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Chapter 134: Presenting a Book 3/4
Picking up a fan embroidered with two lovely little children, Shopkeeper Wu fanned herself a few times and quite liked it.
The children on the fan were about the same age as her daughter when she passed away.
Shopkeeper Wu had a moment of confusion. Just then, someone approached her and said, “Shopkeeper Wu, I have something here that I want to give to Master Qiantose.”
Shopkeeper Wu frowned at the words and looked at the person who emerged from behind Wu Baichuan.
She didn’t like such presumptuous people.
But… Shopkeeper Wu saw her own shadow in Chang Duan.
This person… wasn’t sincerely trying to give a gift.
She took the box from Chang Duan’s hand and opened it, finding an uncovered book inside.
The book began with “During my travels to Linhu County, I saw the people living in destitution and misery…”
The mention of Linhu County made Shopkeeper Wu instantly realize something.
She closed the box and said to Chang Duan, “Wait here for a moment. Let me take a look first.”
Shopkeeper Wu didn’t want to read the book in front of others.
She had come by carriage, so she returned to it before flipping through the book.
After reading only a little, she realized what it was.
It was a history of the suffering of the people of Linhu County!
Magistrate Zhang had sent memorials to the capital, and the people they sent to investigate had provided detailed information about Linhu County’s situation.
But none of that was as movingly written as this book.
When she saw those people report the news, she only felt anger. But reading this book, she soon shed tears.
Wu Baichuan was somewhat displeased with Chang Duan’s rash gift-giving.
He was in the middle of negotiating with Shopkeeper Wu, and even if Chang Duan wanted to give a gift, he shouldn’t have been so hasty.
Just as Wu Baichuan was feeling unhappy, Shopkeeper Wu got off the carriage and walked towards Chang Duan. “I really like the gift you sent. Come with me for a moment.”
Chang Duan was pleasantly surprised.
Wu Baichuan, on the other hand, was stunned. What was going on? Why was Shopkeeper Wu taking him away after receiving only a small gift?
Shopkeeper Wu turned to the people around her and said, “Someone, find a carriage for this gentleman.”
After giving the order, Shopkeeper Wu looked back at Wu Baichuan. “Shopkeeper Wu, I’ll take all your goods. Someone will come to settle with you later.”
There were many carriages for rent at the dock, and Shopkeeper Wu’s men quickly found one.
Without delay, Shopkeeper Wu took Chang Duan and left quickly.
Wu Baichuan was dumbfounded by the situation.
Other merchants who had come to the capital with him were also puzzled. “Old Wu, who is the person who got off your ship? Why did Shopkeeper Wu take him away?”
Another person said, “Yeah… Could it be that Shopkeeper Wu has taken a liking to him? But, in my opinion, he looks quite ordinary.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? He has the goods that Shopkeeper Wu wants, so she took him away,” Wu Baichuan said.
The other person also reprimanded the one who was speaking nonsense. “You’re very bold. How dare you even speculate about Shopkeeper Wu! Don’t you know she’s Master Qiantose’s woman?”
There had always been rumors in the capital that Shopkeeper Wu was Lu Qingxi’s woman.
Some people looked down on Shopkeeper Wu because of this, but others tried their best to please her in order to get close to Lu Qingxi.
As for these small merchants… they couldn’t afford to offend Shopkeeper Wu at all.
While everyone was talking, Feng Da had already stopped at an inn.
He rented a room, paid someone to move the boxes of books inside and arrange them neatly, then immediately went out to look for another place to stay.
He planned to store the books separately to prevent them from being taken all at once.
As for how to deliver the books… they didn’t have a particularly large quantity, so he planned to deliver them one by one or in sets, directly into the hands of those they were meant for.
While Feng Da was busy as a bee, Chang Duan arrived at Shopkeeper Wu’s residence.
Shopkeeper Wu had her servants leave and directly asked Chang Duan, “You’re from Linhu County.”
“Yes!” Chang Duan replied.
“Tell me about the situation in Linhu County,” Shopkeeper Wu said.
Chang Duan immediately began speaking, but as he spoke, he couldn’t help but choke up.
