Chapter 59
Cui Pengfei's requirements for articles and fonts were not as high as those of other old scholars, which was of course related to his personal principles.
In terms of literary ability alone, Cui Pengfei is actually not as good as Cen Fuzi. In fact, Cui Pengfei holds a critical and opposing attitude towards many of the ideas and viewpoints of Confucianism.
Early in his official career, he wrote an article entitled "On the Imperial Examination," in which he pointed out that the selection of officials through the imperial examination should not be based solely on Confucian classics. He argued that the proportion of the Four Books and Five Classics should be appropriately reduced, and other more practical subjects such as military strategy, law, construction, and iron smelting should be added and given more weight. He also expressed concern that the examination essays might form a fixed structure in the future.
History has proven the foresight of Cui Pengfei's article; however, then and now, it would only have garnered criticism and hostility from all intellectuals.
Fortunately, the country was not yet unified at that time, and the south had only been conquered. Emperor Qiyuan was also of humble origin, and he learned to read and write by rebelling. He did not have any worship for Confucianism and Mencius, but only used it as a tool to stabilize his rule. He even saw this article in his wife's room, who is now the Empress Dowager.
Emperor Qiyuan recognized Cui Pengfei's talent and helped suppress the article to prevent public opinion from escalating. He also heavily relied on Cui Pengfei, leading him in conquering the country. After ascending the throne, he surpassed many veteran officials and appointed the young Cui Pengfei as the head of the civil service. On his deathbed, Emperor Qiyuan appointed Cui Pengfei as one of the three regents, which shows how much Emperor Qiyuan trusted and valued Cui Pengfei.
Even though Emperor Qiyuan intervened and "On the Imperial Examination" did not circulate, those in the court who needed to know at the time knew that Cui Pengfei had already been removed from the list of Confucian scholars. Back then, his smooth removal from the position of prime minister was undoubtedly aided by these people.
This is why Master Cen, who has taught countless students, is regarded as a great Confucian scholar of our time, while Cui Pengfei, who has also taught many people and is much older than Master Cen, does not have this title.
Those people probably never imagined that what the authorities wanted wasn't to dismiss him, but to use the pretext of dismissing him to directly abolish the position of prime minister. By now, those guys have almost all died from Cui Pengfei's influence, and he has long since lost any attachment to empty titles and has no intention of proving himself.
In short, Cui Pengfei genuinely didn't require articles to be ornate or showcase beautiful language, but low standards didn't mean no standards at all. Xue Jin'an's writing was so appalling that Cui Pengfei even overlooked the flaws in his handwriting.
Cui Pengfei genuinely tried to teach Xue Jin'an how to write articles.
However, his teaching lasted only three days, which can be summarized in one sentence: teaching writing from the student's entry to the teacher's death.
It's not that the teacher isn't trying hard enough, it's just that the teacher is too old to handle stress. Reading Xue Jin'an's articles, Cui Pengfei's emotions would fluctuate wildly, like jumping off a cliff. After three days of this, Cui Zai, whose cold had almost completely healed, ended up in bed.
The old doctor took your pulse and couldn't help but advise, "You're already so old, there's no need to argue with the younger generation. Your children and grandchildren have their own blessings, ignore them and enjoy your life! If you listen to my advice, I can't guarantee you'll live to be a hundred, but I can guarantee you'll live to be ninety."
Cui Pengfei, who had already celebrated his 80th birthday: "..."
"Enough, enough. The Seventh Prince doesn't need to take the imperial examinations. So what if his writing is like a vengeful ghost? After he attends court and is granted a title, can the ministers still write memorials to impeach him? He is already so intelligent, some flaws can be forgiven... Too much intelligence is bound to cause harm. This is probably God's mercy, so that he can stay in this world for a long time."
"Practice what you preach, practice what you preach..." In order not to die young, Choi Jae racked his brains and desperately tried to convince himself.
Finally, he stopped making things difficult for himself. When he gave the Seventh Prince questions, he aimed to prevent him from expressing himself freely. Even for unavoidable policy essay questions, he only asked him to state his views, discarding any unnecessary words and rhetorical devices.
In this way, Cui Pengfei could finally appreciate the Seventh Prince's talent without being blinded by his scathing writing. Even the stiff handwriting now seemed perfectly square and just right.
"It doesn't hurt your eyes at all," he praised sincerely.
Having been criticized many times for being too rigid in his writing style, Cui Zui couldn't help but twitch his lips. "Grandfather, are you serious?"
This character looks even more rigid than his, doesn't it?
Cui Pengfei didn't answer, but glanced at him and said, "A son shouldn't speak ill of his father; you've overstepped that line."
Cui Zui, who originally went to teach others but ended up teaching himself a master, was "..." He had been careless.
Cui Zui was speechless with remorse for his impulsive decision to become an apprentice, while Cui Pengfei's emotions stabilized, his liver fire subsided, and his illness was greatly cured.
