Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 25

Chapter 25 Li Daitian (1)
With a “pa” sound, the object landed on the ground. Lu Zhen lowered his eyes and was stunned, “Why is it so coincidental?”

It was a blue purse that was slightly bigger than a slap. This item was equivalent to a wallet that people would carry with them in future generations. It was not new either. What surprised Lu Zhen was that the word embroidered with silk thread-Lu-was exactly the same as his surname.

Lu Zhen bent down to pick up his purse and weighed it slightly. A trace of joy appeared on his face. This time, his luck was really good. The things in his purse were quite heavy. Normally, the wallets of these ancient people were filled with silver coins, which solved his current urgent need.

However, after opening his purse and revealing the contents, Lu Zhen revealed a trace of disappointment. He did not imagine that there were only dozens of copper coins in the purse. But very quickly, he laughed and shook his head. I was in a daze. How could anyone leave the house with money?

Indeed, although some textbooks clearly stated that silver had been used in large quantities since the Ming Dynasty, there were actually quite a few restrictions, both in terms of time and methods.

In the hundred years after the founding of the Great Ming Empire, because commercial activities weren’t developed, silver was only used for government and court taxes. Unless it was a large amount of commodities, most of the people used copper coins to buy and sell. It was not until the late Jiajing Dynasty when commerce flourished in Jiangnan and other places that silver truly became the currency of the people, but this was not something that ordinary people could use.

To make an inappropriate analogy, this silver was equivalent to a cheque for future generations. It was a payment method that would only be used when a large sum of money was paid. Ordinary people, especially the people right now, might not be able to see the appearance of silver in their entire lives, let alone carry it with them.

Thinking about this, Lu Zhen’s heart calmed down. Just as he was about to put the purse back, he saw that there was something the size of a thumb besides dozens of copper coins inside. He reached in and took it out. When he saw it, it was a seal.

This seal was made from Tian Huang’s material, and its tentacles were gentle and smooth, which was pretty good. With this personal item and the clothes he had put on, it could be inferred that the identity of the buried corpse should not be low. At this time, who would carry such a seal with them?

Thinking of this, Lu Zhen turned the seal over to see what was engraved on it. But when he saw it, he was stunned again, “This … can’t be such a coincidence!”

Although the words on it were carved backwards and used an ancient seal, Lu Zhen could still clearly recognize the two words on it. This was because these two words were too familiar to him. In the past, after practicing calligraphy, he also had several seals. The seals that he also used were identical to the ones on the seal-Lu Zhen, and the one engraved on it was shockingly his name!

After staring blankly for a long time, Lu Zhen finally came to his senses and accepted the absurd fact that the corpse in front of him was actually buried by his own hands and had the same name as him. Moreover, there was not much difference in size, because it was only then that he realized that the clothes he wore matched him very well.

After calming down, Lu Zhen’s mind became even more vigorous. This could really solve the identity problem he was facing. If he could use Lu Zhen’s identity to enter the Central Plains, he would naturally avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.

However … Thinking of this, Lu Zhen reached out his sleeve and embrace for a while, wanting to flip through the identification he needed more. It would be best if there was a way to lead them to the city. This way, it would be much more convenient to enter the city.

Unfortunately, he was disappointed this time. There was nothing unnecessary in his entire body, which meant that this person only had a purse on him. Moreover, Lu Zhen had already taken off all of his body just now, so it was naturally impossible for him to miss anything else.

After letting out a sigh, Lu Zhen could only give up. In fact, having such a fortuitous encounter was already extremely helpful to him. At the very least, with this set of clothes, he no longer had to worry that the government would treat him as a spy and arrest him. Moreover, judging from his attire, he was a scholar with some status, so this was a good cover.

Thinking of this, Lu Zhen sincerely bowed to the slightly raised tomb again, “Brother Lu, I hope you don’t blame me for all this. I had no choice but to take your identity.” After saying a few words, he turned around and threw his bag onto the horse, leading the horse back on the road.

After another two hours, the sky gradually darkened. However, the surrounding environment still did not show much change, nor did any broad official roads appear. This made him somewhat helpless. It seemed that he would have to sleep in the wilderness for another night.

