Longevity, starting from traveling and telling stories

Chapter 193: Secret Confrontation
Butler Cui led Ye Aniu along a small path. Both of them were silent along the way.

Ye Aniu looked calm, but he was secretly thinking that Cui Mingyuan's sudden invitation to him was definitely not just a reminiscing about the past.

But I am just a commoner, so there is nothing I can ask him for.

After walking for a long time, they came to a quiet large courtyard.

The yard is hidden among green trees and is very quiet, like a paradise.

Butler Cui gently pushed open the door and led Aniu into the yard.

As soon as you enter, you will see a rockery next to the water in the courtyard, with all kinds of flowers and green leaves blooming around it.

There is a pavilion in the corner of the yard. Inside the pavilion, there is a handsome and tall figure sitting in front of a stone table with tea on it. It is Cui Mingyuan who is waiting there leisurely.

"Please wait a moment, Master Ye." Steward Cui bowed to Ye Aniu and walked respectfully into the pavilion. He bowed slightly and said softly, "Master, he's here."

"Bring him over." Cui Mingyuan nodded slightly.

"Yes." Butler Cui responded with a bow, then turned around and took Ye Aniu over.

Ye Aniu followed behind Butler Cui. Cui Mingyuan showed a faint smile on his face, stood up to greet him, raised his hand and gestured: "Mr. Ye, how have you been since we parted in Qingshi Town? Please take a seat."

Ye Aniu returned the greeting with a bow and said with a smile, "Master Cui, you're welcome."

After the two sat down, they exchanged pleasantries, talking about some unimportant topics, but Aniu knew in his heart that Cui Mingyuan must have other purposes.

After the greetings, Cui Mingyuan took a sip of tea and said with a casual smile, "I heard that Brother Ye's story about Justice Bao in Fengtian Prefecture was very impressive. Brother Ye, do you also want to be a person like Justice Bao?"

Here he comes! I knew this guy would definitely try to test me.

Ye Aniu shook his head slightly and said calmly: "Bao Qingtian is good, but with my personality, I can't be Bao Qingtian."

Cui Mingyuan's expression remained unchanged, seemingly unsurprised. He smiled calmly and said, "Oh? Could it be that Brother Ye wants to be like Grand Tutor Pang, a man who can dominate the government and the country?"

This time his tone was a bit teasing, but also tentative, half true and half false, making it difficult to figure out his intentions.

After hearing this, Ye Aniu smiled calmly and said, "Not really."

Cui Mingyuan was stunned and asked curiously, "Oh? Nowadays, there are generally two types of people in the court. Brother Ye doesn't want to be like Justice Bao, nor does he want to be like Grand Tutor Pang. I'm really curious, what kind of person do you want to be when you take the imperial examination?"

Ye Aniu smiled slightly and said calmly, "I don't seek a good reputation, nor do I covet power. I just want to protect myself."

After hearing this, Cui Mingyuan frowned slightly. He was a little surprised by Ye Aniu's answer, but it also seemed to be expected.

He picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then smiled: "Brother Ye is a free and easy person, but to protect yourself, the prerequisite is to have power."

"Since Brother Ye has taken the imperial examination, he must be determined to enter the officialdom. In this case, power must be the sword in Brother Ye's hand. If Brother Ye does not pursue this sword, there will eventually be swords that kill the swordless. What is the point of not seeking power?"

Ye Aniu smiled, his eyes showing a hint of indifference: "Brother Cui is right, without power, nothing can be accomplished."

"But becoming an official is just a means, not an end."

Cui Mingyuan listened and said with a smile: "Brother Ye is indeed different."

But then, he poured Ye Aniu a cup of tea, and his tone suddenly darkened as he said, "However, in this officialdom, just like what Brother Ye said in the story of Ji Xiaolan, without a backer, it would be extremely difficult for Brother Ye to gain a firm foothold."

Ye Aniu smiled slightly and said calmly, "Brother Cui is absolutely right."

After hearing this, Cui Mingyuan laughed heartily and nodded, saying, "Brother Ye is indeed a wonderful person. If there is an opportunity in the future, I would like to join hands with Brother Ye to plan something great together."

