Fang Yun smiled and asked, "Brother Daniu, who told you to call me Young Master?"
"My parents said that you are different now. I can no longer call you brother. I have to call you young master now. But when you pass the imperial examination, I will have to call you master." Fang Daniu said.
"We are all family, there is no need to be so formal."
"No, I can't bring shame to our Fang family. I'll call you whatever I want to call you. Otherwise, how can I be your long-time attendant? My mother said that the Fang family in Ji County finally produced a golden phoenix like you. If I serve you well, I will definitely benefit from it in the future."
Fang Yun didn't say anything, his eyes fell on the three letters in his hands. Fang Daniu was right, his status was indeed different now.
Fang Yun did not blame Cai He for snatching the national poem. After all, if it were another examiner, it would be impossible for him to be given a double A, and he might not teach him the meaning of the classics seriously, let alone recommend him to three senior officials at once.
The sun rose and the weather warmed up. Fang Yun opened the curtains, took out a copy of "Book of Rites" from his bookcase, and began to read it aloud.
Yang Yuhuan looked at Fang Yun quietly, her lips curled up occasionally, her cheeks flushed, and no one knew what she was thinking.
As the carriage moved forward, Fang Yun closed his eyes and rested when he felt tired. After a short rest, he continued to recite in a low voice.
After an unknown amount of time, the carriage was getting closer and closer to Dayuan Mansion. Fang Yun was reading "A gentleman stays away from the kitchen" when suddenly a white shadow rushed in from the window.
Fang Yun was caught off guard and got startled when a snow-white fox pounced on his legs, bringing with it a hint of fragrance and a faint smell of blood, but without any animal stench.
Yang Yuhuan looked at the fox curiously, revealing a look of pity, but Mrs. Jiang's face changed drastically and she shouted, "Master Fang, be careful, it could be a monster!"
Fang Yun was startled and was about to throw the fox away, but the fox suddenly raised its head, looked at him with its dark eyes, with a pleading look, then closed its eyes, cried softly, and passed out.
Under normal circumstances, Fang Yun might have thrown it away directly, but when he read "A gentleman stays away from the kitchen", he hesitated.
The saying "A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen" also appeared in "Mencius". This does not mean that we look down on people who work in the kitchen, but it means that everyone has compassion. If you are not a chef, you will always feel sorry when you see living things being killed in the kitchen. Therefore, it is best not to see that scene or hear the cries of living things before they die. Therefore, a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen.
However, in an era when scholars went into battle to kill enemies, the original meaning of this saying seemed a bit inappropriate, so it was extended to mean that everyone has the right to eat meat, but one cannot take pleasure in killing living things, and one cannot kill them cruelly.
Yang Yuhuan whispered, "This should be an ordinary fox. Even if it is a monster, it has never killed anyone. If a monster kills someone, its eyes will turn red and its body will have a fishy smell, similar to rotten fish. I have smelled it before."
Fang Yun thought for a moment and looked down at the little fox's wound. It seemed to be scratched by an animal's claw. The blood near the wound had dried up and the wound had already formed a scar, indicating that the battle had lasted for at least several hours. The possibility of being followed by the enemy was very small, so there was no danger in taking it in.
Fang Yun did not take it lightly. He stuck his head out of the window. There was no movement in the forest by the roadside. There was another carriage a few dozen feet away. Looking in the direction of Dayuan City, he could already see the outline of the city wall of Dayuan Prefecture. No matter how bold the monster was, it would not dare to run wild here, because the holy temple in the academy was on guard at all times.
"Xiaoyun, what should we do with this fox?" Yang Yuhuan asked.
Fang Yun said: "Ask the guards when you pass the city gate. If they think it is not a monster that can harm people, then take it in. If it is, let the soldiers deal with it."
"Oh." Yang Yuhuan wanted to save the little fox, but Fang Yun's attitude was more important, so she said nothing.
Fang Yun sniffed it again and found that the fox smelled particularly good.
Fang Yun immediately used the strange book world to search and soon found a travel note by the semi-saint Chen Guanhai, which mentioned the most precious fragrant fox of the fox clan, but only wrote that it "has a unique fragrance all over its body" and "is rare in the world".
Fang Yun suspected that this fox was the priceless scented fox, and the fur of this kind of fox could be made into scented fox pens.
A scent fox pen can be sold for more than ten thousand taels, because writing war poems with a scent fox pen can increase strength by at least 10%. If it is combined with ink made from monster blood, the power can be increased by more than 20%. The bigger the scent fox, the better the effect.
Fragrant foxes are extremely rare, and it is said that there are only a dozen left in the world.
This fox is too small. Its tail is as long as its body, but only as long as Fang Yun’s palm. It looks just like a little squirrel.
Fang Yun carefully checked the little fox's wounds again. They had already scarred and did not require any special treatment.
When they arrived at the city gate, Fang Yun asked Fang Daniu to stop the car, and then he got out of the car holding the little fox.
The city wall of Dayuan Prefecture is four meters high, made of stacked bluestones, and is as solid as a rock. It looks very safe. It is said that a great scholar presided over its construction.
There were five armored soldiers on each side of the city gate. They did not check passing vehicles and did not collect city entry taxes.
Fang Yun walked up to a soldier and asked, "I found a fox on the road and wanted to raise it myself, but I don't know if it is a monster. I want to ask if there is any way to test it."
When the soldier saw Fang Yun was wearing a boy's robe, he replied, "This place is covered by the power of the Holy Temple. If there is any problem with this fox, the Holy Temple will suppress it immediately. You can bring it in any time."
"Thank you." Fang Yun thanked the soldier and returned to the car.
Fang Daniu continued to drive the carriage towards the house that Liang Yuan had already chosen.
