The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

Among the three township officials, Hei Fu knew Chen Ping's potential and ability, and Zhang Fu's impression of this boy changed greatly. Only the fat Zhang Bo had no ability to judge people and was still very impatient.

April was already quite hot, and the entrance to the township school was tightly blocked by a group of villagers, making it airtight. Zhang Bo was sweating profusely from the heat, and he was eager to end this farce as soon as possible, so he pointed at Chen Ping and said, "Chen Ping, stop talking nonsense and quickly give your confession!"

Chen Ping replied, "Ping's confession is consistent with that of his brother and sister-in-law. The so-called stealing of his sister-in-law is really nonsense, and Ping can't even bear to say it! Here, I can only tell you that although Chen Ping is uneducated and his family is poor, men and women do not sit together, do not use the same quilt, do not use the same towel and comb, and do not teach each other in person. Uncles and sisters-in-law do not ask each other about etiquette, and do not give and receive... Chen Ping claims to be a person who knows etiquette, and has never violated it over the years!"

He turned around and announced loudly to everyone: "Chen Ping has always respected his brother as a father and his sister-in-law as a mother. How could he do such a shameless thing? I hope you guys don't say those rumors again. Anyone who spreads rumors again will be Chen Ping's enemy!"

Those villagers who flocked here to listen to the lawsuit, especially those who gossiped, were all speechless, and some even looked ashamed.

At the same time, Zhang Fu, the third elder, was quite surprised when he heard this: "Chen Ping, I heard that you went to the neighboring county to learn the Huang-Lao technique. I never thought that you also understand the etiquette of Confucian scholars?"

Chen Ping knew that this deliberately added sentence would attract the attention of Zhang Fu, who was fond of Confucianism, and immediately said: "Let the three elders know that whether it is Huang-Lao or Confucianism, its essence is the etiquette of the Way of Heaven, but the expression is slightly different. If you can't even keep the most basic ethics, then you don't even have the qualifications to be a human being, how can you still study?"

"Good, very good!"

The Confucianists and Huang-Lao in Wei State were relatively harmonious. They were not as intolerant as Confucianism and Legalism, nor as fierce as Confucianism and Mohism. Although the Zhang family did not regard Huang-Lao as a real academic discipline, they did not call for killing dissidents.

So Zhang Fu liked Chen Ping more and more: "Confucius said, the way to judge a man is to observe his words and observe his actions. In the past, people in the village often slandered you, saying that you have a beautiful appearance but nothing inside. Moreover, you are idle and don't care about your family's production. You are a scum in the village. I believed it before, but today I know that it was all slander."

Seeing such a beautiful talent in the village, Zhang Fu's mood suddenly improved after the death of his fifth grandson-in-law, and he praised him:

"Chen Ping, you are not only good on the outside, but also on the inside!"

Chen Ping was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately bowed to thank him.

This compliment came from the mouths of the three elders, and it was very important, which seemed to reverse Chen Ping's bad reputation in the village for several years.

"Not good."

Hei Fu saw that if this continued, the whole lawsuit would become a special show of reputation led by Chen Ping, so he quickly stood up and expressed his opinion.

"The three elders' words are very good."

Hei Fu clapped his hands and said, "When I first met Chen Ping, I noticed that he was extraordinary. Could such a well-spoken person really be a beast in human clothing? As expected, this is a misunderstanding caused by rumors."

Zhong Ming helped him translate a sentence after he said it. Finally, Hei Fu even slammed his sword on the table and threatened:

"I don't know how the local customs deal with rumor-mongering slanderers, but there is a crime of slander in the Qin law! Those who slander the king and the government are criminals. If someone slanders others and is sued to the county or township, and the case is verified, the slanderer will also be held accountable and sentenced to the crime of poisonous speech!"

Poisonous speech means that the tongue is poisonous.