Ye Aniu smiled slightly, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Brother Cui, for your kindness."

Cui Mingyuan listened, a hint of deep meaning flashed in his eyes, and then he smiled and said: "Okay, in that case, then I will wait and see."

Ye Aniu bowed and said, "Thank you very much."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then Ah Niu bowed and said goodbye. Although the two of them seemed to be calm on the surface, in fact, the talks had broken down.

Cui Mingyuan looked at his disappearing back, the smile on his face slowly faded, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

"This person is indeed impossible to control..." Cui Mingyuan muttered to himself.

Butler Cui who was standing next to him was completely confused. He really didn't understand. His young master and Ye Aniu were obviously talking and laughing, and they were having a good chat, so why did the young master still feel that he couldn't control it?

"Young Master, do you think he will join us?" Butler Cui couldn't help but ask curiously.

Cui Mingyuan shook his head and said, "When a man has been away for three days, he should be looked at with new eyes. This man is destined to be beyond my control. What a pity! I always thought he was my only confidant."

"Do you want me to go..." Butler Cui made a murderous gesture.

Cui Mingyuan waved his hand and said calmly, "No need."

"Why? Sir, do you still not trust my martial arts? He is just a scholar..." Butler Cui explained hurriedly.

Cui Mingyuan shook his head and said, "The Prime Minister deliberately revealed that the Princess was interested in him, hoping to use me to kill him."

"Then why can't I do the opposite and use the Prime Minister's knife to kill him? If he dies directly at my hands, the Princess will definitely be angry with me. Why don't I let Li Qingyun bear this bad reputation?"

"Go get ready."

"Yes."

at the same time.

Ye Aniu walked out of Cui's house, thinking about Cui Mingyuan's words. What he said made sense. When his tofu shop was bullied by a county magistrate, he realized that a career in officialdom was important, but this road was still not easy.

Now at least he has no connection with the Prime Minister's party, and his remaining choices are Cui Mingyuan or the eldest princess.

Cui Mingyuan has always had ulterior motives and is ruthless in his dealings with others. As can be seen from Zhou Xiancai's case, he is indifferent to human life.

If I were alone, I wouldn't be afraid, but now I have to consider the safety of Youlan and my father-in-law and mother-in-law.

the other side.

"You mean, Cui Mingyuan went to see Ye Aniu?" The eldest princess frowned and listened to the maid's report.

Hanmei said respectfully, "I saw it with my own eyes. I was ordered by the princess to summon him, but as soon as I arrived at Jieyuan Tower, I found that Cui Mingyuan's housekeeper had taken him away."

The eldest princess fell into deep thought. She knew Cui Mingyuan very well. This man never did useless things and was extremely efficient. He would not waste time on a useless person for no reason.

"Let's wait and see what happens. If necessary, you can protect him."

"Yes……"

The next day.

It is still sunny today. Maybe yesterday's exam made everyone in a bad mood, so the candidates today are relatively quiet.

Aniu slept until the hour of Si before slowly waking up. The main reason was that he was a little troubled by Ji Xiaolan's book yesterday. He slept very soundly this time and felt full of energy.

After Ye Aniu finished washing up, he had a delicious meal. Before he knew it, it was time for dinner again, which made him feel very comfortable.

Remembering the guidance of the sacred book, he decided to finish telling the story of "The Iron-Teeth and Bronze-Jaw Ji Xiaolan" as soon as possible to give everyone an explanation.

After eating, he walked slowly towards the table.

Maybe because no one did well in the exam yesterday, no one communicated much and everyone was just concentrating on eating.

Snapped!
A wooden clatter startled everyone. Ye Aniu, standing on the platform, cleared his throat and said loudly, "Good and evil will eventually be rewarded, and the righteous path of the world is vicissitudes. Continuing from the last chapter, today we continue the story of Ji Xiaolan."

Everyone looked up, their eyes focused on Aniu, because they also wanted to hear the reasons of Heshen and Ji Xiaolan, the two enemies.

