Chapter 1541 Extra: Lord Wei, Save Me! (Part 1)
"Wei Gong, Wei Gong——"
A small bridge, flowing water, and houses; a half-moon, tinged with rosy clouds, reflected in the water.
The black lacquered wooden door was slammed loudly.
The calls grew increasingly plaintive and urgent.
Just when the visitor thought there was no result, the black lacquered wooden door was opened from the inside. The visitor looked straight ahead but saw no one. Looking down, he saw a little girl with double buns, slightly shorter than his waist. The girl was exquisitely beautiful, with full cheeks, softer than fluffy steamed buns.
She had a pair of dark eyes and her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed.
Facing the tall, unfamiliar face before her, the little girl showed no fear, only asking his name. The man straightened his robes, disheveled from pounding on the door, and politely bowed, showing no arrogance or disrespect despite the girl's young age. He said, "Greetings, young lady. I've come to see Lord Wei. Is he home today? I have important matters to discuss with him..."
The little girl tilted her head: "Who is Lord Wei?"
Worried that he had come to the wrong place, the visitor cautiously asked the girl, "Is the esteemed Lord Wei, whose given name is Wei Lou, staying here?"
The girl nodded: "He's here."
He was overjoyed: "Could you please convey my message, Your Majesty?"
What is "communication"?
"The message is simply for Your Majesty to summon Lord Wei."
The little girl pursed her lips, trying her best to appear very serious like an adult. But this affected manner, coming from a two- or three-year-old, was rather pitiful and endearing. She nodded earnestly at the person who approached her: "In that case, come with me."
She stepped over the high threshold and left the door slightly ajar.
Upon seeing this, the visitor knew that Lord Wei was not at home.
The little girl led the people who came, running all the way.
The man followed the girl at a distance that was neither too close nor too far. He keenly noticed that passersby, regardless of age or gender, were all watching him subtly, their eyes filled with wariness. The girl, however, did not notice any of this and simply trotted along, occasionally greeting people.
She seemed to know the townspeople very well.
After winding their way through several bridges, the two people, one adult and one child, finally stopped at a small pavilion near another long bridge. The octagonal pavilion was quite spacious, with upturned eaves. It connected to a covered walkway along the stream, where many elderly people gathered to cool off and chat. Many were discussing something around a stone table inside the pavilion, and every now and then one could hear complaints such as, "Does he even know how to play?", "He made a really bad move," and "Don't tell me what you think, tell me what I think..."
Occasionally, vendors would call out their wares.
Not far away is the town market, where the bustling atmosphere of daily life is on full display.
The little girl bit her lip and tiptoed around looking for something.
Before she could find it, something suddenly bulged out from the ground beside her—a stark white skeleton. The skeleton's appearance was truly frightening, but strangely, neither the elderly couple enjoying the cool evening air and watching chess, nor the hawkers, seemed alarmed. Even the little girl instinctively stretched out her two short, chubby arms to wrap around the skeleton, allowing herself to sit steadily on its arms. Clearly, no one was surprised by this.
Someone even shouted it out.
"Old Wei, your daughter is here."
The scholar playing chess in the crowd tilted his head back.
His gaze followed the gaps in the crowd to the little girl being held by the skeleton, and he nodded slightly. A moment later, a figure... no, a skeleton, leaped down from the canopy of the thick banyan tree above the octagonal pavilion. This skeleton wore half a suit of martial armor; if it weren't for the exposed white bones, it would appear no different from an ordinary martial artist. As soon as it appeared, it took the little girl from the previous skeleton, casually weighing her. Wei Cheng waved his hand, and the skeleton soldier knelt back down on the ground: "Why are you here?"
I thought the little girl could sleep for an hour or two.
The girl pointed at the scholar who had come with her.
"Second Uncle, he wants to see First Uncle."
The life force in Wei Cheng's eyes flickered.
The scholar's heart skipped a beat.
He then realized that the girl had been protected by someone all along. If anyone had been foolish enough to do anything to her, they would have been beheaded by the lurking skeleton soldiers the next moment. He was also secretly relieved that he hadn't done anything wrong to the girl.
There's a saying that even a seventh-rank official has to stand before the prime minister's gate. That small house, though not the prime minister's residence, was treated with even greater respect. Offending the prime minister means he might want to kill someone, but he'd have to consider the law. Offending those two ancestors surnamed Wei means you're on your deathbed in no time.
Wei Cheng looked closely at the scholar: "We have no connection."
This face is completely unfamiliar.
"But what's going on in the court?"
If something really happens, Shen Jun can simply send someone to deliver a message.
Why would they send an unknown scholar?
"This is a long story."
Wei Lou had just finished his game of chess: "Then let's get to the point."
