Chapter 187 Chapter 187 Fang's Brother
Lin Xiaoran said earnestly, "Who are all these students at the Imperial College? To put it bluntly, they're all future officials. Tell me, as the teachers of these officials, who doesn't have someone behind them? Some teachers, like the Imperial College president, taught the first student who has now risen to the position of second-in-command of the Hanlin Academy. Even so, when people see him, they still have to respectfully call him "Master." Even if other teachers aren't as successful as the president, and their students have already become third or fourth-rank officials, even the smallest official is still an official. Moreover, things change over time. It's impossible to predict the future achievements of some people with just the naked eye. So, with our limited family background, would they even take us seriously?"
Although few of the first and second rank ministers in the palace came from the Imperial College, the Imperial College has now become a training base for talents and officials, which is truly remarkable.
The ancients respected teachers and believed that a teacher is like a father for life. Therefore, the status of teachers in the Imperial College is really incomparable to that of teachers in private schools and academies.
"So powerful?" Xu Yunfan's eyes suddenly lit up.
Shen Ruxi: "Is it powerful or not? Didn't we tell you last time?"
"No, when did you tell me this?"
"Just as I was telling you about the Master's competition."
Xu Yunfan shook his head: "No! You only told me that being a teacher in the Imperial College is the dream of countless teachers, and that the teachers there are at the top of all the teachers. But you didn't tell me that the teachers in the Imperial College can be so arrogant, so arrogant that they don't even take you young masters seriously!"
Qi Xiu Ze and the others choked. "We've explained it so clearly, why can't you think about it? I really don't understand you. You're being lazy when you should be using your brain."
Xu Yunfan chuckled, "Never mind. It was that Fourth Young Master Wenjie and the Imperial College's Dean and Master who humiliated you, right? Wait, next March, when I go to the capital, I will definitely make them pay. I will reluctantly teach them a lesson about teacher ethics."
Regarding Xu Yunfan's shameless self-confidence, Qi Xiu Ze and the other three decided to just listen to it and not take it seriously. If you take it seriously, you will lose.
But they don't know that Xu Yunfan is not a person who only talks big, he really does what he says.
The ancient scholars were indeed powerful, but that doesn’t mean that Xu Yunfan, who learned to read and write at the age of three, possessed a photographic memory, and read widely, would be worse than them.
After Qi Xiu Ze told Xu Yunfan that Li Yunfei had spread rumors about him and Jiang Lanfang and that they had already dealt with them, he chatted with Xu Yunfan for a long time. The four of them came here on horseback, so naturally they would not stay overnight. After repeatedly refusing Qin Run's attempts to keep them, they left.
When Li Liu came out of the shower, Qi Xiu Ze and the other three were no longer at home. "Did they go back?"
"Yeah." Qin Run nodded. "Sixth brother, please help me watch the fire. I'll go see Yun Fan."
After Xu Yunfan sent Qi Xiu Ze and the others out in a depressed mood, when he was about to enter the room, Xu Yunfan had a drooping mouth and looked at him with a wronged and meaningful look before entering the room.
"Well, go ahead. I'll watch the fire."
Jing Mingze has left today. He has too many places to inspect and has no way of staying in Xiao Qin's house for long. It is rare for them to meet, and now they have to say goodbye suddenly. Li Liu's mood is like riding a roller coaster, rising to the clouds and then suddenly falling.
If he returned to his room now, he would only feel the desolation left by Jing Mingze's departure. It would be better to find something to do to pass the time.
The flames burning under the stove made popping sounds from time to time. Under the flickering light, Li Liu's back looked particularly lonely.
Qin Mu stood outside the kitchen and watched for a long time, then ran back to his room. After a while, Qin An and Qin Mu ran to Li Liu and sat down beside him. "Sixth brother, have you heard the story of the seven gourd brothers?"
Qin An, like Qin Run, has a good memory. They can remember clearly everything Xu Yunfan told them once.
Xu Yunfan listened to Qin An's childish voice coming from the kitchen, and the corners of his mouth curled up, but when the door was opened, Xu Yunfan's upturned mouth corners quickly flattened, and the smile on his face disappeared completely, leaving only endless grievance and pity.
"What's wrong?" Xu Yunfan was lying on his side with his back to the door. When Qin Run entered the room, he could only see his curled up, pitiful figure, and his heart softened.
He sat on the side of the bed, put one hand on Xu Yunfan's arm, and tried to pull him over.
