The autumn air was chilly, and Wang Zhengying's heart gradually grew colder. He looked at Fang Yun, and placed all his hopes on this young man.
Fang Yun nodded slightly to Wang Zhengying, then got off the carriage, bowed politely to the doorman, and said, "I am Jiangzhou..."
Unexpectedly, the doorman sneered and interrupted Fang Yun: "I don't care about you Jiangzhou or Shuizhou! It seems that you paid to bail this thief out? Stop talking nonsense, or I will call someone to beat you out if you don't get out!"
Fang Yun frowned and said unhappily: "As a concierge, it is too reckless to not ask the reason when something happens and the purpose of the person you meet."
The doorman laughed and said, "Of course I behave properly with others and ask for their purpose, but what can I say to a group of thieves? Isn't it enough that they have harmed our Third Miss?"
Zhao Hongzhuang couldn't help but take a step forward and said in a deep voice: "It's not up to you to decide whether we are thieves or not! Tell your master immediately!"
Seeing Zhao Hongzhuang wearing an ordinary scholar's robe, the doorman sneered, "Oh, you, a handsome young man, speak authentic Beijing accent, better than the bumpkins from Jiangzhou. But don't you look at your own status? You're not even a student, you're just a layman like me, and yet you're more arrogant than this scholar!"
Everyone was silent. Even Wang Zhengying, who had been worried, looked at the doorman pitifully.
Nunu in Fang Yun's arms rolled his eyes at the doorman.
Fang Yun said indifferently: "You are the only one in Quanjing Country who dares to say that about her. The Huang family's concierge is really amazing."
The concierge didn't notice that everyone looked strange, and said impatiently, "Since you don't want to leave, don't blame me! Someone come! There's a thief trying to break into the Huang family!"
The doorman suddenly shouted, catching everyone off guard.
Fang Yun shouted, "Shut up! The capital government has tried the case last night. Prefect Qin ruled that Brother Zhengying did not steal. You insult us as thieves. Who gave you the courage to slander a princess of a country and a candidate of the Holy Academy! If you dare to say the word "thief" again, let alone you are from a famous family. Even if you are from a semi-saint family, I can charge you with slander and defamation and smash your stinky mouth!"
The Huang family's doorman was so frightened that he trembled. He took a closer look at Zhao Hongzhuang and realized that something was wrong.
At this moment, four servants rushed out with sticks in their hands.
"Who dares to break into the Huang Mansion?"
"Don't move!" The doorman quickly spread his arms, like an eagle spreading its wings to block all the servants.
The four servants were all dressed in black and shorts, looking at the doorman in confusion.
"What's wrong?"
The doorman wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his hand, and said in a low voice with a bitter face: "Go back quickly, I might get into trouble. While the master is away, I still have a chance. Go back quickly..."
"Who is making noise outside?" A slightly old voice sounded.
“It’s over…” The doorman’s legs were shaking, and he was so scared that he couldn’t utter a word.
Fang Yun said in a clear voice: "Fang Yun from Jiangzhou has brought the son of my mentor to propose marriage."
boom…
The doorman only felt that the word "Fang Yun" was like a spring thunder exploding in his ears.
In the past few months, the name Fang Yun has appeared more frequently than any other Jing people, whether it is the empress dowager or the king, whether it is Chen Guanhai or Jiang Hechuan, whether in the temple or in the streets, it has reached the point where children as young as three or four years old are clamoring to worship Fang Yun as their teacher.
The servants were startled, looked at each other, threw away their sticks quickly, stepped back in unison away from the gatehouse, and stood on both sides of the gate with their hands hanging down and their heads bowed.
The footsteps in the door suddenly quickened. Fang Yun looked inside and saw a fifty-year-old man with a long beard, wearing a white imperial scholar's robe, trotting towards him with his robe lifted.
"Is it really Fang Wenhou?" The man stared at Fang Yun and continued to jog.
"Is there anyone in Jing Country who dares to impersonate me?" Fang Yun said with a smile.
