Chapter 811
Broken Heart
The laws of the imperial court were as they were, but in practice, because Wang Xiaojing and his group had rebelled, their family would be under close scrutiny and surveillance by the county government, and would be visited every so often.
Local preferential policies, such as exemption from some labor service and taxes, often place these families at the bottom of the list or even deprive them of their rights altogether.
This kind of random, probabilistic thing can't be appealed yet.
Since Magistrate Wang specifically mentioned it, it means he can do it. This is undoubtedly the best thing for families like Wang Xiaojing's to reintegrate into their community.
The parents set a good example.
Pan Jun smiled.
Pan Su, who was standing to the side, seemed to be deep in thought.
After the friendly exchange, Pan Su had finished offering incense and took out ten taels of silver to buy a peace charm.
Pan Yun took out two amulets from her sleeve, folded them neatly, and handed them to them in a very businesslike manner.
Ten taels is two bills; no extra bills were given.
Magistrate Wang didn't believe in this, so he casually stuffed his own amulet into his wife's purse and had her hang it on her waist, without asking it for protection.
Pan Su seemed to be thinking: "I saw that Master and Master Pan were having a very pleasant conversation just now."
Magistrate Wang stroked his beard and said, "Whether she truly possesses divine abilities, I do not know, but she has a compassionate heart and does not covet power; she is indeed worthy of the name."
Pan Su: "Before coming here, Master was still suspicious that they were just trying to gain fame and reputation. How come they changed their minds after just one meeting?"
Magistrate Wang stroked his beard and laughed, "Therefore, one cannot make assumptions when judging people and things. Madam, please stop teasing me."
Pan Su smiled, glanced back at the mountain god temple hidden in the clouds and incense smoke, and nodded, saying, "Very well, since you don't want monks and Taoists to participate in county affairs, and Master Pan has no intention of flattering you, let's just leave it at that."
Magistrate Wang nodded repeatedly. As long as Pan Yun didn't cause any trouble during his administration, wouldn't it be better if they could live in peace like this?
Upon returning to the county government office, Pan Su instructed someone to prepare a gift box.
Magistrate Wang exclaimed "Eh?" and asked curiously, "Who are you giving gifts to at this time?"
“It’s my cousin’s birthday in the first month of the lunar calendar. I wanted to send her birthday gift early to make it auspicious,” Pan Su said with a smile. “Isn’t your brother-in-law your boss? The two families should try to get closer.”
Magistrate Wang quickly glanced outside and asked in a low voice, "Does anyone else know about our relationship with Mingren?"
"If you don't tell me, and I don't tell you, who will know?"
Magistrate Wang let out a sigh of relief: "It's better not to say anything, otherwise people will think I got this position by taking advantage of Mingren's influence."
Pan Su smiled and nodded: "I know. I'll have someone secretly send the gift over so no one knows. Even though no one knows, the proper gift still needs to be given."
Magistrate Wang nodded.
At this moment, Wang Feiyin watched the believers gradually disperse and saw Pan Yun sweeping the table while asking about the newly appointed Magistrate Wang. He couldn't help but say, "We should thank Lord Ming for this."
Pan Yun: "Akihito?"
Wang Feiyin nodded: "Lord Ming has gone to great lengths for Yushan County."
He said, “Although Cai Sheng was meritorious for his role in the surrender, his merits and demerits cannot be offset. He bears half the responsibility for the rebellion in Yushan County. In addition, the reopening of the silver mine was the emperor’s decision. The court officials dared not say that it was the emperor’s fault, so they pushed all the blame onto him. Not long after you left, he was taken to the capital and imprisoned.”
Pan Yun: "It's been several months, and there's still no verdict?"
Wang Feiyin: "This kind of major case can't be decided in a short time. Deng Maoqi is still conquering cities and territories in Fujian. I think the court wants to combine the two cases into one, but it will take a long time."