Cui Pengfei focused all his attention on educating Xue Jin'an, unaware that the questions he set had become a sensation in the capital, sparking heated discussions among all scholars. Even the Imperial Academy debated several times whether the "Perfect Gentleman" was a real person.
"The Perfect Gentleman" was a nickname given to Xue Jin'an by scholars.
Every time Xue Jin'an tackled a policy essay question, he would ask "Provincial Examination Question Solvers" for solutions. For Xue Jin'an, "Provincial Examination Question Solvers" was just a website, but in reality, it was a fellow-provincial association of candidates from other provinces who had passed the imperial examinations.
A saying circulated widely among the hometown associations: If all the scholars in the country had a total of one shi (a unit of dry measure), then the capital city would have eight dou (another unit of dry measure), the south of the Yangtze River would have one dou, and the remaining dou would be divided equally among the rest of the country.
Although the actual proportion is not so exaggerated, the flourishing of literary culture in the capital and Jiangnan is undeniable. Especially in the capital, even ordinary people can read a few words and recite a few sentences.
The capital city, being right under the emperor's nose, had the most complete and abundant books and materials related to the imperial examinations. People from other places could not only not find all of these materials and finish studying them before the examinations, but even just going to the capital to take the exams was not an easy task. Every year, countless candidates died on their way to the capital.
Under such circumstances, it is not difficult to understand why scholars from outside Beijing would band together. Sharing books and literary experiences, and introducing classmates and teachers to each other, is always better than being alone and feeling lost.
Of course, this inevitably led to the increasingly rampant formation of cliques in officialdom.
In short, the members of the hometown association were not only scholars who had passed the imperial examinations, but also occasionally students from the Imperial Academy, teachers, or officials, most of whom would hide their names. Therefore, it was common for the hometown association to set questions anonymously, and the scholars who answered the questions would spare no effort to show off their talents in order to gain the favor of their superiors.
Xue Jin'an only asks questions on the website and never answers others' questions. He always stays anonymous, so people don't know his real name and can only refer to him by a catchy nickname.
The Rites of Zhou states: "At the end of the year, medical affairs are examined to regulate their conduct. Perfection is the highest standard, failure once out of ten is the lowest, failure twice out of ten is the highest, failure three times out of ten is the lowest, and failure four out of ten is the lowest."
This was originally a system for evaluating doctors; being able to cure any disease was considered "perfect," and "perfect" was the highest level, the most outstanding. In their view, Xue Jin'an could solve any problem, no matter how difficult, and was therefore a perfect fit for the "perfect" evaluation.
In fact, they initially called him Mr. Shiquan because they believed that Xue Jin'an, who could answer such a question, could not possibly be a young man. He was very likely an official from the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Works. After all, the Ministry of Revenue was in charge of the nation's finances and household registrations and had a thorough understanding of the tax situation in various regions. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Works was in charge of water conservancy, land reclamation, and other projects. If one was most knowledgeable about the local customs and culture of the Great Qi, it would be the Ministry of Works.
It was only later that someone pointed out that Xue Jin'an always appeared during the day, as if he wasn't on duty at all. Later, the questions he was asked most often were policy essays, so he was probably a scholar. That's when they started calling him the "Perfect Young Master".
This is why some people have begun to doubt the authenticity of the "Perfect Prince".
The first to raise the question was a tribute student from the capital city who was studying at the Imperial Academy. He argued vehemently in a teahouse: "The amount of calculation required for this problem is beyond the reach of ordinary people. If there really is such a person, why would the Ministry of Revenue need so many officials to operate? He could calculate all the accounts in the country clearly by himself. He is so capable. I have lived in the capital for a long time, yet I have never heard a word about it. Isn't that suspicious?"
"Furthermore, there are countless people who want to find his whereabouts, yet there has been no news at all, as if... he has never existed!" He glanced sideways at a table of fellow townsmen at the examination hall, chuckled, and said meaningfully, "It seems to me that some people are deliberately causing trouble to raise their status."
"You! You're utterly slanderous!" The scholars from the fellow townsmen were so enraged by his veiled insult that their faces turned red and their necks bulged. Their eyes widened as if they wanted to burn the slanderer to death.
Suddenly, someone burst into laughter. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of five people sitting by the window on the second floor. Among these five people, some were dressed in fine clothes; some wore clothes that had been washed until they were white; some were as rugged as warriors; there was a middle-aged scholar with gray hair; and there was a young man who had not yet come of age.
They didn't seem like people who could get along at all, but somehow they ended up together.
The one who laughed was the young man in brocade robes. He was holding a folding fan in the middle of winter, and he tapped the edge of the table with the fan ribs. He asked with a smile, "It is really rare and strange to hear the sound of frogs croaking in the winter."
"What frog croaking?" Everyone who heard him tilted their ears in confusion, including the scholar from the capital.
