In the bamboo forest courtyard.

Zhang Huizhi turned his head and looked towards the north room for a while. He could vaguely see a dull young man inside the door, copying a book and practicing calligraphy with his head down.

The young scholar from Siqi Academy was silent for a moment and turned his head to look in the direction of the kitchen on the west side.

There, several poor old servants, who were missing limbs or disfigured, were busy chopping wood, boiling water, fetching wine and cooking at the behest of a simple woman passing by.

There were occasional gasps and coughs.

Zhao Rong seemed to have noticed the movement in the kitchen as well. He glanced at one of the old servants whose faces seemed to have been destroyed by the fire and who was coughing due to the smoke.

The disfigured old servant seemed to be suffering from a serious respiratory disease. He would occasionally take out a copper pipe with a pipe hanging from it, take a few puffs, and then breathe a sigh of relief with a flushed face.

The other old servants were in a similar situation, each with their own problems and in their twilight years.

"Brother Huizhi, forget it. There's no need to bother with so many side dishes. Let's have a few drinks and chat. Besides, I have something else to do later, so I won't stay here for dinner."

Zhao Rong couldn't help but give a sincere suggestion.

Zhang Huizhi seemed to come back to his senses, withdrew his gaze from the kitchen, then looked at Zhao Rong in a daze for a while, and shook his head firmly.

"Tzuyu finally came to my place... you must have a good drink and good food... otherwise I will feel guilty. Tzuyu, just enjoy your meal and don't worry about the kitchen. My wife will take care of it."

He raised his half-lidded eyelids, completely waking up from the drowsiness he had just had, and comforted Zhao Rong.

The latter glanced at the sky and saw that it was still some time before the afternoon sun.

"Okay, then I'll listen to Brother Huizhi."

Zhao Rong smiled.

At this time, Xiao Qian'er, who was standing behind him, quietly pinched the soft flesh on Zhao Rong's waist, and then without waiting for his reaction, she snorted and walked towards the kitchen.

"I'll go help Sister Yunniang."

Humph, in front of outsiders, she was always polite and virtuous, but Rong'er just chose not to see it and even brought up "other people's wives"...

Xiao Qian'er feels a little aggrieved.

Zhao Rong hissed softly. The little girl was too rude. He would pay her back double the reward later.

He said inwardly, glancing at the back of the little girl who ran to the kitchen to help out secretly and stubbornly.

"Tzuyu, what's wrong with you?"

Zhang Huizhi glanced at the young scholar's expression and expressed his concern.

"Ah, nothing much. By the way, where were we talking about just now?"

Zhao Rong turned around and changed the subject.

Zhang Huizhi did not answer at first, but picked up the wine jug on the table and handed it to Zhao Rong.

Sitting on a couch under the bamboo forest, in the autumn breeze, two Confucian scholars from the academy each held a pot of exotic wine and raised their hands to invite each other.

"Zi Yu praised me for being a good person and managing my family well. I feel ashamed to accept it."

"Why not? We Confucian scholars don't care about anything. First of all, we need to be thick-skinned. After receiving the compliment, we can be modest, but we can't be too modest. We should think in our hearts, 'Who doesn't know this?' Of course, we can't say it out loud, but what if it works?"

“…”

“Tzuyu is so humorous.”

"I won't tell this secret to ordinary people. Come, let's go."

“…”

The crisp sound of wine glasses clinking rang out on the table.

"Hiss...Brother Huizhi's wine is spicy!"

"This is the hometown wine brewed by my humble servant. Do you like it, Brother Ziyu?"

"Not bad, very tasty. The last time I drank this kind of wine was in..."

"Oh? In?"

The young scholar nodded, "Last time."

Zhang Huizhi: “…”

He was wearing a black Confucian robe. After a moment of silence, he nodded and said, "If Ziyu likes it, wait a minute, the old servant at home will serve another specialty dish."

"Oh? Then I must try it."

Zhang Huizhi nodded, glanced at him, and suddenly said:

"Tzuyu, can you let me see the jade on your waist?"

Qingjun's jade token? That won't do. If she knew that another man touched her jade token, she would definitely be angry. She is the hardest to appease.

The young scholar wanted to shake his head, but after touching a few objects hanging around his waist, he asked, "Which jade are you talking about, Brother Huizhi?"

Zhang Huizhi pointed at the Linlu jade wall on Zhao Rong's waist and stared at it. "It's this jade wall of status. I also have one that I like. I want to see the difference."

Zhao Rong was slightly stunned, then nodded happily, "That's no problem."

He took off the jade wall from his waist and handed it to Zhang Huizhi.

The latter took it, and at the same time took off his own jade wall of Siqi's identity, and lowered his head to look at them together.