“After this calamity, the people’s trust in the government in Yushan County has dropped to its lowest point. On the contrary, the incense in Taoist temples and monasteries is becoming more and more popular. Although I am the abbot of Sanqing Temple, I know that this will not benefit the people in the long run,” Wang Feiyin said. “Lord Ming also saw this point, so he carefully selected Magistrate Wang from among the people in Houguan to succeed him as magistrate. He was only a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination). If it weren’t for Lord Ming’s strong recommendation and Lord Yu’s advice to the court, Magistrate Wang would not have been able to come to Yushan County.”
Pan Yun stroked his chin and said, "This Magistrate Wang doesn't seem very smart, but he's quick-witted. Such people have very accurate intuition. He's also quite upright, but a little lazy, which makes him a perfect fit for Yushan County."
Wang Feiyin nodded with a smile: "The common people are afraid of officials who do nothing, but they are also afraid of officials who act recklessly. Someone like him is very good."
It is also very suitable for Sanqing Temple and Mountain God Temple, where the abbot is in seclusion and spends most of the year in seclusion and deep in the mountains to cultivate.
A temple keeper is still in the learning stage, spending most of the year learning and gaining experience outside, so he is suitable to act as he pleases.
The ambitious magistrate would visit them every few days. If they went, it would be a waste of their time; if they didn't go, they would be suspected of being negligent.
For example, why did Cai Sheng dislike Wang Feiyin and Pan Yun so much before? Wasn't it because he was too ambitious and wanted to achieve something?
As soon as the magistrate became more amiable and easygoing, Pan Yun's troubles immediately decreased by half, and her mood improved considerably: "Senior Brother, let's stay a few more days before leaving."
Wang Feiyin asked slowly, "Where are we going? The academy won't be open for a while, right?"
"You know perfectly well why you're asking, don't you? Of course we're going to Ji'an County. Cong'er will most likely go to Quanzhou, and as for me, I'll find an opportunity to take a trip to the capital and visit my father and brothers."
Wang Feiyin did not stop him, but only gave him a word of advice: "You must remember that you have already broken through to the first rank of Marquis and have stepped out of the mortal world. You must not invest too much emotion in your parents and family."
Pan Yun: "I know you're worried that I won't be able to accept my father, brothers, and family members getting old, and that I might go astray and do something against the natural order. But don't worry, I can recite the Dao Yuan Laws by heart."
Wang Feiyin: "Speaking of the Dao Yuan Law..."
"Oh dear, is it getting dark?" Pan Jun immediately stood up and shouted to Miao Zhen, who was still cleaning, "Miao Zhen, see if anyone in the village is selling meat. Let's buy some for dinner."
Miaozhen responded, put down the rag, and walked to the door. Feeling something was wrong, she turned back and asked, "Junior Uncle, why do you look so guilty?" "Nonsense, why would I be guilty?" Pan Yun wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Wang Feiyin looked at her speechlessly, waved to Miaozhen, and said after Miaozhen left: "Hmph, what are you feeling guilty about? I wanted to tell you that the Celestial Master's Mansion is going to add a few more articles to the Dao Yuan Laws and invite famous temples from all over the world to Longhu Mountain to discuss them. I will be leaving the mountain for Longhu Mountain in February."
Pan Yun let out a breath, then frowned: "Why are you adding more? There are already so many rules, plus the 'Academy Rules,' I'm about to go bald. From now on, will I have to flip through both books before going out to see whether to step out with my right foot first or my left foot first?"
"Stop complaining. No matter how many rules there are, it won't stop you from committing crimes. Let me ask you, how many rules and regulations did you break last time in Changzhou Prefecture?"
Pan Yun touched her nose and remained silent.
Wang Feiyin snorted and waved his hand, saying, "You go too. Go to the village and find Xiao Shiyi. Take her up the mountain for a meal."
"Oh."
Xiao Shiyi was fostered at Wang Xiaojing's house. After only a few months, he not only grew up to be chubby and healthy, but also became much more cheerful. He almost forgot about Pan Yun.
