The gatekeeper was startled when he heard this, and looked up quickly. It was Qiu Yizi who came, so he said, "It is really the lord who has returned. Our leader Zhao also asked me to report to him as soon as I see the lord! Sir, please take it easy. I will go and report it right away." After that, he saluted and ran away.
Qiu Yizi didn't wait for him to come back. He waved his hand and led the group towards the county government office.
The residents of Shanyin County had not all returned yet, and only a few people were walking around, making the streets seem a little deserted. However, the debris left by the battle two months ago had been basically cleaned up, with only a few burnt areas still having some embers that had not been cleared away - which could be washed away with just a heavy rain.
While inspecting the street scene, Qiu Yi walked deeper into the county town. After walking a few steps, he saw Zhao Chengxiao, Wang Laowu and eight personal soldiers who stayed in the county town rushing over. When they came to Qiu Yi's horse, they saluted respectfully.
Although Qiu Yizhi and Zhao Chengxiao were of different ranks, he never treated him as an outsider. Seeing him salute him, he quickly dismounted, held Zhao Chengxiao's hand, and said, "Brother Zhao, stay here to manage the county for me. I see that the order is much better than before I left. Thank you for your hard work."
Zhao Chengxiao quickly said modestly, "It was all done by my brothers and Wang Laowu who helped me according to your instructions. I didn't really put in much effort." He suddenly changed the subject and said, "Speaking of which, there is one more matter that I need your decision on."
Seeing his serious expression, Qiu Yizi asked hurriedly, "What's the matter? Is it serious?"
Zhao Chengxiao replied, "It's nothing serious. There was just a scholar who came with a warrant from the Grand Prince, saying that he was ordered to help with some paperwork. I was not sure whether this man was really sent by the Grand Prince, so I did not let him into the county government office."
After hearing this, Qiu Yizi immediately fell into deep thought: "His Highness Zheng Xin mentioned more than once that he would send someone to help me deal with the matters in the county government. In fact, this 'help' was fake, and the real purpose was to put a nail in my side. That's why I pushed back softly several times and didn't agree explicitly. But I didn't expect Zheng Xin to be unyielding and actually sent someone directly over. With my personality, I would never allow someone to monitor me casually, not to mention that there is now a saint from the Tianzun Sect... However, His Highness must not be offended..."
The more Qiu Yizhi thought about it, the more confused he became. He asked Zhao Chengxiao, "Where is this person now?"
Zhao Chengxiao replied, "Although this man is a bit suspicious, he came with the warrant of the great prince after all, so I can't be too negligent. I rented a small house outside the county government office for him to live in, and he was well fed every day. He was also quite honest, and I didn't see him running around."
Qiu Yizi nodded and said, "This person was indeed sent by His Highness to help me. Brother Zhao's approach is very appropriate..." But he fell silent again.
Zhao Chengxiao had been with Qiu Yizhi for some time and knew Qiu Yizhi's temperament. Seeing his expression, he asked, "Sir, is this a bit difficult?"
It would not be a big deal for Qiu Yizhi to talk to Zhao Chengxiao about what was in her mind, but now there were so many people talking that she could not speak directly to him, so she said perfunctorily: "It's not difficult, let's not worry about him for now. Come, I made some good friends in Jinling City this time, I'll introduce them to you."
So Qiu Yizi introduced Lin Shuhan, Wu Ruofei and others to Zhao Chengxiao.
Zhao Chengxiao had heard of Lin Shuhan's name from Qiu Yizi before. Today was a formal meeting, so naturally there was some compliments and greetings.
Zhao Chengxiao had known Wen Lingjiao and He'er before, and he knew their background very well, but he didn't know why Qiu Yi's trip to Nanjing was related to them. Although Zhao Chengxiao had doubts in his heart, he didn't dare to ask them in person, and just greeted them briefly.
Although Qiu Yizi was in the middle of the introduction, she was still worried about how to accommodate the people sent by Zheng Xin, and she couldn't help feeling a little distracted.
Seeing this, Lin Shuhan, who was standing by, waved his fan and smiled as he moved to Qiu Yizhi's side. He asked in his ear, "Sir, do you think that the matter of His Highness sending someone here is very difficult and difficult to handle for the time being?"
Qiu Yizi knew that Lin Shuhan was a very intelligent person, so it was not surprising that he could guess her thoughts, so she nodded slightly as an acknowledgement.
Seeing this, Lin Shuhan smiled and said, "Your Excellency should be happy that His Majesty has sent a helper. Why should you be so sad? I think as long as this... "
As he spoke, Lin Shuhan whispered something, which made Qiu Yizi smile happily: "Mr. Lin is really talented. This way, we can have the best of both worlds."
He called the group of people and said, "Come, let's first pile all the luggage and valuables in the back hall of the county government office. As for how to accommodate the newcomers, let me think about it carefully."
After saying that, Qiu Yizi urged the Ferghana horse under his crotch and led everyone towards the government office.
After walking a few steps, Qiu Yizi saw a stranger standing at the gate of Shanyin County Government Office, who seemed to be welcoming him. But he heard Zhao Chengxiao say, "Well, this person was sent by His Highness. He knows some etiquette and knows to come and greet him in advance."
Qiu Yizi nodded, dismounted and stepped forward, bowed and saluted, saying: "This gentleman is the one sent by His Highness to guide the affairs of this county, right? May I know your name?"
The man also hurriedly bowed in return and said, "I am Xu Rong. I dare not call myself 'sir', let alone 'guide'. His Highness said that Master Qiu is a newly-appointed Jinshi. Although he is knowledgeable, he is a little unfamiliar with government affairs. Because His Highness has some friendship with Master Qiu, he sent me to help him handle some matters."
