The woodcutter stopped at the door of the restaurant, carrying firewood on his back.
He knocked gently on the door.
Soon, the waiter opened the door and looked at him coldly.
"Want firewood?"
"Didn't you get caught in the rain? Move in."
The woodcutter walked into the restaurant, the boy closed the door, and the man dropped the firewood and walked quickly into the inner room.
The boy was watching and alert in the courtyard.
The shopkeeper met the man and closed the door again.
"Say it."
The woodcutter frowned, "You're right, this guy is definitely not that ordinary!"
"Our people were arrested as soon as they arrived in Zhangjiacun."
"What??"
"It is difficult for the local officials in Zhangjia Village to beg for housing."
"he?"
The store owner's face became more solemn.
"You keep talking."
"Fortunately, our man was in the name of collecting medicine, so he didn't feel embarrassed at all. He just asked for some money."
"But there are too few people in this village. It would be too risky to go and inquire."
"We found a person who once lived in Zhangjia Village. He is now fishing by the river and has moved away from the village."
The woodcutter paused and said with some joy: "We really dug something!!"
"Oh?! You said that!"
"Liu Da and Liu Taozi are not from Zhangjiacun!!"
Upon hearing the woodcutter's words, the smile on the shopkeeper's face froze, and he nodded indifferently.
"It turns out that Liu Taozi is not from Zhangjia Village. Well, we have indeed dug up important information!!"
"Don't worry, store owner. I mean, they have nothing to do with Zhangjiacun at all. Liu Da's wife's surname is Zhang, but she is not from Zhangjiacun at all. Eight years ago, they suddenly appeared here."
"As for where they came from, even the people in the village don't know."
"Liu Da is a man who is mysterious and unpredictable. People in the village are afraid of him. He often disappears for long periods of time on the pretext of hunting. He can disappear for several months at most. And every time he comes back, he brings a lot of prey."
"He has a violent temper. If he gets angry, he will beat his wife and his son, and no one will dare to restrain him."
"He didn't talk to or interact with anyone. He built a house in the peach forest outside the village. His only hobby was raising birds."
"The person I asked you to spy on is Liu Taozi, not Liu Da!"
The store owner was a little angry, but he suddenly came to his senses, "Raising birds?"
The woodcutter was a little excited, and he looked at the store with sharp eyes.
"They seem to be traveling together."
The shopkeeper pursed his lips and asked again: "What about Liu Taozi?"
"There are many rumors about him. According to the fisherman, Liu Taozi seems to be suffering from dementia. When he first came to the village, he was confused and talked nonsense at times. It was not like human speech, but like barbaric speech."
"The villagers were so frightened that they even reported to the officials to drive out evil spirits."
"Therefore, whenever he fell ill, Liu Da would hang him up and beat him. He would often be locked in the house and not allowed to go out. After five years of treatment, he was cured of his dementia and could no longer speak."
"Dementia???"
The store owner was a little surprised, "I thought only the king of Qi people had such a nasty disease."
"His mother once told people that he fell from a horse when he was young."
The shopkeeper closed his eyes and began to think deeply.
"Store, do you want to continue investigating?"
"Yes, we must find out clearly."
The shopkeeper opened his eyes, with an inexplicable light flashing in his eyes, "Do you know the name of the governor in charge of the Han warrior camp in Yecheng?"
"I don't know."
"His name is Liu Taozhi, he is probably He Liuhun's subordinate in the past."
"We have investigated this person, but we can't find anything. We can't find out his place of origin, year of birth, family, and residence. We only know that he was born as a Cangtou slave. This person always appears and disappears inexplicably."
"Few living people have even seen him, and we know nothing about him."
The woodcutter stood up excitedly, "What do you mean?"
"Liu Taozi is that Liu Taozhi?!"
The smile on the shopkeeper's face solidified again.
He pondered for a moment, "Wouldn't that fisherman leak this matter?"
"You don't have to worry about this, he can't leak it."
"That's good, you can go back."
The woodcutter lowered his head and left the restaurant. When the man left, the storekeeper called the boy over and ordered: "Send the order and ask the woodcutter to return home as soon as possible and ask them to send someone else to replace him."
In the Law School, everyone gathered in the front yard, sitting in front of the case, holding books, and chatting.
Everyone looked serious and taught each other, and they really had the demeanor of county school students.
Of course, Lu Qubing was familiar with those students, and they would never act like this.
Lu Qubing stood not far away, looking at the people who were studying hard, with a hint of loneliness in his eyes.
"It's a pity that I can only read the laws, not the classics."
"It's not a pity. There are many people reading classics nowadays, but they don't see any effect."
Hearing Taozi's words, Lu Qubing quickly shook his head.
