Lu Liangsheng had already noticed the toad running into Wang Shuhua's study to get the pen and ink.
"Master, what are you going to do with these? You're not just drawing maps out of boredom."
Lu Liangsheng put the book down, stood in the light spot and stretched again. The side yard was quiet, with only an old sycamore tree swaying its branches and leaves, making a rustling sound.
My mentor uncle Hua Gong went out to visit a friend a day ago and has not returned yet. At this time, Lu Liangsheng is the only one in this side courtyard. Looking up, he sees a big tree like a canopy. The morning sun is shining down, and the breeze is caressing the branches and leaves, making them sparkle and shimmer.
The light spots fall on my face, and I feel the warmth of spring.
After a while, breakfast and half a bowl of porridge were served on the table. Lu Liangsheng pushed open the door and saw the Toad Taoist climbing on the edge of the desk by the window with his webbed feet. He kicked a few times with his legs hanging outside but failed to get up. When the breakfast was placed on the table, the scholar reached out and pushed the Toad from behind, and he finally climbed up.
"Master, what are you doing so early in the morning?" Lu Liangsheng smiled and handed over the pastry.
The panting Toad sat down, leaning against the bowl, took a small bite of the red bean crisp, swallowed it slowly, and looked at his apprentice calmly.
"Well... I like to climb mountains and try to find the feeling."
Well…
I clearly saw you running along the wall.
Lu Liangsheng's mouth twitched, he forced a smile and said, "Master is in a good mood." At the same time, in the scroll on the wall beside the bed, Nie Honglian poked half of her head out. Her figure was a little vague. It was because she had suffered a sword attack from Zhu Ziyi outside Liyang City that day, which had damaged a lot of her Yin energy.
She still had those dimples on her cheeks and smiled softly.
"Master Toad brought back Uncle Huagong's writing brush and ink."
Toad glared over and turned in another direction holding the red bean cake.
"Is that called taking? I call that... borrowing, but the owner is not here."
There was some talking and noise in the room. Lu Liangsheng helplessly watched his master and Hong Lian arguing with each other. Suddenly, his brows relaxed and he walked towards the door.
"Someone is coming."
Sure enough, two footsteps came from the Crescent Gate. Min Changwen, who had just finished his morning court session, and his mentor came in from outside. The two were talking in low voices. When the old man saw the scholar standing under the eaves, he smiled and said,
"Haha, your master was just talking about you with the Shangshu, so it's a good opportunity for us to come over and sit together."
The current Shangshu was a very high official position among the common people. Even in front of Lu Liangsheng, who had made great achievements, he still had to look up to him. However, the two had known each other since they were in Fushui County, and now that the other had been reinstated, he did not put on too much airs.
The three of them sat under the phoenix tree. Usually, it was Master Uncle Hua and Minister Min who were talking, and Lu Liangsheng was listening on the side. Most of the talks were about state affairs, and during the talks, the Protector of the Nation was also mentioned, which made Lu Liangsheng pay close attention.
"In the case of Heliangzhou, Your Majesty listened to the slander of that evil monk and sent a batch of grain several months later, which almost caused a civil uprising!"
"Hmm... the evil monk deceived His Majesty, saying that the drought would not last long, and it took a whole year to end. So many victims were starving, and in the end, it finally rained, and all the credit went to the evil monk."
"Those who bring disaster to the country and the people should die!!"
"But the rumor over there is that the heavy rain was caused by a monk in white robes who cast a spell to make it rain, and he was struck by lightning for it."
"Yeah... Many practitioners have been there, and I don't know who they are." Min Changwen stretched out his hand and patted the phoenix tree twice, then turned around to look at the quiet scholar beside him.
"Liangsheng, I am also a cultivator. I happened to go to Heliangzhou during that time. Do you know who that person is?"
