My Husband Comes from the Future

by Usui Takumii

not mine, shangai fantasy. After chapter 94 is MTL. Also at ao3.

12. 111 to 120

Chapter 111 Gift Giving

Li Qingzhi thought it was okay for them to eat the same food as the female workers, but it was not necessary.

He planned to add food for himself.

They now have four pots at home, two for cooking and one for making large pots of food. The remaining one is empty, which he can use just in time.

Li Qingzhi had Chang's recipes in hand, but those dishes were too troublesome to prepare and the seasonings were not available... He decided to make some simple home-cooked dishes.

He fried a scrambled egg with scallions. Scallions are a common vegetable in Chongcheng County, also called scallions. Every spring, when scallions grow, everyone will use them to scramble eggs.

It cooks fish and cooks it with broad beans, bamboo shoots, and bacon.

After making scrambled eggs with green onions, Li Qingzhi cut bamboo shoots and meat, added soaked black fungus, and made a dish together.

By the time he was done, the rice was ready to eat, and Chang Zhan came back from shopping for clothes. The female workers had slices of lettuce and meat for dinner, and Li Qingzhi also served a plate. Together with the two dishes he cooked, there were three dishes on their table.

Li Damao and Li Ermao ate very well, but neither of them liked to eat green onions, so they only ate the eggs inside.

After dinner, Li Qingzhi said to Chang Zhan: "I have a guest room here. You and Cuicui can stay there for one night and have a good rest. Come with me to see Magistrate Gou tomorrow."

There was a small room on the ground floor of their house that was converted into a guest room. Jin Xiaoye's idea at the time was that Jin's parents, Jin's mother, or Jin Xiaoshu's couple could stay here if they needed it.

Now, it's just right for Chang Zhan and Chang Cui to live in.

Chang Zhan was going to the provincial capital tomorrow. Li Qingzhi told him to coax Chang Cui, which he did.

That night, he talked a lot with Chang Cui until Chang Cui fell asleep.

After breakfast early the next morning, Li Qingzhi took Chang Zhan to the county government office.

After Chang Zhan cleaned up, he looked pretty good. Rich people these days can basically marry a beautiful wife. Unless there are unexpected circumstances, their children will not be ugly.

When Li Qingzhi took Chang Zhan to the county government office, Magistrate Gou had just finished breakfast and was asking people to pack things to be delivered to Magistrate Zhang.

This time when I went to Linhu County, the people there gave them some good white tea. Magistrate Gou planned to give half of it to Magistrate Zhang. In addition, he also added some other miscellaneous things, such as bamboo shoots. Souvenirs such as dried miso.

Knowing that Magistrate Zhang did not accept valuables, he did not put the gold and silver he liked inside.

"Zixiao, why are you here?" Magistrate Gou asked curiously. Li Qingzhi usually doesn't come to see him when nothing happens. Why did he come here so early today?

"Sir, I have something to ask you." Li Qing insisted.

Magistrate Gou laughed loudly: "If you have something to do, just tell me. Why do you need to beg me?"

Magistrate Gou liked Li Qingzhi very much, not only because Li Qingzhi gave him advice and helped him, but also because Li Qingzhi had outstanding knowledge and was very likely to be admitted to the Jinshi in the future.

When the time comes, he will become an official in the same court, and he may have to rely on Li Qingzhi in the future... As long as Li Qingzhi doesn't do anything particularly excessive, Magistrate Gou will not be angry with Li Qingzhi.

Li Qingzhi smiled and said, "Sir, it's like this. There is a child in my relative's house who is not sensible. He lost his temper and even ran away from home a few days ago. I just want to find him a job in the Yamen to wear him down."

After Li Qingzhi finished speaking, he pulled Chang Zhan in front of him: "It's this kid. He was on the dock yesterday and suddenly rushed out."

Chang Zhan was dirty yesterday and was very different from today. Therefore, when Magistrate Gou first saw Chang Zhan, he didn't even recognize Chang Zhan as the man who suddenly ran out yesterday.

He was obviously a fair-haired child, but he had made himself look like that before. As expected, teenage boys are difficult to control.

Magistrate Gou said: "This is a trivial matter! What does he want to do?" What does it mean to arrange a job for Li Qingzhi's relatives in the county government? Very simple.

Li Qingzhi is just too sensible, and all he asks for help are such trivial matters.

Li Qing insisted: "Sir, you don't have to rush to arrange work for him. Just find someone to take care of him first. Isn't Brother Liu going to help you deliver the letter to Fucheng today? Then let him help Brother Liu carry the burden."

This time, the person who went from Chongcheng County to the provincial capital to deliver the official letter was a government servant named Liu Binghai who was very proud in front of Magistrate Gou.

Li Qingzhi brought Chang Zhan here so that Chang Zhan could follow Liu Binghai to Fucheng and deliver a message to Magistrate Zhang.

He originally wanted to wait until he took the government examination before delivering the letter, but after meeting Chang Zhan, he moved it forward.

"Okay, it's good for the young man to go to Fucheng and see the world." Magistrate Gou said.

Children aged seventeen or eighteen must be particularly interested in going to Fucheng. Li Qingzhi probably just wanted him to go and have fun.

This is not a big deal, County Magistrate Gou agreed.

Things went very smoothly, and Li Qingzhi immediately thanked him.

After Magistrate Gou packed up his things, he sent for Liu Binghai, who took official letters and gifts and took Chang Zhan to Fucheng.

Before setting off, Li Qingzhi even chatted with Liu Binghai for a few words, asking Liu Binghai to take more care of Chang Zhan.

Although Liu Binghai gained face in front of Magistrate Gou, he could not compare with Li Qingzhi, so he naturally agreed, saying that he would definitely take good care of Chang Zhan.

The two hired a boat to leave Chongcheng County. Li Qingzhi watched them go away until he could no longer see them, and then returned home.

What happens next in Linhu County depends on Magistrate Zhang. He is an ordinary person who is not even a child and cannot get involved at all.

Next, he will go to study with Li Xiucai in order to better prepare for the imperial examination.

The test questions in Fucheng are somewhat different from those in the county test.

Li Qingzhi thought so and went directly to Li Xiucai's school.

While he was studying seriously, Chang Zhan and Liu Binghai had already arrived at Hexing Mansion.

After Chang Zhan talked with Li Qingzhi yesterday, he felt that there was hope in life.

He can take revenge! His brother might still be alive!

Touching the thick letter in his arms, Chang Zhan made up his mind to get this done.

Because of this, he was very enthusiastic towards Liu Binghai along the way and asked Liu Binghai many things.

Liu Binghai was worried that Chang Zhan would be difficult to get along with at first, but after chatting with Chang Zhan for a few words, he found that Chang Zhan didn't have a bad temper, so he let go.

Liu Binghai was actually an ordinary government servant, and he was even marginalized in the county government.

It was also because he was excluded that he took refuge with Magistrate Gou early, and then he was reused.

In fact, his abilities were average and he didn't know a few words. He was favored by Magistrate Gou just because he took refuge with Magistrate Gou relatively early, but this did not prevent him from bragging in front of Chang Zhan and saying how powerful he was.

"Brother Liu, you know so much," Chang Zhan was chatting. He remembered his father's affairs and asked, "Brother Liu, if you went to Fucheng to file a complaint, how did you file the complaint?"

Liu Binghai said: "The county government is small, and the county magistrate will try the case in person, but it is different in Fucheng. Generally, the cases are tried by the referee in Fucheng. There are many cases in Fucheng, and the referee may not be there every day, and there will be The clerk will first try the trial... The court of Hexing Mansion will be guarded by two clerks from the execution room every day. The pleadings are basically given to them. After receiving the pleadings, they will find all the people involved in the case and then let them be recommended. Trial..."

Sometimes the prefect will try the case directly, but most cases follow this process.

After Chang Zhan listened, he sighed secretly.

Magistrate Zhang is a good official, but filing a complaint is so troublesome... No wonder so many things happened in Linhu County, and Magistrate Zhang knew nothing about it.

As illiterate as his father was, there were only a few people who dared to go to Fucheng to file a complaint. If they went there, they might be stopped...

Moreover, when his father went to complain, the magistrate of Hexing Mansion was not Magistrate Zhang. The magistrate at that time was originally on the side of the Lou family. No matter how his father complained, it was of no use.

Chang Zhan followed Liu Binghai to the government office.

On the way here, Liu Binghai kept saying that he knew many people in the government office, but in fact... when he arrived at the government office, he nodded and bowed when he saw anyone.

If nothing happened to Chang Zhan's family, he would definitely not be able to do such a thing, but his family was completely ruined!

Chang Zhan imitated Liu Binghai and made others smile all the way.

Liu Binghai glanced at Chang Zhan with satisfaction.

This guy is pretty good, you can follow him in the future!

The government office quickly received the official letter, but they refused to accept Magistrate Gou's gift. Liu Binghai had no choice but to leave the government office with Chang Zhan and go to Magistrate Zhang's residence.

Seeing this, Chang Zhan touched the letter on his chest again.

Magistrate Zhang lived near the government office, and there was a concierge guarding the door. Knowing that they were here to give gifts, the concierge would not let them in at all.

Liu Binghai felt helpless when he saw this situation. It was getting dark before his eyes.

He could only say to Chang Zhan: "Forget it, let's go back."

Magistrate Gou asked them to give gifts just to express respect for Magistrate Zhang. Based on his understanding of Magistrate Gou, Magistrate Gou would not be angry even if they did not send the gifts.

He had heard a rumor that when Magistrate Gou first came to Hexing Mansion and took office, he was reprimanded by Magistrate Zhang for giving gifts.

"Brother Liu, you go and settle down first, and I'll wait here for a while," Chang Zhan said to Liu Binghai, "Maybe I can meet Magistrate Zhang, so I can give him the things in person." They will meet tonight I live in Fucheng and will go back tomorrow. I have already decided where to stay.

Liu Binghai didn't want to wait in front of Magistrate Zhang's house at night, but Chang Zhan wouldn't stop him if he was willing to wait: "Then you wait here, I'm going to rest first."

"Brother Liu, go and rest." Chang Zhan said.

Liu Binghai left, but Chang Zhan took the gift and shamelessly squeezed into the place where the concierge was.

The porter was speechless: "Didn't I tell you? The prefect doesn't accept gifts."

"Even if the prefect refuses to accept it, I will tell him face to face." Chang Zhan said.

Chang Zhan had made up his mind to wait for Magistrate Zhang until Magistrate Zhang was willing to see him.

Only Magistrate Zhang can help him avenge his family's blood feud.

The concierge had no choice but to let Chang Zhan stay.

No matter what, Chang Zhan was sent by Magistrate Gou and brought gifts from Magistrate Gou. He couldn't beat Chang Zhan out.

Since he had nothing to do, the concierge simply started chatting with Chang Zhan: "Boy, when you were in Chongcheng County, did you hear about Magistrate Zhang's drama? I heard that it came from your Chongcheng County."

"I haven't heard of it, what kind of play is it?" Chang Zhan is not from Chongcheng County at all, and he lived in the open air some time ago, so how could he have the chance to listen to the play?

The concierge immediately started talking with great joy...

At the same time, the government office.

There have been a lot of things going on in the government office recently, and Magistrate Zhang has no family members, so he is not in a hurry to go home... He has to be busy until dark every day.

At the moment, he was not in a good mood.

He saw the official letter sent by Magistrate Gou.

He asked Magistrate Gou to go to Linhu County, not expecting Magistrate Gou to find anything. He simply wanted Magistrate Gou to attract the attention of the Lou family.

Magistrate Gou actually completed this task very well. As far as he knew, in the past half month, everyone in Linhu County's government offices had been harassed by Magistrate Gou. Magistrate Gou also investigated and punished some minor officials.

But now that he saw Magistrate Gou saying in an official letter that tea plantations in Linhu County had indeed reduced production, he was still a little disappointed.

But that's all.

Compared with Magistrate Yan of Linhu County, Magistrate Gou is definitely a good official.

Magistrate Yan actually took office not long ago. He came after Magistrate Zhang took office.

Magistrate Zhang had heard about Magistrate Yan's reputation for being clean and honest in the past. In addition, Magistrate Yan was plainly dressed and did not give him gifts as soon as he arrived like Magistrate Gou... At first, he had a better impression of Magistrate Yan than Magistrate Gou. good.

Because of this, when Magistrate Yan asked him to reduce the tea tax last year, he helped write the letter and exempted Linhu County from the tea tax for one year.

Who would have thought that this person named Yan is not a good person at all!

Magistrate Zhang knew that there were people in the government office who were interested in King Jin. After reading Magistrate Gou's statement, he put it aside and said nothing more.

Seeing that it was already very late, Magistrate Zhang walked towards his home.

He has no wife and no children. The place he rents is very small and there are not many people at home. Only the elderly who have been with him for many years are taking care of him.

The father of this family works as a concierge for him, the son works as a bodyguard and follows him around, and the mother and daughter-in-law take care of the chores at home and cook for him.

At this moment, the concierge's son was following Magistrate Zhang.

When they arrived at the door of their house, they heard the concierge's voice: "The show was really good, and it was all true! My son followed the prefect to Chongcheng County, and he said that it was indeed like this at that time! You can You must go and listen to this play. I heard that there is also a play where you, Mr. Gou, are sung, so you should also go and listen to it..."

Magistrate Zhang: "..." Can you please stop mentioning that drama?

"Old Wang, who are you chatting with?" Magistrate Zhang asked.

The porter quickly came out of the room: "Sir, he is a young government servant from Chongcheng County. He is here to give gifts."

Magistrate Zhang frowned when he heard this and said to Chang Zhan who followed him: "I won't accept the gift. You can go back and tell your county magistrate to stop doing such things."

However, Chang Zhan did not leave. He took a step forward and knelt in front of Magistrate Zhang: "Sir, take a look at the gift I sent."

Magistrate Zhang wanted to refuse, but suddenly found that Chang Zhan's expression was not right.

He has experienced many ups and downs, but he is still very good at reading people. He immediately realized that Chang Zhan had something hidden when he came over: "What gifts did he give?"

Chang Zhan said: "It's related to Linhu County."

Magistrate Zhang said: "Come in with me."

Upon hearing this, Chang Zhan picked up the gifts and followed Magistrate Zhang into the house.

Arriving in the main room, Chang Zhan glanced at the guards beside Magistrate Zhang.

He knew that this person should be a confidant of Magistrate Zhang and worthy of trust... Chang Zhan knelt down again and took out a thick stack of paper from his arms: "Sir, please take a look."

Magistrate Zhang was not surprised at all when Chang Zhan did this. He took the paper in Chang Zhan's hand and started reading it.

This look...

Magistrate Zhang was so angry that his whole body was shaking.

Before, Magistrate Zhang complained secretly, feeling that Magistrate Gou was not careful and found nothing, but looking at it now... Where was he not careful? There were actually more things found than he had found!

Magistrate Gou is really smart, he even knew to give him the evidence secretly!

Magistrate Zhang felt that he had wrongly blamed Magistrate Gou before, and he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

Magistrate Zhang asked: "Is this what your county magistrate asked you to give to me?"

Chang Zhan shook his head and denied: "No."

"Then where did this come from?"

"I don't know." Chang Zhan followed Li Qingzhi's instructions and said nothing.

He didn't say anything, but Magistrate Zhang had already confirmed that it was sent by Magistrate Gou.

As for why the person in front of him is unwilling to admit...that the person behind the Lou family is Prince Jin, it is normal for County Magistrate Gou not to want to offend him.

Magistrate Gou has done a good enough job, and the previous letter should have been written by him!

Magistrate Zhang felt that he could not involve Magistrate Gou in this matter, so he said to Chang Zhan, "I won't ask anymore. I have accepted the gift he sent. You can go back."

However, Chang Zhan did not leave. He still knelt and looked at Magistrate Zhang persistently: "Sir, I am the sufferer of Linhu County. Here is my certificate. Sir, please let me follow you."

Magistrate Zhang was stunned and took the paper from Chang Zhan's hand.

Chang Zhan said again: "Sir, when the time comes, I am willing to sue the Lou family!"

Li Qingzhi knew that Magistrate Zhang needed victims and witnesses, and Chang Zhan was the one.

However, before filing a complaint, Chang Zhan needs to keep a low profile to avoid being discovered by the Lou family.

Chapter 112 Return Gift

After Li Qingzhi got to know Magistrate Gou, he went to Magistrate Gou to read some pleadings. He probably knew how to write the pleadings, so he wrote a copy for Chang Duan.

The situation of the Chang family was really miserable. When Magistrate Zhang saw this paper and the people kneeling in front of him, he became more determined to eradicate the Lou family.

Since Chang Zhan is the master of suffering, he cannot let Chang Zhan leave. Otherwise, what if Chang Zhan is killed accidentally?

Magistrate Zhang said: "Just stay at my house. I will give you an explanation for this matter, but it will have to wait until after the government examination."

He has almost collected the evidence, but there are still a lot of preparations to be done, and he can't do it yet.

"Thank you, sir." Chang Zhan kowtowed heavily with red eyes. After only two kowtows, his head was already bleeding.

Magistrate Zhang hurriedly helped the man up, his mood became increasingly heavy: "Tell me about your family's affairs and the affairs in Linhu County."

"Yes, sir." Chang Zhan said.

Chang Zhan had told Li Qingzhi about his family's affairs before, and now he told Li Qingzhi again, often with tears streaming down his face.

Chang Zhan is not very old, but for a half-year-old boy to cry like this... Magistrate Zhang couldn't help but feel moved, and asked, "Where is your niece?"

Chang Zhan said: "She...she..."

Magistrate Zhang asked: "In Chongcheng County?" Chang Zhan came from Chongcheng County. Should his niece be in Chongcheng County?

Chang Zhan said: "Yes."

Magistrate Zhang's affection for Magistrate Gou deepened, and he went back to look at the papers with evidence of guilt written on them.

The information here is very detailed, and it also contains detailed information about some people who were sold or arrested to dig up Lihu stones. I don't know how Magistrate Gou found out.

This chubby, ordinary-looking county magistrate really hides his secrets!

Chang Zhan was only fourteen years old when his father had an accident. In the following years, his family kept a very low profile, so not many people in Linhu County knew Chang Zhan.

Magistrate Yan and most of the government officials did not know Chang Zhan.

But even so, for safety reasons, Magistrate Zhang asked Chang Zhan to stay at his residence and not go out.

As for Liu Binghai, he specially sent his bodyguard to inform him.

Chang Zhan stayed behind, and it was difficult to return the things given by Magistrate Gou... Magistrate Zhang could only pick out some food from his own home and let the guards bring them over as return gifts.

Fortunately, what Magistrate Gou gave this time were all cheap local products, otherwise Magistrate Zhang might not be able to return this gift.

It was getting late, so Magistrate Zhang settled Chang Zhan, returned to his room, and began to write letters to old friends in Beijing.

As he was writing, Magistrate Zhang stopped writing and let out a long sigh.

I don't know what Daqi will be like in the future.

The former King of Jin was the uncle of the current emperor. He once controlled the government and ruled the court to eliminate dissidents. Magistrate Zhang was exiled because he offended him.

