttering on snowy cheeks, starry eyes glancing sideways with shimmering light," her every step graceful and elegant.
His two young children, sitting on the oxcart, were also looking at him with bewildered eyes.
Looking at this strange family, he felt no sense of unease whatsoever.
Although they were complete strangers, they inexplicably poured out all the hardships and bitterness of their journey.
Looking back on that memory, I realize how incredibly foolish I was.
I still remember when Dongfang Jin smiled and casually uttered, "You are a spy from an enemy country."
He looked so shocked and at a loss—little did he know then what kind of ruthless methods were hidden behind this seemingly joking test.
He wasn't trying to elicit pity; he was simply looking at the two children, who were clutching their clothes in a timid and bewildered state.
Looking at Gu Chenglin's cold, hard profile with his eyes lowered, a wave of trust suddenly washed over her.
His intuition told him that this family would be a lifeline for the three of them.
And indeed it is.
Gu Chenglin personally led him to the Ling'an County Government Office, where the county magistrate handed him the three people's household registers.
The vermilion seal of "Lingwu Village" on the paper still carries the scent of ink.
Only then did he realize that the woman who was always wielding the ladle in the kitchen could command such respect from the magistrate of Ling'an County.
What's even more astonishing is that the two adorable children were not her biological children.
It turns out that Gu Chenglin's ex-wife had died young, and she was just an orphan sent by her adoptive parents to "marry in place of her."
Judging from her patience when braiding the girl's hair and her focus when tutoring the boy, no one could see any estrangement between them.
As time went on, the family became increasingly strange.
Someone would often arrive in a curtained carriage and knock on the door late at night, and a guard with a knife would often flash in the shadows of the eaves.
What puzzled him most was that the tough man with a face full of scars actually listened to Dongfang Jin's every word.
Once, he caught Gu Chenglin picking grass clippings from her hair. The gentle touch of his rough hands on her hair was softer than willow catkins in spring.
After witnessing Dongfang Jin's extensive knowledge, he felt that he, a mere scholar, was like a pedantic old man with a narrow vision.
Mother began planting flowers and plants in the backyard of the Gu residence, her smile growing wider and more genuine.
Holding the embroidery frame and clothing design books given to her by Dongfang Jin, her eyes regained their light.
He had heard his sister chuckle softly in the west wing late at night; it was the first time he had heard her laugh since the upheaval in Guanglin Prefecture.
Dongfang Jin said she wanted to let her younger sister do what she liked and stop having to care about anyone else's opinion.
He almost burst into tears—how could he ever repay such kindness?