The brawl that took place at the head of Little Abode Island did not last very long.
When the news of the disturbance reached the main ship, Magistrate Lu was still discussing the situation near Hangzhou with his friends and students. He was forty-seven years old this year. He was in the prime of his life, which was the golden age of officialdom. Now, he was the magistrate of Hangzhou, a rich and populous place. As long as he did not make any big mistakes, his future would be limitless.
Fang La was wreaking havoc in the southwest of Hangzhou, but it was not a big problem for Lu Tuizhi. Hangzhou was an important commercial area, where water transportation began. With the Wude Army guarding it, no matter how bad the bandits were, they would still be kept out.
But of course, for those who had not left Hangzhou for a long time and had never been involved in dangerous places, Fang La's disaster was not as peaceful as they imagined. Currently, many of the states and counties in the southwest of Hangzhou had already been swept up. The rich had been divided, officials had been killed, and a series of collapses in order had caused a famine. Starving people were everywhere. These things were hard to imagine for the people in the secluded areas of Hangzhou. Of course, Lu Tuizhi and the people sitting there had some news, but naturally, there was no need for them to tell too much.
In response to Fang La's uprising, the Wuwei Army led by Chen Shisheng in the south, the Wumo Army led by Kang Fangting in the north, and the Wude Army cut off the eastern route in Hangzhou. At least in the eyes of most people, the spread of bandits was already under control. The most important thing now was to deal with the war between the Jin and Liao Kingdoms. As long as Lu Tuizhi could defend the water and grain transportation routes after seven months, the country would not have to worry about the future. In the future, Yan Yun would be conquered in one battle, and Lu Tuizhi would have a share in this achievement.
"… Therefore, when Kang Fangting sent his troops at the beginning of the year, Fang La and the others all fled at the sight of him. Although this is not a small problem, there are not many people to worry about. However, before and after the autumn harvest, I still need everyone's help … "
Just as Lu Tuizhi said this, a soldier came in and reported to everyone about the commotion below. The first round of news was simple. A son-in-law who had married into Lu Tuizhi's family had an affair with a maidservant. After being discovered, he actually attacked and injured more than ten Confucian scholars. The most important news was that the second son of the Lou family, Lou Shuheng, was also beaten and thrown into the lake.
"There's actually such a madman?" Lu Tuizhi was a calm person. He slapped the coffee table beside him and frowned. "Which family did they come from?"
"I don't know. It seems like … he's not from Hangzhou. He's a merchant from Jiangning."
After the messenger finished speaking, everyone in the hall stood up in anger. "There's actually such a thing?"
"Do you think there's no one in Hangzhou?"
"Even a married man dares to behave atrociously. Lord Lu, I'll go out and take a look!"
These people were filled with righteous indignation. Lu Tuizhi also frowned and stood up. "Where is this person now? Now that something like this has happened, could it be that the soldiers stationed below can't stop it? "
At his position, he rarely listened to the one-sided words of a moment of anger. The messenger had come over when he saw that something had happened and that the situation was not good. He didn't know what would happen next, so he could only say, "Someone has already gone to stop it." At this time, someone in the hall had already left angrily to see what had happened. Lu Tuizhi strode out, also wanting to go out and take a look. Another middle-aged man came in and bowed to him. This person was his advisor, Zhuo Qingran. He had probably seen what had happened outside as well. Lu Tuizhi asked, "Qingran, how is that madman? Did you take him down? "
Zhuo Qingran told him about how someone had pulled out a knife and was then restrained. He then lowered his voice slightly. "… Afterwards, Deputy General Yuan rushed over and fought with him. Both sides exchanged blows. After that, they confronted each other for a while before that person …"
"That person actually fought with Yuan Dingqi?" Lu Tuizhi frowned and interrupted him. That Yuan Dingqi was a deputy general in the Wude army. It was said that he was highly skilled in martial arts. Lu Tuizhi also knew him. Zhuo Qingran was stunned, then nodded.
"It was only one knife. The victor was not decided. After confronting each other for a while, the scholar then threw away his knife. This was also because his wife had arrived. Lou Shuwan also came out of the crowd to stop both sides from fighting. She seemed to know this couple. This student felt that there was something fishy about this matter, so I came to report it to you. This cannot be taken lightly, and that person had an invitation from Sir Qian. "
"Sir Qian or the Qian Mansion?"
"Sir Qian."
"I know. Let's go take a look."
Lu Tuizhi nodded. Currently, of the few families in Hangzhou, Qian Mu and Tang Chang, the Qian Family was the most famous. However, Qian Xiwen had a good reputation. He usually visited and lectured. He was amiable and approachable. He did not interfere in all kinds of trivial matters that involved interests. A few years ago, when Hangzhou was in a great drought, the gathering at the beginning of autumn was initiated by Qian Xiwen. That was because of the overall situation. It was also because of his, Mu Bozhang, Chang Yu-an and the others' fame that the prefect Xiong Ruming was able to host the gathering. This also became the greatest achievement for Xiong Ruming's future promotion.
