Yan Xiaolou and Susu rode in the same carriage.
Of course, they didn't know each other, but they were both amazed by each other's looks and thought the other was so beautiful, so they couldn't help but look at each other a few more times.
Yan Xiaolou wondered if this exquisite little girl was the daughter of some wealthy and powerful family.
Su Su wondered why there were so many lovely girls around Fu Xiaoguan?
In terms of handsomeness, he is not as handsome as his junior brother Su Mo. In terms of martial arts, well, he doesn't know any martial arts at all.
He is not a blooming flower, there is no reason why bees and butterflies should flock to him!
Yan Xiaolou spoke first and asked, "What's your name, young lady?"
Su Su giggled and replied, "My name is Su Su, Su as in wake up, Su as in wake up. What about you, sister?"
Yan Xiaolou was delighted and smiled with her hands covering her mouth. "My name is Yan Xiaolou, Yan for swallow, and Xiaolou for small building listening to the rain."
"Oh, hello, sister."
"Well, hello, sister."
And then...then they ran out of topics. Yan Xiaolou was too embarrassed to ask why this girl named Susu was in the Fu Mansion, and Susu had never thought of asking Yan Xiaolou why he came to the Fu Mansion.
The carriage fell into silence, but Fu Xiaoguan and Yan Xiwen in the front were chatting happily.
"After this reunion, almost all of them will leave the capital during the first month of the lunar year to take up their posts elsewhere. Alas... after this separation, I don't know when we'll be able to meet again. It's true that all good things must come to an end. It's a pity that the flowers will be even better next year, but who will share them with me?"
Yan Xiwen felt a sense of emotion as he thought about how he had lived in Jinling City for eighteen years, growing up with those of his age, or even going to school together. Now, they were all going their separate ways, each embarking on their own path to the future. That path might be sunny, or cloudy, filled with flowers, or perhaps thorny and bumpy.
"I didn't realize you were so melancholy. People always grow up, and when they grow up, they naturally need to make their own careers. Now that you all have your futures, just move forward... Also, who did you invite this time?"
Yan Xiwen suppressed his melancholy and said, "Except for Qin Huanyu and my cousin Yan Linqiu, the remaining eight of the top ten Jinshi this year have been invited."
Fu Xiaoguan recalled and remembered these eight people. After all, they had met the emperor together in the Golden Palace.
"Qin Huanyu and Yan Linqiu have been sent out?"
Yan Xiwen nodded. "Qin Huanyu has been appointed magistrate of Kaiyang County, Qizhou, Jiangbei Road. His second uncle, Qin Mowen, is the governor of Jiangbei Road. My cousin, Yan Linqiu, has been appointed magistrate of Quyi County, Yongning Prefecture, Shanxi Road. They both left in early November of last year. How could they possibly be back this year?"
Fu Xiaoguan recalled the map he had seen in the imperial study and frowned as he asked, "Quyi? Is it the Quyi County in Pingling?"
"Yeah, that lousy place... I don't know what father and grandfather think."
If you go from Yu Dynasty to Huangguo, there are two roads in the north. One is through Yanshan Pass, which is the official road and the shortest. The other is to go around Pingling and pass through the Pingling Mountains between Quyi and Pingling.
That place has been barren since ancient times. Due to the limited conditions of the land, even the barbarians were unwilling to go to Quping and Erdi to collect grass. First, the narrow path was extremely difficult to walk on, and second, the grass and grain they collected were not enough to feed the people and horses.
Today, the rebel Yellow River Bandit Gong Shenchang is entrenched in Pingling Mountain. The government has launched several encirclement and suppression operations but has failed to cause any harm to him. This shows that the mountain is steep and the terrain is complex.
It is quite difficult to achieve something in Quyi County.
Fu Xiaoguan smiled calmly: "You have to trust your father and your grandfather's judgment."
Yan Xiwen raised his eyebrows but remained silent.
Fu Xiaoguan did not say that if a war really broke out between the Yu Dynasty and the Huang Kingdom, Quyi County and Pingling County, 300 miles away from Xincheng, would become extremely important strategic fortresses.
From the map, Xincheng, Quyi, and Pingling formed a cornerstone of each other, and more than 300 miles further back was Yongning City, the capital of Yongning Prefecture. Yongning City was also a prominent city, and its role was primarily to provide strategic support for the northern border troops.
"If you have a letter for your cousin, tell him to focus more on the defense of Quyi County." Fu Xiaoguan still said this, but Yan Xiwen looked at him in surprise, because his grandfather Yan Beixi also said the same thing.
This kid… “Why do you see it like that?”
Fu Xiaoguan touched his nose and smiled, "I think it's going to be difficult to improve the economy there. It would be more cost-effective to build high walls and store up grain."
Yan Xiwen's eyes lit up. Build high walls and store abundant food—that was exactly what Grandpa meant. The boy expounded on its meaning in just six words—"Sometimes I wonder, what's in your head? Sigh..." Yan Xiwen sighed again. "I'm not as good as you in poetry and prose. I used to think you were inferior to me in the art of governing the world. But after reading your disaster relief paper, seeing the prosperity of the village below, and hearing what you said today, forget it. I won't compete with you anymore, okay?"
Fu Xiaoguan laughed heartily, "Brother Xiwen, please don't underestimate yourself!"
I am a thin sister!
The carriage arrived at the Sifang Building, and the four people got off the carriage and walked into the Sifang Building.