Those who had already realized what was happening couldn't help but laugh at Gongsheng's reaction: "He really insulted someone and the person still didn't understand!"
However, it was clear that the people at that table had no intention of giving anyone face. The burly-looking man, who looked like a warrior, said "Oh" in a nonchalant manner, "What frog croaking? I didn't hear it."
"Ahem, listen carefully." Before the young man in brocade could speak, the scholar, dressed in thin, shabby clothes and with a sickly face, tapped his ear. "The croaking of a frog in a well, does it sound loud?"
"Hahaha, so loud, so very loud!" The burly man laughed heartily, and the middle-aged scholar beside him also curled his lips into a smile.
The young man beside him added in a clear voice, "He can only limit his own perspective to seeing the world. He thinks that if he can't do it, others can't either. The last time I saw such a person was in the Book of Han, when he was the Marquis of Yelang."
This refers to the story of Yelang's arrogance.
Everyone in the teahouse burst into laughter.
This time, the scholar, his face flushed with anger, shouted: "You! You're being insolent! You must also be members of the fellow-townsmen association. You speak like this to exonerate the association, and naturally you dare not admit that all of this is a lie!"
The young man looked at him with clear eyes, his tone steady and mature: "There are countless talented people in the world, who dares to say that they have all seen and know them all? Do you dare to say that you know all the officials in the court? Do you dare to say that you know everything about the students of the Imperial Academy? Do you dare to say that you have seen all the scholars in the world?"
"Don't show your ignorance here, leave immediately!" The young man gestured for him to leave.
The scholar couldn't argue with him at all, and in a fit of anger, he tried to intimidate him by using his status as a scholar of the Imperial Academy.
The young man stood up and introduced himself: "I am Tan Lingyue from Jinyang Prefecture."
Upon hearing the name Tan Lingyue, a gasp immediately rippled through the teahouse: "Tan Lingyue? Is this the child prodigy Tan Lingyue from Jinyang Prefecture?"
Tan Lingyue is only seventeen years old. He has been known as a child prodigy since childhood. He became a scholar at the age of nine. If his father, Tan Qinghui, the head of the Jinyang Prefectural School, had not suppressed him for several years before letting him take the provincial examination, he would probably have passed the examination at the age of fourteen or fifteen!
The others at the table also introduced themselves, and surprisingly, there was more than one person of renown. The young man in brocade robes was actually Liu Zheng, the second-ranked scholar in Jiangnan Prefecture! This year, Jiangnan Prefecture has produced many talented individuals in the provincial examination, and the top scholar is Cui Zhuo and Cui Ziqiong from the Cui family.
Besides, the most renowned was the young master, Liu Gu, a talented scholar from Xiang'e Prefecture, whose clothes were the most tattered and whose eyes looked sickly. His life had been quite unfortunate, and he almost lost his academic achievements. He was considered one of the most promising candidates to win the top scholar title in the imperial examination next year.
If Xue Jin'an were here, he would find these five names very familiar, as they had all left comments when he asked the question.
These five men came from different places and had different personalities. Although they were all in the hometown association, they didn't really know each other, and had never even met before today. After all, the hometown association was organized by prefecture. The reason they had gathered here today was because of Xue Jin'an, the perfect young master.
They were discussing how to strike up a conversation with the Perfect Young Master. They wanted to find him not to find out his identity, but simply because they coveted his question bank.
These are all intelligent people. They have all discovered a wealth of information contained in the "Perfect Prince" question, including mountains, rivers, geography, culture, and customs... They just want to learn.
They had already decided in their hearts that the Perfect Young Master was their teacher, even though they had vaguely guessed from the focus and bias revealed in the question that the Perfect Young Master was probably not very old and had no official title.
That said, once the five names were announced, the scholar slunk away with his tail between his legs. However, the story of the teahouse debate did spread, and the "Perfect Gentleman" became famous throughout the capital. At the same time, his questions also spread, and a bookstore owner, seizing the business opportunity, printed them into a book. The "Perfect Gentleman's Questions" book was sold out in droves for its reputation of "stumping nine out of ten scholars," and it quickly spread to other prefectures.
The "Perfect Prince" thus unexpectedly became famous throughout the land.
Once this matter escalated, it inevitably attracted the attention of the imperial court. Consequently, the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue were impeached by the Censorate for their officials' restlessness and attempts to interfere in the imperial examinations.
The Minister of Revenue was well-informed and had known about the "Perfect Prince" for a long time. He immediately screened the internal departments in an attempt to find this mathematical talent. Just as the troublemaking scholar said, if the Ministry of Revenue had such a person, the work would be much easier!
The Minister of Revenue immediately decided to find this person and promised in front of his subordinates that he would promote him to Vice Minister within three years and step down within five years.
Of course, it wasn't found.
The Minister of Revenue sent someone to the capital to inquire about such a person. Regardless of his age or status, he was willing to employ him as long as such a person existed!