The little girl reached out her hand to him and softly called out "Grandpa." Hearing this, Wei Lou's brows visibly relaxed, and he took the opportunity to hug the little girl: "I got two yellow flowers today, how do you want to eat them?"
The little girl said in a clear voice, "It has to be steamed."
"Okay, I'll have it steamed."
"How many games did you lose today, Grandpa?"
"Would an old man like me lose to those octogenarians?"
The courtyard, though small, was filled with childlike charm. Various wooden toys favored by children were scattered about, table corners were covered in cloth, and charcoal pencil marks were visible everywhere. Wei Lou instructed the servants to steam the two yellow flowers, without inquiring about the guest's preferences, and asked him rather unfriendly, "Can you speak now?"
The scholar rose and performed a deep bow.
Wei Lou remained calm and composed.
Wei Cheng focused on helping the little girl solve the nine-linked rings puzzle.
“Lord Wei, I have come here on the back of the hopes of the entire court, begging you to come out of seclusion and save us. If you do not come out of seclusion, we scholars will forever be plunged into the darkness of barbarians, never to see the light of day again.” As the scholar spoke, he couldn’t help but burst into tears. Even Wei Cheng couldn’t help but look up at him, his two flickering eyes seemingly conveying doubt.
What the heck?!
The uncle and nephew exchanged a glance.
"You should explain everything clearly in detail."
The scholar had been waiting for Wei Lou to say those words.
He poured out his prepared speech like beans spilling out.
He believed he could persuade Wei Lou; his prepared speech had been the result of the collective wisdom and efforts of his colleagues, and had been polished several times!
Wei Lou: "..."
Wei Cheng: "..."
This matter is simple in some ways and simple in others.
It was precisely because it was so simplistic that Wei Lou began to doubt his own ears. When the scholar had just asked him to come out of seclusion, he had thought that Shen Youli couldn't handle the situation and had let the local uprising, along with the powerful families, overturn her table. Now, he realized that wasn't the case at all—even the uncle and nephew, living in seclusion here, had heard about the lively events in the Kang Kingdom's court. Every few days, there were fights, from the emperor down to the officials. They felt uneasy if they didn't fight or argue; it was always a case of one side prevailing over the other.
When it comes to taking action, it's generally a matter of physical strength.
Civil officials fighting each other, novices pecking at each other.
When two generals fight, they are evenly matched.
The matchmaking system is malfunctioning. When civil officials and military generals fight, the civil official is given the upper hand in verbal exchanges, but the military general is given the upper hand in actual combat.
The only solution now is to find outside help to restrain these brutes!
So, they secretly sent a scholar to ask for reinforcements.
As long as Wei Lou stood among the civil and military officials, even the most reckless brute would learn to be polite, and the difference in martial prowess between the civil and military officials would be greatly reduced. Wei Lou almost laughed in anger after hearing this.
"You guys are really something!"
Wei Lou didn't consider himself to have a good temper. Who gave these young idiots the wrong impression that he would associate with such fools? Did they only want to be his pillar of support in a court assembly brawl? Were they crazy? He refused to believe that Shen Youli didn't know this pig had come to him!
The scholar whispered, "We had no choice but to do this."
Normally, officials should be judged by their political achievements and by using both overt and covert strategies to defeat their political enemies. However, the political scene in the Kang Kingdom's court is rather abnormal. Political infighting doesn't take place there. Those with grudges against each other don't drag it out until the court session ends; they'd rather jump up and give each other a good beating right then and there, settling scores on the spot. If something can be resolved with a slap, don't bother with scheming.
There wasn't even time to use cunning.
It takes time for both overt and covert schemes to take effect.
With that kind of effort, I'd probably get slapped a few times already.
For hundreds or even thousands of years, the weather across the continent has been rather erratic. This year, the drought is severe in many parts of the country, and coastal prefectures are only just beginning to change their development strategies. It is precisely at this time that the nation's fortunes need to be harnessed to regulate the weather, ensuring favorable conditions and preventing droughts or floods. When water is scarce, artificial rainmaking should be implemented immediately when cloud formations appear; when water is plentiful, floodwaters should be diverted elsewhere first…
The problem is that other places don't agree.
Can't the civil and military officials in the court fight for their own hometowns?
Besides these, there were also the construction funds and numbers for academies in various regions. These academies were divided into three levels, each with six academic years. According to the royal court, future official appointments would require graduation certificates from these three levels of academies. In earlier years, conditions would be relatively relaxed, allowing students from the common people to complete their education through private schools and clan schools, and those who met the requirements for official appointments could also participate in the imperial examinations. This transitional system would be implemented for three to five decades. Naturally, the sooner each region perfected its system, the better, as this meant securing more educational resources and gaining a competitive edge.
