While Chen Chao was sizing up the young scholar in front of him, the young scholar here was also sizing up Chen Chao.
This time when he went to Yingzhou, Chen Chao didn't want to cause trouble, so he didn't hang a knife on his waist in a arrogant manner.
His aura concealed him in a very subtle way, so no one in the world would be able to tell his identity at a glance.
The young scholar closed the old book in his hand and put it back on the bookshelf behind him. Although he was gentle enough, the bookshelf still shook unavoidably and made some creaking sounds.
The young scholar looked at Chen Chao with some curiosity, his lips moved as if hesitating again and again, but in the end he couldn't help but asked, "Why did you come to Dongzi Temple?"
Chen Chao frowned slightly, but before he could speak, the young scholar over there added, "It seems that you are not a scholar, more like... a guy."
Now it was Chen Chao's turn to be a little curious. How could the other party know that he was a person at a glance?
"How did you figure it out, sir?"
Chen Chao didn't hide it, but got straight to the point.
The young scholar smiled and pointed at the young hands in front of him, and said with a smile, "Your Excellency's tiger's mouth is covered with deep calluses. It should be caused by holding swords for many years. In addition, although your Excellency looks a little injured, your figure is still upright, so there is no doubt that it is."
.”
Chen Chao glanced down and smiled slightly, "Sir, you have good eyesight and you are also a practitioner?"
The young scholar smiled and said, "It's my first glimpse of the path, but my talent is really ordinary. I don't think I will achieve much in this life."
Chen Chao also nodded. The breath in the body of the young man in front of him was weak. It was obvious that he had just entered the beginning of cultivation, but his foundation was unstable. It should be as he said. It was just a chance encounter. Since the other party did not see through his identity, he did not have any feelings for him.
Chen Chao didn't intend to get to the bottom of the murderous intention. He just smiled and said, "Why do you think I shouldn't come here, sir?"
The young scholar said, "When Dongzi Temple was at its peak, only scholars came here. Now in Changban County, all the scholars have gone away, and even if there are a few, they don't come here often."
, Your Excellency, it seems that there is no reason to come here."
After saying this, the young scholar suddenly felt a little impolite and said softly, "I'm just curious. If you don't want to answer, don't tell me. I'm being presumptuous."
Chen Chao smiled slightly. From just a few words of this scholar, he actually felt that this scholar must have a good character. But after thinking about it, he didn't hide anything. He told him the reason for coming here in the future, and after talking about it,
In fact, it's just a sentence, a whim.
The young scholar nodded, with an expression that seemed to be true.
Instead, Chen Chao asked, "Sir, when you come here, I don't see any incense being offered to worship you. Why?"
The young scholar was also calm enough and said, "I am short of money, and I am addicted to books. I have been going to the bookstore for a long time, but every time I only see the sales, and the shopkeeper is not happy. I want to go to Dongzi Temple."
There are still some old books, so come and browse them. It doesn’t cost any money and no one will bother you. It’s a great place for me.”
Chen Chao nodded and glanced at the white washed robe on the young scholar's body, which seemed to agree with his statement. He glanced at the old book that the scholar had just put back on the bookshelf. On the cover were the words "Spring and Autumn Fanlu",
It is one of Dongzi's works.
Noticing Chen Chao's gaze, the young scholar picked up the "Chun Qiu Fan Lu Ci" again and said softly, ""Xijing Miscellanies" said that Dong Zimai dreamed of a dragon in his arms, so he wrote "Chun Qiu Fan Lu Ci". Most scholars of later generations thought that this book
It is indeed one of the classics. If you look at it further, you will find that many parts of this book are just nonsense made by Dong Zi himself, which cannot be said to be reasonable."
Chen Chao was startled. Although Dong Zi had been dead for many years and the Dongzi Temple was no longer popular, this scholar should have a high status in the hearts of scholars. It is actually difficult to hear the words of a scholar like this.
"Sir, if you want to discuss "Chun Qiu Fan Lu" with me, you are talking to the wrong person. I'm really not sure about the next introduction."
