Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 774: Threat? Compromise?
The adjective "full of evil deeds" should not be used casually. At least as far as Master Kong knew, except for traitors, treason and many murderers, no one would easily use this word to describe a doctor of the Ministry of Rites. At least, Zhu Tingfang, the eldest son of the Duke of Zhao who was praised by everyone for his talent in both civil and military affairs, could not be unaware of this taboo.
Although he felt like he had been hit hard on the head, he still pulled himself together and sneered, "Mr. Zhu said that he was a man of many evil deeds. I am very curious, what crimes did he commit to deserve these four words?"
Seeing that Grand Secretary Kong was referring to Master Kong Jiu directly this time, with a vague intention of drawing a clear line between them, Zhu Tingfang smiled faintly, and then lightly told him about the man who hired a killer to murder his colleague's young son. He then listed one by one the various bad deeds that Master Kong Jiu had done over the years, including fighting with others for property, land, and favors, and even involving human lives.
It was not until Grand Secretary Kong's face twitched that he slowly said, "So, your sister-in-law cried and complained that the Five Cities Military Department didn't care about the life or death of your cousin, Grand Secretary Kong, and insisted on taking him back to the government office. But I have to say that when he was doing evil, did he ever consider the lives of others?"
Scholar Kong really didn't know that his cousin, who always seemed smart and capable, would actually do such an outrageous thing behind his back. Fighting for inheritance was easy to deal with. You have to know that there are so many dignitaries in the capital. How many of them are so noble that they never compete with the people for profit in private? But using his name to lobby for favors, which even involved a lawsuit involving human lives, was terrible.
However, what he could not tolerate the most was that his cousin, for his own benefit, even went so far as to murder the young son of his colleague... He was simply as vicious as a snake and deserved to be put to death!
With a breath stuck in his throat, Kong Daxueshi felt that his breathing was a little difficult. He certainly hoped that Zhu Tingfang was slandering him and making up a false accusation... But the problem was that he knew Zhu Tingfang very well and knew that he would never arrest someone without a thorough investigation or even without witnesses or evidence.
However, he couldn't just helplessly let Zhu Tingfang take his cousin away, so he said with a gloomy face: "Mr. Zhu always talks about a series of cases. I dare to ask why no one has exposed so many cases before? Could it be that when Wang Datou was around, his ruthlessness and impartiality were not as good as you and Duke Qin, one in charge of Shuntian Prefecture and the other in charge of Wucheng Bingmasi?"
If it were any other young person, faced with such questioning and provocation, he would probably be furious, but Zhu Tingfang was a person of quietness like a virgin and agility like a rabbit. Hearing this, he didn't even frown.
"Wang Datou is indeed the most responsible and impartial person, but if even the victim himself thinks that what he encountered was an accident and never goes to the government to report it, then even if he has great ability, he will not be able to trace the real culprit unless he conducts a night trial in the underworld. Therefore, I was just lucky in these cases that Wang Datou did not discover at the beginning."
Zhu Tingfang raised his lips as he spoke: "Who made my brother-in-law have an all-powerful butler? Someone was so desperate that he had to kill this monster halfway, and ended up killing a black hand who was very good at doing dirty work for these dignitaries? This guy confessed some things. Of course, you can also think that he is talking nonsense, Mr. Kong, but..."
He paused and said nonchalantly, "But you should have heard about the ghost story in your cousin's house not long ago. He sent his trusted servants to several temples to perform rituals for a colleague's young son who had no relatives and died at a young age. The cost of offerings and incense alone was two to three thousand strings of cash. Have you heard about it, Grand Secretary Kong?"
Scholar Kong originally thought that all the clues Zhu Tingfang got were from a guy who had been arrested, and he had planned to make a fuss about this. But when he heard Zhu Tingfang say that Master Kong Jiu had spent so much money to perform a ritual for a dead child just because of a mere ghost, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
Judging from his cousin's character of not doing anything unless there is something beneficial, this is definitely not normal!
Having said that, he still sneered and said, "Although I don't know why he suddenly spent a lot of money on a ritual, but if you want to convict him just for this, don't you think it's too far-fetched, Mr. Zhu?"
"Whether it's far-fetched or not, only God knows. At least, when I showed up in front of your brother with my men, he was terrified and kept saying that every wrong has its perpetrator, and asked me to find the person who did it to avenge him. He said, it was all that guy who did it!"
