Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 305: Spare his life?
Although the Banshan Hall test was a trivial matter for the capital city, which had been in turmoil recently, the news of cheating spread like wildfire. Zhang Wuji, the son of Zhang Qiong, the Earl of Xiangyang, who was accused of cheating, was not immediately expelled from the examination room, but was angrily scolded by his father when he returned home.
"Your uncle has been fighting with Zhu Jing all his life, and this time he was even surpassed by Zhu Jing in terms of merit. Our Zhang family has already been laughed at, and you, a useless person, have even embarrassed the Zhang family in front of Zhu Jing's son-in-law!"
After scolding him, Zhang Qiong felt more and more disgusted with this tall but useless son. He was so angry that he kicked him to the ground and shouted, "Come here, tie this evil creature up for me, and then bring the family law. Beat him to death today and stop him from embarrassing himself in public!"
The Zhang family has three nobles, which is unique in the court, but they have different personalities. The eldest, Duke of Chu, Zhang Rui, is steady and generous. His fighting style focuses more on defense. He has strict military law and is as immovable as a mountain. The second, Earl of Xiangyang, Zhang Qiong, has a bad temper. When he is mad, he can defeat five thousand with only eight hundred men, but he can also capsize in a battle of equal strength, so he has the lowest title. As for the third, Marquis of Wuling, Zhang Mao...
He was a famous cunning man in the army, who could often use tricks that would make people gasp.
However, Zhang Dakuo only hoped that the person in front of him was his great uncle, or his third uncle, instead of his furious father. Zhang Rui and Zhang Mao were both reasonable, unlike his father, who would not listen to your explanation when he got angry! Even so, he still tried to open his mouth to argue a few words, but Zhang Qiong did not listen to him at all, but suddenly roared.
"What are you still standing there for? I told you to tie him up! And block his mouth! I don't want to hear him howling!"
There was no room for resistance at all. Zhang was tied up tightly on both sides, and a handkerchief was stuffed into his mouth. Seeing the servants looking at him with sympathy, but not slowing down at all, he immediately fell into despair.
My father has always ruled the family with military law. He can only call his friends and act tyrannically outside. At home, he has always been as honest as a quail. Even his two brothers who have established their own families are like this. Who can save him at this moment? Who dares to save him?
In his heart, he silently prayed to the gods and Buddhas, saying that he would be willing to work like a slave in the future and repay his father's kindness as long as he could escape this disaster. However, when he was dragged to the spring stool, he saw that the big stick of the family law had been brought out, and he saw that the servant who was executing the execution was his father's confidant who was always merciless, and he felt that he was doomed before he was beaten.
But just as Zhang Qiong gave the order, after he was hit hard on the buttocks several times, he suddenly heard a voice: "Master, Master, Doctor Zhang from the Imperial College is here! He said he wants to ask the Third Young Master something in person, so that he won't be blamed for nothing."
Zhang the big guy was beaten so hard by the heavy sticks that he was like a Buddha coming out of the world and two Buddhas ascending to heaven. The one he hated the most was Wu Silang who reported him for cheating. The second one he hated was Ji Jiu who was too slippery. But the third one he hated was Zhang Shou. If Zhang Shou hadn't suddenly asked for a separate test, how could he have resorted to such a desperate measure after being forced into a corner? Therefore, when he heard that Zhang Shou had come to his house, his first reaction was that someone had come to call him to task.
But when he heard the word , he suddenly shuddered and suddenly woke up. However, his hands and feet were tied and his mouth was blocked with a piece of rag. Even if he wanted to speak, he couldn't say a word. What made him even more shocked and angry was that because Zhang Qiong didn't give orders, the people who beat him didn't stop, but the frequency of the big stick falling was a little slower.
After being hit three or four times, he finally heard his father, Zhang Qiong, the Earl of Xiangyang, speaking in a voice that was clearly filled with suppressed anger: "This evil creature took the blame for something? Good, that's great. Stop for now. Go and invite Dr. Zhang over here!"
Although he was only hit seven or eight times in total, Zhang Dakuo knew that the executioner was ruthless and did not hold back at all. His buttocks and legs were burning with pain, and he was sweating profusely, and even his mind was a little dazed. He wanted to bite the tip of his tongue to stay awake, but the rag blocked his mouth tightly, and he couldn't struggle at all.
He didn't know how long it had been before he heard Zhang Shou's familiar voice: "Greetings, Earl of Xiangyang."
