Chapter 44 Young Master Xie has a face that is both bitter and stubborn...
"Then let him ride on our necks and pee and shit?" The landowner with the ruby ring retorted with a smacking of his lips.
The words are rough but the truth is there, but they are a bit too rough.
The skinny old man, who prided himself on his elegance, felt that this was a piece of rotten wood that could not be carved.
"Although Magistrate Liu is a civil servant, General Luan has troops under his command," the skinny old man pondered. "We need to win over General Luan and Magistrate Luo."
"Yes, we in Linghe can decide our own affairs. We don't need the damn prefect to intervene!" For a moment, everyone was outraged.
The gentry present were very confident.
Firstly, the northern border is bitterly cold and has little good farmland, but correspondingly, the tax revenue that needs to be paid into the national treasury is also limited.
Secondly, the plague was rampant the year before last. From the south of the Yangtze River to the east of Lu, no place was uninfected by the disease, but the northern border was spared.
Therefore, Zhenbei Prefecture has been doing smoothly in recent years.
The money that the gentry and powerful people made did not touch the people's basic needs. They were simply kept in their private coffers or used to pay tribute and bribes.
All parties are at peace.
"As an official, who isn't greedy?" Mr. Zhang rubbed his belly. "It's just a matter of whether it's 30% to 70% or 40% to 60% compared to us."
His bloated figure resembled a mountain of flesh. Though he wore a forced smile, a fierce expression quietly emerged.
"If you refuse to accept my toast, we will seal up the manor and lead our servants to resist the taxation."
By then, he won’t be able to collect a single penny. Let’s see if the officials will be anxious or not.
"Ahem, brother, I didn't mean to ruin your show."
The tall and skinny old man was embarrassed for the second time. He twisted his skinny fingers and his face froze.
"It's infuriating, but most of the servants have been sent to the military camp to train with repeating crossbows," he sighed. "Except for the slaves who signed indentures, many of these bastards don't even want to come back!"
The gentry looked at each other, all looking somewhat embarrassed.
After their eyes met, although he wanted to cover up his embarrassment, he did not dare to lie about something big.
"What Mr. Li said is not an isolated case. Those brainless people said that the military camp not only provides food and pay, but also can defend the country." Someone complained.
"Yes, give them the title of militia, and they'll be so happy that they won't know where to go." The landowner threw away the agate Buddhist beads he was playing with. "They want to follow the army to fight against the Danu people and open a page in the family tree."
"How ridiculous!" Zhang Yuanwai's cheeks trembled, and his eyes narrowed into slits. "General Luan is raising private soldiers. This is a serious crime!"
How can such a young greenhorn be able to fool people?
Where did he get the military funds!
"Stationing private troops... So, it seems like we took the initiative to send the servants over there?"
Everyone fell silent again, looking embarrassed.
Not to mention the local gentry and powerful people in Linghe, who were clamoring to seek justice from County Magistrate Luo.
Guizhier led the candidates across mountains and rivers, sleeping in the open air.
It passes through prosperous towns and also through deserted villages.
Everything you see and hear along the way is scenery.
"Brother Wen Jing, the Chuhuai River is ahead." The scholars panted and huffed.
"Can we take a boat down to the south of the Yangtze River?" The female scholar's forehead was also covered with sweat.
After running for a long time, everyone's pace gradually slowed down.
Their breathing was rapid and disordered, their bodies swaying as if they would collapse at any moment. Their eyes were filled with fatigue and pain, yet revealed a sense of tenacity.
"Stop." Guizhier waved to the driver.
The donkey carts and horse carriages stopped, and the candidates rushed forward, grabbed the water bags and poured them into their mouths.
"Slow down, don't choke." Wang Pu, who stayed in the car, carefully comforted everyone.
The teacher has thousands of tricks, and in order to improve physical fitness, he proposed "military training".
"What is military training?" the scholars asked in confusion, holding the scriptures.
"The imperial examination lasted for nine days and consisted of four sessions. It was a great test of physical strength and perseverance." Guizhier shook the forsythia branch she had picked.
The yellow forsythia petals are small and exquisite, and the stamens are as thin as silk.
Guizhi'er's face looks rough after the disguise, but she is quite elegant when she smells the flowers.
She smiled and said, "Military training is to help everyone develop morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and labor-wise. Running while reciting will have a better effect."
The scholars became suspicious.
But no one objected, and they persisted even if they were exhausted and crying.
Along the way, we even met several candidates from the central capital and the Twelve Forts, who also joined in.
"Well, everyone take a rest first. I'll go hunt some game and cook." Guizhier stood up with a smile.
"Thanks for your teachings, sir! I am very grateful!" Everyone cheered.
It’s nothing, it’s just that the food Mr. Muxi cooks is so delicious!
The bamboo shoots I picked yesterday were white as jade, tender and delicious when stir-fried. The wild mushrooms I picked the day before yesterday had huge caps and were richly juicy when cooked in soup...
