Chapter 60: By chance, the boy can be taught.
Having discovered someone else's secret, the bean sprout boy was shocked and frightened.
He stumbled as he ran, and before he had gotten far, some tall and long-legged young scholars grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away.
"Where are you running to, you bastard kid?" The scholars were usually gentle and polite, but at this moment they pretended to be fierce and intimidating.
"I, I didn't see anything, nothing." The bean sprout boy's face flushed, his lips trembled slightly, and he tried hard to distance himself from it, but the more anxious he was, the more he stuttered.
During the last days at Cuiyuanlou, without the care of the master chef, being bullied and beaten was commonplace.
He had an instinctive fear in his heart.
"How to deal with this?" The scholars felt a little tricky and turned their attention to Li Mi again.
Li Mi scratched his head, at a loss.
The cause of today's chaos is very simple.
The good news of the great victory in Zhenbei spread throughout the capital. A group of spoiled young men from Beijing's official families spoke without restraint in literary societies and mocked the frontier soldiers from the north.
"Our family has been a family of scholars for generations. A thorough study of poetry and literature is the right path. Military commanders are just a show of bravery."
"That's right, those belligerent and rude guys have displaced so many people with their violence."
In reality, the dandies didn't care about the borders, nor did they care about winning or losing. So what if the city was taken by nomadic bandits?
Anyway, it won't affect their gambling on cockfighting, cricket fighting, and quail fighting.
After all, it’s two thousand kilometers from the northern border to Hangzhou!
Or maybe it was three thousand, they didn't know. They only knew that they were forced by their parents to attend boring literary society gatherings in order to gain fame before the Spring Examination.
It doesn’t matter if they don’t participate. The relationship has been established and the “scapegoat” has been found. They are guaranteed to pass the imperial examination or be granted the same status as the imperial scholar.
The dandies were indignant and started to talk nonsense and criticize everything.
Logically, no matter what they say, there will always be someone willing to flatter the powerful and prevent their words from falling to the ground.
As a result, a shrewd and mellow female scholar was ungrateful and cursed: "Without the frontier soldiers defending our country, how can you sit here and enjoy the delicious food?"
"Who are you to dare to refute me?" The dandy boy was furious.
When he turned around, he saw that it was a female scholar from the northern border, who was quite pretty. He immediately approached her with lustful eyes and flirted with her.
The female scholar was so angry that she burst into tears and ran away stomping her feet.
"Shameless scum! Is there no one who can do anything about it?" After hearing the female scholar's crying, the students in the northern border shared a common hatred for the enemy.
"Wow, who dares to control these young masters, and who can control them?" Li Mi, a student from Yang'an, saw it clearly.
Intellectuals are accustomed to using their pens as weapons, but if they write an article of ridicule today, they may be framed and imprisoned tomorrow.
This is the capital city, where officials protect each other and there is endless wealth and power.
"Why do you practice Tai Chi every day? Otherwise, just beat the guy up on the spot." Li Mi said sarcastically with a smile.
He originally just wanted to make these country bumpkins realize the cruelty of power.
Unexpectedly, the students from the Northern Territory exclaimed, “Yes!”
The teacher once said that if there is reason, then use reason; if reason fails, then use force.
Now it was Li Mi's turn to be dumbfounded.
He was half-dragged and half-pulled onto the pirate ship, and together with the Zhenbei scholars who were full of martial virtues, they put sacks on people and beat them until they cried for their parents.
It would have been fine if there were no witnesses, but the bean sprout boy just barged into the scene.
"You little bastard, I'm warning you, don't even think about reporting me to the police." Li Mi bluffed and spat viciously, "Get lost!"
The students looked left and right and had no choice but to let go.
The frightened bean sprout boy ran away, first went to the West Market to buy plums as instructed, and then ran back to the store, hoping that the owner could give him some advice.
The white walls and black tiles reflect the azure sky and white clouds, which is beautiful beyond words. The flags of the shop flutter in the wind.
"Guiji Braised Food Shop?" The student from the Northern Territory read out the name word by word, greatly confused. "Isn't this the shop in our central city?"
They pretended to let the bean sprout boy go, but actually followed him secretly, fearing that he would do something bad.
Unexpectedly, we ended up all the way to Changxingfang.
"This familiar smell of spices, could it be that Miss Gui has come to Beijing?" Some students looked around, trying to find a familiar figure.
Seeing the familiar scenes of my hometown from thousands of miles away, I couldn't help but tear up.
"You'll know once you go in and take a look." Although the scholar from Linghe County didn't know about it by accident, he had heard Mr. Muxi mention it along the way.
