Zhou Daru asked Ji Changze to come in person, which actually had no other meaning.
I just want to express it more solemnly.
Furthermore, how can anyone become a disciple only based on letters
But he never expected that Ji Changze would arrive so quickly.
It had only been three days since the letter was sent.
Zhou Daru's son happened to come back to visit him that day.
It is not easy to come back. Although the officials of the imperial court have holidays, these holidays only total fifteen days a year.
Everyone knows the ancient journey.
The place where Zhou Daru's son was an official was far away from the place where Zhou Daru lived in seclusion, and it would take ten days to go back and forth.
So every time he saves up for a year's leave, and when he has enough leave, he comes to visit his father.
Of course, it is impossible for all officials to have only fifteen days of vacation a year. Those high-ranking officials who can speak up to the emperor can ask for leave.
As long as your son is old enough, even a few years of paid leave is no problem.
But obviously Zhou Daru's son is not included in this list.
He could only stay in his father's small yard for five days this time, so the father and son cherished this time very much.
After arriving home the night before, the next day Zhou Daru was so happy that he asked people to drink wine and set a table for himself and his son.
What made him most happy was that his daughter-in-law and grandchildren also came this time.
He and his daughter-in-law didn't say a word because of the difference between men and women, but the sweet sound of his grandchildren calling him grandfather made Zhou Daru's heart melt.
Facing his well-behaved, smart, and very sensible grandchildren, the uneasiness and guilt he felt these days about agreeing to take on a disciple for money gradually faded away.
His son is not a very promising type, and his daughter-in-law's family doesn't have much money. If he doesn't take care of the younger generation, will he see his grandchildren living as hard as he did when he was young
Because he had figured out the problems that had been troubling him these days, Zhou Daru felt more free and easy when drinking with his son.
"How are you doing in Liuzhou? Is everything going well?"
Zhou Daru's son was named Zhou Duan.
The name is ordinary, the appearance is ordinary, and the person is ordinary.
He was just forty this year and had already grown a beard. He looked like a standard ancient official. After hearing his father's question, he just smiled and said:
"It's still the same as before. It's not enough compared to the previous ones, but more than enough compared to the inferior ones."
"I came here this time to tell my father that my wife and I have opened a small shop. Although the business is average, it can more or less support the family. My father should not share the salary from the court with us in the future."
Zhou Duan poured wine for his father, his eyes full of guilt:
"My son is unfilial. He has worked hard for his father for such a long time, and he has to work hard for his son's family's livelihood. Now it's time for you to live in peace."
Zhou Daru knew the temperament of his only son best.
"I don't know about you yet? If the shop really provided enough for the family's livelihood, you would have given me the money directly."
"Okay, don't worry. I have disciples who respect my father and I won't be short of money."
After Zhou Duan heard this, his expression became more and more ashamed:
"I know that my father is doing it for my own good, but my son also knows about the situation of your disciples. They all come from poor backgrounds, and it is too late for my father to subsidize them... "
Hey!
Zhou Daru put down the wine glass, his face full of "If you want to say this, I won't be sleepy anymore."
He was worried that no one would brag about it.
The man whom King Kang admired so much actually wanted to recognize him as his master.
Everyone has vanity.
At least after letting go of the little entanglements in his heart, Zhou Daru felt extremely excited when he thought of this.
From his youth until now, he has never been a standout person, because he has lived long enough to be a third-rank official.
However, he was not good at making friends, so after he finally retired, he left no connections for his son.
Zhou Daru usually doesn't talk about it, but he still feels a little inferior and ashamed in his heart.
Of course, the main reason why he didn't say it was.
Those who were officials at the same time as him were basically dead.
There is no way, he lives a long life.
Although this son was born very late, looking at the energy of father and son, Zhou Duan is not as energetic as Zhou Daru.
He lived in seclusion as a great scholar.
To live in seclusion, of course, you need to find a place where no one is around to live.
There is usually no place where he needs to go out.
