"You've been staring at it for half an hour. Why don't you say anything? Tell me, is my painting good or bad?"
"Hmm? You know I'm a layman, how can I understand this kind of thing? I think I've improved a lot compared to before, but..."
"But what?"
"But...the tits in your painting look like they were just painted on. They are not as lifelike as those in Mr. Lin's painting. They seem like they will fly out of the paper at any moment."
"Aren't you talking nonsense? Mr. Lin is such a talented person, and he has practiced for such a long time to have such skills. How long have I learned from him? How can I have his ability?"
"Haha, you are wrong. Isn't the purpose of becoming a disciple to avoid taking detours and take shortcuts? If you are still studying step by step like ordinary people, why bother becoming a disciple of a famous and strict teacher like Mr. Lin?"
… …
In a quiet courtyard, a man and a woman were flirting with each other in front of a newly painted picture of "Tits Playing on Branches".
The woman who was painting was named Wen Lingjiao, a saint of the once powerful Tianzun Sect. She had millions of followers and countless experts to protect her. However, exactly one year ago, her brother, Wen Honghui, the leader of Tianzun Sect, failed and drowned, and the powerful people in the martial arts world that Tianzun Sect had spent a lot of effort to win over were also wiped out - even Wen Honghui, the leader of Tianzun Sect, was opened and his body was mutilated and his head was displayed to the public. Since then, the Tianzun Sect, which had been raging for hundreds of years, disappeared, and Wen Lingjiao, the saint, naturally could no longer continue to be the leader.
Qiu Yizhi, who was answering Wen Lingjiao, was the one who single-handedly wiped out the Tianzun Sect. He was originally an orphan who was about to die of hunger and cold, but by chance, he was recognized as a son of a spoiled child by the then Youyan King Zheng Rong. Since then, Qiu Yizhi has relied on his intelligence and wisdom to serve under his adoptive father, Youyan King, and has repeatedly entered the capital, subdued famous generals, and forced the emperor to death, making great contributions to Zheng Rong's successful "rebellion".
However, Qiu Yizi, who had made great contributions, was unwilling to serve as a general or a prime minister in the imperial court in order to avoid being abandoned after his death. Instead, he chose to be a small seventh-rank county magistrate in Shanyin County, Yuezhou Prefecture, Jiangnan Road, a place that was neither poor nor rich.
However, people who are full of right and wrong will always be accompanied by right and wrong.
After Qiu Yizi arrived in Shanyin County, he solved the thirteen murders, cleansed the Jiangnan officialdom, wiped out the Japanese pirates, made friends with the big sea merchants, and eradicated the Tianzun Sect. He did not have even a few days of free time. His actions enabled the illegitimate emperor Zheng Rong to gain a firm foothold in Jiangnan, which had no foundation and was the basis of the world's money and grain. His throne became more and more stable from then on.
In order to reward and thank Qiu Yizi for his great contribution, Emperor Zheng Rong not only tacitly approved the commission of several thousand taels of silver that Qiu Yizi received from several big businessmen every month, but also granted him the command of two hundred elite militia, and conferred him the title of marquis. Although he was only a small county magistrate, he had already held the highest position among officials.
While Qiu Yizi was talking to Wen Lingjiao, they heard two gentle knocks on the half-closed door, and a timid voice came: "Sir, there is someone outside who wants to see you..." Qiu Yizi stood up and looked outside the door. It turned out to be Wang Laowu, his subordinate who was in charge of delivering orders and running errands. He was standing sideways at the door and talking to the inside.
He was talking to Wen Lingjiao, and was immediately displeased by his interruption. He asked with a stern face, "Can't you see I'm busy? Who is looking for me?"
Wang Laowu was stunned by his blunt tone, and his previously fragmentary words suddenly became a little dull: "It's Liu... Liu... Liu Jiedu..."
"Humph!" Qiu Yizi sneered, "It's Liu Qing again. Is he going to ask me to borrow troops to suppress the bandits again? Didn't I tell him that for matters like this, just let him go find Zhao Chengxiao. You can go down now!"
Before Qiu Yizhi finished speaking, he heard laughter coming from outside the door: "I didn't expect that after not seeing you for three years, you would be so arrogant that even the General Zhendong and the Jiedushi of Jiangnan Road couldn't see you?"
Qiu Yizhi heard the voice sounded kind and familiar. Suddenly, she saw the person who spoke pushed the door open and immediately smiled. She took two steps forward and shook the person's hand: "So... it turned out that the third brother came. Why didn't you inform me?"
The man who came was half a head taller than Qiu Yizi, but had a very handsome face. The brocade robe he was wearing, although not very luxurious, was neatly and meticulously arranged. At first glance, it was obvious that he was not an ordinary person.
The man glanced at Qiu Yizi's study and smiled, "Brother, you are living a very comfortable life! Apart from other things, this garden alone is rare in the capital. It is not even found in several royal palaces. I am afraid that only my father's imperial garden can be compared with it."
Qiu Yizi then smiled and said, "Third brother, you know how to tease people. Don't you know me? I always do things in a very sloppy way, how can I decorate this garden? In fact, it was all done according to the ideas of Mr. Bansong, Lin Shuhan. I have lived here for half a year, but I haven't figured out the tricks. I just feel comfortable."
"That's no wonder. Mr. Lin is an expert in both calligraphy and painting. Since it is a garden designed by him, it is naturally unique." He suddenly sighed, "It's a pity that we are so busy with worldly affairs that we don't have the time to build a garden, let alone spend time to enjoy it even if it is completed and placed in front of us! You are so lucky, my dear brother!"