Fang Yun had never been to Dayuan Prefecture, but no matter how prosperous this place was, it could not compare to the world where business was highly prosperous, so he had no interest in it. He was thinking about how to run a bookstore and what books to sell first.
Yang Yuhuan was different. She opened the curtains and looked at Dayuan Mansion curiously. It was much bigger than Ji County, with people coming and going constantly.
Dayuan Prefecture is the capital of Jiangzhou and the political center of Jiangzhou. However, the military center and commercial center of Jiangzhou is not Dayuan Prefecture, but Yuhai Prefecture, 500 miles away. It is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River. Outside the city is the East China Sea. It is a place of trade between Jing State and the sea people and is extremely prosperous.
Liang Yuan had arrived at Dayuan Prefecture five days ago. Yesterday, he sent a letter to Fang Yun, helping him choose a cheap independent courtyard to rent for three months, five taels of silver per month. He also chose a bookstore that was ready to be sold, so that Fang Yun could go to the government to handle the formalities when he arrived.
According to the address on the letter, the carriage arrived at Lao Shi Lane, where Liang Yuan was waiting.
Fang Yun got off the carriage, greeted Liang Yuan, and talked in detail about the house and bookstore as they walked.
The house is a little smaller than Fang Yun's home. It is a very ordinary small courtyard house, but Fang Yun doesn't care. When the bookstore makes a profit in the future, he will just buy a bigger courtyard house to live in.
After a little tidying up and lunch, Fang Yun took Yang Yuhuan and Liang Yuan away to sign the rental contract first, and then went to the Dayuan Fang family. He said that he would give the Dayuan Fang family 10% of the shares, and wanted to use the Dayuan Fang family's brand to avoid others from making trouble, especially the Liu family.
The car stopped in front of Fang's house. The door was open and there was a plaque on the door with the words "Fang Mansion" inscribed on it.
Fang Yun looked inside and saw that it was not a large courtyard with several entrances and exits, but a garden.
Behind the gate is a cobblestone road with gardens on both sides. The cobblestone road splits when it reaches the rockery. Behind the rockery should be the main garden.
Two servants in black were standing at the door, but one of them had no left arm and the other had his right eye covered by an eye patch. Both of them had firm expressions and looked like they had served in the military.
Fang Yun respected Fang Shouye even more in his heart. No wonder everyone said that Fang Shouye was the best hero in Dayuan Prefecture.
Fang Yunyi bowed and said, "Hello, both of you. I am Fang Yun from Ji County, the nephew of Uncle Fang Shouye. I have agreed with my uncle to discuss the matter of investing in the bookstore."
A servant immediately said, "The general received an urgent report yesterday and has already returned to Yuhai City. The eldest lady has instructed that if the chief of the plan comes, he should be brought directly to see her. Please follow me."
Fang Yun smiled and said, "Thank you." Then he motioned Yang Yuhuan and Liang Yuan to follow.
The servant led the three people around the rockery and came to the second courtyard, but there was no house in the second courtyard. There were still rockery, flowing water, flowers, plants and trees. In addition to the door they came from, there were three round arches in the east, west and north directions, leading to the three courtyards respectively.
Moreover, there are doors and courtyards further east and west in the east and west courtyards.
"The legendary tycoon is indeed a famous family." Fang Yun thought.
Walking to the third courtyard, Fang Yun finally saw the main hall of the Fang Mansion. That main hall was even bigger than Fang Yun’s courtyard and the whole house.
At the innermost part of the main hall are two armchairs, and on the left and right sides are six square tables with chairs on both sides.
But there was no one in the main hall.
The servant asked Fang Yun to sit in the main hall, and then said he would go in to find the eldest lady.
Liang Yuan looked around secretly and whispered excitedly: "Fang Yun, it seems that the Fang family values you very much. They brought you directly to the main hall. If it were someone else, they would probably have to wait in the side hall. This is a famous family. Ordinary scholars have to go to the side hall to enter the Fang family."
Yang Yuhuan nodded involuntarily, putting her hands on her legs, looking very restrained.
Fang Yun looked around the main hall with confidence. It was worthy of being a family of two generations of fame and scholars. There were ancient vases, calligraphy, potted plants, and landscapes in the main hall. It was elegant and simple, without a trace of luxury.
There is a couplet on the wall:
The mountains are like dusk, but they still stand proudly against the red sun and the clouds.
The setting sun is dripping blood, yet it still shines brightly towards the green heart.
Fang Yun couldn't help but nodded.
"Xiaoyun is here? Your uncle has praised you a lot. Let your aunt take a look at our Fang family's Qilin child."
The voice arrived before the person, and the tone was full of surprise and enthusiasm.
The three of them stood up immediately, and then they heard the jingling sound of rings and bracelets. The pearl curtain on the east side of the main hall was opened by two maids, and a graceful and elegant middle-aged woman walked in.
The woman was wearing a long red dress. She wasn't very pretty, but she had beautiful eyes, a delicate look, and a noble air. Her smile was very kind.
Behind this man followed a younger middle-aged woman in a green dress, also smiling, but her smile was very fake.
Fang Yun was unsure who the person behind the Madam was, so he bowed and said, "Nephew greets aunt."
Yang Yuhuan and Liang Yuan also hurriedly saluted, but neither of them spoke.
The eldest lady smiled and said, "What a handsome young man you are! No wonder Shouye is full of praise for you. Come, let your aunt have a good look. By the way, this is your second aunt. We were just talking about you."
Fang Yun knew that Fang Shouye had a younger brother who was only a scholar, but had a bad reputation and spent all day hanging out in brothels. This brother should be the second wife of the Fang family, and concubines can only be called aunts, not wives.