Chapter 47 Jinjiang First Release Chapter 47 Gold and Silver Mountains, Master...

Yu Qinglong only inquired about Master Ji's abilities, forgetting to ask how old he was. He'd assumed he'd be in his thirties or forties, but he didn't expect him to be around the same age as himself, perhaps twenty-five or twenty-six at best.

This man is not only young, but also very handsome, with long eyebrows, almond eyes, and a bit of smartness in his free and easy manner. At first glance, he looks more like a brother than him.

It was just that the sitting posture was rather rough. He couldn't even tell if the other person was a man or a boy, because he gave him the feeling of being somewhere in between.

"Are you really Master Ji?"

"It's genuine." Ji Shiyu saw the officer lower the bamboo curtain and asked, "Who are you? What do you want from me?"

"My name is Yu Qinglong, a friend of Yan Xikuan. I've come here today to ask Master Ji a few questions about..." Yu Qinglong lowered his voice, "about Brother Kong Fang."

"Oh? But I hate hearing questions."

"Sorry to bother you." Yu Qinglong stood up and left without hesitation, very decisively.

Ji Shiyu was stunned for a moment, quickly put on his shoes, and looked out the window. Seeing that Yu Qinglong had really left without even turning his head, he shouted outside, "Hey! Come back!"

Yu Qinglong turned and looked at Ji Shiyu.

Ji Shiyu leaned against the window frame and said, "You're quite impatient. Come on in and tell me what's going on."

Yu Qinglong hesitated for a moment, then returned to his seat. He asked, "Master Ji, may I ask, if there is a mountain of gold to the south and a mountain of silver to the north, which one would you choose?"

"Of course I want a mountain of gold."

"What if a mouse guards the mountain of gold, and a young eagle guards the mountain of silver?"

"Then of course we should choose Jinshan. What kind of question is that?"

"That's the question that's on my mind. I don't understand why you said you wanted a mountain of gold but chose a mountain of silver, and I don't understand why you didn't choose both."

Ji Shiyu suddenly stopped fanning herself and stared at Yu Qinglong with her eyes slightly narrowed.

After a moment, he asked, "Who are you to Yan Xikuan? As far as I know, there's no one like you among his classmates."

Yu Qinglong said: "When I was short of money and in dire need of money, he helped me sell rice dumplings. Now that he is in trouble, I naturally cannot turn a blind eye."

Ji Shiyu said, "But the key to this matter doesn't lie with him."

Yu Qinglong calmly poured Ji Shiyu a cup of tea. "That's with the other person. I just don't know what that person has to do to rescue my benefactor. I hope Master Ji can give me some advice."

Ji Shiyu said, "If you can explain how to obtain both a mountain of gold and a mountain of silver, I will show you the way."

Yu Qinglong smiled and said, "That's easy. Although the mouse may be hateful, it's still a treasure in the eyes of its mother. If you take its fault, you can get the gold mountain you want. And if you spare the young eagle for this reason, he will remember your kindness in the future, and the silver mountain will be no problem."

Ji Shiyu put his feet on the stool again, hugging his knees, like an old woman in the countryside chatting on the kang. He said firmly, "You are not here to save Yan Xikuan, you are here to save someone else."

Yu Qinglong smiled and pushed the tea forward, neither admitting nor denying.

He said, "A gentleman repays a drop of kindness with a spring of water, while a villain is greedy and always looks for something to use against him. In the long run, Master Ji always has a balance of power in his heart. It doesn't matter where you get the water from, the key is how to get the water, protect the well, and make a name for yourself."

Threatening Yan Xikuan and Fang Shu temporarily did allow him to extract money from Fang Shu. However, with the addition of Ma Qinsui, he had offended three scholars. For the garrison commander, a scholar wasn't much of a figure, but who knew what the future held?

The kid from the Wu family is just a student, and a student who has failed the imperial examinations many times. How can he have any future at all?

As for the money, it doesn't matter whose it is. The important thing is how to achieve multiple goals at once.

Ji Shiyu smiled and handed the fan over to Yu Qinglong, pouring him a cup of tea. "I wonder who is your teacher, brother Xiaoyu?"

Yu Qinglong said, "I don't deserve it. I only have a basic understanding of medical theory and a little bit of medical skills. My mentor is a doctor, not a master."

Ji Shiyu was slightly surprised. He had thought Yu Qinglong was at least a student at some academy. The calmness in his words clearly didn't come from a humble background.

