Chapter 1: Rebirth from the Ashes
I opened my eyes and everything was blurry.
When my pupils refocused, what I saw in front of me was not the white color I was used to seeing, but green. I felt like I was leaning in someone's arms, feeling extremely warm and at ease.
Then a drop of water fell on his face and a faint sobbing sound was heard.
I was actually leaning on a woman's arms? !
Zhu Hao tried hard to open his eyes wide, and finally saw it clearly.
This was a very beautiful woman with an oval face, willow-shaped eyebrows, a beautiful nose and soft lips. She was not wearing the usual white coat, but a long green cloth dress, which was quite strange.
Having been bedridden for a long time, the only person of the opposite sex he saw on weekdays was Miss Nightingale. With Zhu Hao's optimistic and cheerful personality, he naturally wanted to strike up a conversation with the nurse sister in front of him who he had never met but for some reason was dressed in ancient style. He wanted to say, "Miss, are you new here? Your clothes are so unique", but when the words came to his lips, he only uttered one word: "Mom..."
what's the situation?
The mouth is not controlled by the brain?
There was a sudden sharp pain in the head, and many images flooded into my mind. It was an extreme discomfort as if memories were being forced into me and my personality seemed to be torn apart.
What was imposed on him were fragments of memory. In the midst of excruciating pain, he suddenly realized that I was the intruder.
"Xiaohao, are you okay? You scared me to death!"
The woman hugged him tighter, and he felt suffocated. He wanted to push her away, but found that he could do nothing.
Own……
Thin arms and legs.
How could it still be the old body that I have used for more than 30 years?
It's just a child!
Could it be that the person in front of me is my mother?
A strong feeling of family affection surged in his heart, and Zhu Hao developed an inexplicable dependence on the woman in front of him. It was an emotional bond with the original owner of the body, which did not belong to him, but now his feelings were so strong and real.
Rise from the ashes?!
…
…
"Sister-in-law, isn't my nephew okay? And that guy, help your mother up quickly. What's the point of seeing a room full of old, weak, women and children crying?"
A man's voice was heard, and it sounded like a date pit stuck in the throat, which could neither be swallowed nor spit out, and was extremely harsh.
Zhu Hao turned his head and looked over...
Rat-like and mean!
Look around and feel proud!
He really wanted to slap this arrogant and ugly face, but he raised his white and tender little hand to his eyes and took a look, and finally gave up this unrealistic idea.
Second uncle...
This is the original owner's memory of the man in front of him, that is, the man is his father's brother.
As for my father...
My memory is a little fuzzy. I only vaguely remember that my mother often cried in front of a spirit tablet. The owner of the spirit tablet seemed to have died in the suppression of some rebellion in June or July, leaving behind a widow and orphans.
The Sixty-Seven Rebellion?
Zhu Hao searched deep in his memory for useful clues.
Could it be that Liu Liu and Liu Qi rebelled during the Ming Dynasty?
That was what happened between the fifth and seventh years of the Zhengde reign.
According to what my mother cried, my father passed away two years ago, which means it should be no more than the tenth year of Zhengde now.
My mother's name is unknown, and outsiders call her Zhu Niang.
As I recall, in addition to my mother and myself, his legitimate son, my father also had a concubine and her daughter, who were also kneeling on the ground, crying with their heads in their hands.
My mother and aunt were both around twenty years old.
His name was Zhu Hao and he was seven years old.
Half sister, Zhu Ting, five years old.
…
…
Try to sit up straight and take in the surrounding scene.
Besides his mother, aunt and younger sister, there was his second uncle Zhu Wanjian in his memory. They were currently in a rice shop. The shop was very large, at least a hundred square meters, with sacks of rice, flour, salt and grains lined up in rows. Behind a long and narrow counter on one side stood an accountant in his forties.
Consciousness gradually becomes clear.
The accountant's surname is Sun. He was not hired by my mother or aunt, but was assigned by my grandmother to be in charge of the accounts.
Behind Zhu Wanjian stood several yamen runners, and the shop entrance was crowded with people who came to watch the fun.
"His second aunt, what's going on?"
"I heard that the salt sold in the shop killed people, so the government sent people to seal it up."