There are many more examples like this.
With his skillful hands, Mr. Muxi made the difficult journey to the exam come alive.
"Just now, while running, I came up with a good sentence." A scholar took a deep breath and felt relaxed and his thoughts clear.
"Oh? Tell us about it quickly, so we can appreciate it."
The group of people were collecting firewood and discussing their new work.
"The spring scenery is so beautiful, why don't you write a poem, sir?" someone said in a cheering voice.
Guizhier held down the lively shrimp, removed its head and shell, and pulled out its shrimp thread.
In no time, a crystal-clear shrimp appeared in his hand.
She thought for a moment and then spoke.
"Fresh shrimp soup and caviar, so delicious that it makes your mouth water.
Beautiful spring, beautiful spring, I fall asleep with a snore."
Colloquial doggerel has no rules of rhythm and does not emphasize parallelism or rhythm, but is full of humor.
"So vulgar and yet so elegant! Wonderful!" Everyone laughed.
After lunch, Guizhier led the candidates in performing a set of Tai Chi.
By the way, he also gave Wang Pu some pointers on how to accurately use the hidden weapon in the bamboo stick.
Liu Qianjin was also busy teaching the female scholars how to use a long whip.
"You scholars learn martial arts not for the sake of bravery and brutality," Gui Zhier said earnestly, "but to hone your will and strengthen your body."
"Furthermore, when handling government affairs in the future, you will be able to remain calm and decisive in the face of danger."
Otherwise, if you sit at your desk for a long time, you will inevitably feel timid.
"Disciples will keep this in mind." Everyone bowed.
After driving another twenty kilometers, we arrived at the banks of the Chuhuai River.
The broad river shimmered like countless pieces of gold. As soon as the graceful boat girls saw the visitors approaching the shore, they rushed to invite them.
"Gentlemen, are you going to Yanliupu?" The boatwoman shook the bracelet on her snow-white wrist. "Would you like to take the speedboat with two oars?"
"Are you going to Bailuzhou? Come on, my painting boat is the most stable." Another boatwoman was rowing, her face glowing with makeup.
Each of the boats was kept very neatly; some had colorful patterns painted on their hulls, and some had flower arrangements in their cabins.
If a visitor from outside the area saw such a gentle and soft-spoken boat girl for the first time, he would unconsciously get on the boat.
"Don't bother you guys, we just need to cross the bridge to consign our horses and then go to the ferry terminal." Wang Pu'ergen's face turned red.
He held a bamboo stick, his eyes were bright, and behind him was a book basket full of books.
"Splash." With a push of the long pole, the boats that were approaching drifted away one after another.
"Brother Wen Jing, why are there so many small boats here?" A candidate who was taking the exam for the first time was confused.
"Yanliupu and Bailuzhou are both famous places for fireworks." Wang Pu shook his head.
According to the law, Daliang prohibits staying with prostitutes. If there is any hidden flesh trade, it must be on the banks of the Chuhuai River.
On the surface, it is a brothel like the Yaoyue Tower.
In secret, prostitution and gambling are both involved.
Everyone was still sitting in the car. After crossing the bridge, the scene was completely different.
There is a row of gray wild houses on the outskirts of the city.
The cool gray-white roof tiles are uneven, the wooden door frames are dull, and the walls are mottled.
The old and ugly boat girl and the young waiter sat in front of the door, their eyes empty and tired.
There were quarrels and crying in the house.
The air was thick with a stale smell, a mixture of sweat and rouge.
"I've heard that the jobs here are menial," Wang Pu said in a low voice. "They're collectively called gray houses."
In the past, he would never have discussed anything that was disrespectful to society.
But influenced by Mr. Wang, Wang Pu gradually changed his ideas.
Scholars cannot just live in the books of sages.
Just as the gentleman said, we should care about family affairs, national affairs, and world affairs.
Guizhier glanced at it casually.
The prostitutes waiting to receive customers were quite old, probably those who had been eliminated from the brothels in the city.
The once beautiful face now has some wrinkles from the passage of time.
Just like a dark green satin robe, when the material becomes old, it turns a dull black color.
"I'm going to give Young Master Xie some face. It's just a matter of a word for you to rescue him."
A pimp came out from the inner room.
The tone is sarcastic and mocking, three parts sarcasm and seven parts ridicule.
Then, light and dark intertwined.
The man known as Young Master Xie walked out of the door slowly.
"Ah..." The candidates couldn't help but exclaimed.
The young Master Xie was wearing a purple robe with delicate silver silk embroidered on the collar.
A coral hairpin was inserted in her black hair, and a string of purple stone pendants hung from her ears.
Compared with his luxurious clothes, his face was plain and looked extremely dull.
He has a face that looks miserable and stubborn.
Young Master Xie glanced at everyone nonchalantly.
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