The Ming Dynasty started with caution

"If I write a book, I won't be able to attend court and take up my duties."

The court can't pay me a salary and let me do something else, right? Wang Yue lowered his head, and there was no need to think that His Majesty must be unhappy.

"My Lord, Cheng Minzheng came to Beijing yesterday." Mou Bin said. The sentry in Yan's mansion saw Cheng Minzheng and reported to him.

It must be to compete with Cheng Minzheng for fame. Emperor Hongzhi pondered for a few times: "This official position is in Wang Qing's family, and I also allow him to write a book."

It's not bad. Your Majesty just lets him write a book in the government office.

Wang Yue stood up and left.

After leaving the palace, Wang Yue went directly to Yan's mansion.

"My dear nephew, I just went to the palace to explain to His Majesty that I can also write books in the government office in the future. I heard that Cheng Minzheng went to Beijing. Where did he go?"

Yan Chengjin knew that it must be the Jinyiwei who reported it.

"This matter cannot be known to the scholars in the capital. Please keep it secret, Lord Wang."

Wang Yue nodded and said, "Don't worry, my nephew, I don't have any deep hatred with him. Tell me and I'll take a look at him."

Yan Chengjin didn't trust Wang Yue.

...

After teaching for a few days, Cheng Minzheng found that the refugees would rather chat about the things in the workshop than listen to the Ming Dynasty law.

But he was a persistent person.

In the evening, when the refugees came back from the workshop, he still came to the straw hut and began to talk about the Ming Dynasty law.

"If the family members and servants of the wealthy families in various places are framed as thieves, killing officials, looting warehouses, looting prisons and setting fires, the wealthy families will be sent to the officials for questioning. If the wealthy families know about it and let it go, in addition to the real death penalty, their prisoners will be exiled and caned, and if they harbor more than three thieves, those who belong to the military guards will be sent to the border guards, and those who belong to the officials will be sent to nearby areas and all of them will be exiled."

The refugees were annoyed and didn't like him coming here.

Cheng Min was returning to the straw hut with his head down when Liang Zhong brought him two big sesame cakes and a bowl of porridge.

"Qingshan, drink it while it's hot!"

These days, Liang Zhong brought him two sesame cakes for a meal, and sometimes white rice.

In return, Cheng Minzheng taught Liang Zhong's two grandsons to read and write.

These two grandsons, one is called Liang Xiaoyi and the other is called Liang Xiaoer.

Cheng Minzheng thought it was not elegant, and it was not easy to change their names without their parents' consent, so he gave them characters.

Characters cannot be chosen casually. Men can only be given characters when they are 20 years old.

But Cheng Minzheng thought the names were ugly, so he secretly gave them characters and called them by their characters in private.

In the early morning, the east was about to dawn, and the rays of light began to appear.

The refugees went to the workshop, Liang Zhong went to sell sesame cakes, and the two daughters-in-law also went to work on the farm.

Cheng Minzheng took the two children to learn to read in the straw hut.

"I will teach you Sanbaiqian first."

"Qingshan, what does Sanbaiqian mean?" Liang Xiaoer asked curiously.

Did you call Qingshan?

Cheng Minzheng was so angry that he glared at his wife. It was true that the children of refugees were ill-mannered.

"From today on, you will call me Mr. Cheng, and I will teach you how to write your names." Cheng Minzheng liked his students to call him Mr. Cheng.

Liang Xiaoyi was more studious than his brother and asked, "Teacher, what does Sanbaiqian mean?"

Cheng Minzheng stroked his beard and nodded, "Sanbaiqian means "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Family Names" and "Thousand Character Classic". Mingzhao, have you remembered it?"

Liang Xiaoyi nodded.

"What about you, Yingning?"

Liang Xiaoer nodded.

At this moment, a refugee walked in. Cheng Minzheng stood up and said, "You should learn calligraphy first. I have something to do."

He opened the letter and saw only two words: How?

The more you write, the more you reveal. To be cautious, my nephew always saves words...

Cheng Minzheng wrote about the past two days in the letter, including the fact that he accepted two apprentices.

After thinking for a while, he wrote the last sentence: It may be difficult to educate the refugees. The refugees don't like to listen to the Ming Dynasty law. Yesterday, I talked about the Ming Dynasty law and was chased out, which disappointed my nephew.

Seeing the words is like seeing the person.

This is the code he and Yan Chengjin agreed on.

"Did you bring silver?" Cheng Minzheng looked at the doorman eagerly.