After all, he didn't have many friends to visit (all his friends had died of old age), and he didn't have any relatives to contact him.
When I live in seclusion, I don't need anything. I usually just buy firewood, rice, oil, salt and so on.
But he, a highly qualified scholar, couldn't buy this kind of thing in person.
I'm embarrassed to open my mouth to bargain.
Therefore, since he decided to accept Ji Changze as his disciple, this was the first time Zhou Daru caught someone showing off.
I saw him coughing in a ritualistic manner, sitting upright, straightening his back, and then said in a calm and pretentious voice:
"I sent a letter to you a while ago. Maybe you were still on the road at the time and missed it. In that case, my father is telling you the same thing now."
When Zhou Duan heard that his father was about to say something important, he immediately followed suit and sat upright, stretched out his hand and saluted:
"Yes, son, listen."
Zhou Daru's desire to show off was greatly satisfied:
"There was a young man who learned from King Kang that I was good at painting and wrote a letter saying that he wanted to become my teacher."
Zhou Duan was shocked.
"King Kang??!"
Just like the prefect of Kaiyang City immediately confirmed that Ji Changze was a big shot as soon as they heard about King Kang.
Zhou Duan, who was also an official in the DPRK, was also shocked:
"Prince Kang only interacts with the emperor's relatives. I wonder which family this young master belongs to?"
Zhou Daru choked.
He really didn't know which one it was from.
There seems to be no family named Ji in the imperial court, right
Could it be that he was too unsociable in the past and missed this simple information
Zhou Duan then asked:
"Father, don't you know whose son he is?"
Zhou Daru said sarcastically: "I only know his name, Ji Changze."
"discipline?"
Zhou Duan recalled it carefully and said strangely: "I have never heard of a family named Ji being on good terms with Prince Kang."
"Father, are you mistaken? I can count all the people Prince Kang has made friends with on one hand. My son has never heard of any family with the surname Ji."
When asked by his son, Zhou Daru was not very sure.
He had tried hard to recall the officials in the DPRK. There were not many named Ji, and even if they were, their official positions were not high.
Logically speaking, he should not befriend King Kang.
After much deliberation, he couldn't think of anything, so he simply waved his hand:
"Forget it, forget it, don't think about it. It's just a disciple, nothing else. There's no need for eighteen generations of ancestors to find out clearly."
Zhou Duanyi thought so too.
It's just a disciple. No matter whether the family there is big or small, it won't have any impact on their family.
At most, the family background is not good, and the father provides more supplements.
If you have a good family background, it will sound nice if you tell people about it.
Father and son are indeed father and son. They both have exactly the same thoughts and they go away quickly.
Even though they said they didn't want to, they really didn't want to and continued drinking happily.
Zhou Duan's wife and two children were playing in the yard.
Zhou Duan was not as miserable as his father. He gave birth to his only son only when he was much older.
He had his first son at the age of eighteen, and now his son is studying abroad. The two younger brothers are ten years old and their sister is five years old. They can be regarded as having both sons and daughters.
The two brothers and sisters were not afraid of life, and there were no other houses around their grandfather's yard. They were running around happily under the sight of their mother and the care of their servants.
The little girl ran, and her brother chased after her.
The two of them ran out of the yard while they were fighting.
The little girl was smiling and looked up, then froze.
Her brother followed and when he saw the field ahead, he also froze.
Two slaves caught up and said, "Young master, young lady, please don't run out of the yard, there are snakes outside..."
Just as they were talking, they saw the convoy coming in front of them.
Immediately, like the two children, their eyes widened in shock.
What kind of team is that
As mentioned before, Ji Changze told the guards what the secret guards did.
As a result, the guards he named White Guards all wanted to imitate the Dark Guards' template.
Seeing that his show-off team was so motivated, Ji Changze naturally wouldn't just watch.
They spontaneously wanted to buy white clothes to wear, so he simply paid for them and ordered new clothes for a group of white guards.
Logically speaking, it would take more than ten days to get custom-made clothes.
But Ji Changze has always used his money skills well.
