The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

She was illiterate and didn't know the face value of the banknote.

In fact, there wasn't even a money exchange in this village.

Many people have never even seen a banknote.

The reason Zhou's mother recognized the silver notes was because Zhou Chu had asked his uncle to bring some small-denomination silver notes home before.

"This is the last bit of money I have. Take it and hide it well. Having money is more important than anything else."

"Don't give this money to anyone. Keep it as your funeral money. Remember that."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he handed the silver note to his mother.

"I can't take your money; you still owe me money."

Zhou's mother hurriedly declined.

“I owe a lot of money, so I don’t care about this little bit. If I carry this little bit of money with me, someone will take it away anyway. You can keep it for me.”

Zhou Chu knew very well that if he didn't say that, his mother definitely wouldn't accept the money.

Only after hearing this did Zhou's mother accept the silver note.

"Don't worry, Mom will hide it well and not let anyone see it. You can come and get it whenever you want."

As she spoke, Zhou's mother carefully folded the silver note and placed it in her handkerchief.

"Boss, you need to take this money; you'll need to eat on the way."

As she spoke, Zhou's mother handed the silver back to Zhou Chu.

Zhou Chu suddenly felt somewhat lost.

After leaving his hometown, Zhou Chu did not choose to return to the capital by carriage.

Instead, they simply walked along the official road.

Fortunately, this place is not far from the capital, and the public security is relatively good; there were no robberies on the road.

In addition, Zhou Chu's current martial arts skills are far superior to those of three years ago.

Even if we encounter a powerful person, we are not afraid.

It gives one the feeling of venturing into the world alone.

From his hometown to the capital, a distance of over two hundred li, Zhou Chu wasn't in a hurry, traveling at his own pace.

At this moment, Zhou Chu seemed to have lost much of his spirit.

Zhou Chu originally worked hard to earn money, partly to improve his family's life, if not all of it.

This was the driving force behind the Zhou Chu state.

Zhou Chu came from a later era, understood many principles, and knew even more.

The more you know, the more cunning you become.

There's a saying that goes, "The most righteous are often the lowly butchers, while the most ungrateful are often the learned."

The more books you read, the more principles you understand, and the more you can find a reason to justify and logically explain anything you do.

Therefore, there will be little psychological burden.

On the contrary, those who haven't received much education can't live with their conscience if they do something bad, and they live in constant anxiety.

Look at all these officials in the court, which one of them isn't a scholar? And how many of them have ever considered the well-being of the people?

They constantly spout the words of sages and use archaic language, yet they never do anything of substance.

When a dynasty falls, the most principled and the most spineless are both the scholars.

As the saying goes, the descendants of the Duke Yansheng were descendants of those who cultivated virtue and submitted to the emperor.

Once a benchmark is established, others can feel at ease.

Zhou Chu had always feared becoming like the intellectuals of this era—numb and unable to see the suffering of humanity.

Zhou Chu didn't consider himself a good person.

You will treat those who treat you well even better.

For example, the Lu family.

They lacked a strong sense of national pride and patriotism, and didn't have many desires to petition on behalf of the people.

Otherwise, they would have already tried to get a government position.

The plans I'm making now are partly for myself and my family, and partly for the Lu family.

As for the future new emperor, it was merely a side effect because of Lu Bing.

I am destined to stand on the side of the new emperor.

Since that's the case, why not make plans sooner?

Now that his family is like this, Zhou Chu can be said to have severed ties with them from now on.

In this way, at least a third of one's motivation to do things is gone.

Suddenly I felt completely drained.

Many things are easy to say.

But after Zhou Chu arrived in the Ming Dynasty, he actually lived with his family for so many years.

Although Zhou Chu understood that he had to let go, once he actually did, he felt empty inside.

Like a rootless duckweed.

Although it was already autumn, the days were still very hot.