The accent sounds like the Southwestern Mandarin popular in the central and western Hubei regions.
Zhu Hao's heart is as clear as a mirror.
During the Ming Dynasty, Hubei belonged to the Huguang Provincial Administration Commission. Huguang during the Zhengde period...that was where the Sleeping Dragon's residence was located, and the future Emperor Jiajing would emerge from here.
Zhu Wanjian urged: "What are you doing here, officers? Why don't you close the shop immediately? Especially those salts made from dead people, we can't keep them here!"
Can salt kill people?
It sounds weird!
But why was it my second uncle who brought government officials to seal up the shop?
Zhu Hao's mother handed her son to her aunt and stood up to plead: "My lords, my family has been selling salt for many years and there has never been any accident. How could someone die from eating salt? The victim must have eaten something unclean."
Zhu Wanjian sneered: "It is an indisputable fact that the salt sold in the shop has killed people. Could it be that the government would wrongly accuse you?"
There is something fishy.
Zhu Hao secretly figured that this rice shop and the yard behind it were specially awarded by the imperial court in recognition of his late father's loyalty. Most likely, the family wanted to take them back, so they had some evil ideas.
The current yamen runner foreman was a little hesitant: "Second Master Zhu, there is something wrong with the salt sold by the shop, but the victim is just vomiting and diarrhea, and is bedridden. He is far from dying..."
Seeing Zhu Wanjian's eyes almost spitting fire, the foreman of the yamen gritted his teeth and said, "Well, since there is a problem with the salt sold by the shop, the county magistrate sent us here to investigate the case, and we cannot neglect our duties . Madam Zhu, I'm sorry!"
After saying that, he came over to get the person.
At this time, Zhu Hao finally regained some strength. He broke free from his aunt's arms, stepped forward with open arms, and stood in front of his mother, aunt, and sister.
No matter how small your body is, you should try your best to contribute.
"Are you bullying the widow of a loyal official of the court and a widow of an orphan? Where is justice?"
Zhu Hao roared out almost heartbreakingly.
After saying this, my mind suddenly became open.
Being bedridden for a long time, the feeling of powerlessness as the life gradually left the body was really terrible. Now he has regained the feeling of being full of energy.
The yamen runner stopped in his tracks.
Zhu Wanjian was furious: "Are you still afraid of a little naughty boy? Arrest him and close the store!"
Zhu Hao picked up a carrying pole nearby and said, "Let's see who dares! If anyone dares to mess around, I will crash into him and kill him here. Let the world know that the government teamed up with the Zhu family to seize the property of orphans and widows, and forced the son of a loyal minister to death."
The foreman of the yamen runners was very helpless: "Brother Hao, please bear with us. We are doing our job according to orders, please don't hinder us."
The people who were watching the fun burst into cheers.
Zhu Hao said loudly, "Since we are investigating a case, where is the person who filed the complaint? Why is the victim not here, and it is our second uncle who brought you to seal up the shop? Is he trying to help others deal with his family members for the sake of justice?"
"Wow!"
As Zhu Hao raised the question, the people's discussions became louder.
The matter simply does not stand up to scrutiny.
"This kid who talks nonsense... Sister-in-law, is this the son you, as a chaste woman, have raised?"
Zhu Wanjian attacked Zhu Niang.
Zhu Niang stepped forward, leaned over and hugged Zhu Hao from behind, her face full of determination: "My son is right, I have never done anything illegal, the neighbors can testify to this."
"Yes, Zhu Niang is a good person!"
"Last year, when Nanyang was hit by a drought, Zhu Niang even opened a porridge stall outside the city to provide relief to the victims!"
“…”
The discussion was getting louder and louder. Zhu Wanjian could no longer hold back his anger. "The salt sold in the shop is faulty and people are sick from eating it. What's wrong with closing the shop? The main reason I took you to the government office is to ask where the salt came from... Are we going to let the poisonous salt continue to harm the neighbors?"
As soon as these words came out, the crowd's voices of support suddenly disappeared.