But if he was from a wealthy family, he would definitely know him. After all, this town was so small, and there were only a handful of wealthy families. So if he wasn't from a wealthy family, then he must have been educated. He thought he was from a small family who had taken great pains to hire a teacher to cultivate him, but he never thought it was not the case.

He was somewhat curious, and after a moment he whispered, "Although what you said makes some sense, this matter still needs to wait for Master Guo to make the decision."

"Of course. But I heard that Lord Guo thinks highly of you."

"I wouldn't say I respect him, I just rely on the fact that we've been together for a long time." Ji Shiyu said, "How about this, Brother Xiaoyu, you go back first, I'll take care of this matter myself. As for Yan Xikuan, don't worry, Lord Guo also values ​​talent and won't make things difficult for you for now."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Master Ji. I just wonder if I can meet Yan Xikuan?"

"Not yet. You can wait here for a moment. If I can see you within two quarters of an hour, I will send someone to call you."

"Okay, then I'll wait here for news from the Master."

"Yes." Ji Shiyu stood up and walked a few steps outside before turning back. "Brother Xiaoyu, if I don't agree to what you said, what will you do?"

"What can I do? Doing one thing at a time is one thing, doing two things at a time is also one thing. If I can't do both, then do one. I can't do nothing at all, what do you think?"

You always want to make a sound return when you spend money.

"That's right." Ji Shiyu smiled and asked someone to change the pot of tea for Yu Qinglong before leaving.

The waiter quickly brought out new tea and snacks.

Yu Qinglong sniffed the tea and found it distinctly different from the previous one. The flavor was much richer than the previous pot. As for the pastries, the style was the same, but the colors were completely different. The previous ones were clearly leftovers. It wasn't easy to tell without comparing them, but once they did, it was clear.

Neither of them drank the two cups of tea that had been poured earlier, but Yu Qinglong didn't pour any more either. Yu Qinglong asked the waiter for another cup, poured a fresh one, and sipped it slowly.

Ji Shiyu watched in secret and went to the yamen thoughtfully.

A quarter of an hour later, one of the officers who had received money from Yu Qinglong came to find Yu Qinglong.

The mouth is soft when eating the food that belongs to you, and the hand is grateful when receiving the gift that belongs to you. The officer was in a good mood because he got so much money for nothing, so he led Yu Qinglong to the place where Guan Yanxikuan was.

At the same time, Fang Shu and Ma Qinsui were also not far away. They saw Yu Qinglong looking in their direction and shaking his head slightly, seemingly talking to the officers, making some unconscious movements, but in fact he was telling them not to come out.

Although the two were anxious, they understood what was going on and had to follow from a distance so as not to get too close and be discovered.

Ma Qinsui said, "Since Brother Xiaoyu can see Xikuan, I think he must have a way. Let's wait and see."

The autumn heat was at its peak, and Fang Shu was sweating profusely, but he could no longer tell whether it was the heat or the urgency.

He saw Yu Qinglong chatting and laughing with the officers as they walked towards the cell, and he couldn't help but worry.

The few times Yu Qinglong encountered problems before, he had always been able to solve them quickly and flexibly. He also didn't look like someone who would be easily bullied. But he couldn't help but feel anxious. No matter how strong he looked, he was still his brother.

In addition to this worry, he also felt a very unfamiliar panic.

His Longger seemed to be omnipotent, but he was a man, and a scholar at that, but he still needed his husband to help him run around when he encountered problems, which made him feel very useless.

"Guarding the city?" Ma Qinfu saw Fang Shu was a little distracted and asked suspiciously, "Are you okay?"

"Ah? It's okay." Fang Shu watched the cell door open and close from across the street. "My dear, is there anyone you can talk to in the three bookstores in the county?"

"No, I just know him. Why do you ask?"

"I want to know something."

"Xi Kuan is actually familiar with the young master of Dexin Bookstore. Before we met, he copied books and sold them there."

"Then I'll ask him after he comes out."

"Do you think he can come out today?"

Fang Shu didn't answer. He didn't know if he could get out. When his husband had said he was going to see Master Ji, he'd thought of giving him some money, thinking that if he could get a word in, he could just ask Master Ji to resolve this problem.

But although his husband took the money, he only asked for three taels of silver. He had never thought that this amount of money could allow him to see Master Ji, but not only did he see him, but now he could also see Yan Xikuan.

Yan Xikuan never expected that he would meet Yu Qinglong.

He thought he would meet Fang Shu, but he never dreamed that it would be Yu Qinglong who would come.

"Xiao Yu..."

