The sun is sinking in the west, and the sky is getting dark, but the open space in front of the Lu ancestral hall in Lujiagou is as bright as day at this moment, and the voices of people are boiling. Dozens of tables were set up there, and more than a dozen torches and candles were lit around them, and the men of the village gathered together, and various dishes were constantly being served to the women from their homes.

In fact, this dish is also an ordinary farmhouse dish, chicken, duck and fish are already the best dishes on the table, and there are also some fields, home-grown seasonal vegetables. However, this is the best meal that the small village of Lujiagou can get its hands on now, and there are also several jars of apricot blossom wine that everyone is reluctant to drink during the New Year, which has also been poured into a coarse porcelain bowl, which shimmers amber-like luster under the light of the lamp.

Looking at those villagers who were smiling all over their faces, doing everything they could with humility and respect, constantly toasting to themselves, and saying good things, this made Lu Zhen a little in a trance. He really couldn't figure out why Chu Yunrong had mentioned to him that the original Lu Zhen was in a bad situation in the village, and when he first arrived in the village, why those people apologized to him in conversation to ask for forgiveness. With their attitude towards themselves, they really can't find the slightest problem.

Even in Lu Jin's opinion, the humble attitude of these people is too much. Because whether it is his juniors, peers, or even those elders, they all bend down with a humble and stammering smile when they come over to salute each other with wine. As long as Lu Zhen can touch a bowl with them, these people can be so happy that their mouths are grinning to the root of their ears. And Lu Zhen just took a sip, and they would drain the bowl full of wine in one gulp, giving him enough face.

So in the end, even Lu Zhen was embarrassed to drink in small sips, and he also learned from them to drink until the bowl was dry. After all, he is now a junior, and he will have to rely more on these villagers and relatives to take care of him in the future, so naturally he can't dismiss them in the wine field. As for what problems he would expose because of his drunkenness, he was not too worried.

Because long before being invited to the ancestral hall for a banquet, Lu Zhen had a good eye and asked Yun Yan and the two daughters to be sent to his house with a carriage first. He didn't point in the direction, because the people in the village knew where the original Lu Jin's home was, so as long as he found the carriage later, he could return to the strange home. In this way, it will save you any flaws because you don't know the way home. Anyway, this Lujiagou is not very big, even at night, you can find the carriage parked outside the yard at a glance.

It was precisely because of this confidence that Lu Zhen later dared to let go of his arms and drink. Although the village wine brewed by the villagers at this time was not too strong, the amount of wine made by Lu Zhen was not very high, and after drinking a few more glasses, he still began to rise, and the whole person was a little fluttering, and the villagers who came in front of him were a little shaken.

However, his mind is still quite clear, and with a bit of alcohol, he casually calls people's names, and then waits for others to correct their mistakes. In this way, it really allowed him to set out the names and clan rankings of many villagers, and also gave him a general understanding of the overall situation of the entire Lujiagou.

The situation in Lujiagou and other villages in the Ming Dynasty is also similar, they are all clan-governed places, and the higher the seniority, the older the old man, the higher the status. For example, Lu Wangchun, who is called Taigong by everyone, is now the patriarch of the Lu family, if something really happens in the clan, Taigong will naturally obey him.

Of course, because Taigong is old and lacks energy, he does not show up in many things, and now the real master of the village is his son, that is, Lu Rengui, the eldest in the clan.

He can make the children of the Lu family in the village awe-inspired, in addition to his father is the patriarch, but also because he has a kinship relationship with Liao Dianshi, the fourth master of Wu County, who governs Lujiagou, and his son Lu Tangke is married to the daughter of the Liao family, so in the village, Lu Rengui's status is naturally high.

In addition, there was originally a third uncle, Lu Renjia, because he was born in Xiucai and knew how to do business, and he won the respect and trust of the clan, and he could also compete with Lu Rengui. It's a pity that because of the business problems the year before last, and Lu Renjia's body was not very good, he was sick in bed recently. In this way, Lu Ren will be the only one in the village.

In addition, Lu Jin's father, Lu Rendong, although he had been admitted to the Juren Examination before, and he had also been quite prestigious in the village, but unfortunately he died young at a young age, so that Lu Jin's branch had no power in the clan.

As for the other uncles, as well as the young people of Lu Jin's generation, some of them made a living in the city of Suzhou, while others farmed in the village, but they had to rely on Lu Rengui to live on their noses. This can also be seen from the position of the banquet this time. In the chief where Lu Zhen sits, in addition to a few old people, it is Lu Wangchun and his ancestors and grandchildren who are in the list. And the other elders didn't have the slightest opinion on Lu Tanggao's sitting chief, but some people kept toasting them to please them.

