Chapter 81: Junior Brother [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
"Master, who is this young friend...?"
The prefect forced out an awkward smile.
Although things are different now, seeing this former master still makes me tremble, my mouth dry, and my heart race and I feel short of breath.
The distinguished guest, referred to as "the host," followed the prefect's gaze to Ayan, a hint of warmth flashing in the depths of his eyes. He gently stroked Ayan's head with his rough, chapped hand and said softly, "His nickname is 'Ayan.'"
Hearing his teacher call his name, Ayan pulled his attention away from the sandwich pastry, blinked, and looked at his teacher blankly, as if asking why he was being called. The old man smiled and pointed in the direction of the prefect, replying, "I'm not calling you, it's just that your senior brother is curious."
Ayan tilted her head, looked at the prefect, then at the old man, and finally at the pastries on the plate, her brows furrowing slightly.
Having lived with Ayan for two years, the old man had a general idea of his way of thinking. He said, "Your senior brother doesn't like these desserts, and neither do I, your teacher. So these are all yours, no need to share."
Upon hearing the address, the prefect secretly twitched the corner of his mouth.
He addressed the old man as "Master" only out of consideration for their past relationship, never expecting the old man to take advantage of the situation and even give him some cheap junior brother. Speaking of the "junior brother," he vaguely felt that this kid named "Ayan" wasn't very bright.
At least, he wasn't as clever as a typical child.
The prefect appropriately showed concern.
"Master, is Junior Brother here?"
He pointed to his head, "Is my intelligence impaired?"
"Ayan is very good!"
When Ayan was mentioned, the old man's expression suddenly changed. His weathered brows even hinted at the sharp, intimidating look of his younger days, making the prefect feel uneasy. At the same time, he secretly berated himself for his own incompetence; the old man before him was already past his prime, what was there to fear?
The so-called fierce and intimidating aura seemed to be just his illusion. When the old man looked at Ayan, his eyes were filled with infinite pity. He sighed and touched Ayan's hair: "He is just unlucky. He has a brain disease since birth, which makes his mind very different from that of ordinary children."
Prefect: "???"
For a moment, he thought there was something wrong with his ears.
Who is this person who is born with a brain disorder?
“But this child isn’t…”
Who has a child with a brain disorder who, at the age of six, possesses martial prowess and innate superhuman strength, capable of severing the leg of an adult man with a single sweep of a long spear?
That unfortunate gatekeeper is still lying in the servants' quarters.
The old man knew what he was going to say and said indifferently, "Although Ayan has a brain disorder, he is not stupid. He just has mental problems. He can learn what he needs to learn and understand it without any problems. In addition, he has excellent martial arts aptitude, so it is not surprising that he has developed martial courage."
Because of his mental capacity, he was even more focused and hardworking than normal people. He never complained or slacked off on any cultivation task assigned by the old man. He did exactly what was required and devoted himself to it with 100% focus. Naturally, the rewards were also pleasing.
The old man disliked others looking at Ayan with strange eyes.
Especially those who had once had a somewhat respectable master-disciple relationship with him—such as this prefect. Because this only proves that his former normal student was not as good as a mentally ill person like Ayan.
The prefect twitched the corner of his mouth: "..."
He carefully selected flattering words and said, "Is there something wrong with your mind? I can't quite tell. Junior Brother's talent and aptitude are both among the best in the world. However, the world is corrupt now. If Junior Brother can maintain this childlike heart, it can be considered a blessing in disguise. It's better than learning a lot of skills but becoming a lackey of power."
Based on his understanding of this student, Ah Yan was probably Ah Yan's Achilles' heel; he could only praise him, not expose his shortcomings. After all, how could an old student like himself, neither young nor fresh, compare to a six-year-old, exquisitely beautiful, obedient, filial, and adorable "new student"?
The prefect praised Ayan briefly, then forced himself to congratulate his master on gaining a fine disciple. After a few simple pleasantries, he subtly inquired about the old man's purpose in coming.
But his skill was no match for the old man's. When the prefect met the old man's all-knowing gaze, he was terrified.