In those years, even the current Holy Emperor was bullied by him.

Therefore, after the current Holy Emperor came to power, he liquidated the Jin king line and returned the

Officials who had been persecuted by the previous Jin kings, including Magistrate Zhang, were reactivated.

During that time, the current King of Jin wanted to be as honest as possible and kept his tail between his legs.

That being the case, why is King Jin's power now gradually growing, and why are the courtiers seeking refuge with King Jin one after another?

Because I have no children now.

Before the current emperor ascended the throne, he was poisoned by the late emperor's concubine. Since then, his health has been deteriorating, and no more children have been born in the harem.

Before being poisoned, he only had two daughters.

Now that both princesses are married, the Holy Emperor has no other children, and his only biological brother is the son of his former concubine who poisoned him...

In addition, the royal family has always had few heirs, and the only brother of the late emperor was the former Jin king... The courtiers had to bet on the Jin king.

The King of Jin had ideas about his position, so he naturally wanted to make money everywhere in order to make friends with his courtiers, so that Linhu County was filled with chaos...

After Magistrate Zhang finished writing the letter, he lay down and wanted to sleep, but he couldn't fall asleep.

On the other side, Liu Binghai couldn't sleep either.

Li Qingzhi's relative named "Xiao Zhang" was so awesome. Magistrate Zhang obviously refused to accept the gift, but he just gave it away. It didn't matter, he was actually favored by Magistrate Zhang and stayed. At Magistrate Zhang's side!

Magistrate Zhang even gave a gift in return!

Next time they meet, he must ask "Xiao Zhang" how he did it.

Chongcheng County.

Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye also slept late that day.

After Chang Zhan went out in the morning, Chang Cui kept sobbing and cried for a long time before she recovered. In the evening, her body temperature rose again.

With her like this, Jin Xiaoye naturally didn't dare to let her sleep alone, nor did he dare to let those little girls take care of her, so he let her continue to sleep in their room.

Then... Li Damao and Li Ermao were unhappy.

Li Damao and Li Ermao didn't mind sleeping by themselves, and they liked Chang Cui very much, but suddenly a sister appeared and slept in the same room as their parents... They were unhappy.

They didn't respond on the first day simply because Chang Cui was sick at the time and they didn't realize it.

Of course, the two of them were very well-behaved and didn't make any noise. They just didn't go back to the room to sleep, looking at Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye eagerly.

Jin Xiaoye wanted to drive them to bed, but Li Qing insisted: "Let's do it this way. Dad brings a bed over, and how about you guys live in the same room with us? My sister may cry at night, which will disturb you..."

"Dad, I want to live in the same house with you!"

"I want it too! I'll help dad take care of my sister."

Li Damao and Li Ermao were looking forward to it.

Jin Xiaoye was a little helpless: "You are too spoiled to your children!"

Li Qing insisted: "It's just a small matter."

The roots of Li Damao and Li Ermao did not grow up soaked in honey pots.

They are twins who were born thin and small. Jin Xiaoye has to feed two children by himself, and the milk is not enough...

Forget it, Jin Xiaoye still had to work, and he didn't have the energy to take care of them.

Jin Xiaoye said something about the two children when they were young. She said that when she went to the fields, she would leave the two children at home and only come back after a while to see and feed them.

At that time, the two children could not walk yet and would lie down at home for two hours.

One time, Jin Xiaoye came back and was shocked when he didn't see them on the bed. Later, he discovered that they had climbed over the quilt that was used as a shield on the side of the bed, fell to the ground, and crawled under the bed again.

The two children were already asleep at the time, with tears and mud on their faces and bumps on their heads.

Li Damao and Li Ermao grew up wild.

Life is already very hard. Li Damao and Li Ermao don't have a father yet, so they are teased from time to time.

Fortunately, this is an ancient rural area, and many families raise their children in this way. Relatively speaking, Jin Xiaoye loves their children, and they are twins with a companion... Otherwise, there will definitely be something wrong with their psychology.

Li Qingzhi felt that as a father, he had to give them a sufficient sense of security.

He likes Zhao Xiaodou very much. In terms of food and clothing, Zhao Xiaodou is treated the same as Li Damao and Li Ermao, but he will not get too close to Zhao Xiaodou.

It's the same now if it's Chang Cui.

Chang Cui was indeed pitiful, but he couldn't ignore Li Damao and Li Ermao just because he pitied Chang Cui.

There are too many poor people in this world.

Li Damao and Li Ermao's original bed was a bit big and difficult to dismantle, so Li Qingzhi took Jin Xiaoye and moved the bed in the guest room.

The room he and Jin Xiaoye shared was quite large, and it could fit this bed.

There is a couch next to their big bed, and a bed outside... This night, five people live in one room.

Li Damao and Li Ermao were very excited. They lay on the bed and called "Dad" and "Mom" for a while.

However, they fell asleep soon after being excited, and then Chang Cui suddenly cried in the middle of the night without waking them up.

When they woke up the next morning, the two of them took the initiative to take care of their sister and feed her breakfast. Chang Cui is actually a little timid, but she is not afraid of Li Damao and Li Ermao, who are only slightly older than her and look exactly the same. When she got up in the morning, she stopped crying and even called "brother" in a low voice.

This made Li Damao and Li Ermao so happy that they shouted one after another.

After breakfast, Li Qingzhi took his three children to study at Li Xiucai's place.

At noon, he took his three children home for dinner.

Li Xiucai's place accepts children of all ages, and the teaching progress is inconsistent. It doesn't matter that they only study for half a day every day.

When Li Qingzhi arrived home, the female worker in charge of cooking had just finished cooking, while Jin Xiaoye was busy.

Upon seeing this, Li Qingzhi went to the kitchen by a familiar route.

The female cook looked at Li Qingzhi curiously.

In Miaoqian Village, it is not unusual for men to cook. Some men cannot even marry a wife. If they don't cook for themselves, will they starve to death?

There are also people like Li Laoer, who finally got a wife and wished they could raise her as a bride, and they can also cook.

But most men, especially men with several acres of land at home, don't cook.

Li Qingzhi has already taken the first place in their county, but he is still willing to cook. This is very strange!

The most important thing is that Li Qingzhi's cooking skills are very good, and the dishes he makes look delicious.

It's a pity that they can't take the turn.

However, these female workers are not dissatisfied. Most of them only eat two meals a day at home, which are vegetables and brown rice cooked in one pot without any oil or water. It is different in the shop. They can not only eat white rice, You can also eat meat.

For example, today, they had bamboo shoots stewed with meat.

I heard that they would cook broad beans, green onions, bamboo shoots and bacon together for them in the evening!

Li Qingzhi cooked two generous home-cooked dishes and then invited others to eat together.

The four children did not come to the table, but sat on small stools with their bowls to eat. The ones eating at the table were Li Qingzhi, Jin Xiaoye, Jin Xiaoshu, Fang Jinniang, Li Laogen, Sister Wang and Mrs. Xu.

Sister Wang and Mrs. Xu are considered managers in the embroidery workshop, and their treatment is different from that of female workers.

Sister Wang is very talkative. She kept talking during the meal and even asked about Linhu County.

Li Qingzhi said something to her carefully. Just as he was talking, a government servant came in from outside: "Mr. Li, Mr. Gou has something to ask you. I asked you to come over."

"What's going on?" Li Qingzhi asked.

"I don't know, but it must be a good thing. Sir, he is very happy."

Li Qingzhi heard this and said, "I'll be there right away." Magistrate Gou came to him probably because of Chang Zhan.

Yes...how did this become good news? Why is Magistrate Gou happy?

Magistrate Gou was happy, of course, because Magistrate Zhang returned the gift to him.

Magistrate Zhang returned the gift!

Although the Gou family is not a big family, it can still be considered a small aristocratic family. County Magistrate Gou has learned how to deal with people since he was a child, and giving gifts is a very common thing for him.

However, it was his first time to serve as an official and he carefully selected gifts to give to Magistrate Zhang. Magistrate Zhang not only confiscated them, but also reprimanded him.

Magistrate Gou was particularly depressed at that time.

Magistrate Gou actually had no confidence in giving this gift this time, and was prepared for Magistrate Zhang not to accept it.

As a result, Magistrate Zhang not only accepted it, but also gave him a gift in return!

That is... Li Qing insisted on arranging his relatives to work in the county government, but his relatives went to the capital and went directly to Magistrate Zhang...

I don't know if Li Qingzhi will be happy.

Magistrate Gou happily inspected the return gift from Magistrate Zhang.

A dried duck in sauce, a few sausages that were hardened by the sun, and a painting painted by Magistrate Zhang!

Paintings painted by Magistrate Zhang!

Why didn't Magistrate Zhang deliver it earlier? In this way, he can ask Yanzhi County to taste it, and Yanzhi County will definitely envy him.

Magistrate Gou thought so, and asked someone to steam the duck after taking it. Even if he eats later today, he will definitely eat this duck!

Just when I was happy, Li Qingzhi came.

Magistrate Gou immediately said: "Zixiao, the prefect gave me a gift in return!"

"That's really great! Sir, the prefect must value you very much." Li Qing insisted.

"Hahahaha!" Magistrate Gou laughed happily for a while, and then suddenly thought of something: "By the way, your relative named 'Xiao Zhang', the prefect left him in Fucheng."

"I never thought he could have such a good fortune! It all depends on the county magistrate for giving him a chance!" Li Qingzhi immediately complimented.

Seeing that Li Qingzhi was very happy, Magistrate Gou said: "If he can be valued by the prefect, he will definitely have a bright future in the future!"

"If it weren't for the support of the county magistrate, he wouldn't have this opportunity."

The two parties chatted happily, and Magistrate Gou also took out Magistrate Zhang's paintings and admired them with Li Qingzhi.

In fact, Magistrate Gou is not good at painting, and he is not very good at commenting on paintings, but Li Qingzhi is even worse and only knows a little bit about it.

He immediately said that he was not good at painting, and complimented Magistrate Gou by the way, which indeed made Magistrate Gou even more happy. Magistrate Gou also invited him to stay for lunch and taste the soy sauce duck sent by the prefect.

Although he had already eaten, Li Qingzhi happily agreed.

The sauced duck sent by the prefect tasted very ordinary.

There are many people raising ducks in Hexing Prefecture, and duck in sauce is a common food.

When rich families make sauce duck, they often add various spices, and the resulting sauce duck is very delicious, but the sauce duck sent by Zhang Zhifu obviously contains nothing but soy sauce.

But this is from Magistrate Zhang!

Magistrate Gou praised the authentic taste of the sauced duck and exaggerated the magistrate's integrity as an official.

He felt that Magistrate Zhang must have eaten such a sauced duck because he had no money. He could send Magistrate Zhang some delicious sauced duck next time.

While eating, Magistrate Gou mentioned the upcoming government examination and asked Li Qingzhi to take the exam well then.

The county examination is in February. Because it lasts a long time, the results are released in March, while the prefecture examination is in April.

In a few days, Li Qingzhi and the others will take the imperial examination.

Li Qingzhi smiled and said that he would work hard and would not disappoint Magistrate Gou's expectations.

In the next few days, Li Qingzhi began to study intensively again.

But this time, unlike before the county exam, where he spent all his time studying, he would still do other things, such as cooking.

Making delicious food is actually a very interesting thing.

A few days later, Li Qingzhi learned of the outcome of Hong Hui's frame-up case against Magistrate Gou.

Magistrate Yan behaves impartially and strictly to the outside world. He works for the King of Jin and cannot be bribed by a small person like Hong Hui.

He found out the whole thing very clearly.

Before the county examination, Hong Hui had been speaking ill of Magistrate Gou, spreading rumors that Li Qingzhi was not good at learning, and also wrote some poems criticizing Magistrate Gou.

After the county examination, he even bribed some people to question in public whether the county examination was fair.

However, because Hong Hui did not succeed and he sincerely felt that Li Qingzhi's knowledge was not good, the crime was not particularly serious.

Hong Hui was expelled from his reputation as a scholar and had to go to jail.

Nowadays, money can be used to atone for sins. Although the Hong family is in decline, there are still three thousand nails in the broken ship. After selling a shop, Hong Hui was redeemed and he was not in jail.

In addition to Hong Hui, others implicated in the case were Sun Juren's students and Fang Zijian, who were successful in the county examination.

The county examination results of these two people were also invalidated, and they also had to bear certain penalties.

Of course, the families of these two people also contributed money to help them avoid guilt.

Although Li Qingzhi questioned Hong Hui in public on the day the results were released, he did not expect to really do anything to Hong Hui.

The situation before him was also an unexpected surprise for him.

Hong Hui now has no ability to hurt him.

Even being busy with Linhu County and government examinations recently, Li Qingzhi almost forgot about such a person.

After the case is settled, the government examination will begin. Li Qingzhi will go to Fucheng to participate in the government examination.

Chapter 113 Fucheng

The process of the prefectural examination is similar to that of the county examination.

This year's prefectural examination will start in late April. Li Qingzhi, Zhu Xunmiao and others have made an appointment to go to Fucheng at the end of March. After that, they will go to the prefectural government to register first, and then stay in Fucheng to review their homework and wait for the arrival of the prefectural examination.

The day before departure, Jin Xiaoye took time to pack Li Qingzhi's luggage.

During this period of time, she asked Fang Jinniang to make several new clothes for Li Qingzhi one after another. Li Qingzhi no longer had only one good dress to wear like at the beginning.

"Aqing, do you want Xiaoshu to accompany you?" Jin Xiaoye asked.

In fact, she has always wanted to visit Fucheng, but she really can't leave now. The goods Wu Baichuan and Mrs. Zhu want are waiting for her to make.

Li Qing said: "No, I will take the Zhu family's boat this time. I will also stay at the Zhu family's house in Fucheng. I can go alone. Didn't Xu Qifei go alone?"

"That's okay, but I'm going to trouble Master Zhu again." Jin Xiaoye said.

Li Qingzhi smiled and said, "Master Zhu is eager to do so."

What he said was true.

As a businessman, Zhu Qian was very keen on investing in scholars and was also willing to make friends with them.

Zhu Qian wished he could make more friends like him and Xu Qifei.

Jin Xiaoye thought for a moment and said, "They think much further than I do." She just wanted to do a good job in the business at hand, while Zhu Qian thought about the future before making efforts to make friends with scholars.

"How old are you and how old is he? You don't need to compare with him." Li Qingzhi kissed Jin Xiaoye on the face while Jin Xiaoye wasn't paying attention.

Jin Xiaoye rolled his eyes at Li Qingzhi and coughed softly: "Cui Cui won't cry at night now. Let her share a room with Da Mao Er Mao tonight?"

Some time ago, Chang Cui and Li Damao and Li Ermao had been living in their house.

In the first few days, Chang Cui cried every night.

During the day, the child followed the golden cat in the morning and played with Li Damao and Li Ermao in the afternoon. He no longer cried much, but when he went to bed, he would sob because he missed his mother, grandma, and uncle.

However, she stopped crying these days, and listened intently to Li Qingzhi's stories every night... Of course, if someone mentioned her family to her, she would inevitably cry again.

Jin Xiaoye felt very sorry for this child. Li Damao and Li Ermao were her sons, so she didn't mind them sleeping in her room.

But because of these three children, she and Li Qingzhi never had the chance to get close during this time!

Li Qing held Jin Xiaoye's hand and whispered: "After they fall asleep tonight, take them to Da Mao Er Mao's room."

Chang Cui is still in panic, and she is very dependent on Jin Xiaoye... It is better not to let her move out for the time being.

But can I be carried out in the middle of the night?

After the children fell asleep, they were as hard to wake up as little pigs. I held them in my arms and changed beds, and they didn't know what to keep.

He also wanted to get close to Jin Xiaoye.

Although he has physical contact with Jin Xiaoye every day these days, he has tasted meat and doesn't care about some soup.

So that night, the three children were moved to their rooms quietly.

Early the next morning, after the couple woke up refreshed, they went to Li Damao and Li Ermao's room to wake them up.

Chang Cui was carried to the toilet by Jin Xiaoye. Li Damao and Li Ermao looked confused: "Dad, why are we here?"

"Yeah, I obviously didn't sleep here last night."

Li Qing coaxed them: "A mouse appeared in my parents' room last night, so we brought you here and slept here."

"Oh." Li Ermao nodded and didn't think there was anything wrong, but Li Damao was a little confused - why not drive away the mice and carry them away?

But he didn't have time to ask, because Li Qingzhi followed closely and said: "Da Mao Er Mao, dad is going to Fucheng for an exam today, you guys have to be good at home, you know?"

Li Damao's attention was immediately diverted: "I understand, Dad, you should come back soon."

Li Ermao also said: "Dad, I will miss you!"

Before Li Qingzhi was going to Linhu County, Li Damao and Li Ermao cried. However, Li Qingzhi had already gone out once, and this was the second time, so they stopped crying.

They knew their dad would come back.

"Dad will miss you too." Li Qingzhi kissed their little faces.

The county seat is not far from the capital city. After he reports his name, he can actually come back.

But he had to concentrate on his review and attend literary conferences... He would be delayed for two days each time, so he simply didn't come back.

For scholars these days, fame is also very important. People who have always been unknown suddenly get good results in the imperial examination, and they are rarely questioned.

Moreover, the greater your reputation, the more people will look down upon you, and examiners will not dare to give you a poor ranking for personal reasons.

On the day the county examination results were released, Li Qingzhi had already become famous in Chongcheng County. Now, he should go to Fucheng to make some friends and make himself more famous.

In fact, many people in Chongcheng County who planned to take the prefectural examination had already gone to Fucheng, so he was late.

This morning, Li Qingzhi bought some steamed buns for breakfast.

After eating with a few children, he boarded the boat where the Zhu family came to pick him up.

Xu Qifei and Zhu Xunmiao were already on the boat.

After picking him up, he went to pick up another classmate, and then their boat headed for Fucheng.

"Brother Li, have you seen Magistrate Gou's son?" Zhu Xunmiao asked Li Qingzhi.

"No," Li Qingzhi asked Zhu Xunmiao, "Have you seen it?"

It shouldn't be. Zhu Xunmiao has been with him these days, leaving early and coming home late to study at Li Xiucai's place.

Li Qingzhi knew that Magistrate Gou's wife had brought Magistrate Gou's children to Chongcheng County, but he never visited because he was too busy.

Magistrate Gou had previously said that he and Jin Xiaoye would be invited to dinner. Considering that he had to prepare for the county examination, he moved it to after the government examination.

For scholars at this time, the imperial examination was definitely a big deal, especially when it was his first time to take the exam.

"I've never seen him, but I've heard some. It's said that this young master has a bad temper and even the county magistrate can't control him." Zhu Xunmiao looked sad when he thought about what his father said.

Zhu Xunmiao didn't say much, but Li Qingzhi thought about the age of Magistrate Gou's son...

Well, thirteen years old, rebellious period?

They set off very early, but because the boat didn't move very fast, they didn't arrive at Fucheng until the afternoon.

This is Li Qingzhi's first visit to Fucheng.

Fucheng is different from Chongcheng County. The streets in Chongcheng County are very narrow, but Fucheng has many spacious roads.