Zhu Niang looked at Zhu Wanjian with a pitying look in her eyes: "Second uncle, my late husband and you were brothers, we were blood relatives. This shop and the house behind were given to us by the court as a relief to our orphan and widow. Normally, 90% of the shop's income was sent to your house. Why don't you leave us a way to live now?"
When people heard this, they felt pity.
"I heard that the third master of the Zhu family died for his country and only two years ago, the Zhu family has already reached out to the orphans and widows..."
"They said there was something wrong with the salt. It must be the Zhu family's conspiracy. Otherwise, why didn't anyone come to complain today..."
"Yes, she worked hard to run the shop, and gave most of her income to her husband's family. Now they want to take away her shop, which she relies on for survival. Is there any law?"
The emotions of the onlookers were aroused once again, and they looked at the yamen runners and Zhu Wanjian with unfriendly eyes.
Compared with the Zhu family's wealth and official background, the people are more willing to stand on the side of the orphans and widows.
Seeing the fierce public opinion, the foreman of the yamen could not stand the pressure and said, "Master Zhu Er, what do you think?"
Zhu Wanjian cursed them in his heart for being fence-sitters, and immediately glared at Zhu Niang: "Who said I want to cut off your livelihood? Will you starve to death if you return to the Zhu family? There are so many fields and houses in the family, how can we miss this little bit from you?"
"I brought the officials to seal up the rice shop because I didn't want to bring disgrace to the Zhu family. You women and children can ignore it, but if something happens to the shop, it's the family that will be blamed! I did this all for the reputation of the Zhu family."
Zhu Niang said anxiously, "But the salt in the shop was bought by mortgaging the land and house and borrowing more than 100 taels of silver. After it was seized...how can we return it?"
Zhu Wanjian sneered: "Who told you to import so much salt at once? If something goes wrong, will you let the government break the law? Just return the land and house to your family, and they will pay off your debts for you..."
The real purpose is revealed!
But for the onlookers, they kept saying that they were doing it for the family's reputation, so even if they had doubts, they could only remain silent once again.
The scene was dead silent!
Seeing that the situation was irreversible, Zhu Hao suddenly pointed to the accountant beside him and said, "Sir, a few days ago I clearly saw him sprinkle a white powder into the salt we sold. I don't know what it was... Was it poisoned by him?"
The accountant's surname was Sun. He was shocked when he heard this: "Young Master, please don't talk nonsense. How...how could this happen?"
"You still don't admit it? You told me not to tell mother, and you gave me a few coins to buy sorghum candy..."
Zhu Hao's description was vivid. Zhu Niang had previously stated that the shop had been selling salt for a long time, and it just happened to happen in the past few days. There must be someone behind this.
It doesn't matter whether the Zhu family is behind this or not. Everyone knows that the widowed mother of an orphan is kind-hearted. In addition, Zhu Hao, a seven-year-old child, said so many detailed words that it is impossible not to be biased.
"It must be him!"
"This guy is a shady guy. You can tell at a glance that he is not a decent person. How can a grown man work as an accountant in a widow's store?"
"Yes, yes, yes, this person has bad intentions!"
The onlookers found their target of condemnation again.
Accountant Sun was at a loss for words and quickly turned to Zhu Wanjian for help: "Second Master, please make the decision for me. I didn't do that."
Zhu Hao sighed inwardly.
This guy didn't understand the situation.
Zhu Wanjian was eager to determine the nature of the poisoning incident in the shop. If he didn't sacrifice an insignificant little figure like Accountant Sun in the face of major events, who else would he sacrifice?
"All the officers have heard it. My nephew has personally admitted that it was his store's accountant who poisoned the salt. So there is no problem with closing the store and seizing the salt, right?"
Zhu Wanjian did not disappoint Zhu Hao's expectations. He immediately took advantage of the situation and insisted that it was accountant Sun who poisoned the person.
Zhu Hao glanced at the horrified accountant Sun, who still didn't understand how he had been abandoned.
The foreman of the yamen officers breathed a sigh of relief: "In that case, let's seal it up."
Zhu Niang said with a bitter face: "Sir, since the salt we are selling is poisoned by Accountant Sun, then the salt stored in the warehouse should be fine..."