The severe drought in Heliang Prefecture was also what the current Shangshu wanted to use to attack Huguo Fazhang and alert the emperor to manage the government, but it was a pity that it was of no use. His good friend and aide Wang Shuhua was also running around to collect food and send it to that place. Later, when he heard about the whole situation and learned that it was a Taoist master who risked a natural disaster to force rain, Min Changwen found it difficult to describe the complicated feelings in his heart.
Unfortunately, the master is still unknown whether he is alive or dead after the thunder calamity, and the prefect of Liyang City who treated him will not reveal it... I can only wait for him to return to Beijing to report on his work in the future, and then find a chance to ask him clearly.
The scholar who was being asked was reminded of the events in He Liangzhou by the words of his mentor and Min Changwen. He calmed down after hearing the questions.
… to tell or not to tell
But isn't it too horrifying to survive the thunder calamity without dying
After thinking for a moment, Lu Liangsheng replied respectfully:
“I don’t know this one.”
"There are so many people practicing Taoism, it's normal that Liangsheng doesn't know them." Lord Shuhua looked at his face and turned the conversation back to the court affairs and the people's livelihood in various places.
Occasionally, he would mention the Spring Examination which would be held a few days later, and the old man and Min Changwen would both encourage him.
The sun was shining brightly, and gradually warmth grew.
The two of them had official duties to attend to, so after seeing them off, Lu Liangsheng returned to the courtyard, set up his easel, and looked at the old sycamore tree in front of him. While he was painting with blue ink, Taoist Toad took out the pen and ink from the window behind him and spread out the paper.
Recalling the mountains and rivers that I once overlooked, ink stains slowly fell to outline that vast land.
Soon, he stood up, supported the pen with one hand and put the other hand on his waist, looked at the black patch on the paper, closed his eyes, threw the brush aside in giving up, and sat down at the edge of the table.
"That... what a piece of crap I drew."
Outside the window, the casually painted phoenix tree has taken shape, and the last two strokes of blue ink have been applied, revealing a scroll painting of lush branches and leaves, full of vitality.
In the breeze, the parasol trees waved their branches and leaves, dancing gently, adding a lot of vitality.
"Perhaps, I can tell His Majesty about the tragic situation in Heliangzhou in the Golden Palace... I hope it will be useful."
Lu Liangsheng thought.
…
Boom…
Spring thunder rolled faintly in the sky, and when dark clouds came, drizzle fell in the city.
On the second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head.
The Spring Examination of the Ministry of Rites had arrived. Lu Liangsheng straightened his clothes and only brought writing materials, writing brushes, and a certificate. He simply washed up, said hello to Taoist Toad and Hong Lian, took an oil-paper umbrella and walked out of the side yard. He did not allow the servants of the Min Mansion to see him off, and opened the umbrella and walked onto the street.
Snap…
Raindrops hit the patterned oil-paper umbrella, splashing water. Lu Liangsheng, dressed in a green robe with long sleeves, walked through the wet streets without getting his shoes and socks wet. Originally, he didn't need to hold an umbrella, as that would have attracted too much attention.
At this time, the long street was a little more lively than usual. One could see candidates going to Beijing to take the imperial examinations being sent to the Imperial Examination Hall by their families and servants. When Lu Liangsheng came over, there were already many common people gathered outside, who were rarely seen on ordinary days.
"I wonder which scholar will be the first, second, and third place this time."
"The examination questions for the Imperial Academy were set by His Majesty himself. His Majesty is well versed in literature, so I'm afraid they will be a bit difficult."
"… Who can tell? There will always be one or two successful candidates."
"That's true. That's true."
Buzz buzz buzz... Amid the sound of people whispering, Lu Liangsheng squeezed through the crowd holding a paper umbrella, smiling and politely saying to the onlookers, "Please let me pass."
The people around him saw the scholar's appearance and thought he was a candidate for the imperial examination. They called out to the people behind them, "Why are you pushing so hard? There's a scholar in front of us. Do you want to come closer and take a look?"
"Everyone please make way..."