Still haven't found it.
Compared to the Minister of Revenue, the Minister of Works, who was focused on his work, was much more clueless. He only learned about this person when he was impeached. He didn't even dare to jump out and refute loudly because he was afraid that he really had such an untrustworthy talent under his command.
Later events proved that he was overthinking things.
With the court in an uproar, news naturally reached the inner palace as well. Upon hearing this, the sixth prince hesitantly approached his mother, "Mother, could you ask my maternal grandfather or uncle to bring in that amazing math workbook?"
Consort Shu wiped his hands with a handkerchief: "You want it?"
The sixth prince's eyes flickered, and he said somewhat hesitantly, "Yes, yes."
Consort Shu glanced at him, but did not expose the fact that the Sixth Prince disliked arithmetic the most. Instead, she slowly said, "In that case, Ping An, do the problems in the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art first."
"Take things one step at a time, don't be all talk and no action," Consort Shu said deliberately.
The sixth prince was dumbfounded, fearing that his mother would really force him to do the homework. He hurriedly waved his hands and stammered, "No, no, no, Mother, I...I...I wanted to give it to Fourth Brother, no, no, no, it wasn't my own idea! No! Hiccup!"
The sixth prince was so frightened that his eyes welled up with tears, and he even hiccuped.
Seeing his pitiful state, Consort Shu almost couldn't help but laugh out loud. She tapped his nose and patiently guided him, "Don't rush, tell me what you have to say slowly."
The Sixth Prince, having calmed his startled emotions, slowly uttered in short sentences, "Fourth Brother, ever since Consort Zhen left, he's been in a bad mood. He arrives at the Imperial Study very early every day, never late again. He just sits there motionless, not speaking to anyone, and has lost a lot of weight..."
The sixth prince sniffed with empathy as he continued, "...Fourth Brother has never liked studying, but Eighth Brother said he saw Fourth Brother do all the problems in his math book. I think Fourth Brother must like math, so I wanted to give him a workbook..."
Consort Shu had already guessed this, but she still listened patiently and didn't blame him for his strange punctuation. After he finished speaking, she agreed and discussed with him, "Mother understands. How about I give you the test book tomorrow?"
"Okay! Thank you, Mother. You're the best, hehe~" The Sixth Prince happily jumped into Consort Shu's arms.
The next day was Grand Tutor Li's class. As usual, he first recited the text for half an hour while shaking his head. Taking the opportunity, the Sixth Prince stuffed the problem book into the Fourth Prince's hands. "Fourth Brother, there are some really, really difficult math problems in here. They have stumped so, so, so many people. I'm giving them to you. I hope you'll be happy."
The fourth prince paused for a moment, silently took the book, and struggled to express his gratitude before the words rolled on his tongue. The sixth prince saw the fifth prince walking in through the back door and was immediately startled, dropping the book and running back to his seat, looking like a guilty thief.
Everyone knows about the fight between the fourth and fifth princes at Qianyuan Palace. After all, the fifth prince really did a hard job by rubbing the fourth prince's face on the ground, and the flesh-colored scar on the fourth prince's cheek that had scabbed over and fallen off still hasn't faded.
When the Imperial Study first opened, the Fourth Prince would clench his fists whenever he saw the Fifth Prince, and no one could pretend not to see him.
The Fifth Prince has never been afraid of causing trouble. Seeing the Fourth Prince like this, he not only did not avoid him, but also deliberately lingered in front of him, making sarcastic and indirect remarks to provoke the Fourth Prince. If it weren't for the First Prince's eunuch suddenly appearing and taking the Fourth Prince away, the two might have started fighting.
Everyone who had been mocked by the Fifth Prince wanted to see him get beaten up. Although his claim of having a heart ailment had been exposed as a lie, the idea that the Fifth Prince was sickly was deeply ingrained in their minds and difficult to change in a short time. So they didn't fight him, but just watched coldly as the Fourth Prince couldn't take it anymore and beat him up.
Soon they will find out that if the Fourth Prince really makes a move, he will only be the one pinned to the ground.
When the second prince saw the fourth prince being called away, he said with a half-smile, "Big brother is truly a good elder brother who cares about his younger brother."
Third Brother is temporarily taking a break from school due to a leg injury, Second Brother has become the undisputed ruler, Fourth Brother has become quiet, Fifth Brother hardly speaks, and Eighth Brother is practicing the Taige style of calligraphy every day... The Imperial Study is not as noisy as before, but the atmosphere has become much stranger without us realizing it.
Anyway, the sixth prince didn't like it and even found it a bit creepy.
The Fifth Prince noticed the Sixth Prince's little act of slipping something to the Fourth Prince, but he wasn't interested. He was wondering if the defenses of Zhaoyang Palace had been a bit lax lately, and he wanted to go in and explore again.
It wasn't that he missed Xue Jin'an; he simply wanted to experience the feeling of not following the usual path again and wanted to know how the other party would send him out this time.