As soon as the money came out, they found the tailor shop and worked overtime to make so many sets of White Guard uniforms in one day.
This uniform style was drawn by Ji Changze.
He has been to many parts of the world and has seen many handsome and easy-to-wear uniforms of ancient civil servants. After drawing and wearing them, a group of guards will be five times more energetic.
The most important thing is still the most pretentious half of the face.
The mask is made to look like the lower half. Although it has the same effect as a mask, it looks more textured because it is made of iron.
No one likes wearing a mask.
Nowadays, even in places where no one is around, all the white guards care about their own image.
In ancient times, handsome civil servant uniforms never appeared.
All of them were wearing handsome white guard uniforms, uniform hats, and masks on their faces.
The pants on the long legs are special and are convenient for fighting, and they also have a place for the knife barrel.
You can tell at a glance that he is a powerful Wuyi man.
Moreover, they were carrying the sedan, but they were so close that they didn't even make a sound.
Walking neatly, every step is like a master passing by.
The pretense effect is full.
All of a sudden, the grandsons and granddaughters of Zhou Da's Confucian family and their servants were shocked.
Zhou Duan's wife noticed that there was no movement outside, so she went out to look strangely. When she saw Ji Changze's team, she was also shocked.
The group of people watched helplessly as the guards, all dressed in white, clearly knew they had come after a long journey, but all of them were clean (they stopped to change and wash themselves when they were about to arrive) and stopped quietly and neatly.
The sedan landed gently on the ground, the curtain was opened, and a young man wearing blue luxurious clothes, with bright eyebrows and handsome features stepped out.
He bowed to Zhou Duan's wife:
"May I ask this lady, is this where Zhou Daru lives?"
Zhou Duan's wife was completely stunned.
Facing the young man in front of her who had "Yes, that's right, I am a big shot" written all over his face, she felt confused and embarrassed in her heart, but she was trying her best to hold on.
Some hastily blessed the body and returned the gift.
"My father-in-law is in the house. Please wait a moment. I will invite him right away."
Ji Changze suddenly understood, and saluted Zhou Duan's wife again:
"It turns out it's Senior Sister, then it's Senior Sister Lao."
Zhou Duan's wife was a little flattered and a little confused.
After the other party heard about her identity, she called her senior sister, which meant that she was the apprentice of her father-in-law.
But don’t all my father-in-law’s apprentices come from ordinary backgrounds
When did you have an apprentice who looked like he came from a wealthy family
She had a lot of thoughts in her mind, but she didn't forget the business. She hurried back to the house to call her father-in-law, who was drinking with her husband.
Zhou Daru was slightly drunk at first, but after hearing these words, he almost woke up from the wine.
"Did he say his name?"
Only then did Zhou Duan's wife remember that she had forgotten to ask.
But Zhou Daru had already gotten up to greet the guests.
Zhou Duan hurriedly followed his father and asked his wife as he walked out:
"Are you really that grand?"
"It's okay if you just follow people around you, but those people have steady steps and their aura is not that of ordinary guards. They are stronger than the princess guards I have seen before."
Although the number of people is not comparable.
But judging from the visual effects, these people brought by Ji Changze will definitely crush other guards.
How did you say that
Expensive essence is not expensive.
That's it.
Zhou Duan was at a loss after hearing what his wife said.
Father just said that a young man who seemed to come from a wealthy family wanted to be his disciple, and now he is here
It sounds like they are not just ordinary wealthy people.
He felt a little panicked, so he quickly took a few steps forward and whispered to his father:
"Father, I'm a little nervous..."
Zhou Daru walked quickly. After hearing these words, his expression was calm and his spine straight:
"A Duan..."
"I'm worried as a father."
Zhou Duan: "..."
The very panicked father and son quickly walked to the door of the yard.
Ji Changze stood elegantly, and then, exactly twenty-one white guards stood neatly behind him.
Divide into three groups of seven people.
This is what they have researched along the way, and it seems to be the most pretentious and safest way to stand in line.