Chen Chao smiled bitterly. He was not even half a scholar. If the young scholar in front of him met Xie Nandu, they would probably be able to talk, but talking to him would be like talking to a duck.
The young scholar didn't care at all, he just smiled and said, "Everyone has a different opinion about studying. Not all famous scholars are right, and peddlers who haven't read much are just like peddlers."
What I said is not necessarily all wrong. Originally, the principles in this book should be discussed again and again, and it would be better to argue about right and wrong for thousands of lives. For example, nowadays, we blindly say that a certain book is excellent and a certain book is extremely bad. In fact, it is not acceptable.
Take, just like this Dong Zi, although he has done some things, he is not necessarily a saint, and future generations should not blindly respect him. Just like this Dong Zi Temple, after the peak of incense, it is now deserted, and there is no problem. "
Chen Chao smiled and said, "It sounds reasonable. It should be more than just Dongzi, and it shouldn't be Dongzi Temple."
The young scholar nodded, his eyes full of smiles.
Chen Chao suddenly asked, "Sir, don't you plan to go to Shendu to attend the Autumn Festival?"
The young scholar smiled and said, "I don't aspire to be an official. Besides, even if I did, I wouldn't go to that sacred city. Besides, there are monsters out there that eat people."
Chen Chao said sincerely, "Sir, you should go to an academy to study."
The young scholar laughed and said, "Your Excellency, I have no knowledge. I am just complaining. That is to say, Your Excellency has a good temper and can patiently listen to what I have to say. If it were anyone else, I'm afraid you would be dead right now."
I already have a cold eyebrow at you."
Having said this, the young scholar rubbed his head and suddenly said, "I won't bother you anymore. It's getting late and there are no books here. I'm going to move to another place."
After saying this, the young scholar put the old book in his hand back on the bookshelf, turned around and left, without any hint of sloppiness.
Chen Chao watched the scholar in front of him leave with a smile in his eyes. Throughout his life, he met all kinds of people. Although most of them may not be able to become friends, but when they meet, they always feel comfortable, just like this young scholar at this moment.
, I only talked to him for a moment, but the feeling was as comfortable as drinking fine wine.
This is true even if the two of them have not announced each other's names.
Not long after the scholar left, Chen Chao also planned to turn around and leave, and left on a whim.
But just when he was about to leave, he suddenly heard some footsteps outside the door. Judging from the footsteps, there were many people and they were very cautious.
Chen Chao tiptoed to the ground and swept towards the beam above. He then held his breath and concentrated, but soon smiled to himself, as if he was hiding on the beam last time when he met Guo Xi's group of people outside Tianqing County.
A group of about seven or eight, all strong men, came to the main hall, each holding some hammers, chisels and the like in their hands.
As soon as they entered the main hall, the leading man lowered his voice and asked, "There are good things in this stone statue. Is it true?"
As soon as he opened his mouth, someone immediately responded, "That's absolutely the case. I heard what the old blind man in the east of the city said. The boulder was not a mortal thing. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to be taken away once it got here. After that, the stonemasons finished carving it."
Even though he died inexplicably, it was actually the emperor who was killing people and silencing him. The emperor admired Dong Zi very much and was a big help to him in the first place. How could he use ordinary stones to carve his stone statue?"
The person who spoke clearly knew something, and what he said was clear and coherent.
"In this case, let's open it up for him and have a look?"
The leading man rubbed his hands. If there was really any treasure in this stone statue, he would make a lot of money.
On the other side, a man suddenly spoke with some hesitation, "Brother, I still think you need to think more about it. Dong Zi has been worshiped by those scholars for many years. If we do this, will it be...
shoot?"
The leading man frowned and said, "You are so smooth-talking, you want to take the exam?"
The man whispered, "I have no hope in this life, but maybe that boy at home has hope. Our Nagasaka County is already miserable enough. If Dong Zi's stone statue is moved, will it... More in the future."
Is there nothing you can do?"
The leading man nodded and said with a straight face, "That's very good. Don't say it again next time."
