Xu Pingsheng was in a bad mood.
After returning from the Yamen, he hid in the house and drank, one drink after another, until he was extremely drunk, sitting at his desk, snoring deafeningly.
Xu Xingmu opened the door and covered his father with a thin blanket. He was quite surprised to see that the house was in a mess. How could his father, who usually only drank in Goulan, be so indulgent at home today?
Could it be to celebrate his son's awakening to the blood of the Poet Saint?
But looking at Dad's dark face when he entered the house, it was clear that he had come back after being wronged.
Could it be that Magistrate Zhu gave him another problem?
While making random guesses, Xu Pingsheng suddenly jumped up in his sleep, closed his eyes and cursed, "Zhu Rushi! You bastard! Why don't you let my Feng Lin sign the poem he wrote? You're bullying me too. Forget it, now you are bullying my son again, I, I, I will fight with you!"
Father Xu grabbed his hands in the air. Although he was drunk and had his eyes closed, he could accurately hit Xu Xingmu's chest every time. His technique was very professional. It seemed that Goulan had practiced on the girls when he was listening to music.
Fortunately, he went drunk for a while and then continued to sleep soundly. Otherwise, Xu Xingmu would have suffered a small loss, but if the Wang County Cheng family next door heard about it, the matter would have been serious.
Insulting a leader behind his back is a serious crime!
"Dad, it's true, how big of a deal is it for you to torment yourself like this?"
Xu Xingmu's mind was spinning and he had figured out the whole story.
It was simply that Zhu Zhixian recognized the importance of the poem and did not want to take all the credit, so he erased his signature and submitted it to the Hanlin Academy in the name of Taoyuan County.
In this way, once the poem passes the test and shines at the feet of the emperor, since there is no author's signature, all the awards from the capital will naturally fall on Zhu Rushi, the leader of Taoyuan County.
Daxia's officialdom has always been like this. No matter how dark it is, secret operations are commonplace, so it's not surprising.
Xu Xingmu disagreed with this. Since he has five thousand years of Chinese poetry in his heart, when can he not show his holiness in front of others?
He smiled freely and turned to clean up the mess in the house for his father.
After working for a long time, I discovered that the robe my father used to wrap his poems seemed to have been left in the Yamen. I had nothing to do, so I decided to be more diligent and go to the Yamen to retrieve it.
When Mao Shi arrived, Xu Xingmu held up an oil-paper umbrella and walked slowly into the rainy night.
…
At the same time, the fast horse from the capital rode through the wind and rain. After many twists and turns, it finally arrived in Taoyuan County before dawn.
"This rain is like a falling sword, it scratches people's skin and flesh!"
Lin Qing, a student at the Hanlin Academy, rode across a long bluestone street, cursed and hid under the eaves of a house.
The white horse was resting aside, playing in the rain.
He took out a topographic map of Taoyuan County from his pocket and planned to find the location of the Yamen.
For this trip to Taoyuan County, Lin Qing spent a lot of money.
Just one topographic map cost eight taels of silver.
The price of the white horse is far higher than the market price, requiring a full one hundred and seventy-five taels of silver! It's a bit dark, but fortunately the propaganda of "traveling thousands of miles a day never stops tiring" is not false.
No, after running all night, the white horse is still alive and kicking, and the journey of a thousand miles seems like a joke.
In addition to the topographic map and the white horse, there is also 5,000 taels of labor fees specially prepared for this mysterious poetry genius in Taoyuan County. This is the big deal! The talent introduction fee is so high that Lin Qing has to spend all his wealth over the years to make up for it.
"When you return to the capital, you must ask Mr. Wang for verification immediately, so as to avoid a long night and many dreams."
Lin Qing muttered twice, then opened the terrain map, glanced at it, and then froze on the spot.
Since entering Tianlong Province, the rain has been lingering. Lin Qing rode a horse in the rain for several hours. Although he was wearing a raincoat, he still couldn't stop the heavy rain. His coat was soaked, and he hid the topographic map in his arms. Nature is not immune.
The fonts and landmark buildings in the picture have been invaded by the penetrating rainwater, making them wet and sticky. How can they be distinguished?
Fortunately, he had the foresight to hide the five thousand taels of silver notes in a private place and keep them dry under the body heat, otherwise he would spurt blood.
"Damn it! Didn't the merchant selling the pictures say they are waterproof!"
Lin Qing threw the picture to the ground and was furious, "People from the Hanlin Academy dare to cheat. I will blow up his shop when I get back!"
At this time, the heavy rain was still falling. Lin Qing looked up at the sky. The rain and fog were thick and there was no sign of stopping.
It made his mood worse.
Although Taoyuan County is far less majestic than the capital city, it is still a county. He, a foreigner, has just arrived. Without a topographic map, how can he find the location of the Yamen on this rainy night?
Time waits for no one!
When I was at my wits' end, a strange song suddenly floated from the corner of the street ahead, "Let all this heavy rain fall, so that you can't see the struggle on my face, let it all end, and speak your mind..."
The singing is lingering and intoxicating, unlike the style of the Daxia Dynasty.
"This tune has a bit of a southern flavor..."
Lin Qing listened and looked up, only to see a rather handsome young man walking slowly from the wind and rain.
He held an oil-paper umbrella and walked alone in the cold wind and rain, accompanied only by songs, which made him look so lonely and meaningful.
"This brother!"
Lin Qing suddenly stepped forward wearing a raincoat, "Excuse me, may I ask how to get to the Taoyuan County Yamen?"
"Damn it! Why is there someone here? Did he hear me singing?"
Xu Xingmu's singing stopped suddenly, and his toes immediately scratched the ground.
The scene of social death!
"Ahem!"
Xu Xingmu glanced at the other person. He was a young man, good-looking, 80% as handsome as himself. Although he was wet and looked a little embarrassed, the nobility between his eyebrows could not be wiped away by rain.
Not an ordinary person!
Xu Xingmu blinked and quickly assumed a humble posture, "The Yamen is not far away. I happen to be going there, why don't we come together?"
"So good!"
Lin Qing was overjoyed that this person was so easy to talk to. The people in Taoyuan County were simple and honest!
He immediately took the white horse and said with a smile, "Brother, please."
"please."
Xu Xingmu was leading the way, keeping half a body distance from him. Amidst the sound of the falling wind and rain, he suddenly asked, "My name is Xu Fenglin, and I work in the Yamen. I wonder where Xiongtai is from?"
"I'm Lin Qing."
The waiter read back, "He's from the capital."
"It turns out to be a noble person from above!"
Xu Xingmu looked slightly frightened, "I wonder why you are going to the Yamen?"
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he seemed to feel that it was inappropriate. He quickly waved his hands and said with a smile, "Look at my mouth. If it's not convenient for Brother Lin to say it, just pretend that I didn't ask."
Lin Qing smiled, but as expected she didn't speak, which made Xu Xingmu feel embarrassed.
There was no more words to say all the way.
The two of them walked silently, crossing three streets, passing three martial arts schools, four restaurants, and five teahouses, and stopped quietly at the end of the long southeast street.
The Taoyuan County government office has arrived.
