Chapter 74 Domestication

Chapter 74 Domestication

Chapter 74 Domestication
Soon, under the leadership of Zhou Tixue, everyone started playing Feihualing. With Xu Qing's current knowledge, he was more than capable of playing this, but he did not show off too much.

When it was my turn, I didn't speak without thinking, nor did I speak too slowly.

But when it was Xu Qing's turn, Zhou Tixue could clearly feel how rich Xu Qing's knowledge was and how quick his mind was.

This was because the Feihualing that Xu Qing had taken over could always be easily followed up by Zhou Tixue.

Su Lianqing next to her picked up the pipa and sang along as background music.

The atmosphere at the table gradually became lively.

It was because Inspector Wu’s status was not big enough, so he did not invite the song and dance troupe from the Jiaofangsi without the postmaster.

Of course, there was another reason. The song and dance troupe of the Jiaofangsi had been invited by someone else, the Marquis of Wuding, who was entertaining the Governor-General of Zhili and the Governor of Yingtian.

The Jiaofangsi also needs to make money.

Marquis Wuding was very generous.

Besides, Lord Wu has only been the Inspector-General for one year. If Marquis Wuding had not fallen, he would still be in power for decades to come.

When it comes to officialdom, never make a final judgment until the person falls from power.

Be a human and stay on the line.

Those who see others are in a bad situation and then take advantage of them are either stupid or have a deep grudge.

In one’s life, who can guarantee that everything will go smoothly all the time?
The emperor did not dare to guarantee whether he would have to leave the temple in a hurry or go to the north to study.

For example, there was an emperor named Daojun in the previous dynasty. During his reign, the country had a solid foundation laid by its predecessors, and the culture and economy were still at their peak. However, he was invited by the northern barbarians to the north to retire.

The gentlemen present here naturally would not stir up trouble and ask Xu Qing to write a poem or something. If he could do it, it would be good. If he couldn't do it, wouldn't it be a waste of time to offend others?

Don’t look down on the young because they are poor.

However, Zhou Tixue saw that Xu Qing did have a solid foundation, so he pointed at Su Lianqing and the plum blossoms outside the house, saying that there was a beauty in the house and plum blossoms in the yard, and he wrote a poem based on the two.

This is considered to be extremely easy, and it also allows all the adults to participate.

Prefect Xu was in charge of the atmosphere group. He pondered for a while and then started.
"The plum blossoms stand proudly in the snow, and the beauty's face is more beautiful than the flowers;

The snow on the branches makes the flowers more beautiful, and the wind blows the beauty's clothes. "

Everyone praised him and gave Prefect Xu a lot of face. Then all the officials followed suit and wrote poems. Before they knew it, it was Zhou Tixue's turn. He wrote a poem:
"The cold fragrance permeates the heart and makes people drunk, while the beautiful figure shines in the eyes and is full of love.

Don’t say there is no beauty in winter, just look at the plum blossoms and beauties.”

This poem is a match made in heaven with the poem by Prefect Xu, but it is obvious that the poem praises Zhou Tixue more.

Then, Wu Xunan was very straightforward, saying that he was a third-class scholar, with little knowledge and was not good at literature. As the saying goes, "When the master is busy, the disciple should do the work", so he asked Xu Qing to write a poem for him.

Everyone hurriedly flattered him, saying that a hero is not judged by his background, and a third-class Jinshi is still a Jinshi.

After all, when people say they don't care, you can't take it seriously.

Old Wu is also an open-minded person.

He knew that there would definitely be people gossiping about his fellow Jinshi background, so in recent days, when he attended banquets, he would bring up his fellow Jinshi to make fun of himself.

I stabbed myself first, so I'm not afraid of you stabbing me with the same thing.

This is like a person who writes an article but has no subordinates. If he himself says that he is a eunuch who has no subordinates, what can you do to him?
Since Inspector Wu had spoken, Xu Qing could only obey. He did not rush to write a poem, but pondered for a long time before slowly speaking:
"The peach can be purple and the apricot can be red, but the face is covered with dust and is afraid of the evening breeze;
It is like a branch of cold and clear moonlight at the bottom of the ravine at Luofu Mountain. "

"wonderful!"

Everyone cheered sincerely.

This poem is not ordinary in itself, and with the contrast of the previous poems by Prefect Xu and Tixue Zhou, it seems even more elegant and refined.

Moreover, the poem is full of compliments to Inspector Wu, which is an excellent flattery.

For example, the sentence "A young peach tree can grow purple" refers to those powerful and noble people with good family backgrounds. Isn't this an allusion to nobles like Marquis Wu Ding?

