This story comes from "Three Words and Two Pai" and has been slightly modified during the editing process. If the pictures in this article are infringing, please contact us to delete them.
During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty , in Xianghe County, Shuntian Prefecture, there was a prefect Ni who had a rich family and only one son, named Shanji, who was married and married. His wife, Mrs. Chen, also died earlier, leaving him alone. At that time, Prefect Ni was seventy-nine years old. Although he was old, he was in good spirits and was personally involved in everything at home. His son wanted to take power. He tried to persuade him to delegate power several times, but he ignored it. He only said, "You can take charge of one day, and one day you can kick your legs and leave it alone."
During the autumn harvest of this year, Prefect Ni went to the village to collect rent. One day, while walking around Zhuangzi in the afternoon, he saw a woman washing clothes with a white-haired mother-in-law by the stream. Governor Ni looked at the woman and saw that although she was dressed as a village girl, she had a natural and healthy beauty. He couldn't help but be stunned. When he returned to Zhuangzi, he called the steward to investigate and ask for the woman to be his concubine. The manager was so eager to flatter him that he ran off to do it.
Marriage is also predestined, and the marriage is done as soon as it is said. It turns out that the woman's surname is Mei, her parents are dead, and she lives with her grandmother. At that moment, the steward replied to Taishou Ni, agreed on the bride price, selected an auspicious day, married the Mei family, and did not mention the marriage at the village.
After three dynasties, Taishou Ni and Mrs. Mei returned to their home and met their son and his family. All the men and women in the same house came to kowtow to express their congratulations and called Mrs. Mei "little grandma". Shanji and his wife were so angry that they did not dare to say anything in person, but turned their backs and muttered many unpleasant things. It's nothing more than: "The old man is disrespectful and waning. He is not afraid of damaging his body by marrying a flower-like daughter. He also slandered Mei as not being like a girl from a good family. He must have come here to deceive the old man into making money. It is inevitable that he will do some cheating in the future. The scandal of having an adult is an insult to the family. It’s so stupid that the old man actually calls his servants “little grandma”. How could he still want his son and daughter-in-law to call him “mother”?
Prefect Ni already knew about it. I was unhappy but I couldn't show it, so I had to hide it in my heart. Fortunately, Mrs. Mei has a gentle nature and gets along well with others, so everything goes well. Two months later, Mrs. Mei was pregnant. She was afraid of causing trouble, so she hid it from everyone and only told the old man. When the term expired in October, a boy was born, which shocked the whole family. The child was born on the ninth day of September, and his nickname was Chongyang'er. On the eleventh day, it happened to be Taishou Ni's eightieth birthday. There was a big banquet in the house, and the house was crowded with guests. They all praised him for having a son at an advanced age, which was a sign of longevity. Prefect Ni was overjoyed! But Ni Shanji said behind his back: "This man is sixty years old, he is eighty years old, and there are flowers blooming on the dead trees. He may be a bastard from where he came from. I will never recognize him as my brother." I knew this again, but I kept it to myself.
Time flies, and before we know it, another year has passed. When Chongyang Er celebrated his first birthday, relatives inside and outside came to congratulate him. Ni Shanji not only did not come to accompany the guests, but hid out of the house. The old man knew what he meant and didn't look for it. He greeted the guests himself without saying anything, which made him feel a little disappointed. There is no better way to know a son than a father. As a former official, Prefect Ni knew his son's intentions very well. He was just afraid that the child would divide the family property with him when he grew up. Therefore, he refused to recognize this brother and made malicious rumors in advance, just to manipulate the mother and son in the future. . I just regret that I am getting old and can't wait for my younger son to grow up. In the future, mother and son will inevitably have to make a living at the hands of their elder son. Now they can only endure it and not quarrel with each other. Looking at the infant son and then at Mrs. Mei, I feel pity, pain, regret and sorrow.
