Aspirations

Chapter 123
Not long after, Ma Zhanguo came in with a bag of melon seeds, Xia Xiang had already ordered the tables to be rearranged, and a dragon gate array was set up in the middle of the lobby.Xia Xiang sat in the middle, with a teapot in his left hand and a folding fan in his right. He tapped the table lightly, and said in a calm tone: "It is said that a scholar and a lady named Qiaoqiao were childhood sweethearts and childhood sweethearts. Later, the scholar went to Beijing to take the exam, but unexpectedly Famous as Sun Shan. The scholar returned home with no face. In his desperation, he took root in Baozhou and married the daughter of a local squire. After a long time, he couldn't help feeling homesick, so he took his wife and daughter home to visit relatives, and inevitably went back to his home. And Qiaoqiao reunited. However, Qiaoqiao also married Dong Xian as his wife, and both of them lamented that fate is impermanent, that there is no destiny..."

Without changing his expression, Yan Sun picked up the melon seeds and began to eat them.Dong Lishi did not dare to be presumptuous, and sat sideways, bowing his head and not saying a word.

Xia Xiang continued: "Dong Xian believed in Qiaoqiao's words, and he also admired the scholar's talent, so he made the scholar the accountant. Dong Xian has been running around all year round, and Qiaoqiao used to be a woman at home, and the scholar also liked Qiaoqiao. It's just about love and courtesy. Unexpectedly, the scholar once went to Qizhou with Fu Ke to buy medicinal materials. He was fascinated by sex for a while, and fell into Fu Ke's way, and went to Miss Zhu's bed. From then on, he was ordered by Fu Ke He caught the handle. Under Fu Ke's persecution, he had no choice but to tease and seduce Qiaoqiao who was already a wife. Although he still had moral constraints in his heart and the ethics that scholars should abide by, he was forced to have no choice but to marry Qiaoqiao There is an affair. Qiaoqiao also took Dong Xian's affection into consideration at the beginning, and a good girl couldn't hold back her husband, and in the end she still couldn't keep her way of being a woman."

Dong Li lowered his head even lower, still not saying a word.

Yan Sun was even more calm, as if he was talking about someone else's business, he took a sip of tea slowly, and smiled faintly: "Master Xia is eloquent."

Ma Zhanguo wished he could kick Yan Sun to the ground, but fortunately he held back.If he hadn't seen Xia Xianzun's extraordinary interrogation methods before, he would have slandered Xia Xianzun for not hearing the case.

"As for the matter between a man and a woman, if there is a first time, there must be a second time. What's more, the scholar and Qiaoqiao were childhood sweethearts. After the rekindling of their old relationship, they left everything behind. They only wanted to last forever, but they didn't know. Dong Duan Aware of the affair between the two, he told Dong Xian about the two. Unfortunately, Dong Xian didn't believe what Dong Duan said, and he believed that Qiaoqiao hadn't betrayed him and the scholar was still loyal to him. He thought he The world of kindness is full of kind people, but they don't know that his kindness will never be enough to feed the greedy and ungrateful shameless villains!"

Yan Sun's face blushed slightly, and he returned to normal in an instant. He smiled calmly and calmly ate the melon seeds.Ding Ke stood behind Yan Sun, gritted his teeth, there really are such brazen people in the world who betray their trust, repay their kindness, eat inside and out, guard and steal themselves, and have a dignified face, but in fact they are full of men and women.He wished he could kill Yan Sun, a bastard!

"People's desires are endless. The disaster of King Zhou originated from elephant chopsticks. For scholars, all the moral articles they learned before were thrown away because they fell into the bed of sister Zhu Yi by mistake. When he and After Qiaoqiao's affair, he got worse and wanted more and more things. Just like King Zhou, he first got a pair of ivory chopsticks, and then wanted to use gold cups and jade bowls to match the ivory chopsticks. Jinbei jade bowls should use delicacies from mountains and seas To match, the delicacies of mountains and seas should be enjoyed in the pavilions of Qiongtai. In the pavilions of Qiongtai, there should be music for court ladies. Music for court ladies should be rich in clothes and food. If this continues, the emperor will only know how to enjoy, and he will definitely search for the people." Xia Xiang didn't move. He continued sternly, "Although the scholar is not King Zhou, he is just like King Zhou. He is deeply involved step by step and cannot extricate himself."