The man opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
The leading man glanced at him, patted his shoulder, and said with emotion, "Xiao Liu, I don't know if that boy of yours will be successful in the future, but if you want him to be successful, you have to find a good job for him first.
Mr. right? Mr. our place now
, how many good gentlemen can there be? He can like your boy. Can you afford the tuition alone? How much money does it cost to support your boy to study for a day by carving tombstones for others? No.
As a big brother, it’s really…”
"Brother, stop talking, let's start from where to start, I'm ready."
The man arrived at the stone statue in an instant and stared at it with burning eyes.
The stone statue in front of me at this moment is no ordinary stone statue. It is my boy's tuition and his future.
The leading man twitched his lips.
Chen Chao, who was on the beam, had originally wanted to show up and disperse these men, but after listening carefully to the conversation of these men, he hesitated for a moment, and finally took out a money bag from his arms with some pain and held it in his palm.
Then he said in a deep voice, "Who dares to touch my stone statue?"
Chen Chao's words were basically uttered with powerful energy, so for a while they seemed to resound around the hall, and the source could not be found at all.
There is a mysterious and mysterious feeling.
The faces of several men changed drastically when they heard this voice. The leading man quickly reacted, knelt down with a plop, and kept kowtowing, "Dong Zi, spare your life, we are the ones who are so bold that we touch Dong Zi's statue, but in fact,
It was because my mother was seriously ill and had no money for medical treatment that I took this step. If Dong Zi is to blame, it is all my fault. I hope Dong Zi will spare my brothers! I am willing to pay for it with my life!"
As the leading man knelt down, the other men behind him also knelt down and begged for mercy, saying almost the same words as the man.
Chen Chao asked, "But are you telling the truth?!"
The leading man raised his head and looked directly at the stone statue of Dong Zi, "Don't dare to deceive Dong Zi!"
Chen Chao sighed and dropped the money bag from the beam, landing right in front of the man.
"I have a filial piety for you, and I have my own reasons for thinking of you. Let's forget about it. Just take the money and find a good doctor for me and a good husband for your children..."
"But what happened today cannot happen again. If there is a next time..."
Chen Chao paused. He actually didn't know what to say. If there was a next time, they would encounter some difficulties again, but when they encountered difficulties, who could they turn to?
If the world wasn't like that, why bother to trouble this stone statue?
Today's government is pretty good, but... it still can't take care of everyone.
Chen Chao said softly, "There is no treasure in this stone statue of mine. It will be useless if you smash it."
No matter what, Dong Zi, who has been dead for many years, cannot be allowed to suffer unreasonable disasters.
Afterwards, the men cried bitterly and burst into tears of gratitude. In short, they were very grateful to Dong Zi in their hearts.
"Don't spread the word about today's affairs everywhere, just go ahead."
Chen Chao gave a final instruction and asked these men to leave.
After the men left, Chen Chao fell down from the beam, rubbed his eyes, and glanced at the stone statue of Dong Zi, with mixed emotions in his eyes.
When he walked out of the main hall, he found that it was already getting late. Chen Chao thought for a while, turned back and returned to the beams of the main hall, intending to rest here for the night.
I'll leave Nagasaka County tomorrow.
That night, Chen Chao and the stone statues of Dong Zi slept together without dreaming.
…
…
In the early morning, there was some noise outside Dongzi Temple. Chen Chao opened his eyes in a daze and saw the men who came here yesterday being escorted here by officials and tied up.
Chen Chao frowned.
One of the leading officials asked coldly, "Were you the ones who wanted to smash the stone statue of Dong Zi yesterday?"
None of the men who were escorted here spoke. Only the leading man said, "Your Majesty, yes."
"Then why did you give up in the end?"
The officer stared at the man. The man glanced at the stone statue of Dong Zi over there, moved his lips and said, "You will find your way back when you have lost your way. You shouldn't do this."
The yamen servant said "Oh" and then waved, and then another yamen servant escorted a blind old man wearing a shabby Taoist robe into the main hall.
After the blind old man entered the hall, he knelt down with a plop and shouted, "Master, it was Zhang Da and the others who came to ask about the stone statue of Dong Zi yesterday.
