Zhu Ci remained silent for a long while before saying, "Let them come."
Originally, he did not really want to deal with these scholars; their values were incompatible, so there was no need to force it.
Such a righteous man cannot be ignored.
Fu Chunsheng didn't know why Zhu Ci's expression had suddenly become so heavy, he was very puzzled, but he still replied.
Huang Chunyao and Huang Yuanyao arrived with many people, carrying a pile of gifts.
They were somewhat surprised when they arrived at Xialiang, feeling that this village seemed somewhat different from their own village.
First, there were the bluestone roads in the village; even Huang Chunyao had rarely seen such things, yet this tiny village actually had the wealth to build bluestone roads!
But when they observed the villagers, they didn't see them wearing particularly fine or bright clothing; they looked like ordinary farming families.
Upon arriving at the Xi Family ancestral home, the clear sound of reading could be heard from a distance.
It was rare for Zhu Ci to come out to meet someone personally.
This was the first time Huang Chunyao and Huang Yuanyao had seen his true face, they were stunned for a moment upon seeing him.
That night, when he saw the features of Zhu Ci's forehead and brow, Huang Chunyao knew the youth was exceptionally handsome, but he hadn't expected him to be quite this striking.
It was just that he didn't know why, but he couldn't help feeling a sense of familiarity.
Huang Chunyao stared at Zhu Ci for a long time, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: why did this person before him seem somewhat similar to the Crown Prince?
The Crown Prince in his memory was, of course, Zhu Ci; he had met His Highness the Crown Prince when he passed the jinshi examinations.
This young swordsman before him actually bore a slight resemblance to that person.
However, it was only a slight resemblance. The Crown Prince appeared more refined and elegant, whereas this young man's features were quite aggressive, his clear eyes revealed him to be a man of firm resolve.
Although he seemed to have a gentle temperament at this moment, thinking back to that night.. Huang Chunyao felt that what he saw before him must be an illusion.
After having someone serve more tea, Zhu Ci said, "You two are being far too polite; why have you brought so many things?"
Rumor has it that Huang Chunyao is a local dignitary, clearly his family's wealth is substantial. The gifts sent over were diverse and varied, yet they all shared one characteristic: they were all practical.
Grains, dried goods, fabrics, delicacies from the mountains and the sea—some were precious and others were not—but without exception, they were all food or daily necessities.
Zhu Ci was very satisfied with this. Although he had seized the bandits' belongings, these were all stolen goods that needed to be sold off, he had to be careful not to be targeted by anyone.
Huang Chunyao said earnestly, "If it weren't for your suppression of the bandits, I fear our lives would be in grave danger."
Huang Chunyao also learned some information from the Magistrate.
Of course, Magistrate Zhang must have claimed that he was the one who issued the order or something to that effect.
However, Huang Chunyao knew perfectly well that this Young Master must have taken the initiative to suppress the bandits; the Magistrate likely lent a hand, but at most, he only provided a location.
As for why the Young Master went to suppress the bandits, he simply couldn't figure it out.
Even if he were beaten to death, he would never have imagined that Zhu Ci was currently a hollow shell; he appeared to be a wealthy local gentry, but in reality, he worried every day that he could not afford to support this group of subordinates.
Huang Chunyao recalled the sound of reading he had just heard and asked casually, "Are all those currently studying your young masters?"
Zhu Ci said casually, "I adopted them."
"Adopted?" Huang Chunyao was somewhat surprised.
Zhu Ci sighed and said, "The Lishui Village where they lived was raided by Sea Bandits a few days ago. Most of the people were slaughtered by the Sea Bandits, these children only survived because their families hid them. There is also one from this village whose parents both passed away; since his relatives were unable to support him, I brought him here."
Huang Chunyao's first reaction upon hearing this was: this is someone worth befriending.
Although he is still young, he carries the well-being of all living beings in his heart.
The West City is not very far from here. It would be best if they could visit frequently. He is getting a bit older and is not quite up to it, but his younger brother Huang Yuanyao can manage.
As it happened, he was also the savior of his brother's life.
Huang Chunyao communicated with him for a long time, after observing for a while, he didn't see any of those retainers, but he did notice that the servants in this manor all had an extraordinary temperament.
A thought flashed through his mind; remembering how Magistrate Zhang had repeatedly concealed this Young Master Xi's identity, he felt that the man before him might actually have an extraordinary background.
He had sent people to investigate, found that this Young Master had only arrived at Xialiang late last year. Furthermore, Xialiang had once produced a Princess Consort, though the specific Prince she was married to remained unknown, as were the rumors surrounding her.
Looking at it now.. perhaps there is a connection?
After finishing his observations, Huang Chunyao asked solemnly as they were parting, "I wonder if the Young Master would be willing to join the Zhiyan Society?"
“Zhiyan Society?” Zhu Ci was stunned; he truly had no idea what that was.
Huang Chunyao gave an explanation, saying that, simply put, both he and his disciple Lu Yuanfu detested superficial eight-legged essays, so they established the Zhiyan Society to advocate for practical writing that was substantive.
The smile on Zhu Ci's face gradually froze.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Do I look like someone who has the talent for writing? *Angry cat slams the table. jpg*
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 55
Zhu Ci felt nothing for the eight-legged essays; any system that could become established must have its purpose, let alone the fact that he knew nothing about such things. To be more specific, he had no idea what the format of an eight-legged essay was or how to write one.
From this perspective, he indeed had a reason to join the Zhiyan Society, but the problem was writing essays.. Haha, with his handwriting, he would likely be kicked out of the Zhiyan Society within half an hour of joining.