The gentleman said that his cooking skills were learned from Miss Gui from the North.
The gentleman also said that the master travels around the world and will open a shop in Hangzhou or Beijing in the future.
As we entered the shop, the words "Free Tasting" immediately caught everyone's attention. On a delicate porcelain plate sat freshly-cooked braised chicken feet.
The dark brown skin is shiny, and the chicken feet are well-shaped and curved, looking soft, glutinous and fragrant.
If you smell it closely, you can smell the mellow star anise flavor and the rich cinnamon aroma, which whets your appetite.
"Let me try it." Li Mi drooled and picked up a braised chicken foot.
Although there is not much meat, the skin is soft and glutinous, the tendons are tough, and the fragrance of the bones is just right. It feels soft and elastic.
Take a gentle bite and the rich flavor of the marinade will fill your mouth.
A young woman pulled aside the curtain and walked out.
"Ms. Gui, when did you come to the capital?" the scholars shouted in surprise.
The elegant and fresh woman's skirt swayed, embroidered with flower buds about to bloom, and her hair was tied into an exquisite bun. It was Guizhier.
"Long time no see." She smiled smartly and playfully.
Although they were on the same ship a few days ago, who would have thought that the unkempt and unruly Mr. Muxi was the elegant and graceful woman in front of them.
Seeing the murderer chasing after her, the young apprentice, as thin as a bean sprout, hid behind her and trembled.
Since they were acquaintances from their hometown, the students did not hide anything and told the truth about the cause of the dispute.
"You guys!" Guizhi'er's eyes were like crescent moons, shining with bright light, "This child is teachable."
She brought out the latest fruit tea, which was a mixture of fresh peach fruit and tea aroma, with a rich taste.
The scholars gathered some change and went into the shop to eat and drink happily.
When Wang Pu heard the news, he anxiously came to the store with a bamboo stick, and saw this happy scene.
Before leaving on the boat, Gui Zhier called Wang Pu into the cabin, explained her true identity, and told her that she could come to her if there was any emergency.
"Hello... young lady." Wang Pu's face turned red with embarrassment.
The scholars lowered their heads and ate like chickens, not daring to look directly at Wang Pu. Of course, such an outrageous act as beating someone with a sack had to be kept secret from the senior.
"Come and try it together, the plum green tea is ready." Guizhier waved with a smile.
Wang Pu was afraid that the master would be dissatisfied with them and use brute force to cause trouble.
Strangely enough, Guizhier not only did not blame or feel unhappy, but was very happy about their fearless and passionate spirit.
Some are happy and some are sad.
The victims and their families also rushed to gather together.
Officials of all ranks in Hangzhou and Beijing could never imagine that their children were beaten just because of a minor quarrel among children.
"This is a political conspiracy, it must be!" The Dali Temple is facing a formidable enemy.
"Or perhaps it's revenge." The short, fat old man with white beard and eyebrows frowned. "Who would dare to beat my grandson in the street if there was no one backing him up?"
Several elders who love their children dearly have one thing in common, that is - the more they indulge their offspring, the less capable they become.
These dandies have been pampered since childhood. In their eyes, classic works such as classics, history, and literature are boring and tedious, like chewing wax.
They would rather fight cocks and run errands than read more books.
How can you pass the imperial examinations and become an official without studying?
The elders were extremely anxious.
Fortunately, people in the powerful network are well-informed, and as long as they are willing to spend enough money, they can always find a good way.
"I'll be frank. I'm afraid everyone here has secured a seat for their children and grandchildren in the examination hall from the Lord." The short and fat old man with white beard and eyebrows pondered.
The lord has connections and can find other candidates to serve as scapegoats.
He obtained a place in the imperial examination by cheating.
"Ahem." Although Dali Temple was unwilling to admit it, he did not refute it.
He knew very well what kind of person his son was. If he took the exam honestly, he would not even pass the provincial examination.
You can't just follow those local rich people and donate money to buy official positions, and make people laugh at you, right?
It is not difficult to make some small moves in the county and prefectural examinations.
First, send the descendants back to their ancestral hometown, and then use various methods such as smuggling, taking the exam for others, etc., and then bribe the examiner, and they will be able to pass the exam safely.
But the Spring Examination is not something that ordinary people can control.
"Your Excellency, would you accept the money and not do anything?"
Some people were worried that their children would be beaten and injured and unable to participate in the scientific examination, and the money they spent would be wasted.
"Not really. I'm afraid there was an oversight somewhere and the news leaked out." The Dali Temple was more worried that someone else would want to grab the spot.
As fate would have it, a small farce, like a stone thrown into a lake, gradually caused ripples.
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