In addition, there are stone arch bridges everywhere in Chongcheng County. Horse-drawn carriages cannot pass at all in the county town. There are no horse-drawn carriages in the county town. But Fucheng is different. Here, horse-drawn carriages can pass in many places.

However, Li Qingzhi did not see a carriage. The most commonly used means of transportation for people in Fucheng is still a boat.

"Let's go to the government office to register early." Zhu Xunmiao said.

Tomorrow is the last day to register and they are already a little late.

"Okay." Li Qing said.

Several people came to the government office's reception room to register. The whole process was similar to registering for the county exam.

The clerk in the ceremony room even glanced at Li Qingzhi curiously: "Are you the Li Qingzhi who has a photographic memory?"

"Yes, he is!" Zhu Xunmiao said immediately.

"I heard that your knowledge is better than Peng Jingliang's?" the clerk asked.

"Who said this?" Li Qingzhi was a little surprised. Peng Jingliang was a scholar, and he did not dare to say that his knowledge was better than Peng Jing's.

"That's what people say outside," said the little official.

Li Qingzhi: "..." He still thought of coming to Fucheng to make a name for himself, but now it seems that his reputation has already spread to Fucheng.

Li Qingzhi and Zhu Xunmiao's registration went smoothly.

In the north, some places will strictly investigate candidates who have faked their nationality, but not in the south.

You must know that the literary style of Hexing Mansion is at its peak, and the examination of scholar here is several times more difficult than in the north... If you take the exam under false pretenses, no one will come to Hexing Mansion.

After signing up, Zhu Xunmiao took Li Qingzhi and Xu Qifei to the Zhu family's house in Fucheng.

Zhu Qian's base camp is in Chongcheng County, but he also purchased some properties in Fucheng. There is a Zhu family shop and a house here. This house is smaller than the Zhu family's house in Chongcheng County, but it's pretty good. At least they can live in a spacious place, and everyone has a large south-facing room.

That night, Zhu Xunmiao invited guests, and they went to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

"My dad said the food in this restaurant is particularly delicious!" Zhu Xunmiao said as he led Li Qingzhi and the others into the restaurant.

Fucheng is already lively. Now that the imperial examination is approaching, many scholars have gathered in Fucheng. Even the business of the restaurant has improved a lot. Today, many scholars gathered in the restaurant.

At this moment, several scholars were chatting enthusiastically about the recent new dramas: "I thought the previous dramas about Magistrate Zhang punishing Sun Juren were very interesting, and the current dramas about the magistrate of Chongcheng County, I also think they are good. ."

"That's right! I didn't expect that our Hexing Mansion would have such a county magistrate who is dedicated to the people!"

"I have been to Chongcheng County, and it is indeed well governed there."

"Actually, there are books before plays. Have you read the books?"

…

Li Qingzhi did not expect that the drama adapted from the story he wrote would already attract attention in Fucheng.

Zhu Xunmiao listened to them talking about those plays and was eager to try them: "Shall we go to the theater tomorrow?"

Li Qing insisted: "The government examination is about to take place, and you still want to go to the theater?" He is in favor of combining work and rest, but Zhu Xunmiao... In fact, he has always been a person who is very good at finding fun for himself, and has already put "work and rest" into consideration. Yi" is well combined.

In addition, Zhu Xunmiao is still a person who is easily affected by the surrounding environment. After he goes to the theater, he may have to listen to all the plays to feel satisfied, and then he cannot calm down to read for a long time.

Zhu Xunmiao: "..." That's right...

A scholar next to him heard Li Qingzhi's words and immediately agreed: "Yes, the government examination is approaching, so you shouldn't go to any theater!"

After the man finished speaking, he earnestly advised those chatting: "Everyone, the imperial examination is an extremely important matter. Don't delay the imperial examination just because of temporary pleasure..."

When Li Qingzhi heard this, he immediately took Zhu Xunmiao away to avoid being mistaken for being with this person.

No one will like such a preachy person.

He asked Zhu Xunmiao not to go to the theater because he was familiar with Zhu Xunmiao. What does it mean for this person to give guidance to a group of strangers?

They found seats in the corner and tasted Fucheng's specialties.

These dishes all taste very good, at least much better than Li Qingzhi's.

While eating, Zhu Xunmiao asked Li Qingzhi about his plans for tomorrow.

Li Qing insisted: "I want to visit Magistrate Zhang."

Chang Zhan has been in the county town for more than ten days.

During this period, Chang Zhan once asked someone to deliver a package to report that Li Qingzhi was safe, but other than that, they had no other contact.

Li Qingzhi planned to go see him.

When Zhu Xunmiao heard this, he looked at Li Qingzhi with envy. Li Qingzhi not only had a good relationship with Magistrate Gou, but also knew Magistrate Zhang!

Not to mention Xu Qiwen and another classmate. Zhu Xunmiao is valued by Magistrate Gou, but what about them? I didn't even say a few words to Magistrate Gou!

The gap between this person and other people is really big.

Li Qingzhi is actually the one with the worst background among them, but he is so famous now and even knows the prefect!

But thinking about Li Qingzhi's photographic memory, they felt normal again.

How many people are as smart as Li Qingzhi in this world?

Early the next morning, Li Qingzhi went to visit Magistrate Zhang at his residence.

In the ten days since Chang Zhan arrived, Magistrate Zhang contacted people everywhere and made a lot of preparations. At the same time, he also found out more things.

All this made it difficult for him to sleep peacefully. He had already made up his mind to make things worse. He was even ready to fight with the King of Jin and even lose his hat because of this incident.

He didn't sleep well last night, so Magistrate Zhang felt a little lack of energy when he got up in the morning.

The concierge's wife would boil a pot of hot water every morning. Magistrate Zhang put a handful of black tea leaves into the teapot, and then went to the kitchen to get water to make tea.

When he arrived in the kitchen, Chang Zhan was making noodles.

"You are a guest, why do you come to the kitchen every day?" Magistrate Zhang asked.

"Sir, my father is a cook, my brother is a cook, and I am also a cook. Our whole family cooks," Chang Zhan said.

The recipes of the Chang family are only passed down to the eldest son, and there is only one restaurant in the Chang family. In the future, they will all belong to his brother.

Therefore, Chang Zhan did not learn to cook when he was a child - his father sent him to school, hoping that he would take the imperial examination and become a scholar.

But he has no talent in reading;

Cooking... He has been holding it in his mouth since he was a child. He knows how to cook many dishes as soon as he tastes them.

Seeing this, his father wanted to study some new dishes and teach him so that he could start his own business in the future.

Among these new dishes, the one his father thought about the most was braised food.

If there is a good brine recipe and the chickens and ducks are braised and sold... the business will not be bad, and it will save worry and trouble.

His father and his brother had planned to give him some money and let him open a shop selling braised meat.

They had even figured out the recipe for the marinade, and it was the best braised sauce he had ever tasted.

But who would have thought that something would happen to his father and brother in the blink of an eye?

After their accident, his mother and his sister-in-law had to do sewing to support the family. In addition, they had never cooked before and neither knew how to cook...cooking became his job.

He couldn't do anything else at the time but take care of Cuicui at home and figure out how to make delicious home-cooked meals.

Because he wanted to find a job as a chef in a restaurant, or open a small shop selling food, he also practiced knife skills hard.

Chang Zhan's current cooking skills are quite good, not inferior to those of some restaurant chefs.

Today, he got up early in the morning to make noodles.

Southerners don't eat noodles very much, and most people in Hexing Prefecture don't know how to make noodles, but Chang Zhan can, and even makes delicious toppings.

After Magistrate Zhang finished his tea, a bowl of pickled fish fillet noodles was brought to him. The fish fillets were made from black fish fillets and looked as thin as paper.

This kid is really capable, but his life is too hard... Magistrate Zhang sighed a little. At this time, the concierge came in from outside and told Magistrate Zhang that there was a young man named Li Qingzhi who asked to see him, and Magistrate Gou asked him to take him with him. Bring something over.

"Let him come in." Magistrate Zhang said, and after speaking, he glanced at Chang Zhan.

Chang Zhan looked expectant, he must have known Li Qingzhi, so Magistrate Zhang did not let Chang Zhan avoid him.

The place where Magistrate Zhang lived was quite small, not as big as Zhu Qian's house. The main room for entertaining guests and the dining area were together, so Li Qingzhiye was directly brought to Magistrate Zhang who was having dinner.

He also saw Chang Zhan standing next to Magistrate Zhang.

After not seeing each other for ten days, Chang Zhan's complexion improved a lot, and he was obviously having a good time here in Zhang Zhifu.

It can be seen that Magistrate Zhang is trustworthy.

Li Qingzhi stepped forward to salute, and then took out two gifts.

In fact, Magistrate Gou didn't let him give gifts. He prepared both gifts himself.

He didn't prepare any precious gifts... He took two pairs of new shoes from Jin Xiaoye's shop, and a few clothes suitable for summer, plus the pastries and snacks he bought in Fucheng yesterday, and that's it. Two gifts.

Magistrate Zhang looked at this thing and thought it was not expensive, so he kept it.

After exchanging a few words, Li Qingzhi said to Chang Zhan: "Xiao Zhang, your niece no longer sobbing all day long."

"Okay, great..." Chang Zhan's eyes were slightly red.

Magistrate Zhang asked Li Qingzhi: "Where is Xiao Zhang's niece?"

"Yes, I happen to have two children at home who are about the same age as his niece, so he gave his niece to me to take care of." Li Qing insisted, and told Chang Zhan about Chang Cui's situation.

He asked Chang Zhan not to tell Magistrate Zhang what he had experienced before, because he was afraid that Magistrate Zhang would not care about Linhu County's affairs, and he was also afraid of retaliation if the news came out.

It was he who wrote to Magistrate Zhang who prompted Magistrate Zhang to investigate Linhu County. It can be said that everything was promoted by him.

If King Jin's people knew about this, Jin Xiaoye and the others would be in danger, and his future would be destined to be bumpy.

However, since he simply knew Chang Zhan, this was not a big problem. Judging from the current situation... if something really happened, Magistrate Zhang would attract all the hatred of King Jin.

He owed Magistrate Zhang a favor.

Chapter 114 Government Examination

After Li Qingzhi visited Magistrate Zhang, he returned to Zhu Qian's house to study.

In the days that followed, he, Zhu Xunmiao and others visited Peng Jingliang and others, and also attended a gathering of scholars in Fucheng.

The petty officials in the county government office all knew about him, and the scholars in Hexing Mansion basically knew about him.

The person who gets the title of trial case leader is often one of the case leaders of each county that year, so the case leaders of each county in Hexing Prefecture attract much attention.

And Li Qingzhi is undoubtedly the most popular among those county chiefs.

Before he was admitted as a scholar, he had already been recognized by some scholars including Peng Jingliang.

When he followed Magistrate Gou to Linhu County, Li Qingzhi wrote some articles under the guidance of Magistrate Gou. Now that he has disseminated these articles, he has attracted praise from countless people.

The articles he wrote were not bad, and his single strokes were even more impressive than those of other young scholars.

Li Qingzhi's articles were circulated in the city, and more and more people knew and recognized him. In the end, most people thought that he would be the leader of the government trial.

Many people even think that he can get a small three yuan. The so-called small three yuan means that he can get the first prize in the county examination, government examination, and hospital examination.

Li Qingzhi, who was unknown to anyone a year ago, has become recognized as a leader among the younger generation of scholars in Hexing Mansion in a short period of time.

Of course, literati look down on each other, and not everyone likes Li Qingzhi, but Li Qingzhi doesn't care.

He is not silver and can be liked by everyone.

Even money, some people say they don't like it.

While Li Qingzhi was busy with the government examination, Magistrate Zhang was also busy with the government examination.

After experiencing a series of things such as being exiled and demoted, he has been able to maintain his composure.

And he didn't want the King of Jin or the Lou family to affect these young students who wanted to change their lives through the imperial examination.

Magistrate Zhang carefully prepared for the government examination, and even repaired the examination tent in advance, looking at it with all his heart.

In addition, after receiving the investigation results of Magistrate Gou, he had already submitted a letter requesting a reduction or exemption of tea tax in Linhu County... Both Magistrate Yan and the Lou family were relieved.

Beijing.

The imperial court has received a letter from Magistrate Zhang requesting tea tax exemption.

The current saint was poisoned in his early years and is in very poor health.

He also wanted to work hard to cure the disease, but his body did not allow it.

Every morning in the morning, he felt sleepy and needed a nap.

After sleeping, he would deal with some memorials, and after lunch, he would sleep for a while again...

Forget it, in the past two years, his eyesight has gotten worse and worse, and he always feels foggy when seeing things, which makes dealing with government affairs difficult for him.

If he had a son, he would have asked the prince to take charge of government affairs, but he has no son!

In the past few years, he has relied more and more on Lu Qingxi, the great eunuch who had grown up with him and gone through many trials and hardships with him.

Many government affairs were even handled by Lu Qingxi.

King Jin's power has grown more and more in recent years, and Lu Qingxi is working hard to suppress it.

Today, when Lu Qingxi was handling government affairs, he saw a note sent by Magistrate Zhang requesting Linhu County tax exemption.

Lu Qingxi was very unhappy when he saw the zhezi and almost threw away the pen in his hand, but in the end, he took the zhezi to the emperor and asked the emperor to make a decision.

"Zhang Zhiru is considerate of the people. I think those tea farmers really have a hard life, that's for sure." The emperor said.

Magistrate Zhang's real name is Zhang Zhiru.

The emperor still believed in this person, but people are always close and distant. Zhang Zhiru had been biting Lu Qingxi all day long, feeling that Lu Qingxi, a eunuch, should not handle government affairs... He was unhappy, so at Lu Qingxi's suggestion, he sent Zhang Zhiru was sent to Jiangnan.

"Your Majesty appreciates Mr. Zhang." As a eunuch, Lu Qingxi's voice is different from ordinary people's. What he said now was even more strange.

The emperor smiled and said: "Qingxi, I know he has offended you, but he is just a fool, so don't argue with him."

"Your Majesty, what you said is that Mr. Zhang is so dumbfounded? He is several years older than you!" Lu Qing said happily.

"Although he is older than me, he is in good spirits, like a young man. I heard that he went on a private visit incognito and was almost beaten?" the emperor asked.

Magistrate Zhang went to Chongcheng County to investigate and met with an accident. Originally, the emperor would not know about it.

But isn't this being made into a drama? Naturally

Someone wrote it into a book and presented it to the emperor. That person also participated in the plan of Magistrate Zhang to "buy the hearts of the people."

However, the emperor always had a good temper and did not care about this matter.

Lu Qingxi said: "He just loves to toss."

The emperor was low on energy, so Lu Qingxi didn't tell him too much about Magistrate Zhang. Instead, he came up with some other tips and asked him to make a decision.

After finishing those important memorials, Lu Qingxi found a trusted imperial physician and asked the imperial physician to diagnose and treat the emperor.

"Your Majesty is fine, just take a good rest on weekdays." The imperial doctor's statement was no different from the past.

Lu Qingxi was not surprised by this result.

Ever since I drank the bowl of poison given by the Concubine Xian, I have been feeling sick and uncomfortable all day long.

No more children were born in his harem.

As for the body of the present saint, if there is anything seriously wrong with it, there really isn't anything wrong with it.

But he had constant ailments, and he was destined not to live a long life. The imperial doctor had already mentioned to Lu Qingxi that the emperor would only live five or six years at most.

Lu Qingxi was more anxious than the emperor about this.

He has offended many people over the years. If the emperor is gone, he will never end well.

The emperor mentioned that he would arrange a way out for him... but leaving everything behind and hiding his name was not the life he wanted.

When the emperor went to rest, Lu Qingxi returned to his residence with a gloomy face.

He used to live in the palace, but in recent years there have been too many things for him to deal with, so he moved out of the palace.

After returning home, Lu Qingxi immediately summoned his confidants and told them everything that happened in the court today and asked them to analyze it.

During this period, Magistrate Zhang was naturally mentioned.

"I know that King Jin has done a lot of things in Jiangnan, so I specially sent Zhang Zhiru there, but he has done nothing!" Lu Qingxi was very angry.

How far away was Jiangnan? He didn't know what exactly Jin King's people did in Jiangnan.

But he was sure of one thing - those people collected many gold and silver jewels, strange stones and antiques from the south of the Yangtze River, as well as Yangzhou thin horses and sent them to the capital.

Zhang Zhiru did offend him, and he did not like Zhang Zhiru who almost pointed at his nose and scolded him, but he actually liked Zhang Zhiru very much.

He felt that Zhang Zhiru could help him deal with King Jin.

He specially sent Zhang Zhiru to the south of the Yangtze River, looking forward to Zhang Zhiru's confrontation with the Jin King's men day and night.

However, it has been two years and Zhang Zhiru has accomplished nothing!

Lu Qingxi was born in poverty. He was sold by his family when he was eight years old, and then he went around the world to enter the palace. After entering the palace, he was bullied for several years. Even if he was later assigned to serve Jin Shang, he was still indifferent at first. Not having a good life.

At that time, the late emperor doted on the imperial concubine, and the imperial concubine's eldest son had not yet died... Now he is just a little prince who receives no attention!

Lu Qingxi was good at fighting and cursing, and now he couldn't help but scolded Zhang Zhiru in his hometown dialect.

"Master Chitose, don't be angry, your body is not worth it if you are so angry." A soft voice sounded.

If Wu Baichuan were here, he would find that the person talking to Lu Qingxi was the female shopkeeper who asked him to get more goods from Jin Xiaoye.

Lu Qingxi is an eunuch, so naturally his confidants will not be famous scholars. Sitting here are eunuchs like Lu Qingxi, scholars with mutilated limbs, and this female shopkeeper.

When Lu Qingxi heard what the female shopkeeper said, he finally stopped scolding her and asked her a few questions with a smile. He smiled even more when he learned that the female shopkeeper had made a lot of money for him.

The female shopkeeper's surname is "Mu" and she is a fellow villager of Lu Qingxi. She was introduced to Lu Qingxi five years ago and joined Lu Qingxi.

Shopkeeper Mu was good at business and made Lu Qingxi a lot of money. In addition, she was very beautiful and good at coaxing people. To Lu Qingxi, she was different.

People in Hexing Mansion knew nothing about matters in the capital.

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of the government examination arrived.

Although Li Qingzhi had a photographic memory and read a lot of books, his time for studying was a bit short. Therefore, before the exam, while trying to make a name for himself, he hugged the Buddha's feet fiercely.

He gets up early every morning to read and compose, studies until evening, and even boxing in the yard after dark...

Seeing Li Qingzhi's efforts, Zhu Xunmiao and others unconsciously followed the study and checked for any omissions.

After lunch the day before the government examination, Li Qingzhi stopped his intense preparations for the examination and said to Zhu Xunmiao: "Let's have a good rest. How about having a big meal in the evening?"

"It's okay to have a good rest, but not to eat too much," Zhu Xunmiao said, "Brother Li, sir, I have told you in every possible way that we should not eat randomly before and during the imperial examination, nor should we go out to eat."

If the examination is affected by a bad stomach, then the gain outweighs the loss.

