The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

After a while, Grandma Daya came over with a lot of food in a lunch box. Together with the sesame and meat-filled biscuits that Zhang Ping'an had just bought on the road, the family had a dinner together.

This is nothing in modern times, but in ancient times it was indeed something that made most people feel very unlucky. Zhang Laoer spoke firmly just now, but after finishing his meal and going to bed, he still couldn't help sighing.

Zhang Ping'an plans to go to Lin Junhui tomorrow to inquire about this family. He is definitely more informed about this wealthy family than himself.

While working in the provincial school library, Zhang Ping'an had come across many rare books and inscriptions that could not be found elsewhere. He took the time to copy and bind them all together. He had been planning to bring them to visit Lin Junhui during his day off, but he had to take a leave of absence to go early tomorrow.

After arriving at the provincial school the next day, Zhang Ping'an went to the library secretary to ask for half a day off. Since he usually performed well, the secretary did not make it difficult for him and approved it readily.

Zhang Ping'an then went out and called a car to rush to the yamen. Lin Junhui worked in the yamen. Although it was a sinecure, he had to go to work on weekdays. He was not on holiday today, so he was probably at the yamen.

After arriving at the yamen and asking someone, Zhang Ping'an found out that Lin Junhui was indeed there. He then spent a few copper coins to have someone go in and help pass the message along.

Lin Junhui was surprised when he came out. He smiled and asked, "Ping An, shouldn't you be fully preparing for the exam at the state school? How come you have time to come to see me now?"

Zhang Pingan shook his head and smiled bitterly, saying, "Brother Lin, could you please excuse me for a moment and talk?"

"Okay, come with me," Lin Junhui didn't ask any more questions. He was a smart man and knew that there must be something private to be said.

After listening to Zhang Ping'an's story, he recalled it in his mind for a moment before saying, "I'm not very familiar with the Kong family you mentioned. They have some reputation in Lin'an City, but they are not well-known. However, in the eyes of ordinary people, they should be considered a wealthy family. Their old man has passed away long ago. There are five brothers in the family. The eldest and the second are ninth-rank officials in the government office. The third is a scholar, who seems to be a teacher in the academy. The fourth and the fifth are businessmen, especially the fifth branch, which is engaged in the business of maritime silk and tea. I heard that they are very rich, but the head of the family died in a shipwreck last year. Both father and son were found. The widow you mentioned should be the widow of the deceased son of the fifth branch of the Kong family based on her age."

"Could it be a fight over the family property, so..." Zhang Pingan guessed. Money has always been a fascinated person, so you can't blame him for his conspiracy theory.

Lin Junhui smiled, calmly took a sip of tea and continued, "Greed is the nature of most people, it's nothing strange. If I'm not mistaken, this widow must have a young child, so she got a huge share of the family fortune. She herself has no ability or backing, so it's only a matter of time before she's swallowed up by someone else. That's why this happened. If she had been more sensible, she wouldn't have been accused of such an unseemly crime. Whether the man your fifth sister is engaged to was wrongly accused or not, you'll know after you see whether the subsequent developments are as I described!"

"I understand," Zhang Ping'an nodded. It was just as he guessed. The head of the Deng family was most likely a scapegoat who died unjustly.

This is a cannibalistic world!

Seeing Zhang Ping'an's calm expression, Lin Junhui looked him up and down and continued, "It seems you've grown a lot. In the past, you would have definitely gotten to the bottom of this matter."

Zhang Ping'an shook his head and said calmly, "You have to be qualified to dig deep. There's no point in talking too much, and there's no point in asking too much. It's better to save some time and energy and put it on useful things. I still have to prepare for the provincial examination! Oh, and thanks to you for telling me this news in advance, I bought a lot of time."

"That's right. If you had passed the provincial examination, your situation would have been completely different," Lin Junhui smiled, then added meaningfully, "We're classmates, from the same place. If you want to have a future, we can help each other. Even if you're just a lowly official in the government, you won't make it big on your own."

"You're right," Zhang Pingan replied.

"I'm very optimistic about you," Lin Junhui raised an eyebrow and changed the subject: "So how are you going to handle this?"

"Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt has its creditor. This matter has nothing to do with my family. I come to ask you just to know a fact. Even if the injustice is to be redressed, the second son of the Deng family has to go himself. I won't worry too much about it. It may only hinder the marriage of my fifth and sixth sisters, but there is no rush in the next few months. Let's talk about it after I finish the provincial examination in August!" Zhang Ping'an thought for a while and said.

"If you get the title of Juren, I can ask my wife to help your two sisters keep an eye out for good husbands among the families around them. It shouldn't be difficult to find a good husband for them," Lin Junhui said, which was also a disguised hint and solicitation.

"Thank you very much, Brother Lin," Zhang Ping'an said with a bow. He understood what Lin Junhui said. No matter what Lin Junhui's purpose was, the process and result were good. It would be fine to talk about other things after the provincial examination.

After leaving the yamen, Zhang Pingan went to Deng's house again.

The Deng family has already set up the mourning hall today and placed the body in the coffin. The burial will take place after the seventh day.

Deng Lao Er was kneeling in mourning in the main hall, burning paper. When he saw Zhang Ping'an coming, he stood up and said angrily, "What are you doing here? Humph, your Zhang family didn't keep their engagement. I was planning to go to your house to find you after my eldest brother was buried!"

Zhang Pingan saw that Deng Laoer's face was bruised and his legs were not in good condition. He asked in confusion, "Who hit you?"

The tribesman nearby explained, "After you left yesterday, Qingshi went to the Kong family again to seek an explanation and justice, but was beaten out. If we hadn't pulled him away quickly, he would have been killed!"

As he spoke, he sighed, with a hint of resentment: "Since ancient times, the people have never fought against the officials. We can't afford to offend the wealthy families. Please don't bring trouble to us. You are free and unburdened, but we have families to support!"

Zhang Pingan saw that they had also had internal disagreements, so he stopped talking and pulled them aside to talk. "Here is a total of six taels. Five taels is the silver converted from the betrothal gifts your family gave you, and one tael is the funeral allowance from my family. Our marriage contract is now off. We, the Zhang family, have done our utmost. Please don't cause any more trouble!"

Deng Qingshi took the money and threw it to the ground. "I don't want your money. Don't even think about settling this matter like this!"

Seeing someone from the Deng family looking over here, Zhang Ping'an couldn't help but say coldly, "It's up to you whether you want it or not. Anyway, I gave it to you. No matter how sad you are, your eldest brother is dead now. This is a fact! You'll be alone from now on. Everything in Lin'an City is expensive. How can you survive without money? Besides, why are you biting our family? Every grievance has its perpetrators. You should go to the Kong family. Since you think your brother was wronged, you should find a way to help him clear his name while protecting yourself. This is what a man should do, not bully the weak and fear the strong!"

After saying that, he turned around and left without caring what Deng Qingshi thought. He was still very busy!