Chapter 176: Uneducated

However, Chongzhen just stood with his hands behind his back, looking isolated from the world.

It was only after Wang Chengen came out and said a few polite words that the atmosphere became less awkward.

After chatting casually for a few words, Liu Zongzhou suddenly said, "By the way, I also heard from this... Young Master Wang that it seems that my brother was robbed by unscrupulous merchants before coming to the government office?"

"Can you tell me what happened in detail?"

After hearing this, Wang An finally came to his senses from the shock of the death. He gritted his teeth and told every detail except the origin of the pearl.

Such a big pearl, and worthy of Wei Zhongxian's separate collection, must be worth a lot of money, at least more than two thousand taels!
And it was taken away by someone in such a cowardly way. It was impossible for Wang An to refuse to go.

During the process, the story was exaggerated, saying that the evil slave not only beat him, but also threatened that he had someone behind him and was not afraid of the government.

In fact, the owner of Tianbao Pawnshop not only claimed that there was someone behind him, but also ordered two of his men to chase and beat him, but Wang An was not actually chased or beaten.

However, Wang An learned from passers-by that Tianbao Pawnshop was the property of Yangwu Hou Xue Lian. Fearing that Liu Zongzhou would not dare to intervene in the case, he wanted to make the situation sound more serious.

When they heard the name of Yangwu Hou Xue Lian, Liu Zongzhou and Chongzhen's faces changed slightly.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated that there were five ranks of nobles: duke, marquis, earl, viscount and baron. However, the two titles of viscount and baron were abolished later, and people at that time usually only had the three ranks of duke, marquis and earl.

Moreover, there are also different levels of marquis. One type is only lifelong and cannot be inherited. That is to say, once you die after being conferred the title of marquis, your descendants will still be ordinary people and will not inherit the title.

The second type is hereditary. As long as the Ming Dynasty does not perish, the title can be passed down. Usually, it requires the ancestors to have made great military achievements to obtain it.

Xue Lian, Marquis of Yangwu, was not only a hereditary marquis, but also a member of his family with an iron certificate of immunity from death, so his status was extremely noble.

Not to mention that his ancestor was the famous general Xue Lu who followed Zhu Di in the rebellion. His deeds were widely circulated among the people, and some people even set up temples to worship him.

Among the people in the Xue family who inherited the title of Marquis of Yangwu, there were many capable officials and generals, and they have made many contributions to the Ming Dynasty.

However, by the time of Xue Lian, Marquis of Yangwu, he had not made any contributions to the Ming Dynasty. He was arrogant and domineering and committed many illegal acts, which made him hated by the people.

Liu Zongzhou's expression changed, simply because of Xue Lian's identity and his reputation for arrogance and domineering, Liu Zongzhou felt that if he intervened in this matter, it would definitely be quite troublesome.

Chongzhen was simply angry, but of course there were some tricky implications as well.

After all, Chongzhen still cared a lot about his reputation. If he insisted on speaking up for Wang An, then during the trial of Yangwu Hou Xue Lian, it was inevitable that some trouble would arise. As the evidence increased, it would be difficult for Chongzhen to decide whether to punish him severely or leniently.

If the punishment was too light, Wang An would be dissatisfied and become resentful towards the court.

He was also worried that people would say that Chongzhen was ungrateful and actually targeted the descendants of his meritorious officials.

But after thinking about it, if Chongzhen had to choose between Yangwu Hou Xue Lian and Wang An, he would undoubtedly choose Wang An.

After all, between a figure comparable to Liu Bowen and a nobleman who just eats and waits for death and commits crimes, the result is obvious, isn't it?

Thinking of this, Chongzhen looked at Liu Zongzhou quietly.

At the same time, Chongzhen was also somewhat expecting that Liu Zongzhou would say something that should not be said in front of the emperor.

For example, how powerful Yangwu Hou Xue Lian was, and how he advised Wang An to keep quiet. As for the pearl, Chongzhen believed that if Liu Zongzhou came forward, Yangwu Hou Xue Lian would give him the face.

This would not only appease Wang An, but also avoid forcing Chongzhen to kill Xue Lian.

As for the possible resentment that Wang An might have, I believe that if Liu Zongzhou could speak, he would be able to resolve it.

However, Liu Zongzhou had obviously misunderstood. When he saw Chongzhen looking at him, he thought of Chongzhen's previous criticism of him for failing to put order in the government. So he gritted his teeth and said cruelly, "As a noble of the Ming Dynasty, you don't want to serve the court, but instead open a pawnshop to compete with the people for profits, and even rob the people of their property. Don't worry, brother, I will definitely impeach Xue Lian!"

As for whether or not to impeach Xue Lian, Wang An didn't care at all. All he cared about was whether he could get his pearl back.

However, he also knew that Yangwu Hou Xue Lian was not an ordinary local tyrant and bully. For the sake of his cousin, Liu Zongzhou not only released him, but also severely punished the two yamen runners who tried to frame him.

It would seem inappropriate to make any further requests.

However, Wang An, who values ​​money as his life, couldn't help but whispered in a heartache: "Well, the main thing is that my big pearl is still... it's still quite valuable, you know?"

Liu Zongzhou was stunned when he heard this and couldn't help feeling speechless.

Damn it, I have already expressed my intention to impeach a hereditary noble for you, and you are still thinking about your big pearl?

Okay, okay, I want to see how valuable your big pearl is!

Speechless, Liu Zongzhou immediately ordered all the fast-shift bailiffs of Shuntian Prefecture to gather together and go to Tianbao Pawnshop to arrest the owner and the evil slave, and at the same time instructed them to bring back the big pearl.

Only then did Wang An show a happy smile.

While waiting, Liu Zongzhou invited the three of them to sit in the back hall for a while.

If it was an ordinary lawsuit involving personal relationships, of course there would not be such treatment, but who can blame Wang An's younger brother for being Chongzhen?

A few people drank tea and chatted, and the atmosphere at the table was quite depressing.

Liu Zongzhou did not dare to talk about state affairs for fear that talking too much would reveal Chongzhen's identity, and Chongzhen did not ask him how the affairs of Shuntian Prefecture were being handled.

Wang Chengen stood aside blankly, calm and silent.

Wang An was actually trying to build a relationship with Liu Zongzhou and flatter him.

Liu Zongzhou was not disgusted at all, and was even very attentive to Wang An.

While thinking about the historical records about Liu Zongzhou, Wang An praised Liu Zongzhou for his rich learning and good calligraphy.

When Liu Zongzhou heard this, he did not expect that the emperor's brother had heard of his good knowledge. He happily took out a handwriting on the spot for Wang An to appreciate.

He hoped that Wang An would praise himself more in front of Emperor Chongzhen so as to show off his abilities.

But Wang An was uneducated and could only travel around the world.

Facing Liu Zongzhou's vigorous and elegant calligraphy, Wang An could only say a few nonsense words like "the characters are rich", "the strokes are like dragons", and "the calligraphy is deep into the wood".

(End of this chapter)