Chapter 192: Become a disciple, Fu Li replied to Nezha with a "......
Fu Li gave Nezha a look that said, "We'll talk about it later." Then she squatted down to look at little Ying Zheng levelly. "This temporary situation doesn't mean anything. It's just a test from heaven. Once you've overcome this, and look back, you'll realize it wasn't a big deal."
Little Ying Zheng only thought for a moment before he understood what she meant: "You mean, my mother and I have a chance to return to Qin?"
He had even begun to wonder whether the two people in front of him were sent by his father or Lu Buwei to help them return to Qin.
"Don't guess randomly." Fu Li tapped him on the forehead, and the serious aura instantly disappeared. "I am a Taoist priest, good at Zi Wei Dou Shu, and I am best at reading qi and face.
You are a rising star, born with the aura of nobility. Even if you are temporarily stuck in shallow waters, as long as you remain calm and cultivate your character, sooner or later you will soar to the sky."
Having said that, she simply stuffed the entire box of ointment into Ying Zheng's hands and said with a smile, "This ointment was made by the immortal Zhong Nanshan. It's very expensive. Don't think you can get rid of me with just a few knife coins.
From today on, I will keep a close eye on you and supervise your studies in literature and martial arts. When you return to Qin, our prosperity and wealth will depend on you.
She acted extremely greedy, but little Ying Zheng felt a warm feeling in his heart, his previous restraint and vigilance mostly dissipating. He couldn't help but complain, "How could you be so greedy? You think you can exchange a box of ointment for lifelong wealth."
But despite saying this, he held the box of ointment tightly, afraid that it would slip out of his hands.
Fu Li sneered, took his hand and walked to the wall where they were not blocking the way, took out a comb and combed his hair again, and tied his original hairband again.
Finally, she took out a target scope that could only be used as a mirror and held it in front of Ying Zheng: "Look, my skills are pretty good, right?"
Ying Zheng raised his hand and touched the bun on his head, nodded and said, "Your craftsmanship is good. However, when I went out today, I wore my hair in a double bun."
He was still young and could hardly reach the top of his head, so he was naturally not capable of combing his own hair.
The pair of hanging buns were combed for him by his mother Zhao Ji. Changing his hairstyle after going out was equivalent to telling Zhao Ji that he had fought with someone outside again.
"Oh, don't worry about those details." Fu Li put away the mirror and gently poked his face with her index finger. "Although the ointment is good, the wound on your face will not heal until tomorrow."
——Even if you don’t change your hairstyle, your mother can still tell that you’ve been in a fight.
Nezha crossed his arms, lazily walked over, and said, "Take us back and tell your mother that we are the teachers your father sent to teach you reading and martial arts. If she is happy, she might not care about your fighting."
Little Ying Zheng thought for a moment, nodded, and said seriously with a stern face: "A gentleman's words make sense."
——Even though he was still a four-year-old child, he thought his mother Zhao Ji was quite naive.
The two finally followed Ying Zheng back to his home where he and his mother depended on each other for survival.
Originally a hostage of the powerful Qin, Yiren was treated much better than hostages from other countries. The King of Zhao arranged a large courtyard with three entrances for him and several servants to take care of his daily life.
However, after the outbreak of the Battle of Changping, relations between the two countries took a sharp turn for the worse, and Yiren's treatment also deteriorated. Before Ying Zheng was born, he was forced to move into this dilapidated house with its own entrance and courtyard.
Fortunately, at that time, Lu Buwei secretly provided financial support, so the family of three could still make ends meet.
Later, Yiren fled back to Qin with Lu Buwei, leaving them as an orphan and a widow, and their source of income was suddenly cut off.
Although Zhao Ji had relatives from her mother's family, she did not dare to provide them with aid openly due to the hatred of the people of Zhao towards Qin. She only sent some food and daily necessities every now and then.
But those were just a drop in the bucket. In order to survive with her son, Zhao Ji pawned all the jewelry she had accumulated one by one. Three days ago, she finally pawned her last gold hairpin.
Because she still had the thought in her mind that a stranger would come to take her and her child away sooner or later, she was unwilling to die as a pawn, and the money she got was not much.
In comparison, the young Ying Zheng was more able to recognize the reality than Zhao Ji and had already made plans for the worst.
But he was naturally sensitive. Although he didn't understand why, he could vaguely sense that he must not break his mother's wish, otherwise there would be terrible consequences.
He chose to follow his intuition, and even though he had despaired about his father who abandoned his wife and children, he never said it in front of his mother.
Therefore, when he brought two men who looked extraordinary home and told Zhao Ji that these two men were secretly sent by Yiren to teach Ying Zheng in literature and martial arts, Zhao Ji accepted it very smoothly.
She immediately acted like the mistress of the house, but was quickly hit by reality.
The only grain left in the rice jar was what she had pawned her gold hairpin three days ago. The remaining money couldn't even buy a piece of meat. Not to mention giving rewards to the two guests, she couldn't even afford a welcoming banquet.
Her back, which had just straightened, quickly collapsed again, her eyes were evasive, and her expression was awkward and embarrassed.
