Chapter 578: Strange Charity Hall
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Qin Huai did not intend to pretend to be weak. He did not have the time, but he did not use the name of Duke Yong Manor. He only used his identity as a county scholar. If not for Empress Qin stopping him halfway, Qin Huai would at least be a provincial scholar now.
There were many county scholars in Wanning City. They were inconspicuous existences, but this meant that he was also an educated person.
It was one law for students to bully ordinary people. It was another law for students to be bullied.
In the end, Scholar Lu apologized to Ah Yu and even compensated her with ten taels of silver.
Ten taels of silver in Wanning City was enough for an ordinary family of five to eat for a year. To the students, it was already a huge compensation.
“The teachings of the saints do not differentiate between men and women. Scholar Lu, you’ve read the books of the saints in vain. Usually, has the teacher taught you the principle that disasters come from the mouth?” After the governor finished speaking to the ashen-faced Scholar Lu, he said loudly to the other students, “Although everyone has their own ambitions, you can’t disregard the law in your lives. I won’t investigate your selfishness, but you can’t be rash in your actions. Otherwise, the law will teach you!”
The student hurriedly cupped his hands and agreed, not daring to complain.
The laws of the Great Chang Dynasty did not say that one had to respect women and could not bully them. However, they said that “Those who bully others will be punished ten times over. Those who humiliate others will be punished ten times over. Those who defile others will be punished ten times over.” Naturally, women were also included in this category.
Moreover, there was another rule in the law. “Those who bully, humiliate, or defile others first will be severely punished.”
The magistrate did not convict Scholar Lu for bullying others but rather for insulting and defaming them. Insulting others carries a punishment of ten lashes, while defaming others also carries a punishment of ten lashes. However, since Scholar Lu is a scholar who represents academic achievement, he has the option to pay a fine or perform unpaid labor in lieu of corporal punishment.
Money redemption was one tael of silver per lash. Of the 20 taels of silver, 10 taels would be confiscated by the court and 10 taels would be compensated to the victim.
Unpaid labor refers to the practice in which the imperial government assigns individuals to perform unpaid labor in tasks related to document writing, in order to offset their debts. Each day of labor would be considered as equivalent to two months of debt repayment, so if someone were assigned 20 days of labor, it would be equivalent to 4.0 months of debt repayment.
Of course, Scholar Lu would choose monetary compensation.
After walking out of the government office, Scholar Lu’s face was still filled with indignation. However, he remembered the lesson this time and did not speak arrogantly anymore. Instead, he stared fiercely at Qin Huai.
When he became famous, he would definitely take revenge for today’s humiliation!
Ah Yu rarely hated people. Even those who were extremely vicious, All Yu did not hate them. Instead, she sympathized with them. She sympathized with the fact that there was only darkness in their world, and she also sympathized with the fact that their minds had been destroyed by chaos.
She found this Scholar Lu annoying because he was not a stupid person, but he was not smart.
Outside the government office, a few scholars were indignant, but they knew that this was not the place to talk.
Scholar Lu walked up to Qin Huai. Qin Huai brought All Yu to the side and said coldly, “What is it?”
“Qin Huai! I, Lu Yu, am rash, but you’re not a good person either. Since you’re a student here to take the exam, why didn’t you make it clear back then? Also, it’s not like you’re not guilty just because there’s no evidence. If you have the ability, let’s compete openly. Aren’t you afraid of tarnishing the reputation of the Saints by using those lowly tricks!”
Everyone looked at him as if he was a fool.
Ah Yu simply tossed the ten taels of silver in her hand and pretended to be very happy. She said, “Big Brother All You, we picked up ten taels of silver for free. I saw a charity hall on the ship just now. Let’s go buy food for the children in the charity hall.”
Charity halls only appeared in large cities, mainly to help people who could not afford to eat. The people inside came and went every day, and they were basically all alone.
Qin Huai smiled. “Alright.”
Ah Yu looked at Old Madam Wang. “Grandma, let’s go to the charity hall?”