Back then, the old man was a powerful and influential figure in the court, whose influence was so great that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he could command the winds and rains. The fact that the King of Xin was able to secure his throne and make Xin stand out among the northwestern kingdoms was largely due to his efforts.
Unfortunately, despite his smooth career, he had a less than honorable and embarrassing exit at the end, having a very ugly falling out with the King of Xin, which resulted in his faction of officials being reprimanded and suppressed.
Of course, this does not include the prefect who had already shown his talent at that time, because he had found the right patron and rose rapidly through the ranks.
The old man was so angered that he resigned from his official post and reportedly went into seclusion in the countryside.
When the King of Xin was besieged by Zheng Qiao's army, he also spent a great deal of effort searching for the old man's whereabouts, but to no avail, until the state of Xin was destroyed. The prefect thought he had died in the chaos of war, but he didn't expect that the old fellow was so resilient and suddenly showed up at the door today.
It was a turbulent time, and the prefect was also uneasy. His master and young child were living in poverty, and he hoped the two were just there to freeload, which he could easily pay off. If they had other motives, the prefect would be in trouble. After all, killing one's master was not a good reputation.
After a series of indirect inquiries—
His anxiety slowly subsided.
It turned out that the old man was being hunted down by an unknown force and had nowhere to go. He didn't care about the situation, but he couldn't let the innocent Ayan get involved, so he decided to find another way out and came to Sibao County.
Upon hearing this, the prefect's heart stirred with excitement.
He listened while chuckling repeatedly.
What "unknown force"? It's probably related to Zheng Qiao. Even if Zheng Qiao doesn't remember this enemy for the time being, his lackeys might not. After all, the two people who cursed Zheng Qiao the most back then were the head of the Censorate, the Vice Censor-in-Chief, and the soon-to-be-retired Lord, who could be called the two great trash-talkers of Xin Kingdom.
While the Censor-in-Chief's insults at least had a veneer of "official business," the Emperor directly and indiscriminately bombarded Zheng Qiao and the King of Xin together. In front of the King of Xin, he hurled all sorts of vulgar insults at Zheng Qiao; any one of them could make the battle-hardened woman blush and chuckle. The entire court was unsurprised.
They even felt that this was how it should be.
The refined and easygoing nature of a scholar was nowhere to be seen in him.
In his early years, this ruler dared to negotiate with enemy states on the border. During the negotiations, he would even pick up a low table and smash the envoy's head until it bled. Enraged, he actually led his troops to conquer all the small states in the northwest. As a result, the capital was filled with hostages sent by various powers, and the inner court of the King of Xin was filled with concubines sent by various small states.
That Lady Chu of the Chu Kingdom...
Is this the last "trophy"?
It is said that this man also contributed to the disintegration of the three heroes of Chu. He had a remarkable record of victories, so it is no wonder that the prefect was so afraid of him. Even though this old lion was already past his prime and his teeth were too loose to bite his prey, the remaining power of the king of beasts was still there.
Zheng Qiao hasn't thought about seeking revenge on her enemies yet.
But Zheng Qiao's lackeys might not be so.
The prefect was naturally one of the lackeys.
However, he still dared not target his own master.
He treated the two men to good food and drink, regarding them as poor relatives who had come to beg for their money. After the banquet, he ordered his servants to fetch two hundred taels of gold from the storeroom and deliver it to the guest courtyard. The old man lifted the red silk, glanced at the plate of gold ingots that had been presented, and raised an eyebrow slightly.
阍犬: a watchdog.
"Zuo Zhu" is similar to the "Tian Shi" or "Zuo Shi" used in the previous Qi Shan address, just from a different era. It was a respectful title used by students of a particular year to address the chief examiner of that year.
P.S.: As expected, I caught a cold for two days, and this morning I woke up with inflamed tonsils and a sore throat. I went to get some anti-inflammatory medication before I got a fever. Otherwise, I'd have to get a nucleic acid test if I developed a fever |ω｀)
(End of this chapter)
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