Li Qing insisted: "We won't go out to eat. I will cook with my own hands and make you a delicious meal!"

Zhu Xunmiao and others were stunned.

Li Qing insisted: "We don't eat greasy food either. We just want to cook more home-cooked dishes... I'll cook and you guys will help."

Li Qingzhi noticed that Zhu Xunmiao and others were a little nervous.

It's not good to rest if you're too nervous. It might affect tomorrow's exam... They might as well do something else to relax.

As for what to do...

It's obviously not appropriate to go out for a big meal or a show, but there's no problem cooking a meal at home.

Li Qingzhi asked his servants to buy chickens, ducks and fish, and started shaving the chickens, ducks and fish scales...

Zhu Xunmiao and others had no cooking experience at all, so they struggled for two hours before finally making dinner.

The person in charge was naturally Li Qingzhi. He had seen the recipe that Chang Zhan had placed on Chang Cui, and cooked two dishes according to it, plus a few dishes made according to his own ideas... There were eight dishes on the table, and the taste was great. very good.

"Brother Li, your craftsmanship is really good!" Zhu Xunmiao and others kept praising him.

After praising him, Zhu Xunmiao said: "There are so many dishes, I want to drink some wine!"

"Don't even think about drinking. You can't drink during the government examination." Li Qing insisted.

"That's what I'm saying." Zhu Xunmiao continued to eat.

After eating, they went back to their rooms to sleep. When the cannon sounded in the middle of the night, they got up quickly and hurried to take part in the government examination.

In Daqi, the procedures for taking the prefectural examination are similar to those for the county examination, but one more junior student is required to be the guarantor.

Li Xiucai came to Fucheng two days in advance and acted as guarantee for them together with another scholar.

In addition, if the county examination is taken five times in a row, the results will be released in between, but the prefecture examination is different.

The government examination in Daqi runs for three consecutive days, with each session taking one day. During the examination, the government office will provide a lunch. As for the evening, just like the county examination, you can go home.

Of course, different places have different regulations for government examinations. In some places, candidates taking the government examinations are not allowed to go home at night and have to live in the examination shed for three days.

Li Qingzhi came to the examination booth and found that there were many more people coming to take the government examination than he expected, more than a thousand people.

He lined up to enter and was inspected.

When he took the county examination in Chongcheng County, Li Qingzhi's treatment was very good, but it was different here.

Although he is somewhat famous now, the government officials responsible for maintaining order do not recognize him and treat him no differently from other candidates.

Li Qingzhi, Zhu Xunmiao and others were very cautious, and there were no problems during the exam.

Three days passed smoothly.

As for the test questions...

Li Qingzhi, who had been instructed by Magistrate Gou, felt that the test questions were very simple.

Some prefects like to give tricky test questions to embarrass candidates due to their personality, but Prefect Zhang is not such a person.

Magistrate Zhang knew very well that if the test questions he set were too tricky, those children from aristocratic families who had read extensively since childhood could understand the test questions and get good grades, but those from poor families who had not read a few books might not even know where the test questions came from. Do not know at all.

He would never do such a thing, and the test questions he gave were quite satisfactory.

Li Qingzhi felt that his answer was pretty good.

He has tried his best, and the next step is to look at Magistrate Zhang.

He felt that his grades should not be bad, after all, Magistrate Zhang admired him very much.

The results of the government examination were released very quickly, usually in three to five days. Li Qingzhi and others were not in a hurry to go back, but stayed in Fucheng.

Before the government examination, although the students who participated in the government examination organized several gatherings, the atmosphere was not enthusiastic and the number of gatherings was not large. It is different now.

After the government examination, Li Qingzhi suddenly received several posts inviting him to attend parties.

Zhu Xunmiao went to inquire about it and found that several of the gatherings were held in less formal places, and there should be singing and dancing to entertain them.

To add to the fun, finally the excitement got the better of them, and there was no need to think too much about what a group of men would do.

Li Qingzhi refused such a gathering without even thinking about it.

After he went to such an occasion, even if he did nothing, Jin Xiaoye would feel uncomfortable if he knew about it, and Zhu Xunmiao and Xu Qifei were underage!

You absolutely cannot take minors to such a place!

After Li Qingzhi passed the selection, he first took Zhu Xunmiao and the others to attend a cultural gathering held by Chongwen Academy in Fucheng.

Peng Jingliang studied in Chongwen Academy.

Li Qingzhi only met Peng Jingliang once after arriving in Fucheng, because Peng Jingliang wanted to study in the academy.

Chongwen Academy does not allow outsiders to enter on weekdays, but today there was a cultural gathering, and quite a few people came, and the door was full of horse-drawn carriages.

Li Qingzhi took out the invitation and stated his name, and was taken to a garden.

He was not even a scholar and had no fame yet, so he could not keep others waiting, so he came very early, and there were not many people in the garden at this time.

But few people also have people!

Li Qingzhi, who was relaxed after the exam, walked towards one of them without thinking, intending to make friends with them.

He was busy with exams in the past few days and didn't talk much to anyone, and now he really wanted to talk to someone.

As for why they didn't find Zhu Xunmiao and the others... Zhu Xunmiao and the others had been with him all the time and didn't know what was new outside!

"Hello, brother." Li Qingzhi walked towards a young man in his twenties who was sitting alone and started chatting with him with a smile...

After a while, Li Qingzhi got to know several people.

Zhu Xunmiao: "..." His father is a businessman. He comes from a well-educated family and is good at making friends, but his ability is far inferior to Li Qingzhi.

Li Qingzhi can really talk to anyone.

Li Qingzhi could indeed talk to anyone, and besides, he was now willing to show off his clumsiness... It didn't take long for a lot of people to surround him.

Peng Jingliang and his teacher came to the garden

At that time, I saw Li Qingzhi surrounded by people, chatting and laughing with others.

Peng Jingliang saw this and wanted to go over to say hello, but his teacher snorted coldly.

"Teacher..." Peng Jingliang looked at his teacher helplessly.

Peng Jingliang's teacher, whose surname was Zhou, was a scholar and the head of Chongwen Academy.

Chief Zhou Shan did not like Li Qingzhi.

There have been rumors in Fucheng that the chief executive of Chongcheng County was extremely knowledgeable and defeated Peng Jingliang in the competition.

But as far as he knew, Peng Jingliang didn't compete with Li Qingzhi at all. He just asked Li Qingzhi some questions in public, and Li Qingzhi answered them.

This Li Qingzhi wrote a letter to Magistrate Gou and Magistrate Zhang, deliberately hid it before the county examination, and then did it after the county examination... Chief Zhou Shan felt that this was a person who wanted fame and fortune.

There are rumors in the city that he defeated Peng Jingliang... maybe he wants to step on Peng Jingliang and get the upper hand!

He didn't believe that Li Qingzhi was so powerful, he must give it a try today!

Chapter 115 The Head of the Government Examination Case

Peng Jingliang liked Li Qingzhi very much. He actually said a lot of good things about Li Qingzhi in front of his teacher.

But the more he talked, the more his teacher disliked Li Qingzhi. This time Li Qingzhi came to Fucheng to take the imperial examination. After he met Li Qingzhi once, his teacher did not allow him to see Li Qingzhi again.

He originally wanted to lend some of the books he had read to Li Qingzhi, but because of his teacher's obstruction, he has not given them out until now.

Fortunately, his teacher acted in a measured manner and did nothing before Li Qingzhi took the government examination. It was not until Li Qingzhi finished the government examination that he sent a message to Li Qingzhi, asking Li Qingzhi to come to the academy to participate in the cultural meeting.

Based on Peng Jingliang's understanding of his teacher, there is a high probability that his teacher will embarrass Li Qingzhi at the cultural meeting.

"Jing Liang, you are too young and don't know how to look at people," Zhou Shanchang said, looking at his disciple with sincerity, "That Li Qingzhi was born in poverty, but he can reach this point... He must be someone who seizes every opportunity. Be careful with people who do whatever it takes to climb up!"

Principal Zhou Shan does not discriminate against students from poor families, and even appreciates those students who are poor but work very hard.

But he had read the book written by Li Qing that Peng Jingliang brought back.

This Li Qingzhi is so good at flattering!

There is also today's cultural gathering. In just a short time, Li Qingzhi has already met many people.

He doesn't like people who are tactful and scheming.

"Teacher, you misunderstood..."

"I have walked on more bridges than you have walked on! Just wait, I will expose this person's true identity!" After speaking, Zhou Shanchang strode towards Li Qingzhi.

At this time, Li Qingzhi also saw Peng Jingliang.

"Brother Peng." Li Qingzhi greeted with a smile, then looked at Shanchang Zhou: "You are Shanchang Zhou, right? I have long admired your name."

The moment Li Qingzhi saw Shan Chang Zhou, he realized that Shan Chang Zhou didn't like him.

But that doesn't matter, as long as he likes Zhou Shanchang.

After arriving in Fucheng, he met many people and learned a lot about Chief Zhou Shan from them.

Zhou Shanchang was very knowledgeable, but he had never taken the Jinshi examination. Instead, he devoted himself to teaching and educating people.

There is a nursery in Fucheng that specially takes in orphans. Chief Zhou not only donated money and materials from time to time, but also sponsored the education of orphans who had no father or mother there.

Even Peng Jingliang... Peng Jingliang's family background is average, and his current achievements are all due to the careful guidance of Chief Zhou Shan.

And looking at Peng Jingliang's behavior, we know that Zhou Shan is not bad.

Li Qingzhi already had a good impression of Zhou Shanchang, but now that they met... Zhou Shanchang's eyes were clear, and he felt completely different from Magistrate Yan.

This is a decent man.

Even if this person doesn't like him, he has no ill intentions towards him.

Shanchang Zhou did not answer Li Qingzhi's words. He looked Li Qingzhi up and down: "I know you, you are Li Qingzhi... I heard that you are very knowledgeable? I want to test you!"

Li Qing bowed his head and said, "It's an honor for me to get the guidance of the mountain chief."

"I can't call it advice, I just want to see your true ability." Zhou Shanchang's attitude was still not good, his eyes were full of disgust.

Li Qingzhi looked at Zhou Shanchang with a smile, feeling that this man looked a bit like Peng Jingliang, quite simple.

Many people will not show their happiness and anger on their faces, lest they offend others.

But Zhou Shanchang... his emotions were too obvious.

Shanchang Zhou knew that his attitude was not very good.

Seeing that Li Qingzhi didn't care at all and still had a smile on his face... he felt a little embarrassed.

Wait, why is he embarrassed? This Li Qingzhi must be very deep in the city to not be angry at all.

Zhou Shanchang calmed down and began to ask Li Qingzhi questions: "What are the world's thoughts and worries? You can memorize them."

Li Qingzhi immediately picked it up and said: "The world has the same goal but different paths..."

Master Zhou waited for Li Qing to memorize a section, and then quickly changed the section for Li Qing to memorize.

Li Qingzhi memorized them all.

Many people in Fucheng had heard of Li Qingzhi's photographic memory, but had not seen it with their own eyes. Only now that Chief Zhou proposed to test Li Qingzhi did they finally see it.

This Li Qingzhi is so awesome!

Zhou Shanchang devoted himself to reading and had a good memory, so he memorized many books.

At first, he tested Li Qingzhi on those he had memorized by heart, and Li Qingzhi answered them all, so he simply asked someone to bring some books that he had read but never memorized, but Li Qingzhi said he could memorize. Continue to test Li Qingzhi.

Of course Li Qingzhi memorized it all.

Shanchang Zhou initially thought of exposing Li Qingzhi's true face, but now that he saw that Li Qingzhi could memorize so many books, his thoughts completely changed.

Zhou Shan read a passage and asked Li Qingzhi: "What is the meaning of this sentence?"

Li Qingzhi started talking immediately.

After Li Qingzhi finished speaking, Chief Zhou continued to ask. The two of them talked back and forth for a long time, and more and more people were around.

They didn't dare to say anything for fear of disturbing the two of them, but they admired Li Qingzhi more and more.

Chief Zhou Shanzhang asked more and more deeply, there were some things they didn't know!

As for Li Qingzhi... Li Qingzhi is really grateful to Magistrate Gou at the moment. Some of the books written by Magistrate Gou are relatively in-depth, and Magistrate Gou explained them to him in depth, so he can answer most of the questions. .

If there is no definite answer, he will just explain it according to his own understanding, which should not be completely wrong.

While chatting, Chief Zhou Shan mentioned the strategy.

Perhaps because he felt that just talking was not enough, Zhou Shan said: "I have a topic here. Are you willing to make a decision in public?"

"Of course I do," Li Qing insisted.

He could feel that Chief Zhou's displeasure with him had disappeared. By now... Chief Zhou should have admired him very much.

"Hurry up and get a pen and paper!" Chief Zhou Shan said to the people around him.

Soon someone brought pen and paper, and Chief Zhou directly asked a question.

Policy reviews are actually articles that discuss current political issues and provide personal suggestions and countermeasures to the court.

Regarding this... Li Qingzhi has an advantage that others don't have.

He has traveled through time.

Although he was only eighteen years old when the end of the world began, and even though he learned a lot of history in history class, he didn't know much about politics.

But then he was bored and read a lot of books.

A few years after the end of the world, e-books were no longer available, so he only read physical books.

Those writings have everything. Because he has developed his brain, he will not forget it after reading it...

There are many capable people in Da Qi, but in terms of knowledge, no one can match him. After all, no one in Da Qi has ever heard of presidential system, republic, constitutional monarchy, etc.

The most important thing is that now we are just writing policy theory, not letting him actually operate it.

After Li Qingzhi thought about it, he quickly came up with an idea.

He thinks about what he wants to write in his mind, plans the layout of the entire article on paper, and then writes.

Chief Zhou Shan couldn't help but frown when he saw it.

Li Qingzhi didn't think too much and just wrote it, which was a bit not good.

Besides...the speed at which he writes articles is also too fast!

Shanchang Zhou couldn't help but leaned over to take a look, and then he was attracted by Li Qingzhi's words.

Peng Jingliang told Chief Zhou how good Li Qingzhi's calligraphy was, but when he left Chongcheng County and returned to Fucheng, he did not take Li Qingzhi's calligraphy.

He originally had several articles written by Li Qingzhi, but when others asked for them, he gave them away, thinking that in the future he would ask Li Qingzhi to write a special calligraphy for him.

Chief Zhou didn't see Li Qingzhi's words, so he naturally didn't believe Peng Jingliang's words.

But now

...Li Qingzhi was writing in front of him!

Master Zhou Shanchang was quite accomplished in calligraphy, but he was never satisfied with the calligraphy of his disciple Peng Jingliang.

He knew that Li Qingzhi's calligraphy should be good, but he didn't expect that Li Qingzhi's calligraphy was not inferior to his at all!

He has been practicing for decades, and his handwriting is as good as that of a young man in his twenties!

Forget it, Li Qingzhi writes so fast, and every word is written very well, which makes it even more pleasing to read together.

Zhou Shanchang's eyes were bright and he looked at Li Qingzhi's strategy with curiosity.

Li Qing only wrote a thousand words on this policy.

His writing speed has been getting faster and faster recently, and it took only forty minutes to write these one thousand words.

And when he finished writing, Zhou Shanchang also finished reading.

"Good calligraphy! Good writing!" Shanchang Zhou looked at Li Qingzhi excitedly: "Zixiao, do you want to accept me as your teacher?"

Peng Jingliang: "?" Teacher, what's going on? Not long ago, you were worried that I would be deceived by Li Qingzhi. In the blink of an eye, you wanted to accept Li Qingzhi as your apprentice?

Li Qing said: "Thank you very much, Master Shan, for your kindness, but I already have a teacher."

"Then you want to come to my academy to study? There are many books in my academy." Zhou Shanchang said again.

Li Qing insisted: "Of course I am willing, but my home is in Chongcheng County, so I'm afraid I won't be able to stay in Fucheng for a long time..."

"You can move to Fucheng, or you can borrow books to read." Chief Zhou Shan said as he took the policy theory written by Li Qingzhi in his hand and appreciated it carefully.

As for exposing Li Qingzhi's true identity...well, hasn't he already exposed it?

This Li Qingzhi is a very knowledgeable person! As for Li Qingzhi's book praising Magistrate Gou... With such knowledge, how could Li Qingzhi need to curry favor with a magistrate?

And Li Qingzhi was hiding his clumsiness before the county examination... Wait, his young disciple seems to have said that Li Qingzhi once had his arm broken by Hong Hui's younger brother?

He suspected that Hong Hui was jealous of Li Qingzhi and that's why he let his brother do this!

Li Qingzhi was really pitiful. First he became seriously ill, and then his arm was broken.

The more Captain Zhou saw Li Qingzhi, the more he liked him. He also felt that Li Qingzhi was a pure and kind person, so he didn't care at all when he deliberately made things difficult for him.

He completely forgot that not long ago he thought Li Qingzhi was too tactful.

Does Li Qingzhi need to be diplomatic? Not required.

Everyone gathered around him just to admire him, right?

With such talent and learning, why would Li Qingzhi need to pursue fame and fortune?

Chief Zhou Shanzhi was so enthusiastic about Li Qingzhi that he directly ignored Peng Jingliang.

People around: "..." It seems that it is true that Peng Jingliang lost to Li Qingzhi in the competition with Li Qingzhi. Look, even Peng Jingliang's teacher likes Li Qingzhi so much?

Peng Jingliang was very depressed. What happened to his teacher? Why was he always trying to drive a wedge between him and Li Qingzhi?

Under the current situation, if he were a little more cautious, he would be dissatisfied with Li Qingzhi.

Fortunately, he has seen Li Qingzhi's abilities and knows that he can't compare, so he won't be jealous!

Thanks to Master Zhou, Li Qingzhi stole the show at this cultural gathering.

The next day, most of the scholars in Fucheng were talking about Li Qingzhi, saying that he was probably the head of the case in this Fucheng examination.

This news naturally reached Magistrate Zhang's ears.

Magistrate Zhang really planned to name Li Qingzhi as the head of the case. There were more than a thousand people participating in the prefectural examination, and it was impossible for Magistrate Zhang to read every paper one by one.

He took a rough look at it first, and he picked out the ones that didn't have enough words, had too many scrawled handwritings, and didn't make sense at the beginning of the article.

These people are destined to fail.

Then he looked at the remaining papers and put aside the ones with good answers.

During the second and third exams, Magistrate Zhang was already reading the papers collected earlier, so now he has read all the papers he wants to read and is waiting for his ranking.

Among all the papers, Li Qingzhi's paper is undoubtedly the most pleasing to the eye and has good answers.

It would be unfair for him not to choose Li Qingzhi as the leader of the case!

Magistrate Zhang has always felt that officials must be fair... Li Qingzhi will undoubtedly be the head of this trial. Magistrate Zhang was anxious to deal with matters in Linhu County and read the test papers as quickly as possible.

Three days after the end of the prefectural examination, the results of the prefectural examination will be released!

The government examination, like the county examination, is held every year. Generally, fifty or sixty people are admitted in a year.

Those who have passed the provincial examination are Tongsheng and can go to the provincial capital to take the college examination.

After passing the college examination, he became a scholar and began to have some privileges, such as being exempted from corvee.