Unconsciously, another four years passed, and the child was five years old. When he reached the age of enlightenment, Taishou Ni gave him a scientific name of Shanshu and took him to Jia Shu to study in the same building as his grandson. Who knew that Ni Shanji and his father were not of the same mind. He was very dissatisfied when he saw that the child was named Shanshu and ranked with him. I also saw that he was studying in the same school as his son, and his son had to call him uncle. If he got used to calling him uncle since he was a child, and he would not be suppressed when he grew up, it would be better to find another master for his son. Immediately he took his son away, claiming to be sick, and did not attend classes in the library for several days. At first, Governor Ni thought it was a real illness. After a few days, he learned from his husband that his eldest son had hired another husband. Unexpectedly, he was furious and wanted to find an explanation. Then he thought, this traitor is asking questions in vain, let him go.With a sigh of relief in his chest, he returned to the house. When he was walking, he was hit by the door threshold and fell to the ground on the spot, unconscious. Panicked, Mrs. Mei hurriedly called a doctor. The doctor said she had suffered a stroke. She drank ginger soup to wake her up and helped her to bed. The old man knew it in his heart, but his whole body was numb and unable to move, so he had to stay in bed to recuperate. Mei's decoction and medicine were taken diligently and for a long time, but they had no effect at all. It seemed that he could not be cured, and he was just living the day. Ni Shanji also visited several times during the trip. Seeing that his father was seriously ill, he thought he would never recover, so he yelled at him, beat children and scolded servants, and acted like the head of the family in advance.
Taishou Ni knew that he didn't have much time left, so he called Shanji, took out the property book, and distributed all the property, land deeds, servants, and property to him. He even wrote the family division certificate and the amount of supplies in the book in advance. All I ask is that for the sake of father and son, he will marry Shanshu a wife, divide him into a small house, and give him fifty or sixty acres of farmland, so that he will not suffer from hunger and cold. As for Mei, she is allowed to marry freely. Ni Shanji opened the book and took a look. Sure enough, it was written clearly and clearly. With a smile on his face, Liansheng agreed. I hugged the furniture book and left happily.
Mrs. Mei shed tears when she saw him walking away. She pointed at her son and said, "Isn't this little enemy your flesh and blood? If you give him all your property, how will we, mother and son, live?" Taishou Ni said, "You have I don’t know, I think what Shan Ji did is not a kind person. If he is not angry if the family property is divided equally, he will definitely embarrass you mother and son. Maybe the child’s life will not be saved. It is better to give everything to him and fulfill his wishes. "It can keep your mother and child safe." He then said, "You are still in your prime, and while I am still alive, you might as well entrust your child to be raised by Shanji. After I die, you can choose the one you like for the rest of your life."
Mei! After hearing this, Shi flatly refused and made a solemn oath on the spot to guard the child till the end of his life. Seeing that she was determined and determined, Governor Ni felt happy and sad at the same time. He took out a painting scroll from his pillow and repeatedly warned: "This is my picture of pleasure, and it has its own secrets. You should hide it carefully and don't let anyone know it." . In the future, if Shanji refuses to take care of your child when he grows up, you have to be patient. When you meet a wise official, you can use this axis to appeal to him and ask him to think carefully. There will be results and you can protect your mother and your child. People can't use it enough." After saying this, he handed the scroll to Mei, who accepted it without mentioning it.
