Catching Monsters

Chapter 114: Four Lines from Hengqu (Added)
Standing outside the imperial study, Chang Pingyuan, feeling quite uneasy, saw the door of the imperial study open.

Feng Yu smiled and said, "Lord Chang, His Majesty has summoned you."

"Yes."

Soon, Chang Pingyuan hurried into the house and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

In the imperial study, Xiao Yuzheng sat on the dragon chair with an expressionless face. After a moment, he said, "Stand up."

"Yes, thank you Your Majesty."

"Feng Yu, you go out first." Xiao Yuzheng said calmly.

"Yes, I'll be waiting outside." Feng Yu kept smiling as he respectfully left the imperial study.

When Xiao Yuzheng was the only one left in the room, he spoke up: "I heard from Feng Yu that you have five thousand taels of silver?"

Chang Pingyuan took a deep breath, knelt down and kowtowed. As a court minister, he certainly knew Xiao Yuzheng's temper.

He did not dare to hide anything and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I am guilty. Someone tried to bribe me with these five thousand taels of silver in order to get the Ministry of Revenue to approve a sum of silk for them to sell."

"I have been tempted by greed and would rather die than refuse. I have come to Your Majesty to apologize and resign."

"I am also willing to donate all my wealth and property to the Ministry of Revenue."

After saying this, Chang Pingyuan kowtowed to the ground respectfully.

Xiao Yuzheng stood up, picked up the pen holder beside him, smashed it hard on the ground, and shouted angrily: "Chang Pingyuan, you are so bold, I promoted you to the position of Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, just to let you embezzle this little money?"

"I deserve to die!" Chang Pingyuan kowtowed continuously, but he actually felt relieved in his heart.

He understood His Majesty's character, and it was actually a good thing that Xiao Yuzheng cursed.

"You bastard, I don't care how much money you have embezzled. Tomorrow morning, I will send it all to the palace and to the inner treasury."

"Yes!" Chang Pingyuan nodded and agreed without hesitation.

At this point, Xiao Yuzheng seemed to calm down. He asked in a deep voice, "You have offended Feng Yu this time, don't you have any thoughts?"

Chang Pingyuan heard this and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, Eunuch Feng is someone close to you, I dare not have any ideas."

Xiao Yuzheng said in a deep voice: "The current Minister He of the Ministry of Revenue is old. You and Minister Cao are both suitable for the position of Minister of Revenue."

Chang Pingyuan said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, since I have committed such a serious mistake, the position of Shangshu will naturally be held by Minister Cao."

"Go back." Xiao Yuzheng glared at him angrily and said, "If you dare to embezzle even a tael of silver again, I will peel off your skin."

"Yes, thank you very much, Your Majesty."

Chang Pingyuan respectfully left the imperial study. Seeing Feng Yu waiting outside, he also bowed politely before leaving.

Feng Yu returned to the imperial study, bent down to pick up the scattered pen holders on the ground, and said with a smile on his face: "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. After all, Lord Chang is also a capable official. Although he embezzled a little money, his loyalty is commendable..."

Having followed Xiao Yuzheng for many years, Feng Yu is very eloquent.

If Xiao Yuzheng was really angry and dismissed Chang Pingyuan from his post and investigated him, Feng Yu would naturally have a different excuse.

Now Xiao Yuzheng raised it high and put it down gently, which means he did not want to punish this person severely. Feng Yu naturally could not say bad things about Chang Pingyuan anymore.

"Next year, Chang Pingyuan will take on the position of Minister of Revenue."

Hearing Xiao Yuzheng's words, Feng Yu was slightly startled, but his expression remained unchanged, and he said respectfully: "Your Majesty is wise..."

Feng Yu was also somewhat confused about what Xiao Yuzheng was thinking.

Your Majesty does hate corrupt people, but Chang Pingyuan embezzled 5,000 taels of silver, which was already a good thing to dismiss him from his post and investigate him, but he was actually promoted?

Afterwards, Feng Yu seemed to have thought of something, and his expression changed slightly. He would have to spend less time with these ministers in the court in the future...

For the next five days, the East Pacification Office did not have any tasks. Jiang Yun said hello to Wei Huaian and then quietly practiced in the inn.

The Red Lotus Cult has not contacted me since they sent the white sugar over.

But it’s also good. For Jiang Yun, it’s a relief to be free from worries.

Jiang Yun had already reached the peak of the seventh level of the Taoist Qigong realm. During these five days of cultivation, he had not been blessed by the Five Elements Formation.

That morning, the magic power in Jiang Yun's body slowly flowed out from his tendons and veins, and all gathered in his abdomen.

Gradually, a small magic pill was formed.

This is the sixth level of inner alchemy in Taoism.

Each major system and each realm’s division has its own obvious characteristics.

For example, according to the Taoist description, after reaching the seventh level of fasting, one can abstain from eating grains and still be full of energy.

Of course, this is just bragging. If you really don't eat, your body will have no source of energy and you will starve to death after a long time.

But if you only eat one meal every three to four days, you won’t feel hungry.

After forming the inner elixir, Jiang Yun began to frantically absorb the spiritual energy of the surrounding heaven and earth and incorporate it into the inner elixir.