Zhang Qiong, the Earl of Xiangyang, had seen Zhang Shou when he was in the court, but they were too far apart, so he only saw that he was handsome and elegant, and that he had an . Although he later saw Zhang Shou's sharp edge, he just watched the fun and had never really interacted with him. Meeting him at home, he couldn't help but be a little picky.
Why should he be polite to the son-in-law of his eldest brother's enemy?
Therefore, he looked down at him for a moment, then sneered, "Dr. Zhang must have seen that I am disciplining my good-for-nothing son. But you just said that he was blamed for no reason... What, could it be that the news that he cheated in the Banshan Hall branch exam is false? If so, I will seek justice for him!"
When Zhang Shou saw the big guy Zhang, who looked like a half-dead man on the bench, suddenly struggled violently, he said calmly, "The word cheating was originally shouted out by his deskmate Wu Silang, but I never kicked him out of the examination room on the grounds of cheating."
Zhang Qiong frowned, thinking of the information he had overlooked before, and immediately asked stiffly: "Which Wu Silang?"
"The fourth son of the Wu family," Zhang Shou said nonchalantly, and then walked to the side of the bench. He suddenly waved his right hand downwards, and with a flash of cold light, the hemp rope that bound the big man's waist broke immediately. Without even looking at Zhang Qiong's expression, he directly cut the ropes tied to his hands and feet, and then took off the gag from the eight-foot-tall man's mouth.
After he straightened up again, he turned his fingers and the dagger in his hand turned beautifully, and then he put it back into the cowhide sheath. And at this moment, given the distance between him and Zhang Qiong, he naturally did not worry about being mistaken for carrying a sharp weapon and plotting something bad.
Seeing that Zhang Qiong's expression was no longer as stiff as it was at the beginning, Zhang Shou said with a smile: "Your son has been taught a lesson, can you spare his life? If the Earl of Xiangyang allows, I have a few words to ask Zhang Sanlang alone, is it convenient?"
Although he had regained his freedom, it took Zhang the big guy a long time to climb up from the bench. After hearing what Zhang Shou said, he couldn't help but glance at his father, but his eyes met those angry and murderous eyes. He was so scared that he trembled in his heart and lowered his head again.
Although Zhang Shou's words were vague and Zhang Qiong was not good at strategy, he had been in the court for many years and could think of countless conspiracies without thinking too much. Therefore, he had no time to care about an insignificant young son and snorted in annoyance.
"Hmph, since Dr. Zhang said so, I'll leave this rebellious son to you to discipline! But I'm in a bad mood today and don't want to see him, so you can take him away! The emperor has always praised you for making the prodigal son turn back, but seeing is believing. If you can make this good-for-nothing evildoer of mine learn well, then I will respect you! All right, you guys go!"
Zhang Shou had never expected Zhang Qiong to be so straightforward in ordering him to leave. Looking at the big guy Zhang who couldn't even stand steadily, he couldn't help but shook his head secretly. He was not familiar with this nominal student, so he didn't offer his hand to help him. Instead, he asked directly: "Zhang Sanlang, can you still walk? If not, I'll ask Ah Liu to come in."
"Yes...I can go." Although his forehead was covered with sweat, Zhang the big guy was extremely grateful for Zhang Shou's arrival. He was even more grateful that Zhang Qiong had chased him away and asked him to follow Zhang Shou - otherwise, if Zhang Shou just asked questions in private and left, he would most likely still be beaten up, so it would be better for him to follow Zhang Shou and get away.
He paused, and stood up straight with all his strength. He raised his hands solemnly, and bowed as hard as he could, saying, "Teacher, thank you for coming to your house today to plead for me. I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. Please accept my greeting."
After the ceremony, without waiting for Zhang Shou to say anything else, he bowed again to his father Zhang Qiong as a farewell, then gritted his teeth and limped away leading Zhang Shou out of the main hall.
When he stepped over the threshold, his hips and legs were in such severe pain that he stumbled and fell forward. Fortunately, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and pulled him up with such force that he could not resist. When he looked again, it was Ah Liu, whom he had seen several times.
Knowing that this was the loyal servant and expert that Zhu Er feared like a tiger and was even praised by the emperor, he hurriedly thanked him. But when he was about to break free and ask the person to help him walk, he heard a cold voice: "Don't be so stubborn!"
Zhang Shou also heard Ah Liu's warning, and when he saw that the big guy Zhang immediately calmed down, he couldn't help but laugh. Seeing that the people from the Xiangyang Marquis's Mansion were far away, he whispered, "Zhang Sanlang, let me ask you, is that the cheat sheet you have, or do you have another one? Was it given to you by someone else, or did you copy it yourself?"