"The young master said that people should not know that you are in the capital." The doorman whispered.

Cheng Minzheng held his forehead, and buying a meat bun to eat became a luxury.

At night, the moonlight was like water.

Liang Zhong came back from selling sesame cakes. His daughter-in-law made white rice and sesame cakes, and the family sat on the straw mat.

"What did you learn today?" Liang Zhong asked his two grandchildren.

Liang Xiaoyi said: "Mr. Cheng taught us to write our names."

"Grandfather, we can't tell anyone about Mr. Cheng's situation in the capital." Liang Xiaoer looked serious.

"Who said that?"

"Today, someone came to Mr. Cheng and said that no one should know that he was in the capital."

Liang Zhong was confused and felt that Mr. Cheng was a little strange. At the very least, he could be an accountant and housekeeper, not a refugee. Could he be a wanted criminal of the imperial court?

He came to the straw shed next door with a bowl of porridge and two sesame cakes.

"Qingshan, it's time to eat."

In the dark, a figure took the sesame cakes and porridge and thanked him repeatedly. Liang Zhong looked at him and hesitated for a moment: "Has Qingshan ever been an official before?"

Cheng Minzheng almost choked to death and said no repeatedly. Liang Zhong was confused and decided to go to the yamen tomorrow to inform Mr. Zhang. If he was a wanted criminal, it would be troublesome.

The next morning, the two children of the Liang family did not come to study. Cheng Minzheng went to see that the door of the straw shed was tightly closed. No one answered when he called.

Turning around, I saw Liang Zhong coming back with two children.

"I misunderstood Qingshan. The old man thought you were a criminal, so I went to report to the authorities early this morning."

"..." Cheng Minzheng.

I wondered why he didn't get breakfast today.

Liang Zhong smiled. Lord Zhang said that Cheng Qingshan was a refugee from Huizhou and had offended someone in the capital, so it was inconvenient to disclose it. He was relieved immediately.

Cheng Minzheng didn't care and continued to teach the two children.

"Teacher, can you tell the story of "Hu Zhai"?" Liang Xiaoer asked.

"Do you want to listen?"

Liang Xiaoyi and Liang Xiaoer's eyes lit up and nodded happily.

Cheng Minzheng's heart suddenly moved, and he slammed the table and stood up: "The refugees like to listen to storytelling, but they don't have money to go to the restaurant. Isn't it better to integrate the Ming Dynasty law into the storytelling!"

In the evening, he came to the pavilion again.

The refugees gathered here to chat. Seeing Cheng Minzheng coming again, they were immediately displeased: "Why are you here to tell the Ming Dynasty law again? We don't want to listen to the Ming Dynasty law."

"Beat him up and he will be honest!"

As if he didn't hear it, Cheng Minzheng walked to the pavilion by himself and slowly said: "It is said that in Wuyang County, Kaifeng Prefecture, Henan, there was a man named Ye Guang. His family was poor, but he married a beautiful wife named Quan. She looked like Xi Shi, smart and virtuous, and lived in a thatched house in a remote village..."

The refugees' eyes became bright and they listened attentively.

There was silence all around, except for Cheng Minzheng's voice.

It was about "Bao Gong's Angry Judgment of the World", and the refugees passing by the straw hut also sat down.

The moon shone brightly, and in a moment, more and more refugees sat in the straw hut.

An hour later, Cheng Minzheng cleared his throat and said, "We'll stop here tonight. If you want to know what will happen next, wait until Qingshan comes back tomorrow."

The refugees felt extremely uncomfortable, as if someone had planted a grass in their hearts, and the grass kept growing, and their minds were full of Cheng Minzheng's voice.

"Qingshan, tell me more!"

"It's still early, you don't have a wife, and you'll sleep alone when you go back."

Cheng Minzheng was overjoyed: "Remember tonight what crime Ye Guang committed, and don't follow his example."

Back in the straw hut, Cheng Minzheng borrowed an oil lamp from Liang Zhong and wrote a letter, but his nephew was slow to send someone to pick it up.

A few days later, a refugee with dishevelled hair and ragged clothes came to the straw hut.

"Give this letter to your young master."

"Dad, how did you become like this!"

Cheng Minzheng looked up again, his heart aching: "Son, how did you... become like this?"

Cheng Zitang wiped away his tears: "Master Yan said that I have to dress like this to come to see you."

Liang Zhonglai came to the straw shed to deliver food and saw a refugee in the straw shed, "Qingshan, is this your son?"

"No."

"..."Cheng Zitang.