A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 52: Treating Guests to Behead and Accepting as a Dog (Please Read)

Golden legend.

Ding Zhe had never seen such a thing before, let alone a golden leaf in his hand.

He could feel the softness of the gold leaves without even biting them.

The gold leaf is not in the shape of a leaf, but of a page of a book.

One piece weighs about two cents and a half, and four pieces together weigh one ounce of gold.

Ding Zhe quickly converted it. According to the current situation where gold is expensive and copper is cheap, this gold leaf can be exchanged for at least three strings of coins.

Oh my god.

This beating was not in vain, it was more than what I earned in three months' salary.

Ding Zhe could only earn 700 wen a month plus a subsidy of half a pound of mutton. With such a low salary, it was difficult for them to support their family unless they demanded extra bribes.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the people call him "Wu Lao Ye" and he wears a tall hat.

But in the bureaucratic system of the Song Dynasty, he was just a servant who was treated like shit!
Who would take a captain of police seriously? Even if you look down on everyone, he is still just a constable and cannot even match the strength of a bailiff.

But when Ding Zhe was with Song Xuan, he suddenly felt that Song Xuan respected him very much, and he subconsciously licked the golden leaf.

Even in the toilet, with the help of the light reflected from the cracks in the ceiling, he finally tasted the sweetness of gold.

Ding Zhe felt like he was wrapped in happiness, and his whole body was sweet.

A long time passed.

Ding Zhe finally calmed down and carefully wrapped the gold leaf again.

He subconsciously checked that the bathroom door was closed, then he put his clothes close to his body and put them on regardless of the pain in his back.

He patted it again and again to make sure it was against his waist, and when he came out, a smile spread across his face.

But when he saw Tao Hong, who was waiting not far away, with a smile on his face, he rubbed his face again, trying to make the smile disappear.

But the impact of that piece of gold was so great that Ding Zhe couldn't wipe away his smile.

So when he walked in front of Tao Hong, without waiting for Tao Hong to say anything:
"Brother, pat me on the back, hurry up."

Tao Hong was quick and agile, with strong execution ability. He didn't like to ask any questions and just slapped Ding Zhe on the back.

Ding Zhe's face immediately turned ferocious, and he clenched his fists tightly to prevent himself from screaming.

Ding Zhe finally breathed a sigh of relief after he walked out and stood in front of everyone again.
"Shi Er Lang, thank you for your toilet solving my temporary problem."

"Captain Ding, you're welcome to come often." Song Xuan stood up to see him off, his face calm.

"Easy to say."

Ding Zhe just left.

Without the excitement to watch, most people dispersed, but there were still many people speculating about Song Xuan's identity.

How come he captured Captain Ding to establish his authority as soon as he arrived?

Ding Zhe didn't need his men to apply medicine, but instead jogged all the way home and closed the door.

Once he entered the house, he closed the door and took off his clothes.

His wife thought Ding Zhe was upset and said quickly:
"Boss, it's broad daylight, this is not good, the dog brother is still playing outside."

But Ding Zhe didn't care and took off his pants directly. Without waiting for his wife to unbutton her clothes, he took out a handkerchief and threw it aside in no time.

Carefully holding a piece of golden leaf in his hand.

"The boss?"

The woman didn't even bother to unbutton her clothes. She covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes fixed on the golden leaf in Ding Zhe's hand.

"Where did you come from?"

"I earned it by being beaten."

"what?"

Ding Zhe gritted his teeth and said, "I have never owned a piece of gold."

"Me too." The woman quickly grasped Ding Zhe's hands and said, "Master, did the master hit you?"

Ding Zhe shook his head. "He's a young man from out of town. He's generous and reasonable. He's someone you can approach."

When the woman heard this, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly spoke:
"Boss, I'll apply medicine for you."

Ding Zhe sat on the bamboo chair, still staring at the golden leaf. Even though his wife was applying medicine on him, he didn't feel any pain.

He is not a person who is greedy for money, but Song Xuan knows how to behave at such a young age and he wants to take the entrance exam for Yingtianfu Academy. He is bound to become a Jinshi in the future.

Since I have been tricked into falling into a trap, I might as well serve this boy well.

Even if Zhang Kang, the magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture, used himself as a target to scare others, wouldn't the others be blinded by greed?
In the past few years, I have been unable to collect money even if I wanted to. My son is growing up day by day, and the money he needs for his education will become more and more.

Even if Song Xuan was a genius, it would take at least two or three years for him to pass the imperial examination and complete the entire process.

Then I might as well go to Song Xuan.

Make sure you can make money from him for at least two or three years.

I don’t mean anything else, it’s just that Song Xuan respects me too much!
"I don't know."

Zhang Fangping knew that it was the captain of the police, Ding Zhe, who was blinded by greed and was asking for trouble.

But the twelfth brother gave him money to ward off disaster.

Song Xuan looked at the Analects in his hand and said:

"This is called a treat."

As for what happened later, beheading and keeping him as a dog, Song Xuan did not say it.

"What do you mean?"

Zhang Fangping was a little puzzled, just as he felt that Song Xuan always misinterpreted the meaning of the books of sages.

Song Xuan thought about it and tried to explain it in a concise way:

"This step is to receive the other party in a friendly and polite manner, demonstrate one's strength and sincerity, and try to resolve the issue through negotiation or compromise, avoiding direct conflict and confrontation."

"We are all new here, and we haven't established ourselves yet. We haven't figured out the connections behind him yet. If we rashly make enemies with him, it will not be worth it.

If the worst happens, it would be unwise for us to rashly fall into the trap of the local tyrants without even figuring out the escape route.

Besides, since Zhang Kang played the villain, it’s my turn to play the hero.”

After listening to Song Xuan's explanation, Zhang Fangping's eyes widened subconsciously.

I think too little and think that if I don't provoke others, others will not provoke me either.

With the examples of the knife-wielding ghost and the poisonous scorpion, Zhang Fangping understood more clearly what it meant to be a child carrying gold in a busy city.

Song Xuan turned another page and continued to review his lessons:
"If you can solve a lot of small problems by spending a little money, why not do it?"

"Furthermore, if we want to establish our authority, we must use force. Otherwise, we won't be able to establish our prestige. This is what Confucius said: A gentleman has no authority if he is not serious."

"what?"

Zhang Fangping naturally disagreed with Song Xuan's misinterpretation of the meaning of the sages' book:

"Twelfth Brother, this sentence in the Analects is not meant to be understood this way."

"Yes, yes, yes." Song Xuan fiddled with the book in his hand:

"You know, I've always enjoyed reading the Spring and Autumn Annals, but my understanding of the Analects is still not enough, so I need to review it more diligently."

Zhang Fangping can only pray that Song Xuan can be admitted to Yingtianfu Academy, so that there will be a famous teacher to correct his biased understanding in time.

Mr. Song from the Song family private school is good at teaching children, but his knowledge of classics and policy essays is average, let alone teaching a genius like my twelfth brother.

His knowledge is simply not enough, no wonder Brother Twelve has learned the wrong thing.

"Twelfth brother, you still need to study hard." Zhang Fangping sighed.
"I can tell from his words that Song Shou is not very satisfied with Twelfth Brother. If he were to be an examiner as well, it would be easy for him to dethrone Twelfth Brother. He wants to teach you a lesson."

Song Xuan hummed, then asked:

"Fang Ping, do you think we should all follow the sages' book, just as Song Shou asked?"

(End of this chapter)