One day in advance, the government office had announced that the list would be released tomorrow, and early that morning, Zhu Xunmiao and the others got up, eager to go to the government office to see the list.

Li Qingzhi also got up early. Seeing that they were anxious, he said: "Then let's go there quickly and buy some food to fill our stomachs on the way..."

"We don't need to buy food. Just let the boy buy it." After Zhu Xunmiao finished speaking, he took Li Qingzhi and left.

It was just dawn when they came to the county government, but there were already many people gathered here, and they couldn't get a seat in the front row.

Zhu Xunmiao was a little unwilling and wanted to squeeze in, but was held back by Li Qingzhi: "Let's wait until the people in the ceremony room post the list before we squeeze in."

"Yes, we just need to occupy this position now, and we can squeeze forward as soon as possible later!" Zhu Xunmiao said.

During the previous county examination, Zhu Xunmiao was not anxious or anxious at all. That was because County Magistrate Gou had greeted his father a day in advance and had already told him what was on the list.

But in the government examination... Zhu Xunmiao was not sure.

"Yes, just squeeze forward later." Li Qingzhi said as he opened the food box brought by the boy and took a hot bun from it to eat.

The buns are stuffed with pork, so delicious!

"You guys also come and eat some steamed buns." Li Qingzhi greeted Zhu Xunmiao and the others.

Zhu Xunmiao said: "I have no appetite."

Xu Qifei also had no appetite. Seeing this, Li Qingzhi wanted to eat up the remaining buns!

But this is not good. You have to leave some for Zhu Xunmiao and the others... Li Qingzhi took out a handful of copper plates and gave them to the boy, asking him to buy some more rice dumplings.

There are two types of rice dumplings here in Hexing Prefecture. One is pure glutinous rice with nothing on it, or only one red date, and the other is bacon rice dumplings. Those sold on the street are basically the latter.

The washed glutinous rice is mixed with soy sauce, and then wrapped with fat and lean pork...the meat dumplings made in this way are very fragrant.

The boy quickly bought two rice dumplings for Li Qingzhi and put them on the plates of their own food boxes.

Li Qingzhi picked up the plate and a pair of chopsticks, and finished one rice dumpling in two or three bites.

Those people around... those who didn't know Li Qingzhi were fine, thinking that Li Qingzhi was just following to watch the fun, but those who knew Li Qingzhi...

Why is Li Qingzhi not in a hurry?

Well, if they had Li Qingzhi's ability, they wouldn't be in a hurry.

Speaking of which... they came over in a hurry after getting up today. Many of them didn't have breakfast. Seeing Li Qingzhi eating so deliciously, they suddenly felt hungry.

Zhu Xunmiao turned around and felt hungry when he saw Li Qingzhi eating so deliciously, so he took a bun from the food box to eat.

He was a little embarrassed to find that everyone around him was looking at them, but when he saw Li Qingzhi starting to eat the second rice dumpling... it would be okay to eat something, right?

Just as he was thinking this, Zhu Xunmiao saw someone coming from the ceremony room.

He quickly stuffed the remaining buns into his mouth, puffed out his cheeks and pushed forward...

Li Qingzhi didn't eat either, lest the food in his hand would be squeezed out by the crowd crazily pushing forward.

Food is so precious, don't throw it away! Li Qingzhi held the food box and looked in the direction where the list was posted.

He is tall, and the list is posted higher... If he is among the top few, he can see it from here.

His vision is optimized and very good!

Just as he was thinking this, Li Qingzhi saw his name at the first place.

He is the leader of the case again.

Chapter 116 Good News

When Li Qingzhi saw his name, Zhu Xunmiao also saw it. He turned his head excitedly and wanted to say something, but when he opened his mouth, the bun in his mouth almost fell out.

After swallowing the mouthful of buns, Zhu Xunmiao looked excited: "Brother Li, you are the leader of the case!"

After saying that, Zhu Xunmiao continued to push forward - he hadn't seen the complete list yet!

Not long after, Zhu Xunmiao came out of the crowd with an excited face: "I won! Haha! I won!"

Zhu Xunmiao has been carefully taught by Li Xiucai since he was a child, and he has worked very hard over the past year. Not long ago, he was even instructed by Magistrate Gou...

In this government examination, his results were not at the top, but he was still on the list.

After a while, Xu Qifei also squeezed out of the crowd with a blushing face: "I got hit too!"

Xu Qifei studied much harder than Zhu Xunmiao. After getting to know Zhu Xunmiao, he relied on Zhu Xunmiao to read some books that he might not have been able to read before.

In addition, Magistrate Zhang did not ask any weird test questions... his ranking was a little higher than Zhu Xunmiao.

At this time, more and more people read the entire list.

Magistrate Zhang selected a total of fifty-six people this time, so most of them were not on the list.

These people were disappointed, but no one said that Magistrate Zhang was unfair.

They are still very clear about their own level, and the people on the list this time are all somewhat famous - even Zhu Xunmiao and Xu Qifei, they followed Li Qingzhi out and met many people.

The classmate who came to Fucheng with Li Qingzhi and others to take the imperial examination regrettably failed this time.

Zhu Xunmiao and Xu Qifei came forward to comfort him. After this man felt sad, he quickly accepted the reality: "Actually, it's normal for me to be unnamed on the list. Sir, there are so many sons, but only two have passed the government examination. My academic skills are not good enough." It's not as good as them, and it's not as good as you."

Li Xiucai's sons all studied, but until now, none of them have passed the examination, and some even failed to pass the county examination.

No matter what, in this government examination, some people are happy and some are sad.

Zhu Xunmiao was particularly excited. He squeezed out of the crowd with Li Qingzhi and others, and then said: "Let's go to the restaurant for breakfast, I'll treat you!"

Li Qingzhi, who had already eaten a lot, agreed without thinking: "Okay."

The restaurant has a lot of food to choose from.

Zhu Xunmiao asked them to order, but Li Qingzhi was not polite and ordered a bowl of eel noodles.

Everyone else also ordered noodles, and Zhu Xunmiao ordered a cage of pork shaomai, ten fried dumplings and a few fried dough sticks.

Then they watched helplessly as Li Qingzhi, who had already eaten steamed buns and rice dumplings, not only finished his noodles, but also tasted the fried dumplings with shaomai, and finally took a fried dough stick and ate it slowly.

"Brother Li, you are really delicious." Zhu Xunmiao admired him very much.

Li Qing said: "I just have a better appetite."

Zhu Xunmiao: "..." Even if most people have a good appetite, they won't be like this!

Li Qingzhi really liked the food in the restaurant. Even though it was delicious, it was still high in calories.

Let's talk about the fried dough sticks...you can feel the oil exploding in your mouth with every bite.

Feeling a little tired after eating too much, Li Qingzhi picked up the teacup and drank tea.

The tea is chrysanthemum tea. The white chrysanthemums spread out in the water, which looks delicious.

While Li Qingzhi was drinking tea, he chewed the chrysanthemums - what a waste!

After they had eaten and drank enough, someone had already copied down the list of government examinations. Zhu Xunmiao spent money to buy a copy, found a boy, and asked the boy to send the list back to Chongcheng County immediately.

He must tell his father about such a happy event as soon as possible.

As for them... if nothing unexpected happens, Magistrate Zhang will entertain them, those who have passed the imperial examination, to a banquet. They plan to wait until the banquet is over before returning to Chongcheng County.

However...at noon, a government official came to them and told them that Magistrate Zhang would not hold a banquet.

However, although Magistrate Zhang did not hold a banquet, he wrote a few words of encouragement to each student who made the list.

Faced with this situation, some candidates who had passed the government examination were at a loss. Li Qingzhi looked at the words of Magistrate Zhang and felt that a storm was coming.

"Zhifu Zhang's calligraphy is really good! I didn't expect to get the calligraphy from the magistrate!" Zhu Xunmiao took the letter written by Zhang Zhifu and turned it over and over. After reading it, he looked at Li Qingzhi: "Brother Li, since Magistrate Zhang doesn't We're going to have a banquet, so let's go back first."

After being out for almost a month, Zhu Xunmiao felt a little homesick.

"Okay, let's go back." Li Qingzhi was also homesick and wanted to go back and kiss and hug Jin Xiaoye.

No matter what happens, you should hug Li Damao and Li Ermao and kiss their little faces.

He really missed them.

"Let's pack up and leave immediately. We'll be home in the evening!" Zhu Xunmiao stood up and quickly started packing.

Li Qingzhi brought quite few things, so it would be faster to pack them up. However, before he left, he wrote a special letter and asked someone to send it to Chongwen Academy to Chief Zhou Shan.

Shanchang Zhou asked him to go to Chongwen Academy to study. He agreed, but planned to go some time later.

And he probably won't stay in Chongwen Academy for a long time... He wants to live with Jin Xiaoye and the others.

After packing up, they got on the Zhu family's boat and headed for Chongcheng County.

Chongcheng County.

Zhu Xunmiao went to Fucheng to take the imperial examination, but Zhu Qian did not follow him.

His business was already very large, and now he became the president of the Chongcheng County Chamber of Commerce. He had many things to do and had no time to accompany Zhu Xunmiao to take the exam. But even though he didn't go, Zhu Qian had been thinking about Zhu Xunmiao, and even found a boy to send news back and forth, so he had a general idea of the situation in Fucheng.

During lunch that day, he mentioned his son again to his wife: "In two days, the results of the government examination will be released, and I don't know if Xunmiao will be on the list."

"Didn't the county magistrate say that it's not difficult for Xunmiao to take the exam? It should be possible." Mrs. Zhu said.

"Yes," Zhu Qian said with a proud face, "Xunmiao has been smart since he was a child. One time I made a wrong word and I didn't even notice it, but he saw it right away..."

As Zhu Qian was talking, someone rushed in from outside: "Master, good news! Good news! Master, he has been hit!"

"Really?" Zhu Qian was overjoyed.

"Of course it's true, sir, there are people coming from Fucheng!"

Zhu Qian was even more happy: "The results of this government examination were released so quickly! What about the others? Have they passed?"

"Mr. Li and Master Xu have both passed, but Mr. Li is still the head of the case!"

"I knew Li Qingzhi was not simple!" Zhu Qian laughed loudly: "Quickly find someone to go to Jinye Embroidery Workshop to announce the good news!"

Zhu Qian opened the list sent by Zhu Xunmiao and looked at it with joy.

Although Zhu Xunmiao ranked lower, he was still very happy and asked people to give each of the servants of the Zhu family a hundred copper coins to make them feel happy.

When Zhu Qian was overjoyed, Jinye Xiufang was also having lunch.

Today at noon, the female workers had soybean stew.

There is not much meat, and each female worker can get a piece after cutting it, but the soybeans are also meaty, plus the soup...

Use soybeans and broth to mix rice, it tastes so delicious!

It has been almost two months since these female workers came to Jinye Embroidery Workshop. They have all gained weight, and the little girls in Miaoqian Village have all changed their appearance.

They didn't know anything when they first came here and had a lot to learn. In addition, Jin Xiaoye was very busy with a lot of orders... In the past two months, they had not returned to Miaoqian Village.

Those of them from well-off families were fine. Their parents came to the county to see them, but for someone like Jin Maoer...she hadn't seen her parents for more than two months!

But the golden cat doesn't miss home at all.

Jinye Embroidery Workshop is really great!

They do have to work, but not all the time.

After getting up in the morning, those of them who don't need to cook can go shopping nearby and see the county. After a walk, when they return to Xiufang, they will have rice porridge and eggs to eat!

They had to work after breakfast, but it was all needlework. They didn't need to be exposed to the sun or rain, and they weren't dirty at all. If they got tired in the middle, no one would scold them if they took a break.

At noon, they had meat to eat again! If you want, you can go shopping nearby after eating!

It's the same at night. It's still light after they've eaten, so they can take a shower and wash clothes, and they can talk, chat, or play something together.

They made sandbags out of rags, and sometimes they would throw them around to play. They would also borrow a chessboard from Li Damao and Li Ermao to play backgammon together.

Waiting for night... They were living on the floor at first, so their accommodation was not very good, but this building in the city was not damp at all, and it seemed to them that it was very

alright.

As for now... Shopkeeper Jin asked the carpenter to make beds for them.

The bed has bunk beds. If you want to live on top, you can live on the top. If you want to live on the bottom, you can live on the bottom. There are also curtains hung on the bed. If you draw the curtain, it becomes a small space where no one can disturb you.

Those girls from well-off families felt strange when they saw the new bed. Jin Maoer, who was from a poor family, liked the bed even more.

What they got was more than just a bed. After they learned the craft, Shopkeeper Jin bought some fabrics and asked them to make two new clothes for themselves.

The fabric assigned to everyone was the same, and it had already been cut. All they had to do was sew it... A few days later, they all had two beautiful clothes.

This dress is different from what they wear in the countryside. It is a style that city people would wear, and it looks really nice.

Jin Maoer watched helplessly as the people around him changed day by day, looking much better than before. Then he looked at his arms and legs that had gained weight...

If she goes home, will her parents still recognize her?

Well, she doesn't want to go home, she just wants to work in Jinye Embroidery Workshop for the rest of her life.

After dinner, Golden Cat ran to the kitchen to help wash the dishes.

Jin Xiaoye and the others put out soybean stew and a large pot of kelp, tofu and meat slices soup on the table.

Li Qingzhi would cook two or three extra dishes, but Jin Xiaoye was too lazy to cook, so he only made an extra soup every time.

Add a little bit of egg and meat slices to the soup, and the soup won't taste bad.

Today's kelp and tofu soup was so delicious that everyone at the table ate everything.

After eating, everyone did not rush to work, but started chatting, chatting, and Li Qingzhi was indispensable.

Li Damao and Li Ermao immediately asked: "Mom, when will dad come back?"

"Mom, I miss daddy!"

…

Li Damao and Li Ermao have been looking forward to it day and night these days, hoping that Li Qingzhi will come back soon.

Jin Xiaoye said: "The government examination has been completed. When the results of the government examination are released in a few days, your father will be back."

"Okay." Li Damao sighed like little adult.

Li Ermao said: "Mom, the teacher at the school said that dad might be able to take the case exam again... Can dad take the case exam?"

Jin Xiaoye said: "Mom doesn't know. Ermao, when you are outside, don't say that your father can take the exam."

"Mom, we didn't say anything, it was the husband who said it." Li Ermao said.

While they were talking, someone came in from outside: "Shopkeeper Jin, what a happy event! What a great event! The results of the government examination have been released, and Mr. Li won the first place!"

Jin Xiaoye stood up in surprise: "Really?"

"It's absolutely true. I heard that Mr. Li went to attend the cultural gathering of Chongwen Academy the night before yesterday, and the mountain chief of Chongwen Academy wanted to accept him as a disciple!" The person Zhu Qian called to report the news was the one who traveled between Chongcheng County and Fucheng. A servant who is responsible for delivering messages.

He knew a lot about Fucheng's affairs and was eloquent, so he picked out some Fucheng matters to tell Jin Xiaoye.

Of course, he didn't forget to tell Mrs. Xu that Xu Qifei also passed the government examination.

For a time, everyone in Jinye Embroidery Shop was very excited and congratulated Jin Xiaoye and Mrs. Xu.

"Shopkeeper Jin, congratulations!"

"Those who get the top spot in the government examination will definitely be admitted as a scholar. Shopkeeper Jin, you will be a scholar's wife from now on!"

"Shopkeeper Jin might still be the queen of the people in the future!"

"Mrs. Xu, your son has passed the imperial examination at a young age and will definitely have a bright future!"

"I knew Qifei was a promising person!"

"Mrs. Xu, your good days are yet to come!"

…

It's a great joy for Li Qing to pass the government examination! Jin Xiaoye, like Zhu Qian, plans to give red envelopes to people in the embroidery workshop.

But she is not as rich as Zhu Qian: "This is a big happy event. Today I will give each of you a red envelope of fifty cents!"

She has almost finished the big project in her hand and has made a lot of money. It doesn't matter if she gives these people a red envelope.

Jin Xiaoye took out a box of copper coins from the house, counted them and handed them out one by one.

"Thank you, Shopkeeper Jin!"

"Shopkeeper Jin, you will definitely make a fortune in the future!"

"I wish Shopkeeper Jin will become the first lady!"

…

The female workers recruited in the county happily received their money.

But when Jin Xiaoye gave money to the female workers recruited from Miaoqian Village, they were too embarrassed to take it: "Shopkeeper Jin, do we have money too?"

Jin Xiaoye smiled and said: "Of course! Everyone who sees it has a share."

These girls happily received the money, but Jin Maoer did not come.

Jin Xiaoye called her: "Cat, come and get your money!"

Jin Maoer clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head: "Shopkeeper Jin, I don't need money, but you still paid for me to see a doctor and buy medicine."

Jin Xiaoye smiled and said: "That's another thing. Just take this money and you can go shopping outside later and buy something you like."

"I don't want it." Jin Mao'er said.

But Jin Xiaoye still put the money into her hand: "Everyone else has it. It would be bad if you don't have it."

Jin Maoer was a little overwhelmed with the money.

Jin Xiaoye pushed her: "Go to work!"

When the female workers heard this, they all went to work.

Jin Xiaoye happily kissed Li Damao and Li Ermao, and asked Jin Xiaoshu to help her buy some braised dried beans and braised pork.

In the evening, braised dried beans will be given to the female workers as a snack, and braised pork will be given to them as snacks themselves!

She also began to think about what dishes to prepare for the banquet back in Miaoqian Village.

People in Miaoqian Village used to think she was pitiful, but now she wants to go back and show off, letting them know how well she is doing!

While Jin Xiaoye was thinking about this matter, Li Qingzhi and the others were already on the boat back to Chongcheng County.

Zhu Xunmiao was very excited, and he would have been even more excited if some of his peers had not passed the exam.

Li Qingzhi is also in a good mood. He is now well-known in Fucheng, and he is waiting to go to the provincial capital in August to take the college examination.

After their boat left Fucheng, Magistrate Zhang took Chang Zhan and also took a boat to Linhu County.

Magistrate Zhang exhausted his contacts and contacted the nearby Xiang army.

He told those people that the magistrate of Linhu County had raised some private soldiers and asked them to help eradicate them. Now, those people have gone to Linhu County.

Magistrate Zhang has decided to wipe out all those moths in Linhu County!

Linhu County is close to Lihu Lake, and many people make a living by fishing.

But there are some places that fishermen dare not set foot in. After all, the Lou family has warned them not to go there. If they get close, someone will drive them away.

Forget it, there used to be a few brave young people who went over there in the middle of the night to see what was there. As a result, they went to three people, two of them were alive and dead, and the remaining one was dead. We finally saw a corpse, but because the manager of the Lou family said that this person died because he went to steal something, his death was in vain.

People who live by the lake don't dare to go near that place, so they don't know that there are actually many people living there.

And the vast majority of them are blind-eyed laborers who are driven up mountains and rivers to dig stones all day long.

It was noon at this time, and the stewards and guards of the quarry were preparing to have lunch. The laborers who were captured to dig out stones were not allowed to rest at all.

Chang carried the food to the stewards and guards. When delivering it, he glanced at the people who were working without leaving any trace.

