Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 113 Stubborn old man
Zhao Yifu was petting the cat while reading the confession.

"That man's name is Qian Ming, the illegitimate son of Master Qian... That makes sense. If Master Qian had achieved great success, he wouldn't have done something like this. He would only have his own family members do something like this if he lacked a protective amulet."

He was obviously thinking of his home.

The Zhao family had their second uncle, Zhao Guhe, join the pirates as a way to ensure the continuation of the family, but there was really no other way. The rise of a powerful family in any place is always accompanied by these dark events.

Therefore, once there is a chance to clear their name, the Zhao family would not hesitate to give up the original Shenhe Villa... This is to completely get rid of the original black history.

But the Qian family is the opposite.

Three generations of people made their fortunes through studying and taking the imperial examinations, and became powerful people in the county.

However, this honor was lost in Mr. Qian's generation. In order to maintain his family's status, he could only find a way through the underworld.

Zhao Yifu continued reading, then nodded with satisfaction and said, "Very good. They all confessed to the murder of County Magistrate Huang."

"But the motive for the murder..."

Li Liang immediately put down his bowl and said, "Please give me your instructions."

Zhao Yifu shook his head and said, "It's nothing, just write it like this."

The motive for the murder was somewhat funny. He knew that the court was going to send a county magistrate to check the accounts, and he thought that the magistrate was there to find faults, so he ended up wanting to make up for the county's deficit.

How to make up for the shortfall? County Magistrate Huang couldn't do it on his own; he had to consult with the county's wealthy families.

It’s just that County Magistrate Huang was a little impatient and didn’t grasp the rhythm of the negotiations well, which led to him obstructing the state’s affairs on some matters.

It just so happened that the Qian family had been in decline in recent years, so they hit it off and decided to kill a county magistrate to help cheer them up.

This confession is actually quite good. It hits the nail on the head with regard to many local issues, especially vaguely pointing the finger at the state government...

I have to say that Li Liang is really a sensible person and he knows what to do.

Zhao Yifu said, "Okay, I will write the memorial and send it out tonight, and the one sent through the post station will also be sent out tomorrow."

"In this way, the matter here is settled."

Li Liang quickly agreed.

At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder in his heart how Zhao Yifu had sent the memorial out.

But at this time he wanted to go back and think carefully about and digest what happened today. Seeing that Zhao Yifu had no other instructions, he couldn't wait to get up and say goodbye.

He walked out of the yard and closed the door.

After taking two steps, he suddenly remembered something very important to him, so he turned back reluctantly to continue discussing it with Zhao Yifu.

But when he arrived at the door, he suddenly heard a rather heavy stomping sound from inside, and then Zhao Yifu's voice was faintly heard: "...Old Huang, come to see me quickly."

Who is Lao Huang?

Li Liang was puzzled and stopped knocking on the door.

A resounding voice came from inside: "I am Huang Lin, the old man, honored to meet you, sir. May you be well and healthy."

Zhao Yifu laughed and said, "Come on, Old Huang, don't try to play tricks on me. Here are some letters I need you to deliver. Don't delay."

Huang Lin: "As you wish, sir. Where should it be sent to?"

Zhao Yifu: "This is a family letter. Just send it to my father. This letter is for my master, Master Zheng Fang. Can you please let me know how he is doing in the mountains lately?"

"And this letter is for my teacher, Haoran Gong. I'm going to ask him if there's anything he needs my advice on. If so, please, Old Huang, please make another trip and deliver it to me."

"Please send these two letters to the capital for me."

Huang Lin asked, "The capital? Sir, where in the capital should we send you?"

Zhao Yifu said, "I was just thinking about it. It seems there's no contact information... It's okay. You can ask Master Zheng Fang when you get to him. He'll tell you where to send it."

Huang Lin understood what he said and said, "Okay, sir. The person outside has been waiting for a long time. He must have something to ask you. I will go now..."

Li Liang, who was standing at the door, was startled and realized that he had been standing at the door listening for a long time and was discovered by the person inside.

Zhao Yifu's voice came from inside: "Is this Brother Hanshan? What else can I do for you?"

Li Liang quickly pushed the door open and said, "I suddenly thought of something important..."

He looked like he was afraid that if he was too slow to explain, his people would be gone.

Zhao Yifu said, "Don't be nervous. I don't have anything shameful to say. If Brother Hanshan has anything else to tell me, please tell me."

Seeing Zhao Yifu's pleasant expression and seemingly unconcerned about the matter, Li Liang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Jun Xin... Young Master, I actually wanted to remind you of one thing, and that is the reaction from Lord Cheng."

He changed his words, very cowardly.

