Chapter 40: Submission
Chapter 40: Submission
Li's house was bustling for three days, and he and Xiao Sanyuan were a perfect match. Anyway, Xu Qing's life was muddled these days.
This was one of the rare times he indulged himself since he traveled through time.
But I really don’t have any free time.
Fortunately, after the list was released, the education commissioner went to another Zhili Prefecture and did not stay to hold the hairpin flower banquet as usual. Otherwise, it would be another tiring job.
After the hustle and bustle, even if the days were normal, the Li residence seemed lonely and desolate.
Xu Qing actually felt a little uncomfortable without the candidates praising him around him.
"I am only a small third-place winner, but there are so many people around me who flatter me. Those who have passed the imperial examinations, become Jinshi, and become officials are probably surrounded by these people day and night. No wonder some people say that if a county magistrate has a dream the night before, someone will make it come true for him the next day."
The taste of power is comparable to the magic of moving mountains and seas. It makes people addicted and intoxicated, and even stop considering themselves as human beings.
Xu Qing originally thought that reading books nourished his mind and strengthened his spirit, and he had already reached the state of mind that "fame and fortune are nothing but dreams", but he did not expect that he had overestimated himself.
If this excitement continues for a few more days, he would probably become so carried away that he would forget that he is just a short-lived ghost with only a few years left to live.
It is precisely because I still remember that I am a short-lived ghost.
Xu Qingcai woke up so quickly.
"I am like this. If I were to become the Prime Minister of the Emperor, I would have to consider myself as the Three Pure Ones or the Jade Emperor."
He reflected on his absurd behavior in the past few days.
My mood calmed down.
At this time, there is only half a month left until Mid-Autumn Festival. The sycamore leaves are all over the yard.
Xu Qing picked up the broom and swept up the fallen leaves.
The old sycamore tree next to him was silent, but Xu Qing could hear its breathing, always in the same tune, not happy with things, nor sad with itself.
"Brother Shu, what was Gu Feng's mood when he was in this courtyard?" Xu Qing was quite curious.
In his later years after resigning from office, Gu Feng lived in this old house instead of the manor with a Jinshi archway.
Naturally, the old Wutong tree could not reply to him.
If he could reply to him, Xu Qing probably wouldn't be able to sleep well at night.
A big tree with some intelligence and a tree spirit with self-awareness that can answer people's questions are two different concepts.
No normal person would be willing to live in the same yard with a monster.
He is not Xu Xian.
After Xu Qing reflected on it, he felt that his soul had been purified and became purer, and there seemed to be some signs of a breakthrough. He was not in a hurry, and continued to read books to nourish his mind and practice martial arts to strengthen his body as usual.
The main goal is to achieve a natural outcome.
...
...
At noon the next day, Xu Qing was at home.
The doorman outside went into the backyard to report that Master Qian and a steward from the neighboring mansion were coming.
Master Qian was leading the way, accompanied by a very respectable butler, who was holding a gold-plated name card. When he saw Xu Qing, he said, "Master Xu is here to pay his respects to Master Sanyuan."
As he finished speaking, a sedan chair arrived at the gate and a country gentleman came out.
Rich lawyers serve as guests and introduce each other.
Only then did Xu Qing know the other party's origins.
It was Mr. Xu from Songzhou Prefecture in Nanzhili.
The same surname as Xu Qing, but not from the same clan. Tracing back to the origin, there was only one "Xu" five hundred years ago.
But this origin does exist.
After the two sides exchanged pleasantries, Master Xu got to the point: "Nephew, we are both from Nanzhili, and have never been close. Today we have recognized each other. When you go to Songzhou Prefecture or Tianjing City in the future, don't forget to find our Songzhou Xu family. From now on, we are all one family."
Tianjing City is Yingtian Prefecture City, the capital of Nanzhili, and Nanjing, one of the two capitals of the Great Yu Dynasty. As for the capital of the Great Yu Dynasty, it is also called the Divine Capital. "The Xu family of Songzhou is well-known in Nanzhili, and I really don't dare to marry into their family." Xu Qing was unsure of the other party's intentions, but a relative who had not been in contact with him for hundreds of years suddenly came to his door, so there must be something wrong.
Not to mention that he was a junior top scholar, even if he was a juren, he was not from Songzhou Prefecture. What help could he provide to the Xu family of Songzhou?
