Zhang He is a man of ordinary appearance.
It’s not that ugly, but it’s not that good looking either.
At most one can say that he has regular facial features and a decent temperament, which is below average among ordinary people, but among the group of literati, he is definitely a drag.
Kang Shi once disliked him for not being good-looking enough, so he became prejudiced against him and did not consider joining Zhang He. He felt justified in being obsessed with looks.
At first glance, Kang Shi seems to be quite excessive. If you don’t like someone, just don’t like them. Why attack them based on their looks and judge them by their appearance
In fact, this is not a special case.
This is the general environment.
You should know that before the fall of the Xin State, when selecting talents, in addition to the obvious assessment of family background, character, talent, and literary level, there was also an invisible but not to be ignored standard - appearance!
With a good appearance, it is easy to ascend to the emperor's palace.
It is difficult to be selected if you are not good-looking.
For example, the unlucky kid Zhang He.
Although he came from a humble background, he was after all the son of a branch of a declining small clan, barely qualifying for the threshold of aristocratic family. He passed the test of background, and his literary rank was above average, and his character and talents were also among the best. Logically speaking, it should not be difficult for him to be selected as an official.
It's even a sure thing.
Unfortunately, he is not good-looking and failed three times in the hidden aspect of "appearance" - he participated in the election three times and failed three times.
Naturally, Zhang He was unwilling to live like this for the rest of his life.
So he found another way and entered the Imperial Medical Bureau of Xin State with his superb medical skills. In just a few years, he was promoted to the position of Imperial Physician and firmly sat in the position of the head of the Medical Bureau. When the time is right, with the trust of the king, he can complete the transformation naturally.
Medicine is not Zhang He’s ultimate pursuit.
However, before he could become truly famous, he suddenly disappeared, and there were even rumors that he was secretly executed.
In the context of the chaos among the northwestern countries, no one would really care about the whereabouts of the imperial physician of a mere country.
In addition, the Xin State soon fell into a situation of internal and external troubles, and was killed by the Geng State army led by Zheng Qiao. Without a single piece of armor left, it had no chance to fight back. Naturally, no one stepped forward to investigate the relationship between the former imperial physician Zhang He and Lingzhou Yi Ru Zhang He.
Zhang He has lived a pretty comfortable life these years.
Not only was he worshipped as a living god by the people of Lingzhou Yiru, he was also given high-level treatment such as being enshrined in a shrine and having his statues made for him to kneel down to worship.
And now, this living immortal was looking at Shen Tang with an extremely complex, inquiring, suspicious look, as if he wanted to see someone through her. Seeing that he didn't answer, Shen Tang asked again: "Why are you looking at me like this, Mr. Zhang?"
She asked calmly, but her heart was beating fast.
Could it be that Zhang He has really seen himself
Does he know his background
As a person with amnesia, Shen Tang’s biggest fear is running into so-called “acquaintances” because it is hard to tell whether they are friends or enemies.
Gong Xichou, who was standing at the side, also noticed Zhang He's loss of composure and narrowed his eyes slightly. He put his fist to the corner of his mouth and coughed casually, but it sounded like thunder in Zhang He's ears, and he woke up immediately.
Zhang He’s face turned pale, and his surging breath calmed down in an instant.
A hint of red appeared on his pale face.
"No problem, no problem, please leave and don't be rude to our distinguished guest. I was just surprised that you look like an old friend and I lost my composure for a moment. Please forgive me."
He raised his hand to stop the secret guard from drawing his sword.
"Everyone retreat!"
The guard said, "Yes."
Zhang He apologized, "I'm sorry to have frightened you two."
Shen Tang didn't care and just asked, "Resembles?"
They were so similar that even someone who had experienced so much could still look so out of control and be so shocked that he couldn't recover for a long time
At the same time, Shen Tang calmed down a little.
Her current appearance is a disguise that Yuanliang had put on her original appearance, and it is somewhat different from her original appearance.
If they are extremely similar, it should be a coincidence.
How many similar people are there in the world
No surprise.
Zhang He smiled and said, "Not really. They are not similar in appearance but similar in spirit. At first glance, you might mistake them, but if you look closely, you will know they are two different people. However, the Wen Xin seal on the young man's waist is something I have only seen on you in my life. It is as crystal clear as crystal glass."
In the blink of an eye, Zhang He's demeanor returned to normal, without any sign of misbehavior - perhaps it was because he had been dealing with patients with medicinal herbs for many years, or perhaps it was because he had taken good care of himself, but there was an indescribable compassion between his brows, making him very approachable.
It gives people a feeling similar to that of Gu Ren.
Both of them are people who have the aura of "good guys" and can give people an initial favorable impression that is above the passing line at first sight.
Shen Tang: "Is this color very rare?"
She looked down at the monogram.
His fingers rubbed the cool surface.
Zhang He stroked his beard: "Very rarely."