After the event that year, Qian Xiwen no longer worried about the various trivial matters of the next year. The interests of the Qian Mansion were naturally maintained by the people of the Qian Clan. Under such circumstances, an invitation sent by Qian Xiwen and an invitation sent by the Qian Mansion naturally had different meanings.
Before this side had even passed, the hall was already filled with clamor. Everyone had already rushed onto the main ship. If they were still below the ship, Lu Tuizhi could go down, but now there was no need to rush to show himself. He waited in the side hall for a while and listened to the development of the situation.
At this time, everyone seemed to be angry about the Jiangning people coming to Hangzhou to behave atrociously. However, thinking about the injured person and the assailant already on the ship, and the fight just now, no one was impulsive at this time. In the crowd, it seemed that it was not a one-sided battle for territory. There were still a few young people arguing with the crowd, as if trying to defend the assailant. Lu Tuizhi knew that these people were the younger generation of the Qian Family. Thinking about it, after that person took out the invitation, these people from the Qian Family, although they did not know the inside story, had already begun to take the initiative to choose a side.
Qian Xiwen's reputation in Hangzhou and the Qian Family was extremely high, but in Lu Tuizhi's view, this time the Qian Family's young people were probably of no use. That person had, after all, incurred the wrath of the public. He could only side with the Hangzhou side. Even if he had Qian Xiwen's invitation, it did not necessarily mean that the two sides had a deep relationship. With Qian Xiwen's personality as a famous scholar, it was not hard to imagine that he would meet someone with a slightly higher level of understanding when he was lecturing in the countryside and send out an invitation on a spur of the moment. To say that there really was a great deal of interest was not very likely.
Right now, he was puzzled by Qian Xiwen's attitude, and he also felt that this matter was strange. After fighting more than ten people, the person who could confront Yuan Dingqi should be a big and burly man. However, he heard that he was only a scholar and said to be a son-in-law. Later on, the information that came later said that he might be a famous scholar in Jiangning. For a moment, he was a bit curious. He wanted to see what the person outside looked like.
With something interesting to watch, the crowd gathered on the ship very quickly. Not long after, Zhuo Qingran came in and said that the situation was almost over. Lu Tuizhi got up and went out. When he passed by the side of the ship, he saw the Qian Family's Chief Steward, Qian Yu, being led over. Lu Tuizhi did not neglect this old man. "Sir, have you heard about what happened just now? What do you think, Sir Qian? "
"Master will be here soon. I was afraid that Lord Lordship would have doubts, so I came first. That Ning Liheng is … "
He whispered a few words to Lu Tuizhi. At this time, Lu Tuizhi frowned deeply. "This matter … is a bit difficult to handle …"
"Lord Lordship, just act impartially. I have seen that Ning Liheng once. This person is quite magnanimous. He is not a reckless and impulsive person. Perhaps there is some inside story. Of course, if he really did commit murder and incurred the wrath of the public, Master will not tolerate him … "
Lu Tuizhi nodded. He had a rough idea of the Qian Family's attitude, but he felt that the situation was a bit more difficult to handle. He walked all the way to the main hall. The crowd quieted down a bit, but there were also a few people who suddenly rushed up to him, asking him to punish the murderer as the Lord Lordship. During this time, there were obviously injured people who had been beaten.
Lu Tuizhi glanced around and took in the situation in the main hall.
At this time, there were dozens of round tables placed in six rows and seven rows in the main hall. They were all mostly occupied. Originally, there was a seating arrangement here, but now it was naturally random. Around the few round tables in the front row were the people involved. There were injured scholars, scholars who had participated in the incident and were obviously on the Lou Family's side. There were more than four tables. The doctors were treating them. There was a lot of moaning, but when they saw that the magistrate had arrived, they forcibly restrained themselves.
The murderer should be a family sitting at the round table in the third row in the front row. There were only four people. The scholar who stood there with a calm aura was very young. It was hard to imagine that such a young person could have such a temperament. His face should have been punched a few times. The corner of his mouth was slightly bruised and the skin was broken. There should have been blood, but it was wiped away. His green robe was a bit messy, but compared to those who had been beaten, his injuries were much lighter. On the chair next to him, a woman with a calm expression was sitting there. She held his hand and held a handkerchief in her other hand. She was wiping the skin on his fist that had been broken when he punched people.
