The beloved baby has a space

Chapter 572 Strange Things About the Charity Hall

Qin Huai had no intention of playing dumb to deceive others; he didn't have the time or inclination. He also didn't invoke the name of the Duke of Yong's mansion, only revealing his status as a student of the lowest degree. If Empress Qin hadn't intervened, Qin Huai would at least be a scholar who had passed the provincial examination by now.

There are plenty of students who have completed the preliminary examinations in Wanning City; they are inconspicuous figures, but that means they are also students.

Students bullying ordinary citizens is one law, while bullying students is another.

In the end, Lu Shusheng apologized to Ayu and compensated her with 10 taels of silver.

Ten taels of silver in Wanning City could support an average family of five for a year, but for a student, it was a huge financial burden.

"The teachings of the sages apply to both men and women. Scholar Lu, you have wasted your time studying the sages' books. Have your teachers ever taught you the principle of not speaking out of turn?" After speaking to the ashen-faced scholar Lu, the prefect then loudly addressed the other students, "Although everyone has their own aspirations, one must not disregard the law in one's conduct. I will not delve into your personal motives, but in your actions, you must not be reckless, or the law will teach you a lesson!"

The student quickly bowed and agreed, not daring to utter a single complaint.

The Dachang Law does not say that women should be respected or that they should not be insulted, but it does state that “those who deceive others shall be punished with ten strokes of the cane; those who insult others shall be punished with ten strokes of the cane; those who defile others shall be punished with ten strokes of the cane,” and women are naturally included in this category.

Moreover, the law also states: "Those who first deceive, insult, or defame others shall be severely punished."

The prefect did not sentence Lu the scholar for deceiving others, but instead sentenced him for insulting and slandering others. Insulting others would result in ten strokes of the cane, and slandering others would result in ten strokes of the cane. However, since he was a student seeking official rank, he could be exempted from the caning and instead redeemed himself with money or paper money.

The ransom was one tael of silver per battle. Out of twenty taels, ten taels were confiscated and ten taels were awarded as compensation.

"Wenshu" refers to the unpaid clerical work dispatched by the Celestial Empire government, which is used to offset debts. One battle can be used to pay for two months' worth of work, so twenty battles would amount to forty months' worth of work.

Lu Shusheng would naturally choose to redeem himself with money.

After leaving the government office, Lu Shusheng was still indignant, but he remembered the lesson he had learned and did not utter any more arrogant words. Instead, he stared fiercely at Qin Huai.

Once he achieves success and fame, he will surely avenge today's humiliation!
Ayu rarely dislikes anyone. Even those who are vicious and wicked, Ayu doesn't hate them, but rather feels sympathy for them. She sympathizes with the darkness in their world and with the chaos that has extinguished their minds.

She disliked this scholar Lu because he wasn't a stupid person, but he wasn't very bright.

Outside the government office, several scholars were indignant, but they knew this was not the place to talk.

Lu Shusheng walked directly in front of Qin Huai, who moved aside with A Yu before coldly asking, "What is it?"

"Qin Huai! I, Lu Yu, may be impulsive, but you are no better. Since you were originally a student taking the imperial examination, why didn't you make it clear in the first place? Besides, just because there is no evidence doesn't mean you didn't do it. If you're so capable, let's have a fair and square competition. Don't you care about tarnishing the name of the sage by resorting to such low-class tricks!"

Everyone looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Ayu simply tossed the ten taels of silver in her hand, looking very happy, and said, "Brother Ayou, we got ten taels of silver for free! I just saw a charity on the cruise ship. Let's go and buy some food for the children there."

Charity halls only appear in large cities, mainly to help people who cannot afford to eat. People come and go every day, and they are mostly the lonely and widowed.

Qin Huai smiled and said, "Okay."

Ayu then looked at Grandma Wang and said, "Grandma, shall we go to the charity hall?"

Old Mrs. Wang would never say no, so they headed towards the charity hall.

