Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

Chapter 1487 Loyalty Test Card

Zhu Qiwu stayed in Lijiawan for another two hours, distributing the remaining medicine and teaching several villagers who were still able to move how to prepare the medicine and how to boil water.

As they were leaving, the woman chased after them, carrying a cloth bag in her hands.

"My benefactor, here, take this. We don't have anything valuable at home, just this little bit of millet. Take it and eat it on the road."

Zhu Qiwu looked at the bag of millet, which contained only a small portion, about half a bowlful. This was the last of their food supplies.

He didn't answer.

"Sister-in-law, keep this. Use it to cook porridge for the patient."

The woman's tears fell again.

Zhu Yuanzhang, watching from the side, suddenly said, "Seventh Five, remember what you've seen today."

Zhu Qiwu was taken aback: "Fourth Brother?"

"Remember this," Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was low, but every word was weighty. "When you become an official in the future, no matter how high your rank, you must remember what you see today. The common people don't ask for much: a clean drink, a full meal, and some medicine. If you give them these things, they will give you their lives."

Zhu Qiwu looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, and a feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on came over him.

"Fourth Brother, I've remembered."

After leaving Lijiawan, the two continued their journey towards Lishui County.

After walking for about ten miles, a group of people suddenly appeared on the road ahead.

They weren't ordinary people, but a group of men dressed in black, holding knives, blocking the road.

The leader was a burly man with a face full of scars, a knife scar on his neck, and a ghost-head knife in his hand.

Tang He immediately stepped in front of Zhu Yuanzhang, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Who goes there?"

The burly man looked them up and down, then burst into laughter.

“Just passing by? Leave your silver and food, and I'll let you go. If you don't…” He brandished the ghost-headed knife in his hand, “you'll leave your lives behind too.”

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent.

Zhu Qiwu took a step forward and scanned the area with his talent appraisal technique.

bandit.

“Black Wolf,” Zhu Qiwu spoke, “Do you know who we are?”

Black Wolf paused for a moment, then laughed.

"I don't care who you are! On this road, I am the law. Silver, food, leave it here. Otherwise—"

"What else?"

A voice came from behind.

Black Wolf's smile froze.

He turned around and saw Zhou Dexing leading twenty personal guards who were surrounding him from behind. Each guard was carrying a knife and exuded a murderous aura.

Black Wolf's face turned pale instantly.

"You...you all..."

Tang He walked up from behind and punched Black Wolf in the stomach.

Black Wolf staggered back a few steps, his back bent, and the ghost-head knife fell to the ground.

"With so few men, you dare to block our way?" Tang He stomped on Black Wolf's chest. "Tell me, who sent you?"

Black Wolf was panting heavily from being trampled, but he still stubbornly insisted, "No...no one sent me...I'm just on this road..."

"Bullshit." Zhu Qiwu squatted down, looking at Black Wolf. "This road is the official road from Yingtian Prefecture to Lishui County. How long have you been blocking the way here?"

Black Wolf fell silent.

Zhu Qiwu stood up and said to Tang He, "Take him back and let Fourth Brother interrogate him."

Tang He picked up the black wolf like a chick. When the bandits saw their leader captured, they were so frightened that they couldn't even hold their knives properly, and their personal guards disarmed them all.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked up to the group of bandits and looked at them.

Where are you from?

A young bandit stammered, "Reporting to...Reporting to your Excellency, we are all from Lishui County. Our fields have all dried up from drought, we have no food to eat, so...that's why we've come out to do this."

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent for a long time.

Then he said something that surprised everyone.

“Give them back their knives.”

Tang He was taken aback: "Fourth Brother?"

"Give it back to them," Zhu Yuanzhang said. "Then tell them to go to Yingtian Prefecture. They're recruiting for the special imperial examination; those who pass will be given official positions. Those who don't want to take the exam can dig wells for ten coins a day, with three meals provided."

The bandits looked at each other, unable to believe their ears.

The young bandit knelt down with a thud.

"Sir... are you telling the truth?"

"When has anything I, Zhu Yuanzhang, ever said been false?"

All the bandits knelt down, and wept.

Zhu Qiwu stood to the side, watching this scene, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

These people were not bad people; they were ordinary people forced to live at the cost of their lives. Zhang Shicheng ignored them, the Yuan Dynasty ignored them, only Zhu Yuanzhang cared for them.

This is the will of the people.

If you give the people a bite to eat, they will give you their lives.

That evening, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Qiwu arrived in Lishui County.

Lishui County was better off than the villages surrounding Yingtian Prefecture, but not by much. The streets of the county town were deserted, most of the shops were closed, and occasionally a few emaciated people could be seen walking on the road.