"The scholar's ambitions are getting bigger and bigger, but he still behaves the same as before. He respects Dong Xian and obeys his words. Dong Xian is also confused by the scholar's disguise. Of course, it is also indispensable for Qiaoqiao to be a scholar in front of Dong Xian. Thanks to the good words. The scholar began to transfer Dong Xian's family property. First, he made some small manipulations on the books to fill his own pockets. Then he became more and more courageous and wanted to transfer part of Dong Xian's property to his own name. The scholar I don’t know, Dong Xian didn’t find out what he did, and Dong Duan didn’t notice it either, the scholar thought he was doing it perfectly, but he was seen clearly by one person!” Xia Xiang took a walk by the river before to explain the whole thing. The ins and outs are in order, and at this moment, he said it in public, like flowing water, "This person is Fu Ke!"

Yan Sun's eyelids twitched, and then he narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to hide the panic in his heart.

"The scholar didn't know at this time that Fu Ke had pulled him into the water to catch a big fish with a long line. Now that the scholar has become a big fish with the bait, Fu Ke appeared in front of the scholar again and told the scholar that he has a A better way to embezzle Dong Xian's property requires the cooperation of scholars from both inside and outside. After the matter is completed, the scholar will not only get Qiaoqiao, but also take away half of Dong Xian's property. If it was before, the scholar would not agree. Now the scholar hopes that someone will fight with him Let's seek Dong Xian's property together. In his opinion, Dong Xian is neither talented nor learned, but also cowardly and soft-hearted. He is not worthy of owning such a huge property. The scholar and Fu Ke hit it off, and the two agreed that Fu Ke would recommend Dong Xian to do food business with the Forbidden Army , the scholar only needs to persuade Dong Xian to agree and recommend a dentist for Dong Xian to make a match."

Yan Sun's face became more and more ugly, and he no longer sat calmly as before, but kept moving his buttocks, feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles.Dong Li didn't raise his head even once, and his shoulders kept trembling.

Xia Xiang smiled lightly: "The scholar came to Zhending to find a Yaman. He was worried that if he was looking for a Yaman in Shile, the matter would be revealed. Tian Manchu is a famous Yaman in Zhending, and the scholar is very satisfied with him. Two After the people agreed, the scholar recommended Tian Manchu to Dong Xian. Then, under the promotion of Fu Ke and the arrangement of the scholar, Tian Manchu made a match, which finally led to Dong Xian's supply to Wu Yidong, the commander of the imperial guards stationed in Zhending Mansion. A big business of [-] tons of grain!"

The muscles on Yan Sun's face twitched a few times, and a bean-sized bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. He couldn't believe his ears. How could Xia Xianzun know such a confidential matter? Didn't it mean that the ins and outs of the whole incident Xia Xianzun has both the truth and the truth in his hands?

Another thought, since Xia Xianzun knew how many people and forces were involved behind Dong Xian's death, would he dare to investigate further?Isn't he afraid that someone will take his life in a fit of anger?Thinking of this, Yan Sun regained his confidence, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and sat up straight again.

"One hundred thousand dans of grain is not a small amount. Even though Dong Xian is the richest businessman in Shile, it is not easy to complete the business of [-] dans of grain. Dong Xian traveled around, buying everywhere, and finally delivered the grain as scheduled. With Wu Yidong. Unexpectedly, after Wu Yidong only paid half of the deposit, the balance was delayed. In order to purchase [-] dans of grain, Dong Xian not only mobilized a lot of money, but also used a lot of favors. Angry and uneasy, he asked the scholar to go to collect the debt. The scholar asked the toothman Tian Manchu to go there. In order to get all the commissions, Tian Manchu also went to ask for the debt several times. After several times, Tian Manchu was directly rejected by Wu Yidong Afterwards, he knew that the debt would not come back, so he simply did not want the remaining half of the commission. Tian Manchu could not accept the commission, the scholar could not be rewarded, and Dong Xian had to pay back the debt, otherwise his business would be unsustainable... "

Xia Xiang paused for a moment, took a sip of water, saw that Yan Sun's face was pale, but he still tried to calm down, Dong Lishi was trembling and sweating profusely, he didn't feel the pleasure of exposing the two people's conspiracy and crimes, on the contrary, there was a trace of pity, the world I always have a fluke mentality, and I always naively think that good things will happen to me, and bad things will always happen to others, but I don’t know that good and bad things are all in one thought.Skynet is meticulous and meticulous, opportunistic and shrewd calculations can be used for a while, but not for a lifetime. All the benefits of stealing and plundering will one day turn into a hundred times and a thousand times the disadvantages, and they will be returned without hesitation.