When Lu Shusheng saw that he was being ignored, he was so angry that he wanted to jump up and down.

He hated Ayu even more in his heart, and had cursed her countless times in his mind.

"Qin Huai! I will definitely pass the imperial examination with flying colors and rank among the top! You wait, if you fail, I will make fun of you!"

At such a young age, he doesn't appreciate the value of education and instead spends his time with women. What kind of future can such a person have?
What Lu Shusheng didn't know was that he would soon be proven wrong, and his words would be completely back at him.

At this moment, Ayu had already led Qin Huai and Old Lady Wang to a charity hall. The entrance to the charity hall was somewhat old, and the two gatekeepers were still dozing off. Inside, several people could be vaguely seen cleaning.

Ayu didn't go to buy it directly, but instead thought she should go to the charity hall to take a look.

"Excuse me, sir, how many poor people are still living in the charity?"

Actually, there is a charity hall in the prefectural city, which is kept relatively clean and tidy, but it is also somewhat deserted. When traveling for study, you may occasionally encounter one or two, but it is not lively.

Therefore, Ayu didn't go there often.

The main issue is that she doesn't want these ten taels of silver today. Throwing them away wouldn't be good either, so it would be better to use them to do some good deeds.

Hearing someone ask a question, the gatekeeper on the left woke up and was a little confused when he saw Ayu and her group: "Young lady, what's going on here?"

“We plan to give something to the poor people in the charity hall,” Ayu said.

The term "pitiful people" doesn't refer to the people inside the charity, but rather to a general term for those who receive aid from the charity. Ah Yu heard it so often that she started using it too.

“Oh dear, you’ve come at a bad time,” the gatekeeper said. “This morning, a kind-hearted gentleman found work for the poor people and even paid them their wages in advance. So all the poor people in the charity hall have left, not one is left.”

Ayu exclaimed in surprise, "Not a single one left? Men, women, and children all went? What kind of work was it?"

“I’m not too sure either. They say that you can earn more by working at the docks. If it’s a child or an old woman, as long as they work there, they can at least get a full meal a day, but there’s no pay. They think it’s not bad, so they go along,” the gatekeeper said. “Among the poor people, there are quite a few who are ambitious and don’t want to eat and drink for free in the charity hall all day long. They think about earning some wages themselves.”

Ayu still felt something was off: "Do you know that rich man? Which dock did they go to? Did they say if they would come back?"

The gatekeeper opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the other gatekeeper also came to his senses and said unhappily, "Young lady, we're just gatekeepers, how can we manage so much? Besides, these poor people aren't under the jurisdiction of our charity. They're much freer than us. They can come and go as they please. How can we possibly manage them?"

As he spoke, he glared at another gatekeeper: "You just gossip and spread rumors. Be careful, or the person in charge will scold you again."

The two continued talking to themselves, completely ignoring Ayu and the others.

Ayu looked at Old Mrs. Wang.

Grandma Wang raised her chin: "Go find your grandfather first."

Anyone with eyes can see that something is amiss; it's certainly not as simple as it seems on the surface.

Ayu stopped worrying about it for the time being. They came to Sansi Street hoping to find their second uncle and then their grandfather.

Sansi Street is a treasure trove, where every inch of land is incredibly valuable. During the annual scientific expeditions, even the corridors of the houses here can be rented out.

Grandma Wang bought an entire courtyard here and divided it into ten small residences, each small but perfectly formed.

All six small rooms were rented out, with prices ranging from ten to one hundred taels per month. The remaining four were reserved by Old Mrs. Wang for the Wang family's children.

Wang Chuangui lived in one of the small residences.

After passing the charity hall, walk another hundred steps or so, and you will reach the courtyard that Old Mrs. Wang bought.

The person standing at the door, who else could it be but Old Wang?

"Grandpa!" Ayu called out in a clear voice.

(End of this chapter)