With nothing else to do and no longer wanting to study the dry classical texts, the fourth prince simply opened the exercise book and started working on it. Once he started, he couldn't stop, scratching his head and working on it for more than half an hour without realizing it. He didn't even notice when Grand Tutor Li stood in front of him with his cane.
The fourth prince was scolded and his newly acquired study book, which he had barely had a chance to warm up, was confiscated.
This workbook, after going through many twists and turns, finally ended up in Master Cen's hands.
After reading it, Master Cen became very interested in the origin of the question and asked people to inquire about it. Finally, he obtained the original manuscript of the Ten Perfections Prince's answer. After reading it, Master Cen fell into deep thought.
"Hiss—Yuansheng, come and take a look. Doesn't this character look familiar?" Master Cen hurriedly called over his good apprentice who was practicing drawing talismans.
The good disciple yawned. He hadn't slept well for the past month. Hearing this, he stepped forward and couldn't help but laugh. "Master, it's the ancestor's handwriting. You still couldn't resist burning paper money for the ancestor?"
After the incident at the Imperial Study, Master Cen intentionally cut off contact with Xue Jin'an. It wasn't that he was afraid of being implicated; on the contrary, he was afraid that Xue Jin'an would be implicated by him.
Although Master Cen is no longer an official, his connections remain. He has too many students who hold official positions, and if it is discovered that any prince or princess has a close personal relationship with him, they will surely be suppressed by the emperor.
Even if Master Cen said that he only admired the other party's talent, it wouldn't be enough.
Master Cen suppressed the urge to ask about the other side, intending to wait until they were safe enough to send him a message before continuing to contact them. However, the other side remained calm and has not replied to him even once since.
Master Cen was also helpless, but unexpectedly, he saw the same words again by chance.
“Master can’t be wrong; only our ancestor could write such characters,” Yuansheng assured him.
Master Cen felt the same way. When he looked at the answer, his eyes lit up with admiration. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed with satisfaction, "Excellent! Excellent!"
As expected of the ancestor he favored and wanted to take under his wing, he could come up with such an inhuman question.
"Hey, Master, this question is really interesting. Who came up with it?" Yuan Sheng's attention wasn't on the ancestor's brilliant answer, but rather on the question, which he read quickly. "It's so ingenious, with each part linked to the next!"
"Usually, our ancestor is so lazy when replying to your letters, only responding when urged. For him to answer such a difficult question so readily, the other party must be very important," Yuansheng said with a smile, making a wild guess. "Master, do you think the person who set this question might be our ancestor's master? You should call him Great-Great-Ancestor, right?"
Master Cen paused, his hand stroking his long eyebrows: "..."
“Master, next time you burn paper money, please also send some to the ancestral ancestors. Maybe if he’s happy, he’ll let the ancestral ancestors take you up to the three generations for a reunion.” Yuansheng paused here, shook his head and said, “No, no, Master, you can’t go with me. I’m still young and need to gain more experience. I don’t want to inherit the Taoist temple so early.”
He was talking happily to himself, completely unaware of Master Cen's gradually expressionless face and the other's hand touching the whisk.
Master Cen patted Yuansheng's head with his other hand and said with a kind smile, "My disciple, I feel sorry for you, so I'll let you run a few more steps. Go on."
Yuansheng slowly turned his head and saw the whisk with the thin sword hidden inside. He swallowed hard, turned around and ran away.
"By the Three Pure Ones, I, your disciple, have been corrupted and must cleanse myself of my sins and return to the right path." Master Cen closed his eyes and murmured "May you be blessed with boundless happiness," then slowly drew his fine sword. "Hey! You wicked disciple, don't you dare run away!"
"Waaaaah! A monk has killed his disciple! Master Huiming, save me!" Yuansheng's screams echoed throughout the Taoist temple.
*
The "Perfect Young Master," who caused a huge uproar in the capital by inexplicably gaining five more students and sparking a battle between master and apprentices, is now standing in front of the sand table, "assembling his troops," preparing for a thrilling online combat game with the Northwest Army.
The story begins on the day the first snow fell in the capital. That morning, Xue Jin'an opened his fitness app and discovered that it had also snowed heavily in the northwest, and Helian Cheng had stopped military training.
Xue Jin'an didn't take it seriously, thinking it would be fine the next day. However, Helian Cheng's fitness channel remained closed for several days.
Xue Jin'an opened the weather app, connected to the global network, added a page for the Northwest, and checked the weather there. Although the temperature was very low, it wasn't snowing, and the sun would shine for the next few days.
Clearly, something happened to the Northwest Army.
Xue Jin'an glanced at the trending topics and then at the recorded video of the morning court session. The Censor of the Censorate and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works were arguing, while the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was stirring up trouble. In the end, the emperor gave both sides a half-hearted reprimand and dismissed the court session.