It doesn't matter if he is famous or wealthy. In fact, he is just a dusty person who has gone along with the secular world. He is timid and afraid of even the slightly cold evening breeze.

The bottom of the Luofu Mountain stream refers to the humble origins of Wu Xun'an. What a big deal. Under the cold moonlight, how aloof and proud he is, untainted by the mundane world.

Moreover, this sentence is also appropriate to describe beauties.

Su Lianqing was born in the Imperial Music Bureau and was a person of humble origin, but this did not prevent her from being alone in the moonlight.

There is not a single word about plum blossoms and beauties in the whole poem, but it praises plum blossoms and beauties to the utmost.

Fang Ge Lao, who came to attend the dinner and join in the fun, had a turbid look in his eyes, but when he looked at Xu Qing, a trace of clarity flashed. Although the other party was a junior top scholar in Jiangning Prefecture, Fang Ge Lao, who had experienced ups and downs in the officialdom, had worked with a top scholar, so naturally he didn't care much about Xu Qing at first.

It is different now.

The young figure in front of him reminded him of an equally talented young man many years ago.

Looking back, that was…almost fifty years ago.

But he still didn't say anything. When you get old, the more you do, the more mistakes you make. The less you do, the fewer mistakes you make. Just be a mascot. There's no need to think too much.

A thousand words are worse than silence. This is the secret of his escape from officialdom.

As for the contributions he once made, those who remember will eventually remember them, and those who don’t remember will still not remember them.

After all, what really moved him about Xu Qing was not his talent, but the fact that he... was still a teenager.

If he were to go back to his youth, would he still live his life like this?

Fortunately, he does have a chance to live his life again, provided that he can break through that level and solve the mystery in the womb.

Otherwise, without the memory of the past life, would you still be yourself?
It has always been very rare for those who seek the truth to reach his stage. It is even more difficult to solve the mystery in the womb after reincarnation.

In addition, for those who cultivate the spirit, their spirit is hidden in the flesh, which is equivalent to being covered with a layer of black cloth. Even if you know that the other person cultivates the spirit, you can't tell the depth.

Therefore, based on his experience, Lord Fang could tell that Su Lianqing and Xu Qing had traces of practicing Taoism, but he could not judge the depth of their skills.

Moreover, unlike ordinary Taoist practitioners, he had not actually practiced any Taoist techniques. His spiritual cultivation was entirely acquired unintentionally during his prime years in the Hanlin Academy, when he spent twenty years compiling Taoist canons for the emperor.

Later, he was appointed governor of a certain place. When the Lotus Sect was causing chaos there, he led his troops to raid the sect's headquarters and seized part of its inheritance.

It was then that he realized that his spiritual cultivation was unfathomable in the eyes of these monsters who specialized in practicing this art.

But overall, his cultivation of the spirit and soul was going very smoothly before he met the Lotus Sect.

Later, he realized how good he was in this aspect, but his progress in spiritual cultivation became extremely slow, and until now he has not yet penetrated the realm of ghost immortals mentioned in the Lotus Sect's tradition.

Also, because he had part of the inheritance of the Lotus Sect in his hands, he was often harassed by masters of the Luo Sect and the Lotus Sect. Elder Fang was annoyed, so he sealed up the artistic conception of those things and sent them away.

Only in this way can one achieve peace in his later years.

After all, after he retired, the power of protection from the dynasty's fortune had greatly diminished.

There is no need to keep these things and bring disaster to future generations.

As for why not destroy it.

This is also the story of Lord Fang as a scholar.

When he read history, he often sighed for the books and classics of his ancestors that were destroyed in wars or burned by those in power. Even if those traditions came from evil ways, it did not matter, as they were the crystallization of the wisdom of our ancestors.

He couldn't accept it if it was destroyed in his hands.

Besides, he is a person who likes to compromise.

Lord Fang was lost in thought, and no one disturbed him, knowing that he was a state elder who had made more effective policies in the past. The fact that Inspector Wu had invited him was actually the emperor's intention.

This also allowed everyone to follow Wu Xun'an into battle with confidence.

With His Majesty's support behind him, Inspector Wu is at least no longer a cannon fodder, and he is probably already in the Emperor's favor.

If an official has these four words, promotion will be as easy as riding a rocket.

Rocket riding was not new in the Yu Dynasty, but it was not auspicious because a scholar tried to take a rocket and died in the fall.

Well, Wu Xun'an's foundation is unstable, and if he rises like a rocket, there is also the risk of falling.

But it doesn’t matter. Being an official is always risky.