The county magistrate was a thin man in his fifties, surnamed Sun, named Sun Deming. When he received the news that the King of Wu had arrived, he was so frightened that he ran out to greet him without even putting on his shoes properly.

"Your Highness, King Wu! I have failed to greet you properly; I deserve to die!"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand: "Magistrate Sun, stop talking nonsense. I'm asking you, how much grain is left in Lishui County's granaries?"

Sun Deming's face turned pale instantly.

"Your Highness, there are still... there are still eight hundred shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain in the granary."

"Eight hundred shi?" Zhu Yuanzhang sneered. "Wasn't it three thousand shi reported last time?"

Sun Deming's legs began to tremble.

"Of those three thousand shi (a unit of grain), two thousand shi were... were transferred away by Wang, the registrar. They said it was for disaster relief in Shangyuan County, but I sent people to investigate, and Shangyuan County didn't receive any of that grain at all..."

It's Wang Shouyi again.

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze was like a knife piercing Sun Deming.

"Sun Deming, I'll ask you one more time. Where did the grain go?"

Sun Deming knelt down on the ground with a thud.

"Your Highness! I didn't know! I really didn't know! Wang Shouyi said it was an order from the imperial court, and I dared not disobey..."

Zhu Qiwu spoke up from the side: "Magistrate Sun, stand up. I'm asking you, how many wells are there in Lishui County?"

Sun Deming paused for a moment, then said, "Reporting to...Reporting to Seventh Young Master, there are twelve wells in Lishui County, but they are all dry. Only the one inside the county town still has a little water, but it's almost dry too."

"All twelve wells, dried up?"

"It's all dry."

Zhu Qiwu turned to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Fourth Brother, give the blueprints for the simple wells to Magistrate Sun. Have him dig wells throughout the county. We'll investigate the grain issue later. But the wells must be dug first; for the people, having no water to drink is worse than having no food."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said to Sun Deming, "Did you hear that? Begin digging the well tomorrow. The wages and food for digging the well will come from my private treasury. Anyone who dares to embezzle a single penny will have their head chopped off." Sun Deming kowtowed repeatedly, "This humble official wouldn't dare! This humble official will certainly comply!"

That evening, Zhu Qiwu stayed at the county government office in Lishui County. He copied the cholera prescription he had prepared that day into three copies: one for Sun Deming, one to be sent to Li Shanchang in Yingtian Prefecture, and one for himself.

He then took out the water purification tablets and handed them to Sun Deming.

"Magistrate Sun, this is called a water purification tablet. Put it in the water, wait half an hour, and the water will be drinkable. After all the wells in the county have been dug, put two tablets in each well."

Sun Deming took the water purifier tablet, turned it over and over, and looked puzzled.

"Seventh Young Master, what...what is this?"

“Something that can save lives,” Zhu Qiwu said. “Don’t worry about what it is, just do as I say.”

Sun Deming dared not ask any more questions and carefully put away the water purifier tablets.

It was late at night, and Zhu Qiwu lay in bed, unable to sleep.

Three first-aid kits have been used, and there are still quite a few left. The well plan has been sent out. The cholera prescription and water purification tablets have also been sent out.

In one day, he dug a well, cured a village of cholera, and even recruited a group of bandits.

These things are much more useful than setting exam questions for three days in the examination hall.

Enke tested people's brains, but ordinary people need to fill their stomachs.

The brain can wait, but the stomach can't.

As he was thinking, there was a light knock on the door twice.

"who?"

"I am your fourth brother."

Zhu Qiwu got up and opened the door. Zhu Yuanzhang stood outside, holding two bowls of porridge.

"Can't sleep?" Zhu Yuanzhang handed him a bowl of porridge.

"I can't sleep." Zhu Qiwu took it and took a sip.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat down opposite him, took a sip of porridge, and then said something.

"Seven-five, why didn't you take the millet that woman offered you today?"

Zhu Qiwu was taken aback.

"That's their last bit of food. If I take it, they'll have nothing left to eat."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him, his gaze holding something profound.

“You’re just like me,” Zhu Yuanzhang said. “We both crawled out of the mud. If the people give us a bite to eat, we have to repay them with ten bites. We can never repay them in this lifetime.”

Zhu Qiwu didn't speak, but just lowered his head and drank his porridge.

Outside the window, the night wind from Lishui County blew in, carrying a dry, earthy smell. In the distance, the sound of the night watchman's clapper could be heard—once, twice, three times.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up, walked to the door, and looked at the night outside.

"75."

"exist."

"After you get back tomorrow, get Enke's matter sorted out as soon as possible. Zhang Shicheng won't give us much time."

"I know."