Qiu Yizi heard the implication of these words, and seemed to blame himself for being immersed in the mountains and rivers and not being able to contribute to national affairs. He felt bad, so he had to cough lightly and scold Wang Laowu: "Laowu, how did you pass on this military order? This is my third brother, the third prince of the emperor, why didn't you report your name? You have been working for me for so long, don't you even know this little rule?"
Wang Laowu scratched his head and was about to explain, but he heard the man say, "Don't blame him, my dear brother. I specifically told him not to report it. It's none of his business."
The so-called "Third Prince" is named Zheng Miao. He is a law-abiding person, thoughtful and considerate in his work, and extremely kind and benevolent. He is the most valued among the three sons of Emperor Zheng Rong. He has expressed in front of Qiu Yizi several times that he wants to make him the crown prince to inherit the throne.
Qiu Yizi knew that Zheng Miao was currently in charge of several affairs in the court and was an indispensable figure around Emperor Zheng Rong and Prime Minister Zhongli Kuang. However, he did not know why Zheng Miao would abandon the complicated government affairs in the court and run to the remote small county of Shanyin to find his sworn brother Qiu Yizi.
However, the only thing that is certain is that with Zheng Miao's calm personality, he would never leave the court just because he missed his brother. There must be a big reason. Therefore, Qiu Yizhi ordered Wang Laowu loudly: "Laowu, go to Mr. Lin and tell him that a distinguished guest has arrived. I will ask Miss Wu to cook a few of her specialties today, and we will have dinner together tonight."
Wang Laowu agreed and ran away.
Qiu Yizhi watched Wang Laowu leave, and then saw the governor Liu Qing standing at the door, so she called out, "General Liu, why don't you come in and talk?"
Liu Qing was a general who came from the old Youyan Palace. He knew that the two brothers must have something important to talk about when they got together. Although he was mediocre in his military career, he was not a bad guy. He didn't want to get involved in the brothers' affairs at all. He quickly saluted outside the door and said, "It's not right for me to listen in on what your two princes are talking about. I think today is a good day, why don't I guard the door for you two, just like we did in Guangyang!" After that, he stepped back a few steps and stood far away under a ginkgo tree outside the door.
"Be sensible!" Qiu Yizi said in his heart.
Wen Lingjiao also put down her pen and said, "You two can't just sit there doing nothing. I'll make some tea for you. But we've run out of tea here, so please wait a little longer."
Qiu Yizi glanced at the tea set placed on the treasure chest in the study, and had already guessed what Wen Lingjiao was thinking, so she nodded slightly and let her go out.
Seeing that there was no one else in the room, Zheng Miao relaxed a little, took a chair and sat down, and said, "This girl has an extraordinary appearance and quiet manners. It seems that I admire her. I wonder where she is from? Do you want me to act as a matchmaker for you and introduce you to someone else?"
Qiu Yizi smiled bitterly: "Hey! I may have to tell a few lies to others, but I dare not hide anything from you, Third Brother. This woman is Wen Lingjiao."
"What? She is Wen Lingjiao, the Saintess of Tianzun Sect?" Zheng Miao exclaimed, and then returned to normal. "This woman is a bowl of disaster, how could she be in my hands?"
Qiu Yizi shook his head and said, "Third brother has a sharp eye. I am indeed in love with Miss Wen. Now that the Tianzun Sect has been destroyed, she is no longer the saint of the Tianzun Sect. Besides, the emperor had previously issued an oral order, saying that her sins were pardoned, so I kept her by my side."
Zheng Miao nodded very seriously, thought for a moment and said: "If you think about it carefully, it will be more beneficial than harmful to the local area, the court, and the country if such a woman is taken care of by you. But please listen to my advice, she is a person of right and wrong after all, you still have to be careful!"
Qiu Yizi didn't want to go into details on this topic, so she agreed a few times and then changed the subject, saying with a smile: "Third brother is a very busy man. After talking for such a long time, I haven't asked him why he had time to come to my place?"
After hearing this, Zheng Miao's face suddenly became gloomy. "I should indeed talk to you about this matter. You know that the prince of Lingnan, Zheng Nuo, is now in the capital. In name, he is studying at the Imperial College and learning government affairs, but in fact he is a hostage. However, last month, news came that the princess of Lingnan, Zheng Nuo's biological mother, passed away. Our Han Dynasty governs the world with filial piety. It is reasonable, public and private that we should let Zheng Nuo go back to mourn..."
Qiu Yizhi paused after hearing what Zheng Miao said, and then continued, "We should be flexible in this matter, right? How can we let the tiger go back to the mountain and leave trouble behind just because of such a trivial matter?"
Zheng Miao nodded. "My father and Master Zhongli also meant the same thing. They gave Zheng Nuo a sinecure as the Minister of Works, but also kept him in office on the pretext that he was busy with ministry affairs, and asked him to stay in Beijing to observe the mourning period. However, they wanted to make sure that the King of Lingnan was not treated too badly during the grand ceremony, so they sent me to Lingnan to attend the funeral on behalf of Zheng Nuo."
Qiu Yizi frowned and said, "This is overcorrecting. It was the Princess of Lingnan who died, not the King of Lingnan himself. The Emperor could have just sent an idle official like the Doctor of the Ministry of Rites as an imperial envoy. Why did he send my third brother to a place as smoky and humid as Lingnan?"
Zheng Miao suddenly laughed out loud: "Haha. Wasn't this all caused by my brother? Why are you blaming the court for not doing things properly today?" (To be continued)