Zhu Tingfang smiled as he spoke, but that smile looked a little ferocious: "I forgot to tell Master Kong that my guard who went in first was dressed as a judge. He was already distracted and must have been frightened."
Zhu Tingfang spoke calmly about this totally unpresentable trick of dressing up as an evil ghost to scare people, as if he was not afraid at all that Grand Secretary Kong might order people to impeach him in a fit of rage, or use other means to put pressure on him.
However, Grand Secretary Kong only thought of questioning Zhu Tingfang's despicable means at the beginning, but this thought was fleeting. Because even if the news spread, Zhu Tingfang would at most be scolded by the emperor for making trouble - he did have an excuse to make trouble when he was in his early twenties, but Master Kong Jiu was different.
Doctor Taichang, who should be the most polite, is afraid of ghosts and gods? You have done nothing wrong, so why are you afraid of ghosts knocking on your door! If you knew how to fear ghosts and gods, you should not have had such a harmful idea in the first place!
Under the quilt, the hand of Kong Daxueshi was clenched into a fist, and his nails even pierced deeply into the palm. He used this pain to remind himself not to be easily angered by Zhu Tingfang. You know, if Zhu Tingfang hadn't been angry and his son-in-law and daughter-in-law were frightened and made a big mistake, he wouldn't have been forced into such a passive situation.
After a long silence, he asked in a hoarse voice, "So, Master Zhu is determined to take the person away today?"
He thought he would hear a positive answer, but he was greeted with a laugh from Zhu Tingfang. "That's not necessarily true. Your brother is now in a trance, as if he has really seen a ghost. I will take him back by force. If something happens to him before I can ask him, I won't be able to explain it. But, Master Kong, you have to show your attitude."
Although Zhu Tingfang expressed a tone that everything was negotiable, Confucius, far from feeling relieved, became even more alert. He was too lazy to test the waters, so he simply asked directly, "What's your attitude?"
"Of course it's...sincerity."
Zhu Tingfang, who had always been a stubborn person, suddenly acted as if he was asking for a bribe. He also knew that unless Academician Kong was extremely stupid, he would not believe it, so he simply pulled aside the curtain that Academician Kong had just put down and came face to face with him.
Seeing that Grand Secretary Kong had a pale face, angry eyes, and a face that was much thinner than the last time he saw him, as if he was really sick, he couldn't help but chuckle: "If your brother's case gets out of hand, Grand Secretary Kong, as an elder, I'm afraid you will inevitably end up like Elder Jiang. And if such a scum appears in the family, I'm afraid the future of many younger generations will be affected."
Scholar Kong naturally could not tolerate such a blatant threat. He knew very well that in the officialdom, facing coercion or blackmail, the result of taking a step back might be that he would be forced to take steps back, and in the end he might even fall into an abyss. So, without even thinking about it, he sneered and said, "If that's the case, the worst that can happen to the Kong family is that they will be closed off to study for three generations!"
This was of course an angry remark, as if a broken jar was broken. The price of not serving as an official for three generations was devastating for any scholarly family that was committed to passing on the family name. Moreover, this was not because they were forced to live in seclusion at home because they had offended the emperor or powerful officials, but because they had an unfilial son who had ruined the family name.
But now, Academician Kong can only use such a hard attitude to deal with Zhu Tingfang, because he knows very well that Zhu Tingfang's character is the same as Zhu Jing's, and he has mastered the essence of Sun Tzu's Art of War. The so-called "fast as wind, slow as forest, aggressive as fire, still as mountain, unpredictable as shadow, and powerful as thunder" refers to this kind of person.
Therefore, he could only show his determination to fight to the death to show that he would never compromise.
Sure enough, under his glare, Grand Secretary Kong only saw Zhu Tingfang chuckle, but then he sat back leisurely: "So, Grand Secretary Kong, don't you think that as your brother and as a cabinet minister, you should comfort the victim's family on behalf of your brother? Your brother's colleague who lost his son innocently has passed away now, but he still has a daughter alive."
"As for those whose property was seized innocently, some are now living a hard life, while others are struggling to rebuild their family businesses, but they are all struggling to survive. Shouldn't you give them a hand, or use the property of one of the instigators as compensation?"
"For example, should those lawsuits that have already been settled be reopened to give justice to the party that was originally in the right?"
