Ying Shu Pavilion.
"Sir." Qi Surong, dressed in men's clothing, saluted Xu Chen and said, "Thank you sir for recommending Subao to participate in the child examination."
Xu Chen smiled and said: "He is my student, how can he not recommend him? You don't have to thank me."
Qi Surong also smiled and sat down, brushing his clothes.
Xu Chen said: "I heard that you nearly encountered an accident not long ago? Do you know who did it?"
"The student probably knows it well." Qi Surong said calmly, "This person has a deep grudge against me. If he fails once or twice, he will definitely not let it go."
"Sir, do you need me to help you?" Xu Chen picked up the teacup and took a sip, speaking casually.
"Thank you, sir. The student has his own plan for this matter, so there is no need to bother sir." Qi Surong paused and then said, "However, there is something I need your help with, sir."
"Oh?" Xu Chen put down the tea cup and said with a smile, "Is it related to Su Bao?"
"Sure enough, I can't hide anything from you sir." Qi Surong smiled lightly.
"When I wrote the letter of recommendation, I knew that this letter might not be able to help Su Bao successfully refer to it. After all, I have been away from the court for a long time. I have only a false name but no real power. People in the officialdom may not sell me this face." Xu Chen twirled his beard. Looking at Qi Surong, he said, "You can think of the joints here, which shows that you have a clear mind."
"So, sir, do you have any good ideas?"
Xu Chen raised his eyebrows and said: "Su Bao is still young, why rush for a while? In my opinion, it is better for him not to refer to it than to refer to it. With Su Bao's intelligence, it is not difficult to pass the exam. But the more so, the more difficult it is. People are worried. Now the Qi family seems to have come out of last year's decadence, and Miss Qi has won face for the Qi family with a unique embroidery painting. However, this matter can be done in a short period of time, and her reputation is too great. , it is easy to arouse suspicion.”
"How can students not know about Sir's concerns?" Qi Surong sighed, "Subao has been with Sir for a long time. Sir must have some understanding of his character. Although he is young, he is quite arrogant. This is probably Qi Subao's concern. The commonality of his family. For this childbirth examination, Subao studied hard day and night, and wanted to win glory for the Qi family. The higher his expectations, the greater the blow of failure. If he loses his pride and ambition because of this, it will be tantamount to He has lost his future. I am willing to exchange a little risk for his courage to go upstream and move forward. I believe that my father will not hesitate at all about this matter."
Xu Chen's eyes were filled with brilliance. "I am willing to exchange a little risk for his courage to go upstream and move forward." These words came from the mouth of a weak female streamer. The woman in front of him is indeed different. She has vision and courage that is no less than that of the man.
Then she heard her say: "Besides, if Mr. Su really felt that it would be better for Su Bao not to refer to it than to refer to it, how could he write a recommendation letter for him?"
"Hahaha..." Xu Chen laughed, "Xu Chen has always had no scruples. If my students want to take the exam, how can I stop him?"
Qi Surong nodded to him slightly and expressed her gratitude again.
"However, I can't help you with what you're asking for." Xu Chen changed the topic and rejected Qi Surong.
Qi Surong didn't look disappointed, and his face was calm and unruffled.
"Hey? Why do you think you, a teenager, are as deep as those old men?" Xu Chen said dissatisfied, "Look at your expression, can't you be more lively?"
“Does what you call ‘active’ mean for students to show disappointment like an abyss or a sea of despair, or depression like a gloomy cloud?”
Xu Chen pointed at Qi Surong and laughed again.
After a moment, he said: "Although I can't help you with this matter, there are people who can."
"who?"
"Master Gu Yingu, Bachelor of the Hanlin Academy." Xu Chen said with a smile, "Since that literary fight, you have never appeared again. The elder Ge often said that he caught me and asked the Yingshuge people. He couldn't find me. You forced Ji Yun and the others to participate in a chess, calligraphy and painting competition, making them take a detour when they see Ge Lao, haha."
"It's really hard for my fellow seniors." Qi Surong smiled helplessly, "The student and the elder have only met each other, so why does he treat the students differently?"
"Mr. Ge, he acts as he pleases and his character and talent can be judged immediately. He likes you because he likes you. There is no other reason but because he likes you."
Qi Surong nodded thoughtfully.
"I only talk about this matter but don't do anything. Whether you can get his help depends on you."
"Thank you sir."
Back home, Qi Surong thought carefully about Mr. Ge. He was a Hanlin bachelor ten years ago, and he is still a Hanlin bachelor today ten years later. He was still a Hanlin bachelor even when he resigned. It's not that he has done nothing, on the contrary, he is one of the major contributors to the stable development of Wei State and is the true pillar of the country.
The Gu family is a powerful family in Wei State, with a longer history than the Qi family, with numerous talents and a high reputation. The emperor can touch any official in the court, but he dare not touch Gu Yin. The reason why the Gu family can be passed down to this day is not only because of the many talented people in the family, but also because of the eight-character ancestral motto of the Gu family: to make a profit with little power, retreat bravely from the rapids. Most of the Gu family do not value power, are straightforward and open-minded, and have the same eclectic way of doing things as Xu Chen. The difference is that they know how to weigh the pros and cons and treat others tactfully. To describe it as a common saying, it is talking about people and talking about ghosts.