"Of course no one dares!" The man glanced at Zhao Hongzhuang beside Fang Yun again, and immediately bowed and said, "Huang Longying greets Her Royal Highness the Princess." After saying that, he looked at the doorman sternly.
The doorman was so frightened that he trembled violently. He looked at the man and whispered, "Master, I... I..."
"What do you mean? Why didn't you two come in and announce your arrival?"
The concierge stammered, "He... they don't, don't say..."
Zhao Hongzhuang said, "Master Huang, we would like to tell you, but your doorman won't let us, and even said I'm a handsome young man."
The head of the Huang family felt overwhelmed. If he had not survived a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood in the past, he would have probably fainted from anger.
The head of the Huang family raised his big hand and slapped the doorman hard in the face.
Snapped…
This was the power of a genuine Jinshi. The doorman fell headfirst to the ground with blood flowing from his nose.
The head of the Huang family was so angry that he cursed: "You bastard! You can offend the princess and Fang Wenhou just by being a gatekeeper. If you were the head of the family, wouldn't you dare to burn down the Holy Courtyard? Come on, drag him in and punish him according to the family rules!"
The head of the Huang family immediately bowed to Fang Yun and Zhao Hongzhuang and said, "I have failed to discipline my subordinates. I hope the princess and Fang Wenhou will forgive me."
Fang Yun said: "We'll talk about forgiveness later. I'm here today to act as a matchmaker between Wang Zhengying and your third daughter!"
The head of the Huang family's face darkened, and he said, "Marquis Fang Wen and the princess came together, so we have to give them face. However, this person stole a friend's treasure, which is really disgraceful. No matter what, my Huang family will not marry such a person."
Fang Yun smiled and said, "Master Huang, do you think that Hong Zhuang and I are the kind of people who don't know etiquette?" As Fang Yun spoke, he took out the document signed by Prefect Qin and handed it to Master Huang.
Patriarch Huang took it and looked at it carefully. Fang Yun said slowly: "With your wisdom, Patriarch Huang, you should now understand that this is just a misunderstanding."
Huang's hand trembled slightly, and he returned the document to Fang Yun, saying seriously, "I was reckless, Zhengying. It was a big mistake for your uncle to force Ying'er to write a loveless letter before the truth was revealed. Your uncle apologizes to you here."
Wang Zhengying said in a panic: "No... Don't blame uncle, it was my own carelessness..."
Patriarch Huang smiled kindly and said, "Then let's write off the previous events and forget about the love letter. I will persuade Ying'er. However, Ying'er is already at the age to get married and can't delay any longer. If you can't pay the agreed betrothal gift within a year, I can't let Ying'er suffer in marriage to you."
Wang Zhengying's eyes dimmed and he slowly lowered his head. This meant that he not only had to pass the imperial examination within a year, but also had to buy a house in the capital and pay 20,000 taels of silver as a betrothal gift.
Not to mention that his father was just an ordinary juren, even a prominent family would have to sell some property to raise the betrothal gifts.
The head of the Huang family said, "After all, our Huang family is a famous family in the capital, and our previous requirements have been lowered. If it is lowered further, I am afraid we will become the laughing stock of the capital."
"Uncle is right." Wang Zhengying lowered his head, and his body seemed to have lost all strength and would fall apart at the slightest breeze.
The head of the Huang family bowed to Fang Yun and said, "It is something that our Huang family would love to have Lord Wen act as a matchmaker, but etiquette cannot be abandoned."
Zhao Hongzhuang looked towards Fang Yun with an inquiring look and a hint of mischief, because up to this point, Fang Yun's matchmaking had failed.
Fang Yun slowly lowered the shield on the chest of the scholar's uniform. Then he leisurely took out the inkstone, ink stick, water, brush, white paper and other items from the Yinjiang shell.
As Fang Yun prepared to write, he said, "I am acting as a matchmaker today and have prepared a betrothal gift. As for whether this betrothal gift is enough to marry the third daughter of the Huang family, the head of the Huang family has the final say. However, whether you are willing to use this betrothal gift to marry her is up to Zhengying."