"But you can't say that. If you don't study the classics, you don't understand anything. You don't know about the Wei and Jin Dynasties, let alone the Han Dynasty."
"The classics are not just articles by saints. Part A records the classics and six arts, Part B records the books of Confucian scholars, military books, numerology, and folk skills, Part C records historical books, and Part D contains poems and poems."
"This was divided by Xun Xu, a famous scholar at that time."
"And these are things they can't learn. Isn't it a pity?"
While Lu Qubing was talking, a figure suddenly appeared outside the door. It was an old official delivering food. He didn't dare to come in. He just stood outside the door and looked inside anxiously.
Lu Qubing glanced at him, "Brother Taozi, I'll go there first."
Lu Qubing passed through many students and walked quickly to that person.
"Lord Lu!"
"I heard a new sacrificial wine has arrived!"
"We are gathering everyone, you'd better get ready quickly"
Liu Taozi watched Lu Qubing leave in a hurry, walked a few steps, and sat next to Kou Liu.
"Brother."
"You haven't been to that restaurant again, have you?"
"No, brother, who are they?"
"No need to ask any more questions."
"From now on, you can study here with peace of mind and find a way out. It is best to become a local official, take your relatives with you, and stay away from here."
"only!!"
Officials from the county school gathered at the door.
There were not many people, less than twenty including casual officials.
They all put on their most cherished clothes, washed themselves cleanly, and made themselves fragrant. They cleared their throats and prepared themselves for the reception.
When I saw Lu Qubing coming, someone smiled and bowed to see him.
For some reason, this good old man who used to be easy to bully and even casual officials could say a few words to him has gradually become a little solemn now.
This made everyone no longer dare to despise him, not to mention flattery, but also no longer dare to bully him.
"Cheng'an has had many major events. I heard that the new county magistrate was personally recommended by Duke Yang."
"No, I heard that he is not a county magistrate, but an official who handles local affairs on his behalf. He is a very noble man!"
"When I came to Cheng'an yesterday, I didn't even meet the great figures, but I came to the county to study first. What a great virtuous man!"
"That's right! Can he be the one recommended by Mr. Yang? He must be a virtuous person!"
From their conversation, Lu Qubing learned that they were not welcoming new sacrificial wine, but welcoming newly appointed local officials.
Everyone was looking forward to this with great anticipation, and their eyes shone with a different kind of light as they chatted about the news about this noble man.
If it had been half a month ago, perhaps Lu Lingshi would have joined them, looking forward to the great master sent by the temple.
But now, Lu Qubing feels nothing.
He stood silently not far away, his face calm and unmoved.
In these days, he has met so-called celebrities and noble people.
In fact, he no longer had any expectations for the rumored virtuous Duke Yang.
He learned one important thing - rumors are just rumors.
Suddenly, the shouts of minor officials came from outside, and soldiers filed in.
Everyone looked at the scene and stood upright, ready to receive it.
Lu Qubing stood not far away indifferently, looking into the distance. Finally, he saw the newly appointed nobleman.
Lu Qubing was stunned for a moment, with some surprise in his eyes.
Not only him, but many other officials were also stunned at this moment, their minds going blank.
A handsome man walked into the courtyard surrounded by everyone.
What a beautiful face this is!
What words can be used to describe it?
Lu Qubing was the first to wake up, thinking silently in his heart: If the fat pig was still there, he would probably pounce on it, right?
The handsome man smiled and turned a blind eye to everyone's rudeness.
The subordinate officials around him couldn't help it anymore and scolded him: "How presumptuous! Why don't you pay me a visit?!"
At this moment, everyone was in a panic to pay their respects.
"I am Gao Su, the Duke of Lecheng County, and I will handle local affairs on my behalf."
"The county school in Cheng'an is really quite big, no wonder it can nurture so many talented people."
When everyone heard what he called himself, they were shocked. A few people immediately knelt down and worshiped, and the others were trembling with fear.
Oh my god!! He is actually the grandson of Emperor Shenwu! The son of Emperor Wenxiang!!
We were so rude just now!
Gao Changgong looked at the panic-stricken people in front of him and joked: "I saw that all the scholars in the county were not panicked, so why are you like this? Are you afraid that I will ask for advice?"
Everyone was reassured and didn't even dare to say anything.
Gao Changgong then asked them to take him to visit the county school.
As we walked on the road, everyone's evaluation of this noble man became higher and higher!
They have never seen such a kind and gentle nobleman. Even just standing next to him and talking to him for a few words is so intoxicating.
Even Lu Lingshi, who was on guard, was a little shaken at this moment.
Are there really good people out there?
ps: Aha, King Lanling makes a domineering appearance. I remember that my idea for the first version was to have King Lanling as the protagonist. Please give me a monthly recommendation~~~
Chapter completed!