They argued fiercely about this issue.
Some officials suggested that each region should proceed according to its capacity; those with more money should build more and build first, while poorer areas should wait. They argued that prosperous areas couldn't afford to wait for impoverished areas to slowly catch up. The time of scholars and intellectuals couldn't be wasted. Other officials proposed determining the final number based on each region's population; more people would naturally have more students, thus requiring more academies and more places.
Another official rejected it.
Since we are all citizens of Kangguo, what is the difference?
The more barren the land, the more it needs the royal court's priority support. Only when these places produce talented people will the royal court's burden be reduced.
Favoring one side over the other will likely alienate people.
Even seemingly fair opinions have their disagreements.
A barren land not only means poor finances and low tax revenue, but also a lack of talented individuals willing to dedicate themselves to teaching and nurturing students at the academy. Should we follow the previous proposal and transfer lecturers from elsewhere, forcing them to leave their hometowns?
Would the lecturer be willing to do that?
They argued back and forth, their debate going on and on.
Some people even suggested that all the students should be gathered in one place.
This caused the pot to explode.
To put it bluntly, this is the talk of a brute.
The academy was divided into three levels. The smallest courtyard was responsible for introductory education and laying a foundation for students, some as young as six or seven years old, or even younger. With such young children concentrated in one place for study, who would care for them? Who would ensure their safety? Wouldn't it be even more labor-intensive?
If you can't speak properly, then don't speak!
The military officer who was scolded was extremely displeased.
The courtyard offers a wide range of subjects, not just those related to Wenru.
These words have uprooted their future.
_(:з」∠)_
Perhaps because they were used to fighting, everyone would resort to physical violence whenever there was an argument, just to vent their anger before discussing anything else. Since it concerned the foundations of each family, no one would back down, and the argument raged on until the sky darkened, with neither civil nor military officials involved. Some even went so far as to lure their colleagues into a corner on their way home from court and put sacks on them.
They felt that things couldn't continue like this.
Wei Lou is the only solution!
"Lord Wei, sob sob, please, for the sake of us...we are all human beings, come out of seclusion." The scholar racked his brains but couldn't think of any connection between Wei Lou and them. In the end, he managed to utter the ridiculous phrase "we are all human beings." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the little girl intently playing with the nine-linked rings. The scholar said, "I see that the young lady has great potential. She will surely become a pillar of society in the future. It would be a pity to waste her talent."
Wei Lou sneered: "How could a Wei family girl be wasted?"
"A person's life is nothing more than fame and fortune. The lady may be able to rely on the two of you to live a carefree life, but compared to power, a life of leisure is rather bland." The officialdom is very lively. Once you enter the officialdom, there is always something to watch all year round. Enemies and political enemies will come to greet you every now and then.
I'm wondering when my arch-nemesis will kick the bucket _(:з」∠)_
Fighting with others is endlessly enjoyable.
This is the only legal and compliant occasion where officials are subjected to a major confrontation.
Wei Lou: "..."
To be honest, he didn't care at all.
He feared that his own Wei Sheng would adopt the corrupt practices of the Kang State's officialdom.
only--
He looked at the still bewildered child and sighed.
How can a remote town compare to the vastness of the outside world?
The prosperity of the capital must be even more attractive.
Shen Youli said back then that he and his nephew would go back sooner or later. Even though they preferred quiet and didn't like interacting with people, once they had a smaller connection, some things were beyond their control. Even for the sake of the future of this connection, they would change their minds.
Now she's proven right.
"Asheng, are you having fun at school?"
The girl shook her head.
Actually, I'm not very happy.
She always felt that the other snotty-nosed kids were just as stupid as the fish that her father had caught—slow to react and unable to speak clearly.
But my uncle said we should be tolerant of them.
Just like how the elders were tolerant of the elderly.
Grandpa said that everyone will grow old one day, and no one should be scorned by the world and end up as an abandoned child with no one to rely on in their old age just because they are bound to grow old. She nodded, deeply agreeing—everyone is young one day too, and she should not despise these little fish because of their inevitable youth, much less isolate them because of it.
But she wasn't actually very happy.
She enjoys raising and feeding fish, but the little fish won't talk to her or play with her. Or rather, these fish have already tried to keep her company and play with her in their own way, but it's not what she wants.
Wei Lou sighed, "Oh well, whatever."
Because of the uncle and nephew, the town had taken in many elderly people, resulting in a relatively low proportion of young people. The overall atmosphere was harmonious but lacked vitality. Perhaps, Asheng would prefer the bustling and prosperous capital of Kang, where there would be more children her age to play with... Thinking of this, Wei Lou had already made his choice.
"In that case, let's go to the Phoenix Court."
(σ)σ:*☆
(End of this chapter)
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