Chapter 72 Discovering the Tribulation of Grace
Zhou Jiming held the stack of books, resting his chin on top, looking pitiful.
"Brother Shao, what have I done to offend you? Why are you tormenting me like this? I don't need to take the imperial examinations, and I don't need to study so many books!"
Shao Yanzhe glanced at him, then turned his head away in disgust.
"It's necessary! Reading can help you develop your mind and teach you what you can and cannot say."
Upon hearing his words, Zhou Jiming immediately realized that he must have said something unpleasant that Shao Yanzhe had overheard, which led to his idea of forcing him to study.
He frowned and tried to recall carefully. He was very careful in front of Shao Yanzhe. After all, Shao Yanzhe was his friend, so he had to completely hide his original playboy aura and be very careful with his words.
"I think I've been very sensible; I haven't said anything I shouldn't have, have I?" he asked tentatively.
Shao Yanzhe ignored him and focused on tidying up the things on his desk.
Xiaobai, who was lying on the side and being beaten by Xuan Yao, saw Zhou Jiming being stuffed with a bunch of books. Thinking that he was being forced to write by this scholar, his little head turned and he couldn't help but look surprised.
You're the one who ruined me!
"You did! Why didn't you say so!" Xiaobai was furious.
Zhou Jiming looked at Xiaobai and defended himself: "Don't talk nonsense! When did you hear that?"
Xiao Bai: "Just last night!"
"I was sleeping last night, but there was nothing there..."
Just as Zhou Jiming was about to retort, he suddenly remembered that when he got up to use the bathroom at night, someone hit him on the head. When he went to look for her, he saw an exceptionally beautiful woman, but then she inexplicably fell into a deep sleep and slept on the ground all night. When he woke up this morning, his whole body ached.
He came to find Shao Yanzhe early this morning, just for this matter.
When he woke up in the morning, without that stunningly beautiful woman in front of him, his mind became much clearer. He realized that the woman he had seen yesterday was definitely not human. Fearing that he would encounter the same things as before, he decided to tell Shao Yanzhe.
Last night, he only saw the woman and spoke to her. Then, recalling the information he had read about fox demons, he immediately realized that the woman from yesterday must have been the nine-tailed fox in front of him in disguise!
Belatedly realizing what he had said before, and seeing Xiaobai here, combined with what Xuanyao had just said about repaying a debt of gratitude, could this foolish fox have been rejected by Shao Yanzhe when he was a woman before, and then, after meeting him and hearing his nonsense, turned into a man to come and find Shao Yanzhe?
You're the one who ruined me!
Immediately, the human and the fox glared angrily at each other.
If Xiaobai hadn't been held down by Xuanyao, Zhou Jiming, fearing Xiaobai's demonic identity, would probably have already started a fight.
Shao Yanzhe glanced at the two of them and suddenly had an idea.
“Brother Zhou, if you teach Xiaobai to read and write the Three Character Classic, you can read only half of the book I give you.”
Zhou Jiming looked at Xiaobai with a conflicted expression, then at the book in his arms, and finally gritted his teeth and agreed: "Okay!"
Xiao Bai immediately objected: "Brother, no way! I won't let him teach me! Aren't you afraid he'll corrupt me?"
Upon hearing this, Shao Yanzhe felt that what he said made sense, so he turned to look at Xuan Yao and said, "Then I'll trouble you to keep an eye on the two of them."
Xuan Yao immediately placed a paw on Little White's head: "Meow!"
Thus, the three-person study group consisting of one person, one fox, and one cat was officially established.
After three days, Xiaobai finally finished learning the entire Three Character Classic.
As a nine-tailed fox, he was naturally quite talented, but since he didn't use his brain much, he seemed somewhat foolish.
But once he starts studying seriously and begins to use his brain, it becomes clear that he has an outstanding learning ability.
"Brother, what do you think of my Three Character Classic?" Xiao Bai asked, standing in front of Shao Yanzhe.