[Today's Almanac: An auspicious day for weddings, travel, and groundbreaking...suitable for changing jobs and starting a new position. Avoid holding power, as it is considered inauspicious and may clash with the emperor.]
The emperor heard the divine son's voice again. This time, it was just one sentence. At first, it was a normal report of the almanac, but when it came to the advising him to change jobs, something seemed off.
Having taken many tests from Teacher X, the emperor had become familiar with many new words and understood the meanings of "work" and "entering a new job." He knew this was coming again, and sure enough, the last two sentences, which were both taboo and restrictive, directly revealed his thoughts.
Another day of urging me to abdicate.
The emperor once again thought to himself, "Teacher Xiao X, I know I am fine, but my ministers need me, my people need me, and my vast empire still needs me to shoulder the burden... When I can no longer bear it, I will abdicate and become the Retired Emperor, and then I will come to pay my respects to you."
"I will certainly live up to your expectations, expand the territory of the Great Qi, and become a good emperor whose name will be remembered in history." The emperor was moved by his own dedication, covered his chest with his hand, and murmured to himself, "I have really sacrificed too much for the Great Qi."
Upon hearing this seemingly random statement, Li Hechun blinked in confusion, ultimately deciding to pretend he was deaf and blind and knew nothing.
Fortunately, the emperor's emotions weren't as intense as when he said the emperor had kidney deficiency. Otherwise, if Xue Jin'an had received his private message and learned what he was thinking, he would have been deep in thought: it's terrifying that damage to the human kidney can affect the CPU's operation.
Unfortunately, Xue Jin'an couldn't hear it.
There has been no news from the Northwest Army for a long time, but the court is peaceful and quiet. It is unknown whether the Northwest is too far away and news is slow to get out, or whether someone is deliberately blocking news from the Northwest so that it cannot get out at all.
Xue Jin'an chose the latter, which also explains why Helian Cheng, the commander of the Northwest Army, was trapped and died in the isolated city in the original work.
According to the original plot, Helian Cheng will not die for several years. As long as Helian Cheng is alive, the Northwest Army will be safe and sound, so Xue Jin'an is not worried.
He himself had developed the habit of training with others every day, and he was not used to exercising alone for a while. Xue Jin'an thought it was because his body and emotions had accumulated too much negative energy, so he used his "little rocket" to clear it out, but he still felt uncomfortable.
Xue Jin'an scanned his body with a health app, and the data was all moving in the direction of health, getting closer and closer to the standard of his peers. The battery capacity was repaired by 3%, and some health parameters had been significantly improved.
—Although battery health and battery capacity are directly proportional, the former is actually subdivided into many parameters, one of which is durability. Higher durability means slower battery drain, and vice versa.
Xue Jin'an's battery durability has improved, reducing the number of times he needs to charge it.
Fulu, who had also developed the habit of feeding his master, soon noticed this. He became somewhat worried, wondering if something was wrong with his master's health. However, since his master didn't say anything, it meant he didn't want to bring it up. Fulu could only observe secretly and found that his master's complexion had improved.
Fu Lu was completely baffled. Ling Zhi, upon hearing his words, couldn't help but twitch her lips and said, "His Highness's previous way of eating was wrong! You must restrain yourself in the future. If His Highness can still hold back, try to let him eat at mealtimes and reduce his snacking outside of meals, understand?"
Lingzhi felt that Xue Jin'an had developed such eating habits because he was living too hard in Qifeng Courtyard and was worried about not having enough to eat. Changing his habits abruptly would make His Highness uncomfortable. Besides, she was a new servant, so it was best not to stand out for the time being.
What Lingzhi can do is to make the daily diet as nutritious and rich as possible, subtly conveying to His Highness that he will no longer go hungry, so that he can change his bad habits on his own.
Hard work pays off, and we're finally seeing some results. Although it's mostly unrelated to her, any change is a good thing.
"This is for His Highness's health," Lingzhi said.
Fu Lu hesitated for a moment, swallowing back all his rebuttals, and nodded with difficulty, "Alright."
Fulu suppressed his urge to feed his master, watching as his master's demand for snacks decreased and his meals gradually became more regular. He felt a mix of joy, disappointment, and guilt.
I am happy that my master's eating habits are gradually returning to normal; I am disappointed that my master no longer needs me to do one more thing; I feel guilty that I only noticed my master's abnormality at this time.
Fortunately, Fu Lu is no longer the helpless little eunuch who could only hide outside and cry. He turned his emotions into motivation and worked harder to build an intelligence network. He wanted to train a trusted doctor as quickly as possible to take his master's pulse and prevent such things from happening again.
Incidentally, the Fifth Prince kept his promise when he left last time, leaving behind a list of physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy, detailing each physician's areas of expertise and personality. Thanks to this booklet, the person Fu Lu sent out successfully became acquainted with the physicians, even gaining the approval of an older physician and being allowed to stay in the Imperial Medical Academy to do odd jobs.
