Chapter 5 Mr. Persuasion
Wang Hongtai's home is in a separate courtyard in the alley behind the two streets of the ancestral hall.
This is also the Zhang family's property, but it has now been given to Wang Hongtai to live in.
Three entry into the courtyard, clean and neat.
Qiao'er was like a happy little rabbit, and had already returned home and shouted: "Mom, Mu Guoguo is here. Mu Guoguo is here."
This little girl, brother and sister, didn't know each other. When Zhang Mu heard this, he smiled.
"Don't run so fast and fall carefully. You're crazy like a boy, be careful to be seen by your father."
At this time, a Persian woman wearing a short blue gold woven jacket and a dark green pleated skirt came out of the main hall and shouted.
Sure enough, Qiao'er didn't dare to have an attack when she heard the word "father". She hurriedly stopped and ran wildly, made a face, took a small step, and walked to the woman with her head down.
This woman is Wang Hongtai's wife Liu.
Liu is about 40 years old, but has a good figure. He is a typical Persian beauty with thick curly hair. Although she is wearing a bun, her bangs are curly, her brows are slightly tall, her eye sockets are deep, and her blue eyes are as bright as gems. Qiaoer inherits almost all her advantages.
"Come in and have a meal." She shouted when she saw Zhang Mu.
"Okay." Zhang Mu said, and entered the back hall.
On the dining table, the dishes were quite rich, a bowl of fat, oily bacon, the aroma of stir-fried, two meats and two vegetables, and one fish soup. When Zhang Mu smelled it, his index finger moved.
Although it was just over the Chinese New Year, Zhang Mu had never eaten seriously this month.
Yesterday I basically had nothing to eat and I was hungry for a long time.
After sitting down, Liu Xia began to swallow her voraciously.
"Mom, if you don't call Mu Guoguo at noon this day, he will have to eat white rice again." Qiao'er looked at Zhang Mu's voracious swallowing and said in a low voice.
"Ah." Liu sighed, and tears shone in her eyes. Although she was a Persian, she was born in the Central Plains and had never returned to Persia. She had her first appearance and was almost the same as a woman in the Central Plains.
Liu is kind-hearted and often helps children who are not well-fed in the sect. Zhang Mu's family is kind to the Wang family. Since Liu learned about Zhang Mu, as long as Zhang Mu goes to school, Liu calls him to have a meal.
"A pretty family is broken like this. Poor child! He just got this strange disease and was stupid. What should I do?" Liu wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and picked up another piece of roast pork for Zhang Mu.
She also told Wang Hongtai that Wang Hongtai naturally knew that it was just such a thing, and he was an outsider, and it was not easy to come forward. After all, Aunt Zhou in the Zhang Mansion was in charge, so he told Liu that if he could take care of him, he would take care of him more.
"Mom, why are you crying?" Qiao'er asked with a grievance on her face.
"It's okay." Liu put a bowl of soup for Zhang Mu, and said lovingly, stroking Zhang Mu's head.
But she felt the hard stubble on Zhang Mu's head, pulled it hard, and looked down and saw that there was a blood scab in her palm.
He stood up and pulled Zhang Mu's back collar to look away. He was shocked when he saw the shocking wound on Zhang Mu's back.
Although the ancients had filial sons under the sticks, Wang Hongtai was also an extremely strict gentleman. He often beat the students with swollen palms and could not even hold the pen. However, when he saw Zhang Mu's wound, Liu knew what kind of abuse Zhang Mu suffered at home.
How could anyone with a conscience make such a desperate move against their children?
"The servants in the Zhang family are so bad, why doesn't Mrs. Zhou care?" Qiao'er said with a frown.
"Brother Mu, after the meal, my teacher's wife will apply some medicine to you. OK?" Liu asked gentlely.
At this time, Zhang Mu put down his job, slowly looked up and asked, "Where is sir?"
Liu was stunned at the moment. Zhang Mu in front of him had a solemn look on his handsome face. More importantly, his eyes that were always dull were as bright as starry eyes at this moment, and they were completely different from Zhang Mu before.