After carefully reviewing it, Shao Yanzhe said, "It's an improvement over last time. The handwriting is much better than before. Very good."
"Thank you, brother!"
Xiao Bai was very happy, but Zhou Jiming soon came out to put him down: "What's so good about it! It's only a little better than yesterday's ugly, dog-scratched characters."
"Hmph!" Xiao Bai snorted, but he didn't argue with Zhou Jiming in front of Shao Yanzhe.
Zhou Jiming crossed his arms and said, "Brother Shao and I are going out on business. You stay home and practice your calligraphy. I'll check it when I get back. If you don't complete the task, you'll be punished!"
"Okay," Xiaobai reluctantly agreed.
Zhou Jiming looked at Shao Yanzhe and said, "Brother Shao, let's go now. I think Brother Liu and the others should be arriving soon."
"good."
Today was the day Zhou Jiming and the great Confucian scholar had arranged to visit each other. The sun was shining brightly, and it happened to be market day, so the carriages were not convenient to travel and the group set off on foot.
The streets were bustling with activity. A few people walked through the crowd, glancing occasionally at the trinkets sold by the vendors on both sides.
"What a pity. If I hadn't gone to visit the great Confucian scholar Ming today, I would have definitely taken the time to explore. I saw so many interesting little things," Liu Mingyuan said with a regretful expression.
Shao Yanzhe glanced at him and said, "We can wait until next time. It seems like the Double Ninth Festival is coming soon, and it will definitely be even more lively then."
“That’s right!” Liu Mingyuan agreed wholeheartedly.
Shao Yanzhe followed at the back, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the trinkets with ancient characteristics. It was probably because the Double Ninth Festival was approaching, as there were many sachets hanging on the stall.
The sachet is very beautiful, with simple embroidered patterns on the outside, adding a touch of liveliness to it.
This made him want to buy it, but he had to give up because he was short of money.
He looked away and was about to catch up with the group when a tall man walked by, and the two accidentally bumped shoulders.
"I'm sorry!" Shao Yanzhe quickly apologized.
He looked at the person he had bumped into, and his heart skipped a beat. This person was someone from the Heavenly Net Order whom he had met before.
The man's expression wasn't good. He glanced at Shao Yanzhe with his dark eyes, said nothing, and continued walking forward.
Shao Yanzhe turned around and watched him leave, then caught up with Zhou Jiming and the others.
The Tianluozhao member, who had taken a few steps forward, suddenly stopped, turned around and looked behind him. He reached down with his right hand, picked up a small spider that was clinging to his sleeve, and saw a red mark on its back.
He was immediately filled with doubt and uncertainty. After thinking for a moment, he put the little spider back down and turned to follow the scholar from before.
Shao Yanzhe and his group soon arrived at the residence of the great Confucian scholar Ming. Zhou Jiming stepped forward and presented his visiting card. Perhaps he had been instructed in advance, because after the gatekeeper saw the visiting card in his hand, he led them in directly.
As soon as the gate closed, the people from Tianluozhao came out from the street corner and looked up at the plaque that read 'Mingfu'.
After noting it down, he turned and left, then went to find Han Yuzhang again.
"I wonder what business Lord Zhu has with me? I really don't know much about that big willow tree outside the city."
Han Yuzhang was somewhat helpless, not understanding why the people from Tianluo Zhao were so difficult to deal with this time, and why they insisted on pursuing that willow tree demon.
Doesn't he have any official duties to attend to?
This Lord Zhu, whose full name is Zhu Shi'an, commands five thousand men and wields considerable power.
I wonder what that lord in Kyoto is planning to do by sending him out?
Zhu Shi'an sat in his chair, glanced at him casually, picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, and then said, "Lord Han, we are both working for the court, so why do you keep obstructing me?"
Han Yuzhang's expression immediately changed: "Lord Zhu, I did not obstruct you, so please do not make false accusations."
