Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 35

Chapter 35 The Drum of Grievance Sounded
After entering the twelfth month, the weather in the north became colder and colder. The north wind whistled and snow danced, wrapping the entire Guangling County in a blur and snow white.

The master and servant of Chu Yunrong, who had come from the south, were truly unable to withstand such a severe cold. Even though their room was made of a fire kang, once they left the kang, they still felt a bone-chilling chill.

Feeling this kind of climate, Chu Yunrong unconsciously began to worry about the situation on Lu Zhen’s side. One had to know that there was no kang there, only a wooden bed. But she would never ask this fellow to move in with her. She pointed at a charcoal stove in the house and said, “Cuimei, send this charcoal stove to him.”

Cuimei was stunned for a moment before agreeing happily. Then, she looked at her young miss with a hint of joy in her eyes.

Actually, she had always disagreed with Miss’s actions. She was already married, so how could she always be so cold to Master, and even refuse to go to her room? However, she was just a little girl, so she didn’t dare to say anything else. The only thing she could do was to respect the two masters as much as possible. That was why she addressed him as Master and Chu Yunrong as Madam in front of Lu Zhen, and then turned around to address him as Miss and called him Uncle Lu Zhen in front of Chu Yunrong. With just these few names, one could see some of his attitudes.

Sometimes Cuimei thinks miss is lucky. If it was another man, it would be impossible for his wife to endure this for such a long time. Moreover, his master was still an official. So now that Miss’s attitude had softened, she felt that this was a very good signal. She should put in more effort.

Thinking of this in his heart, Cuimei’s hands and feet became even more agile. Not long after, he brought up the charcoal furnace and thought of a few words to praise Miss Lu Zhen. However, just as she carried the charcoal furnace out to the front door of the study, the door suddenly opened and the people inside walked out.

“Master …” Cui Mei was shocked at first, and then she gave a formal bow. At the same time, she said, “This is what Madam asked this servant to send you. She is afraid that you will be cold. Madam is still quite concerned about you these past two days …”

“Oh, I see. Put this stove in the room. Remember not to catch fire.” Lu Zhen casually replied, then turned around and brushed past Cuimei.

“Oh … Eh …” Originally, Cui Mei, who was somewhat dejected, looked at Lu Zhen. She felt strange. Her master was actually dressed very neatly at this time. He wore an official robe on his body, not to mention a black gauze official hat. He looked extremely solemn.

The Great Ming Dynasty had set down many trivial rules since the Great Ancestor, and even dressing up was a lot of attention. People of all colors had their own clothes that could be worn and could not be worn. For example, merchants could not wear silk clothes, and could only wear gorgeous clothes after they passed the exam. Among them, the officials wore the most exquisite clothes. Ordinary clothes were also one of the official clothes, but they could only be worn when dealing with ordinary business. If they really wanted to see their superiors or preside over local affairs, they had to wear robes with patches and official hats.

Now that Lu Zhen had suddenly changed into such an extremely formal official uniform, it really surprised Cuimei. He could not help but stare blankly at him as he strode away. When she put down the stove and went back to her young miss, she could not help but say a few more words, “This is really strange.”

“You little girl, you’re young, so you have quite a lot of ideas. Perhaps he wants to see someone important today, or do something important, so he will wear it like this.” Chu Yunrong gave her a funny look and couldn’t help but shake her head.

“But Miss … don’t you think that Grandpa has changed a lot recently?” Cuimei still didn’t change the subject. “In the past, he would find an excuse to see you every once in a while, even if you didn’t give him a good look. But these past few days, he hasn’t come this way at all. He looks … like he’s avoiding us. This is really weird.”

Hearing him mention this, Chu Yunrong’s two beautiful eyebrows unconsciously wrinkled together. Originally, she had felt quite comfortable recently, but now, it seemed that things were different. But he still said firmly, “Isn’t that good? I wish he wouldn’t disturb me.”

“But young miss, aren’t you afraid that uncle will find someone else?” However, Cuimei had a worried expression on his face. Isn’t it a simple matter for a county magistrate like him to accept a child?

“Why do you have so many strange thoughts? We are all living beside him. How could he find another woman behind his back?” Chu Yunrong smiled.

“That’s not what I said. I’ve heard from a few older sisters before. As long as it’s a man of status, finding a younger one would be easy …”

Chu Yunrong unconsciously felt a little uneasy in her heart, but she still smiled and said, “You have many strange thoughts. Could it be that you want to be his side room? If that’s the case, I can fulfill your wish and let you be a roommate.”