Fu Li and Nezha pretended not to notice and said sternly, "Madam, the people of Zhao are extremely hostile to the people of Qin. Handan is not a place you can stay in for long. Before we came here, Gongsun instructed us to take you and the young master away from Handan and find another place to settle."
Zhao Ji lowered her head, not daring to look at her. She stammered, "But, ever since the Battle of Changping, all of my husband's old friends in Handan have broken off relations with him, and my mother's family doesn't dare take us in. Where else can we go?"
Fu Li smiled and said, "Madam, don't worry. Gongsun has already made arrangements. You don't need to worry about this matter. I hope you and the young master will be patient for two or three days while we work together."
She took out another bag of coins, which contained five hundred Qin half-liang coins, and presented them to Zhao Ji: "This money will be used as a temporary household expense for Madam."
When Lü Buwei was around, Zhao Ji didn't care about this little bit of money. But after experiencing the hardship of being abandoned by her husband, she had learned to break a coin into two halves.
Five hundred Qin half liang was a huge sum of money in Zhao Ji's eyes at that time.
At this point, the only doubt she had in her mind about the identities of the two people completely disappeared.
Fu Li asked Nezha to buy some cooked food, and followed Ying Zheng to the house where he lived.
The furnishings in the room were very simple, with only a couch, a paint-chipped table, and a pair of stilts.
The most valuable things in the whole room are probably a scroll of bamboo slips and a paper book that is almost torn apart on the table.
"Madam, please take a seat." Little Ying Zheng was still very polite and followed the etiquette strictly.
Fu Li smiled and said, "Stop calling me gentleman and lady. You should call me teacher instead."
Ying Zheng said, "I have not yet submitted my salary, nor have I formally performed the ceremony of becoming your disciple."
Fu Li said, "That's fine. I don't care about formalities. Just offer me a cup of tea as a token of my respect."
Although Fu Li was the first person in this world to send a gift of tuition to her teacher, when it came time for her to accept a disciple, she really didn't care.
Seeing Ying Zheng's tense little face filled with disapproval, Fu Li gently shook her head and sighed with a smile, "My disciple, the first lesson I want to teach you is flexibility. As the saying goes, when you are poor, you must adapt; when you adapt, you will succeed; when you succeed, you will be successful. It's one time now, it's another!"
Ying Zheng's expression changed slightly. After a moment, he turned and ran out, bringing back a bowl of water in a ceramic bowl. He held it in his hands and knelt before Fu Li: "Student Qin Zheng, greetings to the teacher."
Fu Li solemnly accepted the bowl of water, drank it all, and helped Ying Zheng to his feet with one hand. He said gently, "Good boy, get up quickly. You still have two senior brothers, and we'll meet sooner or later. If they dare not give you a good gift, I will deal with them for you!"
"Thank you, teacher." After saying this, Ying Zheng's big eyes like black grapes flashed and looked at her eagerly, "Teacher, do you also give students a gift when you meet them?"
Fu Li choked for a moment, then said with a forced smile, "My dear disciple, I have always thought you were quite clever."
—Don’t say such stupid things!
I, your teacher, am also in a desperate situation and have to earn my own money for food. How can I get a gift for you?
Ying Zheng chuckled, his big eyes curved into crescents, and he finally had the vitality that he should have at his age.
Fu Li tapped him on the forehead with her finger and scolded him with a smile, "How dare you, you little brat, make fun of your master!"
However, Ying Zheng could sense that she was not angry. She pursed her lips and smiled shyly, looking particularly well-behaved.
But Fu Li no longer believed that he was a good boy. She picked up the bamboo slips on the table and flipped through them. It turned out to be a scroll of "The Book of Lord Shang." She then picked up the almost torn paper book, which turned out to be "The Law of the Sage King" from the Kingdom of Shu.
Ying Zheng's clear voice rang out: "This volume of 'The Book of Lord Shang' was brought here by my father from the State of Qin, and 'The Law of the Sage King' was obtained by Mr. Lu from Shu."
Fu Li flipped through the book and asked casually, "Can you read?"
Ying Zheng was a little embarrassed and whispered, "My mother taught me some of the Zhao characters, but I don't know the rest."
The Book of Lord Shang was written in the Qin language, and the Law of the Sage King was written in the Shu language. In other words, Ying Zheng could not understand either of the only two books in his family.
Fu Li understood his learning progress, nodded slightly, and said, "Starting tomorrow, I will teach you the characters of Qin and Shu, and Nezha will teach you martial arts. Once you have a solid foundation, I will teach you how to govern the country, and Nezha will teach you how to deploy troops."
Ying Zheng was excited for a moment and asked expectantly, "How long will it take to learn martial arts? Can you defeat Zhao Chuan and the others?"
Zhao Chuan is the son of Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng, and is also the leader of the children who bullied Ying Zheng today.
Fu Li gestured at his height and said, "You are still young. If you rely on personal strength, it will be impossible in a short time."
Ying Zheng understood immediately: "In other words, it can be done by relying on wisdom and strategy?"
Fu Li showed a satisfied smile: "That depends on how well you learn."
——Sure enough, a person who can unify the world cannot be without a good brain.
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng immediately patted his thin chest and said, "Teacher, don't worry, I will definitely study hard."
Defeating Zhao Chuan and his lackeys is Ying Zheng's biggest motivation now.
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