Before Fang Yun could finish his words, everyone, from Zhao Hongzhuang and the head of the Huang family to Wang Zhengying and the Huang family servants, took a deep breath.
Wang Zhengying was so excited that his body trembled, his eyes were red and tears were shining.
The head of the Huang family clenched and unclenched his right hand, clenched and unclenched it again. His eyes kept changing, and he actually showed a nervous look.
Zhao Hongzhuang was slightly startled, then glanced at Fang Yun with a smile, and stretched out her slender hand to help Fang Yun grind the ink.
Wang Zhengying's friend Bo Han couldn't help but say enviously: "A blessing in disguise. Brother Zhengying has finally gotten his wish after all the hardship."
Wang Zhengying's servant took small steps forward and stretched his neck to look at the paper in front of Fang Yun.
Fang Yun picked up the jade bamboo brush and dipped it in ink. He said, "I came up with the first half of a poem "Dielianhua" in spring, but I couldn't write the second half no matter what. It was not until I saw Brother Zhengying crying for his beloved yesterday that I suddenly realized and came up with the second half. To thank Brother Zhengying, I will write a poem today and give it to him as a betrothal gift."
After Fang Yun finished speaking, he picked up his pen and started writing.
"Standing on the dangerous building, the wind is blowing gently. Looking at the spring sorrow, the sky is dark. In the fading light of the grass and smoke, who will listen to my feelings by the railing without saying a word?"
The tears in Wang Zhengying's eyes finally flowed slowly. He seemed to see himself standing on a tall building, looking into the distance, with the breeze blowing on his face, but he could not see the sadness of spring, and the sky seemed to be filled with sorrow. Under the setting sun, a thin mist covered the green grass. He could only remain silent, and no one could understand his mood when he leaned on the railing.
Fang Yun continued writing.
"I wanted to get drunk and sing to the wine, but forced happiness is tasteless."
Wang Zhengying suddenly gave a bitter smile, wanting to indulge in the wildness in his heart by getting drunk and singing loudly, just like the lyrics, but he would eventually find that forcing a smile was meaningless.
A sense of sadness and despair overflowed from the lines of this poem, infecting everyone around.
The head of the Huang family took a step back and sighed, with endless regret welling up in his heart. If he had known that Fang Yun was willing to use the first copy of such good poems as a betrothal gift, the Huang family would never have said anything to turn Wang Zhengying away. Not only are Fang Yun's poems hard to come by now, but countless people are seeking to buy the first copy. Even the Dragon Clan has put out a message to buy it, but no one is selling. Some businessmen have even sent people to Fang Yun's hometown, hoping to receive the articles written by Fang Yun before he became famous.
The head of the Huang family looked at Wang Zhengying and found that Wang Zhengying's eyes had turned from confused to clear, as if he was about to make a decision, which made him even more annoyed.
Zhao Hongzhuang lowered her head, not knowing what she was thinking. Then she raised her head and waited quietly for Fang Yun's last two words.
Fang Yun changed his writing style and the last two sentences jumped onto the paper.
"I will never regret even though my clothes are getting looser and looser, even though I am exhausted for her."
The tears in Wang Zhengying's eyes completely disappeared, and his eyes became extremely firm. He bowed to Fang Yun and said, "Thank you, Lord Wen, for your enlightenment. I am just like the poem. Even if I gradually lose weight, I will not regret it. I am willing to become haggard for her."
Patriarch Huang sighed and said, "This poem... expresses the love for the country, especially the last two lines. It is indeed a stroke of genius. Fang Zhenguo was in despair throughout the whole poem, and even drunkenness could not save him. But in the end, it was like the sun breaking through the dark clouds. The dark clouds are still there, but there is only sunshine in his eyes. Great! Even if this poem is not a national treasure now, it will become one after it is circulated for a few months!" (To be continued...)