Zhao Rong didn't think much about it and smiled. "Actually, there is not much difference. I have seen the Scholar Jade Wall of Siqi Academy before. They all have the same functions: identity proof... life-saving items in times of danger... a location marker for the teachers of the academy to locate... In addition, I heard that some scholar brothers will refine it into a life item. However, this Scholar Jade Wall of mine is only temporary and is not convenient for refinement."

He paused, then laughed:

"Speaking of which, I passed by Zhongnan Mountain before and got a piece of Lantian Lingyu from a good friend. It can be used to refine the scholar's jade wall. I kept it in my bag and it was gathering dust..."

"I heard from Wen Ruo that his family's Lantian Lingyu is very popular among the scholars in Siqi Academy. I don't know if it's true or not."

Zhang Huizhi temporarily put down the jade wall in his hand and raised his head, "Oh? The brother Wenruo that Ziyu mentioned is the new head of the Lanxi Lin family in Zhongnan Kingdom...Lin Wenruo?"

Zhao Rong nodded and said with a smile:

"It's him. Brother Huizhi knows him?"

He said, paused, and nodded:

"Yes, Wen Ruo also graduated from Siqi Academy, so it's not surprising that Brother Huizhi knows him. The Siqi Scholar's Jade Wall that I saw before was Wen Ruo's. At that time, I asked him for it. I looked at it left and right and took a good look. Now that I have the Linlu Jade Wall, I find that they are actually the same."

Zhang Huizhi nodded and glanced to the south. "This Junior Brother Lin is two years younger than me, but his name is well-known to me. Now, among the scholars who are still in the dynasties under the Wangquezhou Mountain in Siqi Academy and pursuing a career in officialdom, there is no one who doesn't know his name..."

Today, the young scholar in black had a look of longing on his face.

"This Junior Brother Lin inherited the position of the head of an 800-year-old noble family at a young age. The most important thing is that he did not simply maintain the status quo, but went a step further..."

"I heard that Junior Brother Lin, with the help of a very powerful friend, used a very dangerous debate between Confucianism and Taoism to destroy a thousand-year-old Taoist temple in Zhongnan Kingdom... I don't know the details, but I heard that he has become the real helmsman of Zhongnan Kingdom in the south, shepherding the people on behalf of the emperor, promoting new laws, and realizing his ambitions. Zhongnan Kingdom is thriving..."

Zhang Huizhi retracted his gaze, and under Zhao Rong's inexplicable smile, he said seriously:

"This cannot be summarized with a simple background. This Lin Wenruo, Junior Brother Lin, and his best friend must be outstanding people and worthy of such a reputation. It's a pity that I can't see their true appearance."

"When the late emperor was still alive, he would read the court reports in the imperial study and sighed in front of me several times, wondering when Dali would be able to raise a Lanxi Lin family. Alas, we Dali scholars are ashamed."

Zhang Huizhi sighed and shook his head.

When Zhao Rong heard him say "a very powerful friend", he blinked and smiled without saying anything.

Zhang Huizhi is not a fool, on the contrary he is very smart and sharp.

He was suddenly startled, and took a closer look at the young scholar in front of him, frowning slightly, and asked tentatively:

"really?"

Zhao Rong straightened his sleeves, raised his head and smiled, and said modestly: "Brother Huizhi, you are too kind... Well, he is a rare talent, who wouldn't know that?"

“…”

Didn't you say the latter part is from your heart? Good fellow, you said it directly...

Zhang Huizhi leaned back slightly, and looked at Zhao Rong carefully for a few more times. He was choked for a long time before he sighed:

“I didn’t expect to have seen the real thing.”

…

Just as two Confucian scholars were drinking and chatting happily in the courtyard.

In the west kitchen not far away, Zhao Qian'er, Yunniang and several old servants were busy preparing dishes.

However, Xiao Qian'er mostly just helped Yunniang, chatted with her, and occasionally glanced at the dishes cooked by other old servants.

After a while, she handed Yunniang a porcelain plate, looked around, and seeing that everyone's appetizers were almost ready, she took out a small silver spoon.

Zhao Qian'er walked around the kitchen, 'tasting' each dish with a silver spoon.

At this moment, she stopped in front of the disfigured old servant who was coughing and took a look at a somewhat strange dish that the old servant was making.

"Hey, what kind of weird dish is this?"

Zhao Qian'er couldn't help but take another look.

The vegetables in the pot were like thick noodles, long strips two fingers long. It seemed that some chili oil was poured on them, and the smell was a bit spicy.

The old servant took a step back and bowed, saying, "This is a specialty of my hometown..."

Then, he said a strange two-character name.

Zhao Qian'er muttered curiously, grabbed the silver spoon in her hand, pinched her nose, puffed her mouth and stared at the pot for a while. After a moment, she tasted it just in case.

Xiao Qian'er puffed up her rosy cheeks, chewed it, and savored it quietly for a moment, inhaling due to the spicy taste, but nodded.