Zhu Wanjian sneered: "That's hard to say. Whether the salt in the warehouse is poisonous or not, we have to bring the people back to the government office for a detailed interrogation before we can determine it... You can forget about keeping the salt."
Zhu Hao frowned: "Since the salt is problematic, then just confiscate the salt, but why close the shop? We are all good citizens. Since the salt is problematic, we are willing to destroy all the salt to prove our innocence!"
"good!"
The crowd roared and applauded.
Zhu Niang was surprised: "Xiao Hao, what are you talking about?"
Zhu Wanjian smiled smugly: "Nephew, are you crazy? The salt was seized by the government, and there is still a chance to get it back, but you insisted on destroying it. Are you... trying to destroy the evidence?"
Zhu Hao pursed his lips.
You are in cahoots with the magistrate. The salt must have been taken away by you after it entered the government warehouse. Why would I throw it out when I know that throwing meat buns at a dog will never come back?
Zhu Hao said, "We just want to keep our business... Gentlemen, and Uncle Er, there is a big pond in my backyard. If you agree, we can pour all the salt in the warehouse into it and compensate those who got sick from eating salt. I wonder if this will close the case?"
"this……"
The foreman of the yamen runners looked embarrassed and said, "We need to ask the county magistrate for permission first."
Zhu Wanjian smiled and said, "If you really do this, I will tell Magistrate Shen to withdraw the case."
It’s not that Zhu Wanjian is magnanimous and kind. For him, all he wants is the land and houses of his deceased third brother, and everything he does is to serve this goal.
It is easy to be criticized for robbing an orphan and a widow of their property, and the reaction of the onlookers also proves this. Now Zhu Hao says he wants to pour the salt into the pond. How is he going to pay back the hundreds of taels of silver he owes for purchasing goods on credit?
If he fails to pay it back, the property will eventually fall into the hands of the Zhu family. After all, it was Zhu Wanjian who was in charge of all the procedures including purchasing goods and buying on credit.
We just forced you to the edge of the well, but you insisted on jumping into it, so you can't blame others for adding insult to injury.
The foreman of the yamen runners said, "Since Master Zhu Er has said so, let's do as Brother Hao said...all the remaining salt will be gone."
Zhu Wanjian suddenly realized something, "Pouring it into your own pond may cause problems. You should pour it into the river..."
Zhu Hao said, "Second uncle, you said it had nothing to do with the case, so why do you say now that it can influence the decision of the county magistrate? If the salt is really poisonous, how will the neighbors get water for washing clothes and cooking? Wouldn't all the fish and shrimp die? We poured it into our own pond because we didn't want to have too much impact. Don't you think we can fish out the melted salt and sell it?"
Zhu Wanjian secretly hated himself for his hasty words. What he said could ask the county magistrate to withdraw the case was obviously inconsistent with the situation he had initially described.
Sure enough, the onlookers were whispering again.
Think again.
As Zhu Hao said.
In these days, in order to turn the salt dissolved in the pond water into edible salt, the cook had to boil the salt. The cost of firewood, iron pots and other salt-boiling tools was definitely not something a few orphans and widows could afford.
Moreover, once the salt is poured into the pond, even if it is boiled out, there will inevitably be a lot of impurities. In peaceful years, no one would be stupid enough to eat this kind of salt.
"good!"
Zhu Wanjian agreed to this plan.
Zhu Niang begged: "My Lords, please show mercy. This is the last chance for us, an orphan and a widow, to survive..."
The foreman of the yamen runners said, "Mrs. Zhu San, this is your son's suggestion. If you don't agree to destroy the salt, we can only seize the salt and close the shop... You are a chaste woman bestowed by the court. You won't starve to death even if you don't do business. You also gave birth to a child for the Zhu family. The Zhu family is a family of Jinyiwei. How could they let you, an orphan and a widow, wander the streets?"
This makes sense.
The onlookers nodded in agreement.
Before Zhu Niang could say something, Zhu Hao went over and pulled her sleeve.
"Mom, if you have a green mountain, you will not be afraid of running out of firewood. The most important thing is to keep the shop. If the shop is closed, then everything will be gone. With the shop in hand, everything can be planned in the long run."