Just as he was making such a plan, a faint voice came from ahead, which lifted Lu Zhen’s spirits. Ever since he fled Rahab Clan, he hadn’t seen many people, let alone most likely Han compatriots. Thinking of this, he took a few steps and walked towards the place where the voice came from.

@ @ @ @

“It’s getting dark. Can we really find someone in the wilderness? Old Lin, let’s go back to the county first and look elsewhere tomorrow.” Two men dressed in short soap robes were holding sentries as they struggled along the weedy mountain path. The shorter man suggested softly.

The taller one didn’t seem to be very nimble and limped, but his tone was very persistent, “Look around again. This is the only area around the county that hasn’t been carefully searched. Perhaps the lord is really here.”

‘”How is this possible? How could Sir come to such a place? Is this place twenty miles away from the county and not far from Dazi’s territory” The former shook his head in disapproval. However, before he could finish his sentence, he was completely stunned. Also stunned was his companion surnamed Lin.

Because right in front of them, a person suddenly flashed out. Although it wasn’t very clear because of the darkening sky, that figure and that obscure face were exactly the person they were looking for!

After calming down, the man surnamed Lin quickly greeted him. Although his feet were still high and low, his speed was extremely fast. He immediately rushed to the front of the other party and said, “Your Excellency, it is indeed the county magistrate! Eldest Master, you can make it easy for the younger ones to find …”

Another person’s eyes flashed with a strange light, but he immediately followed suit and cried out even more excitedly, “Lord County Lord, the little ones have finally found you … Where have you been these past few days?”

Facing the two excited fellows, Lu Zhen was completely dumbfounded. What was going on? Why did they call themselves adults and look so excited?

Fortunately, when he was in Rahab Clan, he had learned some Shanshan dialect from Xie Lao Qi and the others. Otherwise, he might not even be able to understand what the two of them were saying. At this moment, he could only reluctantly say, “This … you are …”

The two people who had just knelt in front of Lu Zhen were stunned when they heard this. They raised their heads and looked at the young man in front of them. They quickly exchanged glances and confirmed that there was nothing wrong before saying, “Lord county magistrate, don’t frighten the younger ones. The younger one is Han Si. This is Lin Lie. We are all people from the county government.”

“My lord, since you disappeared three days ago, the entire county government has been in a mess. Everyone has been sent to look for you outside the city. Now I can be considered to have found you. What’s wrong with you?” As the tall man Lin Xie spoke, he carefully sized up his opponent’s movements. Only then did he see some clues.

The clothes on his lord’s body were already a little tattered, and he could tell at a glance that it had been torn when he fell and slipped. Moreover, his gaze was somewhat confused, and it was obvious that he was not pretending. At this moment, a very bad idea came into his mind-could it be that something had gone wrong with Sir? Not even we could recognize him.

While the two of them were staring at him with uneasy and puzzled expressions, Lu Zhen was also looking at them. From the words and attire of these two people, he could faintly guess the identity of the other party. They should be servants from a nearby county government, and they were here to find someone.

The person they were looking for should be the corpse they had buried earlier. So that fellow is actually a county magistrate. No wonder the quality of this dress is very good.

No, why would they mistaken themselves for that person? Of course, this can’t be because people can admit their mistakes just by changing their clothes, unless …

Lu Zhen’s heart skipped a beat, and a bold speculation flashed through his mind. Then, some things that he had neglected before jumped out, “The appearance of that corpse … I feel very familiar because that face is very similar to mine …”

His appearance, which can only be seen in photographs or mirrors (and that is the opposite of the left and right), is the most familiar but also the strangest existence to anyone. Coupled with the agony of the corpse’s death, his entire face twisted, making it even harder for Lu Zhen to notice it.

But now, after being reminded by the two of them, he suddenly understood everything and was immediately stunned on the spot. Things in this world were too coincidental. Not only were their names the same, even their appearances were hard to distinguish. Lu Zhen didn’t know how to react.

When his dumbstruck expression landed in front of Lin and Han, it had even more meaning. They only said that Lu Zhen was recalling something, so they could only look at him, not daring to disturb him.

“Are you people from the county government? Are you here to pick me up?” Lu Zhen asked somewhat awkwardly.

The two nodded hurriedly, “Exactly. Sir, not only us, but also some garrisons from the county government and the city are out looking for you now …”

‘”Then let’s go back” Lu Zhen hesitated for a moment before saying.

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