Chapter 036: Traitor 36
After Brother Ling left, Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen didn't stay in Zhuzhou City for long. Firstly, they didn't want to get involved in the messy affairs of the other princes. While that might sound a bit overconfident, judging by their talents, they were sure to have a role to play.
If they are selected, they will definitely be invited by various parties, and they will not be able to refuse then as they do now.
Therefore, we cannot stay here for long.
Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen packed their bags, bought some specialties from Zhuzhou City, and left some money for Tang Rao as a thank you for his careful care recently. He even found various excuses to go out in order to give them a quiet environment to prepare for the exam and a place for them to talk with Brother Ling.
The other party's prices were reasonable, the service was attentive, and there was also an elderly woman who seemed to have Alzheimer's disease. Whether out of pity or other reasons, it would be fine to give her some reward, but I didn't do it in the name of the latter, and only said some words of gratitude.
Tang Rao also knew this and felt even more grateful to them. He said some auspicious words and helped move the luggage onto the carriage.
Looking at the scenery passing by outside the carriage, and Xiao Yan who was leaning on the soft pillow with his eyes closed inside the carriage as if he had no bones, dozing, Xiao Chen felt a little dazed, as if only at this moment he had the sense of reality that he was really reborn and that his elder brother was still there.
Looking back on the past, from being penniless in the beginning, to having extra money from embroidery, and then to moving to the town after the family split up, unlike the loneliness and helplessness of the previous life, surrounded by deceitful people, Xiao Chen's eyes gradually warmed.
He would never make the same mistake again in this life! He would make sure his eldest brother lived a more prosperous and peaceful life! He would never let the Guan family's mistakes happen again!
Xiao Chen swore secretly in his heart.
After a long journey, we finally arrived in the town.
As usual, after resting for a few days, Xiao Chen went to see Master Wang, who helped him analyze the test questions and the success rate, as well as the current situation in the court and his position.
At this time, the relationship between master and disciple is like that between father and son. It does not mean that the master only teaches academic matters, but also teaches students how to behave in society. It covers almost everything. This is why Xiao Chen frequently interacts with Master Wang.
Although Master Wang was somewhat pedantic and even stubborn to some extent, he fulfilled his responsibilities as a teacher to Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen returned to the village, while Xiao Yan and Mu Feng went to visit Master Wei's residence.
Mu Feng planned to take the test next time. Hearing about the test questions at that time, it would be a kind of accumulated experience for him.
Although Xiao Yan and Master Wei were not master and disciple in name, Master Wei was half his master, so he would naturally not forget this kindness just because he gained power.
After hearing Xiao Yan's answer, Master Wei looked at him for a long time, then sighed and said, "The road ahead is like a canoe. One wrong step will lead to many wrong steps. We must not be careless or trust others!"
Before Xiao Yan could reply, he paused and continued, "Well, I'm no less knowledgeable about officialdom than you are, but remember that when you gain power in the future, you must not do evil or bully others by taking advantage of your position!"
After saying this, Master Wei stared at Xiao Yan closely, wanting his promise.
He could already foresee that with Xiao Yan's ability, he would become a powerful official in the court in the future. However, there were many people who became arrogant after gaining power. Many students forgot their original aspirations after becoming officials and became the evil officials they once hated the most!
Xiao Yan cupped his hands and said, "I, Xiao Yan, your disciple, will remember your teachings carefully. I will definitely not become the kind of person you described in the future!"
Master Wei finally felt relieved, but just as he was relieved, he remembered something and added, "A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. I know the difficulties of officialdom, but I am not asking you to become a mediocre person. If you have to, do your best to protect yourself."
It is said that there are no fish in clear water. He said this to tell Xiao Yan not to be too aggressive, nor did he ask him to become an independent and eccentric person, but to seize the opportunity, not forget his original intention, nor be too stubborn, and act with discretion.
It can be said that he is quite painstaking and solitary, which is enough to show that Master Wei is a rare good teacher. Even though he is not his disciple, he can still be so sincere and open-minded, which shows that he has a very good character.
Mu Feng standing aside was also a smart man, but his horizons were not broad enough yet. He only knew that there must be a reason why Xiao Yan answered in this way, but he did not know the reason.
Not everyone can perfectly replicate other people's paths. Personality and various aspects of the problem must match each other. Otherwise, not only will it be superficial, but it will also have the opposite effect.
Other people's paths may not be suitable for you, so Mu Feng just listened in to absorb some useful experiences. He thought about how he would answer the same test questions if he encountered them, whether there were any mistakes or omissions, and whether he would deviate from the meaning of the questions. This is just the most basic thing.
To achieve an answer that will amaze people, hard work is needed. This also requires candidates to accumulate literary knowledge and broaden their horizons in daily life, as well as to be sensitive to current affairs.
