Good morning, Young Master Jing!
"Young Master Jing has arrived!"
"Young Master Jing is as dashing as ever today!"
"Young Master Jing's literary talent is truly remarkable; I would love to see it again!"
"Young Master Jing is so dignified and imposing, he is the envy of all!"
"..."
Before Jing Zhe and his group went inside, a number of carriages arrived one after another, carrying officials who seemed to be of relatively low rank. They greeted Jing Zhe warmly upon seeing him.
Jing Zhe clasped his hands in a fist and smiled at them.
Chen Jiannan, standing next to him, looked on with envy but also disdain: So what if you won first place in a poetry competition? So what if all these people heard your poem? What's so great about that? I can still get first place!
After greeting Jing Zhe, these people came over and respectfully greeted Zhu Tong, praising him and saying he was blessed.
It simply means that Zhu Xinning is his daughter, and Zhu Xinning has such a close relationship with Jing Zhe and Liu Jinghong that they are now attending the morning court together. One can imagine how comfortable his future will be.
Zhu Tong responded with a smile, and at the same time, he had the idea of mentoring the younger generation. Seeing that Jing Zhe was already a household name, he pointed to Chen Jiannan and said.
"This is Chen Jiannan, the talented scholar from Yongzhou. He came in first place in this imperial examination. Do you remember his father, Chen Guozhong? He once held the official position of Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Academy, but later retired to his hometown. Fortunately, his son inherited his mantle. It's truly remarkable that heroes emerge from among the young! By the way, speaking of which, I am a distant relative of Guozhong. Jiannan calls me his maternal uncle!"
Chen Jiannan immediately stepped forward and bowed to the group.
The group glanced at Chen Jiannan, thought for a moment, and finally praised him, "Hmm, Young Master Chen is quite good, his height... is rather tall!"
"Yes, I've heard that people from Yongzhou are all tall!"
"Young Master Chen is a good young man... not bad, not bad at all!"
"..."
At that moment, Chen Jiannan suddenly felt like crying.
I'm the number one scholar in Yongzhou... now I'm considered the second most talented scholar. I'm dashing, debonair, and come from a good family. Plus, I got first place in the provincial examination!
With so many advantages... can't you see them?
Why can you only praise someone for being tall?
Besides, is being tall an advantage?
When Chen Jiannan went to see Jing Zhe, he found that Jing Zhe was actually a bit taller than him. But these people praised his literary talent and his temperament and appearance, but they didn't praise his height. Why did it become like this when it came to me?
Hey, don't you guys have any conscience?
Actually, it's not that these people are judging others by their appearance. It's just that comparisons are inevitable. Standing next to Jing Zhe, Chen Jiannan seemed as insignificant as dust. Who could remember his good qualities?
Perhaps feeling awkward, the group left after finishing their conversation.
Jing Zhe and the others wanted to follow, but then several more carriages arrived, much more impressive than the previous ones.
The first one to come down was Grand Tutor Bai Qingyuan.
He walked over and greeted Zhu Tong first, then looked at Jing Zhe with a half-smile and said, "Young Master Jing, the most important thing for a person is to know his own limitations and not overestimate his abilities. He should only take on official positions that match his capabilities and should not be overly ambitious. Some official positions are not easy to obtain, do you know that?"
Jing Zhe nodded: "What Grand Tutor Bai said is quite right, but I think your self-expectations are also quite correct. You should have self-awareness and not overestimate your abilities. However, Grand Tutor Bai still needs to work harder!"
"..."
Bai Qingyuan was taken aback, and raised his eyebrows.
Chen Jiannan was stunned when he heard this.
This guy actually dared to openly defy the First-Rank Grand Tutor?
This gave him a new level of understanding of Jing Zhe, but he also felt a bit schadenfreude: Heh, this guy is really not familiar with officialdom. He even dared to offend Bai Taifu, the teacher of King Xiang. Does he know how powerful the background behind him is?
Haha, I thought he could become my colleague and even my subordinate in the future, but now it seems unlikely!
Bai Qingyuan sneered: "I have already witnessed Young Master Jing's eloquence, but in the court, one cannot get by with such sophistry and unreasonable arguments. Let me ask you one more question: His Majesty intends to bestow an official position upon you today, have you thought it through?"
Jing Zhe couldn't help but laugh when he saw Bai Qingyuan's angry expression, so he squinted and said.
"A sudden gust of wind ripples the surface of a spring pond."
"???"
"What...is this matter, sir?"
Jing Zhe held back for a moment, but ultimately didn't say "None of your business," fearing that Bai Qingyuan, being so old, might be so angry that he would die on the spot, which would be terrible.
"Well, well, what business do you have here!"
At this moment, Yu Sheng, the Duke of Protector of the Nation, who had alighted from another carriage, arrived at the battlefield. He was overjoyed to see his old rival Bai Qingyuan being utterly defeated by Jing Zhe.
"Hey Bai, you're always meddling in other people's business. I don't even bother to talk to you. Now you're even interfering with Young Master Jing's affairs? Let me tell you, it's only because Young Master Jing has a good temper. If it were me, I'd say, 'What's it to you?'"
"Hey, it has nothing to do with your bird. It can't even have a baby, it's useless!"
"..."
If Jing Zhe's retorts were considered normal, Yu Sheng's were personal attacks. He kept bringing up Bai Qingyuan's inability to have children, making Bai Qingyuan so angry that he almost vomited blood.
"..."
Bai Qingyuan was initially unwilling to swallow his anger and wanted to retort, but he decided against it after thinking about it. He knew that no matter what he said, as long as Yu Sheng couldn't win the argument, he would simply reply, "You don't have children," which would only make him a laughingstock.
He snorted coldly and turned away.
"Ha, that old bastard!"
Yu Sheng scoffed, then turned to look at Jing Zhe: "Young Master Jing, your eloquence is quite impressive!"
"You flatter me, Duke Yu. I am still far from your level!"
Jing Zhe said politely.
"Ah, that's true."
"..."
Yu Sheng didn't mince words and laughed again, "Young Master Jing, do you know what I mean to you?"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Jing Zhe.
Jing Zhe was speechless. This hoodlum just blurted things out without any regard for what might be interpreted as inappropriate.
"It was yesterday that I sent General Yu—"
"Oh dear, I understand Duke Yu's intentions perfectly well!"
Jing Zhe was startled. How could he let Liu Jinghong and Zhu Xinning reveal the name "Wu Xian Yuan" in front of them?
"However, the decision on what official position to assign him still rests with His Majesty!"
Jing Zhe passed the ball to Andi.
Yu Sheng nodded and said, "That's true. However, I will do my best to recommend him to His Majesty. If Young Master Jing can join my ranks, the strength of our An Kingdom's army will definitely increase greatly!"
Ultimately, Yu Sheng was still drawn to the immense power of yesterday's "daytime thunder." Although Jing Zhe said he would unleash all the thunder at once, Yu Sheng didn't believe him.
"Moreover, the two of us can have a good discussion about the techniques of cursing, so that if that guy surnamed Bai dares to say anything to you again, I alone can make him cry with my cursing!"
"..."
————
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