Chapter Nineteenth: With Success Comes Withdrawal

  Du Hong is a thick and straightforward person, of course, he will not do things that are detrimental to his own interests.

  Like Shi Lu, Du Hong hated him so much that he wanted to slap his face with the sole of his shoe, but if he really pushed Shi Lu to desperation, the outcome would inevitably be a double loss, and Du Hong didn't want to put himself in that situation.

  There are too many officials like Shi Lu in the Ming Dynasty, Du Hong feels that it's better to keep a useful body and fight against them without yielding in the future. Catching one of them to die together is tragic, but the way is a bit stupid...

  So Du Hong magnanimously spared Shi Lu and, with a stern expression, ordered his men to protect the hapless mother and son. He solemnly told Shi Lu that as an imperial censor, having a mistress outside would damage his reputation, especially since this mistress had been abandoned before. If word got out, it wouldn't look good. Since they were close friends, he'd take care of the dirty work for him, support his mistress, and from now on, consider Shi Lu's son as his own, and Shi Lu's wife as his own...

  Shi Le watched as the mother and son he had "abandoned" were taken away by Du Hong's men, his thoughts of turning the tables gradually becoming desperate. He knew that from now on, this handle was firmly in Du Hong's grasp, and if he wanted to provoke Du Hong again, it would be equivalent to giving up on life itself.

  Xun'an Yu Shi Shi Lu packed up his bags and left Shanyin County overnight, having come with great fanfare but departing in a dismal and dispirited state.

  A few days later, the courier sent a document from Nanjing, and Shi Lu gave Du Hong's performance evaluation a grade of "excellent". In the detailed report sent to the Nanjing Provincial Inspection Institute, Shi Lu exaggerated Du Hong's governance of Shanyin County, saying that within the county, the elderly were well cared for, the young had something to rely on, the people were simple and honest, and there was no theft or robbery. He attributed all this to the merits of County Magistrate Du Hong's governance and education, saying it was a great achievement. The document was so over-the-top that even Du Hong himself blushed with embarrassment, but Shi Lu didn't care about losing face.

  Du Hong naturally understood the meaning of Shi Lu's actions, he was showing kindness to Du Hong, implying that I will lift you up high, you should return my favor, those mysterious wives and children of mine, you continue to support them for me, just don't bring her in front of me to scare me...

  …………

  …………

  The Yansheng County government was thrown into turmoil.

  From the county lieutenant to the miscellaneous officials, no one expected that Du Daren, who was destined to be dismissed, would not move a single thread. Moreover, the Nanjing Censorate actually gave him an "excellent" evaluation, what does this represent? It represents that Du Daren will not only not be dismissed but also sit more stably in the position of county magistrate, and may even be promoted after the new year.

  The officials inside the county government were stunned.

  Silently and unnoticed, no one saw any signs of it, but how did Mr. Du finally deal with the censor who had a grudge against him?

  I don't understand, the learning of officials is too profound...

  Although everyone was confused, it did not prevent them from doing their best to repair their relationship with County Master.

  The yamen became lively again, with officials coming and going in Du Hong's office, making requests, reporting, entertaining guests, and presenting gifts... The officials, who had been watching the commotion like a lantern show, expressed their loyalty to County Magistrate Du with the most moving and stirring words before returning to their posts, each with a sense of unease.

  Du Hong remained calm and composed as usual, with a faint cold smile floating at the corner of his mouth.

  In just a few days, I've experienced the cold and warmth, the ups and downs. A person's heart is a very fragile thing, like tofu - it looks clean and bright, but with one careless tug on the strings, it shatters completely.

  Du Hong narrowed his eyes, he suddenly wanted to drink, wanted to have a few cups with the person who helped him through the difficulties, and talk about the philosophy of life that he had gained in these days of ups and downs.

  Qin Kan also likes drinking, but he hates drunkards.

  Everything should have a limit, excess is not good.

  So although Qin Kan helped Du Zhixian a great deal, he never thought of using this as a stepping stone to get close to Du Zhixian.

  When an official bestows favors on you, you can show gratitude in front of him, but if you bestow favors on the official, it's better to keep a safe distance afterwards. If this official has a small heart, your name as his benefactor will inevitably become his taboo, and he would hate to get rid of you to feel relieved.