Hearing this, Zhang Dakui was startled. When he wanted to deny it, he thought about his current situation and felt depressed. He said honestly, "There are three books in total. You took one away, and the other two are in my study. As for the notebook... I didn't copy it. Someone gave it to me. I spent fifty strings of money on it."
"In that case, take me to your study to get it."
When Zhang Dakuai thought about spending such a huge amount of money and getting such a result, he couldn't help but feel furious. But when he heard Zhang Shou's words, he didn't have time to be angry anymore. He hurriedly shouted: "But my father has already chased me away..." What if he made his father regret it?
Before anyone could finish their words, Zhang Shou said nonchalantly, "Your father won't care about such a small matter."
Although it might be easier to let Ah Liu go alone, and it would not be noticed, but Zhang Shou knew that it was not the time when he had just arrived in Beijing and few people knew about Ah Liu's ability, so there was no need to act rashly, so he made a prompt decision. As he expected, he and Ah Liu followed the big guy Zhang who led the way to the study, took the two notebooks and left, but Zhang Qiong did not care.
Zhang Sanlang, who was in a state of trepidation, finally felt that he had escaped death when he got on the carriage with great difficulty. He was afraid to sit because of his injuries on his hips and legs, so he could only apologize awkwardly and kneel on the seat beside him. As the carriage bumped, his wounds were constantly pulled, but he endured the pain and dared not cry out until the carriage finally stopped.
With the help of Ah Liu, Zhang Dakui let out a long sigh of relief. When Zhang Shou followed him down, he raised his hands solemnly, bowed again and said, "Teacher, if you hadn't come today, I'm afraid I would have been beaten to death by my father. If there is anything you need me to do, please let me know."
Zhang Shou knew before that the tall and strong man in front of him was not rough at all. At this time, he smiled and did not agree. He just gestured to Ah Liu to help the big guy Zhang to follow him in . When the gate of Zhang Garden was locked behind him, he said without turning his head: "You have the word cheating on your back, and you got a beating from your father. Don't you think it's all because of this test?"
If he had been beaten half to death without anyone stopping him, Zhang would have hated the heavens and the earth. But now he had escaped a disaster, and his mind had almost calmed down. He smiled bitterly and said, "I thought so before, but on second thought, I didn't study hard and I don't have much talent. Don't look at me as tall and big, but I am not good at literature or martial arts, so my father looks down on me the most."
People have said this, so Zhang Shou doesn't want to encourage them to be diligent and persevere any more - genius is one percent of talent plus ninety-nine percent of perspiration, but without that one percent of talent and the corresponding opportunities, most people's hard work will be in vain!
"Nine out of ten students in Banshan Hall are not very talented in studying, and eight out of nine are not very serious about studying. The reason why the annual and monthly exams were mostly acceptable was that most of the things I taught were very simple and there was not much that needed to be memorized. However, since there were no textbooks, most of the things I remembered were forgotten after the exams."
Zhang Shou heard the heavy breathing of the big guy Zhang behind him, so he said with a smile: "But I didn't expect that someone would summarize all my free-flowing lectures into words. So I really want to know where these three cheat sheets came from?"
After a moment's hesitation, the big guy Zhang said frankly, "After Ji Jiu became the acting head of the hall, I and a few other people were upset and forced him to pass on the answers during the test. As a result, we were frightened by him. Perhaps because he was afraid that we would not be reconciled, he coaxed us and said that he had the teacher's class notes and asked for fifty strings of cash. After I and a few others looked at the contents, we..."
Zhang Shou chose Ji Jiu as the acting head of the dormitory, not because he found him outstanding - with more than a hundred students, how could he have the ability to judge the personalities and character of each one? He just saw how he behaved when he came to Zhao Garden last time, and he was inspired on the spur of the moment.
Therefore, he never expected that Ji Jiu would have such a business acumen - although it is still far from Lu Sanlang locking people in a small dark room and forcing them to write popular serial novels, it is already rare.
He hesitated for a moment, then stopped and turned to look at Zhang the Big Guy: "Have you ever asked Ji Jiu where this thing came from?"
"Of course I asked, and the guy said he wrote it down himself." Zhang Dakuai was full of indignation, but then he said in a low voice, "I saw that the words on the notebook were indeed his handwriting, and the content was true, so I bought it... He even sold six copies."
"Very good." Zhang Shou laughed and said to Ah Liu directly, "Ah Liu, go find Ji Jiu and invite him to Zhang Garden. I didn't expect that besides Lu Sanlang, there is actually such a money-making boy."