After the funeral arrangements were made, Governor Ni felt relieved. He suffered for several more days and died of phlegm at the age of eighty-four. Fortunately, all the clothes, blankets, coffins and coffins were purchased before his death, so Shanji didn't have to worry about it. Mrs. Mei and her child guarded the filial piety hall, crying morning and night and never leaving. Shanji just greeted the guests by name and had no intention of feeling sad. After burying the old man, for the first seven nights, Shanji and his wife broke into Mei's room and rummaged through the boxes and cabinets, fearing that their father's private money was among them. Fortunately, Mrs. Mei was clever and hid the carnival picture in advance, so it was not searched. Early the next morning, Shanji drove Mei's mother and son to live in a miscellaneous house in the back garden on the pretext of repairing the house. Only a few pieces of crude furniture were given, and even the most capable maid in the room was called away, leaving only a little maid of eleven or twelve years old. It doesn't matter whether the three of them have enough food and clothing, or whether the children's education expenses are paid. Mei had no choice but to start her own cooking, save food and expenses, and make do with it. Shanji repeatedly taught his wife to persuade Mei to remarry, and also found a matchmaker to propose marriage to her. But when Mei refused to comply, he had no choice but to give up.
Time flies, and I am good at talking until I am fourteen years old. One day when she came back from school, she asked her mother for new clothes. Mei replied that she had no money to buy clothes. Shanshu asked her, "My father was a prefect and only gave birth to two brothers. My brother is so rich, why should I?" I can’t even afford new clothes. Since mom has no money, I’ll go to my brother and ask for one.” After that, she left. Mrs. Mei grabbed her and said, "My son, who is wearing silk clothes, also went to ask for help. As the saying goes: 'Cherish blessings and accumulate blessings', 'Wear silk when you are young, and wear silk when you are old'. In two years, I will wait for you to study. Now that you are promising, mother is willing to sell her body to make clothes for you to wear. Your brother is not easy to mess with, so you must not provoke him!" After hearing this, Shan Shu agreed in his mouth, but he didn't think so in his heart. He hid it from his mother and ran straight away! Go to the mansion to find Zentsu.
When the two brothers met, Shanji asked him what he was doing. Shan Shu said: "I am a son of an official family. I am ragged and am ridiculed by others. I came to see my brother specifically to ask for silk to make clothes.Shanji replied: "If you want clothes, go to your mother." Shan Shu said: "My brother is in charge of my father's belongings, not my mother." Shanji heard the word "household", which touched his mind. He blushed and asked, "Who taught you to say this sentence?" Are you here for clothes or furniture today? Shan Shu said: "I won't talk about my furniture in the future. Today I need some clothes to look decent." Shanji was furious: "What kind of dignity do you want, you bastard?" Even though my father has thousands of possessions, he has his own legitimate children and legitimate grandchildren, so what the hell are you doing, you bastard! Who did you listen to, come to my place to cause trouble, provoke my temper, and make your mother and son have no place to stay! When Shanshu heard his brother calling him a bastard, he refused to be outdone and retorted: "I was born to my father, so why am I a bastard?" How can I make you angry? Could it be that you murdered my mother and I, so you can monopolize the property? Shanji was furious and cursed: "You little beast, how dare you contradict me!" " He grabbed his sleeves, raised his fists, and beat him so hard that his nose was bruised and his face was swollen. He ran home crying.
Seeing her son being beaten, Mrs. Mei thought carefully, fearing that Shanji might have a grudge, so she asked her maid to do it for him. Shanji sent a message to accompany him, but Shanji was still angry. Early the next morning, he invited several tribesmen, took out the certificate written by his father, called Mei's mother and son, and divided them into a house in Dongzhuang and 58 acres of land. Give it to them. Mrs. Mei thought that there was no room for them in this house, so she took the child and thanked all the relatives, said goodbye to the ancestral hall, said goodbye to Shanji and his wife, moved some old furniture and the two boxes and cages that she brought as a dowry, and hired The animals, people and belongings were brought into the Dongzhuang courtyard. However, they saw that the house was in ruins and the courtyard was full of weeds. They barely cleared out one or two bedrooms and settled down. Only then did they call the farmer to ask questions. The poorest: Not to mention a good harvest, it would be nice not to lose food.
Shanshu was beginning to understand the world. Seeing this situation, Mei was forced to think about the predicament at hand. , I didn't want to tell my son the truth before making any fuss. So I opened the box, took out the pleasure picture, and told my son what my husband said before his death. Then he unfolded the scroll and hung it on the chair. After kneeling on the ground, he stood up and looked at the picture carefully. After pondering for a long time, he had no clue, so he had to hide it.
