Though young, the child spoke with remarkable clarity through this lengthy account, as if he had rehearsed it countless times.
He sobbed, "I escaped from Changning City. The Prefect forces everyone to pay huge sums every year, calling it taxes. Those who can't pay have their homes raided, and my parents were beaten to death by them."
"Changning City…" Shen Mingyuan's expression gradually turned cold, yet his tone remained gentle when speaking to the child. "The harvest has been poor these past two years, and the court exempted half of Changning City's taxes. Didn't the Prefect inform you?"
The child looked bewildered. "I… I didn't know."
He pouted. "There were taxes for my sister's marriage, taxes for my schooling, and last month, for the Prefect's birthday, another huge tax payment. Our family ran out of money. My parents begged the officials for more time, but they refused…"
His parents had sent him away from home beforehand, telling him to flee.
When the officials arrived, he was nearby, disguised as a lame beggar, covering his mouth to stifle his cries, watching as his parents lost their lives under the relentless blows of clubs.
He wanted to find his sister, but upon reaching her home, he discovered her entire family had also perished.
With nowhere to go, he recalled his father once saying he wished to go to the capital to appeal to the emperor. So, he did everything he could to escape from Changning City.
By sheer luck, Changning City paid no heed to a small beggar like him, allowing him to survive and reach Yuzhou.
He nearly starved along the way until a troupe of street performers took him in, and he began performing with them to earn his keep.
He asked the aunties in the troupe, who told him that to appeal to the emperor, he must go to the capital, but Shengjing was too far; he couldn't make it.
They also said Prince Qi was coming here for disaster relief.
Prince Qi is the emperor's son, the child thought, so appealing to Prince Qi might work.
"But I can't see His Highness Prince Qi. Every time I try to approach the prefectural office, they chase me away before I even get close, saying I'd offend the noble's eyes." The child was on the verge of tears again.
Shen Mingyuan wiped his tears and spoke softly, "What's your name?"
"Xu Jizhi."
"A good name." Shen Mingyuan coaxed gently, "Jizhi, do you remember how much tax your family paid this year?"
Xu Jizhi nodded. "My father taught me to memorize it."
Shen Mingyuan patted his head. "Eat first. After you finish, you recite, and I'll write it down, alright?"
Xu Jizhi nodded vigorously again.
Zhang Mingquan, listening with a pained heart, went to the kitchen and brought two more plates of pastries.
Having unburdened himself of this heavy matter, Xu Jizhi relaxed slightly. Having eaten two pastries earlier, he wasn't desperately hungry but instead felt drowsy.
Xu Jizhi ate while nodding off repeatedly.
Shen Mingyuan couldn't help but ask, "How did you think to come to me?"
Xu Jizhi answered truthfully, "They all say you're Prince Qi's man, and I can't see Prince Qi."
"So you came to me." A hint of mischief flashed across Shen Mingyuan's face. He asked, "Do you know the surname of Changning City's Prefect?"
Xu Jizhi knew. "Guo."
Shen Mingyuan asked again, "Then do you know the surname of the current empress?"
Xu Jizhi froze.
Shen Mingyuan said with a touch of mischief, "It's also Guo. The person you want to accuse is the empress's relative. Prince Qi is the empress's son. In other words, you want Prince Qi to punish his own relative?"
Xu Jizhi held the half-eaten pastry, not taking a bite for a long while.
He sat motionless in a daze, no longer feeling sleepy.
He didn’t understand the principle that a prince and his maternal clan rise and fall together, nor did he grasp why one must weigh interests when the prefect was clearly in the wrong. But it was a simple truth—when the pockmarked neighbor stole chickens and dogs, his parents still praised him for being clever.
So, complaining to Prince Qi would be useless.
Shen Mingyuan said gloomily, “What should we do? I’m also one of Prince Qi’s people…”
The half-eaten pastry fell to the ground, and the child burst into loud sobs.
Shen Mingyuan panicked instantly, “No, don’t cry, I was joking. I’m not one of Prince Qi’s people. I have a grudge against Prince Qi, alright?”
Xu Jizhi cried even louder, his sobs heart-wrenching.