He smiled awkwardly yet politely and said, "Master Huang is a man of great talent. I have only read a few books and can only recognize a few characters; I am completely ignorant of poetry and prose. How could I possibly be qualified to join the Zhiyan Society? If Master Huang does not mind, I would be willing to wave the flag and bolster the prestige of the Zhiyan Society."
You are too modest, Young Master. To have become a Scholar before even reaching your capping ceremony, you must possess extraordinary talent and exquisite literary skills. Our Zhiyan Society is exactly lacking people like you.
Zhu Ci felt a bit tired; he couldn't exactly tell Huang Chunyao that his identity as a scholar was fake.
This Scholar identity brought him just as much trouble as the convenience it had once provided.
He sighed and said, "To be honest, my father and elder brother are officials in the imperial court and they are quite strict; this matter.. is indeed not very convenient."
Huang Chunyao's eyes flashed, he said with a smile, "It seems I have been indiscreet. But no matter, these articles were all written by members of the Zhiyan Society. I ask the Young Master to please appraise them."
Zhu Ci wished he could send these two brothers away immediately; he didn't care whether they were righteous men or not, he had no desire to have any further contact with them.
It was just that he had a natural conflict with scholars!
Fortunately, Fu Chunsheng came in and whispered a few words into Zhu Ci's ear. Zhu Ci immediately said, "Master Huang, I have some matters to attend to. If you two do not mind, please stay the night here, I will seek your guidance once I have cleared my schedule."
Huang Chunyao immediately stood up and said, "It is getting late, my brother and I need to return home as soon as possible. We shall take our leave here."
Zhu Ci immediately said, "The weather is cold and the journey is long. Why not stay the night, Mr. Huang?"
Huang Chunyao shook his head and said, "It is still broad daylight outside, so we can still make our way. To be honest, after my brother and I had that incident, our families were terrified and didn't even want us to leave the house; even if we do go out, we must return the same day."
Zhu Ci said understandingly, "What you two experienced was indeed harrowing. In that case, I shall not keep you any longer."
He escorted the Huang brothers to the entrance, after watching them depart, he breathed a sigh of relief.
They were finally gone. If they had stayed even a little longer, he was afraid he would have been exposed if they had actually critiqued his writing.
Zhu Ci turned to look at Fu Chunsheng and asked, "Does the Magistrate want to send someone to me?"
Fu Chunsheng did not know whether to nod or shake his head, merely replying, "He only asked me to inquire; it seems he said there are a few places that are tough nuts to crack, quite difficult to handle."
“How difficult are they?” Zhu Ci walked inside with his hands behind his back, his mind still occupied by that stack of documents.
I'll have to take a look later. Otherwise, when I'm interacting with these two brothers in the future, it would be quite disrespectful if I couldn't say a single word when they ask.
“I heard it's gunpowder.”
Hmm?
Zhu Ci stopped in his tracks, turning his head to look at Fu Chunsheng with a sharp gaze: "Gunpowder? Where did they get gunpowder?"
While it is said that the Ming Dynasty's firearms were advanced, that was only in comparison to the lackluster dynasty that followed; in reality, their range of application was limited and they were strictly controlled.
At the very least, the Magistrate doesn't have any gunpowder; never mind the Magistrate, even the Garrison might not have much.
Where did these bandits get the gunpowder? Who is supporting them from behind the scenes?
In that instant, many thoughts raced through Zhu Ci's mind; anyone capable of providing gunpowder to bandits would have a rank of at least a Prefect.
Could it be the Suzhou Prefect??
While he was speculating here, Fu Chunsheng shook his head and said, "The Magistrate says he doesn't know either, but he can be certain that those firearms were not leaked from the imperial court."
Oh, so that means it has nothing to do with the Suzhou Prefect, but he doesn't know if it has something to do with someone else.
Zhu Ci pondered for a long while before saying, "How many people does the Magistrate intend to send over?"
Fu Chunsheng said, "About a hundred people."
Zhu Ci waved his hand. "Dismiss them. Take them directly to the camp."
There is still a bit of space at the camp; if all else fails, we can just squeeze in. After all, we are sleeping in bunk beds anyway.
Fu Chunsheng wanted to say something but was afraid of stepping into a trap. Xia Lei, standing nearby, glanced at him and whispered, "Young Master, be careful, it might be a trap."
“It's fine, just accept them.”
Those so-called retainers being sent over might just be slaves or household servants purchased by the Magistrate; they were likely sent to curry favor and to see if they could glean any information.
After all, the idea that a mob of rabble could destroy a bandit stronghold in such a short time still sounded a bit inconceivable.
Zhu Ci did not care. He was short on men, so if they were sent, they were sent. In any case, the camp was strictly managed; not only did everyone have to report when entering or leaving, but they wouldn't let you go out without a legitimate reason.
Valid reasons were official holidays or scheduled family visit leave.
It is common knowledge that most of these retainers are the only ones left in their families, so having family visit leave is practically the same as not having it at all.
If the people sent by the Magistrate are more or less the same, then keep them; if they are not up to standard, discard them.
After he finished speaking, he looked at the sky and said, "If there is anything else happening at home, say it now so I can handle it first; I still have to head over there tomorrow."
Fu Qiulu couldn't help but say, "Why must you leave, Young Master? That place is almost your home."
Since the military camp was established, Zhu Ci had basically only returned once every half month. Seeing that he was about to leave again, he didn't know when he would be able to return this time.
Zhu Ci couldn't help but laugh after hearing this. "It won't come to that. Once everything is on the right track, I won't have to live there permanently."
What did he mean by getting things on the right track? Getting things on the right track meant that he could select suitable people from among them to manage things, that everyone would follow discipline to some extent, that even when he was not around, they would train honestly and do what they were supposed to do.
After Zhu Ci returned to the military camp, he found the girls he had rescued chatting and laughing with the retainers.
They were there to deliver meals.