Chapter 6, the Great Zhou Code has saved you

In other words, as long as one speaks ill of their grandparents or parents, the authorities can have you killed

Lin Zhao finally stopped, turned around, and looked Zhang Shi up and down. With an indifferent tone, he said, "I struck a servant of the Lin family from Xingwenfang. If there is to be an inquiry, it should be the Lin family of Xingwenfang that comes to pursue it. Why is it that not a single member of the family has come after me, and only you, the matriarch, have rushed over?"

The matriarch, accompanied by the eldest son, frequently travels to the capital city, only to be sent back to Donghu by the Lin family's master each time. Isn't this a disgrace to the Fourth House?

Lin Zhao is a remarkable young man

You little beast, I have finally found you!

Lin Zhao furrowed his brows, pretending not to see, and continued to walk forward

Therefore, Lin Zhao absolutely cannot lay a hand on Zhang, especially not in public.

Now that I have come to the Zhang family to pursue my studies, not only have they not offered any assistance, but they have also obstructed me, using my mother's background as an excuse to spread rumors everywhere

He stood in front of Zhang, took several deep breaths to barely calm the anger within him, then this thirteen-year-old boy looked up at Zhang and slowly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of hoarseness

Lin Zhao turned around and, as expected, saw a middle-aged woman with a plump figure and a face heavily adorned with bright red makeup, her hands on her hips, cursing and chasing after her from the entrance of Xingwen Lane

She scolded, saying: "I arranged for you to tend cattle in Donghu Town, preparing for you to have a livelihood in the future, and yet you, without a word, ran to the capital city, even going to the master's house to bring shame upon yourself!"

She is well aware that Lin Zhao cannot be provoked by her

I will settle accounts with you sooner or later

This is a great act of filial impiety

Certainly, the laws of the court are no longer as strict as they were at the founding of the nation. However, if a child harms their parents and is turned over to the authorities by them, as long as the parents agree to have you executed, the authorities can still carry out the execution.

She continued to sneer coldly

Who allowed you to mention the name of the master in front of the uncle

Since Lin Xian, the eldest son of the Lin family, began his elementary education, his mother, Mrs. Zhang, frequently took him to the capital city, hoping to have her son study in the family school of the main household. To this end, Mrs. Zhang spared no effort in offering money to the stewards and servants of the Lin family. However, despite her efforts, Lin Dalao's aptitude for studying was truly inadequate, and Mr. Qin, the family tutor, consistently refused to accept him.

Initially, Lin Zhao felt no disturbance when faced with such a shrew; she merely found the excessively shallow-eyed fat woman somewhat repulsive. However, upon hearing her baseless accusation that her mother was having an affair, Lin Zhao finally became enraged

Lin Zhao walked down the street, carrying the luggage she brought from Donghu Town, murmuring to herself

At this point, Mr. Zhang recalled Mr. Qin from the Lin family, who had repeatedly rejected his eldest son, and his anger intensified. He immediately sneered, "I understand now, that little vixen of your mother, relying on her remaining beauty, must have entered the capital city at some point and gotten involved with that Mr. Qin. This way, you little beast, can manage to deceive the master of the house!"

The young man took a deep breath

In such matters, the Lin family, being a prominent household in the Yuezhou Prefecture, would certainly be unwilling to resort to the authorities, as it would be a matter of face. The Zhang family merely intended to use this excuse to intimidate Lin Zhao. However, seeing that Lin Zhao was completely unfazed by this tactic, the plump woman placed one hand on her waist and pointed at Lin Zhao, hurling insults.

The elder uncle she mentioned refers to Lin Sizheng, the head of the Lin family lineage, while the master naturally refers to Lin Qingyuan, the father of Lin Zhao

"For you, this little beast, she is willing to do anything. Unfortunately, the scheme between you and your mother has been seen through by me. After just a few words in front of your uncle, you, this little beast, were immediately driven out by the master!"

"You little beast, you have struck the servant of the master, and you still wish to leave without consequence?"

However, despite this, the way his own mother acted truly disgusted him to the extreme

At this moment, it was already evening. He softly uttered these two sentences and was preparing to find a place to stay in the city, after all, he had only arrived in the city yesterday. Returning to Donghu Town now would leave him unable to explain to his mother.

When the master returns, I will certainly report that shameless woman to him, so that he can throw her into the river to be soaked in a pig cage

At this point, Zhang was quite pleased: "My son is so intelligent, yet he still cannot gain admission to the family academy of the main household. You, little beast, have never attended a single day of school, and you still wish to sneak in?"

Lin Zhao then set down the luggage he was carrying, raised his head to look at the Zhang family, and frowned as he said, "If my aunt is not deaf, she should have heard about my passing the family examination of the Lin family in Xingwen Lane. Since I have passed, how could it be a disgrace to the Fourth Branch?"

It is the esteemed Madam Zhang of the Lin family from Donghu Town

From a legal standpoint, she is indeed Lin Zhao's legitimate mother. In this era, there exists the concept of "filial impiety," and during the early years of the dynasty, there were even extremely harsh laws such as "those who insult their grandparents or parents shall be executed by hanging"

It does not matter if my future is ruined; I do not particularly cherish this future. However, using my mother's background as a point of contention makes one appear quite despicable

Zhang was struck at his sore spot by Lin Zhao's words, and immediately became furious, shouting: "Your elder brother has already read the Four Books, yet he still cannot enter the family school of the master. How can you, a little beast, be worthy? I don't know what backdoor you went through or what you said to your uncle to successfully deceive the master!"

Who allowed you, this little beast, to make use of the goodwill of our four families?

She took two steps forward, standing in front of Lin Zhao, and disdainfully said, "Come on, I'm right here waiting for you to hit me, go ahead!"

Today, it is the Great Zhou Law that has saved you

Zhang was unafraid and instead coldly laughed, saying, "What, do you little beast still want to hit me?"

"You, a mere entertainer, coming to the capital city is nothing but a disgrace to the four families!"

The lady of the Lin family in Donghu Town directly shouted at Lin Zhao, saying: "And you, little beast, from now on you will go and farm with those tenants, and you shall no longer have the leisure of tending to the cattle!"

He stared fiercely at Zhang, his gaze menacing

It is evident that she has just learned of Lin Zhao's departure from the Xingwenfang Lin family and hurried over.

Furthermore, upon returning home, I must not mention this matter to my mother; otherwise, if she learns about the circumstances surrounding the Lin family, how heartbroken she would be

Zhang's figure was somewhat plump, but he did not walk slowly. He quickly reached Lin Zhao's side and pointed at him, scolding, "How old are you to dare commit such a heinous act? Are you not going to end up killing someone in the street in the future? Today, I must drag you to the county office and hand you over to the county magistrate for legal punishment, to hold you accountable for your crime of causing injury"

He was looking around to see if there was a suitable place to live when he suddenly heard a familiar voice shouting from behind him

His thoughts are quite different from those of his peers, and even from the majority of people in this world. If an ordinary person were to encounter such a situation, they would at least feel sad for a long time, if not utterly devastated. However, Lin Zhao himself is not particularly inclined to follow the path of scientific examination; he only came to the main family to study because he could not go against Lin Erniang's wishes. Now, it just happens to be a favorable opportunity.

Over the past decade or so, although Lin Zhao and her son have not lived well, overall, their situation has been somewhat better than that of an ordinary farming family. Moreover, since they are family, Lin Zhao has been too lazy to argue with the Zhang family. However, the actions of the Zhang family now are not only unethical but also disgusting

"You little beast, you actually dare to talk back to me!"