When the officials of Qing State saw this scene, they could no longer describe their inner feelings and they all looked at Fang Yun in shock. He clearly wrote a poem to save the dancer and scold the King of Qing, but in the end he actually forced the king and his ministers of Qing State to become alienated from each other, and it would be difficult to recover.
Things have already happened. No matter what Xin Zhi does, what happened today will be like a thorn piercing Qingjun's heart.
This thorn itself is not very powerful, but it was inserted on the day when Qing lost Xiangzhou. Unless Qing takes back Xiangzhou, it will never be resolved.
Some colleagues who were on good terms with Xin Zhi sighed in their hearts that although the Hanlin had a high status, it meant nothing in front of the monarch.
In a large country with a vast territory like Qing, King Qing didn't even care whether the Grand Secretaries stayed or left. Only great scholars could make him pay attention.
In Jing State, the departure or stay of a grand councilor was enough to shock the whole government and the public.
Fang Yun knew that taking over a state was a huge project. As for the negotiations with another prefecture, it would take at least one or two months. These matters would be negotiated by officials from Jing State, and he would not waste his time on such trivial matters.
"Let General Zhou and the officials negotiate this matter. I will return to Jingdu tomorrow." After Fang Yun finished speaking, he walked out of the State Academy of Literature.
When I walked out of the State Academy of Literature, I saw that one side of the Academy Street was blocked by countless people from Baling City, just like before. However, those people were waiting quietly, and it was particularly quiet.
Everyone looked at Fang Yun, suppressing the excitement in their hearts.
Most of the people who came here were elderly, ranging from 40 to over 90, and they had all experienced the horrific period when Qing State suppressed Xiangzhou decades ago. That deep-rooted hatred could not be eliminated no matter what.
Fang Yun looked at the crowd in front of him, a sad look on his face. He bowed and said, "I'm sorry for all these years."
Fang Yun's words were like a switch, causing the grievances that had been accumulated for many years to erupt completely. Countless people burst into tears, and some people even cried loudly.
The crying was deafening.
"Mother, let's go back to Jingguo! Let's go back to Jingguo!"
"Dad, your spirit in heaven must have seen this! We are Jing people again! The words on your tombstone can be changed! We can change it!"
"Let's go back to Jingguo!"
"Return to Jingguo..."
Most of the young people who knew little about those years were infected by this atmosphere. Their eyes turned red. They were all smart people. They knew the difference between being a Qing countryman or a Jing countryman.
Some scholars clenched their fists, their eyes were determined, and their eyes were filled with unprecedented hope.
The return of Xiangzhou to Jing meant that everyone in Xiangzhou was equal from then on. Everyone was eligible to participate in the imperial examinations in Xiangzhou, and the quotas in Xiangzhou would no longer be taken away by people from other states.
However, there are a few young people who are not happy. Most of them have migrated from all over Qing Kingdom. If Xiangzhou returns, they will move away immediately unless there are any unexpected events.
Fang Yun watched everything that happened in front of him with a faint smile, and after a long while, he returned to his residence in the State Academy of Literature to continue reading.
For Fang Yun, today seemed like just an ordinary day and there was no need to rest.
Until late at night, Fang Yun lay on the bed and recalled what happened that day, from attending the banquet and writing poems, to the battle between him and Xin Zhi, and then to the ten literary battles.
After recalling the past, Fang Yun finally couldn't stand the exhaustion anymore and slowly fell asleep.
Fang Yun originally wanted to sleep for only one hour as usual. But ten literary battles were too tiring, beyond the limit of what an ordinary Jinshi could achieve. Not only was he physically exhausted, but his Wendan and Wengong also reached their limits.
Three full hours passed before Fang Yun woke up. It was already a sunny day with the sun high in the sky.
Fang Yun was eager to return home, so after briefly explaining everything to the officials of Jing State, he left the city in his Longma luxury car.
Many officials of Baling City were already waiting outside the east gate, including Lian Qingjun.
