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Chapter 50 Give a chance
Lu Qing took the account book found by the two yamen runners, and Zhu Yu also casually flipped through the one in his hand.

This sight almost made her laugh.

People say Li Wencai is stupid, but he can keep accounts.

It is said that he has a good brain, as he remembers every bribe he gave to his superiors meticulously and clearly.

Now, every stroke of the pen, every incident, is clear and obvious.

Zhu Yu had seen people who sacrificed their relatives for the sake of justice, but this was the first time he had seen someone so righteous that he would even sacrifice himself.

My eyes have been opened.

Just after he finished flipping through the account book in his hand, Lu Qing handed him two more. Zhu Yu flipped through them and felt even more "astonished" at the intelligence of County Magistrate Li.

In those two booklets, one recorded the monthly income of the rice and flour shop under his name, and the other one was even more impressive. It recorded the preferences of no less than ten court officials, from the Minister of Personnel Luo Yushu to the prefect of Congzhou Mao Fusheng.

And this hobby, of course, is not poetry, songs, calligraphy or painting, but beautiful women.

Zhu Yu flipped through it roughly. It is not known whether the records in it are accurate, but it is indeed very detailed.

This lord prefers those who are thin and light, with fair skin and waists that can be held in one hand, while that lord prefers those who are generous and cheerful, with exotic temperaments...

After flipping through two pages casually, Zhu Yu closed the booklet again. Although everyone is curious and she is just an ordinary person who eats grains, her intuition tells her that knowing too much about this kind of thing is not necessarily a good thing.

"Sir, this Lord Li is truly kindhearted. He's so worried about you having to worry and trouble yourself, so he's saved you the trouble." Zhu Yu handed the three account books back to Lu Qing and couldn't help but mock Li Wencai. "I hope you will appreciate Lord Li's kindness."

Lu Qing took it in his hand and weighed it: "I will definitely take his kindness seriously."

About an hour later, Li Wencai, who was locked in the room, heard footsteps in the yard again and hurriedly struggled to sit up from the bed.

He had been starved for two or three days by the censor. He had not had a drop of water or a grain of rice. He was so hungry that his limbs were weak and his whole body was powerless. His eyes were shining with golden light. In the golden light, he could vaguely see the ancestors of the Li family waving to him.

Fortunately, last night, the censor finally showed mercy and sent some food over. Although it was not much and was not enough to fill him up, it at least helped him regain some strength and sleep better at night.

Who would have thought that after having just eaten half a full meal, he would have no food again when he woke up this morning. The little bit of energy he had finally recovered was almost gone due to hunger again.

Hearing the noise outside, Li Wencai's mind was out of control. He confusedly controlled his hands and feet to support his heavy body and climbed up from the bed, stumbling to the ground.

As the footsteps got closer, he could even smell the aroma of food.

It seemed to be the smell of the food he ate every day, the usual craftsmanship of the chef at home.

However, I am used to eating it on a normal day and don’t find it strange. But now I feel that it is the most tempting delicacy in the world.

Soon, the footsteps stopped in front of the door. As the door lock was opened, several people in yamen runners' clothes came in one after another and stood in a circle beside the table. The cook of Li Wencai's family followed behind, holding the food box tremblingly, took out plates of food from it and placed them on the table, then hurriedly retreated.

The Golden-Faced Censor and his personal attendant, who was said to be the Chief Clerk, entered from outside. They lifted their robes and sat down at the table, picking up their chopsticks, ready to eat. Li Wencai, his head spinning with hunger, was too busy to react. He stumbled and tried to get closer to the table, but after taking two steps, he was stopped by two yamen runners, who looked at him with stern eyes and showed no respect for him at all.

Li Wencai was stunned for a moment, then came back to his senses and realized that the yamen runners standing in front of him looked very unfamiliar and were not from his own yamen at all. Looking more closely, he found that they were not wearing the official uniforms of the Taiping County Yamen.

Judging from the color and pattern, it seems to be from the provincial government, but it doesn't look like it came from the provincial government...

Although he was extremely hungry and the aroma of the food on the table almost made his soul fly out of his body, Li Wencai still tried to wake himself up. He looked at Lu Qing who was eating with his back to him, and quickly knelt on the ground.

"Your Excellency, I know I was wrong. I really do! It's my incompetence that has prevented me from governing Taiping County properly," he pleaded with Lu Qing in a tearful voice. "If you are angry with me, you might as well have someone beat me with a stick. Why make me suffer this?

If you are willing to give me a full meal now, even if you turn around and chop off my head, I will have no complaints! "

Lu Qing picked up a piece of mutton from the plate without stopping his chopsticks.

Li Wencai's eyes just happened to pass through the gap between the two yamen runners and saw the piece of mutton that Lu Qing was holding with the tip of his chopsticks.

The mutton was cut into thin slices no more than two fingers wide, neither too long nor too short during stewing. The mutton fat on it was almost melted, becoming translucent amber, and there was a lot of thick soup on the outside. The meat slices hung on the tip of the chopsticks and trembled, and every tremor touched Li Wencai's heart, making his mouth water, his stomach sour, and his heart bitter.

He watched helplessly as the piece of mutton, which was like the most precious delicacy in the world, was placed into the bowl of the chief official with trembling hands.

Li Wencai's stomach made a loud growl, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear clearly.

Lu Qing put down his chopsticks and turned around. The yamen runner next to him was very perceptive and immediately moved aside to make it easier for him to see Li Wencai clearly.

"Lord Li, you seem to have lost weight these past few days." Lu Qing's face was hidden behind the golden mask, making it impossible to see his expression at the moment, but his voice was clearly frozen with ice. "How does it feel to starve?"

"Life is worse than death..." Li Wencai cried, lying on the ground, and answered weakly.

"Thanks to you, the fatherly official, the people of Qingshui County have been living a life worse than death." Lu Qing snorted coldly, threw three account books from his hands, and slammed them in front of Li Wencai. "Thanks to all these 'good things' you have done."

Li Wencai secretly raised his eyelids and glanced at the thing that fell in front of him. When he saw the familiar cover of the account book, the little strength he had left disappeared immediately. His eyes rolled back and he almost fainted.

When he came to his senses again, he forced himself to stand up and wanted to crawl over to hug the censor's legs and beg for mercy, but those yamen runners who came from nowhere blocked him and would not let him get close to the censor at all.

"Sir! I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! I was confused and bewildered in the past. I deserve death!" Li Wencai's face was ashen, and he fell to the ground and kowtowed repeatedly. "Please give me a chance to make amends! I'll do anything you ask me to do!"

"I can give you a chance," Lu Qing glanced at the frightened Li Wencai, his eyes filled with disgust, "but only once."

"Thank you, sir! Thank you for your kindness! I will do anything you ask me to do!" Li Wencai quickly expressed his opinion.

"Okay, then I'll give you this chance. If you can do it, I'll let you go. If you go back on your word or can't do it," Lu Qing paused, "I'll hang you on the city gate and let you slowly die."

After saying that, he didn't give Li Wencai any chance to speak, and stood up and left.

(End of this chapter)