Although Zhao Yifu was surprised by this, he didn't mind. He nodded happily and said, "Yes, it was Brother Hanshan who reminded me... Then, please write a secret letter to Lord Cheng, telling him that I have another channel to send letters. By the way, please also tell him about what happened here."

Li Liang calmed down after hearing this. He looked at Zhao Yifu in astonishment and said, "Master...are you going to let me use the spy?"

Zhao Yifu shook his head and said, "How can you say he's a spy? He's just trying to keep Prefect Cheng safe and out of trouble."

When Li Liang heard this tone, he couldn't help but have some images in his mind. He said, "Then...if, I mean if, what if Master Cheng must do something to embarrass us?"

Zhao Yifu said, "If that's the case, then let this trouble go... After all, even a lowly family like the Qian family dared to kill the county magistrate, didn't they?"

After hearing this, Li Liang felt a chill down his neck.

Killing a county magistrate might not be a big deal, but can a high-ranking official like the prefect be killed just like that?
But looking at Zhao Yi Fu's nonchalant look, it seemed as if it was really true.

Seeing his expression, Zhao Yifu suddenly smiled and said, "What are you thinking, Brother Hanshan? I mean, I have plenty of ways to make this Cheng Zhizhou go away."

"Do you think I'm alone?"

Li Liang felt that something was right after hearing this. After all, if he really used such a simple and crude method to do things, it would completely break the rules.

He then bowed and accepted the order, saying, "I understand. I will go back and write the letter."

Zhao Yifu nodded and let him go.

This time, Li Liang walked very fast, for fear of being exposed to some secrets that he shouldn't hear.

He is a selfish and smart man who understands the consequences of knowing too much.

When Li Liang's footsteps faded away, Zhao Yifu was about to go back to the house to rest.

Suddenly, he noticed that all the cats around him ran away at once.

Then he felt a special atmosphere, and an extremely strong sense of presence appeared in his courtyard.

He felt his neck stiffen, and then he slowly turned his head and saw a figure radiating light like the sun sitting on the main seat in his inner hall.

It’s the Yang God of the leader Qiu Yuzi!
It's not just Qiu Yuzi, there are three other people standing on her left and right.

The one who was sitting very close to them and feeling uneasy was Master Liang Zhongzhi, while the rest of them all had strange and tense expressions on their faces.

Zhao Yifu immediately understood what was going on when he saw this. He laughed and said, "My disciple was just trying to deceive people with his rhetoric. How could he really use the power of the sect to bully others?"

Qiu Yuzi said quietly, "No, quite the opposite. After I accepted your third brother as my disciple and gained a deeper understanding of your Zhao clan, I became worried that you might want to save trouble and not rely on the clan's influence."

Two elders next to him who looked familiar but whom he didn't know nodded in unison.

These words were like a knife stabbing Zhao Yifu's chest. He wondered how this sect could have no trust in him at all?
He could only protest: "Uncle Wu killed people at will. I never kill anyone..."

The elders rolled their eyes. Yes, you don't kill people, but you always break their limbs and let Wu Zhong kill them!
What a weird problem.

Qiu Yuzi interrupted him, saying, "Forget it, let's not talk about this. We've all read the letter you sent to the Landlord of Bei County. We were all teaching your brother in the mountains just now, and when we saw your letter, we decided to come here and talk to you."

Zhao Yifu's first reaction was to look at the sky outside.

Wu Zhong and his men had just returned late, and after all the trouble, it was already the turn of the Wu Hai era.

Converted into the time of the previous life, it would be around nine o'clock in the evening.

My goodness, it’s already dawn and my unlucky brother is still taking extra classes?

It’s so sad. I don’t know if this brother is still happy?

Of course, now is not the time to mention his younger brother. He just glanced at his master secretly and found that his master's expression was very serious.

He didn't even dare to speak nonsense.

No matter how arrogant he was outside during the day, he is so well-behaved now.

This cycle of cause and effect is indeed a retribution.

Liang Zhongzhi then said, "Jun Xin, let me introduce two elders to you first."

"This is Master Yan, the current Minister of Justice. He heard about your county magistrate's situation and came to understand the situation."

Zhao Yifu looked up and saw an old man with a stern face and a meticulous look.

He quickly clasped his fists and bowed deeply, saying, "Disciple Zhao Yifu, greetings to Senior Master Yan."

Master Yan stroked his beard and nodded without answering.

He doesn't look in a good mood.

Liang Zhongzhi pointed at another person and said, "This is Yuwei Jushi, the current Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, acting as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Yuwei Jushi heard that your Fenglin County has a deficit, so..."

Zhao Yifu quickly bowed once more, "Greetings, Senior Yuwei Jushi."