All the Wenxin Huayu and Wudan Hufu he had seen were colored, and even the lighter colors were not as clear and colorless as Shen Tang's. Because they were rare, they left a deep impression.
"We both have such a rare color, and we look somewhat similar. It shows that I have a deep connection with that man. I wonder where he is now? If possible, I would like to visit him, and perhaps we can become close friends." Shen Tang probed.
When Gong Xichou heard the word "confidant", he glanced sideways. Shen Tang's attention was on Zhang He and he didn't notice him.
Unexpectedly, Zhang He shook his head regretfully.
"That person is gone."
"Gone? Mr. Zhang, you mean that person has... Sorry, I didn't mean to touch on Mr. Zhang's sad memories..."
Zhang He said nonchalantly, "It's okay."
The "old friend" he mentioned is not actually an "old friend". This word is just an excuse he made up casually.
Zhang He looked at Shen Tang and recalled casually, "... When I saw him, he was already in the coffin, his eyes closed, his skin white and rosy, except for his chest not moving, he looked as alive as a living person. What a pity, he died young..."
Shen Tang inexplicably felt a chill.
When Zhang He talked about this "old friend", his expression did not seem like he missed an old friend, but rather like he missed some rare treasure, which made her feel inexplicably unhappy. She frowned, not knowing where this emotion came from. At this time, Gong Xichou spoke again.
"I seem to have some impression of the person you mentioned."
For some reason, Gong Xichou's face was gloomy, as if covered with a layer of freezing frost, and there was a faint murderous intent.
"Excuse me, sir, what is your name?" Zhang He asked.
Facing Gong Xichou's obvious emotional changes, Zhang He's eyes slid from Shen Tang to Gong Xichou, not caring about the latter's threatening warning. At this time, he saw the inconspicuous snake pattern totem on Gong Xichou's collar, and his pupils shrank.
The muscles under the clothes tensed involuntarily.
Seeing this, the secret guards became alert.
If Gong Xichou and the other two had any malicious moves, they would surely be greeted with a deadly siege from this group of secret guards!
Gong Xichou looked at his reaction and sneered.
"Looking at this clan crest, don't you think it's a waste of time to ask this question? What do you think my last name should be?"
Zhang He exhaled a breath of foul air: "Gongxi."
He seldom mentioned these two words because they were difficult to pronounce.
But I had already memorized them by heart.
Gong Xichou sneered: "It's amazing that you still remember it."
This time it was Shen Tang's turn to watch the show.
I was curious about the grudges between these two.
Zhang He ignored Gongxi Chou's malicious intent and sighed, "Mr. Gongxi came here today to seek revenge? I have also heard about the experience of the Gongxi clan, and I have also felt sorry for the nobles' experience, but the disaster of the extermination of the Gongxi clan has nothing to do with me..."
He really wasn't lying.
It really has nothing to do with him.
He understood Gongxi Chou's urgency to avenge his people, and he sympathized with him, but it was better to find the right target when looking for an enemy. Not to mention that Zhang He didn't have the ability to do so, even if he did, as the chief physician of Xin State at that time, he couldn't reach out to the Gongxi clan who lived in seclusion in Geng State...
His arms aren't that long yet.
There is also a basic law to follow when seeking revenge.
"Who said I came here to seek revenge?"
Gong Xichou raised his eyebrows. If he was here to seek revenge, he would have attacked the moment the two of them met. How could this bunch of useless secret guards stop him? Whether they came up or not was the difference between Zhang He living a few breaths or more than ten breaths.
Now it was Zhang He's turn to be surprised.
He's not here to seek revenge
"Why did Mr. Gongxi do this?"
Gong Xichou asked him coldly, "The sacred object of my clan."
Zhang He: "Sacred object?"
Shen Tang was curious: "Holy object?"
Gong Xichou's sacred object is in Zhang He's hands
But the confusion on Zhang He's face didn't seem fake.
He shook his head and said, "I don't have any holy objects of the Gongxi people. If you are looking for holy objects, you should go to the Geng people."
Because Shen Tang was present, Zhang He hinted in a meaningful way.
The group from Geng Country were the culprits behind the extermination of the Gongxi clan. Even if there were any holy objects, they should have been looted by those people.
As for who exactly...
Zhang He didn't know.
They are nothing more than those nobles of Geng State.
A man is innocent unless he is in possession of a treasure.
It’s all because the treasures in the hands of the Gongxi clan are coveted, and the Geng country is ambitious. The Gongxi clan refused to cooperate, so they killed people and took them by force. This is the rule of this world.
The Gongxi clan is just an extremely common example.
After hearing Zhang He's answer, Gong Xichou punched the ground with his right fist, leaving a dent, and angrily said, "Why is it not in your hand? Didn't you proudly call him an 'old friend' just now?"
Shen Tang, who was eating melon, said that she needed Gu Chi. Without Gu Chi, she couldn't even understand the melon - the old friend Zhang He who looked so similar to her was the sacred object of the Gongxi clan
What's the rhythm
Zhang He obviously didn't expect this either.
