novelRona Chapter 1477 Master, you're a good person!
Chapter 1477 Master, you're a good person!
Zhu Qiwu smiled and said, "Mr. Bowen, you flatter me. I simply thought one step ahead of others."
"Think one step further?" Liu Bowen stood up, walked to the door, and said to Zhu Qiwu with his back to him, "Young Master Qiwu, in my life, I, Liu Bowen, have never misjudged people. Your future achievements will be no less than your fourth brother's."
Zhu Qiwu's smile froze for a moment.
He didn't reply.
Because he didn't know how to respond.
Liu Bowen didn't say anything more, and went out.
Zhu Qiwu stood alone in the main hall of the examination hall, watching the sky outside the window gradually darken. Dusk came quickly in Yingtian Prefecture; as soon as the sun set, the sky turned pitch black, as if someone had splashed ink on it.
He touched the sleeping pills in his pocket, and then the short knife he had taken from Chen Liang.
Tonight is destined to be anything but peaceful.
At the entrance of the examination hall, Fang Zijing was very efficient. In less than an hour, news that the special examination questions were about to be leaked spread among the scholars. By evening, sure enough, three or four hundred people had gathered at the entrance of the examination hall, some carrying torches and others carrying lanterns, illuminating the entire street.
Tang He led his men to patrol the perimeter of the crowd, their eyes wide open, afraid of missing a single suspicious person.
Zhu Qiwu sat on the second floor of the examination hall, looking down at the crowd through the window. His talent identification technique was always on, and he could see the words above the heads of everyone within a ten-zhang radius.
Most of them are—loyal: top-notch. Literary talent: average.
They were all ordinary scholars.
But at the edge of the crowd, he saw a different word.
A man dressed in gray stood at the entrance of the alley, with the words written above his head: Martial Arts: Superior. Killing Intent: Superior.
coming.
Zhu Qiwu gripped the window frame tightly.
He didn't move, but gently knocked on the window frame three times. This was the signal he had agreed upon with Tang He.
The gray-clad man at the alley entrance seemed to sense something, and his hand slowly reached towards his waist.
Just then, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "The exam questions have been leaked! The exam questions have been leaked! Everyone, look!"
All eyes turned to the person who had spoken. The man in gray paused for a moment.
That's enough.
Tang He burst out from the shadows, grabbed the gray-clad man's wrist, and roared, "Attack!"
Eight bodyguards who had been lying in ambush on both sides rushed out at the same time and surrounded the man in gray.
The man in gray reacted swiftly, delivering a backhand punch to Tang He's chin. Tang He staggered back two steps, but still grinned, "Good lad, you've got some skills!"
The two wrestled, and the gray-clad man's martial arts skills were indeed superior; Tang He couldn't subdue him for a while.
Zhu Qiwu jumped down from the second floor, a sleeping powder grenade in his hand. He waited for the right moment and threw the grenade at the feet of the man in gray.
With a hiss, a plume of white smoke rose up, and the gray-clad man's movements immediately slowed down, his eyes beginning to glaze over.
Taking advantage of the situation, Tang He grabbed him around the waist and threw him to the ground. Eight guards rushed forward and pinned him down.
"Don't move! If you move again, I'll twist your head off!" Tang He straddled the gray-clad man, his fist raised high.
Zhu Qiwu walked over, squatted down, and looked at the gray-clad man's face. Talent Identification Technique automatically activated—Name: Zhou Heita. Identity: Former subordinate of Chen Youliang. Martial Arts: Superior. Loyalty: Medium.
As expected, Zhou Heita.
"Are you Zhou Heita?" Zhu Qiwu asked.
Although Zhou Heita was weak from the smoky smoke, a fierce glint still shone in his eyes: "Zhu Qiwu, don't be so smug. Even if I die, someone else will come to kill you. The revenge for Prince Chen will be taken!"
"Chen Youliang has been dead for three years, what revenge are you still seeking?" Zhu Qiwu stood up, dusting off his hands. "Zhou Heita, I'll give you a chance. If you're willing to surrender, I won't kill you, I'll even give you a way out. If you're not willing..."
Tang He clenched his fists so tightly they cracked.
Zhou Heita's expression shifted several times, and finally, gritting his teeth, he said, "I...I surrender."
Zhu Qiwu nodded and said to Tang He, "Take him away and keep a close watch on him. Don't let him escape, and don't let anyone kill him."
Tang He was somewhat reluctant: "Just let him go like that?"
"Release him? I mean keep a close eye on him," Zhu Qiwu said. "Zhou Heita is still useful. His dozen or so men are still hiding in the south of the city. With him in control, they won't dare to make a move."
Tang He then realized what was going on, and chuckled, "Alright, you're even more cunning than me."
“That’s called wisdom,” Zhu Qiwu said, rolling his eyes at him.