People have thousands of calculations, but heaven has only one calculation.

"For Fu Ke and the people behind Fu Ke's scenes, the layout has been completed at this time, and the network can be closed. So under Fu Ke's proposal, Dong Xian was eager to find new business. He didn't know that he was in trouble because of Fu Ke. Because of his design, he embarked on the road to death in the south. Ma Xiaosan and his wife, who were taken in by Dong Xian when he went to Quanzhou, were worried about Dong Xian and insisted on following him. The poor old man, his son's whereabouts are unknown, fortunately I was taken in by Dong Xian, and I didn't want to die in the Hutuo River!" Xia Xiang slowly got up, and after coming to the public case, his tone was low and slow, "Dong Xian's murder case started when Fu Ke approached the scholar, and Dong Xian provided Wu Yidong ten Tens of thousands of tons of grain was the climax, and then Fuke designed Dong Xian to throw himself into the river to collect the net. The case involved Cheng Tianqing of Shile County, Fushang Zhuang Feifan of Shile County, the commander of the Imperial Army in Zhending Prefecture, Wu Yidong, and Shile County. Wei Chizhi, deputy commander of the Forbidden Army, Fu Ke, a street rogue in Shile County, Dong Xian's wife Li Qiaoqiao, etc., there are civil servants, military officials, civilians, and businessmen. Thousands of crimes are all caused by one person, and that is you..."

With a "pop", Xia Xiang slapped the gavel: "Scholar Yan Sun who is shameless, ungrateful, and violates the teachings of the saints! A mouse has skin, but a human has no manners. A human has no manners, so why not die!"

How could Yan Sun sit still? Not only did Xia Xiang's words describe the incident in great detail, as if he had personally experienced it, but also Xia Xiang's scolding was like a sword sealing his throat and an arrow piercing his heart, causing his heart to collapse. He leaned over and fell to his knees with a plop, sweating profusely: "Xia Xianzun, the villain is convicted, and the villain deserves death!"

Xia Xiang felt like a fire was burning in his chest. Although Dong Xian was a businessman, he was kind and sincere to others, but he didn't want the people around him to be either disobedient or ambitious. He just wanted to seek justice for Dong Xian and bring the bad guys to justice: "And you, Mrs. Dong Li, as a woman, disobedience to women's morals is already disloyal, and you even conspired with Yan Sun to seek wealth and kill your own husband. You and Yan Sun, originally depended on Dong Xian to live, but instead of repaying your kindness, you will repay your kindness with revenge. How can a promiscuous person like you have the face to face his parents and brothers, and how to raise Dong Xian's descendants? The official paraded you all the way from Zhendingguan to Shile County to show the public, what face do you have to live in the world?"

Thinking of the scene of being cast aside by everyone, of her parents losing face because of her, and of their children hating her and not recognizing her as their mother, she couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed on the ground, weeping uncontrollably: "Mr. , The woman knew it was wrong. The woman is ashamed of her ancestors, of her family, of the Dong family, she deserves death!"

"Tian County Prime Minister said that you and Yan Sun will not die?" Seeing that the time was right, Xia Xiang asked the key point of the question in time.

"Yes, Tian Xiancheng personally promised to the woman and Shiro that as long as the two of us do not tell the truth, only admit that there is adultery, and don't say anything else, then we will be safe and sound." Dong Li repeatedly Kowtow, "Xia Xianzun, the woman knows that she is guilty, please see Xia Xianzun for the sake of the woman's confession, and don't let the children of the woman know that their mother is a shameless adulterous woman."