A few days later, Shanshu was going to Qiancun to find a master to explain the meaning of the scroll, and he happened to come from Guandi Temple. Passing by, I saw a group of people carrying pigs and sheep to worship Guan Gong . After Shan Shu listened carefully, he realized that they had made a wish in the temple and came here today to clear up an unjust case for the government. It turned out that a local tailor Zhao was killed and thrown into the river the day before he went out to work. The government found out that Tailor Zhao had a drunken argument with Lijia, and Chengda even came to beat him up. There were only a few pieces of furniture in his house. Zhao Cao's wife reported Cheng Da to the government, saying that he had murdered her husband. The former magistrate of Qixian County believed the woman's story and sentenced Cheng Da to death. Fortunately, the new magistrate also suffered the death penalty. The magistrate of Teng County wisely reviewed the case and found out the real culprit in a few clicks, clearing Chengda and other leaders of their grievances.
It turned out that Magistrate Teng, whose twin name was Dayin, was from a rural background. , but he was quite smart. He didn't say anything to Tailor Zhao's wife in the hall, but asked her if she would remarry? The woman replied that her family was poor and she was married to another tailor, Shen Bahan. When did he marry the woman, and what was the betrothal gift for? Shen Bahan replied that he married the woman one month after Zhao's death, and the betrothal gift was the seven or eight taels of silver that he had lent to him before. After Zhao's death, he went to collect her. The woman was unable to repay the debt and was willing to pay it with her own body, so she never hired a matchmaker. Master Teng asked him where a craftsman could get so much money. Master Teng told him that he had to collect the details one after another. Come on, Bahan wrote more than a dozen items in rice or silver before he could barely get enough money. Master Teng looked at it and shouted, "You beat Mr. Zhao to death, how can you frame someone else for nothing?" Since you are lending money, why do you only lend it to one person, Mr. Zhao, and you also lend all the money to him? It must be that you are having an affair with his wife, and Mr. Zhao is taking your things and turning a blind eye. Later, you two wanted to be a long-term couple, so you killed Mr. Zhao, but you also asked the woman to falsely accuse Cheng Da.The font you used to list the details just now is the same as the handwriting on the complaint paper that the woman originally filed. If it wasn't you, who was the one who killed her? Immediately, the woman was finger-cuffed. The woman listened to Master Teng's words for a long time. It was as if he had seen it with his own eyes. She was so frightened that she lost her soul. Without waiting for the punishment, they all confessed. Bahan had no choice but to Pledge of guilt. The confessions of the two men were exactly the same as what the Httung County magistrate said. The magistrate of Teng County also became famous far and wide for his examination of this unjust case.
