Before Shangguan Min could react, Fang Zilan had asked Deputy General Cao to help her find a pile of small stones and placed them in front of her, "I accepted the apprenticeship ceremony. You go over there and continue practicing your spear. I will use these stones to attack you later." , If you can’t avoid it, you don’t have to eat today.”
"Ah?" Shangguan Min was stunned and asked, "Do you want to avoid them all?"
Fang Zilan picked up a small stone and said, "As long as you can dodge one, you win."
Shangguan Min looked confused, and Fang Zilan played with the small stone, "If you stand here and let me hit you, I don't have any objection." As soon as she finished speaking, she hit the small stone in her hand.
Shangguan Min couldn't dodge and was hit in the arm. He quickly picked up the gun and stood back.
Wen Ya looked at Shangguan Min who was waiting with sympathy, "I'm afraid this child won't be able to eat today."
A Wan gloated: "Who told him not to learn well, and Xu Shenjun, why did he teach him to drink when he had nothing to do? General Huangfu Xin made a mistake after drinking, so he just behaved like a gentleman, otherwise he wouldn't have any chance. Is he alive?"
"Although that's what I say..." Vice Admiral Cao began to plead, "But Shangguan Min is pitiful after all. Why don't you, boss, be gentler?"
"Be gentle?" Fang Zilan raised her eyebrows, half-smiling, and hit the target with a shot of the small stone in her hand.
Vice General Cao turned his head away and did not dare to speak casually anymore, for fear that if he said one more word of mercy, Fang Zilan would become even more merciless.
After ten small stones, Shangguan Min's moves were obviously a little messed up.
Fang Zilan said while picking small stones: "I won't move if the enemy doesn't move. If you mess up your position, doesn't it give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of it?"
Shangguan Min paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and became much more steady with each move.
"Children can be taught." Wen Ya nodded slightly, and A Wan came over with the soup, "If Shangguan Min can't hide, he won't really have to practice for a whole day, right?"
Fang Zilan did not answer, but looked at Deputy General Cao and said, "Old Cao, go find some more small stones for me. This pile is not enough."
Hearing that Awan was silent, Wen Ya smiled and said, "Master Fang's habit of venting anger on others is not good."
"Do I have it?" Fang Zilan innocently threw another small stone and reached out to take Awanduan's medicine cup.
Wen Ya said tepidly: "Xu Can's army is far away in the north, so Master Fang can only vent his anger on Shangguan Min, right?"
"If you don't learn well, who can blame you?" Fang Zilan drank it all in one gulp and frowned because of the pain of the medicine. "Even if you drink alcohol, you must have moderation. What problem in the world cannot be solved by getting drunk and talking to strangers?" "
Shangguan Min listened to the conversation of several people intermittently, and raised his voice: "Master Fang, I know I was wrong."
Fang Zilan hummed, then picked up a small stone and threw it out. Shangguan Min was still hit hard.
The two of them fought and dodged until dinner.
It gets dark early in winter, and when twilight sets in, Shangguan Min still can't escape even a small stone.
Fang Zilan threw out the last small stone, stood up and said, "That's it, let's go have dinner."
Shangguan Min lowered his head and whispered, "I'm not going."
Fang Zilan's legs and feet were numb after sitting for a long time, so she lightly stamped her feet, "Why, are you not convinced?"
"Come back tomorrow." Shangguan Min raised his head suddenly, with obvious unwillingness in his eyes.
"Okay." Fang Zilan was unsteady, and Shangguan Min quickly walked over and held her arm, "Master Fang, you..."
"It doesn't matter." Fang Zilan pushed Shangguan Min's hand away calmly, "Since I have accepted you as my disciple, these are nothing. Don't worry, I will be fine."
Shangguan Min bit his lip and said, "Master Fang, I will not let you down."
"I know." Fang Zilan's lips curled up slightly and she said word by word: "You have never let me down."
*
In the early morning of the next day, Fang Zilan woke up very early and said that she wanted to guide Shangguan Min in her morning class. Shangguan Min was even more diligent and went to practice before dawn.
Awan was sleepy-eyed and put on some clothes randomly. Looking at Fang Zilan who was neatly dressed, she couldn't stop complaining in her heart. However, before she could say anything, Xiao Xuan'er knocked on the door.
"Miss Awan is working hard, you might as well let me take care of Master Fang and share some of the burden." Xiao Xuan'er smiled, "After all, I have too much leisure every day, and I really feel bad about it."
Awan looked at Fang Zilan, then at Xiao Xuan'er, and finally said, "Then there is Sister Lao Xiao."
Fang Zilan took Xiao Xuan'er outside Tingxuan, greeted Shangguan Min, then walked in and sat inside.
Xiao Xuan'er lowered her voice, "Master Fang, don't you need to avoid Shangguan Min?"
Fang Zilan held the hand warmer and watched Shangguan Min walk to the open space and start practicing, "His hearing is not that good, so don't worry."
While Xiao Xuan'er was boiling water, she said: "A lot of things have happened in the capital these past few days since Mr. Fang was ill, but I really have no chance to report it."
"I asked you to report the news in Beijing to me during my daily morning exercises. However, I stopped my morning exercises because of my illness. No wonder you." Fang Zilan said softly: "Tell me, what happened in Beijing?" ?”
"The Ministry of Personnel has recommended many new people to various departments in the government. Most of these new people are children from poor families and disciples of the prime minister's house." Xiao Xuan'er stirred the charcoal, "But even though they are disciples of the prime minister's house, many of them are originally from the prime minister's house like Wu Sheng. A scholar who was born in a prefecture or county and later became a scholar in the Prime Minister's Mansion."
Fang Zilan pondered for a moment and said, "Don't all the governments and ministries have any objections?"
"Some people participated before, but they were rejected by Lord Zhuge Ming in front of His Majesty in the court." Xiao Xuan'er saw that the water was boiling and started to make tea. "Now all the government and ministries know that this matter is your Majesty's." I don’t dare to come forward casually. What’s more, there will be a group of new people who will take office after the new year. Each government and department has a headache. They are all finalizing the list and do not care about any objections. "
"This is interesting." Fang Zilan folded her sleeves, "Zhuge Ming paved the way for A Yu and refuting the imperial censor is justified, but why did A Yu push a junior from a humble family and a disciple of the Prime Minister to the position, and get His Majesty's approval?"
Xiao Xuan'er poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Fang Zilan, "This matter is not without reason. Dajing relied on the nine princes to establish the country, and the emperors of the past dynasties showed great favor to the princes' families. As a result, most of the people in the court were children of aristocratic families. The trend of cliques and private interests is growing day by day. If this situation cannot be broken, I am afraid that the path of the children from poor families will be blocked sooner or later."
Fang Zilan took a sip of tea and said, "I have heard a little about what you said, but what role did the Prime Minister play in this? It's really intriguing."
"Your Majesty has been neglecting the Fang family for a long time, but..." Xiao Xuan'er hesitated and said: "In the two years since your Majesty took the throne, there have been rumors that your Majesty neglected the Fang family deliberately for the sake of the Queen."
"For the Empress?" Fang Zilan frowned slightly, Xiao Xuan'er nodded and said: "Yes, the palace has nothing to offer, but His Majesty has never selected a concubine, let alone favored others. Occasionally, ministers have written letters, but they have been shelved. Your Majesty Such a move can never be overstated."
Seeing that Fang Zilan was silent, Xiao Xuan'er continued: "I heard that when His Majesty was still His Highness King Xiang, in order to marry the Queen, he vowed to marry her only in this life and not to accept concubines or dote on concubines. Only then did the Prime Minister do this. I agreed to the marriage."
