Surname Gao? Shen Yuning frowned. The Gao family was also a noble family in the capital.
She lowered her head and pondered for a while, then she remembered that the Gao family was related by marriage to the Tang family. She vaguely remembered what Chen Wenwei had said at the end of last year. The various forces in Lingcheng were intricate, and the most powerful one among them was the Tang family. So, was this the Tang family's way of trying every means to squeeze out Chen Wenwei, this outsider, and insert their own people?
Shen Yuning tried hard to calm down. The affairs in the court were too far away from her. She was just an ordinary commoner. She only needed to do her own things well.
However, she could ignore other things, but this matter involved Shen Jingui. She couldn't pretend not to know anything and let Chen Wenwei face it alone.
So, on the day before the Dragon Boat Festival, Uncle Zhang harnessed the carriage and took Zhang Rong, Shen Yuning, and the two children all the way to Yun County.
Coincidentally, when Shen Yuning arrived at the house that Chen Wenwei had rented in Yun County, she saw the common people surrounding the gate of the Chen Mansion and throwing rotten vegetables at the door.
Chen Wenwei was a gentle county magistrate. Although he rented his own house, there were not many attendants. Standing at the door at this moment was the steward who had come from the Chen family in the capital to pick him up. He was hit on the head and face by the rotten vegetables, and his face was red with anger.
The steward never thought that he would be insulted like this by common people in this small and shabby county. He pointed at them and threatened, "If you continue to be so presumptuous, I will arrest you all and throw you into prison."
However, the common people burst into laughter. None of them were afraid of him. Instead, because he was from the Chen family and threatened them like this, everyone believed that Magistrate Chen was also a bully who used his power to oppress others.
The steward's face was red and his neck was thick. He pointed at the guards and shouted, "Why don't you drive them away! Hurry up and drive them away!"
Just then, the door of the Chen Mansion opened from the inside. Chen Wenwei lifted his robe and appeared in front of everyone. He frowned slightly and said, "Uncle Lu, what are you doing?"
The Chen steward pulled the leaves off his head and smashed them on the ground fiercely. He said to Chen Wenwei, "Fourth Young Master, this place is not a place for people to stay. The master and the second young master have both said that they want this old servant to take you back quickly. Please don't make things difficult for this old servant anymore."
Shen Yuning looked at Chen Wenwei. The once high - spirited young man now looked haggard. His chin was covered with stubble, and his eyes were filled with indescribable desolation.
He waved his hand, signaling the common people to calm down, and tried to raise his voice, "You don't need to do this. After the Dragon Boat Festival, I will leave here. You can think whatever you want of me. However, I have been in Yun County for four years. I have a clear conscience towards Yun County and you. If there is anything I feel guilty about, it is only towards myself..."
There was a moment of silence among the crowd. Many common people slowly remembered the kindness of Magistrate Chen. Even many local people in the county remembered that when Magistrate Chen first came, his lips were still fuzzy, a young and inexperienced boy. But he had the courage to lead the attendants around, caring about every detail and speaking up for the common people.
However, this little bit of emotion was soon dispelled by the noisy voices.
"Get out, you greedy rat!"
"Yes, get out quickly. You're taking us for fools."
"The money we earn so hard is snatched away by you corrupt officials. All that talk about serving the people is fake!"
"Beat him and drive him away!"
"Yes, beat him, beat him!"
The anger of the common people was aroused. Everyone picked up the vegetable baskets in their hands, which still contained a large amount of rotten vegetables. Some people carried slop buckets, and the wealthier ones even held a few eggs. They rushed forward, trying to throw the dirty things in their hands at Chen Wenwei's head.
Fortunately, the steward had brought a lot of guards here today. They blocked the common people firmly and didn't allow them to get close.
Shen Yuning jumped off the carriage and rushed forward, shouting loudly, "Uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters, could you please listen to me?"
Her voice was clear and beautiful, and her appearance was outstanding. Because she had been running around among the common people a lot, many common people were very familiar with this famous embroidery workshop owner.
However, immediately there was a different voice shouting, "This person is a merchant who only cheats the common people out of their money. She is in the same group as Magistrate Chen."
Shen Yuning was not at all timid. She pointed at a short - statured man with his head down in the crowd and said to the guard beside her, "Go and arrest that man for me."
The man stepped back repeatedly, trying to escape. However, there were too many common people around, and he was squeezed in the crowd. He couldn't get out for a while. The guard was quick - eyed and quick - handed. He stepped forward and pulled the man out.
The thin man covered his head and face and shouted, "What do you want to do? Help! They're ignoring human lives. The court officials are bullying people with their power..."
Shen Yuning shouted impatiently, "Gag his mouth for me!"
The guard hesitated and didn't dare to make a decision. He just looked back at his master. Uncle Zhang quickly stepped forward, picked up the rotten vegetables on the ground, and stuffed them into the man's crying mouth.
The man smelled the rotten smell and almost vomited. But Uncle Zhang was quite strong. He stuffed the man's mouth tightly. The man couldn't vomit even if he wanted to. His arms were firmly grasped by the guard beside him, and he couldn't move for a while.