It was only the second day of the Lunar New Year, so there weren't many guests in the Sifang Building. Yan Xiwen's chosen room was on the third floor, the same place where Fu Xiaoguan had hosted them last time, with a view of Weiyang Lake from the window.
When I pushed the door open, there were already eight people sitting inside, drinking tea and chatting.
The eight people, led by Shi Yiming, stood up and were about to salute when they saw Yan Xiwen coming in, but they saw Fu Xiaoguan following behind Yan Xiwen!
This kid!
In the palace examination that day, he stole the limelight in the Golden Palace, causing the top three this year to be eclipsed. He is simply a nightmare in the hearts of these young people, and an enemy they want to kill as soon as possible!
"Brother Xiwen, what do you mean by this?" Shi Yiming asked. Yan Xiwen had invited them to a small gathering, but hadn't mentioned inviting Fu Xiaoguan along. Aside from Fang Wenxing, An Liuyue, Zhuo Liuyun, and Huang Sheng, the remaining four were scions of the six major clans. There wasn't a question of who was clinging to whom. The implication, of course, was that you, Yan Xiwenming, knew we weren't on good terms with Fu Xiaoguan, yet you personally invited him. Isn't that a disrespect to us?
Yan Xiwen smiled and said, "On September 25th of last year, during the Lanting Collection of Literature and Sacrifice, I met Brother Fu for the first time. Well, Wenxing and Liuyue were both there at the time. Come, come, everyone, take a seat, and let me slowly tell you all."
Fu Xiaoguan didn't take it seriously. Anyway, he would go to these six major families to deliver a visiting card in the next few days.
Shi Yiming glared at Fu Xiaoguan fiercely. Everyone took their seats. Susu and Yan Xiaolou sat next to Fu Xiaoguan. Although the two beauties made their eyes light up, their attraction was instantly extinguished. Could it be that... this kid wanted to catch all the beauties from Jinling in one fell swoop?
This action attracted a lot of hatred for Fu Xiaoguan, but Fu Xiaoguan still had a smile on his face and swept his eyes over the faces of these people one by one.
"When Lan Ting Jiwenji met him, I actually felt the same way you do now. I hated this guy too, probably even more than you do! But then we had a drink here, then I went to Yao County, and he returned to Linjiang. We had several contacts and collaborations, and after that, I thought he was fully qualified to be my teacher. Of course, I wouldn't recognize him, I just recognized him as a friend."
Yan Xiwen paused, then continued, "I'm not trying to be some bullshit peacemaker between you and him today. Anyway, I've finished what I want to say. As for the grudge between you and him... No, what exactly is the grudge between you and him?"
After Yan Xiwen asked this, Shi Yiming and the others looked at each other in confusion. What kind of grudge was this?
Shi Yiming's explanation was understandable. After all, it was Fu Xiaoguan who scolded Shi Chaoyuan so much that he vomited blood and passed out in the Golden Palace. However, Xue Donglin, Xi Shuang and Fei Qian could not explain it clearly.
Not to mention Fang Wenxing and others who had no resentment towards Fu Xiaoguan.
Yan Xiwen laughed and added slowly, "It's just the mentality of youth. Once you take office and become the leaders of your region, the overwhelming troubles will overwhelm you, and then you'll realize how childish your current actions were!"
This was Yan Xiwen's personal experience, and his words were quite heavy. It was not a lesson, but his own feelings. Hearing it, the young people felt it was true.
So, are we being childish?
No one spoke anymore. Yan Xiwen felt a little regretful. He hoped that these young men could have a good relationship with Fu Xiaoguan. Perhaps Fu Xiaoguan could not help them in any way, but if they could get some advice from Fu Xiaoguan, it would be of great benefit to their future official career.
Forget it, forget it! You guys took my kindness for granted. "Waiter, bring the wine!"
Fu Xiaoguan spoke very little during the meal. Yan Xiaolou, who was sitting on his right, was quite worried, while Susu, who was sitting on his left, ate heartlessly.
Yan Xiaolou's worries were of course unnecessary, as Fu Xiaoguan had no hostility towards these young people.
The truth behind the last assassination attempt has not yet been uncovered, as many people would want him dead because of the disaster relief effort, but those people would not be these teenagers, they could only be their elders.
This account must naturally be settled. Afterwards, one or some of these teenagers will regard him as an enemy. This is inevitable. Fu Xiaoguan is not afraid. If that time really comes, he doesn't mind killing a few more.
The atmosphere was a bit dull. Yan Xiwen thought for a moment and said to Fu Xiaoguan, "Brother Fu, come on, how about writing some poetry to liven things up?"
You're here again!
Fu Xiaoguan glared at Yan Xiwen. Yan Xiaolou was delighted to hear this and filled Fu Xiaoguan's glass with wine. He said, "The poem 'Lang Tao Sha, Drinking to the East Wind' that you wrote last time was extremely exquisite. Xiaolou would like to offer you a glass of wine. Please don't refuse it."
As he spoke, Yan Xiaolou raised his glass. Fu Xiaoguan touched his nose and had no choice but to drink it.
"I won't write this poem today."
ah……!
In fact, even Shi Yiming hoped that Fu Xiaoguan could write a poem at this moment, because this guy's poetry was really excellent.
Just based on the poems and songs in "A Dream of Red Mansions", it is indeed difficult to find anyone in this world who can match it.
Yan Xiaolou suddenly felt lost, put down his wine glass and lowered his head, thinking that he really didn't have any weight at all.
But then Fu Xiaoguan smiled and said, "I would like to write an essay for you to enjoy."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