When he opened his eyes, it was already noon. Xu Xiaogang had come into the room without him noticing.

Xu Xiaogang sat on the chair, blinked his eyes, and watched the change in Jiang Yun's temperament: "Brother-in-law, you are not going to tell me that you have reached the sixth-grade inner alchemy realm of Taoism?"

Seeing Jiang Yun nod, Xu Xiaogang instantly stared at Jiang Yun with a resentful look on his face. This guy is definitely a freak.

It was obvious that when he and his sister first arrived in Nanzhou Prefecture, they only had a tiny bit of magic power in their bodies.

But now, he has actually entered the sixth level of inner alchemy in Taoism.

The bottlenecks that trouble other people have never been seen in Jiang Yun.

It seems that as long as you practice slowly and build up enough magic power in your body, you can smoothly enter the next stage.

This speed of cultivation is probably comparable to that of the top geniuses in Confucianism and Buddhism.

Jiang Yun stood up and stretched his body a little.

"Haven't you been resting in the Duke's Mansion these days? Why are you out?" Jiang Yun asked curiously.

Xu Xiaogang shrugged and said, "We have a mission today."

"Today is the day of Chen Ming Poetry Meeting."

"General Wei has accepted the task. More than 30 of us have to patrol the Chenming Poetry Society."

"General Wei asked me to come and inform you."

Chenming Poetry Meeting?

He suddenly remembered that Feng Bei'er seemed to have come to invite him a few days ago.

The Chenming Poetry Society has a history of two hundred years in the Zhou Dynasty.

It is said that two hundred years ago, there was a great scholar named Zhao Chenming in the Renyi Academy. He was so accomplished in Confucianism and Legalism that he broke through to the second level of Confucian integrity. When he recited poems, they became swords, oceans, and mountains, and his Confucianism and Legalism were vast.

The end of the year was approaching, and it was the birthday of His Majesty at that time. Zhao Chenming went alone to the east of the Great Zhou Dynasty, crossed the river, came to the Eastern Monster Kingdom, beheaded the heads of three big monsters and returned to the capital.

It was presented to the emperor at that time as a birthday gift.

The emperor was delighted and ordered everyone to compose poems in praise of it. Over time, this custom has been passed down to this day.

Before the end of the year, the Chenming Poetry Festival is held in Beijing.

Although it is held in the Renyi Academy, disciples from the five major academies in the capital and ministers who love poetry will all attend.

It is considered a grand event in the capital.

Jiang Yun understood. It meant that for large gatherings, we, the Jinyiwei, would be sent to provide security.

"The Chenming Poetry Festival is very lively. My sister will take Jiang girl to have a look later."

Qian Buchou did not live in the inn. He spent most of his time in the North City Bingmasi during this period.

It’s the New Year and every department is very busy.

At night, more than 30 Jinyiwei led by Wei Huaian changed into casual clothes and came to the Chenming Poetry Meeting.

The Chenming Poetry Festival was held on the main road in the inner city, which was a hundred feet wide.

The whole street was brightly lit, with lanterns on both sides, making it as bright as day. As soon as it got dark, fireworks were heard in the inner city.

When the fireworks sound, the Chenming Poetry Festival officially begins.

The 100-foot-wide street was crowded with people, and many vendors on both sides took the opportunity to sell candied haws, small sugar figurines and other food. Many scholars also found a place on the street and placed their own poetry and prose collections in front of them for the readers to appreciate and exchange.

Of course, the highlight of the entire Chenming Poetry Festival is the poetry festival held by Renyi Academy.

A platform has been set up at the intersection of Central Avenue, and the ceremony will officially take place later.

Jiang Yun and Xu Xiaogang were strolling side by side on the street.

Xu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back, obviously very familiar with the Chenming Poetry Club. He introduced it to Jiang Yun with a smile: "Look at this street, so many rich ladies have come out."

"At Chenming Poetry Club, there are often stories of rich ladies and students from the academy falling in love at first sight and being attracted to each other."

The students of the academy are considered to be sought-after talents in the entire capital.

Most of the ministers in the court came from these five academies.

If one performs well in the academy and becomes an official in the court, he will naturally be looked after by the elders in the academy.

What's more, most of the students in the academy are good-looking and polite. In the eyes of many rich ladies, they are much better than the children of the powerful who only know how to mess around all day long.

Jiang Yun was quite curious. While walking on the street, he would occasionally look through the poems written by scholars on the street.

Of course, their levels are just average.

"Mr. Jiang."

Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind. Jiang Yun turned around and saw Feng Bei'er standing behind him with two maids.

Feng Beier's eyes were filled with a hint of surprise: "I knew that Mr. Jiang would definitely come here if he had such a talented person."

The two maids behind her were holding many collections of poetry and prose in their hands.

Feng Bei'er was kind-hearted. She knew that many scholars who set up stalls to sell their poems might be short of money, so she bought a lot of them.

Jiang Yun bowed and smiled, "Miss Feng, I have official business to attend to. I am here to...maintain order."