Gu Yin likes to drink tea, dance and write, and has an eccentric personality. He doesn't know how to get what he likes. Qi Surong was a little troubled. As Gu Yin, what kind of good tea has he not drunk? Unless you make him a cup of Tianhu Mountain Clear Mist Tea that the master in his previous life drank. The tea leaves are from cliff hair tips and the water is from cloud and ice springs. It's a pity that even if I have time to travel to Tianhu Mountain now, I can't pick tea leaves because the season has not yet arrived.
In this case, there is no need to prepare any gifts, just come directly to the door.
Qi Surong sent someone to deliver a greeting card to the Gu family the next day, and there was a response in the afternoon.
She dressed in men's clothes and came to the ancient mansion in a carriage.
Now her carriage driver was specially selected by Gu Jinyun, who was excellent in martial arts and cautious. She didn't have to worry about the last accident happening again, unless someone dared to openly commit murder in the city.
"Zhuofan of Yingshu Pavilion has met the elder." Qi Surong bowed to Gu Yin respectfully.
"It's you, why are you looking for me?" Gu Yin raised his chin with a cold and arrogant expression.
Qi Surong thought to herself that her husband had said before that Mr. Ge had been looking for her, but now that he had such an attitude when he saw her, he must have done it on purpose.
She smiled and said: "A few months ago, Zhuo Fan and Mr. Ge had a chance encounter, and they admired each other in their hearts. Now that they have come here to pay their respects, please don't dislike Mr. Wangge."
"Admiration? What can the old man admire?" Mr. Ge said disdainfully.
"Mr. Ge has a strong body and bright eyes. He is a famous longevity man in the country. Zhuo Fan admires him very much, so he wants to learn from Mr. Ge and learn how to maintain good health."
Gu Yin was stunned. He didn't expect that what this boy admired was not his reputation, his talent, or his contribution to the court, but his way of maintaining his health
How old is this guy? Do you want to learn health care in an old-fashioned way? No, that’s not the point! What the hell is health maintenance? He hasn't studied it at all, right
Catching a glimpse of the smile in the corner of the young man's eyes, Gu Yin felt that he had been deceived.
"You kid!" Gu Yin pointed at her and blew his beard and glared, "Did you come here specifically to scold me?"
Qi Surong said aggrievedly: "Why did Mr. Ge say that? Zhuo Fan sincerely seeks to learn. If Mr. Ge doesn't want to teach, Zhuo Fan has no complaints. I just ask Mr. Ge to be merciful. Zhuo Fan has a fragile heart and cannot withstand scolding."
Gu Yin almost spit out a mouthful of water. Are you still weak-minded and unable to withstand scolding? This guy is so brave, he dares to make fun of him!
"Hmph, as expected of Xu Chen's teaching, he is really disrespectful and unobtrusive." Gu Yin said in a deep voice, "Tell me, you, a little kid who has been missing for several months and then suddenly appears, what do you want from me?"
"Today, Zhuo Fan is here for a junior student."
"Junior?" Gu Yin thought for a moment and asked, "Are you talking about the young master of the Qi family?"
"Exactly." Qi Surong calmed down his expression and said respectfully, "In half a month, there will be a childbirth examination, and Subao will also participate. However, the Qi family is different from the past, and there is fear that someone will stop it. Although Subao has a letter of recommendation from his husband, he still has it. It may not be possible to refer to it smoothly.”
"You want me to say something to him?"
"Zhuo Fan is very grateful to Wangge Lao for his success." Qi Surong gave a big salute.
"Oh?" Old God Gu Yin said, "I want you to help me. Are there any benefits?"
Qi Surong was choked, looked at Elder Ge with resentment, and said: "Elder Ge, are you asking for benefits from a child who is not as good as a weakling?"
"What? Can't you do that?" Looking at her deflated expression, Gu Yin was in a particularly happy mood.
"Okay." Qi Surong looked helpless, but was determined in her heart. She smiled and said, "Tell me, what do you want? As long as Zhuofan is within his ability, I will try my best to do it."
"Let me think about it carefully." Gu Yin touched his chin and said in a pretentious manner, "Well, didn't you say you wanted to learn health maintenance from me before? I agreed. From now on, you will come to my house once a month and I will teach you in person. you."
Gu Yin said the last few words with bad intentions. What else could Qi Surong say, but she could only nod in agreement.
"Very good, you can go away." Gu Yin waved his hand at him impatiently, with a look of disgust on his face.
If they don't understand Mr. Ge's personality, outsiders will definitely think that he is arrogant and difficult to get along with. But in fact, as long as his temper is correct, no matter whether he laughs or curses, we can get along with each other.
Qi Surong bowed and exited, finally letting go of his worries. I didn't expect things to go so smoothly, but after just a few conversations, I got the elder's consent. She can be considered a dangerous move. If her wanton words and deeds offend Mr. Ge, let alone getting a glimpse of Su Bao, she may never have the opportunity to interact with him in the future.
Nowadays, as long as there is a word from the elder, the examiner will not dare to embarrass Su Bao anymore. Whether he can succeed in the examination will depend on his ability. Even if he fails, it is only because of his lack of knowledge and he must be more diligent in the future.