A year ago, he was one of them.

Chapter 117 Chang Duan

Chang Duan originally had a happy family.

His ancestor was the imperial chef of the former dynasty. His ancestor had been thinking about various dishes and left behind a "Chang Family Recipe".

The previous dynasty had long since disappeared, and the Chang family returned to their hometown of Linhu County, where they opened a restaurant based on this recipe.

Once this restaurant opened, it has been open for more than a hundred years and has become a time-honored brand in Linhu County.

Chang Duan has been learning cooking skills since he was a child. The common dishes sold in their restaurant are made by the chefs invited, but there are also some dishes that only the Chang family can cook.

As the heir to the restaurant, he must learn these dishes.

He grew up in a restaurant, learned good cooking skills, married a good wife, and gave birth to a lovely daughter.

As a result, just when he was thinking about making more money and saving more for his daughter's dowry, something happened to their family!

When Chang Duan thinks of the Lou family, his teeth itch with hatred.

Those people not only killed his father, but also fabricated charges, saying that someone died after eating in their restaurant, and then put him in jail.

At that time, he thought that he would definitely die, and he didn't know whether it was luck or misfortune... The people from the county government sent him and some other people in the prison here.

This is a quarry managed by people from the Jin Palace, specializing in digging Lihu stones and then sending them to various places for sale.

When he first came here, he wanted to escape and was beaten a lot. Later, he was afraid of being beaten to death, so he did not dare to escape.

It was also here that he met a person who was different from others, that person was named Li Qingzhi.

Most of the laborers working here are illiterate, but Li Qingzhi is literate and very knowledgeable.

He once wanted to give up and escape, but then, he saw the look in Li Qingzhi's eyes.

Li Qingzhi was as skinny as a stick at that time, and his fuel was almost exhausted, but his eyes were still burning with fire... Even at this stage, Li Qingzhi still wanted to escape.

After being captured for so many years, his body was broken, but Li Qingzhi still didn't give up and wanted to escape. How could he give up?

He began to work hard to stay alive.

Only if you are alive can you have hope of getting out!

He wants to see his family!

After his accident, I don't know what will happen to his family...

His mother and his wife are both ordinary women with weak personalities, and his brother is still young. If the Lou family doesn't let them go...

Chang Duan felt heartbroken just thinking about it casually.

He can only try to live.

Chang Duan glanced at the workers who were working.

He is alive, but Li Qingzhi is already dead, and has been dead for almost a year. Some other workers he knew when he first came here are also dead.

If he were still digging rocks, he might have died long ago.

Very often

Fortunately, I am glad that I have a craft.

Li Qingzhi is literate and can settle accounts, but the stewards here also have such skills, so Li Qingzhi has no place to use them.

He is different!

There is also a cook here, but the cook's skills are not as good as his.

Seeing Li Qingzhi die in front of him, he clearly realized that he could no longer work as a laborer... He kowtowed to the guard, told the guard that his ancestor was an imperial chef, and said how delicious the food he cooked was...

The guards and stewards of the quarry could not go outside on weekdays, so they had little enjoyment. The original cook here was not very good at cooking... They gave him a chance to cook.

The most indispensable thing here is fish. He made a fish feast and then became the cook for these people.

This year, he has been working hard to cook and try to please them so as to gain their trust.

By now, these people have gained a certain level of trust in him. After hearing him describe the taste of some of the dishes on his family's recipes, they are willing to buy him various seasonings and spices.

Many medicinal materials can be used for cooking. A few days ago, he used various seasonings and some medicinal materials to stew a pot of braised pork for these people.

These people liked it very much, so they bought him some medicinal materials according to the list he wrote.

The medicinal materials he wanted were all non-toxic, so these people were willing to buy them, but they didn't know that putting non-toxic medicinal materials together might make people have diarrhea or make them drowsy.

He never gave up on escaping.

Chang Duan made fish balls today, stewed fish head and tofu soup, fried fat intestines and braised duck.

These fragrant dishes were brought to the steward. The steward picked up his chopsticks, couldn't wait to take a bite, and then called the guards to come over and eat together.

"Xiao Chang, your craftsmanship is really good! What shall we have for dinner?" a steward asked Chang Duan.

Chang Duan said: "Manager Feng, I have stewed the pig offal that I sent earlier. The braised pig heart and liver can be eaten directly, or cut into pieces and stir-fried..."

"Then eat half of it directly and stir-fry the other half!" said Manager Feng.

"Everyone listens to Manager Feng." Chang Duan said with a smile.

He planned to tamper with the food of these people tonight, and by then... he might be able to escape with other workers.

As for what he would do after escaping, he wasn't really sure.

All he knew was that he had to escape.

If he stays here any longer and watches the people around him die one by one... he will go crazy.

After delivering meals to these stewards, Chang Duan returned to the kitchen.

After he suddenly emerged, the two original cooks here were disliked. They are now responsible for helping him and providing food for the workers.

The two men were unhappy and often slacked off. For example, right now, they were not in the kitchen, and the bean dregs and bran for the workers had not yet been cooked.

The workers were allowed to eat twice a day, and the food they ate was for the pigs.

For example, rice bran bought from a rice shop, or fried soybean dregs, sesame dregs and rapeseed leftover after deep-frying in oil press workshops.

It is best to cook these things before giving them to the workers, but sometimes these two people are lazy, stir them with water, and send them directly to the workers.

At first, Chang Duan was too busy to take care of himself and didn't dare to take care of this matter - the stewards and guards didn't trust him at that time. Although he got the opportunity to cook for them, people were watching him from beginning to end. He didn't know how to cook. Sometimes, they will be locked up.

But recently he has gained the trust of those in charge, making it much easier to move around.

Chang Duan put the bean dregs and rice bran into several large pots, lit a fire and started cooking.

The bean dregs are not fresh, and now that the weather is hot, they give off a sour smell... Chang is stirring the food in the pot with a complicated mood.

Their family had some land outside the city and hired people to grow vegetables and raise pigs there.

At that time, the pigs they raised at home were better fed than these laborers.

In addition to eating pig food cooked with rice bran, pumpkins, vegetables, etc., those pigs can also eat leftovers from their restaurants, and they grow very fast.

But the workers here...

Their family would not give the sour and smelly bean dregs to the pigs!

Chang Duan stirred for a while, washed, chopped and put in the leftovers he had left behind when cooking for the stewards.

These so-called leftovers, which are duck intestines, fish intestines, pig skins and the like, are not delicious, but after being put in, they can at least give the workers more strength.

Chang often cooked the meals, packed them in buckets, and delivered them to the workers.

The workers were very happy when they saw him coming to deliver food.

The food often brought to them will have some "addings" and salt.

Most of them are very grateful to Chang Duan.

When Chang was sharing food with them, he whispered to the leader of the workers: "I'll come find you later in the evening... let's run away."

Chang Duan did this because he felt sorry for these workers and because he felt that these workers would not betray him.

Their life is not easy, and they may die at any time. He believed that these people were willing to escape with him.

However, Chang Duan was wrong.

He was afraid that he would never have imagined that when the workers continued to work after eating, one of them found the guard who was watching them, told the guard what Chang Duan said, and vowed: "Chang Duan must want to escape!"

It is true that most of the workers were grateful to Chang Duan, but there were also a few who were jealous of him and dissatisfied with him.

They felt that they were all captured and sold as laborers. Why could Chang Duan live a good life but they could not?

However, even if some people are jealous, they will not betray Chang Duan.

They also want to escape, they don't want to stay here any longer.

That's the only one who went to tell the guards.

This man came with Chang Duan. He was as skinny as a dead tree that had long since lost its life. Looking at his appearance, one knew that he would not live long.

Some people are good at what they say even when they are about to die, but he... he can't live anymore, so he just wants to drag others into trouble.

While the other laborers were hoping to escape at night, he betrayed them all.

Chang Duan knew nothing about this. He followed his original plan and made a pot of braised food that would definitely cause diarrhea after eating it, and brought it to the guards.

It's just that... after arriving at the place, Chang Duan vaguely felt something was wrong.

Manager Feng was still talking to him with a smile at noon, but now he squinted his eyes and looked at him defensively: "I heard that you want to escape?"

Chang Duan was startled, but he didn't show it at all on his face: "Manager Feng, what did you say?"

Manager Feng snorted coldly: "I heard someone said that you plan to escape with the workers."

"Manager Feng, you are wronged! There is absolutely no such thing..."

"Really? Then eat the food on the table." Manager Feng pointed to the food Chang Duan brought.

When Chang Duan heard this, he picked up the food on the table with his chopsticks and ate it without thinking: "Manager Feng, this must be someone who doesn't like me and wants to frame me..."

Chang Duan killed someone who falsely accused him, but he was already extremely frightened.

This matter is difficult to resolve.

If these people started to have diarrhea after eating the food he cooked, they would never let him go.

He could only think of ways to delay.

Chang Duan pretended to think it was delicious and tried hard to eat the food he had tampered with.

But Manager Feng brought the untouched dish to him... Chang Duan could only eat it.

The stewards and guards breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Chang Duan had eaten all the dishes without any displeasure and his expression was normal.

After getting the news, they were not afraid of anything else, but they were afraid of Changduan poisoning them.

But looking at the current situation, Chang Duan probably didn't poison them. Maybe someone actually framed Chang Duan.

But even so, they are not at ease.

Two guards stood up, locked up Chang Duan, and then came back to continue eating and drinking.

"Then Chang Duan really wants to escape?"

"Who doesn't want to escape? I'm tired of staying in this miserable place and want to go out and be cool."

"It's not like this person has never escaped before. He didn't dare to run away after we took care of him. Now he may not be clear-headed anymore."

"He was a good cook, so he was a bit reluctant to kill him. No matter if it's true or not this time, I'll just clean it up."

"Keep him locked up and don't let him come into contact with things that will kill you if you eat them."

…

While these people were eating and drinking, Chang Duan, who was imprisoned on the other side, was extremely frightened.

If those people had diarrhea together... he probably wouldn't survive tomorrow.

He wanted to see his wife and daughter, his brother and mother, but he might not have the chance.

Just when Chang Duan was desperate, a shout of murder suddenly came from outside.

Chang Duan was stunned.

This cry of killing was very loud and could not be made by the few guards in their quarry.

There are outsiders

coming?

There are indeed outsiders coming!

In Daqi, the army that guards the place is called the Xiang Army. In Hexing Mansion, there is a Xiang Army stationed there. Jin Xiaoye's uncle cooks for people in the Xiang Army.

The people in these armies were recruited from the local area, and military service was also a form of corvee service.

As the prefect, Magistrate Zhang could not mobilize the Xiang troops, but he made up a lie, saying that Magistrate Yan was raising private soldiers and had evil intentions.

The Xiang Army usually has no battles to fight. Unless the commander of the Xiang Army has connections in the capital, it will be difficult for him to be promoted.

Now that Yan County Magistrate is raising private soldiers, isn't this a military achievement that falls from the sky? In addition, there are several officials who speak for Magistrate Zhang...

In accordance with Magistrate Zhang's request, the commander of the Xiang Army quietly rushed to Linhu County with his people.

He did not act rashly until Magistrate Zhang arrived.

Magistrate Zhang has come in person, so the story about Magistrate Yan raising private soldiers is probably true!

The commander of the army was fooled by Zhang Zhifu and ordered his soldiers to rush into the quarry.

There are a total of two to three hundred guards in this quarry.

In addition to watching the workers dig out stones, these people are also responsible for sending out the excavated Kasahu stones, so there are only a few dozen who stay in the quarry on weekdays.

But these dozens of people are all good fighters and have sophisticated weapons.

The Xiang army hurried over and the two sides immediately faced each other.

The commander of the Xiang Army heard that they had encountered resistance. The resisters were still wearing armor and holding swords. He immediately looked at Magistrate Zhang: "Master Zhang, I didn't expect that there are actually private soldiers raised by Magistrate Yan here!"

"Excuse me, sir, to catch those people as soon as possible." Magistrate Zhang said.

When the commander of the army heard this, he immediately urged his men to go up and arrest him.

The Xiang army had neglected training, their weapons were mediocre, and their combat effectiveness was not very good. On the contrary, the group of "private soldiers" were extremely tough. Originally, there were bound to be casualties on the Xiang army's side.

But as they were beating, the group of "private soldiers" suddenly covered their stomachs... The Xiang army was worried about fraud at first. After going up and hacking a few people to death, they realized that these people had suddenly turned into soft-footed shrimps. .

The commander of the Xiang Army was overjoyed, but at this time, Manager Feng shouted: "Who are you? The King of Jin will not let you go!"

The commander of the Xiang Army was dumbfounded: "Prince Jin?"

The only brother of the current Holy Emperor was the son of a noble concubine who had attempted to murder him, so he was only granted the title of County Prince.

Everyone knows that the Holy Emperor hates this brother, but it is King Jin...

Although the old King of Jin once dominated the government and oppressed Jinshang, he died early!

Before he could take action against Jin Shang for the throne, he died first.

The emperor's hatred for Prince Jin was not as strong as that for his own brother. Whether it was for the sake of the stability of the court or for selfish reasons, if he had no heirs, he would probably pass the throne to Prince Jin.

Because of this, many people in the court turned to King Jin. Even before he died, he had already begun to please King Jin.

Magistrate Zhang was afraid that the commander of the army would cause trouble, so he said sternly: "This private soldier is indeed supported by the King of Jin, but your Majesty asked me to come to Hexing Mansion just to eradicate the power of the King of Jin in Linhu County! If you don't help me today, Your Majesty will definitely I will convict you! The person sitting on the throne now is not Prince Jin!"

The emperor asked him to come to Hexing Mansion not to let him deal with King Jin, but King Jin was not a good person, and he could not let King Jin gain power no matter what!

The commander of the army here was excited and immediately shouted: "Not to mention King Jin, even if the King of Heaven comes, I will arrest you!"

Manager Feng was stunned.

The Xiang army, whose number was dozens of times theirs, had already rushed over and captured them.

In a short period of time, these Xiang troops controlled the guards of the quarry, lit torches to count the people in the quarry, and brought the panicked and frightened workers to Magistrate Zhang.

"I heard that my brother is here. I don't know if he is still alive..." Chang Zhan did not dare to step forward, fearing that he would learn the bad news.

There were quite a lot of workers, but not too many... Chang Zhan looked around and found that his brother was not among them. His heart ached and he shed tears.

However, right here, a familiar cry for help came from the distance: "Help! Help!"

Chapter 118 Going Home

The total number of laborers in the quarry is more than one hundred and thirty.

A few of them die from time to time, but because they can be replenished, their numbers remain stable.

Some of these laborers, like Chang Duan, were sent by the Linhu County magistrate or the Lou family; some, like Li Qingzhi, were bought by the steward from human traffickers, and there were also farmers and fishermen caught nearby by guards.

These days, some people who do not have land or houses will always live on fishing boats and make boats their home. Not long ago, a fishing boat carrying a young couple and two children accidentally broke into this place and was caught by the guards.

The wife was insulted, the two children were killed, and the man became a member of the labor force.

Of course, the young couple are now dead.

How could that man work well while watching two children being killed? He took the pickaxe used to dig out rocks and fought against the guards, but was immediately hacked to death by the guards.

The remaining woman...her body was also thrown out not long after.

Chang Duan has seen too many tragedies in the world, and even though he knows there is little hope, he still wants to escape.

He is afraid of this place!

The workers here actually hate the stewards and guards.

Today, after Chang Duan spoke to them and said that he would take them to escape, the workers were very excited.

They want to escape too!

Regardless of success or failure, they all want to leave this hellish place.

These people were already numb and waiting for death, but after hearing Chang Duan's words, hope inevitably rose in their hearts.

If they could escape...

Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed not long after they finished their work. After they finished their work, several guards and a laborer came to them and asked them with a sneer: "I heard you want to escape?" These laborers were shocked, and then they were The guard beat him all over his head and face.

The guards interrogated them and asked them what Chang Duan had said and whether he wanted to take them away.

Most of them denied it flatly, saying that Chang Duan never said this, but he was severely beaten, but two of them told the truth. These workers hated these two people, and of course they hated the whistleblower the most.

The informant's surname was Gao, and everyone called him Lao Gao. Seeing him standing next to the guards and watching them being beaten with a smile, the leader of the laborers couldn't help but ask: "Lao Gao, how can we regret you? What do you want?" This will harm us!"

The stewards and guards of the quarry do not allow these workers to fight with each other, for fear that they will be injured in the fight and affect the digging of stones.

In addition, they are all exhausted when they come back from work every day... There is no fight among these workers.

Of course, they have no friendship, they just live in confusion day by day.

Sometimes they doubt whether they are still alive, or even feel that they are dead or turned into livestock.

Because of this, none of them ever bullied Lao Gao.

Lao Gao grinned: "We can't escape, Chang Duan is lying to us! He has lived a good life, how can he care about us?"

"He wants to escape, and he brought us just to make you a target for him!" "We can't escape! We can't escape!"

…

The workers wanted to tear this old man to pieces.

Chang Duan's life is indeed better than theirs, but relying on Chang Duan, they

Occasionally I can eat something good.

They were forced to go to the lake in the previous winter, and Chang Duan even put ginger slices in their food...

Now that Lao Gao has betrayed Chang Duan, their future life will definitely be more difficult.

The leader of these workers burst into tears: "Sir, Chang Duan really didn't want to escape, and he didn't say anything to us. This old man just wants to harm us."

Others said: "Yes, he is deliberately trying to harm us!"

"Sir, we really don't want to escape..."

The guards frowned when they saw this, and at this moment, there was a sudden cry of killing.

Although Lao Gao tipped off, the guards did not take Lao Gao seriously. They realized something was wrong, pushed Lao Gao into the middle of the workers, closed the room where the workers lived, and locked the door.

If the shouts of death outside were not so alarming, and they were worried that the guards would beat them because of Lao Gao's death... these workers would definitely beat Lao Gao to death.

They were frightened and didn't know what was going on outside. Not long after, someone held a torch and took them out.

These people are wearing the clothes of officers and soldiers!

Officers and soldiers are coming to save them!

These workers couldn't believe it, and they were all dumbfounded.

Are they...are they dreaming?

Just as they were thinking this, a man who looked somewhat similar to Chang Duan came over to look at them.

They were still in a trance, and because of fear, they did not dare to make a sound until Chang Duan's voice calling for help came from the distance.

The leader of these workers finally came to his senses: "Chang Duan, there is another Chang Duan!"

After he finished speaking, he looked at Chang Zhan excitedly: "Chang Duan said he would escape tonight, and we really escaped!"

When he said this, others suddenly woke up, and a group of dark, skinny men in scanty clothes cheered: "We escaped, we escaped!"

"What Chang Duan said is true!"

"We really escaped!"

…

These people are not very clear about the current specific situation.

After being rescued by Xiang Jun, they saw a boy who looked similar to Chang Duan appear... They thought it was Chang Duan who had contacted someone outside to save them.

Even Manager Feng thought so. After being tied up and thrown aside, he asked in disbelief: "How did Chang Duan contact you? Damn it, he actually poisoned us!"