He was surprised and asked, "Is that... the sacred object of your clan?"
Gong Xichou said sternly, "What's wrong with the holy objects of our clan guarding the holy land? I have found out clearly that when our clan was exterminated, those bastards not only looted the holy land for burial, but also dug out the holy objects from the soil... Later, they were betrayed by the traitor planted by Xin Kingdom in Geng Kingdom, and the records of the poisonous insects of Wu Kingdom and the holy objects were smuggled into Xin Kingdom and passed through your hands!"
Zhang He was the last link he could find.
In order to become stronger, the Geng Kingdom exterminated the Gongxi clan.
Xin State stole peaches and planted a traitor to steal Geng State's research, which was then handed over to Zhang He, the chief physician of the Medical Bureau. Zhang He led the highly skilled imperial physicians of Xin State and talented people from the public to study the poisonous insects together, trying to cultivate a real Wu State poisonous insect.
Everyone knows about the disaster caused by the poisonous insects in the Wu State.
But the world cannot resist its charm either.
Just imagine, that thing can make ordinary people gain the strength comparable to that of a mid-to-high-level warrior, and can easily gain the power to sweep away everything. Which person in power would not be tempted? Ordinary people, sacrifice is sacrifice.
No matter how much I sacrifice, I won't feel bad.
When the world is stable, we can encourage the common people to recuperate and have more children. How many people don’t have that
Zhang He: “…”
Gong Xichou said sternly: "Where is the sacred object?"
Zhang He: “…”
He is thinking.
Think about how to answer so as not to be beaten to death by Gong Xichou.
"I didn't know that was the Gongxi clan's sacred object." Zhang He was speechless after suddenly knowing the truth. "Not only me, but all the nobles from the two countries who participated in this matter all thought that the Gongxi clan's sacred object was the Wu State Gu worm. And that coffin and the person in the coffin were thought to be a young man from the Gongxi clan who died young...."
"What happened?"
Gong Xichou asked anxiously.
Zhang He said: "Buried."
Gong Xichou asked again: "Where is it buried?"
Seeing his anxious posture, he seemed to wish he could grab a hoe and dig out the coffin right now and carry it away overnight.
Zhang He was in a dilemma and said, "But..."
Shen Tang inexplicably felt that the word "coffin" appeared quite frequently, and couldn't help but secretly prick up his ears to listen carefully.
"But it was dug up by tomb robbers."
Gong Xichou was slightly angry: "... Do you think I will believe it?"
Zhang He forced a smile.
"I know it sounds bullshit, but—"
But if you carefully sort out the logic, it is normal.
The corpse was not very old, about eleven or twelve years old, and looked very lifelike. It was speculated that the Gongxi clan used some kind of poisonous insect to keep the dead alive. There were similar records in the Gongxi clan's collection of books, and there were more than one example.
So, everyone speculated that the deceased was a member of the Gongxi clan who died young. Is there a problem with this? There is absolutely no problem.
An ordinary member of the tribe, so rare
The bodies of the Gongxi clan are in the hands of the two countries.
The coffin looked simple, but the workmanship was just so-so.
There is no research value at all.
So, in the spirit of resting in peace, they buried him hastily. But they didn’t expect that the burial at night would be seen by nearby tomb robbers. They thought the person buried was a prince or noble, but the coffin was dug up within two days...
A worthless coffin and a worthless corpse were dug up by tomb robbers. Is it worth recovering them
No.
Zhang He was particularly impressed by the corpse because of the extremely rare transparent Wenxin monogram.
After hearing this explanation, Gong Xichou's face turned as black as ash at the bottom of a pot, and he almost gnashed his teeth and said, "My clan practices cremation! After a hundred years, our clan members must be cremated and disappear in the flames!"
They believed that the destruction of the body was just the shedding of a layer of skin, and that this layer of skin needed to be burned so that the soul could be led by the gods to another world. There was only one exception in the whole tribe to burying someone in a coffin! Are they blind
Zhang He: “…”
Shen Tang: “…”
Gong Xichou laughed in anger, mocking her in a harsh tone.
"Before you robbed and plundered, didn't you check the customs of the Gongxi clan? You only knew how to send a loser to seduce and steal secrets, and once you found out where the holy land was, you sent troops to attack without saying a word. You plundered those useless things and took them back as treasures, and still tossed out a bunch of garbage? You are really a loser!"
Zhang He: “…”
Gong Xichou said, "The epidemics in Tianhai, Heyin, and Shangnan are all related to this. Did you know?"
Shen Tang had a vague sense of déjà vu as if he had eaten a melon on himself, but according to Gongxi Chou and the others' description, the extermination of the Gongxi clan happened many years ago. The loss of the sacred object happened not long after that, and the corpse was indeed a corpse...
She is a living person.
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