After understanding this, Lu Jin unconsciously smiled bitterly in his heart, although this Lujiagou Village is only a very inconspicuous small place in the entire Ming Dynasty, but the complexity of interpersonal relationships is not under the officialdom, and it is clearly a small society.

After being halfway drunk, after seeing that Lu Jin's face was already red and his eyes seemed to be a little foggy, Lu Rengui glanced at his son Lu Tang. The latter smiled knowingly, and brought another bowl of wine. After touching Lu Zhen lightly, and after taking a sip of wine, he seemed to unintentionally probe and said, "Qilang, did you return to Jiangnan from Beijing this time on the orders of the imperial court?" But what's the big deal? ”

"Huh?" When Lu Zhen heard this, he was a little stunned, why, didn't they know that they had already left the capital?

That's exactly what happened. In this era, the spread of news is extremely slow, especially for those people in the countryside, who are even less likely to know much about the affairs of officialdom. Not to mention them, even the officials in the local Wuxian County Yali only know about such a petty official as Lu Jin, but he once served as the county magistrate of Jingxian County, but they don't know anything else.

As for his subsequent transfer to Hangzhou as an official, and what happened recently, they are completely unclear. Although the people of Suzhou had heard about the invasion of the Japanese invaders that happened in Hangzhou a year away, no one would associate the hero known as Lu Tongju with his own clansman, Lu Jin. Therefore, for Lu Jin's sudden arrival, everyone in the village is still a little puzzled.

Seeing that Lu Zhen suddenly looked at him in astonishment, Lu Tang only said that he had asked something that he shouldn't have asked, and hurriedly explained: "Qilang, don't be surprised, if it involves the secrets of the imperial court, you don't have to say it, and I haven't asked." There was also some pleading in the words. For these people, the imperial court is an unattainable existence, and Lu Jin, who once served as an official in Beijing, naturally has such a mysterious light.

Hearing that he was in such a hurry to excuse himself, and after glancing at this person's expression again, Lu Zhen seemed to think of something. It's just that because of the drunkenness, his mind is not as smooth as before, thinking that he can't hide things anyway, and he still has to live here, so he won't hide it: "Fourth brother, what did you say, what can't our brothers say?" In fact, my younger brother, I returned to my hometown this time because I was dismissed by the imperial court. ”

Although Lu Jin's words were a little vague and his voice was not very loud, after hearing Lu Tang's question, everyone around them all pricked up their ears one by one and turned their attention over. So this answer was still heard clearly by everyone.

All of a sudden, the banquet, which was still quite lively, was quiet. Everyone's movements suddenly stopped, and dozens of pairs of eyes looked at Lu Jin in unison, all of them showing surprised and incredulous expressions.

"You...... What did you say? Lu Tang asked loudly with a trembling voice, his attitude had changed a little.

And Lu Rengui also sank his face and stared at Lu Jin: "Xiao Qi, this matter is not a joke, you were really dismissed from your official position by the imperial court?" Did you offend someone? ”

Facing the surprised onlookers of everyone, although Lu Zhen felt that something was wrong, he still told the truth: "The little nephew has indeed offended the eunuchs of the DPRK. was transferred from the capital to Hangzhou to serve as a judge, and was recently dismissed as an official ......"

Everyone looked at each other at this moment, and then Lu Rengui's face was completely gloomy, and he didn't care that Lu Jin's words were not finished, so he cut off: "You don't need to say it, this kind of court officialdom has nothing to do with me and other rural people." Also, everyone is gone, it's not early today, and you have to farm tomorrow. After saying this, he stopped looking at Lu Jin, got up and left.

The other clansmen, after seeing his gloomy appearance, also stood up according to his words, and did not say anything to Lu Jin, who was stunned on the spot, or comforted him a few words, and left by themselves.

These clansmen, who were still respectful to Lu Zhen just now, actually dispersed in the blink of an eye, and even the thirteenth brother Lu Yue, who led him into the village, also turned around and left after glancing at Lu Jin.

The ancestral hall that was staggered and lively just now, at this moment, only Lu Zhen was left sitting alone at the table, this gap was so big that he felt that everything was a dream, and it was a little illusory.

It took a long time for him to slowly come back to his senses, and he gradually came back to his senses. It turned out that their friendly and flattering attitude before was because of their status as officials. And now, once he learned that he had been dismissed by the imperial court, the true nature of these people was completely exposed.

What is called warm and cold people, and the world is hot and cold, this time Lu Zhen can be regarded as a thorough understanding. He finally understood the situation of the original Lu Jin, and why they had to say those sorry words before......