Chapter 71

In just a few short days, the name Ye Yu had been constantly on Zhao Shen's mind. Especially the matter of Yang Hui taking on a disciple had a significant impact on him.

After all, a merchant, no matter how skilled in business, was still a merchant. Although the Song Dynasty treated merchants more favorably than any other dynasty, the low status of merchants was deeply ingrained in people's minds.

A young man under twenty could actually make the second and third place scholars of the current imperial examination vie for his praise; an unknown young man could actually make a renowned mathematician willing to lower his stance and personally seek him out as a disciple. This unexpected event truly gave Zhao Shen a considerable surprise.

Could this person really be exceptionally talented? This question had been lingering in Zhao Shen's mind.

This made him recall the advice given by Pan Zhi and Shen Jinchuan in front of the Chonggong Hall. In the end, Zhao Shen couldn't help but take a deep breath, thinking that perhaps the imperial examination system really needed to be reformed.

However, whether to reform or not was still under consideration. But when it came to Yang Hui's request for leave, seeing Yang Hui's determined face, Zhao Shen did not refuse and allowed him to take leave to handle personal matters. After leaving the imperial palace, Yang Hui headed straight for Chuzhou.

Compared to other places, Lin'an was warmer, especially at night, the beauty was breathtaking. Standing at a high place, one could see the beautiful scene of "ten thousand lights warming the spring breeze." At this moment, in a luxurious room, the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

A middle-aged man in purple robes sat at the table, savoring the West Lake Longjing tea, its fragrance delicate and fragrant like orchids. Below him stood a man dressed as a warrior, tall and muscular, with eagle-like eyes that were particularly sharp.

"Eagle, haven't you had any news for so long?" The man in purple frowned slightly, somewhat displeased.

The man named Eagle, cold as ice, bowed slightly in shame and said, "I am incompetent. Apart from a dead man in Qingliu County with a birthmark on his left arm, there has been no progress in the other counties and towns of Chuzhou..."

Upon hearing this, the man in purple's expression turned cold, and with a light snap of his fingers, the precious porcelain teacup shattered in his hand. "Chuzhou is just a small place. Is it so difficult for your men to find one person? How can I explain this to the master?"

"I know my crime!"

Seeing the man in purple's anger, Eagle hurriedly knelt on one knee and begged for mercy, "But you know, without alarming the authorities, we are already constrained! This birthmark on the left arm is like looking for a needle in the sea! Moreover..."

"Moreover what?"

Eagle swallowed hard and then said solemnly, "Moreover, according to reports from my men, there is another group investigating this matter, and they seem to have been better prepared than us! My clerk, Su Boyang, who was stationed in Qingliu County, once had a confrontation with this group in a land temple..."

"Another group? How is that possible?" The man in purple, after hearing Eagle's account, was skeptical of the truth of his words.

"I speak the absolute truth, I dare not hide anything from you or the master!"

The man in purple pondered for a moment, then nodded and said solemnly, "This matter is significant, I must report it to the master. Since there has been no progress, this person is likely no longer alive. Let's put this matter aside for now, perhaps the master is overthinking it!"

"What about me..."

"Your current task is to find out the background of this other group! Since they are also searching, why don't we wait and see? If the person we are looking for really exists, we might find clues from them..."

"Excellent plan!" The man in purple's analysis made Eagle's eyes light up, and he praised respectfully.

...

Fuzhou was extremely prosperous economically, one of the six major cities of the Song Dynasty. On a remote peak of Gushan, three figures stood in the fading light of the sunset.

One of them was dressed in a thick black cloak, his face obscured by a bronze mask, making it impossible to discern his true appearance.

The strong mountain breeze made his cloak flutter, but he stood with his hands behind his back, seemingly unaffected. Turning to the two women behind him, he asked softly, "Have you found him?"

If Ye Yu were there, he would recognize the two women behind him, who were none other than Liu Qianyu and Hu Meier from the Drunken Spring Pavilion. At this moment, they stood respectfully behind him, their expressions serious, not daring to speak out of turn.

"Liu Qianyu is incompetent and has failed to complete the task assigned by the master. I am willing to accept punishment!" Liu Qianyu's face, reddened by the cold wind, showed a hint of determination.

Hu Meier, however, pouted and sighed, "Master, it's not that we were ineffective, but another group got involved, disrupting our plans! That's why we had to retreat, this matter..."

"Did I ask you to speak!?" A cold, sinister voice came from the bronze mask. The man in black turned around and looked at Hu Meier coldly through the mask.

"I dare not! Please forgive me, Master!" Hu Meier, intimidated by the man in black, shivered, perhaps due to the mountain wind.

The man in black let out a cold snort, "You should learn from Qianyu. For a failure, there is no room for excuses!"

"Yes!" Hu Meier responded timidly.