Xue Jin'an was completely unaware that the lack of charging had caused such a commotion. He browsed through the other channels on the fitness app. The free videos were not as comprehensive or of high quality as Helian Cheng's, and the ones of decent quality were mostly from Prince An's retainers. They were not cheap, yet there were still many people flocking to them.
Prince An almost monopolized the paid section of fitness apps, and he had a very good reputation. Many children of noble families and officials found their mentors through him.
Xue Jin'an couldn't help but use the sarcastic skills he had learned from the Fifth Prince: "Prince An must really enjoy teaching classes by gathering so many martial arts heroes. It can't be that he's planning to rebel."
"Rebellion? Who wants to rebel? Who has the audacity?" As soon as Cui Zui entered, he heard this question and immediately couldn't help but ask three questions in a row.
Xue Jin'an looked at the future rebel king and said, "You."
“Master, rebellion is punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one’s family. We are family now, so don’t talk nonsense.” Cui Zui carried a bow on his back and held another one in his hand. The bow was wrapped in white cloth and was the size of a boy’s bow, much smaller than the one on his back. The veins on the back of his hand, which he was holding with one hand, were visible, indicating that he was using some strength.
"Besides, Master, you are a prince, and I am practically a grandson of the emperor. How could I possibly rebel against myself?" As he spoke, he untied the white cloth from the bow in his hand and put it down, pushing it in front of Xue Jin'an. He rubbed his wrist and said, "Here, Master, this is my apprenticeship gift. I made it myself. See if you like it."
The bow is entirely black, and the bow itself is not very thick; even a child could hold it, and it feels quite heavy.
“This is ebony. I got it from a merchant in Lingnan many years ago. I bought it because I was excited about it, but I found that the wood was not big enough to make a heavy bow for an adult, so I kept it. Now I can finally take it out.” Cui Zui was very confident that Xue Jin’an could pick up and draw the bow.
Xue Jin'an weighed the bow in his hand, adjusted the parameters of his arm's gravity, and then began to play with the bow. He casually drew an arrow from the quiver at Cui Zui's waist and drew the bowstring taut.
Whoosh! An arrow flew out and accurately embedded itself in the crack of the palace wall bricks, penetrating more than three inches deep, almost piercing through the wall.
The guard behind the wall was startled. He first looked up and saw no one about to jump. Then he glanced at the high palace wall, touched the back of his neck, and muttered, "Why do I feel so uneasy? This is really creepy."
Xue Jin'an liked the gift quite a bit and praised it, saying, "It's nice."
Seeing how easily he moved, Cui Zui thought he had chosen the wrong bowstring and that the tension was not high enough, preventing him from unleashing his full potential.
“I’ll bring a few strings tomorrow, and you can try them on one by one to see which one is more suitable,” he said.
“No need for such trouble. If you just want to increase the power, just install pulleys on both sides.” Xue Jin’an went through the image of a modern composite bow in his mind. He quickly broke it down into its various parts in his mind and said, “If you want to improve accuracy, you can add a sight.”
Xue Jin'an doesn't need this.
Upon hearing this, Cui Zui's eyes lit up, and he immediately began discussing the making of various bows with Xue Jin'an. He learned another skill from him, and his tone when calling him "Master" became even more sincere and flattering.
Cui Zui: Another day where I feel that becoming an apprentice was totally worth it.
A few more days passed, and as December was almost halfway over, Helian Cheng's fitness channel finally reopened.
However, when Xue Jin'an clicked in this time, he only saw the soldiers standing there with a murderous aura and cold expressions. Their arms were tied with white cloth strips, and they showed no intention of starting military training.
Helian Cheng stood on the high platform, a scar on his face, and he looked thinner. Behind him stood two people: Doctor Chang and an unfamiliar face, somewhere between a young man and a teenager. He was injured, his arm in a splint and in a sling. He must be Helian Cheng's apprentice and adopted son, Helian Yong.
"Today, we will muster the troops." Helian Cheng's voice was somewhat hoarse as he unfolded the roster in his hand and began to call out names.
As you read through the list, there are always a few that no one responds to.
After observing the situation, Xue Jin'an understood that the Northwest Army had just clashed with the Rongdi. The Rongdi suddenly launched a night attack on the town, and while Helian Cheng led the Northwest Army to provide support, they also launched a counterattack on the camp. Helian Cheng had guarded against this move and left some men in the camp. The two-front war was a great success, with more than 2,000 Rongdi soldiers killed.
In the north, resources are scarce in winter, and it is an annual occurrence for the Rong and Di tribes to migrate south at this time. However, this time, unlike the previous small-scale skirmishes, it coincides with a large-scale battle.
However, in any battle between enemies, casualties are inevitable.
After Helian Cheng finished taking attendance, he read out the names of the fallen soldiers and the compensation they were entitled to for their military merits. He then led everyone in a moment of silence, and only after that did he announce that military exercises would be organized on the border to deter the Rong and Di tribes.