"Eh, it's okay, a little spicy, but spicy in a flavorful way. I think Brother Rong'er will like this... What is this...?"

She looked at the old servant.

The latter smiled and nodded, then repeated the two-character name of the dish. The disabled and disfigured old man was very happy to hear her say that the distinguished guest in the yard liked it.

The two chatted briefly for a while, and then Xiao Qian'er put her hands behind her back and went to try the appetizers prepared by other old servants.

The other side.

In the yard where the autumn wind blows.

After Zhang Huizhi finished sighing, he did not immediately return the Linlu jade disc in his hand to Zhao Rong, but listened attentively to Zhao Rong's explanation.

He sighed softly and looked at the top of Jiyue Mountain in the east.

Two bright moons, competing with the sun for brilliance, are still hanging high in the sky, worshipped by people within a thousand miles of Jiyue Mountain.

The young scholar in black clothes, black hair and a sharp face sighed more and more:

"Hey, Ziyu, I should have thought of this earlier. Birds of a feather flock together. Ziyu knows Junior Brother Lin from Mount Zhongnan and was given a precious jade by him. This is not a treatment that ordinary friends can have... It turns out that Ziyu helped a lot in the rumored debate between Confucianism and Taoism."

"Just like... just like this Fengshan Ceremony, which was successfully organized by Ziyu, it is a great honor for Dali and the court that your Majesty and the Queen Mother can ask Ziyu for help."

For some reason, Zhang Huizhi looked up in the direction of Jiyue Mountain with a somewhat melancholy look on his face.

Zhao Rong took another sip of the spicy wine and thought of an old friend buried under the green hills. His happy mood gradually faded and he shook his head calmly, "Brother Huizhi, you are too kind."

On the couch, the two scholars who were sitting face to face drinking together were silent for a while.

One person looked up into the distance, while the other lowered his head and drank.

It seems that everyone is thinking about his own thing.

Sure enough, when the wine entered his stomach, it turned into a "story" that he wanted to tell along with the smell of wine.

Zhang Huizhi gazed at the bright moon and said softly:

"Since Ziyu chose this time to come to me, it means that you have decided not to come back and say your final goodbye to Dali."

Zhao Rong nodded, then shook his head:

"If it is not necessary, I probably won't come again. But it's not certain. If Brother Tianhui wants to drink with me again, you can ask Hongyan to send a letter. I will find a sunny afternoon like today, take a bath and meet you. There is no place in life where we can't meet each other."

"Life is everywhere... Good people are everywhere."

Zhang Huizhi murmured several times, and suddenly turned around and said, "So Ziyu really doesn't consider coming to Dali to assist His Majesty after completing his studies? His Majesty's admiration for Ziyu can be seen by those of us around him."

His tone was complicated.

There is admiration, regret, and confusion.

The inconspicuous hand on the knee grasped the jade disk, trembling slightly, as if holding it tightly.

Zhao Rong did not say anything final, but only said: "Let's wait and see. Besides, doesn't Your Majesty still have Brother Huizhi? I think that Brother Huizhi is enough."

Zhang Huizhi nodded, already understanding the intention of the Confucian scholar in front of him.

He has no intention of making achievements in a secular dynasty.

He let out a long breath.

The hand holding the jade disk under the table loosened a little.

Zhang Huizhi said seriously:

"Zi Yu, I have actually been paying attention to Junior Brother Lin who is pursuing his ambitions in Zhongnan Country for a long time. I also know most of his deeds. Therefore, I have always had a question that I really want to ask him. It's a pity that we are separated by mountains and seas, so it is difficult to make friends."

He paused and looked at the young scholar who was listening quietly in front of him.

The body unconsciously leaned forward, closer to the latter:

"Ziyu, you know Lin Wenruo, and you are a close friend of his. You should know him very well. I would like to ask Brother Ziyu to give me an answer. Is that okay?"

Zhao Rong, who was about to drink, put down his glass, looked at him, thought for a moment, and chuckled, "Brother Huizhi, feel free to ask me anything I know."

Zhang Huizhi looked at the young scholar who continued to drink from his mouth, and after a short silence, he said:

"Tzuyu praised me before for having cultivated myself and my family, and for wanting to rule the country and bring peace to the world... Let's not talk about whether I have managed my family, and I don't even dare to dream of bringing peace to the world. Let's just talk about the remaining two."

"I have always adhered to the teachings of the saints and teachers in the academy and worked hard to cultivate myself."

The young scholar in black Confucian robe patted his sleeves, straightened his back, and looked straight ahead.

"I just want to be able to govern the country like Junior Brother Lin of Zhongnan, be an unparalleled patriot, support the country, and assist Your Majesty. However, if one day... my ambitions of self-cultivation and governing the country conflict, and I can only choose one, how should I choose?"