Her memories of Xiao Liuzi and the others were fading, and in a few years, she might not remember her older brothers and sisters at all.
She was too young to remember anything.
Moreover, after nearly starving to death that time, she forgot many things when she woke up.
Pan Yun knew that people's brains would deliberately try to forget or blur their most painful memories.
Things that should be very memorable sink deep into the depths of memory, becoming blurry or even impossible to find, even when deliberately searched for.
So she didn't say anything, just carried her up the mountain. The people on the mountain played with her for a while, had a big dinner together, gave her the new clothes and shoes they bought in Ji'an County, and then carried her down the mountain on their shoulders.
Pan Yun stood at the mountain pass watching her run towards Xiao Jing's mother. After being led by the little hand, she skipped and jumped, and Pan Yun's mood couldn't help but soar as well: "She's not bad like this either."
Wang Cong: "Junior Uncle, I have already had the business take Xiao Liuzi and the others' portraits to other places, and I have also searched several human traffickers' dens, but I haven't found them yet."
Pan Yun's voice was low: "Take the portrait with you, and ask around wherever the caravan goes. It would be best if we could find the person, but if we can't..."
She paused, then, remembering that these were children she had been sponsoring for a long time, she said in a low voice, "Let's see."
Wang Cong agreed.
He looked up at the mountaintop and suggested, "Why don't we ask Xue Shao for help?"
He said, "His uncle is the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. If officials are serious about finding someone, they have many channels, and those channels are beyond our reach."
Pan Yun seemed to understand something: "It's worth a try."
Pan Yun wasn't embarrassed at all about Xue Shao; she just told him directly.
Xue Shao readily agreed, as it wasn't a bad thing, and combating human trafficking was also within the purview of the Dali Temple.
"But don't get your hopes up too high. Last year there were both natural disasters and man-made disasters. Yushan County was in a lot of chaos. Nobody knows if they were kidnapped, sold themselves, or... There was a lot of traffic at the time, so it will be hard to find them."
Pan Yun: "I was mentally prepared."
Xue Shao then wrote a letter to his uncle.
Xue Xuan was surprised that Xue Shao hadn't written to him for a long time, but suddenly wrote him a thick package of letters. When he opened it, there were ten portraits and a thin sheet of paper inside.
Xue Xuan covered the portrait and read the letter first. The servant beside him couldn't help but laugh and said, "The eldest young master really looks like you, sir."
Xue Xuan glanced at the list and casually said, "I don't have his ambition. Do you know what he's doing now?"
The servant shook his head with a smile.
Xue Xuan sighed and said, "He has finally gone to cultivate Taoism."
The servant was taken aback and said after a moment of surprise, "Xue Taixu is going to corrupt the young members of the clan."
Xue Xuan: "Everyone has their own destiny, and their descendants will also have their own future. Xue Shao is not a three-year-old child. This is his own choice. I think he must have made this decision after careful consideration."
"Since you understand, why are you so melancholy?"
Xue Xuan sighed, "Life is too short. I'm afraid he'll go down the wrong path and then want to turn back, but there won't be enough time."
He shook his head and said with a wry smile, "I used to think that parents were too strict in disciplining their children, so much so that they would tighten their grip on the kite string and cause the kite to fall to the ground. But now that it's my turn, I realize that it's beyond my control."
Knowing it's wrong and shouldn't be done, I still can't help thinking about it and doing it. My actions don't match my knowledge…
Xue Xuan shook his head, clearly disappointed in himself.
The servant listened but didn't understand, so he decided to remain silent.
He often treated the master this way, and Xue Xuan got used to it.
After reading the letter, he picked up the portrait and examined it carefully: "Natural disasters and man-made calamities mean that people need to be sold in stable and prosperous places to make a lot of money. Let's start the search from the capital, using the capital as the center and searching outwards." (End of Chapter)