  Think about when Cao Cao was in trouble, after the failure of the assassination attempt on Dong Zhuo, he fled to a familiar person's home in a panic. The familiar person not only dared to take him in but also slaughtered chickens and sheep for him. What happened next? Not only did Cao Cao kill the entire family of that person, but he also had the audacity to say "I would rather betray the whole world than let the whole world betray me".

  Does this sound like human speech?... Monkey!

  Qin Kan didn't know whether Du Hong's eyes were big or small, anyway hiding from him was always the right thing to do, and just pretended that this matter had never happened.

  What's even more infuriating is that Du Yan, that little scoundrel, still hasn't paid the two hundred taels of silver she promised beforehand - could it be that this little scoundrel thinks nothing of it and pretends it never happened?

  Don't do business with women in the future, they are too dishonest. Go to their doorstep to collect debts, but can't even win a fight against them...

  …………

  …………

  Tang Bohu got drunk again.

  Qin Kan entered his room and found him hugging the toilet bowl, vomiting violently, vomiting so hard that his liver and intestines were about to break, and his face was almost buried in the toilet bowl.

  Qin Kan frowned, his stomach churned with acid, and he felt like vomiting as he continued to watch.

  After all, he was the number one talented scholar in Jiangnan, so Qin Kan had no choice but to hold back his disgust and support him.

  "Tang brother, don't overindulge in wine and women, it's not good for your body. Just like when you spend money to sleep with a prostitute, do you have to do it seven or eight times in one night to feel like you've gotten your money's worth?"

  Tang Yin wiped his mouth casually and said proudly: "I've never spent money on the girls from Qinglou..."

  Qin Kan: "......"

  Shameless old lecher, is he showing off?

  I really want to dunk his head into a toilet bowl...

  "Alright, young lady, you can sleep for free, but why does Brother Tang degrade himself with wine, which is harmful to the body?"

  These words struck a sore spot in Tang Dazai, his drunken body swaying back and forth, then gazing up at the beam at a 45-degree angle, tears silently streaming down his face.

  "Jiang's talent is exhausted! Jiang's talent is exhausted!" Tang Yin sighed with grief and indignation.

  "What does it mean?"

  Tang Yin shed tears, gazing at Qin Kan, and said with a sigh: "My younger brother once said that on those days when I was heavily drunk, my literary thoughts flowed like a spring, and in one breath, I wrote many classic lines that would be admired by scholars of Jiangnan for generations to come. But now, even though I am drunk every day, racking my brains, I couldn't write a single poem worthy of being shown to others. Alas, my talent has been exhausted!"

  He rummaged through several crumpled papers on his desk, and Tang Yin's expression became increasingly despondent.

  "Alas, my younger brother, behold! I, your foolish older brother, get drunk every time and not only fail to write poetry, but also draw these many inexplicable erotic pictures. Oh dear! What is the reason for this? Am I not a talented scholar, but a lustful rogue?"

  You were born to be a rogue, I am the talented one.

  Qin Kan took over those few erotic pictures, and his eyes lit up.

  Alas, Tang Yin's works are very famous in later generations. Good stuff, let's collect it and sell it for money...

  A few Spring Palace paintings disappeared at a mysterious speed and were put into Qin Kan's arms.

  Tang Yin opened his blurry drunken eyes and belched four times as he searched around: "Huh? Where's the Spring Palace painting I just took out?"

  Qin Kan said vaguely: "Tang brother, are you drunk? Where did this spring palace come from?"

  Tang Yin was stunned for a moment, and he covered his head with some collapse, feeling that he had got schizophrenia.

  "I'm not only not a genius, but also a madman..." Tang Yin muttered painfully.

  Qin Kan smiled and supported Tang Yin's swaying body.

  "Tang's crazy, want to get rich? My younger brother has an idea..."

  Tang Yin's eyes stared at him with a fierce red glow: "Did you just call me crazy?"

  Qin Kan was shocked and lost his composure: "Tang brother, are your ears also going bad? I just clearly called you Tang brother......"

  Tang Yin was stunned for a long time and finally completely collapsed.

  Bang!

  Tang Yin exerted himself and knocked his head against the desk, knocking himself unconscious.

  P.S. There is another update tonight.

  These days, the ranking on the recommendation list has been fluctuating up and down, it's really nerve-wracking...