Feng Beier's eyes lit up, and she suddenly thought of something and said, "Mr. Jiang, the poetry gathering at Renyi Academy will officially begin soon."

"A great scholar from the academy came in person."

"Do you want to participate?"

Jiang Yun frowned slightly and asked, "Miss Feng..."

"If you can produce a poem that satisfies the great scholar, the reward from the academy will be very high."

"It is said that if a great scholar nods his head in satisfaction for a poem, he can get 200 taels of silver."

"If the great scholar nods twice, it will be three hundred taels."

"Click three times, there may be five hundred taels of silver."

Hearing this, Jiang Yun instantly became interested. He couldn't help but glare at Xu Xiaogang next to him: "Why didn't you tell me earlier that there was such a good thing at the poetry conference?"

Xu Xiaogang saw Feng Beier appear, and he had already assumed a certain temperament. He put his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle: "Jiang Yun, I'm not interested in money."

"I've said it so many times, we come to the poetry reading to appreciate poetry..."

"Hey, don't go, Jiang Yun. I haven't even finished talking yet. Where are you going?"

"Let the great scholar be the woodpecker."

At this time, the most lively place in the entire Chenming Poetry Festival was the high platform built by the Renyi Academy.

The place is packed with people, and most of them are students wearing white clothes.

At this moment, sitting on the stage was an old man in his seventies, wearing a Confucian robe.

Although the old man is old, he has a ruddy complexion and looks very energetic.

This man's name is Fang Tingzhi, and he is a third-rank scholar.

Even among the students of Renyi Academy, it is not often possible to see such great scholars.

At this moment, many students, even just to catch a glimpse of the great scholar's true appearance, were pushing forward like crazy.

When the hour of Hai arrived, a Confucian teacher in his forties wearing a Confucian robe walked onto the stage and said, "Hello, students. Today, we will follow the rules of previous years. Students who have a lot of poetry in their hearts can come on stage and exchange poetry with Mr. Fang."

"If the poem you write gets the approval of Mr. Fang, our Renyi Academy will give you a prize."

The Confucian teacher reminded with a smile: "There are not many opportunities to exchange poetry with great Confucian scholars, so you must seize the opportunity."

"The prize is limited and will be given away while stocks last."

Soon, some students were eager to try, as this would mean they could personally recite their masterpieces in front of a great scholar.

Even if I fail to get the approval of the great scholar, I can still brag about it for a few years after I go back.

People are very enthusiastic.

When Jiang Yun, Xu Xiaogang and Feng Bei'er arrived, there was already a long queue.

Jiang Yun had no choice but to queue up obediently.

The students took turns to come forward and, in front of the great scholar Fang, first introduce themselves, what school they came from, and who their mentor was.

Then recite the poem.

Fang Tingzhi always had a faint smile on his face, but he didn't speak, nor did he nod or shake his head.

Seeing that Fang Tingzhi had no reaction, the students who had finished reciting could only bow in shame and leave the stage.

More than twenty people came one after another, but there was no response.

Jiang Yun who was waiting in the queue frowned, wondering if this was a telecom scam, where they said there was some prize but didn't want to pay a penny.

Soon, a young man in white clothes came forward, came to Fang Tingzhi, and bowed respectfully: "Student greets the teacher."

When he saw this student, Fang Tingzhi finally smiled.

Jiang Yun frowned and asked in a low voice: "Who is this? Fang Daru seems to know him?"

Feng Beier said softly, "This is Shi Shaojie. It is said that he has been in the academy for seven years and was accepted as a personal disciple by Fang Daru."

"At the age of twenty-four, I have already reached the fifth level of Confucianism."

Jiang Yun frowned. Someone with connections?

"I, a humble disciple, wrote a poem entitled "Ode to My Teacher"

Shi Shaojie bowed respectfully and then said:
"The time spent in the school is long, as the plums and peaches are cultivated."

"Devote my heart to passing on Confucianism, and hold the scroll to open up the spiritual light."

"The history is written in chalk, and the breeze blows through the lecture hall."

"The kindness is as deep as the ocean, and we will never forget it."

Listening to this poem, Fang Tingzhi showed satisfaction on his face, nodded twice, and said, "Not bad."

"Go down."

"Yes." Shi Shaojie's face lit up with joy. For scholars, this Chenming Poetry Festival was a good opportunity to become famous.

Today I have received the approval of the great scholar, and tomorrow it will definitely reach the ears of others.

There were not many excellent subsequent works, and finally it was Jiang Yun's turn.

Jiang Yun couldn't help but feel suspicious when he saw that Shi Shaojie was the only one who took away three hundred taels of silver.

It can't be all behind-the-scenes operations.

When he came to the stage and met Fang Tingzhi's eyes, Jiang Yun hurriedly said, "I am the scholar Jiang Yun."

Fang Tingzhi nodded slightly and asked calmly, "What is the name of the poem you want to recite?"

Jiang Yun said respectfully: "It is called the Four Sentences of Hengqu."

Fang Tingzhi frowned slightly. Hengqu Four Sentences? What a strange name.

　The chapter of more than 4,000 words has finally been finished.

　　Double monthly tickets are about to end, please give me monthly tickets~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)