"Ahem!" Yu Qinglong interrupted him hastily. "Brother Xikuan, I can't stay here long, so I'll cut to the chase." He handed the jailer ten copper coins and, seeing him leave after taking them, he quickly said, "Brother Xikuan, the guards can't come in, so I'm here. I hope the people here haven't given you any trouble."

"No." Yan Xikuan whispered, "But this matter is clearly aimed at defending the city. What should we do?"

"Don't worry. I've already met with Master Ji, the magistrate who works for the town guard. I think the problem will be solved soon. I'd just like you to stay here for a day or two. If I'm not mistaken, someone will take you out for questioning. Just say that the land under the town guard's name belongs to him, and you know nothing else."

"Okay, that's what I said before. Just tell the guards to rest assured."

"So, is there anything you need here? I'll see if I can find a way to get it in for you."

"If it's not too much trouble, just ask your attendant to bring me a few books to pass the time."

"Okay. Thank you for your hard work, Brother Xikuan. I'll do my best."

After Yu Qinglong finished speaking, he whispered a few more instructions and went to see the jailer again. They chatted for a while before leaving.

Not long after, someone brought Yan Xikuan a small oil lamp. The prison was dark, and reading was difficult. With this lamp, he should be able to read even at night without any problem.

After Yu Qinglong left, he told Ma Qinsui that Yan Xikuan wanted the book, and then said, "Brother Qinsui, go get the book. Shoucheng and I have to go to the Wu family's blacksmith shop first. We won't go home for the next two days. We'll go back after we get Brother Xikuan out. My husband, you should also think about how to explain this to our parents. When it's convenient, have Brother Changjie tell them."

Fang Shu said, "That's not difficult. I'll ask Chang Jie to take a letter with me. Father will understand when he sees it."

After the discussion, the few of them separated and agreed to meet again later at the door of a liquor store not far from the cell.

Ma went to get the book, and Fang Shu stopped Yu Qinglong and asked as they walked away, "Brother Long, what did you say to Master Ji earlier?"

Yu Qinglong said, "I told him that it's better to take money from the Wu family than from us. The Wu family is much richer than us, so how much can they get from us? Besides, you and Brother Xikuan are both scholars after all. If we stigmatize you, it won't be good for our town if it gets out. But this time, we can't avoid losing some money. I just thought that this money can't be wasted. If the Wu family wants us to bleed, then we have to break a few bones of theirs at least. Otherwise, once we bow our heads once, we will be constrained in everything in the future."

Fang Shu said, "What Long Ge'er said is quite true. However, I'm afraid that the money I have won't be enough, so I'll have to borrow some from you."

Yu Qinglong felt a pang of pain as he thought about it. If he wanted to accomplish this matter according to his idea, he would have to spend ten or twenty taels of silver.

But this is better than Fang Shu being charged with tax evasion. If that were the case, not only would he lose money, but the most terrifying thing would be his future being ruined.

"Just make more money. As long as you're still around, other things will come your way through hard work." Yu Qinglong patted Fang Shu, "But this will require you to be even more diligent in the future."

"Don't worry, Long Ge'er, I will definitely study hard in the future."

As the couple talked, they arrived at the Wu family's blacksmith shop. Fortunately, Wu Sheng was there. Fang Shu said Yan Xikuan was ill and needed someone to take turns caring for him. Wu Sheng took the letter he had written and said he would tell Fang's parents when he got home.

As dusk fell, Ma Qinsui handed the book to the jailer. He also brought a bed and quilt, worried that Yan Xikuan would be cold at night. He found that the jailer was easy to talk to and helped him without any difficulty, which made him feel a little relieved.

The group returned to the rented house.

It was a very small house. After pushing open the gate and walking a few steps, one reached the main entrance. Once inside, it was pitch black, even darker than Yu Qinglong's home in Shangxi Village.

Ma Qinshou said with some embarrassment: "I am sorry to have embarrassed you, brother Xiaoyu. Please sit down, please sit down."

He spread the mattress on the kang and asked Yu Qinglong to sit on it.

He rummaged for a long time before he managed to dig out a relatively intact bowl and poured some water into it for Yu Qinglong.

Yu Qinglong thanked him, but after sitting down, he felt quite uncomfortable.

The place was very simple, the only valuable things one could see were books, some pens and ink, and some paper, which was so full of writing that there was no place left to write.

There was not a single intact thing found in the entire house where the two scholars lived.

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The author has something to say: Here is why I haven't updated much recently. My mother-in-law had surgery and hasn't been discharged yet. The baby is also on vacation, so time is very tight. It will be better in a few days, and I will try to update more then. QQ [burst into tears]