Fang Yun took the invitation and looked at it, and found that there was nothing special about it. It was the same as the invitations to literary gatherings he had received before. It was obviously not specially arranged by Li Wenying.
Feng Zimo, the Lord of the Court, said, "Since Lord Li has invited you, there must be a deep meaning behind it."
Yu Xingshu said, "Based on my understanding of Lord Li, the word 'try your best' was not what he meant. If Lord Li really wanted you to go, he would have directly invited you. I'm afraid he asked his attendant to say so because he was asked by someone else."
Fang Yun said: "Since Lord Li values it so much, let's go and have a look. However, Lord Li only said that I should go, but didn't say that I should participate in the dragon boat race, right?"
Everyone was stunned. Feng Zimo smiled and said, "You are quite clever. However, the prizes of dragon boat races have always been high, and have even grown larger in recent years. You'd better participate."
"What's the prize?"
"In the past, each country offered a cultural treasure as a prize, and Lord Li added a piece of dragon blood ink this year. Naturally, Qing Kingdom did not show weakness and even offered a "Mountain and River Chessboard". They also accused Lord Li of being stingy and asked Yuhai City to offer more treasures as prizes."
"A chessboard of mountains and rivers? They are really willing to give it up." Fang Yun said.
The material of the Mountain and River Chessboard is an extremely rare strange stone in Qing State. The stripes on the stone reflect the geographical direction of mountains and rivers. It has no magical power itself, but once it is made into a Wenbao chessboard, once the chess game begins, it can turn into mountains and rivers to trap the enemy.
Go cultural treasures are quite special. The chessboard, black pieces and white pieces each constitute a cultural treasure. Only when the three are combined together can a complete Go cultural treasure be found. Taking them out individually is useless.
In the hands of an ordinary player, the power of a set of Go cultural treasures is not much different from that of an ordinary cultural treasure. However, in the hands of a master who is proficient in Go, a set of Go cultural treasures can exert several times the power.
However, Go, like painting and the zither, requires years of study and practice, and takes up a great deal of time and energy. Unless one is extremely talented in this area, it would be better to study the classics of the saints.
Qing Kingdom only produces four or five qualified mountain and river chessboards a year. Even if they are refined into Hanlin Wenbao, it is not a waste, and its value is far higher than a dragon blood ink ingot.
"Are you interested?" Feng Zimo asked.
Fang Yun said: "Before I have mastered calligraphy to the fifth level, I will not delve into the art of music, chess, or painting. It's okay to try it occasionally when I am relaxing. The mountain and river chessboard is of no use to me."
"That may not be the case. You have already shown your talent for painting, and perhaps with a little effort you will be able to achieve success in the arts of chess and music. When you have a good treasure of chess and music in the future, you can't just keep it unused."
"Maybe it's possible." Fang Yun didn't say anything definite. The main reason was that there were too many things in the library. As long as it could enhance the power of the human race, it could be taken out and used. Perhaps it would come in handy.
General Yu said: "The Mountain and River Chessboard is useless to you, you can exchange it for something else useful, it is still possible to exchange it for a Jinshi Wenbao."
"This month, I want to concentrate on preparing for the exam." Fang Yun said helplessly. He wanted to climb the mountain of books so much. Only by winning the literary heart could his own strength be qualitatively improved. Otherwise, he would never be able to stand on his own without verbal battles.
Yu Xingshu nodded and said, "Alright. After you enter the Book Mountain, you must strive to move forward. The higher you climb, the greater the benefit to my Jing Nation!"
"Oh? I don't know about that. What's the benefit?" Fang Yun asked.
Yu Xingshu glanced at everyone. Except for Feng Zimo, everyone around him left tactfully.
"After the prefectural examination, the top ten scholars from each of the ten countries will enter the Book Mountain. The country whose scholars climb the highest on the Book Mountain represents the prosperity of that country's education, and the Holy Academy will reward them with holy pages, longevity fruits, or life-giving fruits. When scholars climb the Book Mountain, it's not a big deal. When the successful candidates climb the Book Mountain, it's said that the semi-saints of the ten countries will pay attention. Because those who can climb to the top will definitely become the pillars of our human race and have great potential. Generally speaking, the four great talents of each generation will emerge when the successful candidates climb the Book Mountain, and gradually become famous throughout the world."
"So that's how it is." Fang Yun said.
Yu Xingshu said solemnly: "The holy way is very difficult! The human race must fight with the monsters, and people must fight with each other. You must fight for the holy pages and treasures so that you will not be killed by monsters and foreign enemies; you must fight for the qualification of the holy land, so that you can grow faster than others; the most important and cruel is the fight for the holy way philosophy. For example, your "Three Character Classic" has offended the Xunzi family."
"Ah? I understand." Fang Yun was stunned for a moment and then reacted immediately.
The opening line of "Three Character Classic" is "When man is born, his nature is good", and Xunzi, the second sage, is the founder of the "theory of human nature being evil". This "theory of human nature being evil" does not mean that human beings must be evil or bad, but it believes that human beings are born with an evil side, which is innate.
But Mencius believed that people are born with compassion, a sense of shame and disgust, a sense of courtesy and humility, and a sense of right and wrong. In other words, people are inclined to do good and are born kind, so he is regarded as the originator of the theory of human nature.
This led to the confrontation between Mencius' family and Xunzi's family, which lasted for hundreds of years and has not been reconciled to this day.
Xunzi's disciples did not even accept the ideas of Mencius, the second sage. If they have the opportunity in the future, they will naturally suppress Fang Yun.