"Let the people on the border no longer live in fear and have a good New Year!" Helian Cheng said in a powerful voice. "Soldiers, is that alright?"
"Good!" the soldiers responded in unison.
Heliancheng announced the disbandment, and Xue Jin'an was about to leave the channel when he was suddenly stopped, "Brother Long Aotian, wait."
Xue Jin'an turned around.
Helian Cheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him stop, and a smile appeared on his face as if his wish had finally come true.
It's no wonder Helian Cheng felt this way. In fact, ever since Long Aotian suddenly missed three days of military training, Helian Cheng had wanted to talk to him. However, Long Aotian always appeared at the beginning of the training and left after it was over, never a little earlier or later, which meant that Helian Cheng had never been able to get a word in with him.
The two people behind Helian Cheng also followed. However, Doctor Chang came over immediately, while Helian Yong paused slightly and only followed after Doctor Chang had walked two feet away.
Dr. Chang greeted him warmly: "Young man, how's your mental breakdown? Would you like me to prescribe some medicine for you? I just don't know if ghosts can take it..."
Xue Jin'an tilted his head. Although he found it strange that Doctor Chang asked if ghosts could be eaten, he still gave an answer based on his common sense: "Ghosts eat yang energy and humans, and cure all diseases."
Suddenly transformed into a medicinal herb, Doctor Chang abruptly took a step back: "...Young man, you don't eat people, do you?"
"I can't get any," Xue Jin'an said truthfully.
They're separated by an internet cable; no matter what, you can't eat through an internet cable.
It's not that he doesn't want to eat, but that he can't eat. Dr. Chang's body became even stiffer.
"Is there something you need?" Xue Jin'an asked.
Helian Cheng said, "I hope you can come to the drill."
"Long Aotian." Before Helian Cheng could finish speaking, Helian Yong, who had rushed over, interrupted him.
Helian Yong sized up the person in front of him. He was not tall and looked very young. He couldn't see anything about him that attracted his godfather's attention or made his godfather sigh and say that he was not as good as him.
Helian Yongzhen issued a challenge, saying, "I will also participate in the exercise, leading my own team. You bring your men too, and we'll have a competition."
Helian Yong's voice was not deliberately concealed, immediately attracting the attention of the soldiers who had not yet finished their march.
Helian Cheng frowned, glanced at Helian Yong, but ultimately did not embarrass him in public.
“You’re not good enough.” Xue Jin’an refused outright. He had no interest in competing with others, especially weaker ones.
Helian Yong couldn't even beat Cui Zui.
Helian Yong froze, his face flushed red, his eyes blazing with anger, and his voice turned cold as he provoked, "Long Aotian, are you looking down on me by refusing my challenge?"
Unexpectedly, Xue Jin'an nodded readily, completely unaware of the meaning of euphemism, and sincerely uttered two words: "Yes."
Helian Yong: "..."
"Alright, alright, Xiao Yong, stop messing around. Ao Tian has always been a ghost... human. If he agrees to your request, he'll have to find teammates to work with now. Your people are all brothers who have fought side by side before, and their teamwork is incomparable. Aren't you just bullying him?" Doctor Chang stepped in to smooth things over. "Ao Tian, you can participate if you want, or you can not participate if you don't want to. It's fine if you're alone."
Dr. Chang genuinely felt that Helian Yong was bullying the ghost. Long Aotian had been a ghost for so long, so he naturally assumed that he had no teammates.
Unexpectedly, Long Aotian said, "I have teammates, but we lack chemistry, so I'm bullying him a bit."
Doctor Chang gasped. Helian Yong pulled his hand away and glared at Xue Jin'an. "Fine, let's see if I'm the one bullying you, or you're the one bullying me!"
"I refuse." Xue Jin'an refused again.
Helian Yong challenged, "Are you afraid?"
"Helian Yong!" Helian Cheng's cold shout silenced Helian Yong's last words and the surrounding jeers. He glanced around with displeasure. "Everyone, including Helian Yong, will be punished by standing in a horse stance for at least an hour."
"Squat!" With that one word, both the troublemakers and the onlookers squatted down in silence.
Doctor Chang stepped forward and joked, "General Helian, I shouldn't have to squat, right?"
Xue Jin'an seemed to be thinking about something, and then asked, "I don't need it either, do I?"
"No need. You haven't done anything wrong, so you don't need to be punished." Helian Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, his tone becoming more relaxed, and said to Xue Jin'an, "The drill is an assessment of the soldiers' combat capabilities, not a competition arena for martial arts champions. You don't need to take Yong'er's provocation to heart."
As he spoke, he gave the gift that was originally intended for Helian Yong to Xue Jin'an as an apology.
Almost simultaneously with Xue Jin'an receiving the sand table, two notifications popped up in the system's backend:
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