"And another thing," Zhu Yuanzhang turned around, "Those bandits today, you said you'd make them dig wells, take exams. That's a good idea. But just giving them food isn't enough; we need to give them something to look forward to."

"What's there to look forward to?"

"Let them feel that following us will lead to a good life," Zhu Yuanzhang said. "It's not just empty promises; it's a real promise. Wells will be dug, and we'll have water. The imperial examinations will be held, and officials will be appointed. Land will be cultivated, and we'll have grain. When the people see these things, they'll know we're different from others."

It wasn't because he was good at fighting or killing.

It's because he understands ordinary people.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, then pushed open the door and went out.

Zhu Qiwu sat alone at the table and finished the porridge in his bowl.

Then he picked up a pen and wrote a line on the paper—

"The hearts of the people are the foundation of the world. He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world."

After he finished writing, he folded the paper and stuffed it into his pocket.

I'm going back tomorrow; Enke has ten days left.

Ten days later, no matter what tricks Zhang Shicheng played, he could handle them.

Because he is not fighting alone.

Behind him are countless Chow Tai Fook stores, countless Zhao families, and countless ordinary people who offered up their last bowl of millet.

These people are his greatest source of confidence.

The sound of the wooden clapper outside the window rang out again; it was past midnight.

Zhu Qiwu blew out the candle and closed his eyes.

There's still a lot to do tomorrow.

The next morning, Zhu Qiwu was awakened by the sound of horses' hooves.

He opened the window and saw Sun Deming waiting at the entrance of the county government office on horseback, followed by two horse-drawn carriages piled with sacks.

"Young Master Qi! Young Master Qi!" Sun Deming called from below, "This humble official has had the remaining grain from the county loaded onto carts overnight, a total of two hundred shi (a unit of dry measure). Although it's not much, it's a small token of Lishui County's goodwill. Please take it to Yingtian Prefecture for the candidates in the special imperial examination."

Sun Deming, who was trembling with fear yesterday, is now sending grain to Yingtian Prefecture. It seems that Fourth Brother's words have woken him up.

"Magistrate Sun, I've taken the grain. But remember what Fourth Brother said: the well must be dug, and the medicine must be distributed. If either is missing, I'll go back and tell Fourth Brother."

Sun Deming nodded repeatedly: "This humble official will remember! This humble official will certainly do as instructed!"

Zhu Yuanzhang came out from behind, looked at the two carts of grain, then at Sun Deming, said nothing, mounted his horse and rode away.

Zhu Qiwu followed behind and exited the city gate of Lishui County.

The return journey was faster than the journey there. Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent the entire way, the sound of his horse's hooves pounding heavily on the muddy road. Tang He and Zhou Dexing followed behind, not daring to utter a word.

After traveling for about two hours, Tang He could no longer resist and urged his horse to catch up.

"Fourth Brother, you haven't said a word since last night. What are you thinking about?"

Zhu Yuanzhang did not turn around; his voice came from the front, cold and icy.

"Thinking of Wang Shouyi."

"Wang Shouyi?" Tang He was taken aback. "That registrar of Shangyuan County?"

"Hmm," Zhu Yuanzhang said, "He diverted two thousand shi of grain from Lishui County, his brother collected the 'post-disaster reconstruction fees' from Zhoujiazhuang, and he also orchestrated the sealing off of Lijiawan village. How much silver has this man amassed right under the nose of Yingtian Prefecture?"

Zhu Qiwu chimed in, "Fourth Brother, it's not just about the money. If we hadn't gone to Lijiawan, the entire village would have died in that cholera outbreak. Sealing off the village and preventing anyone from leaving is like trapping them inside to die. Wang Shouyi is killing people."

Zhu Yuanzhang cracked his whip in the air.

"The first thing to do when we get back is to arrest Wang Shouyi."

Zhou Dexing said from behind, "Fourth Brother, Wang Shouyi is an official appointed by the imperial court. Although the Yuan Dynasty is no longer of any use, if we arrest him directly, won't people criticize us?"

"What am I supposed to say?" Zhu Yuanzhang sneered. "He embezzled the people's life-saving grain and blocked their means of survival. I arrested him on behalf of the people. Anyone who dares to speak ill of him can come and find me."

Zhu Qiwu didn't say anything more. He opened the system panel and looked at today's sign-in rewards.

Ding, check-in successful. Reward: One upgraded megaphone, capable of clear communication within a 50-foot radius, unaffected by noise. Bonus: One loyalty test card for all candidates, capable of testing the loyalty of any candidate with 100% accuracy.

Zhu Qiwu carefully put away the loyalty test card, a slight smile playing on his lips.

This card was used on those fourteen people.

At noon, the group returned to Yingtian Prefecture. (End of Chapter)