Zhou Daru was shocked after just one glance.
These guards did not speak, just stood there silently, but they were like cold weapons that had been opened and were just waiting for the owner to give the order to kill immediately.
Their eyes were particularly cold and ruthless, and even their eyes looked brighter than others.
Although they were dressed in white, under the sunlight, the eyes of these guards were pitch black (because they had quietly put on eyeliner).
After barely exchanging glances with one of the guards, Zhou Daru swallowed uncontrollably.
Ji Changze's eyes lit up after seeing him.
He immediately knelt down and said:
"Disciple Ji Changze, I have met the teacher."
Zhou Daru looked at Sui Ji Changze who was half-kneeling. He knelt down in unison without any orders. There was a sound of weapons and armor being rubbed against the white guards...
Swallowed again.
There was only one thought left in my heart.
This wave seems to be... a bit big.
After a stick of incense.
Ji Changze sat cross-legged across from Zhou Daru, looking at him expectantly.
"Teacher, these are all things I did in the past. What do you think?"
Zhou Daru, who was looking at Ji Changze's paintings: "..."
It seems that the painting is really no worse than his.
If you say you don't want to be a disciple now, it shouldn't be a problem, right
He glanced carefully at Ji Changze who was standing behind him. His whole body was covered except for his eyes, and he was holding a weapon, like one of the most loyal sculpture-like guards.
"Ahem... the painting... is very good."
"Thank you teacher for the compliment!"
The smile on Ji Changze's face immediately bloomed. At first glance, it was clear that he was an innocent young man who had never seen wind and rain and was well protected by his family.
Moreover, this naive young man was so careless that he didn't even need Zhou Daru to pry, he just kept talking about it himself.
"I don't have a painting teacher in my family, only my elders teach me, so I never know what my level is. Prince Kang said that you are a rare painting master in the world, so I found you."
Hearing these words, and facing the admiring gaze of Ji Changze, an innocent young man, Zhou Daru unconsciously sat up straighter.
"Ahem, Prince Kang is also overly praised. I just live a few decades longer than others."
"Prince Kang has good taste. Teachers don't need to be too modest. The people he praises must be right."
Ji Changze came up and boasted like a rainbow: "I rarely interact with outsiders, but ever since I learned how to read, I have been full of yearning for the great Confucians. Now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I know that the title of Great Confucian is well deserved."
"Besides, teacher, your elegant and elegant demeanor is something that even ordinary people cannot match."
Zhou Daru has lived so long, and this is the first time that he has been praised so much.
The one who praised him especially was a young man whose painting skills were not inferior to him, who was suspected of being from a powerful family and knew Prince Kang.
He instantly felt as if his neck was plated with gold.
Of course, no matter how proud you are, you still have to be humble.
"No matter what, I'm just one of the mediocre people in the world."
Seeing that Ji Changze didn't seem to dislike it after seeing his paintings, and looked forward to his teachings, and looked like he admired him, Zhou Daru completely forgot about the entangled mood he had just been at the door.
He directly said: "If you don't mind it, you and I will be master and disciple in the future. Although I don't have much ability, I will definitely teach you everything I have!"
Ji Changze suddenly became happy and saluted quickly:
"Thank you, teacher!"
One of the guards behind him who had been holding the box immediately stepped forward.
He handed the box to Ji Changze.
Ji Changze put it on the table again and pushed it to Zhou Daru:
"This is a student's responsibility. Please don't dislike it, teacher."
I'm coming.
Is this the joy of being a teacher for the children of powerful people
The poor and meatless Zhou Daru was shocked.
I felt happy in my heart, but I pushed the box forward:
"There's no need to bind you. That's not why I accepted you as my disciple."
It's strange that Ji Changze can believe this.
He still insisted.
Zhou Daru still didn’t want it.
After rejecting it several times, Zhou Daru finally accepted it "reluctantly".
Seeing that he accepted it, Ji Changze showed a smile.