Mu Feng currently does not have any major problems with his talent and learning, but he mainly lacks the sensitivity to the current affairs of the court. This is a limitation brought about by his status. Unlike many other students, he does not try his best to squeeze into famous academies or make friends with the children of the powerful.
The academy can provide them with a better teaching environment and resources, as well as expand their personal network. Making friends with the powerful can help them make their way in officialdom smoother.
Mu Feng was born with a buff that attracted hatred. Apart from Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen, he couldn't get along with anyone else. This led to his small network of contacts and lack of information sources, and thus he was unable to fully understand the complicated current situation.
Fortunately, after becoming Master Wei's disciple, he was able to use Master Wei's connections, but they were still shallow and he needed to learn more.
If Xiao Chen was able to gain a cheat in his rebirth because of his memories from his previous life, then Xiao Yan must have gotten an invincible golden finger. After all, he was the Emperor of Dayan and had lived for countless years. He had seen countless times more than them and was as experienced as a veteran. Naturally, he was not comparable to ordinary people.
While this might seem unfair to others, there's no such thing as perfect fairness in the world. For example, even among candidates, family backgrounds and educational environments are inherently unequal. To achieve true fairness, one must find people with similar family backgrounds and IQs. Otherwise, everything is unfair.
Therefore, Xiao Yan did not feel any guilt. After all, this was all his personal accumulation, and he had not opened the answer sheet, so why should he feel guilty?
To Master Wei, who was unaware of the situation, Xiao Yan was a gifted official. With such exceptional talent and intelligence, he feared he would stir up trouble if he became an official, hence his comment.
Xiao Yan also understood Master Wei's thoughts and immediately said, "Master, your intentions are good, and I understand that I will never lose my original intention. If there is a day, please feel free to question me."
Only then did Master Wei feel a little relieved, but he was never truly at ease.
Since ancient times, only a few famous scholars have become prime ministers and been granted titles of nobility. Most of them either become part of a group of people with chronic illnesses, or follow the crowd to barely protect themselves and become mediocre people, or their passion goes against the wall and they end up with no good ending in their struggle with power.
There are very few capable and famous officials who are willing to speak up for the people. Most of them are busy chasing power and fighting for their own interests.
This is also why Master Wei chose to return to Chongshan Academy instead of entering the officialdom, because he was disappointed with the official atmosphere.
After bidding farewell to Master Wei, Xiao Yan began to prepare for the imperial examination. This time, the books he read were mostly local geography, people's livelihood, current affairs, events, and even previous imperial examination questions.
It is said that time passes unnoticed in the mountains. I listened to Mian Man six times in Chunzhou. During the heavy research, time always flies quickly. In the blink of an eye, more than half a month has passed.
During this period, Xiao Yan received a letter from Brother Ling in Yangzhou City.
In the letter, Brother Ling described how he returned home, found an old hen and a big rooster, and watched them mate all day long. He then discovered that the hen could lay eggs without the rooster, which made him feel incredible.
After all, in today's concept, many species need to mate to give birth to offspring. How can there be species that can give birth without males?
With this doubt in mind, he specially consulted the farmers and learned that although hens can lay eggs without roosters, eggs laid before mating cannot hatch into chicks, so he can only fry those eggs and wait for the next batch of chickens to arrive.
In the letter, he also joked that when his father heard that he planned to use this to study nature, he expressed his strong support and said that the eggs that were not used in the future could be used for charity.
In addition, he also sent some intelligence. For example, according to his observation, although Brother Cheng had accepted the invitation of the Eighth Prince and had already joined the Eighth Prince's faction, there was someone else behind Brother Cheng. He was afraid that Brother Cheng was plotting to seize the opportunity while the oriole was waiting behind. He told him to be very careful and not let appearances mislead him.
In addition, regarding cooperating with the imperial court to develop embroidery into their local specialty and income for the people's livelihood, the county magistrate said that there were also regulations. Upon hearing this, the higher-ups readily agreed, but the imperial court had to follow the regulations, which would take some time.
Perhaps because he had great confidence in the Xiao brothers, the county magistrate said that he would add their names to the list in order to show his goodwill.
Since ancient times, scholars have valued reputation. For officials, reputation is also indispensable, which will be of great benefit when being appointed to an official position in the future.
People with status and background have family connections, while those without power can only work hard and waste time seeking opportunities for promotion. However, in the officialdom, there is only one position for each person. Unless you are very talented and know how to run a business, you will be promoted only if you are appreciated by your superiors, and there is a corresponding price to pay.
For people like them who have no identity or background, reputation is also an opportunity for promotion. As long as they manage it well, it is not impossible for them to become officials in Beijing.
The county magistrate had experienced many years of ups and downs in the officialdom and understood the difficulties involved. He had received benefits from the Xiao family, so naturally he would return the favor. Moreover, they were now a community of shared interests. Only when the Xiao brothers were well would he live well, so he would help them operate.
One is to show goodwill, the other is for profit.
The world is bustling with people, all seeking profit, it is nothing more than this.
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