Zhaofuzi Temple is located at the south gate of Fuyang City. As the world collapsed, the incense disappeared in the past few years. Even the stone statue of the Confucius was already stained with mud.
The cold wind blew in through the broken temple window, stirring up dead leaves and dust all over the place.
But fortunately, it is rare for someone to burn three sticks of incense in Zhaofuzi Temple today. In the winter when everything is withered, the whole temple finally has a trace of vitality.
"Brother Mu, I only drank eight bowls. If I get back later, I'm afraid the soup will be caked with oil."
Xu Mu stretched out his hand and gave a chestnut.
Then, he slowly raised his head and saw a figure sitting in front of the temple.
Sitting on the floor, he wore a plain robe that had been washed white and had three or four patches on it. Probably warming himself by the fire, his calm face was filled with the brightness of the fire.
His face was thin but as fair as jade, and his goatee on his chin was neatly smoothed.
As if feeling something strange, the man raised his head, looked at Xu Mu, and smiled slightly.
"Meet King Xu Shu."
The voice is neither urgent nor slow, like pearls and jade falling on a silver plate.
Undoubtedly, this person is the one in Jia Zhouxin.
The jealousy of God, the talent of the number one scholar?
Xu Mu stepped closer and paused deliberately, only to find that the scholar-looking man in front of him showed no sign of getting up.
Xu Mu was unhappy. If you are someone who is proud of your talents, you will inevitably have a competitive temperament and will not be very useful.
"Si Hu, go and guard the edge."
Sihu, who was still thinking about the mutton soup, wished it would end soon, so he hurriedly cleaned up the old road with dead trees and rocks in front of the temple.
"I don't know Dongfang Jing, but I have met the King of Shu."
The voice is still elegant, and the body is still not up.
Xu Mu was silent for a while, then raised his hand in return.
The goat-bearded scholar raised his face, but his tone remained calm, "Don't blame me, King Shu. It's not that you don't know etiquette, but that you can't get up."
"I am disabled."
Xu Mu's face was startled. Before he could speak, the scholar had already lifted his winter robe, revealing a pair of wrinkled legs.
"I am rude." Xu Mu exhaled and without any hesitation, he also sat on the ground around the bonfire.
"The teacher asked me to come here to wait for you. I can guess that this time, he wants me to go out with the army to defeat the tiger barbarians and gain military glory."
"teacher?"
"A capable person is a teacher." Dongfang Jing said with a smile.
"What do you think, sir?"
"I have no way out." Dongfang Jing calmly turned his head and looked at Xu Mu, "King Xu Shu, give me a way, and I will follow you."
"What if I refuse."
"I make money by copying books, and my brother and sister-in-law support me until I grow old and die. Then I turn into a handful of loess and blow it into the mountains and forests of Shuzhou."
"Sir, the surname is Dongfang. He is not from an ordinary family."
"In the old days of Emperor Wen, my ancestor was a censor. His family fell into decline, and he settled in Shuzhou decades ago to take root."
Emperor Wen of the Ji Dynasty was at least more than a hundred years ago.
"The military advisor said you have the talent to be the top scholar."
Dongfang Jing was silent for a while, "In the 17th year of Emperor Xingwu's reign, I was the number one scholar in the imperial examination."
Xu Mu opened his eyes wide and looked at the monsters he encountered.
Little Marquis was the number one scholar in the thirteenth year of Xingwu, and Chang Silang was the number one scholar in the fifteenth year of Xingwu. Good guy, the person in front of me was also the number one scholar in the seventeenth year of Xingwu.
The Grand Examination of the Ji Dynasty is held every two years, and all the co-authors have failed.
But the dynasty at that time was already ready to collapse.
"My family is in decline. I just want to try once and try to revive our family." Dongfang Jing sighed, lowered his head and looked at his legs.
"My legs... After thanking me, I walked out of the palace and was retaliated by a group of officials' students. I remember clearly that a total of nine horses trampled on my leg bones."