"Sir, sir is in the study." Liu just finished speaking, and before he could report it, Zhang Mu had already headed towards the study.
"Mom, it seems that Mu Guoguo's illness has been cured?" At this moment, even Qiao'er could see the difference between Zhang Mu.
Liu hurriedly stood up and said, "Qiao'er, you have a good meal. I'll go see your brother Mu." Liu immediately headed towards the study.
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The Wang family’s study is in the west wing of the backyard. Although the room is not big, there are a wide variety of books on the bookshelf.
At this moment, Wang Hongtai was sitting on a pine wood stern chair, holding a book called "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in his hand, and was enjoying it.
Speaking of which, Wang Hongtai was also wasted his life.
In the third year of Hongwu, Taizu issued an edict to open an examination. Because the world was decided, Emperor Taizu was eager to seek talent, so he ordered the provinces to conduct three consecutive years. After the election, he was exempted from the imperial examination and went to Beijing to listen to the election.
Wang Hongtai was a student in the Xinhai exam the following year. With his dreams and passion, he was preparing to participate in the Xinhai exam this year.
As a result, I finally saved my life after getting a stool. However, this disease has been cured for more than a year. After missing the Xinhai exam, it was not harmful. Anyway, I took the exam for three consecutive years.
However, the world did not fulfill its wishes, and the old father passed away.
After three years of mourning, he was unable to participate in the imperial examination. However, he did not expect that three years later, Emperor Taizu found that the imperial examinations were all nerds, and it was no problem to let them read and write, but governing the country was not something that a scholar could do.
So the imperial examination was simply cancelled and local governments ordered to recommend talents to use them.
This wasted time was not until the fifteenth year of Hongwu that the imperial examination was issued again, the formal imperial examination was resumed in 17 years, and the customization was completed in 18 years.
Wang Hongtai also went from being a passionate young man to his forties. At this age of fifty years, his ambitions of that year were almost exhausted.
Now that we have no worries about food and clothing, we are devoted to poetry, songs, flowers, birds, fish and insects, and are preparing to live our lives and spend the rest of our lives.
"Sir." At this time, a knock on the door came from outside the door.
Wang Hongtai was stunned. It was clearly Zhang Mu's voice, but Zhang Mu had never looked for him once.
"Come in." Wang Hongtai shouted with a little curiosity.
At this time, Zhang Mu entered the room. Wang Hongtai looked at Zhang Mu and was shocked.
Since Zhang Mu crawled out of the coffin, he became a fool not long after. In the past two years, every time he saw Zhang Mu, Zhang Mu looked dull and his eyes were wandering. Sometimes he was crazy and even dared to spit at the portrait of Confucius.
He was grateful to Zhang Mu's father for taking care of him, so he was somewhat partial to Zhang Mu. Even if Zhang Mu was stupid, he hoped that Zhang Mu would suffer some grievances.
However, Zhang Mu, who was kneeling in front of him today, had a bright and solemn look on his cheeks, and was completely different from Zhang Mu before.
"Brother Mu, are you?"
"Sir, save me." Before Wang Hongtai finished speaking, Zhang Mu kowtowed.
Wang Hongtai was shocked. Although he was also suffering from this, he knew it must be a big deal. He hurriedly stood up and supported Zhang Mu and asked, "Where does this start?"
"Sir, after my father died, my aunt was in power in the mansion. However, this time, Aunt Zhou treated me like a thorn in his eyes and a thorn in his flesh, and murdered me again and again. It was because I was pretending to be stupid all the way, so I lived to this day. Now that the county exam is about to be impatient, she will definitely not let me enroll. The only one who can save me is Mr. Zhang said excitedly with tears in his eyes.
"As far as I know, although Mrs. Zhou is a bit biased in doing things this time, she will not kill you, right? You can't talk nonsense about this matter." Wang Hongtai suddenly heard this matter, coupled with Zhang Mu's usual behavior, who knew if he was crazy again, so he deliberately asked.