"Never mind, I won't pursue this matter further. The task is over, you may leave." The man in black said indifferently, then turned away, ignoring the two women.

Liu Qianyu and Hu Meier exchanged a glance, then each left with their own thoughts.

Alone on the cliff, the man in black remained standing silently. After a long while, as the sunset faded, he sighed softly, "Are you really still alive?"

The man in black took out a silk handkerchief from his sleeve, on which were written four lines of poetry. He murmured to himself, "You must still be alive..."

...

The top three scholars in the imperial examination, including the状元, 榜眼, and 探花, were merely rankings. They were not, as in the plays, immediately appointed as imperial envoys.

It could only be said that the top three scholars would be given priority in future appointments, and the top scholar was often assigned to serve in the capital. As for the remote and harsh regions, if there were no special connections, they would be left to the last few scholars of the same batch.

Therefore, during this period of assignment, all the scholars were free, most of them riding high horses back to their hometowns to glorify their families. Pan Zhi and Shen Jinchuan, as scholars from Chuzhou, naturally returned to their hometowns together to visit their relatives.

As the pride of Chuzhou, the news of their return brought joy to the entire city, and the governor, Yue Lin, personally set up a banquet to celebrate for them. However, in this world, there are those who are successful, and there are those who are disheartened and unsuccessful.

Among the four people who drank wine on the boat on the Qingliu River, besides Ye Yu, there was also Li Mo. Li Mo was once so full of spirit, but now he had failed the examination.

If this had happened to someone else, it might have been fine, but now, with three people taking the exam and two of them topping the list, he had not even passed as a scholar. This great disparity made the always proud Li Mo too ashamed to face anyone.

Since returning home, he had not shown himself again.

In these days, Ye Yu often drank and discussed with Pan Zhi and Shen Jinchuan. During their conversations, they mentioned the advice they had given in the court, which surprised and moved Ye Yu. He was touched that they still thought of him, a disabled person, even in their moment of glory.

Ye Yu appreciated their kindness, but he did not have any hope for the matter.

Think about it, how could the advice of two newly passed scholars be taken seriously in the court? Being young and inexperienced, their words carried little weight, and this action would not only be ineffective but also give the emperor and the ministers the impression of being young and impetuous.

Pan Zhi and Shen Jinchuan stayed in Lian'an Prefecture for three days before returning to their hometowns. During this time, they had intended to invite their old friend Li Mo to catch up, but Li Mo, who now stayed indoors, politely declined.

Reflecting on these human relationships, after the banquet, Ye Yu looked at the bright moon in the sky and sighed, "The crescent moon shines over the nine provinces, some are happy, some are sad..."

This was both a reflection on the contrast between Li Mo and Pan and Shen, and a reflection on himself. However, his casual sigh was overheard by Yang Wanli, who was also at the banquet, and he responded with, "Worry is a human affair, let it be, let it be!"

Ye Yu's sigh and Yang Wanli's encouragement inadvertently formed a poem. From Yang Wanli's last two lines, Ye Yu could see the broad-mindedness of this great official.

However, after some thought, he suddenly realized that this poem was originally written by Yang Wanli. He smiled, thinking that it was a pleasure to exchange a few lines of poetry with the great poet Yang Wanli of the Southern Song Dynasty...

On the eighth day of the fourth month, the birthday of the Buddha, officials, gentry, and common people in Lian'an Prefecture all went to the Langya Temple on Langya Mountain to worship the deities. For a time, the Langya Temple was bustling with incense and a steady stream of visitors.

After requesting permission from Yue Lin to open mines and kilns in Yixing, he quickly received Yue Lin's approval. Therefore, in recent days, he had been busy building kilns in Yixing and had not paid attention to the Buddha's birthday.

Moreover, he was not a believer in deities and Buddhas, so he naturally did not care about such gatherings. However, while he did not take it seriously, the people around him did.

Early in the morning, Ye Yu was awakened by Qiulan and Su Yueyun, who said they wanted to go up the mountain to burn incense and pray for peace.

Ye Yu had wanted to sleep a bit longer, as he had been very tired in recent days, but seeing the enthusiasm of the two girls, he decided to accompany them. So the three of them set off lightly for Langya Mountain.

A winding mountain path extended from the foot to the top of the mountain. The quiet and ancient mountain path was bustling with people. He had not attended the tea competition on Langya Mountain last time, so this was his first visit.

Incense smoke wafted through the mountains, and the sound of bells echoed in his ears, as if he had entered a Chinese ink painting.

The Great Buddha Hall was filled with worshippers. The three of them waited in line for a long time before entering the hall to burn incense and pay respects to the Buddha.

Due to his wheelchair, Ye Yu waited in a corner of the hall, while Qiulan and Su Yueyun queued up to burn incense on his behalf.

(Starting a new book is not easy, please support...)

Previous page AD starts

Previous page AD ends