The Mid-Autumn Festival came in a blink of an eye. On this day, the streets were crowded with cars and people, and the bustle was no less than that of later generations.
In preparation for the evening show, Ding Dusai and the others invited Zhang Shixun to their home early in the morning to guide them in the final rehearsal. They were busy for most of the day and did not leave Li Shishi's house until the afternoon.
As soon as he entered the house, Gao Yanei came over, sat down on a chair in the living room, and sighed.
Zhang Shixun was surprised and asked him, "Yanei, what's wrong with you? It's a big holiday, and you come to me sighing and groaning."
"Don't mention it. As expected, there were some setbacks in your military examination." Gao Yanei said dejectedly.
Zhang Shixun was already mentally prepared and asked with a smile, "I expected that. The Wang family father and son took action, right?"
"That scoundrel Wang Fu pressured the Ministry of War to kick you off the list of candidates for the Interpretation Examination. Fortunately, the Ministry of War refused to agree out of respect for my father. However..." Gao Yanei glanced at Zhang Shixun secretly and saw that his expression was calm. He continued, "The Ministry of War originally ranked you first in the Interpretation Examination, but with Wang Fu's interference, the Ministry of War didn't dare to disobey Wang Fu and had to rank you last."
"Can I still take the provincial exam if I'm ranked last?"
"This won't delay my provincial exam. I'll still pass."
"Oh! As long as I can take part in the provincial examination, I don't mind being last."
Gao Yanei couldn't tell from his expression whether he was unhappy or not, so he said with a forced smile, "My father has already presented those two rare treasures to the emperor. When the emperor saw them, his face was filled with joy. He praised my father a lot, even saying that he was a loyal minister."
"A loyal and trustworthy minister? What does that mean?" Zhang Shixun was unhappy and asked the question even though he knew the answer.
"A loyal and trustworthy minister is..." Gao Yanei scratched his head and stammered, "A loyal and trustworthy minister means... is..."
"What is it?" Zhang Shixun asked.
"Butt means fart..." Gao Yanei's face turned red and he couldn't continue.
"What bullshit?" Zhang Shixun tried hard to suppress his laughter.
"Fart is just fart...you're so stupid!"
"According to your explanation, a loyal minister is a servile minister?" Zhang Shixun couldn't hold it in any longer and laughed heartily, "Your father is a servile minister. It doesn't seem to make sense."
"This..." Gao Yanei's face turned as red as pig liver.
"Don't laugh!" Gao Yanei saw that he was almost laughing with tears in his eyes, and he became angry and said, "What's wrong with being a minister? Being an official is something I'm proud of."
This was even more outrageous. Zhang Shixun laughed so hard that he covered his stomach.
"If you laugh again, I'll leave."
"Okay, I won't laugh anymore." Zhang Shixun finally managed to stop laughing and bowed to him. "Then congratulations, General Gao. You're already a loyal and trustworthy official. From now on, you can expect to rise step by step and ascend to the top."
"I have to thank you very much. My father said that he was sorry for you for only getting the last place in this examination. He asked me to tell you that in the provincial examination, he will definitely get you the first place in the Juelun category, and in the palace examination, strive for the top three." Gao Yanei patted his chest and said with a solemn vow.
"I'm just afraid that Wang Fu will jump out and cause trouble again...By the way! Is General Gao very afraid of Wang Fu?" Zhang Shixun deliberately provoked him with words.
Gao Yanei jumped up like a cat whose tail was stepped on. "Pah! Who the hell is Wang Fu? When my father was with the emperor, he was still playing in the mud with his bare bottom."
"No matter what, he's the Grand Chancellor, a much higher official than your father, and he's a civil servant."
"So what if I'm the young prime minister? So what if I'm a civil servant?" Gao Yanei stiffened his neck, even the blue veins on his neck were exposed.
"Need I tell you? In our Song Dynasty, civil officials are more noble than military officials." Zhang Shixun sat down on a stool and crossed his legs. "Take my exam, for example. Your father had already laid the groundwork, but in the end, Wang Fu just said something wrong, and the Ministry of War was forced to obey. What does this mean?"
"What does that mean?" Gao Yanei asked with his eyes wide open.
"This proves that when someone arm wrestled with your father, your father couldn't beat them. It's that simple." Zhang Shixun teased him, adding harshly, "An arm can't twist a leg."
Gao Yanei's face flushed crimson, and after a long pause he managed to utter a single word: "This is...this is because my father doesn't want to fight him. People don't fight dogs."
Zhang Shixun said with a dark face: "Alright, you are human beings, and humans don't fight dogs. I appreciate that, but I want to ask, why do I get the lowest grade in exchange for my Sky Star?"
"This..." Gao Yanei lost his temper immediately and said dejectedly, "It's not over yet. There's still the provincial exam in two months. We'll know the results then."
"Okay! Okay! I'm not blaming you and General Gao. I'm just kindly reminding you not to forget your promise." Zhang Shixun didn't seem to care on the surface, but he was still a little unhappy in his heart.
It seems that we cannot put all our eggs in one basket. We should shift our attention elsewhere in the future.
Gao Yanei said, "Brother, don't worry. My father has said so, and he will definitely make sure you pass the military exam. Otherwise, he would have spent decades in Tokyo for nothing."
"Yanei, don't worry. No matter how well this matter is handled, you are still my brother." Zhang Shixun comforted him in return.
Gao Yanei was deeply moved by these words. His throat moved and he said with some emotion: "Brother, for what you said, I, Gao Chengzong, will recognize you as my brother for the rest of my life."
"Alright! Let's leave this matter at that for now. There's plenty of time to come... Oh right! Today is Mid-Autumn Festival. What are your plans? Why don't you stay home to celebrate with your family?"
"My father went to the palace to watch the moon with the emperor, leaving my mother and a group of women at home. I am too impatient to accompany them."
"Your father is not at home, you should accompany them."
"It's so boring to sit in the yard and look at the moon like an idiot."
"So what are you going to do tonight?"
"I came to see you, brother. How about we go drink wine together?"
"No!" Zhang Shixun flatly refused.
Gao Yanei was very disappointed and asked, "Could it be that brother doesn't want to be with us?"
"no."
Gao Yanei blinked and asked again, "Could it be that brother has a hidden illness and can't do that?"
Zhang Shixun laughed and said, "I don't have any hidden illness. I just don't want to go out and have affairs with women. That kind of thing can easily wear down a person's will and turn them into bad people... Stop making random guesses. If you have nothing to do, we can go shopping together, like on the Imperial Street. I heard it's going to be very lively there tonight."
Gao Yanei scratched his head. "That's not right. If you weren't into women, why would you keep going to Lady Li?"
"Bah! I went to Madam Li's place to teach them how to sing and play the qin. How can that be connected to philandering?" Zhang Shixun stood up and said sarcastically, "You're just a stupid donkey. Even the most beautiful flowers are just straw in your eyes."
"You're talking about flowers and grass, don't beat around the bush, I don't understand." Gao Yanei didn't care: "Women are all the same, they all look the same when the lights are turned off."
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