Promotion is the most important thing.

When everyone saw that Xu Qing had written a good poem, they knew that he was indeed a talented poet, so they urged Xu Qing to write another one for them.

Xu Qing naturally did not refuse, but he also pondered over it for a long time before he came up with it.

This is also a way of hiding one's shortcomings.

After waiting for about half a minute, just when everyone was losing their patience, Xu Qing improvised a seven-character quatrain.

"The beauty should only be in the Jade Terrace, why would she plant it everywhere in the south of the Yangtze River? A noble man lies in the snow-covered mountains, and a beauty comes under the moonlit forest."

This song is more straightforward than the previous one, and it is still a good work.

When it comes to poetry, the quality of it is in the eye of the beholder, and the same person may have different tastes at different times.

The evaluation of a literary work, in everyone's mind, depends largely on the person's situation at the time.

For example, Xu Qing loved Li Bai when he was young in his previous life. Later, after he started working, although he still loved Li Bai, he was more moved by Du Fu's works.

Because Du Fu's life is heavy and solid, just like his life as a cow and horse after graduation.

In fact, if he could shoulder the responsibility of governing two capitals and thirteen provinces, he would not feel it was a heavy burden, and he could even have a noble character. But he had no choice.

Fortunately, we have choices in this life.

Therefore, his biggest nightmare in this life was dreaming of returning to his previous life and living the life of a cow or a horse.

Perhaps his previous life was just a dream, and he was originally Xu Qing.

The soul trapped in the bronze mirror was nothing more than Xu Qing’s own nightmare.

Gradually, the banquet came to an end.

In this banquet, the current situation and state affairs were not actually discussed. However, everyone got to know each other and formed a small group.

That’s what banquets are for.

Talking about love and romance at the dinner table, although it is called romance, it is not really romance and romance.

The skill lies in the wine.

But Xu Qing also gained tangible benefits.

At today's literary gathering, everyone unanimously voted Xu Qing as the first. This first place was earned by Xu Qing's poems, and it also brought honor to Inspector Wu.

The prize was a fierce horse presented by Brigadier General Liu.

It was not a "skinny horse" as everyone joked about, but a divine horse from the Fire Cloud Country in the Western Regions. The cost of raising this horse was more than the annual expenditure of an average family in Yingtian Prefecture.

Some people joked that Brigadier General Liu couldn't afford to keep him, so he gave him away.

Of course, the horse will not be delivered now, but tomorrow.

Admiral Liu even asked Xu Qing if he wanted a groom, but Xu Qing said no. It wasn't that he didn't know the importance of a groom, but he didn't want to use someone whose background he didn't know.

Moreover, Lieutenant General Liu was also very polite. Who would easily give away the groom he had trained?

If someone is being polite to you, of course you can't take it seriously.

Besides, it wouldn't be difficult for Xu Qing to find a groom when he returned to Jiangning Prefecture.

The water in Yingtian Prefecture is too deep, and he cannot grasp it for the time being, so he should wait until the provincial examination.

After this experience, Xu Qing finally understood why the ancients felt so sad when leaving their hometowns. Because leaving one's own territory is really a very insecure thing.

If he was in the city of Jiangning Prefecture, Xu Qing would have an indescribable sense of security.

Because he conquered the territory himself, he has his own subordinates, he has built relationships, and his power is gradually growing and expanding.

When we arrived in Yingtian Prefecture, these things were no longer there.

Therefore, the imperial court did not allow local officials, even county magistrates, to stay in office for too long. After all, if you stay in a place for a long time and take root, it will cost you a lot to move.

Moreover, when the imperial power was strong, local gentry and powerful people were severely punished.

Even if Xu Qing builds up his own power and has a foundation, he will still have to be tested again when the next prefect arrives.

If you can get through it, then you have a solid foundation.

For example, the salt merchants in Huainan had many ways to play. There was a prefect of Huaizhou who was not interested in gold and silver, nor women. The salt merchants found out that he liked writing.

He asked the shops and restaurants under his control to ask him to write inscriptions on plaques, and the price for each inscription was one thousand and two taels of silver.

It knocked him unconscious.

From then on, he became a running dog of the salt merchants.

After the banquet, Xu Qing used the excuse that he had something to do with Inspector Wu and asked Zhou Tixue to go back first and he would come back later.

Wu Xun's official residence had not been tidied up yet, so he temporarily lived in the post station. There was an independent courtyard, surrounded by the protection of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and it was indeed safe.

Moreover, Zhou Tixue heard that Wu Dinghou and Eunuch Zhao were going to ask the Governor-General of Zhili to help intercede, so they would not cause trouble for the time being. So after instructing Xu Qing, he felt relieved to keep him.