After hearing this, Ni Shan stopped looking for his master and ran straight home to tell his mother about the matter. At that moment, the mother and son brought the scroll and came to the county to complain. Teng Dayin saw that there was no adjective but only a scroll, which was very strange and he asked why. Mrs. Mei detailed Ni Shanji's daily behavior and her husband's last words. The magistrate of Teng collected the scroll and sent his mother and son home first to wait for news. When he returned to his study and opened the picture of pleasure, he saw an old man with white hair and white beard holding a baby in one hand and pointing to the ground with the other. After thinking about it for a long time, I couldn't find the solution. From then on, I would look at the scroll every day after leaving the hall. I thought about it for a long time, but I couldn't figure it out. One day after lunch, I was looking at the scroll again. Just as the maid brought tea, Dayin accidentally spilled the tea on the painting. He hurriedly took the scroll and ran outside to dry it in the sun. Suddenly, the sun shone in the sunlight and saw some shadows of writing in the scroll. Dayin became suspicious, so he carefully figured it out again, and took out a letter from the scroll, which was the last handwriting of Prefect Ni. It read: "I am an official and a prefect, and my life is over eighty. I have nothing to regret when I die. Only the youngest son Shanshu is only one year old, so I can't worry about it. The legitimate son Shanshu has always been unfilial, and I am afraid it will be detrimental to the younger son in the future. Therefore. The mansion and all the fields were given to him. Only the old house on the left could be given to Shanshu. Although this house was small, five thousand pieces of silver were buried in the left wall, which was divided into five altars; five thousand pieces of silver and one thousand gold pieces were buried in the right wall. , divided into six altars, and if there is a wise official who can make a decision in the future, he will be rewarded with three hundred taels of platinum. It was written by the eighty-one-year-old Ni Shouqian. "It turns out that this happy plan was made by the eighty-one-year-old Governor Ni. I made it in advance when I was one year old. Teng Dayin was originally a clever and adaptable person. How could he not be tempted when he saw a lot of gold and silver? He frowned, thinking about it. Immediately, he sent someone to see Ni Shanji, "Mina, I have something to say." Not long after, Shanji got it. Teng Dayin told him about Mei's mother and son's lawsuit, and asked about the details of the original separation. He made it clear that he would personally go to his house the next day to inspect his belongings and make a decision on the spot without any favoritism. At the same time, it was ordered that Mei's mother and son would be heard together tomorrow.
Early the next morning, Shanji cleaned the hall early, placed a tiger-skin chair in the middle of the hall, and burned incense. As soon as the preparations for the relevant matters were completed, the relatives of the clan and the Mei family's mother and son also arrived one after another. Not long after waiting, the sound of shouting came from the distance, and it was expected that the county lord was coming. All the family members, young and old, went out and knelt down to greet him. I saw Teng Dayin stepping out of the sedan chair calmly. Just as he was about to enter the door, he suddenly bowed to the air and said some words of response, as if someone was greeting him. Everyone was shocked when they saw his appearance. I saw Teng Dayin humbly walking all the way to the hall, still saying greetings and greetings. He first bowed to the tiger-skin chair facing south, as if someone was watching to sit on it, then quickly turned around and dragged a chair over, placed it facing north, bowed to the air again and again, and then sat down. Everyone saw that he was seeing ghosts and ghosts, and they did not dare to come forward and stood on both sides. Then I heard Teng Dayin say: "My wife is going to report the family property to Wansheng. How should this matter be handled?" After that, he made a listening gesture. After a long while, he shook his head and sighed: "The eldest son should not be doing this." After listening quietly for a while, he said to himself: "Teach the second son what to do for a living?" After a pause, he said again: "What kind of work can I do in the small house on the right?" He said repeatedly: "I'll teach you, I'll teach you." He paused for a while and said, "Is this also the second son's responsibility? Even the late students have accepted the order." After a while, he bowed and said, "How dare you accept this generous favor?" After declining for a long time, He then said, "It is better to obey orders than to be respectful. I reluctantly accepted it, and handed the certificate to the second son to keep." He stood up and bowed several times, saying, "Wansheng will go right now." Everyone was stunned.Teng Dayin stood up, looked around, and asked, "Where has Master Ni gone?" The disciple said, "I didn't see any Master Ni!" Teng Dayin said, "Is there such a strange thing?" Shan Ji asked: "Just now, Mr. Zun, Mr. Zun, personally greeted me outside the door. He sat across from me and talked for a long time. You must have heard it." Shan Ji said, "I never heard it." Teng Dayin said. : "I just have a long body, a thin face, high cheekbones , slender eyes, long eyebrows and big ears, three strands of white beard, gauze hat and soap boots, red robe and gold belt, but does he look like Mr. Ni? Everyone was so frightened that they all knelt down and said, "It's exactly what he looked like when he was alive." Dayin said, "He said there were two halls in the house, and there was an old hut in the east. But is that true?" Dare to hide it, so he had to admit: "Yes." Dayin said: "Go to the east cabin and have a look, I will have something to say."