"Why do I need to talk nonsense? In the past two years, my home has been on fire three times, and I have been near my bedroom every time. I have been poisoned many times, but I am so alert that I escaped from the clutches. If I don't pretend to be stupid, how can I survive until now?" Zhang Mu looked at Wang Hongtai sincerely, and he knew in his heart what Wang Hongtai was worried about.
"Okay, even if what you said is true, why don't you tell the patriarch clearly? Instead, come to beg me?" Wang Hongtai was still a little worried and continued to test.
"Mr. I don't know anything about it. The next thing is the scandal of our mansion. I didn't plan to say it, but I was forced to do so. Aunt Zhou and Zhang Chi, the head of the house, had an affair. The two had an affair for a long time. Zhang Chi wanted to occupy the property of our mansion, so he got along with the poisonous woman and colluded with her. I am a yellow-mouthed child. If I tell the patriarch this, will the patriarch believe me?" Zhang Mu explained.
"Brother Mu, you can eat randomly, but you can't talk randomly. This is related to the reputation of the two people. Do you say they have an affair, but there is evidence?" Wang Hongtai believed it a little.
"It's no secret that everyone in Zhang's house knows it."
"There are also rumors from outsiders. How can I believe the words of the villagers and women?" Wang Hongtai is at this age and knows the Zhang family well. If this matter is true, it would be very terrible. Because he always suspected that Zhang Mu's father and mother died of illness and were too hasty, and there was something wrong with it. If it is true, the story behind it was enough to cause a huge uproar in the Zhang family.
"Sir, I have been forced to go to the forefront. You don't believe it. How can the patriarch believe it? It's not shameful to have sex between them, so how can I get to catch the handle? If I don't do it well, I will sue me for slander. Wouldn't I die without a place to die?"
"Well, even if this is true, what can I help you with a scholar?" Wang Hongtai asked curiously when he saw Zhang Mu's appearance, not as if he was lying.
"Mr. I can take the county exam. As long as I have fame and reputation and attract the attention of the patriarch, this matter will be half completed. The couple of adulterers must be afraid that I will die, and they will inevitably not show their strength. I will have evidence. Even if I cannot get rid of an adulterer, I can still take back my family business with justice. It is better than waiting for death now!" Zhang Mu said.
When Wang Hongtai heard this, he was secretly shocked.
Zhang Mu in front of him was only thirteen or fourteen years old, and he could think of this method. It seems that he has experienced many unknown things in the past two years.
This is how people grow without going through the wind and frost?
"Wait, let me see." Wang Hongtai immediately turned around and headed towards the desk.
A list of results was drawn from it, and it was true that there was no Zhang Mu on it. This list was delivered to each room yesterday, and he had not read it carefully. According to the Zhang family rules, Zhang Mu should have participated in the county examination.
But given that he is stupid, it is reasonable.
At this time, Liu entered the room. She listened outside the door for a long time, but she couldn't help it at this moment.
"Master, please help Mu Ge. If we don't save him, no one will be able to save him." Liu's eyes were filled with tears, and he dragged Zhang Mu from the ground, untied Zhang Mu's clothes, turned Zhang Mu back to Wang Hongtai.
Wang Hongtai looked up and couldn't help but be stunned.
Zhang Mu's back was covered in blood and old wounds were everywhere, covered in scars, which was shocking to see.
Wang Hongtai lived for most of his life, and he didn't have to say much when he saw this.
For a thirteen-year-old child, no matter how naughty he is, he should not be so ruthless.
"Brother Mu, let's not talk about your father's kindness to me, so you are my student. If I still have a breath of breath, I will help you to the end." Wang Hongtai hesitated for a moment and said in a deep voice.
"Thank you, sir." Zhang Mu knelt on the ground. He could no longer control the grievances he suffered in the past two years. He couldn't help but burst into tears, and then kowtowed respectfully to Wang Hongtai.
A big event is settled.
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Chapter completed!