Xu Yunfan didn't even move, and said in a muffled voice, "I'm very unhappy now."
Unhappy?
Qin Run found it incredible that such an emotion happened to Xu Yunfan, who was extremely optimistic, cheerful and confident.
Pretending, this guy is pretending again.
Qin Run rolled his eyes and pretended to be confused, "What's wrong? Who bullied you?"
"When Sun Tiantian got married, several students came. They said I... You heard what Xiuze and the others said tonight. They're saying it all over the place: I was able to become a teacher at Qingfeng Academy because I bought this opportunity by using my beauty to please talented people."
"Those in the village who don't know the truth are going to fabricate something against me. What do you think? Do you need me to explain myself or swear an oath to prove my innocence?"
After hearing these words, Qin Run knew why Xu Yunfan was pretending like this.
He chuckled, not knowing what he was thinking about. The corners of his eyes were red, and his eyes were filled with desire. "If you can get hard with other men, maybe I will believe you."
Qin Run knew Xu Yunfan. He was known as a straight man. If it weren't for him, Xu Yunfan would probably still believe that he liked women.
Seeing this, Xu Yunfan turned his head, raised his eyebrows, and showed his charming charm. "But they said that I look like this and don't look like the one above, so whether I can get hard or not seems to be irrelevant."
"And then?" Qin Run followed up his question, "What do you want to say?"
Xu Yunfan swallowed his saliva and said, "I think they misunderstood me. My young heart has been hurt by a thousand critical hits. I need comfort and proof."
It's no wonder that Xu Yunfan wants to get close to Qin Run whenever he finds the chance. The main reason is that Qin Run can tolerate him talking and doing things normally, but won't allow him to do it in bed every now and then. This is because Xu Yunfan once said casually that if a young person does it too much, it will easily cause kidney deficiency and will be bad for the body.
Qin Run didn't know whether what Xu Yunfan said was true or not. He was shy and embarrassed to ask the doctor for the truth, but he believed every word Xu Yunfan said without pretending.
Since it concerns Xu Yunfan's health, Qin Run would never dare to let Xu Yunfan do anything reckless. Qin Run knows that young people are prone to impulsiveness and sometimes do things without considering their health.
It had been several nights since Xu Yunfan had really eaten meat, but he had at least tasted some meat. He couldn't stand eating vegetarian food for several nights in a row.
Qin Run sighed. All men are indeed the same. Even a handsome guy like Xu Yunfan is not immune to this. "It's okay tonight, but not for the next few days. Remember?"
"Why? We only come every few days. This frequency doesn't count as excessive indulgence and won't cause any harm to my body."
"I know, but I can't help it." Qin Run's face flushed, and he leaned over Xu Yunfan, with an inexplicable sense of oppression in his eyes. "Let's get married. After we get married, you will satisfy me, right?"
This sentence inexplicably made Xu Yunfan feel a chill all over his body. Soon, realizing that he was frightened, Xu Yunfan became angry and put his hands on Qin Run's shoulders, and pressed Qin Run under him. "Of course, this is my duty as a husband, isn't it? I'm so powerful, I won't let you starve. I'm still a young and strong ox. Come on, and see if you can tire me to death."
Qin Run: “…”
Qin Run choked. He didn't know that his words had misled Xu Yunfan into saying this. What he meant was that they would become one on the wedding night, not that... he was unsatisfied.
What is Xu Yunfan thinking about?
Where did that otherworldly-looking little fairy boy go?
Capital city.
Xiao Hengzhi took a carriage, stopping and starting many times, and finally returned to the capital after a few days.
As soon as he returned to Beijing, Xiao Heng did nothing else but went straight to the study to sort out a batch of books. He also asked someone to find the Prince's tutor to get some things, and then sent them secretly to Xu Yunfan.
On the second day after returning to Beijing, Xiao Hengzhi went out of the house and picked up a lot of books in major bookstores. On the way, Xiao Hengzhi noticed that the Jing family seemed very lively. When he asked, Xiao Hengzhi thought he had misheard and couldn't come back to his senses for a long time. In the end, Xiao Hengzhi didn't remember how he got back to the house, and his mind was full of things about the Jing family.
When Xu Yunfan received these things, his head suddenly became overwhelmed.
He knew that the imperial examinations in ancient times were not easy, and the content of the examinations was not what ordinary people imagined. After all, the test was nothing more than writing an article and composing two poems.
The real imperial examination involves arithmetic, law, strategy, people's livelihood, military affairs, etc., which can be said to be complicated and arduous.