Shen Mingyuan fumbled frantically, coaxing and promising all sorts of things, but to no avail.
The System mocked him: [Played yourself, didn’t you?]
Shen Mingyuan, flustered and angry, snapped, “Zhang Mingquan, you handle this. If you can calm him down, I’ll double your wages this month.”
Zhang Mingquan: “…”
He couldn’t help but shoot Shen Mingyuan a resentful look, finally understanding why Magistrate Lu always seemed to grit his teeth whenever he saw the young master.
The next day, Shen Mingyuan took Xu Jizhi back to Luming.
Zheng Honglin and the others had arrived before Shen Mingyuan, though it was unclear how long they had been waiting.
Luming County wasn’t far from Yuzhou City. They set out in the morning and entered the city by dusk.
Shen Mingyuan took them directly to Lu Shaozhi’s home.
Zheng Honglin said uneasily, “Sir, isn’t this inappropriate? Shouldn’t we return first and prepare a visiting card?”
“I live here too. Why would I need a visiting card to go home?” Shen Mingyuan brushed it off.
Besides, what was the point of formalities with Lu Shaozhi?
Zheng Honglin paused, slowly voicing his confusion, “Huh?”
The gatekeeper recognized him and smiled as he opened the door. “Young master, you’re back.”
Shen Mingyuan nodded. “Is Lu Shaozhi home?”
“He’s in the study.”
Shen Mingyuan led the two adults and one child to the study. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, a teacup came flying toward him.
Shen Mingyuan deflected the force with his folding fan, then flicked it open with a “swish,” the fan surface catching the falling cup perfectly in a seamless motion.
—At first, Lu Shaozhi had only thrown books, afraid of hurting him. But after realizing Shen Mingyuan’s agility was genuinely good, he simply threw whatever was at hand.
Everything happened so quickly that by the time Shen Mingyuan placed the empty cup on the table, the three people behind him were still standing there, stunned.
…This didn’t seem like the attitude one would have toward a friend, did it?
“You’re so crude. Where are the manners of a scholar?” Shen Mingyuan pointed accusingly. “Don’t blame me for not warning you—we have guests.”
Lu Shaozhi finally deigned to look up and realized Shen Mingyuan wasn’t lying this time.
He quickly rose and stepped forward, straightening his sleeves before clasping his hands in greeting. “I am Lu Shaozhi.”
Zheng Honglin and You Zhonglun were still frozen in place, but Xu Jizhi mimicked the gesture earnestly, parroting, “I—I am Xu Jizhi.”
Adorable.
Shen Mingyuan ruffled his hair affectionately.
Lu Shaozhi also gave him a gentle smile.
Then, glancing at the two standing dumbfounded, Lu Shaozhi asked Shen Mingyuan, “Are these your friends?”
“No,” Shen Mingyuan said with feigned gravity. “They’re your admirers.”
Lu Shaozhi: “?”
For a moment, he thought it was Shen Mingyuan playing a joke. After all, Shen Mingyuan was a top-tier genius in the world, and ever since he had known him, what little pride he had left had been shattered into pieces.
If one were to truly speak of "admiration," once you met Shen Mingyuan, there would be no other answer.
But fortunately, he quickly remembered that he still had some reputation. If these two were scholars from Yuzhou, it was entirely possible they had read his poetry.
Lu Shaozhi: "…"
Was it too late to explain now that he had been possessed by evil spirits earlier?
Shen Mingyuan tapped them with his folding fan. "Weren’t you just talking about wanting to meet Magistrate Lu? Now that you’ve met him, why aren’t you saying anything?"
Only then did the two snap out of their daze, scrambling to bow. "Greetings, Magistrate Lu. I am Zheng Honglin from Pingrao, Yuzhou."
"I am You Zhonglun from Pingrao, Yuzhou. I have long admired your reputation, Magistrate."
Lu Shaozhi returned the bow properly. "I am unworthy of such praise."
This was the proper way scholars should interact and behave!
Lu Shaozhi felt utterly at ease, shooting Shen Mingyuan a sidelong glare—learn from this!
Shen Mingyuan was baffled. He shook his head helplessly. "Lu Shaozhi, your temper is getting worse and worse."