"I know that with such a status as the teacher, he must look down on those who are rich in money. Therefore, there is no silver coin in this apprenticeship ceremony."
Not a silver coin
Zhou Daru, who had just been immersed in "Now that I have money, I can buy meat, I want to buy him ten pounds and eat it till I'm full" was stunned.
Wait, this script is wrong.
Ah, I understand, the powerful don’t like to be too straightforward.
It's not silver, it must be some kind of precious jade, right
How can this be so embarrassing? Hey hey hey.
Ji Changze smiled obediently at Zhou Daru: "Teacher, why don't you open it and see if it suits your liking."
Zhou Daru nodded reservedly and slowly opened the box.
After opening it, he was stunned.
"This is… ?"
There was a knife lying quietly inside.
no.
etc.
Whose apprenticeship ceremony is to give a knife
His side is liberal arts.
Otherwise, it would be a good idea to give him a pen.
Ji Changze didn't seem to see Zhou Daru's blank face, but went straight to introduce him very proudly.
"This knife never existed in the world at that time. It blows hair and cuts off hair. It is very sharp. It is a unique weapon of our clan. I hereby give it to my teacher."
"Ah... Haha, it's so powerful. It's not bad. It looks like a good knife."
Zhou Daru, who didn't understand martial arts at all, laughed twice.
I racked my brains and came up with some words to praise.
"Disciple, you are really attentive. You are given a knife by your apprentice... It's pretty good. I'm very satisfied. It's very innovative."
The little boy who was praised immediately showed a proud look on his face.
"Teacher, you can use this knife to defend yourself. With it, it is guaranteed that no one can get close to me."
Zhou Daru laughed dryly.
"Haha, I only live here alone on weekdays. It is unlikely that I will encounter any danger. I wonder if I can transfer this knife to your senior brother? It is my son. There are quite a lot of thieves in the place where he is an official."
"Of course you can!"
Ji Changze looked like everything the teacher said was right.
"Teacher, I am not bragging, but with this sword, no matter what happens, senior brother will definitely be able to turn danger into safety and kill the thief under the sword!"
Seeing his excited expression, Zhou Daru felt that this new disciple might have read too many words.
Although everyone used the same words when giving weapons, when he was a small official, his superiors wanted to give gifts to generals and asked him to help with the wording.
But looking at Ji Changze's appearance, don't just brag and convince yourself.
But after all, he had just become a master and apprentice, so he was not very familiar with them, and it was difficult for him to say anything, so he only responded with an awkward but polite smile.
"Really? Hahahahaha, it sounds really good. Thank you very much."
Just when he was thinking about how to continue to use words to convince the young disciple that he really liked this gift, he saw Ji Changze waving his hand again.
The guards immediately went outside and brought boxes one by one.
Open the box, and inside there are pieces of broken stone.
The edges of the stone are also inlaid with gold edges.
While watching the guards piecing together, Ji Changze introduced to Zhou Daru: "Teacher, this is my second gift to you, a complete set of furniture."
"I know that you don't like the smell of copper, so I only made some edges made of gold, not all gold. I hope you don't mind it."
Zhou Daru suddenly got a big surprise: "!!!"
Don’t dislike it, don’t dislike it! !
This apprentice was really well received.
Seeing that he was satisfied, Ji Changze glanced at the edges of the furniture assembled by the guards in the yard as if by accident:
"Teacher, you just said that there are many thieves and bandits in the place where my senior brother is. It just so happens that I have a set of wrist guards here. Since my senior brother is in a place where there are many thieves and bandits, you should be more careful."
After hearing this, Zhou Daru's excitement subsided slightly.
Yes, it seems that a lot of money is not safe. The safety of my son is the most important thing.
He looked back at the knife lying quietly on the table.
He doesn't need it, but his son does. His place is dangerous, and most of the people stationed there are military generals. Giving it to him is a good place to go.
Zhou Daru looked at the knife and nodded, obviously deciding something.
Ji Changze raised his eyebrows, crossed his arms and looked at the horizon with a smile.