The scholars at the entrance of the examination hall were all in an uproar when they saw this scene.
"We've caught them! We've caught the assassin!"
"Young Master Qiwu is truly remarkable!"
"I knew it! How could His Highness the King of Wu's younger brother be so easy to bully!"
Fang Zijing squeezed to the front and looked at Zhou Heita being dragged away, his expression a mixture of admiration and lingering fear.
Zhu Qiwu stepped to the front of the crowd and said loudly, "Everyone, you all saw what happened tonight. Some people don't want Enke to succeed, they don't want you to have a chance to rise in the world. But I, Zhu Qiwu, am making this clear: Enke will definitely succeed, and he will succeed well. Anyone who dares to cause trouble again will face the consequences!"
Zhu Qiwu turned around and walked into the examination hall. After taking a few steps, he suddenly felt a chill down his back.
He turned around abruptly, but there was nothing in the crowd. Only the flickering torchlight illuminated the excited faces.
But he always felt that there was a pair of eyes watching him from the shadows.
Those eyes held a murderous intent.
Zhu Qiwu's hand unconsciously reached for the sleeping pills in his pocket.
Two remain.
enough.
As night deepened, the drums of Yingtian Prefecture beat incessantly. Zhu Qiwu returned to the second floor of the examination hall, sat at the table, and looked at the unfinished imperial examination proclamation.
There's still a lot to do tomorrow.
Zhang Shicheng's men are still in the city, Chen Youliang's old subordinates haven't been completely wiped out, the special imperial examination questions haven't been finished, and the examination venue hasn't been set up.
But he wasn't afraid.
At least he won a game tonight.
Outside the window, the faint sound of the Qinhuai River drifted in, like the ancient city speaking in hushed tones. Zhu Qiwu blew out the candle and closed his eyes.
Tomorrow will be another new day.
And this special imperial examination had only just begun. After three days of work on the examination, Zhu Qiwu had lost weight, and dark circles were visible under his eyes.
Early that morning, he was catching up on sleep at the examination hall table when the door was kicked open.
Zhu Yuanzhang stood at the door, dressed in coarse cloth, with a blue cloth wrapped around his head and straw sandals on his feet, looking exactly like an old country man. Behind him were two people, Xu Da and Zhou Dexing, who had also changed into ordinary people's clothes.
Zhu Qiwu groggily raised his head and, upon seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's attire, immediately sobered up.
"Fourth Brother, what's wrong with you...?"
"Change your clothes and come out with me." Zhu Yuanzhang's tone left no room for discussion.
"Where to?"
"On the street."
Zhu Qiwu rubbed his eyes: "Traveling incognito?"
Zhu Yuanzhang did not answer, which was taken as tacit agreement. He walked to the table, picked up the imperial examination proclamation that Zhu Qiwu had written halfway, looked at it, then put it down and said something that made Zhu Qiwu stunned.
"You handled Enke's matter well, but what you wrote while sitting in the examination hall is completely different from the lives of ordinary people."
Zhu Qiwu opened his mouth as if to say something, but Zhu Yuanzhang had already turned and walked away.
Xu Da walked over, patted Zhu Qiwu on the shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Qiwu, Fourth Brother hasn't been feeling well these past few days. Last night, he sat alone in the courtyard for half an hour, ignoring everyone who called him. This morning, he got up before dawn and insisted on going for a walk. Go with him, don't let him wander off alone."
Zhou Dexing leaned closer and whispered, "Seven Five, you know Fourth Brother's temper. Once he's made up his mind, nothing can change it. Just stay with him; with you there, at least he'll listen to a little of what you say."
Zhu Qiwu sighed, grabbed the short knife on the table and stuffed it into his pocket. He then took out a little gadget he had obtained from yesterday's sign-in from the system panel—the Wind-Listening Ear, which could hear anyone's conversation within a radius of twenty feet for half an hour.
He chased after him out the door, but Zhu Yuanzhang had already walked out of the examination hall.
The morning in Yingtian Prefecture was as lively as ever. A long line of breakfast stalls stretched along the streets, the steaming aroma of steamed buns and mantou mingling with the fragrance of soy milk filling the air. Peddlers carrying their wares walked through the streets and alleys, calling out their wares, while several children played shuttlecock at the alley entrances, their laughter carrying far and wide.
Zhu Yuanzhang walked at the front, his pace neither fast nor slow, but his eyes were always on the move. He looked at the scales of the roadside vendors, the clothes of the pedestrians, the beggars squatting in the corners of the walls, and the farmers queuing at the city gate to enter the city.
Zhu Qiwu followed behind, his ears always on, letting every sound within a twenty-foot radius penetrate his ears.
After walking about half a street, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly stopped and stood in front of a pancake stall.