If the Lei family had not been punished by the Three Rites Fire, Qing Jun would have left early last night. He would not have wronged himself to send the victor of the enemy country. But now, even if he had a hundred guts, he would not dare not send Fang Yun personally.
Etiquette cannot be abolished, so Qingjun got off the carriage and walked with Fang Yun, chatting intermittently, and they didn't stop until they had walked ten miles.
The Holy Saint has arrived and we will see him off for ten miles.
Shili Pavilion is the south bank of the Yangtze River.
Looking around, it is spring, flowers are blooming, grass is growing, and birds are flying. It doesn't seem to be the same season as in the north of Jingguo.
Everyone was facing the Yangtze River. It was the spring flood season at that moment. The river was surging, the current was fast, and it was endless, as vast as the ocean.
On the other side of the Shili Pavilion is the tall sky-high ship.
Fang Yun and some officials from the Jing Kingdom were on one side of the Kongxinglou ship, while officials from the Qing Kingdom, Xiangzhou and some officials from the Jing Kingdom who stayed in Xiangzhou were seeing them off on the opposite side.
Gu Fu, the Minister of Literature of Qing State, stepped forward, bowed to Fang Yun, and said, "We will not talk about the literary war today. We are here to send Fang Xusheng off. Fang Xusheng's literary reputation is very high, and we should not show off our skills in front of an expert. However, when scholars bid farewell, how can there be no poetry? I suggest that we select three young people to give Fang Xusheng a farewell poem. What do you think?"
Fang Yun nodded and said, "Mr. Gu is right. It shows that Qing is a country of etiquette. Then you can choose three people."
The young scholars of Qing State were eager to try, and many of them were actually well prepared because it was a common practice.
Family feuds and national hatreds were one thing, and sending a farewell poem to the Void Saint was another. This was a good opportunity to increase one's literary reputation. Even if one could not leave a name in history, one would certainly leave a note in the local chronicles, such as who sent a poem to the Void Saint on a certain day of a certain month of a certain year. If Fang Yun could become a half-saint in the future, then he would be sending a poem to the half-saint, which would definitely be a great event to bring honor to the family.
The children of semi-saint families or wealthy families look down on the false saints who present poems, but the famous families or children of poor families below the wealthy families are all looking forward to it.
What's more, most of the young scholars here are from Xiangzhou, and they are family members of Fang Yun. If they are known for giving poems as gifts in the future, they will definitely be different from ordinary people in Jingguo, and maybe they will have more opportunities.
Many young people, with red faces, pushed forward involuntarily, causing a brief chaos.
Fang Yun looked at these young people who were almost older than him with a smile on his face, feeling a little emotional in his heart. He never expected that in just one year, he had gone from being a poet to a recipient of poems, and countless young people were proud to give him poems as gifts. The difference in status was so great that it was hard to imagine in the past.
Gu Fu coughed lightly and swept his cold eyes over all the young scholars.
Those people suddenly felt as if they were being stabbed in the back, and were so frightened that they could not move. Gu Fu was a great scholar who practiced great righteousness. He could kill them all with just a word.
Gu Fu's eyes fell on Yan Yukong, the champion of Qing Kingdom last year. Like Fang Yun, he would participate in this year's palace examination, compete for the top spot in ten subjects, and enter the sea of competition.
"Yukong, you and Fang Xusheng were both champions last year, and you are old acquaintances. You should give me the first poem."
Gu Fu's words caused many people to sigh. If it were someone else, they might not be convinced, but Yan Yukong left them speechless.
"Yes, Lord Wen Xiang."
Fang Yun looked in the direction of the voice and saw Yan Yukong walking out of the crowd. Yan Yukong not only won the first place, but was also the most popular candidate for the top scholar in Qing Kingdom this year.
Yan Yukong and Fang Yun have known each other for a long time. They have worked together in the Holy Ruins and the Hunting Grounds. They are true friends in need.
Regardless of when and where, Yan Yukong never made any statement against Fang Yun in Qing Country, which has caused dissatisfaction among many Qing people. (To be continued)