In the Qin State, small matters like quarrels between neighbors are generally mediated by the village officials and the three elders. As long as you don't fight privately, it will not constitute a criminal lawsuit. But if you slander and harm others' reputation out of resentment, or even say that others are criminals, even though you are just talking and have not made false accusations, you will not be sentenced to "false accusation", but there is still a "poisonous speech crime" specifically used to deal with these gossipers.

"For this crime, the lighter ones will be fined, and the heavier ones will be forced labor and exile! You should remember that gossip is fun for a while, but when the Qin law comes, you have to think about what you say in your heart. Is it true? Is it false? Will it make others suffer from stigma? Don't speak carelessly!"

After these words, everyone inside and outside the township school was silent.

They had all heard that the Qin law was strict, but they didn't expect that even gossip in the township would be controlled, and they were immediately afraid. Especially those village women in the township who like to gossip, they all touched their mouths and tongues, and were a little scared.

Heifu wanted to give them a shot of prevention. Chenliu and Waihuang had already begun to strengthen control and implement Qin's laws. After the demise of Wei, it was expected that the control of Huyou Township would be tightened.

However, he was not able to find the person who first spread the rumor. The matter had spread to half of the township, and hundreds or thousands of people were talking about it. Want to follow the clues to find the source? It was too difficult. Heifu just wanted to get Chen Ping's favor, and did not want to make a big fuss and disturb the local security.

All Heifu could do was to characterize the matter and remove the blame from Chen Ping's head.

Finally, on behalf of the three officials, he concluded: "Since Chen Bo and Chen Ping have made things clear, the so-called Chen Ping stealing his sister-in-law is a fictitious thing. This case is over. No one is allowed to make nonsense and destroy Chen Ping's reputation in the future!"

...

After Zhang Bo couldn't wait to announce the end of the meeting, Chen Ping asked his brother and sister-in-law who had reconciled to leave first.

He stayed, and after answering a few questions from Zhang Fu, he looked up and saw Hei Fu approaching, so he said goodbye to Zhang Fu, walked over in small steps, put his hands together, and bowed heavily to Hei Fu!

"If it weren't for the patrol officers' impartiality in enforcing the law today, I'm afraid my grievances would not be cleared."

This attitude is very clear, Chen Ping wants to express: "I know it's the patrol officers who are helping me!"

Chen Ping is a smart man. Since the Qin army stationed here, he has been secretly observing the game between Qin officials and the Zhang brothers. His family is poor and he is not qualified to attend the banquet, but he also heard about what happened that day, and he couldn't help but praise the two people.

One is Zhang Fu. Chen Ping believes that Zhang Fu is a man of the times and knows when to give in. Facing the tough Qin officials, it is wise for Zhang to bow his head temporarily. It is important to keep the family under the sword of the Qin people.

The second one is the Qin official named "Heifu". You know, not all outsiders can suppress the local snakes. When Heifu received the invitation, he did not bow his head because of the power of the Zhang family. At the banquet, he was neither humble nor arrogant, and gradually reversed the disadvantage. He used a sword dance to tell the Zhang brothers: the sky has changed.

This is how Heifu dominated all the affairs in the village for more than half a month.

But Chen Ping never expected that when he was accused of "stealing his sister-in-law" and was struggling to figure out how to get out of trouble, it was this Qin official who lent a hand.

Although in the end, he still relied on his own intelligence to reverse the public opinion, but if there was no trial organized by Heifu, Chen Ping would never have a chance to save himself.

No matter how good the talent is, it needs a stage to show it. Chen Ping can't build a stage by himself.

So Chen Ping is indeed grateful to Heifu.

But it's just gratitude, and it's even mixed with a bit of caution.

Because he still hasn't figured out why this Qin official named Heifu wanted to help him for no reason?

But at this time, there was no time to think about it, Chen Ping could only bow his head and say: "Chen Ping will definitely remember the favor of Youjiao!"

Heifu looked at Chen Ping with gratitude in his eyes, but he didn't know how sincere he was, so he smiled and said: "You just told your brother and sister-in-law that you should be self-reliant in the future. I wonder what you plan to do?"

"I..."