The thing is, the little old man just casually said that there is a treasure in this stone statue, but he was just talking nonsense! Who knew they would really do such a thing!"
The officer looked at the man and said, "Is this true?"
The man nodded, "That's what I thought at first, but later I felt that what the old blind man said might not be true, so I didn't smash the stone statue."
"Then you went to the pharmacy last night to get medicine for your mother. Where did you get the money for the medicine?!"
The yamen servant’s voice became louder, “Why don’t you recruit people from real people?!”
The man closed his mouth and said nothing.
I promised Dong Zi last night. I can't tell you what happened. It's also my fault that he was too anxious last night. After getting those days of money, he hurriedly knocked on the door of the bank, exchanged the days of money for Daliang Tongbao, and gave it to the brothers.
After they were separated, I rushed to the drug store to get some medicine for my mother.
Who knew that the matter would be revealed in just one night.
In fact, it's not surprising. How he could suddenly have so much money is impossible to think about.
The yamen servant lowered his voice and asked, "Zhang Da, tell me where the money came from. Did you find it somewhere in Dongzi Temple? If you don't tell me, then I can only think that your money came from something wrong. Maybe it came from
It was stolen from somewhere. I'm afraid you won't be able to carry the board in the yamen for a few times."
Zhang Da shook his head and said, "The money was not stolen, no!"
The yamen servant laughed and said, "If you say it's not true, it's not true. The county governor just said that his house was stolen today. I think it's just you who are so obsessed with money that you actually stole things into the county governor's house!"
Zhang Da raised his head and glared at the government servant in front of him, "Master, please don't slander me!"
The yamen servant said nonchalantly, "I am an official and you are a thief. Naturally, whatever I say will be what I say. If you can tell me clearly the origin of the property, I will spare your life. If you can't tell me... then I can only think that you stole it."
The things in Governor Liu's house are gone, think about it carefully, what will your mother do if you die?"
After saying this, the Yamen servant also looked at the others and said with a smile, "You should also think about it carefully. Think about your wife and children. Is it worth it if you really want to die like this?"
A few human lives were really not that important in the eyes of the government servant in front of him. He looked at the Dongzi Temple hall, just thinking, could there really be something good here?
He didn't take that legend seriously before, but now it's not necessarily false.
He stared at the stone statue of Dong Zi in front of him, trying to find a reason to smash it to see if there was any treasure inside. In the past, there were too many scholars here, and even if he had an official status, it would be difficult to do so, but now... it's not something
question.
Zhang Da shook his head, gritted his teeth and looked at his other brothers. The meaning in his eyes was very clear, he couldn't say it even to death.
"I suspect that there are stolen goods hidden in this stone statue. Someone came and smashed this stone statue for me!"
When the yamen servant spoke, a group of yamen servants rushed in from outside, holding some hammers and chisels in their hands, ready to take action.
None of them are scholars, so naturally they have no respect for this. What's more, coming here today was originally ordered by the county governor.
The county guard has promised that if he can really find something good in Dongzi Temple, he will have a share in it.
Zhang Da frowned and said angrily, "You cannot blaspheme Dong Zi!"
The Yamen servant didn't take it seriously and sarcastically said, "What the hell, Dong Zi? He's been dead for so many years. There aren't even many scholars in Changban County, so why do you keep this broken stone statue?"
"Give me……"
Before he could even say the words, a crisp sound sounded, and the yamen servant flew backwards and fell out of the hall.
Everyone was shocked.
When the officer stood up and spat out a bloody tooth, he looked into the hall with a ferocious smile and said, "Okay, okay, okay, if you dare to ignore the law of Daliang and attack the official here, I think you don't want to live anymore!"
In front of him, at the door, stood a young man in black robes.
"I don't care what your status is, if you dare to attack an official of the imperial court, this matter will never end. Do you really think that our Lord Envoy is a vegetarian?!"
The yamen officer gritted his teeth and did not feel afraid at all when facing the young man in black robe in front of him.
But he didn't notice that the young man in black robe who appeared at some unknown time was suppressing his anger and had some disappointment in his eyes.