Zhu Shi'an put down his teacup, which tapped lightly on the table, making Han Yuzhang's eyelids twitch.
"In that case, let's leave the past aside. Would you mind making a copy of the list of candidates for this year's provincial examination?"
Han Yuzhang wanted to refuse, but the list wasn't something he couldn't give away. If he refused, Han Yuzhang might guess something from it and have someone copy the list.
"I wonder what use Lord Zhu has for the list of candidates for the provincial examination?"
Zhu Shi'an raised his eyelids and glanced at him: "Lord Han, this is not something you should concern yourself with."
"It was my fault for speaking out of turn."
Han Yuzhang wasn't angry; instead, he began to think about his purpose in wanting the list.
Surely it couldn't be just to recruit members of the Heavenly Order, could it?
However, the members of the Heavenly Net Order are all trusted confidants of that person, so they shouldn't be chosen arbitrarily.
Or did he discover something during his investigation these past few days?
Soon, the list of candidates for the provincial examination was presented.
Zhu Shi'an then flipped through the list. He looked at the last part of the list, which contained the top three candidates in this provincial examination. He glanced up at Han Yuzhang, his eyes filled with a meaningful look.
"I'll take the list. Farewell!"
After he finished speaking, he put away the list in front of him, got up and left.
Han Yuzhang's expression changed several times. He summoned his subordinate and instructed him, "Go find Scholar Shao and tell him that Jiangzhou City is not peaceful lately, and it would be best to leave as soon as possible."
"yes!"
On the other side, after Shao Yanzhe and his companions met the great Confucian scholar Ming, they were immediately tested on their knowledge.
After going around the room, the great scholar Ming nodded in satisfaction. He stroked his long beard and said, "Your foundation is quite solid, but you need to strengthen your general knowledge. Here's a test paper for you to use to test your level."
As he spoke, he turned around, took a sheet of Xuan paper from the bookshelf behind him, and handed it to Shao Yanzhe.
"Take this test paper when you have some free time. After you finish, bring it with you and I will give you some pointers."
"Yes, thank you, Mr. Ming!" The group quickly bowed and expressed their gratitude.
The great Confucian scholar then gave each of them further guidance on their studies, and his face showed obvious signs of fatigue.
Not wanting to disturb the great scholar Ming any longer, the group exchanged a few pleasantries and then left.
"Brother Zhou, I owe you a great debt of gratitude this time. With the guidance of such a great Confucian scholar, I have improved a lot." Wen Yanqing thanked Zhou Jiming earnestly.
The others were the same. As expected of the great Confucian scholar Ming, with just a little guidance, they understood everything that they had been wondering about, as if the clouds had parted and the sun had risen.
“I originally thought my level was decent, but after talking with the great Confucian scholar today, I realized that I am somewhat lacking. Since there is still plenty of time, I thought I would use this time to travel to other places to study and visit local Confucian scholars. What do you think? Do you want to come with me?” Su Yuheng asked the others.
Shao Yanzhe felt the same way. The sea of knowledge is boundless, and if you just bury yourself in studying, you won't know your own level at all.
Today, after talking with the great Confucian scholar Ming, I realized that although my level is not bad, there is still much room for improvement.
He was very interested in Su Yuheng's proposal.
After thinking for a moment, he nodded in agreement: "Alright, that's exactly what I was thinking. I'll go with Brother Su."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jiming and the others were also eager to go. Except for Wen Yanqing, who genuinely wanted to improve his knowledge, Zhou Jiming, Liu Mingyuan, and Chen Yunhe wanted to go on a trip.
"That's good. After we've finished dealing with the affairs in Jiangzhou City, we'll set off together in fifteen days."
"good!"
Meanwhile, outside Shao Yanzhe's residence, Zhu Shi'an took a spider from his sleeve and placed it on the wall.
The spider quickly climbed over the wall and entered the house.
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