After Zhongming relayed it, Chen Ping was a little hesitant. Today, his energy was focused on getting his brother and sister-in-law back together and changing the impression of his fellow villagers on him. He hadn't thought about the future for a while.

He smiled bitterly and said, "Although I studied Huang Lao, I also know some funeral etiquette. Maybe I can help people when there is a funeral and get some money."

Hei Fu shook his head and said, "You are knowledgeable and talented, why do you have to do this? Besides, funerals don't happen every day."

"How about this, recently there have been a lot of official documents from General Wang of Daliang and Yangwu County, which need to be translated from Qin characters into Wei characters and posted in the city to inform the villagers. But my camp happens to lack someone who can write Wei characters..."

After Chen Ping heard Zhong Ming's retelling, he felt bad, but before he could refuse, Hei Fu patted him on the shoulder and said in an imperative tone: "It's settled. From tomorrow on, you will come to the camp to do clerkship and help translate characters. I will pay you three Wei stones of millet every month!"

...

"Three stones of food every month! This is a good thing!"

When Chen Ping returned home and told his uncle about the matter, he was very happy. Their family only had 30 mu of land, and it was a 200-step square mu. The annual grain production was only 60 shi. After deducting the rent and taxes, it was barely enough for the family of three to survive. It was difficult to buy new clothes throughout the year.

But Chen Ping could earn 3 shi a month in this job! It was equivalent to the monthly rations of the two brothers. Moreover, he only needed to write in the Qin army camp and did not need to do heavy work. Although I don't know how long I can do it, it is indeed a good job.

Mrs. Chen, who had been reluctantly following Uncle Chen home, rarely showed a good face to Chen Ping: "If you can get this job, you can be self-reliant! I have been looking forward to this day for so many years! Although those Qin people look fierce and their words are difficult to understand, it is better than you eating white rice at home all day."

Uncle Chen slammed the table and widened his eyes: "You fierce woman! What are you talking about."

Mrs. Chen pinched her waist and confronted him: "Did I say something wrong?"

Seeing that the two enemies were about to quarrel again, Chen Ping hurriedly persuaded them and said with a smile: "Brother and sister-in-law, don't argue. This is indeed a good job. Since the Qin official has said it, I can't refuse it. Just go. Brother and sister-in-law, just wait for me to carry food back."

However, under the smile, Chen Ping had a faint worry.

Although the characters of Qin and Wei have the same origin, both are Zhou Dynasty bronze inscriptions and large seals, but after hundreds of years of parallel use, there are many differences. Therefore, if the Qin-character announcement is to be known to the villagers, it must be translated into Wei characters, otherwise people who can read will get stuck after reading it a little.

These days are not like later times. Paragraphs and sentences are concise. If one word is wrong, the meaning of the whole sentence may be wrong.

Moreover, it is very beneficial for Chen Ping to work as a clerk in the Qin camp.

The immediate benefit is the three stones of grain reward promised by Hei Fu.

The long-term benefit is that Chen Ping has learned the Qin characters. In the future, when the Qin people formally establish their rule in their hometown, he will have a greater advantage than others and have more opportunities to be selected to become a superior person...

This is what Chen Ping has been studying for many years and has been striving for.

But the question is again, why is the Qin official so good to Chen Ping when he has no relatives or friends with him? He helped him clear his bad name and gave him a job and a future.

Chen Ping performed perfectly in the township school today, so he hid his true self very well...

In fact, except for his brother and sister-in-law who knew him very well, he was also a person who would not hesitate to use the greatest malice to guess other people's intentions!

The way of heaven is that everything returns to its root.

He studied Huang Lao and believed that everything in this world has a cause and effect relationship. There is no love without reason, and there is no hatred without reason.

So when his brother and sister-in-law were arguing and cooking, Chen Ping put away his smile. He walked to the water tank, looked at the reflection of his handsome face, thought for a moment, and suddenly showed horror.

"That Qin official, I'm afraid he is like the previous King of Wei, who has a good relationship with Longyang!"

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