The stall owner was an old man in his fifties, his face etched with deep wrinkles, and his hands covered in burn scars. Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang standing in front of his stall, he quickly called out, "Brother, how about a sesame seed cake? Two coins each. The flour is freshly ground today, it smells delicious."
Zhu Yuanzhang picked up a sesame seed cake, broke it open to look at it, and then put it down.
"How much is one?"
Two coins.
What about last month?
The old man paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile: "Last month it was one and a half coins. This month, flour prices have gone up, there's nothing I can do."
Zhu Yuanzhang didn't say anything, took out four coins and put them on the stall, took two sesame cakes, and handed one to Zhu Qiwu.
Zhu Qiwu took it and took a bite; it was indeed delicious.
The three continued walking. Zhu Yuanzhang, while eating a sesame seed cake, said, "Flour prices have risen by 30%, so sesame seed cake prices have also risen by 30%. But the wages of ordinary people haven't increased, and neither has the price of grain. Who's profiting from this difference?"
Xu Da whispered from behind, "Fourth Brother, it should be a middleman grain merchant."
"Grain merchants?" Zhu Yuanzhang scoffed. "Grain merchants dare to raise prices because they have someone backing them up. Go and investigate who in Yingtian Prefecture is hoarding grain recently."
Zhou Dexing nodded without saying anything.
Zhu Qiwu widened the range of his keen hearing and suddenly heard someone talking in the alley to his right.
"...How many times have I told you? This month's taxes can't be delayed any longer! If you delay any longer, the county magistrate will send people to arrest you!"
"Officer Wang, it's not that I don't want to pay, it's that I really can't afford it! You've seen this year's harvest; we haven't even harvested the seeds. How am I supposed to pay the taxes?"
"Can't afford to pay? Then sell the land! Sell the land, and you'll have the tax revenue!"
"What will my family eat if I sell the land? Officer Wang, please have mercy and give us another two months..."
"Grace period? I'll give you a grace period, but who will give me one? You know how badly the magistrate is. If I miss the deadline, I'll lose my head!"
Zhu Yuanzhang stopped in his tracks.
He stood at the alley entrance, his face ashen.
Zhu Qiwu walked to his side and glanced into the alley. A middle-aged man in a police uniform was grabbing an old farmer by the collar. The old farmer was as thin as a stick, his face was covered in mud, and his shoes had a big hole in them, with his toes sticking out.
Zhu Yuanzhang turned and walked into the alley.
Xu Da and Zhou Dexing exchanged a glance and quickly followed.
"stop."
Zhu Yuanzhang's voice wasn't loud, but the bailiff unconsciously loosened his grip after hearing it.
The bailiff turned around, looked Zhu Yuanzhang up and down, and immediately showed a disdainful expression when he saw that he was wearing coarse clothes.
"Who are you? What business is it of yours?"
Zhu Yuanzhang ignored him and instead looked at the old farmer: "Brother, which village are you from?"
The old farmer wiped away his tears and said tremblingly, "Replying to...replying to your question, sir, I am from Liujia Village in the south of the city. My surname is Liu, and my name is Liu Dagen."
"Liujia Village," Zhu Yuanzhang read aloud, then asked, "Has your village paid its taxes this year?"
Liu Dagen's tears welled up again: "I...I didn't pay. It's not that I didn't want to pay, it's that I really couldn't afford it. This year there was a severe drought, and most of the crops in the fields died. The little grain left wasn't even enough to feed my own family. But the county clerk, Wang, said that not a single penny of tax could be shortchanged, or people would be arrested and imprisoned..."
The constable grew impatient: "Alright, alright, you old fool, what's the point of talking to a country bumpkin like this? Get out of the way, get out of the way!"
Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head and looked at the constable.
Zhu Qiwu had seen that look before. It was the look in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes before he killed someone.
"May I have your name?"
The constable took a step back, intimidated by the look in his eyes, but still retorted defiantly, "My name is Wang Desheng, and I'm a constable from Shangyuan County, Yingtian Prefecture. If you have any complaints, go to the county office and report me!"
"Wang Desheng." Zhu Yuanzhang memorized the name, then said to Zhou Dexing, "Write it down."
Zhou Dexing took out a small notebook from his pocket and wrote a few words.
Zhu Yuanzhang then looked at Liu Dagen: "Brother, don't worry, I'll have someone investigate this tax matter. If it's really as you say, this year's taxes will be waived for you."
Upon hearing this, Liu Dagen knelt down with a thud: "Master! Master, you are a good man! I kowtow to you!"
Zhu Yuanzhang helped him up: "Don't kneel. We common people don't do that."
Zhu Qiwu watched from the side, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He listened carefully to the surrounding sounds and discovered that a crowd had already gathered at the alley entrance, all whispering among themselves. (End of Chapter)