Whether some students can pass the exam sometimes depends on luck.
Why do I say this? If we refer to the exam questions of that year, they were too biased and students had never encountered them before, so they couldn't answer them. No matter how well they did in other subjects, it would sometimes be all in vain.
Xu Yunfan flipped through the materials Xiao Hengzhi had compiled and found some of the questions quite interesting. For example, regarding river management, after providing some relevant data, the question went something like this: "Based on the local topography, hydrology, and flood control requirements, how should a dam be constructed?" "Using local resources, how much corvée labor should each county extract without affecting people's livelihoods, and how long would it take to complete this task?"
For this question, the knowledge points involved are no longer limited to arithmetic problems.
There are also some more biased questions. Not only are these questions biased, but there are also many things that need to be considered when answering them. For example, if His Majesty sees this answer, will he think it is feasible?
If you answer incorrectly, the emperor will be furious and might give you a beating, etc. In short, when answering the questions, you have to figure out the intention of the questioner. It is very brain-burning. If you are not careful about this kind of questions, 90% of the candidates will be eliminated.
Xu Yunfan found the questions difficult to read, so he simply threw them aside and went on with his business.
Anyway, nothing in the world is more important than Qin Run’s birthday.
Qin Run has turned 18 and has become an adult, so Xu Yunfan must prepare for his birthday.
Xiao Hengzhi had no idea that the information he had shamelessly found with great difficulty from the Prince's tutor was hidden in the bottom of a box by Xu Yunfan. After Xu Yunfan acknowledged him as his adopted son, Xiao Hengzhi became more handsome. She used to look sickly, disheartened, and like a puppet, but now she is in high spirits because of good things happening to her.
Upon learning that Xiao Hengzhi had returned to the capital, Fu Qingyu immediately had Eunuch Fu send some supplements to Xiao Hengzhi, muttering, "You bastards, each and every one of you never gives me peace of mind. Do you want me to die young?"
"Your Majesty~" Eunuch Fu was terrified. "How can Your Majesty say such a thing? The Imperial Master has said that Your Majesty must live a long life."
The Imperial Master knows everything about astronomy and geography, and is truly amazing. What he says is absolutely correct.
Speaking of the Imperial Master, Fu Qingyu's head hurt even more. He sighed softly, "You go."
This obviously means that he doesn't want to continue talking.
After Eunuch Fu left in fear, Fu Qingyu wearily rubbed his temples, muttering, "What the hell is going on? How can one or two... I really have too few powerful generals to use."
At least, when Xiao Hengzhi was "useless" and lived one day at a time without caring about other people's affairs, Qin Feiyu was "not doing his job" and focused on finding his child. After the national teacher disappeared due to a miscalculation, the people who Fu Qingyu could talk to and entrust with important tasks seemed to have disappeared without a trace in an instant. The feeling of being isolated and helpless made people feel more stressed.
Xiao Hengzhi is in poor health, so how could Fu Qingyu dare to trouble him?
Not to mention Qin Feiyu. As a young man, he guarded the border for the Dayan Dynasty for several years and suffered hardships that other young men had never experienced. He had endured so much unspeakable suffering. Now that the child is missing, Fu Qingyu can't help in other ways, but he can't be a drag either.
As for the national teacher?
Speaking of the National Master, Fu Qingyu sometimes had to doubt this man's true strength, but before, the National Master was indeed able to accurately predict all kinds of natural disasters, including snow disasters, locust plagues, etc. It was because of his accurate predictions in advance that the late emperor was able to make sufficient preparations and minimize the losses.
But just over a decade later, the Imperial Master actually calculated that the Great Yan Dynasty would be in danger of extinction. The late emperor hurriedly asked about it, but in the end the Imperial Master did not say anything else. He only told the late emperor that the crisis of the Great Yan Dynasty's extinction could be resolved, but he had to find that person.
The implication is that where is the person who can reverse the crisis of the Great Yan Dynasty's destruction? What is his name? In fact, the national teacher can't figure it out. The late emperor asked, but the national teacher always had a mysterious attitude and spoke ambiguously and obscurely. After being asked many times, sometimes he would say in a profound way that the secret cannot be revealed.
Three years ago, the National Master appeared in the capital and came back once. It was also that time that the National Master told Fu Qingyu with a smile that the man had appeared.
But a few months later, the Imperial Master returned to the capital again, looking gloomy and dejected, completely lacking his previous high spirits and fighting spirit. Fu Qingyu felt a pang in his heart when he saw the Imperial Master's desperate look. After asking him, he found out that the Imperial Master was in a bad state before.