How could Old Madam Wang say no? They walked towards the charity hall.
Seeing that he was ignored, Scholar Lu was so angry that he wanted to stomp his feet.
He hated Ah Yu even more in his heart. He had already scolded her countless times in his heart.
“Qin Huai! In this Imperial Examination, I’ll definitely be ranked at the top! Just you wait. If you fail, 1’11 laugh at you!”
This kid was too young and did not know how precious studying was. He did not focus on studying and actually hung out with a girl. What kind of future could such a person have?
What Scholar Lu did not know was that he would soon be slapped in the face and his words would be sent back to him.
At this moment, Ah Yu had already pulled Qin Huai and Old Madam Wang to the charity hall.
The door of the charity hall was a little old. The two gatekeepers were even dozing off. She could vaguely see a few people cleaning inside.
Ah Yu did not buy anything directly. Instead, she wanted to go to the charity hall to take a look.
“Little Brother, how many pitiful people are there in the charity hall now?”
Actually, there was also a charity hall in the prefecture city. It was relatively clean and tidy, but it was also a little deserted. When they traveled, they would occasionally encounter one or two, but they were also not lively.
Therefore, Ah Yu did not go often.
The main reason was that she did not want the ten taels of silver today. Of course, it was not good to throw them away. It was better to use them to do some good deeds.
Hearing someone asking a question, the gatekeeper on the left woke up. When he saw Ah Yu and the others, he was still a little stunned. “Little lady, what are you doing?”
“We plan to give something to the poor people in the charity hall,” All Yu said.
Poor people did not mean that the people inside were poor, but it was a general term for those who received help from the charity hall. Ah Yu had heard it too many times, so she followed suit.
“All, you came at the wrong time,” the gatekeeper said. “This morning, a kind-hearted master found jobs for the poor people and even distributed wages to them in advance. Therefore, all the poor people in the charity hall went, and not a single one was left.”
Ah Yu was surprised. “Not a single one is left? Did all the men, women, old, and young go? What kind of job is it?”
‘Tm not too sure either. They said that the work is at the docks. The more work they do, the more they can take. If it were children or old women, as long as they helped, they could at least manage a full meal a day. It’s just that they won’t have any salary. They thought that it was not bad, so they followed,” the gatekeeper said. “There are also many poor people who are ambitious. They don’t want to continue eating and drinking in the charity hall in the future, so they want to earn some money themselves.”
Ah Yu still felt that something was wrong. “Do you know that rich man? Which dock did they go to? Did they say if they would come back?”
The gatekeeper opened his mouth, but before he could speak, another gatekeeper woke up and said unhappily, “Little lady, we’re just guarding the door. How can we care so much? Moreover, the poor people are not under the jurisdiction of our charity hall. They’re much freer than us. They come and go as they please. How can we care so much?”
As he spoke, he glared at the other gatekeeper. “You’re just gossiping. Be careful not to be scolded by the steward again.”
The two of them continued talking and ignored Ah Yu and the others.
Ah Yu looked at Old Madam Wang.
Old Madam Wang raised her chin. “Go find your grandfather first.”
Those with discerning eyes knew that something was wrong. Of course, it was not as simple as it seemed.
Ah Yu did not hesitate for the time being. They had come to Three Thoughts Street to find Second Uncle before looking for Grandpa.
Three Thoughts Street was a treasure land. Every inch of land here was worth money. Every year, during the examinations, even the corridors of houses could be rented out.
As for Old Madam Wang, she bought an entire house here and partitioned it into ten small houses. Every small house was filled with the essentials.
Six of the small houses were rented out at a price of 10 to 100 taels a month. The remaining four were left behind by Old Madam Wang for the Wang Family’s children.
Wang Chuangui lived in one of the small houses.
After passing the charity hall and walking another hundred steps, they arrived at the courtyard Old Madam Wang had bought.
Who else could it be but Old man Wang standing at the door?
“Grandpa!” All Yu’s eyes lit up and she shouted with a bright voice..