Xia Xiang sighed, Dong Li's conscience was still alive, but it was a pity that he could not escape Yan Sun's claws after all, a big mistake had been made, and it was impossible to recover.He nodded: "I promise you. But Yan Sun, if you don't take the initiative to tell the truth, I can't protect you. You are a smart person, so don't think about it carefully. If you let you out, you will still be alive." Back to Shile? You know too many secrets, and the dead can really keep the secrets."

Yan Sun fell on the ground and didn't move for a long time. Suddenly, his whole body was shaken, and he knelt and crawled forward: "Master Xia, the villain is willing to say, the villain is willing to say."

"Okay, let's tell the truth." Xia Xiang breathed a sigh of relief and sat up straight at this moment.

"Actually, the villain knew from the beginning that Fu Ke was plotting against the villain. The villain pretended not to know, but also wanted to take the opportunity to achieve a career. Fu Ke wanted to use the villain. Why isn't the villain using Fu Ke?" Yan Sun knelt a little straighter, "After the villain failed the imperial examination, he knew that there was no hope of being a Jinshi in the exam, so he wanted to start a business. After getting married in Baozhou, he did a business and failed. Later, the villain thought of marrying the wealthy businessman Dong Xianwei. Due to his wife’s cleverness, he dragged his family to Shile, and was recommended by Qiaoqiao to become Dong Xian’s accountant. Although the villain did not pass the Jinshi examination, he was also from a family background. He thinks he is better than Dong Xian Going up a lot, committing to Dong's firm is not just for making a living, the villain has even more lofty aspirations."

Xia Xiang nodded slightly, Yan Sun has a heart higher than the sky, how could he be willing to live under others for a long time?

"Dong Xian has no virtue and incompetence, but he can sit on hundreds of millions of property, the law of heaven is unfair!" Yan Sun showed indignation, "Thinking of me, Yan Sun, I have read all the books of sages and learned moral articles in ten years of poverty. Scholars in the middle school are also full of knowledge. Dong Xian is not a man of literature, but he can have good land and beautiful concubines with a little cleverness. What's the use of reading? The first emperor said that there is a golden house in the book, and there is Yan Ruyu in the book..."

Xia Xiang originally wanted to hear Yan Sun finish, but he couldn't bear it any longer: "Yan Sun, do you know what is the most important character for a person? It's not how much he has studied, or his official position, but his character, which is the foundation of a gentleman. The Tao is kindness and innocence. The so-called gentleman loves money and gets it in a proper way. You are more talented than Dong Xian in studying, but you are far less respected and loved than Dong Xian. Do you know why? A gentleman has the beauty of an adult, but a gentleman does not Take people's love. You have lost even the most basic human principles, and you don't know the world, the earth, and the etiquette. If you study Buddhism to understand cause and effect, learn Taoism to respect the heaven and the earth, how can you forget righteousness just for the sake of money?"

Ma Zhanguo and Ding Ke are in awe of Xia Xiang!

Although the two of them had great respect for Xia County before, but most of them respected Xia County's authority rather than moral articles. The sonorous and forceful words just now shocked the two of them, and they voted for Xia Xiang at the same time. Looking up.

The literati value morality and the warriors emphasize integrity, civil officials are not greedy for money and military officials are not afraid of death, the fortune of the court and the blessing of all the people!
Yan Sun opened his mouth, wanting to refute a few words, but swallowed the words again, not because he was afraid of Xia Xiang's power as a magistrate, but because Xia Xiang's words were in line with Confucian principles, after all he After studying for many years, I was deeply influenced by the moral articles of the sages, and I still have a sense of awe and moral principles in my heart, and I also know that his actions are indeed out of the way of human beings, and they are far from the way of a gentleman.

Yan Sun's throat twitched a few times, and he said: "Xia Xianzun's teaching is correct. The villain used to think too much of himself, so he had a heart of injustice, which finally led to today's disaster. If you can follow the principle of 'you can set yourself right The heart of being peaceful and being able to benefit the world at the same time may be able to do something now. Alas, I regret that I should have been obsessed with ghosts."

"Hurry up and get to the point, don't get too far away." Ma Zhanguo lost his patience and shouted in a cold voice, "Tell me how you used Fu Ke."

"Actually, ever since Fu Ke got close to the villain, the villain knew that he had other plans for the villain, that he wanted to use the villain." Yan Sun subconsciously glanced at Dong Lishi, hesitant to speak.

(End of this chapter)