When the crowd was in an uproar, Shen Yuning smiled faintly and said loudly, "I just want to say a few words, but I find that there are some people among you who don't seem to want me to speak. In that case, why don't you stand out and argue with me? It would be good for the common people to distinguish the truth, right?"
For a moment, those who were eager to speak in the crowd all closed their mouths and didn't dare to step forward.
Shen Yuning smiled again, "As for this person, I've observed him for a long time. I found that this person is a trouble - maker. As soon as others speak, he roars rudely. Does he not want others to speak or does he not want others to hear what others are saying?"
Chen Wenwei's eyes sparkled. Looking at Shen Yuning's confident appearance, he seemed to be back in childhood. Shen Yuning, with two buns on her head, was sitting upright in front of the desk, calmly arguing with the other young masters and ladies, leaving them speechless.
The crowd quieted down. Some people were whispering. Most of them recognized the young girl in front of them as the owner of Shen's Workshop. This young owner of Shen's Workshop was very capable and had indeed done some real good deeds.
Shen Yuning looked around at everyone, her eyes fixed tightly. She noticed that some people were sneaking away, but she didn't care. She just smiled faintly and said, "I'm not from Yun County, but my family members in Yun County have told me what Yun County used to be like. At that time, Yun County was one of the poorest counties in Lingcheng. The common people were so poor that they couldn't even afford to eat. Not to mention in years of natural disasters, even in good years, there were many poor villages and families that had to sell their children and daughters to survive. Am I right?"
Among the crowd, most of them had suffered hard times before. Remembering the days when they had to beg for food everywhere, they couldn't bear to recall it.
Shen Yuning continued, "The term of office for a county magistrate is three years. You all know very well about the officials sent by the court before. Even if they had good intentions, they were powerless. This is the geographical situation of Yun County. You've all experienced natural disasters such as floods and droughts, right? But now, what about? Magistrate Chen has worked tirelessly, leading everyone to dig ditches and build canals, leading everyone to open up mountains and cultivate land. If the grains couldn't grow well, he would look for edible and easy - to - grow crops. He insisted on reducing taxes despite the empty national treasury, developed agriculture and sericulture, and supported commerce. For what? You tell me yourself, for what?"
A voice came from the corner, "He did all this just to get more money. Otherwise, why didn't he leave when his term of office was up?"
"Why didn't he leave?" Shen Yuning raised her eyebrows, "What, is Yun County such a remarkable place? A county magistrate of the fifth rank is a big official to you, but is he really that powerful to Magistrate Chen? His father is the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and his elder brother serves in the Censorate. The Chen family is a founding meritorious family and a noble family for a hundred years. Do you know what this means?"
She paused for a moment, "It means that a good official who is truly dedicated to the people gives up a comfortable life and is willing to come to the poorest county in the Great Zhou for the people of the Great Zhou, leading everyone step by step onto the road to prosperity."
The whispering in the crowd grew louder. Some people were touched by Shen Yuning's words, while others still insisted that Shen Yuning and Magistrate Chen were in cahoots. But at least they no longer all thought that Magistrate Chen was an extremely evil bad person.
Someone plucked up the courage and said, "But he beat the common people and threatened the merchants not to do business."
Shen Yuning nodded and asked rhetorically, "Do you all have enemies?"
Everyone looked at each other.
"I do. That person gambles. He is penniless. When he has no money, he just stares at me, his sister who can earn money. At most, he asked me for nearly a hundred taels of silver in a month. He sold his wife and even wanted to sell his young daughter. Do you think I hate him? But he is my elder brother. I'm extremely angry and helpless. What do you think I can do?"
Someone said, "Find someone to beat him up."
Shen Yuning laughed, "Yes, besides beating him up, I can't do anything else. It can be seen that your thoughts are the same as mine, and also the same as Magistrate Chen's."
"But Magistrate Chen is the local official."
"Is a local official not a human being?" Shen Yuning asked rhetorically.
The common people who opposed Chen Wenwei were dumbfounded. They thought Shen Yuning's words made sense. Even though he was the local official, he was still a living person with flesh and blood. Since he was a human being, he couldn't be perfect, and he also had his own loves and hates.
Shen Yuning didn't want to waste time. She continued, "As for not allowing the merchants to do business, I wonder if there are any merchants here. Have your shops been ordered to close or been required to pay higher taxes?"
Now every family in Yun County was well - off. And because Chen Wenwei had strongly supported business and reduced taxes the year before last, many families had done some small businesses to supplement their income. After hearing Shen Yuning's words, they all shook their heads, indicating that there were no such things.
Someone also stood up and said, "Since there is such a precedent, how do we know that the next one not allowed won't be us?"
Shen Yuning walked up to Chen Wenwei and said, "My lord, regarding the matter of not allowing the merchants to do business, it still needs my lord to explain it personally."
Chen Wenwei's heart stirred. His gaze at Shen Yuning became even more gentle. The blows in recent days had almost made him collapse. Everything seemed to be laughing at his over - ambition. He was just a concubine son. No matter how hard he tried or how ambitious he was, so what? Wasn't he still in such a situation now?
He was unable to defend himself. For the first time, he felt powerless, and for the first time, he wanted to give up.
But she came, and he rekindled hope.