The person who came was not that person, that person has not come yet.
Fu Qingyu didn't quite understand the meaning of the word "come here". What did "come here" mean? Where did it come from?
If the national teacher said that person appeared, Fu Qingyu could still understand it, but when this person came, Fu Qingyu could only guess that maybe this person was from the country.
The world is so big, it is not easy to find the person that the National Master mentioned. Didn’t you see that the National Master has been away from Beijing for so long, and there is still no clue?
Why.
Sometimes Fu Qingyu wondered if the Imperial Master had run away, but when he thought about it, he felt that he was not very righteous and had no conscience.
On the other side, Xiao Hengzhi got the tonic and smiled as he personally escorted Eunuch Fu out of the mansion. This made Eunuch Fu flattered, "Prince Xiao, you don't have to escort me. I can go back by myself."
Xiao Hengzhi put his fist to his lips and coughed, "It's okay. I can't sit or lie down all day. How is the emperor doing recently?"
"In reply to Prince Xiao, it's good that the emperor came in, but..." Eunuch Fu knew that Xiao Hengzhi had a good relationship with Fu Qingyu and they called each other brothers behind his back, but since it involved the emperor, Eunuch Fu couldn't help but have some concerns.
Without needing Eunuch Fu to say anything more, Xiao Hengzhi asked, "Is that old, stubborn Right Prime Minister urging the Emperor to expand his harem again?"
Eunuch Fu was so stammering that he dared not speak.
Can he respond?
Wouldn't it be equivalent to agreeing to it being in cahoots with Xiao Heng and insulting the right prime minister of a country behind his back as an old immortal?
Xiao Hengzhi sneered, "I can guess it without you having to tell me. Go back and tell the emperor that the two princes seem to be very relaxed recently."
A few days ago, he returned to the capital. Fu Qingxu and Fu Qingyun came to see him. When they saw him, they looked him over and said sarcastically, "Oh, I haven't seen you for a while. I thought you were already out of the capital. I didn't expect you to be fine. Hey, don't you have any self-awareness? You left the capital secretly. I think you want to become a lonely ghost as soon as possible."
The ancients believed that fallen leaves should return to their roots. Even if a soldier on the battlefield died for his country, if conditions allowed, they would find ways to transport his body back to his hometown. The older generation said that if fallen leaves do not return to their roots, the dead will become lonely ghosts.
How pitiful are lonely ghosts?
At least I can return to my hometown. Even if I end up in the underworld, at least there will be someone I know. I don't have to wander around the world after death, alone and helpless, thousands of miles away from home. I couldn't go home during my lifetime, and I still can't find the way home after my death.
The Fu Qingxu brothers' words were harsh, but Xiao Hengzhi could hear the concern in their words. However, he was still furious and secretly thinking of ways to retaliate. Now that the opportunity had come, he certainly couldn't miss it.
After sending Eunuch Fu off, Xiao Hengzhi was about to turn around, but unexpectedly, he saw the young master of the Fang family out of the corner of his eye.
The young master of the Fang family is the only son of Grand Tutor Fang. His older brothers are all men, and the young master is the only boy that Grand Tutor Fang has worked hard for many years. Naturally, the Fang family dotes on him.
This young man from the Fang family is named Fang Zixi. Logically speaking, a boy like him should have been the target of marriage proposals by the young masters of various families in the capital a few years ago.
This was indeed the case in the past few years, and the Fang family’s door was almost broken down by matchmakers.
However, both Master Fang and her mother rejected the matchmaker's proposal on the grounds that Fang Zixi was still too young and they were reluctant to let her go and wanted to keep the child with them for two more years.
Fang Zixi is now in her early twenties. Logically speaking, she is old enough to get married, but few people dare to propose to the Fang family nowadays.
There is no other reason. Fang Zixi is no longer a virgin. That would be fine, but Fang Zixi also gave birth to a child whose biological father is unknown. Over the years, no one knows what Fang Zixi experienced. She has been in a daze. To put it bluntly, her brain seems to be not normal.
A boy with a child, a boy who had no idea what had happened, a boy who was in a miserable and miserable state and pregnant when he returned to Beijing. Perhaps some people would be willing to marry him because of Master Fang and Fang Zixi's better looks than other boys.
But also because Fang Zixi has a loving and caring father behind her, who would dare to let Fang Zixi be a concubine?
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