“I…” Cuimei’s face immediately turned red. He really had this idea in his heart, but he didn’t dare to admit it. He could only shake his head, “Miss, don’t joke. I don’t have such an idea.”

“Really?” However, Chu Yunrong narrowed her eyes and stared at her. “I gave you a chance. Don’t regret it if you miss it.”

“I…” Just as Cuimei was at a loss as to what to say, a drumming sound suddenly sounded from outside, interrupting the conversation between the master and the servant.

Chu Yunrong’s smile was also restrained at this moment. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, “Is this … the drum of grievance?”

@ @ @ @

Guang Ling, a small county with only over 2,000 households, had always been very deserted. It was only recently that the New Year was approaching that it was much livelier. However, this snow had pushed everything back to its original state. Even in the vicinity of Ya Qian Street, it was cold and there weren’t many pedestrians.

The situation at the entrance of the county government was also ordinary. Even if someone passed by, they were in a hurry. This made the servants who followed the rules there feel even more bored. In order to get rid of the cold, they had to walk around the entrance from time to time, only thinking about when they could go home or looking forward to the New Year.

At this moment, two silhouettes walked towards him alone. Only when they approached did they see clearly that this was a young man supporting an old man in flower armor. Because of the snow on the ground, the two of them walked very carefully, afraid that the old man would fall because of the slide.

As for the two pedestrians, the servants at the entrance did not take them seriously. They only glanced at them and focused their attention back on their own topic. They were talking about Lin Lie’s recent appearance.

“This cripple Lin is also lucky. Not only did he save the eldest master, he even had a relationship with You Chang. He might be promoted after the New Year.”

“That’s right. Saving the eldest master is secondary. To be able to rely on You Chang to gain the recognition of Zheng Dianshi is truly rich. Perhaps in the future, we will all have to listen to his orders.”

“I think we need to curry favor with him these days. Don’t cram for the moment.”

Just as they were about to speak, a low cough came from behind them. They turned around and saw the cripple Lin standing behind them. This caused the expression of the servant who called him this title to change. He quickly smiled and curtsied, “Constable Lin, why did you come out? It’s such a cold day …”

“Aren’t you afraid that the brothers will be cold outside, so I’m here to deliver you a mouthful of hot wine?” Lin Lie smiled and handed over a bottle of wine in his hand. “It’s just hot inside. Everyone, quickly share it.”

Everyone hurriedly extended their hands to receive it and thanked him repeatedly. Indeed, it was much more comfortable to drink a mouthful of hot wine on a cold day with heavy winds and snow.

All of them focused their attention on the wine bottle, but they didn’t notice that Lin Lie’s gaze was only on the old man and the young man. Seeing their somewhat hesitant expressions, he frowned and stared at them from afar.

The old man and the young man were originally a little guilty and didn’t dare to approach the yamen. However, after seeing Lin Lie suddenly come out and winked at them, he could no longer retreat and could only slowly walk over.

Only when they arrived did the servants put down their wine bottles and stared at them with astonishment, “What are you doing? This is an important place of the county government. No one can come near it without permission!”

“Little Elder, you have a grievance to ask Great Master Qingtian to make the decision for us!” The old man finally straightened his heart, shouted, and then knelt down.

This action first stunned a few officials, but they immediately reacted, “Have you prepared a number one paper? Hurry up and hand it over so that we can report it to the masters inside.”

Although these words were on the top of the list, they were actually directly asking for bribes. This principle had almost become the hidden rule of the county government. If there was no money for these guards, no matter how much grievances you had, it would be difficult for you to pass them on.

When the youth heard this, he shook his head, “No … we didn’t.”

“Then why don’t you find someone to write it? The masters in the county government are busy with their business. Who has the time to pay attention to you?” Seeing that they were so impatient, the few of them waved their hands, wanting to drive the two of them away like cattle.

Seeing this, Lin Lie winked at the two of them again. Then, he nudged his lips in the direction of the grievance drum beside him.

The young man understood and hesitated for a moment. He finally gritted his teeth. Just as the servants were stunned, they suddenly let go of the old man. They rushed forward one after another and directly arrived in front of the cowhide drum that was as tall as a person. One hand picked up the drum hammer hanging on the side and swung it fiercely. Then, they heavily smashed it onto the full drum surface.

Dong! The drum was knocked at once, and the sound was dull and long.

Immediately after, the young man swung the drum and smashed it down, causing the drum to sound like raindrops falling to the ground. The sound immediately came from afar, attracting the attention of many people …