Fang Yun also knew that there were conflicts of ideas within each family. For example, although the Han Fei family and the Li Si family were both Legalists, they still had an irreconcilable feud because of the power struggle between Han Fei and Li Si. Some new saints also had personal grudges and national hatred.
Fang Yun sighed lightly, because the Xunzi family was in Qing Kingdom, and Jing Kingdom and Qing Kingdom had always been at odds, so the Xunzi family would naturally spare no effort to suppress him.
Feng Zimo comforted him, "The Xunzi family is not very powerful in my Jing country. As long as you don't leave Jing country, they can't do anything to you."
"I hope so." Fang Yun said.
Yu Xingshu asked: "If the Xunzi family sent someone to rebuke you, what would you do? Would you give in or run away?"
Fang Yun pondered for a moment and answered firmly: "I will neither surrender nor escape. No one can stop my holy path! Not even the sub-saint family!"
"Okay!" Yu Xingshu and Feng Zimo smiled at each other.
It was late at night and the three of them stopped talking. Feng Zimo and the others left, while Fang Yun and his family stayed in General Dinghai's Mansion.
Early in the morning, Fang Yun took Yang Yuhuan and the Yu family to have breakfast, then got on an ox cart and went to the house prepared for him under the escort of a team of soldiers.
After arriving safely, the family began to get busy. The state army also assigned two veterans with clean backgrounds and rich experience to serve as Fang Yun's entourage to protect him closely.
The new Fang Mansion has two courtyards, one less than the previous Dayuan Mansion, but it is enough.
Before lunch, Fang Yun sent Fang Daniu to buy some high-end stationery gifts and went to visit Mr. Pang's house next door on the right. Neither of them revealed their identities and just chatted for half an hour like ordinary neighbors. However, they said some things to each other in secret to reassure the other, and Fang Yun also expressed his full gratitude.
In the afternoon, Fang Shouye sent someone to invite Fang Yun to his house for a simple meal. Since it was his uncle who invited him, Fang Yun had no choice but to accept.
Before going to Fang Shouye's place, Fang Yun visited Lai Pianjiang, his left neighbor. Lai Pianjiang was very enthusiastic and wanted to keep Fang Yun for dinner. However, when he learned that Fang Yun was going to Fang Shouye's place, he regretfully refused to keep him.
Fang Yun and Yang Yuhuan took a carriage to the southern sub-city. At six o'clock in the evening, they arrived at the gate of Fang Shouye's general's mansion.
This place is far less magnificent than the Fang family's in Dayuan Prefecture. Like Fang Yun's new house, it is an ordinary two-story house. There is not the slightest air of luxury, but instead it exudes a military aura of iron and blood. It is more like a fortress than a residence.
Fang Yun saw the doorman and nodded slightly, saying, "I am Fang Yun, please inform him."
The doorman immediately showed a look of joy and shouted loudly inside: "Master Yun is here!" Then he hurriedly invited Fang Yun in and led the way for him.
Fang Yun followed him inside and when he reached the second courtyard, he saw four men in plain clothes but with a military temperament coming out of the main hall to greet him. Behind the four men, there was a pretty young woman.
Fang Yun only knew Fang Shouye among them, and vaguely guessed that the young woman was Fang Shouye's concubine here.
"You little brat, you've been so glorious lately! You even got to fly to Yuhai on a flying boat, but I don't even get this kind of treatment!" Fang Shouye punched Fang Yun on the shoulder without any strength, treating him almost like a comrade-in-arms in the army.
"Fang Yun greets all the uncles and aunts." Fang Yun immediately bowed, and Yang Yuhuan did not say anything, but just placed her hands on her lower abdomen and slightly bent her knees to salute.
Fang Shouye and the other four men accepted the greetings from Fang Yun and Yang Yuhuan, while Aunt Fang, like Yang Yuhuan, slightly bowed her knees in return without saying a word.
Fang Yun was not used to elders bowing to him, even if the other party was a concubine. He was still not accustomed to some concepts of this era. However, he kept everything deep in his heart. However, a certain thought in his mind became stronger and stronger. He even vaguely felt that it was a huge opportunity. Once grasped, his future achievements would be limitless.
"Let me introduce them to you!" Fang Shouye put his arm around Fang Yun's shoulders and introduced three people to him one by one. His words and actions were not like those of a scholar. Instead, they were full of the masculinity and directness of a soldier, which made people feel close to him once they accepted him.
After everyone got to know each other, they went into the house together to eat and drink.
Fang Shouye liked to joke and talk incessantly. When the meal was almost over, the three generals left, and Aunt Fang also called Yang Yuhuan away, saying that she was going to give her some jewelry. Only the uncle and nephew were left at the dinner table.
Fang Yun knew that the three of them came here to meet and get to know each other first. They would not have a deep conversation and their relationship would slowly deepen in the future. Now was the time for the uncle and nephew to talk business.
Fang Shouye took a deep breath, and the drunkenness in his eyes immediately lessened.
"Yuhai City is safe, but not necessarily comfortable." Fang Shouye looked at Fang Yun and said in a deep voice.
"Please give me some advice, uncle."
"Do you know what gossip I heard?"
Fang Yun shook his head.
"Have you heard of Tong Chengling?"
"Of course, the Minister of War and a Hanlin." Fang Yun said.
"His eldest grandson Tong Li is in Yuhai, and he will take part in this year's provincial examination. He has already declared that he must win the first place in the scholar category and become a 'Maocai'." Fang Shouye looked at Fang Yun.