Compared to the scene of doctors holding medicine boxes and bandages on the other side, there was only a basin of water on the table here. It was obvious that after such an incident, no doctor would dare to treat the scholar here. Presumably, his wife wouldn't be able to get medicine and bandages either. She could only dip the handkerchief in the water and wipe first.
Next to him was a young girl dressed like a servant. She had cried. She should be the servant girl involved in the incident. And the other man was also about 20 years old. He wasn't beaten, so he should be a relative who came with the family. It seemed that the wife had two cousins who came with her. This should be one of them. There were six rows of tables in the hall. There were only four of them, but they sat at the front of the third row. They didn't shrink to the side in a low-key manner. This atmosphere was a little thought-provoking.
At the front of the hall, Tang Xiuxuan of the Tang family had already arrived. Lu Tuizhi went over to greet him. The old man said, "Lord Lordship, please judge this matter impartially. If this person really did something wrong, I believe that Sir Qian would never cover up a madman."
"Of course."
Lou Jinlin had also arrived at this time. Seeing his second son's pig-head-like injuries, the head of the Lou family was obviously very angry. His eyes were also very gloomy. At this time, at the front of the hall, he was actually confronting the son-in-law who had injured people. The situation … was very strange.
The momentum of the two sides seemed to be somewhat equal.
Lou Jinlin was famous for being ruthless in Hangzhou. He wasn't ruthless like a gangster, but the Lou family didn't have the resources behind the Qian, Mu, Tang, and Chang families. Lou Jinlin's methods were quite domineering for his family to be able to reach this stage. If one had to evaluate him, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was an ambitious person. Sometimes he didn't show his emotions, but if he wanted to make a move, he rarely gave people a way out. Now, this man in his fifties had half of his hair and beard white. Once he got angry, it was very difficult for ordinary people to withstand that kind of pressure. At this time, almost everyone in the hall was standing behind him. When he came over with a gloomy face, even the few young disciples of the Qian family had already stopped talking for a moment.
The young man named Ning Liheng was standing there, looking at him with a smile. His wife stood up and still quietly bowed to Lou Jinlin. Perhaps it was a greeting, but then she didn't say anything. She stood slightly behind her husband and held the back of her husband's injured hand. The temperament of this couple didn't seem to be backing down at all.
In a so-called confrontation, it was always difficult to say who had the upper hand and who had the lower hand. Most young people would say that no matter who they were facing, they wouldn't back down. But that was just gritting their teeth and holding on. In terms of real momentum, victory or defeat was never decided by whether or not to back down. With Lou Jinlin's current strength, under the situation of being condemned by thousands of people in the hall, even people of similar age and reputation couldn't help but feel weak. It was even more unavoidable for young people to feel guilty, either hysterical or forcing themselves to hold their heads high. Even if they dared to curse in front of Lou Jinlin, in the eyes of others, they were nothing more than clowns. But right now, there was no such thing. The scholar's attitude was natural, and his smile didn't look like he was holding on at all.
Honestly speaking, when Lou Jinlin spoke, in the eyes of the crowd, the other side was still a bit weaker. It was just a young couple in their early twenties. No matter what, the situation today was very difficult to handle. Before Lu Tuizhi could go over, Lou Jinlin vaguely said, "… I am friends with Bo Yong, and you and Shuheng should have a brotherly relationship. And Liheng, the two of you should also call each other brothers. I don't know what Shuheng did for you to be so heavy-handed towards him … "
His words were harsh. First of all, it was directed at the girl called Su Tan 'er. Towards the scholar who had married into the family, there was some contempt and anger. Su Tan 'er raised her eyes and was about to speak when the scholar beside her raised his hand and patted her shoulder. This action was understated and unintentional, but it was also after this that the scholar almost naturally took on all the pressure from Lou Jinlin. It was as if the gloomy atmosphere caused by Lou Jinlin's anger had turned into child's play.
His response was simple and sincere. "Regarding this matter, it's better to ask the elder brother of the Lou family. It's not just uncle, I'm also a bit puzzled."
He found it strange that Lou Shuheng had become like that … but his entire person seemed to be matter-of-fact. Lou Jinlin stared at him. Ning Yi looked back, and his gaze gradually changed. After a while, Lou Jinlin laughed in extreme anger, revealing two rows of teeth. "You, very good."
Ning Yi still only looked at him. Lou Jinlin's gaze just now was ruthless towards the younger generation, but Ning Yi also seemed to be looking at the younger generation. He frowned slightly, and there was a bit of boredom amidst his calmness. Lou Jinlin had never encountered such a response when facing a twenty-year-old youth. His heart was full of anger.
At this time, Lu Tuizhi had also come over.
*****
Oh, the eighteenth place. That's more than forty places in a row, right? Tsk tsk, everyone is not a good person, people will talk about them … the votes are really ruthless ^ _ ^
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