Not only did he fail to recognize his own mistake, but he also shifted the blame.
Lu Shaozhi held back again and again, barely restraining himself from cursing aloud.
For the sake of having admirers present, Lu Shaozhi spoke softly, "If you have nothing to do, why not find something to do? See those official documents on my desk? Go and process them."
Zheng Honglin and the other were stunned.
Official documents—could someone else handle those?
They glanced enviously at Shen Mingyuan—their relationship must be really good. Magistrate Lu truly trusted him.
But Shen Mingyuan said, "I won’t do it."
Lu Shaozhi finally lost his patience. Furious, he snapped, "Don’t push it too far! You’ve been gone for over half a month, and I’ve had to handle all the work alone!"
Shen Mingyuan knew when to stop. "Don’t be angry. Didn’t I find you two helpers during this trip?"
Lu Shaozhi instinctively asked, "Where?"
Shen Mingyuan looked at Zheng Honglin and You Zhonglun.
Zheng Honglin: "Huh?"
You Zhonglun: "Us?"
Lu Shaozhi was taken aback for a moment, unconsciously following Shen Mingyuan’s train of thought… It might actually work. These two clearly seemed educated.
Bah, how had he been led astray by Shen Mingyuan?
Lu Shaozhi angrily retorted, "Don’t change the subject."
"I’m being serious," Shen Mingyuan argued. "If you don’t believe me, ask them if they’re willing. Besides, they owe me money, so they can work to pay off their debt."
What kind of nonsense was this?
Lu Shaozhi sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Shen Mingyuan, I don’t have time for your games right now."
You Zhonglun spoke up sheepishly, "Magistrate, it’s true that we owe the gentleman money. If there’s any way we can be of use, we would be deeply grateful."
Lu Shaozhi: "?"
Shen Mingyuan looked smug. "See? I wasn’t lying to you. We even signed an agreement. Lu Shaozhi, I would never lie to you."
Lu Shaozhi felt that Shen Mingyuan had caused trouble again. He asked the two, "How much do you owe him?"
Zheng Honglin whispered, "Five thousand taels of silver."
"Five thousand taels?" Lu Shaozhi felt his vision darken. He glared at Shen Mingyuan but spoke gently, "Mingyuan was just joking with you. Don’t take it seriously."
Shen Mingyuan interjected, "I wasn’t joking."
"Shut up!"
Shen Mingyuan fell silent.
You Zhonglun hurriedly declared, "Sir, the teacher did not coerce us. It was the two of us who did wrong, and repaying the money is only right."
Zheng Honglin nodded repeatedly.
Lu Shaozhi glanced sideways at Shen Mingyuan—such fine young men, and you still had the heart to exploit them?
Shen Mingyuan wore an innocent expression. "Why look at me? Weren’t you complaining about having too much work to handle? I found you two such capable assistants, and now you’re unhappy about it."
Zheng Honglin grinned. Mr. Shen praised them as capable, hehe.
In the short time they had known him, they had already deeply experienced Shen Mingyuan’s sharp tongue. It was rare to hear a kind word from him, and Zheng Honglin was even somewhat moved.
Noticing this delight, Lu Shaozhi thought: "…"
You’re being treated like a workhorse, and you’re still happy about it!
Lu Shaozhi hesitated and said, "In that case, if the two of you are willing…"
Zheng Honglin eagerly replied, "We are willing, we are willing."
You Zhonglun was more reserved, clasping his hands and saying, "We are honored by your trust. We will spare no effort."
Lu Shaozhi wondered what kind of bewitching potion Shen Mingyuan had fed them.
Shen Mingyuan spoke with righteous indignation, "Lu Shaozhi, they are both scholars who will take the imperial examination next spring. Their studies come first. Don’t exploit them too much."
Lu Shaozhi: "…"
You’ve managed to say it all, good and bad.
Ignoring him, Lu Shaozhi smiled and said, "I have also taken the imperial examination and have some experience I can share with you."
The two were overjoyed. "Thank you, Magistrate!"
Author’s Note:
Lu Shaozhi: Why is it always me cleaning up the messes Shen Mingyuan makes?