Mr. Xu smiled and said, "We are relatives. Mr. Wu, who selected you to be the first in the county exam, was also a student of my father. We have the same surname and this connection, so we are much closer than outsiders. From today on, you should visit each other more often."
Only then did Xu Qing understand why Master Qian was the guest.
It turned out that County Magistrate Wu was a disciple of Old Master Xu from Songzhou.
Mr. Xu asked Magistrate Wu to come forward. Magistrate Wu certainly couldn't refuse, so he sent Lawyer Qian.
After all, he was Xu Qing's mentor in the county exam, so it would be inappropriate for him to come in person as a guest and lower his status.
Xu Qing smiled and said, "Old sir, you are too polite. I am young and have little experience. I have to study hard to prepare for the provincial examination in three years, so I can't move around."
Mr. Xu: "I forgot that my nephew has to prepare for the provincial examination. This letter is not a token of respect. In addition, I have a quiet little house in Tianjing. If my nephew arrives in Tianjing to prepare for the provincial examination and has no place to stay, he can live here. All the four treasures of the study are fully prepared."
He then instructed his steward to bring the title deed.
It's said that he was staying there temporarily, but in fact he had a land deed. With the help of government officials, he could transfer the title deed at any time.
Xu Qing really couldn't figure out the other party's intention, so he didn't refuse first, but asked directly: "Old sir, let's not beat around the bush. What do you want to tell me?"
Anyway, he is young and it won't be a bad thing to just ask him directly as he is innocent.
Mr. Xu first praised: "There are very few young people who have the determination of my nephew. It seems that I have found the right person."
He then gave a bitter smile and said, "It is also a last resort, otherwise I would not have sought medical help from my nephew in such a desperate situation."
As he spoke, he bowed deeply to Xu Qing.
Xu Qing quickly dodged.
He felt that the old man's bow was similar to Shen Gongbao's "Fellow Daoist, please stay."
Even if they dodged it, the luck that had already advanced to orange in the bronze mirror could be seen growing black energy.
Xu Qing said, "Old sir, let's talk it over. Please don't embarrass me."
Mr. Xu was very sensible. He knew that too much is as bad as too little. He did not continue to pester her, but said directly: "The Xu family of Songzhou is in danger. Please, nephew, save the Xu family of Songzhou for the sake of our common surname."
Xu Qing: "Old sir, please tell me in detail. As for helping, I am insignificant and cannot help you."
He knew that Master Qian's presence as a guest here was a reflection of Magistrate Wu's attitude.
It’s okay not to help, but it’s also too disrespectful to not even listen.
It is better to be in charge than to be an official now.
County Magistrate Wu was also the magistrate of Qingshui County, not to mention he was Xu Qing's mentor in the county examination.
We must give this little bit of face.
Seeing that Xu Qing had relaxed, Mr. Xu told him the whole story.
It turned out that the Prime Minister wanted to carry out reforms and survey the land.
The first thing to do is to take action against some of the gentry. Unfortunately, in this generation of the Xu family, there is only one juren, Xu Xiangshen, and although there are still some connections left by the old man, they can't do much.
Zhou Tixue then rushed to Songzhou Prefecture with the intention of checking the academic records of Xu's students.
Checking the student records was only the first step. Only later did we find out how much land and population the Xu family had concealed.
As for why he is related to Xu Qing.
It turned out that the Xu family found out that Xu Qing and Feng Xifeng had a close relationship, and Feng Xifeng was Zhou Tixue's brother-in-law, and Zhou Tixue had chosen Xu Qing as his mistress.
The Xu family of Songzhou wanted to use this relationship to contact the education commissioner last week.
Mr. Xu said with emotion, "These lands were not all donated, but also accumulated by my ancestors. But as the saying goes, when the nest is overturned, no eggs will be left unbroken. When the day comes, the clerks in the government office will be as fierce as wolves and tigers when they take advantage of the situation, and they will definitely wipe out everything."
At the end, he seemed to have made up his mind, "If you can help the Songzhou Xu family survive this disaster, and if you pass the imperial examination in the future, we, the Xu family, are willing to exchange half of our land with the gentry of Jiangning Prefecture, and then offer it to you."
(End of this chapter)