Zhao Ce was the only scholar in the village, and the social hierarchy was apparent with the four traditional occupations of scholar, farmer, artisan, and merchant.
Due to his past arrogance, the villagers did not like him and often made fun of him with various nicknames.
However, they finally realized today that Zhao Ce was indeed a learned man and may become a high-ranking official, known as a true nobleman. His articulate and well-organized speech was able to make even those who couldn't read or do math understand.
Originally, everyone thought that Uncle Liu was just being unfair, but after Zhao Ce's calculation, they realized that this was not a simple matter of being unfair. After all, 400 coins was a lot of money.
Many families could not earn that much money in a year, even if they worked tirelessly. Uncle Liu's family gave away 400 coins just like that?
Uncle Liu was speechless after Zhao Ce spoke. He turned red in the face and said, "I, I didn't do it." "You asked me to work for you and said you would pay me at the end." "But you didn't pay me, so what should I do?"
An older man next to them couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Old Liu, you're too unfair." "Zhao Ce gave you 400 coins, even if you took care of his crops every day." "How much time could you have wasted?" "We could earn this much money by doing odd jobs for the landlord's family for a year." "You took so much money from him but only did a few days of work."
Uncle Liu insisted that he was not wrong and shouted in the field. He said that Zhao Ce was slandering him and that he would go to the city to find the Qingtian Grand Master to seek justice.
Zhao Ce's voice also slightly increased, but still remained calm. "Go to the city to find the Qingtian Grand Master to seek justice?" "Okay, go ahead!" "You think my family's money is blown here by the wind?" "Do you still have the 'Dagao' at home? Remember to bring it with you." "When you get to the court, let the Qingtian Grand Master take a look." "See how many lashes are required for your crime according to the 'Dagao'!"
The Dagao is the criminal code established by the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty in China In the early Ming Dynasty, it was required that every farmer had a copy of the Dagao in their household. The Dagao served as a legal code that outlined the various crimes and punishments under the Ming legal system. It was used as a reference for judicial officials and judges to determine the appropriate punishment for crimes committed.
Furthermore, they even sent specialized individuals to promote the Dagao throughout the entire Ming Dynasty. Although it mainly recorded punishments for corrupt officials, there were also a few punishments for common people. If a commoner committed a minor offense and had a copy of the Dagao in their home, it could reduce some of their guilt. However, Dagao's effectiveness has greatly diminished due to multiple revisions and abolitions of its laws. Zhao Ce naturally doesn't remember what punishments are listed inside. He's just trying to scare Uncle Liu!
A quarrel? How could he, a scholar, possibly quarrel? Civilized people naturally speak with reason.
Indeed, as soon as Uncle Liu heard Zhao Ce's words, he immediately stopped shouting. He muttered, "Don't scare me." Zhao Ce calmly said, "Why would I scare you?"
"I, a scholar, read the Dagao as my first book. Not to mention the Ming Code, which I am also quite familiar with!"
"Do you really think that if you report me to the officials, I would be afraid of you?"
Uncle Liu nervously swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Aunt Liu quickly said, "Mr. Zhao, we are all from the same village. There's no need to make a fuss and involve the officials."
Zhao Ce glanced at her and casually laughed, "We are all from the same village, of course, I wouldn't go that far."
"The one who said he was going to the officials was Uncle Liu, right?"
Hearing this, the people nearby all accused Uncle Liu. "Old Liu, you were indeed not fair in this matter."
"Mr. Zhao is a scholar and would naturally want to make a mountain out of a molehill."
"You even said you were going to report it to the officials."
"You should apologize to Zhao Ce and discuss how to resolve this matter with him."
Uncle Liu saw that no one was on his side and became a little flustered. He originally thought that Zhao Ce was thin-skinned and wouldn't argue with him. He was sure he would be able to get away with it.
But Zhao Ce's argument was sound and logical. Even he himself felt that he was really unfair. Aunt Liu made eye contact with him on the side, urging him to resolve the matter quickly. they definitely couldn't involve the officials. After all, they were all simple farmers who just wanted to live peacefully.
The village head, Zhao Youcai heard that his nephew had quarreled with someone in the fields and hurried over with Zhao Wenhao. After hearing the reason for the incident on the way, he also furrowed his brows. "
A just official will find it difficult to intervene in household affairs. In a village like ours, everyone is familiar with each other's business. Even if there are disputes, most of them are settled amicably.
When Zhao Youcai arrived in the vicinity, he heard Uncle Liu's loud voice and his heart tightened. He thought Zhao Ce might have been bullied.
He quickly walked over with his companions and shouted, "Uncle Liu, don't bully my nephew who is all alone."
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Uncle Liu stiffen his neck and say, "I'll just help you plant your crops this season!" Aunt Liu also laughed and said, "Zhao Ce, we will plant this season's crops for you. You don't have to pay for labor or seeds. You just need to harvest it later! Consider it our way of apologizing."
Zhao Youcai was still thinking about how to handle the situation when he heard Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu's words.
Zhao Ce reluctantly said, "We are all fellow villagers, and I don't want to be too harsh. How about you help me plant a different crop, and I'll pay for the seeds myself?" Zhao Ce happened to be thinking of planting sugarcane, so he figured he could save some trouble by having them help him plant it.
Although Uncle Liu was in the wrong, Zhao Ce realized he also had some responsibility for the situation. He just chose to overlook his own mistakes and magnify Uncle Liu's. After all, whoever takes the moral high ground wins, right?
After Zhao Ce spoke, Aunt Liu quickly agreed on Uncle Liu's behalf.
When Zhao Youcai arrived, he found that the situation had already been resolved. Uncle Liu glanced at him like a defeated rooster, rolled up his pants, and went back to the field.
Zhao Ce turned around and shouted, 'Uncle, I'm here.' Zhao Wenhao rolled up his sleeves and frowned, 'I heard you were bullied by Uncle Liu's family?'
Zhao Ce smiled and said, 'It was just a minor disagreement, and it's been resolved.'
Zhao Wenhao looked him up and down. Although his robe was lifted, there were no signs of a struggle. Instead, he exuded an inexplicable aura of righteousness and strength from his impassioned words earlier.
This feeling...how should he put it? Zhao Wenhao found himself inexplicably impressed with Zhao Ce. He relaxed his brow and told him, 'You, a scholar, don't have much ability besides being handsome. Don't get into fights outside in the future. If you do, you won't be able to outrun anyone. If you want to argue, call us to come with you. We guarantee you won't be bullied!' "