Everyone saw that Dayin was talking to himself for half a day, and he spoke vividly. It was clearly Ni Looking at the appearance of the prefect, everyone thought it was Taishou Ni who really appeared. Everyone was stunned and shocked. Little did he know that it was all Teng Dayin's trick. I just looked at the Carpe Diem painting and said it based on the portrait. On the other hand, if it weren't for Dayin's operation, how could Ni Zi be willing to accept it?
At present, Ni Shanji led the way to the old house on the east side. I saw a dilapidated house with some rice, flour and sundries piled inside. Teng Dayin walked around, sat down in the main room, and said to Shanji: "Your father has told me everything about the family in detail, and taught me what to do about this old house. Are you willing?" Shanji kowtowed and said, "But I will make a decision based on my grace." So Dayin asked for the property book and looked at it, and said with a smile: "Since the old gentleman has already divided and written down the property accounts when he was alive. I'll give it all to you, please don't argue." Mrs. Mei secretly complained and was about to step forward to plead. I heard Dayin say again: "This old house belongs to Shanshu. Everything in this house belongs to Shanshu. Shanji is not allowed to argue." Shanji agreed repeatedly. Teng Dayin said: "You two have made an agreement, and you are not allowed to go back on it. Everyone present is a witness. Just now Mr. Ni told me face to face: 'Under the left wall of this house, five thousand taels of silver are buried, and five altars should be made. '" Shanji didn't believe it and said, "If this is true, even if it is ten thousand gold, it belongs to the brothers, and the villain will never argue." Dayin then taught his men to pick up the east wall with hoes, shovels and other objects. After digging, it turned out that five large altars were buried. When he came out, the altar was full of silver. Each altar has one thousand taels, which is exactly the number of five thousand taels. Dayin ordered the five jars of silver to be laid out one by one, and then said to Mrs. Mei: "There are five jars on the right, which are also five thousand. There is also a jar of gold, which Mr. Ni just ordered to give to me as a reward. I couldn't put it off many times, so I had to accept it." Mei's mother and son kowtowed in agreement. Dayin then asked people to dig out the right side as well. Sure enough, there were six large altars, five altars of silver, and one altar of gold. Shanji's eyes were filled with fire when he looked at the many pornographic things, and he wished he could snatch a few of them away from him; but he had something to say in front of him, and he didn't dare to say a word. At that moment, Teng Dayin wrote the receipt and gave it to Shanshu, and together with the money and the house, he handed it over to Shanshu's mother and son. Mother and son were overjoyed and kowtowed together in thanks. Dayin sealed a jar of gold on his own, put it in his sedan chair, and carried it back to the Yamen for use.
Everyone thought it was Taishou Ni who promised him a reward, and he accepted it as a matter of course. No one dared to criticize. This is really a "snipe and clam stalemate, and the fisherman benefits." If Ni Shanji was benevolent and did not treat his concubine and brothers harshly, how could these thousand taels of gold fall into the hands of Teng Dayin? He helps others in vain and gets a bad name himself.
Let’s talk about Mei’s mother and son. The next day they went to the county government office to thank Teng Dayin. Dayin had already removed the suicide note from the picture of pleasure, re-framed it, and returned it to Mei for collection. In the map of Mei's mother and son Fang Wu, one finger points to the ground, which means there is gold and silver buried underground. With these ten jars of silver, he bought a house and land and became a wealthy household. Later, Shanshu married a wife, gave birth to three sons in a row, and became famous through his studies. Among the Ni family, only this branch is extremely prosperous. But Shanji's two sons were idle and had nothing to do. After Shanji's death, the two big houses were sold by unscrupulous sons to their uncle Shanshu to take care of them. Everyone in the local area who knew about Ni Shanji's family affairs said that he was doing his own thing. (Full text ends)