"Ouch, you stepped on my foot."
"Hey... This scholar is so young, I'm afraid he hasn't even passed the Double Tenth Festival yet. He's not here to watch the fun, is he?"
…
Passing through the water curtain hanging from the eaves, Lu Liangsheng put away his oil-paper umbrella, shook off the water stains on his shoulders, took out his examination certificate and identity card and handed them to the guard, who checked them before letting him in.
Similar to the provincial examinations, the examination rooms were mostly small cubicles. When entering, Lu Liangsheng took the candle handed to him and was then locked inside by the invigilator, in order to prevent him from being disturbed and to prevent someone from secretly passing on the answers.
Lu Liangsheng waved his robe sleeves to brush away the dust on the couch, and then he pushed the toilet not far away into a corner. Soon, the test paper was handed in.
The first exam: "The Lord is Holy, the Minister is Virtuous"
Seeing this question, Lu Liangsheng closed his eyes and gently rubbed the ink.
"If the Lord is holy, He Liangzhou would not have suffered such a tragedy."
After a long time, he finally had an idea. He stood a candle on the corner of the table, touched it with his fingertips, and brought out a bean-sized flame that illuminated the compartment.
The tip of the pen was dipped in ink, scraped against the edge of the inkstone, and then dropped on the test paper.
"Even the poor villages in the mountains know that a wise ruler and virtuous ministers are a sign of prosperity, but the country is like a withered tree..."
When Lu Liangsheng wrote the last character "民", the pen stopped and he looked at the character in a daze, as if the brown and yellow land and the grave-like hill appeared in his sight again.
The desperate victims were in tattered clothes, slowly flowing. The helpless old man sat on a lonely rock by the roadside waiting to die; the child who lost his parents stood in the crowd and cried helplessly; the man with his wife and children urged anxiously, and the woman behind him sobbed quietly...
"civil… "
Lu Liangsheng muttered softly, with the tip of his pen hovering, and continued writing.
“… The people are like the roots. Although the roots are weak, they have a firm grip on the ground. Only when the roots are strong can the tree grow. Similarly, only when the ruler is virtuous can the country be safe.”
Before I knew it, it had darkened. The candlelight flickered in the cubicle, illuminating the paper with hundreds of words written on it.
“… If a ruler is virtuous, he should rule a vast territory with divine instruments and treat his people with benevolence and law. All officials should avoid extravagance and practice frugality, treat their subordinates with sincerity and follow their example. Only then can the ruler be virtuous and his ministers be virtuous…”
There were three sessions in the Spring Examination, each lasting three days. Lu Liangsheng used all his knowledge accumulated over the past four years to write down his own views, and also intended to advise the emperor. After all, he knew that there was a big demon like Pu Du Ci Hang in the palace.
If an individual deals with it privately, it will be extremely difficult, but if the emperor is open-minded and has a righteous heart, he can naturally drive the other party away.
After the imperial examination, Lu Liangsheng walked out of the Imperial Examination Hall. Compared with other candidates, he was still in high spirits. The only thing that lacked him was the food.
"The food in the Imperial Academy tastes... Tsk tsk, let's go back and have a good meal."
He threw the pen and ink into the package, walked to a corner where there were few people, cast an illusion, and passed through quickly.
…
That night, the palace was brightly lit, and above the rows of lampposts, piles of examination papers were stacked on the dragon table.
Behind the dragon case, Chen Shubao had already reviewed a part of it and threw it into the basket next to it.
Um
Taking out a set of sealed scrolls, the emperor frowned when he saw the names on them.
"Lu Liangsheng..."
Glancing at a corner of the dragon case, where two fish holding pearl pendants were immersed in the light, Chen Shubao picked up the imperial pen and drew a circle on the cover without even looking at the answer inside.
Then, throw the basket on the other side.
"I want to see what the person the Imperial Concubine and the Crown Prince are praising looks like."
There was a sense of jealousy in the murmur.