Without hesitation, he knelt down and kowtowed to Shopkeeper Wu. “Shopkeeper Wu, Magistrate Zhang is a good person. Please beg Master Qiantose to save him!”
Shopkeeper Wu said, “Master Qiantose is in the palace. I’ll help you get the books into the palace.”
Chang Duan had brought two sets of books with him, and upon hearing Shopkeeper Wu’s words, he immediately took out the other set.
Both sets of books were printed well, and they had been meticulously bound.
After handing the books to Shopkeeper Wu, Chang Duan kowtowed again. “Thank you very much, Shopkeeper Wu.”
“No need. Stay here,” Shopkeeper Wu said before leaving, instructing someone to deliver the books to Lu Qingxi.
The current emperor had great trust in Lu Qingxi, so sending things to the palace was not a difficult task.
In the palace.
After fainting from anger for a few days, the emperor’s health had improved a lot.
During his illness, Lu Qingxi and the empress dowager had been attending to him tirelessly.
Looking at these two people who had been with him since childhood, the emperor felt a surge of determination. If anything were to happen to him, he wondered what would become of them. So, he forced himself to rally.
“We need to deal with Zhang Zhiru’s matter. I’ll summon him to the capital tomorrow…” the emperor said.
Lu Qingxi didn’t speak up for Zhang Zhiru. In fact, he didn’t even want to deal with King Jin anymore, fearing that it might lead to more trouble and anger the emperor again. “I’ll follow Your Majesty’s orders,” he said.
The empress dowager, two years older than the emperor, had been a palace maid in her youth. In her heart, the emperor was undoubtedly the most important person. She also persuaded, “Your Majesty, don’t worry about this matter. Before Magistrate Zhang took action, he must have known how it would end.”
“Sigh…” the emperor sighed.
As they were talking, someone came to report that Lu Qingxi’s mansion had sent something over.
The emperor was curious. “Your mansion sent you something? What did they send?”
“I don’t know,” Lu Qingxi said, asking for the item to be brought over so he could take a look.
Lu Qingxi never hid anything from the emperor. Sometimes, after cursing King Jin at his mansion, he would turn around and tell the emperor how he had scolded King Jin.
He wasn’t afraid of the emperor knowing what he had done; the emperor was a soft-hearted person and would indulge him.
A young eunuch quickly delivered a plain wooden box to Lu Qingxi. Upon opening it, Lu Qingxi found several books inside.
The emperor leaned over to take a look at what was in the box and even picked up one of the books to examine it closely. “Why did someone send you books? This is… ‘Records of Injustice’? ‘On my travels to Linhu County, I witnessed the people suffering…'”
The emperor, with his tired eyes, struggled a bit to read. “Old Lü, read it to me,” he said.
“Your Majesty, this stuff is not good for your health!” Lu Qingxi objected.
“I’m fine. Just read it,” the emperor insisted, his cloudy eyes showing determination.
Lu Qingxi began to read, his voice choked with emotion. The first to cry was the empress dowager.
Before long, tears welled up in the emperor’s eyes too.
In the bedroom, the palace maids and eunuchs who were serving silently wiped their tears.
Lu Qingxi considered himself to have a heart of stone. He used to fake crying in front of the emperor about the plight of the common people. But this story… this simple narrative, as if spoken by an old farmer, why did it make one want to cry so much?
Even Lu Qingxi’s eyes grew moist.
Lu Qingxi read for a long time before finishing one story. Then he said, “Your Majesty! This stuff is too heartbreaking! Even I, who have a heart of stone, can’t bear it. You shouldn’t listen to any more.”
“I want to hear it. These are the words of the common people. I’ve been staying in the palace and haven’t been able to hear them. I want to listen now. But you look tired. Take a break, drink some water, and let someone else read,” the emperor said.
After speaking, the emperor called for one of his trusted aides to continue reading.
The aide was the head of the palace guards, and he began reading as soon as he received the book. He read for a while without shedding a tear.
But the empress dowager’s tears couldn’t be stopped, and the emperor’s eyes were red with tears. Lu Qingxi was even more dramatic. Half of it was genuine, half of it was an act. He cried so miserably, making a “geese, geese” sound that was quite ear-piercing.
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