After saying that, Manager Feng farted, and a stink came from his body.

Manager Feng was so ashamed and angry that he wanted to die.

When they were fighting with the Xiang army before, they suddenly suffered from abdominal pain.

If it weren't for this, even if they couldn't fight, they would still have a chance to escape.

Chang Duan poisoned them. It was not a fatal poison, but it would make them suffer from diarrhea!

Where did he get the poison, and how did he contact the government?

After hearing what Manager Feng said, even the commander of the Xiang Army looked at Magistrate Zhang.

Magistrate Zhang told him about this place. Magistrate Zhang chose the day for the attack. Magistrate Zhang also contacted the people inside to poison him?

The gray-haired Magistrate Zhang: "..."

He really didn't get in touch with Chang Duan. He chose to attack here first because the letter Magistrate Gou wrote to him at the beginning was about the quarry, and later he described it in detail. Describes the plight of these laborers.

He added that if he attacked Magistrate Yan first, people here might flee after getting the news, so he attacked here first.

Magistrate Yan and those in the Lou family are not able to escape so easily.

"Sir, my eldest brother..." Chang Zhan looked at Magistrate Zhang.

"Take someone to look for him," said Magistrate Zhang.

Chang Zhan responded and took a few Xiang army soldiers to find his brother.

Chang Duan feels uncomfortable at the moment.

Probably because the matter was not yet clear, the guards did not beat him and only locked him up.

But he ate a lot of his own food!

At this moment, Chang Duan's abdominal pain continued, and he couldn't help but unbutton his pants and pull them up.

So, when Chang Zhan led people to find his brother in a hidden small room, he smelled a stench.

"Brother?" Chang Zhan called.

Chang Duan was surprised and happy: "Xiao Zhan?"

The two brothers finally met and almost cried holding each other's hands, but Chang Duan couldn't help it anymore and ran into the grass: "I'm going to the hut!"

Chang Zhan, who opened his hands to hug his elder brother, froze.

On the other side, the workers went crazy with joy: "We are saved!"

"I want to go home..."

"Woooooooo..."

…

After getting excited, they remembered one person and rushed forward, punching and kicking Lao Gao: "You traitor!"

"You lackey!"

"I'm going to kill you!"

…

Lao Gao looked confused: "This is impossible, this is impossible..." If he had known this, why would he tell the truth?

He thought it was difficult to escape due to his physical condition, so he snitched...

Lao Gao's body had collapsed long ago, and by the time the soldiers pulled the workers away, he was already dead.

At this time, Magistrate Zhang also knew what was going on from the information he pieced together.

Chang Zhan said before that it was true that his brother was here, so forget it. Chang Zhan's brother also poisoned the stewards and guards here and planned to escape tonight.

Unfortunately, they were betrayed and almost lost their lives.

Magistrate Zhang let out a sigh of relief after hearing this.

Fortunately, he came today, otherwise Chang Zhan might never see his brother again.

By the way, why hasn't Chang Zhan brought his brother?

Chang Zhan squatted by the grass and cried non-stop. It wasn't that he didn't want to take his brother to see Magistrate Zhang, it was because his brother couldn't go because he was like this!

When Magistrate Zhang led the Xiang army to take control of the quarry, Li Qingzhi and the others had just returned to Chongcheng County.

It was already dark, so Zhu Xunmiao did not leave anyone behind, but asked the boatman to take Li Qingzhi and the others home one by one.

The boatman went around in a circle to see him off, and finally saw him off with Li Qingzhi.

Because he was traveling by boat, Li Qingzhi knocked on the back door of the shop: "Xiaoye, Xiaoye, are you asleep?"

Jin Xiaoye was still awake and was practicing calligraphy in Li Qingzhi's study. Suddenly she heard Li Qingzhi's voice. She ran to the north of the house and looked down: "Ah Qing?"

"Xiaoye, it's me, I'm back." Li Qingzhi stood at the head of the river port and smiled at Jin Xiaoye.

It was already dark, Jin Xiaoye couldn't see Li Qingzhi's expression clearly, he could only see the sparkling waves in the river...

"I'll open the door!" Jin Xiaoye shouted, holding the oil lamp and walking down.

Li Damao and the others haven't gone to bed yet and are playing backgammon together.

Chang Cui was a little young and didn't know how to play, so she built blocks next to her.

Li Qingzhi asked a carpenter to help him make these building blocks. They are rectangular pieces of wood of various sizes. They can be used to build houses or other things.

In the past, Li Damao, Li Ermao and others liked to play with these blocks, but now Chang Cui also likes to play with them. She can sit there and play for an hour.

Now, they also heard Li Qingzhi's voice: "Mom, dad is back?"

"Yes, your father is back!" Jin Xiaoye said.

Li Damao and the others cheered when they heard this, and followed Jin Xiaoye to the back door.

So, as soon as Li Qingzhi opened the door, he saw his long-missed wife and children.

"Dad!" Li Damao and Li Ermao shouted and wanted to rush towards Li Qingzhi, but Jin Xiaoye grabbed their clothes one by one: "Don't go crazy, be careful to knock your dad into the river."

Li Qingzhi: "..." That's really not the case, he is much stronger now!

Hearing this, Li Damao and Li Ermao immediately stepped forward and took Li Qingzhi's hand: "Dad, be careful."

"Dad, please walk slowly."

"I still have luggage..." As soon as Li Qingzhi finished speaking, Jin Xiaoye said, "I'll help you get it!"

The boatman who sent Li Qingzhi over had not yet left. Jin Xiaoye took the luggage from him and said to Li Qingzhi: "Come in quickly."

Li Qingzhi was surrounded into the yard, and then he found that the female workers living in the shop and Li Laogen came out, looking at him with strange expressions.

Li Laogen was particularly happy: "Ah Qing, you are so awesome. You passed the civil service examination. When I go to have tea tomorrow, I must tell someone about it."

Others also looked at Li Qingzhi with admiration.

None of the people present had ever been to Fucheng. To them, it was a very far away and different place.

Li Qingzhi went to Fucheng to take the exam and actually got the first place!

This is amazing! I don't know how much more powerful than Yao Zhenfu!

Jin Xiaoye asked Li Qingzhi: "Aqing, have you eaten?"

Li Qing insisted: "Not yet."

Jin Xiaoye asked the female workers to go to bed and asked Li Laogen to light the fire for her. She wanted to make some food for Li Qingzhi.

Everyone dispersed, and Li Qing carried the box into the house. He saw Chang Cui sobbing and playing with blocks.

"Why is Cuicui crying?" Li Qingzhi knelt down

ask her.

Chang Cui whispered: "Uncle, I miss uncle..." Originally, she missed her family easily after dark, but now that she saw Li Damao and Li Ermao's father coming back, she couldn't stop crying.

Li Qingzhi wiped the tears from her face: "Cui Cui, don't cry. Your uncle will be back in a few days."

Chang Zhan will definitely come back when the matter in Linhu County is resolved.

As for how long it will take to resolve the matter in Linhu County... Magistrate Zhang is a smart man and will definitely resolve it quickly.

The person behind Magistrate Yan and the Lou family is King Jin. If Magistrate Zhang cannot make a quick decision, he will be in trouble when King Jin comes to his senses!

When Chang Cui heard Li Qingzhi's words, she finally stopped crying, but a child who had just cried would always sob for a long time before he could calm down.

Li Qingzhi patted her on the back and said, "I brought you a gift, come and see it."

There are four children in their family, and Li Qingzhi prepared gifts for each child.

Of course, there are the most people with big hair and two hairs from Li.

They were his biological sons, and if he treated them like others, that would be unfair to them.

The gifts Li Qingzhi bought were all toys. When Li Damao and Li Ermao saw it, they were overjoyed: "Dad, you are so good!"

"Dad, how do you play this!"

"father…"

…

Li Qingzhi played with them for a while, and then Jin Xiaoye came over and asked him to go eat.

The south is more humid, and now that the weather is hot, things break easily, so during dinner, Jin Xiaoye and the others will eat all the food.

The dinner for Li Qingzhi had to be made again. Jin Xiaoye added water and eggs to the flour, fried some egg pancakes, and also made egg soup.

Li Qingzhi happily finished the egg pancake and egg soup and went to take a shower.

His accommodation in Fucheng is actually very good, and he has servants to serve him, but he feels that living at home is more comfortable.

A golden nest and a silver nest are not as good as the doghouse at home.

After taking a shower, he went upstairs. It was already bedtime. Li Qingzhi held Jin Xiaoye in his arms and told stories to the three children. He felt as if the whole world was in his arms.

But Jin Xiaoye felt uncomfortable.

Even if they were being held, in order to prevent the three children from seeing anything, they were even covered with a quilt!

It's too hot!

Chapter 119 Hosting a Banquet

Li Qingzhi told the three children stories for a long time, and then began to sing children's songs in dialect: "Shake, shake, shake to Grandma Bridge, grandma treats me to rice cakes..."

Not long after he sang, the breathing of the three children had stabilized.

He and Jin Xiaoye hugged each other in the dark for a long time. After a while, Jin Xiaoye asked: "Are they asleep?"

Li Qing said: "They have fallen asleep. I will take them to the next room."

The two worked together to take the three children to Li Damao and Li Ermao's room.

Finally we can live in a world of two!

Of course, they would inevitably be asked by Li Damao and Li Ermao the next day: "Dad, why are there rats again?"

"Dad, why don't you get rid of the mice and change rooms?"

Li Qingzhi coughed lightly: "Dad just wants to sleep in your room for one night."

So this is ah! Li Damao suddenly realized: "Dad, you and mother can sleep in our room today! We will all sleep here!"

There are two beds in Li Da Mao Li Er Mao's house, which can sleep five of them.

"Okay." Li Qingzhi agreed.

It saves trouble to put the three children to sleep in Li Damao and Li Ermao's room, and then they go back to their own rooms to sleep!

Li Qingzhi answered the three children's questions, and when he took them downstairs, Jin Xiaoye was already making breakfast.

Originally, the female workers took turns making breakfast, but yesterday she gave each of them fifty cents, and today she asked them to take the money to go out and buy some things.

Anyway, she just cooks porridge and eggs in the morning. It's quick, so she just has to do it.

"Xiaoye, I'll light the fire." Li Qingzhi saw this and went over to help.

Jin Xiaoye did not object. While cooking, he chatted with Li Qingzhi: "Ah Qing, when will we go back to Miaoqian Village to hold a banquet?"

She really wanted to go back and hold a banquet. Li Qingzhi was admitted to the civil service examination. This is so happy!

Li Qingzhi saw Jin Xiaoye looking eager to try, and said with a smile: "Why don't we do it tomorrow."

He chatted with Jin Xiaoye for a long time last night and knew that Jin Xiaoye was not so busy now. It was perfectly fine to take a day to go back to the countryside to hold a banquet, and also let the female workers in Miaoqian Village go home.

"Okay, then I'll find someone to order something." Jin Xiaoye said.

A banquet requires a lot of meat, and you may not be able to buy it on the same day. You need to tell the butcher in advance and let the butcher prepare it.

Generally speaking, you buy a pig directly.

As for chickens and ducks, just buy them from people in Miaoqian Village.

Jin Xiaoye began to calculate how many things they would prepare and how many people they would invite.

Li Qingzhi was at the side giving an idea and said: "Xiaoye, didn't the recipe that Chang Zhan put on Chang Cui contain a braised food recipe? Let's make braised food then. It's convenient, delicious and saves trouble."

"This is someone else's recipe. Will it be bad if we use it?" Jin Xiaoye asked.

Li Qingzhi said: "We are not doing business, we are just making some for treat, what does it matter?" Li Qingzhi was very interested in the dishes in the Chang family recipe, and had already tried to cook a few. It's not a big deal, just a little troublesome.

Such a troublesome dish cannot be prepared by just anyone, nor can it be cooked in large pots.

After much thought, he thought he could give the braised flavor a try.

This braised food recipe is written at the front. It looks quite complicated. Once it is made, it may be more delicious than the braised food sold in their county.

For the people in Miaoqian Village, the braised food in their county is already the best dish, and buying some braised dried beans during the holidays is already very respectable.

If he held a banquet and invited everyone to eat braised meat...compared to the traditional banquet they had had countless times, the villagers would definitely prefer eating braised meat.

Braised food is not difficult to make, just simmer it in a big pot!

"That's right. Let's just treat him to a guest. It doesn't matter." Jin Xiaoye agreed.

While Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye were discussing how to host the banquet, Li Laogen was bragging in the teahouse.

"Did you know? My son came first in the exam!"

"My son got the top spot in the county examination, and he also got the top spot in the government examination!"

"My son is really smart and will definitely be admitted as a scholar in the future!"

"Not only does Magistrate Gou value my son, but the prefect also values my son."

…

Li Laogen has long been a famous figure in the teahouse, and he is also the most envied person by everyone.

He was originally an ordinary old man from the country, but because he had a good son, he not only moved to the city, but also became respected.

How could he be so lucky!

The old man in the teahouse was envious and bought some snacks for Li Laogen to eat. He also asked Li Laogen how he raised his children - people in the county didn't know that Li Qingzhi was adopted from Li Laogen.

How does Li Laogen know how to raise a child? He picked up the tea cup and took a sip. He tilted his head up and said with a few sparse chins: "I never care about this kid. He is like this."

The old man in the teahouse was even more envious.

The girls at Jinye Embroidery Shop are currently shopping with copper coins.

Fifty coins is really quite small, but these girls, even those from well-off families, have never had so much money.

They come to the embroidery workshop to make money and have not even been to the county town.

These girls have visited the alley near Jinye Embroidery Shop many times, but they have never bought anything because they have no money.

It's different today, they can buy what they want.

"I didn't dare to enter those shops before, but today I want to go in and have a look."

"I want to go buy something delicious!"

"I want a hairpin, not silver, just copper."

…

The girls walked forward as they spoke.

They were wearing exactly the same beautiful dresses. Although they looked average, people who saw them couldn't help but look at them more.

Some of them like to buy food, so they bought fried dough sticks and steamed buns; some of them like to dress up, so they bought rouge, hairpins, and silver earrings; and some of them bought things for their parents or younger siblings.

Of course, some people didn't buy anything, and Golden Cat didn't spend a penny.

When they returned to the embroidery workshop after shopping, they were ready to have breakfast, which was made by their shopkeeper and Li Qingzhi, who came first in the government examination!

The female workers felt that the taste of breakfast was different from usual ones.

While having breakfast, Jin Xiaoye said: "I will go back to Miaoqian Village to hold a banquet tomorrow, and I will give you a day off! You can go back this afternoon and come back the day after tomorrow. I will call a boat for you. If you have If you want to stay at home for a few more days, you can tell me."

These people have been away from home for almost two months. It's good to stay at home for two days. If they want to stay at home for a few more days, she doesn't mind.

However, no one planned to stay at home longer. Some people asked Jin Xiaoye: "Shopkeeper, are you going back tomorrow? Can I go back with you? I don't want to go home."

"Okay." Jin Xiaoye agreed: "We will go back tomorrow morning and come back tomorrow night. Do you want to go with us?"

When Jin Xiaoye asked... there were actually eight girls who wanted to go with her.

Either they have a bad relationship with their family, or their home is too dirty and too small to live in... In short, they don't want to go home to live there.

Golden Cat is one of them.

Now that she has a beautiful new dress and she's clean, she doesn't want to go back and live with the family sheep!

Jin Xiaoye said: "Okay, then you can come with us."

After arranging the itinerary, Jin Xiaoye asked Jin Xiaoshu to go back early today and help her invite guests from the village to have dinner at their home tomorrow.

She also asked Jin Xiaoshu to drive her to the butcher and order a pig. Of course, she also asked the tofu maker to order some dried tofu, vegetarian chicken, tofu clothes and so on.

As for Li Qingzhi, he has to send his three children to school and buy some ingredients for making braised meat tomorrow.

While Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye were busy, Magistrate Zhang was also busy.

Last night, after they took control of the quarry, Chang Duan and the guards at the quarry both suffered from diarrhea.

There are military doctors in the Xiang army. Magistrate Zhang asked the military doctor to prescribe some antidiarrheal medicine to Chang Duan. Chang Duan's condition finally got better.

As for the stewards and guards at the quarry... the Xiang army is not rich and medicinal materials are scarce, so why should they be used for livestock?

The Xiang soldiers ignored the guards and stewards and allowed them to drag them along. Early this morning, they used sticks to drive them to the lake to wash themselves.

Chang Duan, together with the workers, told Magistrate Zhang their tragic experiences.

He talked a lot, but didn't mention Li Qingzhi.

After taking medicine last night, Chang Duan took Chang Zhan to his residence.

The two brothers talked and cried all night.

Chang Duan told Chang Zhan all the things he had experienced in the past two years, and Chang Zhan told Chang Duan what happened to their family after Chang Duan was arrested.

His mother and wife had both died... Chang Duan's tears kept falling from his face and couldn't stop at all.

Then...he heard Li Qingzhi's name from Chang Zhan's mouth.

Li Qingzhi is not dead?

Chang Duan and Chang Zhan chatted and found out

The reason why Magistrate Dao Zhang started investigating Linhu County was entirely because Li Qingzhi, his daughter, now lives with Li Qingzhi.

"Thanks to Li Qingzhi..." Chang Duan sighed.

Without Li Qingzhi, Magistrate Zhang might not have discovered the true face of Yan Zhi County at all.

Even if it is discovered and Yan Zhixian is dealt with, Magistrate Zhang may not know the situation at the quarry and cannot save Chang Duan.

"Yes, thanks to him, I have already told him that I will repay him by doing things like cows and horses in the future." Chang Zhan said.

Although Li Qingzhi refused, Chang Zhan felt that he must repay Li Qingzhi well in this life.

Chang Duan said: "I will repay this favor. You can live a good life, marry a wife, and have a few children..."

Chang Duan had a very good relationship with his wife, his childhood sweetheart, and he was naturally very sad when he learned that his wife had lost her life to avenge him.

After experiencing so many things, he no longer wants to think about getting married and having children, and he is not even interested in reopening a restaurant.

He wanted Chang Zhan to inherit the Chang family's recipes and continue the blood of the Chang family. As for himself... he could just become a cook with Li Qingzhi and raise his daughter well.

"Brother, I told him that I will repay the favor." Chang Zhan said.

The two brothers couldn't argue, and finally decided to wait until they asked Li Qingzhi.

Chang Zhan also said that Li Qingzhi didn't want people to know that he had a hand in this case.

Chang Duan said: "If the people of King Jin know that Li Qingzhi escaped from the quarry and that Magistrate Zhang's investigation of Linhu County is related to him, Li Qingzhi will definitely be in trouble in the future... I In front of Magistrate Zhang, I will never mention his affairs."

If he didn't mention it, others would probably not mention Li Qingzhi. Li Qingzhi has been dead for more than a year, and some of these workers have been here for less than a year.

Moreover, when Li Qingzhi was still here, his relationship with these people was average, and few people knew Li Qingzhi's full name at that time.

Sure enough, Chang Duan didn't mention it, and no one else mentioned Li Qingzhi.

They didn't say much about the others.

Just their own experience has already made Magistrate Zhang extremely uncomfortable.