"Ah hello."

Mr. Yuewei is an elegant middle-aged man, and his demeanor is comparable to Liang Zhongzhi. The two seem to be of the same generation.

This person's attitude was a little better, but he still looked like he was in a bad mood.

After saying hello, Zhao Yifu stood quietly by, looking like a student who had made a mistake and was listening obediently to the teacher's scolding.

Qiu Yuzi said, "Okay, tell us about the overall situation here so we can understand the specific situation."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yifu immediately began to speak in an orderly manner.

From the time they arrived in Yuzhou and were coldly received, to when they discovered there was a problem and rushed to Fenglin County in advance, to what they did in Fenglin County, they told everything in detail without hiding anything.

When he finished, Master Yan said coldly, "You're being too rash. Although the procedure is acceptable, you've just arrived and you're venturing into that dragon's den all alone. Have you ever considered what might go wrong?"

Zhao Yifu was scolded, but he was not convinced in his heart.

He muttered quietly, "That can't even be called a 'Dragon Pond'. It's not even a small puddle."

Liang Zhongzhi's face changed immediately, and he thought to himself, "It's over."

Sure enough, Master Yan's eyebrows were raised when he heard this, and he said angrily: "Little puddle?"

"Do you know how many cultivators have perished in small puddles?"

"Since you are already an official, why can't you make good use of this status?"

Zhao Yifu stopped talking, fearing that his master would glare at him again if he spoke.

What’s even more hateful is that Qiu Yuzi and Yuwei Jushi both looked like they were enjoying the show and had no intention of helping out at all.

Liang Zhongzhi said: "Teacher Yan, this child is still young and naive..."

Master Yan immediately said, "If a teacher doesn't teach strictly, he's a lazy teacher. Seeing this child so careless and unprepared, there must be something wrong with you as a teacher!"

Liang Zhongzhi blushed immediately but did not argue.

But Zhao Yifu was unhappy when he heard this. How could someone else teach his master a lesson? He wasn't his master's grandfather!

Therefore, Zhao Yifu whispered again: "I have carefully evaluated it and I can definitely crush them easily, so I decided to cut the Gordian knot."

Master Yan became even more angry after hearing this. He said, "It seems you are still not convinced?"

Liang Zhongzhi hurriedly said, "Jun Xin! Hurry up and apologize to Master Yan. He just wants to teach you how to behave in society. There's no need to argue."

Zhao Yifu immediately shut up again.

But Master Yan was crazy about killing.

He turned to Liang Zhongzhi and said, "Shut up first. I'm talking to this kid."

He looked at Zhao Yifu again and said, "I heard that you practiced the 'Shou Ren Method' with your master before coming here. Can you tell me what level you have reached now?"

This is a test, but also a challenge.

Because everyone knows that if you follow the law of upholding Ren, you won’t achieve anything in three to five years.

However, Zhao Yifu clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "Disciple has mastered the Shouren Method."

Master Yan was shocked when he heard this, and his previous unhappy expression disappeared. He and the others looked at Zhao Yifu with surprise.

Finally, Qiu Yuzi confirmed, "The energy is flowing as one, and the whole body is harmonious. This is indeed a sign of the mastery of the 'Shou Ren Method.'"

"How long has it been?"

Liang Zhongzhi stood there in a daze. Although he was happy, he also felt like he had been struck by lightning.

He knew that Zhao Yifu could sometimes show great talent, and since he was favored by the master, he might surpass him one day.

But he never thought that Zhao Yifu would reach this line so soon.

That’s right, Liang Zhongzhi felt a huge sense of crisis.

I’m about to be surpassed by my apprentice!

No, we have to rise up.

Qiu Yuzi and Yuewei Jushi were both very surprised, wondering if Zhao Yifu had found some secret to practicing cultivation?

But before they could ask, the stubborn Master Yan had already asked:

"Now that you have mastered the 'Shou Ren Method,' you should understand its true meaning."

But before Zhao Yifu could say anything, Master Yan continued, "I know you have learned a lot of skills, and ordinary people are nothing in your eyes."

"But this is a very dangerous thing. When you get used to using your own strength to solve problems simply and crudely, you will ignore the feelings of ordinary people and get lost in the power."

"The Law of Guarding Benevolence exists for this very reason, to protect the benevolent thoughts in the hearts of cultivators... This is a bottom line to be protected!"

At this time, Zhao Yifu suddenly stopped being angry with Old Man Yan.

Just as Master said, Master Yan was expressing an attitude to him.

And he indeed understood this attitude, and even understood Master Yan's understanding of the "Law of Upholding Benevolence": the bottom line!
(End of this chapter)