"The official office didn't dare to take care of it, the Dali department didn't dare to take care of it. The prime minister in the court gave an order to throw me out of Changyang. In the end, it was the young marquis who secretly asked someone to find the doctor and the carriage and throw me away. Send it back to Shuzhou."
Xu Mu was silent for a long time.
He could imagine how desperate Dongfang Jing felt on the streets of Changyang with both legs broken. Ten years of studying hard in a cold window resulted in a pair of broken legs.
"What did sir do?"
Dongfang Jing was as calm as ever, "After the imperial examination, the prime minister asked me to compose an impromptu poem. But I composed a poem about border service to the country."
Xu Mu was furious in his heart. Even though Xiao Yuanlu went to the eighteenth level of hell, he still wanted to scold him. There might be something wrong with this bitch. He always wanted him to compose poems and praise his bullshit achievements.
Chang Silang collapsed in the palace. His family was rich and powerful, and the young marquis was the guarantor, and the compensation was one hundred thousand taels.
But the Dongfang Jing in front of him, his family was in decline, and he was just a student who went to the capital. If you don't get into the dye vat, it's a dead end.
"Sir, have you ever regretted it?"
Dongfang Jing shook his head, "At that time, I relied on my bookishness to think that I could enter the court to save the country and save the people. Later I found out that my thinking was too simple. Scholars saving the country was originally a fallacy."
"Troubled times cannot be stopped, and a dynasty in troubled times cannot be saved."
"Mr. Dongfang is a great talent."
Xu Mu suddenly understood why Jia Zhou chose this person. It is not only the talent and learning of the number one scholar, but what is even more valuable is a pure heart.
Moreover, Jia Zhou's move actually has another reason. If he accepts Dongfang Jing, then it means that this is a timely help.
After all, looking at the whole world, not many people are willing to let a lame man serve as a military advisor.
Helping others in times of need, Dongfang Jing will only be more effective in the future.
"Mr. Dongfang, let me ask one more question, how did you meet Military Master Jia?"
Dongfang Jing smiled and said, "That day I was digging a pit for fishing outside Chengdu. Others thought I was a fool and passed it around. In the end, Mr. Jia was caught by me."
"Good plan." Xu Mu also laughed.
Dongfang Jing still spoke calmly, "However, the King of Shu needs to understand. In the future, my disabled body, Dongfang Jing, will be inconvenient even for marching, fighting, and planning strategies."
"It's okay. In my heart, Xu Mu, the great righteousness of my husband means that even if he has no legs, he is still my thigh and humerus."
Dongfang Jing lowered his head, and after a while, when he raised his head again, there were tears in his eyes.
In the cold wind, the jealous man of the last Dynasty, who was the number one scholar in the last years of the dynasty, leaned down to worship with great difficulty.
"Dongfang Jing, my cousin is Bolie, pay my respects to my lord!"
"good!"
Xu Mu was overjoyed and said, "It will be a great event for me to win my husband."
Dongfang Jing, who was prostrating on the ground, was slowly helped up by Xu Mu.
"Sir, you must be freezing after sitting for a long time. How about you come with me to drink some mutton soup to warm yourself up?"
"My lord, go first. My brother will be here later."
"No need to bother."
Xu Mu bent down and carried Dongfang Jing on his back. Vaguely, through the thick robe, he only felt a little wet on his back.
"Si Hu, go back and eat mutton soup!"
Si Hu, who was picking the cow's nose, heard Xu Mu's words and immediately ran over in a hurry and grabbed Dongfang Jing into his arms.
Then, he ran forward furiously.
"Si Hu, don't fucking throw me, sir!"
"Don't worry, Brother Mu, the mutton soup can't be dropped... No, sir, you can't drop it!"
In the cold wind, Xu Mu could only see the eyes of the No. 1 scholar in the 17th year of Emperor Xingwu's reign, full of expectations for the future.