Academician Kong understood immediately what Zhu Tingfang meant. His cousin's most serious crime, hiring someone to kill his colleague's son, could be covered up without anyone knowing. The price was to "compensate the other party." However, compared with the subsequent events, this compensation could be done quietly in private.
Of course, Master Kong Jiu will still be held accountable, but it will only be for the two charges of seizing property and lobbying for favors. At least it will not bring an indelible bad reputation to the Kong family.
Kong Daxueshi could not accept Zhu Tingfang's obvious concession with a clear conscience, because he knew that Zhu Tingfang was not easy to talk to. He took a deep breath and asked in a low voice: "You have said so much, so what are the terms of the exchange?"
"The terms of exchange... are very simple." Zhu Tingfang smiled, and then said nonchalantly, "The day before yesterday, Grand Tutor Ge invited a lot of people to gather at his residence, and they were full of praise for Chen Baisha from Guangdong. I heard that he was recommended to the capital by Qian Jijiu, the former Imperial College, but the original lecture at the Imperial College was disrupted, so we planned to invite him to give a lecture at the public school."
Seeing that Grand Secretary Kong's face had indeed become quite interesting, as if he had anticipated what he was going to say next, Zhu Tingfang said with a smile: "My father certainly intends to go and see the people that Grand Tutor Ge admires, and so does Duke Qin. Grand Secretary Kong, as a highly respected cabinet minister, hopes he can also attend."
This was undoubtedly Zhu Tingfang's exchange condition. At first glance, it seemed simpler and less demanding than he had expected, but Master Kong had been upset by this matter before, so how could he be willing to help someone like this?
Zhang Shou seemed to be very successful and even became the prince's teacher. However, Ge Yong was indeed respected by countless people in the literati circle, but this respect would not be passed on to Zhang Shou, because what Zhang Shou inherited was not Ge Yong's literary reputation of being the seventh highest in the imperial examination, nor his talent for being proficient in all kinds of articles and poems, but only mathematics.
Moreover, Ge Yong accepted disciples casually, and would not accept disciples who were not interested in mathematics. Therefore, among the important officials of the court, except for Chen Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue and Li Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, the remaining disciples of Ge Yong were all in the local areas. Looking at this situation, no one from the Ge family would enter the cabinet in the future. Not to mention Zhang Shou, even if he became the emperor's teacher, it was only superficial.
However, the Chongren School is different. It is a very large group! Once it has the support of Ge Yong, it will have a different meaning. There are already many outstanding people who come to study here, and in a blink of an eye, it will become a place where people from all over the world follow.
Scholar Kong moved his lips, and a refusal was on the verge of his mouth, but he finally just smiled and said, "Since Master Ge wants to make the public school famous in this way, wouldn't it be too reserved for me to refuse? Okay, when Chen Xianzhang gives a lecture at the public school, I will definitely go to support him."
But he added secretly in his heart: Not only Chen Xianzhang, there are so many famous scholars and wise men who will go to the public school to give lectures. I will at least pick a few of them to support them. I will even invite more people to help out when some of them give lectures. In this way, your desired goal cannot be achieved!
Although this also means bringing fame to the public school, the public school is just a place for lectures anyway. Those students may not be able to stand out in a year or two, even in ten or eight years or even longer. What is he worried about?
Could it be that he was worried that the sons of peasants would be able to pass the imperial examination after studying? Given the public school's eclectic enrollment model, it would be amazing if the public school could produce two scholars in ten years!
Gu, who was standing outside the door, stopped her sister-in-law Zhao, who was in tears, and waited for a long time before she saw Zhu Tingfang coming out of the house leisurely. At this moment, the two women, who were both very worried about their husbands, could no longer hold back and hurriedly went forward to meet him.
Before they could even open their mouths, Zhu Tingfang said casually, "Since Grand Secretary Kong has interceded for me, and Master Kong Jiu is so ill that he is emaciated, I will not take him back today. However, I hope he will stay at home honestly. After all, many lawsuits involve him. These cases will all be transferred to Shuntian Prefecture, and Duke Qin will preside over justice."
Seeing Zhu Tingfang walk away after saying this, Zhao's legs softened immediately. If it weren't for the maid beside her supporting her in time, she would have almost sat down on the ground. When she woke up, she couldn't help but thank Gu profusely, but she didn't know that this sister-in-law who she always respected felt bitter at this moment. This was obviously a compromise, and she didn't know how much her master had paid!
