Rise From the Humble

As the sun sets in the west, as the officials on duty in Xiyuan get off work one after another, the business of the food stalls outside Xiyuan Palace is becoming more and more popular, with people coming and going, and the seats are full.

As officials visited the food stalls, the story of the Taicang bank theft became more and more detailed, and the details of Zhu Ping'an's bank check became more and more abundant. Many commentators seemed to have witnessed it with their own eyes and spoke vividly.

Of course, in the process of word of mouth, there are more and more versions of Zhu Pingan, adding a lot of subjective color.

While Liu Mu and Liu Dadao were eating steamed buns, they were stunned as they listened to the discussions of the people at the table around them.

"Mr. Zhu, this naked official is a good official. He does his job cleanly and fulfills his duties. There are too few such officials now. Although I am the coachman of Mr. Liu's family, my old horse will be my most important person from now on. The officer I admire is Mr. Zhu who checks the bank with his bare buttocks."

A coachman surnamed Ma at the next table took a big gulp of wine, chewed the mutton, and said with spittle.

Well, that's good. Liu Dadao was very excited when he heard it, as if that person was talking about him, and the buns in his mouth became even more fragrant.

"You all say that Mr. Zhu is an upright official and fulfills his responsibilities. I think Mr. Zhu is quite stupid. Alas, don't look at me like this, listen to me. Let's not talk about anything else, just talk about Taicang Yinku, Taicang Yinku Where? I guess even if I don’t say it, everyone knows that this is the treasury of the Ming Dynasty. There is an old saying, it is called eating from the mountains and the water. This is eating from the treasury, of course. You guys Everyone understands. You said Taicang is empty, who doesn't know it? Look, there were five officials who followed Mr. Zhu to check the bank. The leader was a third-grade official, who was better than Mr. Zhu's official position, the result is that within two days, everyone made excuses to give up their jobs, and Mr. Zhu was the only one left. You said that Mr. Zhu didn't follow other people's example and gave up their jobs, but in the end, Mr. Zhu just went up and checked it out. , do you think Mr. Zhu is stupid?!"

"You said that being an official in the government, internal fighting, supervision, etc., are just like our jokes. They are commonplace and everyone is just joking. They are just to make a living. If you really work hard, Everyone weighs it up, but Mr. Zhu is different. It's like a raw melon and an egg. Ding is Dingmao and Mao. He is very serious. Later, when the inventory was taken, he was not allowed to enter. He said that if he wanted to enter the bank, he had to be like a bank. Soldiers like that can only wear a crotchless trousers, but Master Zhu reached out and took them off without saying a word, let alone the crotchless trousers, he was completely naked."

"The officials present at the time were all frightened. Why is there such a thing? Aren't you saying that your body, hair, and skin are affected by your parents, and you can't be killed or humiliated? Why does Master Zhu seem to be ignorant of etiquette, justice, and integrity? However, Master Zhu just dares to Playing like this, Master Zhu is so naked and swaggering into the bank, as if he is telling everyone that I am so innocent."

"If you are naked, there will be no flaws. In this way, Master Zhu relied on his impeccable personal conditions to thoroughly check the bank's account books, count the gold and silver in the bank, and find out all the big rats in the bank in one fell swoop."

"You think Mr. Zhu is stupid or not? But don't say it yet, we people still need such stupid officials, and we, Lao Li, will obey such stupid officials."

A man sitting at the same table as the coachman named Ma had his chest open, revealing tufts of lush chest hair. He looked like a martial artist. There was a thick-backed machete beside him. The man stretched out his big furry hand and patted the table, and said with a purr.

In fact, when the man first said that Zhu Ping'an was stupid, Liu Dadao had already put down the bun in his mouth. If Liu Mu hadn't grabbed him with his hand, Liu Dadao would have gone up to the man to ask for an explanation, or he would have been pulled by Liu Mu. Looking at it, Liu Dadao also stared at the man fiercely, so the man said at that moment, don't look at me like this.

When the man said the next words, Liu Dadao was being tamed like a docile donkey. When the man said it later, Liu Dadao listened with interest again. When the man said the last words, Liu Dadao I couldn't help but scream loudly.

There are many similar discussions at food stalls.

However, as time went on, these versions of the conversation became increasingly off-track and outrageous.

For example, the following discussion is way off base.

"Do you know why the officials who were watching were stunned when Mr. Zhu took off all his clothes and entered the bank to take stock?" someone said with a hint of surprise.

"Why?" someone asked curiously.

"That's because Mr. Zhu has the capital. As soon as he took off his clothes, he shocked the onlookers on the spot. Otherwise, if you say why Mr. Zhu takes off his clothes so actively, it's because of his confidence." The man said plausibly, stretching out He made a gesture with his hand, as if he had witnessed it on the spot.

"Are you kidding? Isn't that a donkey?" After hearing this, the person next to him retorted in disbelief.

puff.

When Liu Dadao heard this, he just took a bite of the bun and spit it out.

Normally, with Liu Mu's skills and Liu Mu's understanding of Liu Dadao, he would definitely be able to avoid it. But the problem is, Liu Mu also choked after hearing what the man said, and he hasn't recovered yet. As a result, Liu Dadao sprayed Liu Mu in the face.

"Ahem, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Liu Dadao clumsily stretched out his hand to help Liu Mu wipe it, as if he wanted to wipe it evenly.

"Forget it, I'll do it myself." Liu Mu shook his head in disgust and dodged.

At this time, the topic at the food stall could not be more biased. Chaku's version was outrageous to the point of being a fantasy, but some people still said it as if it was true.

"Do you know why Lord Zhu strips off his clothes and checks the bank? Do you know why Lord Zhu settles accounts faster than the top accountants in Taicang? That accountant you mean? It's the famous ghost accountant in our capital."

"No matter how powerful the ghost hand is, he still has two hands, but Mr. Zhu, Mr. Zhu is not a pair of hands. Hehe, don't forget, Mr. Zhu took off his clothes. Not only does Mr. Zhu have capital, but he can also dial the abacus. The ghost hand Zhang only has one pair of hands, how can he be compared to Master Zhu? The ghost-shou Zhang has already lost before the reckoning has even begun."

puff.

Liu Dadao vomited again.

"The master is out."

At this time, Liu Mu's sharp eyes saw Zhu Ping'an walking out of the palace gate. He pulled Liu Dadao who was going to argue with someone. He put the meal money on the table and pulled Liu Dadao towards him.

"Have you had dinner?" Zhu Pingan asked, "If not, just eat at this restaurant before going back. I just used it in the palace."

"We just ate, young master. Well, it's almost curfew, let's go back quickly." Liu Mu and Liu Dadao handed the reins of the dark horse to Zhu Pingan and urged, lest Zhu Pingan entered the restaurant, after listening Those nonsense words.

"Oh, okay."

Zhu Ping'an didn't think much about it. Hearing that the two of them had eaten, and because it was indeed the time to light the lanterns and the curfew was about to begin, he nodded, and the three of them rode horses to the Linhuai Marquis Mansion.