Besides, Zhou Tixue urged Xu Qing to leave Yingtian Prefecture tomorrow, so he had to give Xu Qing a chance to say goodbye to Inspector Wu.

...

...

"Master, please send someone to keep Miss Su Lianqing here in your name." When the teacher and student met privately, Xu Qing got straight to the point.

Inspector Wu did not ask the reason first and directly ordered Master Qian to handle the matter.

As an imperial censor, he sent someone to keep the most popular courtesan of the Imperial Music Bureau overnight. It was at most a small abuse of power and not a big deal.

Xu Qing then explained: "There is something wrong with this woman. After she arrives, Master, can I interrogate her?"

Wu Xun'an said with a smile: "Gongming, you are not..."

Xu Qing knew that Inspector Wu had misunderstood him and wanted to explain, but when the words came to his lips, he thought about the fact that he had no obvious weaknesses.

As the saying goes, if a person has no hobbies, you should not make close friends with him.

If he were someone else, would he be open and frank with someone like me who has no obvious flaws?

Thinking of this, Xu Qing simply stopped explaining.

In this world, if you are greedy for money and lustful and have no personal flaws, people with ulterior motives may think you are planning a rebellion.

For example, Song Jiang in Water Margin would not sleep with Yan Poxi, who was so beautiful, and instead hung out with gangsters, a total traitor.

Wu Xun'an seemed to have found Xu Qing's weakness and was very proud of it. This disciple was good in every way, but sometimes he was so good that it was scary.

Now he has the impulse of a young man to admire young love, which makes him feel more at ease.

When an official becomes powerful, his biggest fear is that he will lose judgment and control over his subordinates.

He patted Xu Qing's shoulder with a smile and said, "Don't worry, I won't mention this to Lord Zhou, and Gongming is almost fifteen years old, it's time to taste the beauty of the world. But you must know how to be moderate."

In wealthy families, there are many boys who lose their virginity after having wet dreams.

What's more, Xu Qing was tall and strong. If it weren't for his handsome face, tender lips, and the robe covering his body, he would have been a strong man on the battlefield.

...

...

Su Lianqing was about to leave here. She was very afraid of Xu Qing and just wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.

Unexpectedly, before he even walked out of the post station, he was stopped by Mr. Qian, a subordinate of Inspector Wu, and his men, who said that Inspector Wu wanted to see him.

It was difficult for Su Lianqing to escape under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

What's more, there are masters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard nearby. Even if she uses Taoist magic, she will be easily discovered, which will cause even greater trouble.

If she were caught by the government, all her associates would be ruined.

This is also the rule that the Luo sect follows when dealing with important hidden players in the sect.

And those close to her will also be punished by the law, unless she commits suicide in public before being caught.

She had no choice but to follow him back to the post station.

During this period, other people saw it, but they didn't take it seriously, just thinking that the Inspector had taken a fancy to Su Lianqing.

So what if she's the courtesan from the Jiaofangsi?
Still a bitch.

When I respect you, I call you Miss Su; when I don’t respect you, I ask you to kneel down, and that is natural.

Now Su Lianqing just hoped that it was really Inspector Wu who was looking for her.

But she was taken to a separate courtyard.

"Miss Su, we have met several times." As soon as Su Lianqing entered the room, she heard Xu Qing's familiar voice.

At night, she felt nothing when reading the poem written by Xu Qing under the bright and cold moon.

Now Xu Qing opened the window, and the bright moonlight shone on his body like frost and snow, half frost and snow, half shadow, directly creating a terrifying atmosphere.

What a cold branch in the moonlight.

He is clearly the living king of hell.

Su Lianqing forced herself to remain calm and said, "Yes, I missed you very much the last time we parted at the Jiangning Mansion on the water."

Xu Qing shook his head, "No, that's not where we first met."

Su Lianqing forced a smile and said, "Sir, that's where we first met."

Xu Qing moved closer to her and took a step forward, as if stepping on the node of Su Lianqing's heartbeat. The terrifying energy and blood forced over, and it seemed that a Yaksha King appeared in his eyes.

A cry of a crane exploded in Su Lianqing's mind.

Su Lianqing's soul was severely suppressed and impacted.

My legs felt weak for a moment, and I even felt a little clammy and cold in my lower body.

Xu Qing just looked at her like this for a long time before he said slowly, "We first met at Jinguang Temple. I have to thank you, Sanniang, for speaking well of me to Lord Fuzun."

(End of this chapter)