(Xu Rong - Zhang Yi)
Qiu Yizi heard that Xu Rong spoke in an orderly manner with a neither humble nor arrogant attitude. He was less than 40 years old, wearing a lake blue Confucian robe that was not gorgeous but very neat, and had a well-groomed goatee on his face, which made him look very capable. Therefore, Qiu Yizi did not dare to underestimate him.
So Qiu Yizhi said solemnly: "Mr. Xu is too modest. Your Highness is good at judging people. I am a newcomer. I am not good at writing a few pedantic articles, let alone governing a county. Mr. Xu's coming to me really helps me out of my urgent need. But I used to go to your house often when I was still in the capital, but I don't seem to have seen your face. I wonder where you worked before?"
This sentence is to inquire about Xu Rong's background.
Xu Rong pondered for a moment and said, "I am a Jinshi in the fifteenth year of Emperor Muzong's reign. I was previously an editor in the Hanlin Academy and only became your disciple at the beginning of this year. It's no wonder that Lord Qiu didn't recognize me."
Qiu Yizi was a little surprised when he heard this: You know, the fifteenth year of Emperor Muzong was only four years ago, and Xu Rong passed the imperial examination at the age of thirty-five or thirty-six. Although he could not be considered a young talent, he was not too late either. He had also worked as an official in the Hanlin Academy - it was a time when his future was bright. Why didn't he think about accumulating qualifications step by step and getting promoted steadily, but chose to take a shortcut by becoming a disciple of the prince
Thinking of this, Qiu Yizhi no longer dared to look down on the weak scholar in front of him: "So you are my predecessor's Hanlin, I am so rude!" He bowed deeply and said, "My Shanyin County is just a poor county, how can it accommodate such a great talent as you?"
"I wouldn't dare. Lord Qiu is ranked sixth in the second class, and one of the top ten talents in the Han Dynasty. I am honored to be ranked eighteenth in the second class, how dare I be so arrogant in front of you?" Xu Rong said.
The Han Dynasty's civil officials were very particular about seniority, and the ranking in the imperial examination was an important political asset. Qiu Yi's ninth place in the country - although he had the help of his father, the emperor, and his prime minister's teacher - was certainly a remarkable achievement, but Xu Rong's 21st place in the country was definitely not an unspeakable low ranking.
Therefore, when Xu Rong talked about his resume, he was very proud and an intoxicated smile appeared on his face.
But Lin Shuhan said coldly: "Mr. Xu is so knowledgeable, but he became a teacher under Mr. Qiu. It's really a cause for celebration!"
After hearing this obviously sarcastic remark, Xu Rong's smile froze. Seeing that the speaker was also dressed as a scholar, he asked with a serious face, "This gentleman's tone is ambiguous. May I know your name?"
Lin Shuhan sneered again: "I am also a teacher under Master Qiu, but I don't have such a great reputation as Mr. Xu."
After hearing this, Xu Rong thought to himself, "This man is very young, and it seems that he is just a scholar at best. With his knowledge and qualifications, he is not even qualified to be a husband, but he actually speaks in such an ambiguous and arrogant tone." An expression of disdain immediately appeared on his face.
Lin Shuhan was a smart man, so he guessed what Xu Rong was thinking. He sneered again and said, "I remember that I started learning at the age of five, and I won the first place in the county examination at the age of nine. Three years later, I took the Jiangnan provincial examination and was lucky enough to be selected as the first place in the provincial examination. It has been nearly twenty years..."
After hearing this, Xu Rong was shocked and stood still. His first reaction was: This person must be lying. Jiangnan is a place where literature flourished and the competition for imperial examinations has always been fierce. How could he be the first in the county examination at the age of nine and the first in the imperial examination at the age of twelve - this person must be bragging!
However, he changed his mind and thought: Every year, the examination results of each county, state, and province must be reported to the imperial court, and the rankings of the provincial examinations must be carved into a monument and erected in the Imperial Examination Hall. If he lied about this, not only would it be extremely easy to be exposed, but once revealed, he would surely be ruined - was what this man said really true
He recalled that more than ten years ago, when he was still studying hard, he seemed to have heard vaguely that a child prodigy had appeared in Jiangnan, who passed the imperial examinations and became a scholar. The literary world was in an uproar at the time, and everyone said that in a few years the title of top scholar would be in the pocket of this person - could it be the person in front of him
Xu Rong was just lost in thought when he heard Qiu Yizi say, "It's all my fault. I forgot to introduce you two. Mr. Xu, this is Mr. Han Lin, the famous 'Mr. Bansong' in Jinling City. I spent a lot of effort and asked for a favor from Mr. Mo to invite him to my place. I don't dare to call him master, but half teacher and half friend!"
Xu Rong was completely convinced after hearing this. Although Mr. Bansong was not keen on fame for some reason, his poetry, calligraphy and painting were very famous in the literary world. Xu Rong had heard of it. Although he had fame, other than that, he could not compare with him in terms of fame and knowledge.
But Qiu Yizhi continued, "It doesn't matter. Since Mr. Xu was recommended by His Majesty, I will certainly not treat him unfairly. Mr. Xu is the same as Mr. Lin. There will be no difference at all."
Xu Rong's initial momentum had been mostly crushed, and after hearing Qiu Yizhi's arrangement, he was even more convinced, and hurriedly bowed and said, "Then I would like to thank you first!" (To be continued)