Magistrate Zhang never expected that in such a fertile place as Jiangnan, such a tragic thing would happen.

Under the leadership of Chang Duan and others, Magistrate Zhang also visited the places where the guards dumped the corpses.

These guards usually drank water and bathed in the lake, so they did not throw the body into the lake, but threw it into a nearby mountain col.

And Magistrate Zhang led the Xiang troops and found more than a thousand bones in this mountain depression.

The quarry appeared more than ten years ago, which means that hundreds of people die here every year.

At first, the commander of the Xiang Army felt that Magistrate Zhang had too much control, and felt that it was nothing for the King of Jin to hire some people to help him dig out stones, but after seeing the bones, he became silent.

"Today we will spend a day repairing and burying these bones. We will rush to Linhu County tomorrow. I want to interrogate Yan and the Lou family!" After finishing speaking, Magistrate Zhang wrote a memorial in person, and then Attach various evidences and send them to the capital...

He wants to sue King Jin!

After writing the memorial, Magistrate Zhang went back to his room to rest.

He didn't sleep well last night and was really tired.

Chongcheng County.

At noon that day, Li Qingzhi went to visit Magistrate Gou.

But because he still had a lot to do, after saying a few words, he left the county government and went to Zhu's house, and then to Li Xiucai's house...

Throughout the afternoon, Li Qingzhi has been visiting others.

As for Jin Xiaoye, she asked the female workers who were going back to finish their work early. Then at three or four o'clock that afternoon, Jin Xiaoshu took the female workers out of Chongcheng County and returned to Miaoqian Village.

With so many female workers on board, Jin Xiaoshu's boat was a bit crowded, but the female workers didn't care at all.

They helped people around them organize their clothes. The person who bought rouge also took out his own rouge and put a little on everyone's lips.

"You haven't been out in the sun for the past two months. You've turned a lot whiter, and I should have turned white too."

"I've gained some weight and I definitely look better than before."

"When I go back, my mother may not recognize me anymore!"

…

They were crowded together, but so happy!

Recently, Miaoqian Village had just experienced a busy farming period, and finally had some free time, so they gathered together to chat.

"The new pier is about to be built. When the new pier is built, my family will lose an income."

"Your family is pretty good, but the one in mine works slowly and wasn't chosen at all!"

"The most enviable one is Jin Dajiang. I heard that he works in the kitchen and earns two taels of silver a month."

"Who gave him a promising son-in-law? I can't envy him."

"Yes, Li Qingzhi is so good that he even ranked first in our county."

"I heard that he went to Fucheng to take the exam. I don't know where he will get in the exam this time."

"Yao Zhenfu couldn't even pass the county examination, how can he compare to Li Qingzhi?"

"Yao Zhenfu is indeed not as good as Li Qingzhi, but his wife is very powerful. Jin Moli is now selling rice in the county town and her sales are quite good."

"Yes, I see her and Jin Liushu going to the county town with a lot of food to sell every day."

…

Most of the people in the village live by the river. They were chatting when they saw Jin Xiaoshu passing by holding a boat.

Everyone was surprised: "Why did Jin Xiaoshu come back so early today?"

"There are many people on Jin Xiaoshu's boat...who are they?"

"They all seem to be young girls."

"Those girls look familiar... let's go take a look."

…

People in Miaoqian Village walked towards the river port one after another.

When they arrived, Jin Xiaoshu had already stopped the boat and asked the little girl on the boat to get off the boat quickly.

The little girls were chattering and ran to the shore one after another, and then they saw the villagers from Miaoqian Village who came to watch the fun.

The villagers looked at these little girls blankly. They thought they looked familiar when they saw them from a distance, but now... they recognized these people.

This is the girl from their Miaoqian Village who went to work in Jin Xiaoye's embroidery workshop!

In the past two months, they have often talked about these girls. Some people have visited the county and heard that they are doing well.

But now

Look... Not only are they living a good life, these little girls look like city dwellers!

It's only been two months, how come these people have changed so much?

Chapter 120 Jin Cuicui

It's only been two months. If you really want to say that these girls have changed a lot, they haven't.

But when they were in the village, they were exposed to the sun, so they were darker. After two months of covering up in the embroidery workshop, they became much whiter.

Then there's the dressing up.

Jin Xiaoye runs an embroidery workshop herself, so she naturally cannot make ugly clothes for these girls.

Although the material of the skirts worn by these girls is not very good, the colors are bright and the styles are even more novel.

When people in Miaoqian Village make clothes, they always think that they can be worn, and they choose the cheapest and most stain-resistant fabrics. The clothes they make are like linen bags. They can be as ugly as they want, but even so, there are still people who are all in one piece. No clothes without patches.

If she is a big beauty, she may look good in anything she wears, but these little girls are not beauties.

Now that they have become whiter and fatter, they return to the village wearing new clothes and rouge on their lips, which gives people a different feeling.

"Axiu, you look good all of a sudden."

"Hong'er, I almost don't recognize you anymore!"

"Xiaocao, show me quickly!"

…

The villagers talked non-stop around the girls. Some people noticed that not all the girls were back, so they asked Jin Xiaoshu where the others were.

Jin Xiaoshu said: "I can't fit so many people in one boat. The others will come back tomorrow." In fact, it was those little girls who didn't want to come back, but he didn't say that.

So that's it! Someone else asked: "Why did they come back suddenly?"

"My brother-in-law went to Fucheng to take the exam and came first again. My sister wanted to go back to the village to hold a banquet, so I asked them to come back too." Jin Xiaoshu looked proud.

Jin Xiaoshu knew about the fact that Li Qing got another case in the executive examination yesterday.

But it was already very late when he came back yesterday, and he hadn't met anyone on the way home... Jin Xiaoshu was not like Li Laogen who would go to other people's homes to show off, so he only told his parents.

But just because he doesn't go to other people's homes to show off, doesn't mean he doesn't want to show off.

My brother-in-law is so awesome, I must tell someone about it.

"Have the results of the government examination come out?"

"Li Qingzhi is number one again?"

"Oh my God, when I went to Fucheng to take the exam, he actually came first again!"

"Li Qingzhi is so awesome!"

"Is your sister going to host a banquet?"

…

The villagers gathered around Jin Xiaoshu and asked.

Jin Xiaoshu answered one by one with a proud look on his face.

The people in the village are also proud that someone in their village came first in the exam. How awesome! It's more honorable for them to go out and chat with people.

"It's said that Li Qingzhi is the descendant of Wenquxing, and it turns out it's true."

"Why is Li Laogen so lucky!"

"Xiao Shu, you actually got the news yesterday. Why didn't you tell us then?"

"It's true that your mother stayed in the village all day and didn't say anything."

…

After asking about Li Qingzhi, they then went to ask the girls working as female workers in the Jinye Embroidery Workshop and how they were doing in the embroidery workshop.

Someone did go to the county town to see them before, but the embroidery workshop was very busy, so they were embarrassed to stay longer, so they left after chatting with their daughter for a few words.

I didn't hear those people say that these girls have new clothes to wear!

Everyone likes to be noticed and loved, and these girls are no exception. They immediately talked about their experiences in the past two months.

"We have rice porridge and eggs every morning."

"You can eat meat at noon and evening, and the rice is also white rice."

"Shopkeeper Jin also asked someone to make beds for us."

…

The people in the village were extremely envious, and some couldn't help but ask: "When we get married, does Shopkeeper Jin want you to go?" She wants to go too!

Then no one will know! Ask Jin Xiaoye.

The news from Hebutou spread quickly, and not long after, everyone in the village knew that Li Qingzhi had been admitted to the civil service examination and that Jin Xiaoye was going back to the village to hold a banquet.

There was no one in the Li family, so everyone gathered at Jin Xiaoshu's house to talk.

Jin Mu was at a loss and had to boil water silently. Fortunately, Jin Xiaoshu was an eloquent person. He smiled and chatted with the villagers. After finding that all the people he wanted to invite had come, he also told them that they would have a banquet at Li's house tomorrow. matter.

Jin Xiaoshu also said: "My sister didn't invite many people, mainly because there were too many people to accommodate. But when the time comes, as long as they are from our village, they can bring a bowl of food back. It will be considered a blessing."

The villagers were very happy when they heard this.

Of course some people are unhappy.

Yao Zhenfu was very unhappy. Even if Li Qingzhi took the case head from the county examination, he actually got the case head from the government examination too!

Why?

But while he was angry, he also felt relieved.

Li Qingzhi is so powerful, it's normal that he can't compare to Li Qingzhi, and it's not that embarrassing, right?

Yao Zhenfu had been hiding at home for a long time, and he couldn't hide anymore.

But he won't go to the Li family's banquet tomorrow!

Yao Zhenfu was actually very lucky. When Yan County Magistrate investigated the case, he found that although he also came out to question, he had nothing to do with Hong Hui, and he did not take Hong Hui's money like Fang Zijian... He was taken away for interrogation Tried, but not convicted.

But even so, Yao Zhenfu still felt very depressed, and now he kept talking: "He just loves to show off, and he even has to hold a banquet..."

Mr. Yao couldn't help but said: "I told you before that I would hold a banquet when you pass the county examination, and I didn't see any objection from you!"

Yao Zhenfu stopped talking.

Mr. Yao said again: "You didn't go to the fields when the farming was busy a few days ago. You must go to the fields next time when the farming is busy..."

Yao Zhenfu agreed, but no one knew whether he would comply.

When Jin Moli returned home and heard the conversation between Yao Shaogong and Yao Zhenfu, her face became a little ugly.

After the county examination, Mr. Yao said that he wanted Yao Zhenfu to go to work, but Yao Zhenfu pretended to have a headache and he couldn't bear it.

During the busy farming season, both Mr. Yao and his wife went to the fields, but Yao Zhenfu stayed at home and did nothing.

She needed to do a lot of preparation work to sell food in the county town. Originally, Mr. Yao and his mother would help her, but during the busy farming season, both of them went to the fields. Yao Zhenfu was not even willing to light a fire, so she had to do it all by herself. She was so busy. Dizzy.

Why did she choose such a man?

No wonder Jin Xiaoye disliked him in his previous life and even fought with him in the beginning.

Jin Moli thought about breaking up with Yao Zhenfu. She was selling food outside, and some men expressed their affection for her.

But those men who expressed affection for her had no house or land. How could she be with those men?

After complaining about Yao Zhenfu for a while, Jin Moli felt even more uncomfortable when she looked at her hands that had become much thicker and tanned.

Selling food in the county town was much harder than she imagined.

She would get up before dawn every day to cook, and then take her to the county town to sell. After selling for a day, she would return home and prepare the ingredients for tomorrow.

This was done day by day without stopping for a moment. In the end, I did make money, but not much.

And they can make money because the grains and vegetables they sell are brought from home. If they spend money to buy them... she and Jin Liushu will only earn fifty or sixty cents if they work hard for a day.

Jin Moli had never worked much before, and she was really exhausted during this period. If she hadn't thought about Jin Xiaoye selling rice for several years in her previous life, she would definitely not have been able to persevere.

I don't know where the braised food recipe that made Jin Xiaoye make a lot of money came from.

She used to think that Jin Xiaoye had figured it out by himself, so she thought about it during this period and even asked her father for advice...

She has made braised meat several times, and everyone in her family said it tastes good.

But only unsophisticated country folk would find it delicious! Not to mention that the braised meat she makes is not as good as what Jin Xiaoye sold in her previous life, it can't even compare to the braised meat sold in the county now!

How could Jin Xiaoye have the ability to figure out such a good recipe? She never told anyone the origin of the braised food recipe. She must have tricked and stolen the recipe, right?

Jin Moli gritted her teeth secretly. When she heard the girls who went to work at Jinye Embroidery Workshop saying that Li Qingzhi was good at cooking and taking care of children in the shop, her heart felt as if it had been soaked in vinegar. It was so sour.

In her previous life, she couldn't do housework well, and Li Qingzhi did a lot of the work. She didn't know what she was thinking at that time, but she just looked down on Li Qingzhi and said he had no future.

Of course, what annoyed her the most was that Li Qing failed the case examination again.

Li Qingzhi will definitely be admitted as a scholar, and maybe he will be admitted as a civil servant in the future. If that happens, Jin Xiaoye will become an official's wife!

Jin Moli disliked Yao Zhenfu more and more.

Yao Zhenfu was also angry - this woman would look down on him now that she had money!

When Jin Moli and Yao Zhenfu were tired of each other, Li Qingzhi finally returned home after visiting the people he wanted to visit, buying the materials needed to make braised food.

He planned to try the braised food recipe on the Changjia recipe.

If you don't try it in advance, you'll be in trouble if the braised food you make tomorrow doesn't taste good!

Li Qingzhi picked up a big pot and started making braised meat according to the recipe.

All the ingredients are put into the pot, brought to a boil over high heat and then slowly simmered over low heat... Of course, a large piece of meat must be put in it.

As it cooks, a rich aroma comes out...

Li Damao and Li Ermao are going crazy: "Dad, dad, what are you making? It smells so good!"

Zhao Xiaodou couldn't help but swallow his saliva and looked at Li Qingzhi eagerly.

Even Chang Cui's little nose was twitching and she stood by the pot and refused to leave.

After the accident in the Chang family, Chang Zhan would cook something delicious at home, but this might attract the attention of the neighbors. He would not cook dishes that tasted too overbearing. Chang Cui has never tasted this braised pork!

"Dad is making braised pork for you to eat later." Li Qing insisted.

Not to mention the three children being greedy, he was also greedy.

If it weren't for the fact that the braised pork hadn't tasted good yet, he would have taken some out and started eating.

Chang's braised pork recipe is really good.

"This meat is so fragrant. I have never smelled such a fragrant smell in my life." Li Laogen moved a stool and sat next to Li Qingzhi, and simply refused to leave.

Forget it, after a while, neighbors came knocking on the door and asked what they had cooked and why it was so delicious.

Chongcheng County is not big, and every household is close to each other. If someone cooks good food, everyone around them can smell it.

Jin Xiaoye has a good relationship with her neighbors, and now people are asking about her... Li Qingzhi cut some meat and put some brine on it and gave it to them.

Li Laogen was reluctant to give up: "It's just a little bit of meat in total, and you still give it away..."

"This is not the only time our family eats." Li Qing insisted.

"Can I eat it every day in the future?" Li Laogen asked.

Li Qingzhi was helpless: "Aren't you afraid of getting tired of eating it every day?"

Li Laogen said: "I'm not afraid, I can eat this kind of meat for the rest of my life."

"Then let's eat more times in the future." Li Qing insisted.

After Li Laogen heard what Li Qingzhi said, he finally stopped complaining and just urged Li Qingzhi to cut the meat for him.

Li Qingzhi saw that the meat was almost marinated, so he took the meat out of the pot and cut it into pieces.

He first gave some to the female workers who had not returned to Miaoqian Village, and then brought the rest to the table for their family to eat together.

This meat is really delicious. I will serve this braised meat to a banquet tomorrow. The villagers will definitely like it!

Early the next morning, Jin Xiaoshu arrived at the county seat.

Jin Xiaoye asked him to buy things like dried pork and tofu, while he, Li Qingzhi, and the remaining female workers called two boats and returned to Miaoqian Village early.

The people in Miaoqian Village knew that Li Qingzhi and the others would be back today.

It has not been a busy farming period recently, and there has been little work in the fields, so early in the morning, there were many people waiting at the river port.

Seeing Li Qingzhi from a distance, the villagers began to wave: "The head of the case is back!"

"Li Qingzhi, what does Fucheng look like?"

"Li Qingzhi, are you going to take the scholar examination next?"

…

Li Qingzhi had not seen this group of people for a long time. He greeted them with a smile and said, "Everyone, go to my house. If you have anything you want to ask, just ask me."

These people cheered and followed Li Qingzhi away.

Jin Xiaoye returned to the village this time and brought back the two large pots from the shop. Li Qingzhi chatted with the villagers while setting up the stove.

Of course, he didn't actually do much work.

Li Qingzhi is a scholar, how can he do dirty work? The people in the village rushed to do the work.

After digging some mud and adding bricks... two stoves were quickly built.

When Li Qingzhi said he wanted to boil some water, they quickly brought back water from the well and started to help light the fire.

Li Qingzhi bought a lot of miscellaneous condiments yesterday, and went to the drugstore to buy some medicinal materials. In addition to buying all the ingredients needed to make braised food, he also bought some other condiments.

He also did this to prevent the Chang family's braised food recipe from being leaked to him.

Today, he not only brought back in a bucket the leftover brine from making braised food at home yesterday, but also brought back a package of brine wrapped in gauze.

After the water was boiling, Li Qingzhi threw the brine bag inside and put in yesterday's brine.

"What is this? It smells so good." The villagers asked curiously.

"It's brine. Aren't we going to have a banquet today? I plan to make some braised food." Li Qingzhi said with a smile.

While Li Qingzhi was chatting with people and making braised meat, Li Damao, Li Ermao, Zhao Xiaodou and Chang Cui were already playing with the children in the village.

At this moment, they were playing with Yao Xiaobao.

Yao Xiaobao used to be under the control of Jin Moli and rarely went out to play with the children in the village, so he was a bit unsociable.

But Jin Moli was very busy during this time and had no time to take care of him. Mother Yao and Mr. Yao had to work in the fields and do housework to help Jin Moli, so they had no time to take care of him, so he was free.

Well, he doesn't have much freedom either. His sister, who is two years younger than him, now wants him to take care of her.

Yao Xiaobao turned two shades darker and looked no different from Li Damao and Li Ermao before, but his temperament was much more cheerful.

Li Damao and Li Ermao each held Chang Cui's hand and brought her to Yao Xiaobao: "Xiaobao, look, we also have a sister!"

"Yes, we have a sister too, and our sister is prettier than your sister!"

Yao Xiaobao wanted to say that his sister was prettier, but when he looked at the fair Chang Cui and then at his dark sister, he couldn't say this.

But even if his sister is not good-looking, it does not affect him from playing with Li Damao and Li Ermao.

Jin Moli got up early in the morning to make preparations. Now that she could finally take a rest, she walked out of the house with a heavy waist.

Then she saw her son playing with Li Damao and Li Ermao.

In the past, Li Damao and Li's hair were very dark, while her son's hair was fair and clean, and he didn't even look like a country boy. But now it's reversed. Her son's hair is much darker than Li Damao's.

Just when she was unhappy, Jin Moli saw her son picking a flower and handing it to a little girl wearing a beautiful little skirt: "Cui Cui, here is a flower for you."

Cuicui? Jin Moli looked at the girl and saw a little shadow of Jin Cuicui on the girl's face.

In her last life, Jin Xiaoye picked up a little girl from nowhere and raised her with her son and daughter.

When this girl grew up, she even asked her son to marry this girl...

The couple were childhood sweethearts and their relationship was indeed good, but at the time many people thought Jin Xiaoye was stupid.

Her family is so rich, but her son is still a scholar... Jin Xiaoye's son can obviously marry a girl from a rich family, so why marry an orphan?

Jin Moli couldn't understand it at that time.

What she couldn't understand even more was that after she was reborn, Jin Cuicui appeared again.