Seeing everyone's attention drawn, Ye Aniu nodded with satisfaction and continued, "It is said that Heshen and Ji Xiaolan were in the prison, drinking wine and discussing heroes. Ji Xiaolan asked Heshen why he replaced grain with bran."

Upon hearing this, the candidates in the audience all looked indignant.

"These corrupt officials are so cruel. The disaster victims are already suffering."

"Not only that, they also exploit us like this. It's simply outrageous!"

Seeing this, Ye Aniu sighed and said, imitating Heshen's helpless expression, "This pound of grain can be exchanged for three pounds of bran. In this way, the grain that could have saved one person can now save three people."

Then Ah Niu imitated Ji Xiaolan's shocked tone and angrily shouted, "But the bran is for animals, not for people."

Ah Niu turned around and began to imitate Heshen again, saying in a helpless tone: "Are those disaster victims still human? They are simply animals. This bran is good for them. You are just a scholar, and all you know how to do is read the books of sages and curse the powerful."

As soon as these words were spoken, the audience immediately began to discuss.

"Heshen is such a bastard, he treats the disaster victims like animals!"

"That's right, officials should care about the people, but they do such unscrupulous things."

Everyone was talking at once, criticizing Heshen's behavior.

Ye Aniu slapped the wake-up stick and said passionately, imitating Ji Xiaolan's tone: "If the current ruler is unfair, he should be criticized."

"Well said! If officials are unfair and unjust, we must criticize them."

"We should learn from Mr. Ji's proud character."

The students all agreed, as if they saw their own ideals in Ji Xiaolan.

Ye Aniu shook his head. This was the conflict between ideals and reality. If he didn't have the magic book, wouldn't he be the same as them?

But he sighed and continued, recounting Heshen's question about Ji Xiaolan's encounter with someone dying from eating dirt, or a thousand-mile plain devoured of all bark and grass. "Heshen said," Ah Niu cleared his throat and mimicked Heshen's tone, "that people were eating their own children. You, Ji Xiaolan, must have heard of this, but I've seen it with my own eyes."

Then he changed the subject, his expression becoming very sad, and said, "If it's the children who are eating, it's just a pile of meat in the pot..."

After he finished speaking, all the candidates present stood up, and some even wiped away their tears, as if they had seen the horrific scene.

Ah Niu sighed and continued to talk about the scenes described by Heshen, which shocked Ji Xiaolan again and again. Ji Xiaolan never thought that the human tragedy he read in the book would actually happen to him.

When Heshen got excited, he even complained to his old rivals, old partners, and old friends.

He told Ji Xiaolan in a sad tone that he had personally been to the disaster area, and as soon as he got there, he felt disheartened. No matter how much food the court distributed, it would be difficult for it to reach the victims.

At this point, Ah Niu said with a sad face, imitating Heshen's tone: "If I hadn't found a way to make it work, what you would see in the disaster area would not be victims, but bones..."

After hearing this, many students' faith collapsed. They despised Heshen from the bottom of their hearts, but at this time they had to admit that Heshen's actions were out of helplessness.

It's really a love-hate relationship.

Ji Xiaolan tried to refute several times, but seemed powerless. Then he imitated Ji Xiaolan's grief-stricken expression and said sadly: "If there is no disaster relief food, we can apply to the court again. Why take such extreme measures?"

Many candidates were also stunned when they heard this. This was also the question in their minds: if there was not enough money, why not ask the court for it?
Aniu continued to say that due to years of war, the national treasury was empty and there was no extra food for disaster relief.

Ji Xiaolan said that he had looked at the account books and found that officials of all ranks were embezzling the relief grain funds.

At this point, Ah Niu imitated Heshen's expression and tone and shouted loudly: "To save the people, you must first save the officials. If the officials can't survive, how can you save the people?"

"absurd……"

“That’s also true.”

Ah Niu played two roles, sometimes imitating Heshen's treacherous appearance, and sometimes imitating Ji Xiaolan's loyal and patriotic appearance, and he portrayed both loyal and treacherous images very well.

Even Cui Mingyuan, who was hiding in the dark, nodded secretly, thinking to himself, is this what you want to do?

At this time, the scholars in Jieyuan Building were silent. They were common people now. If they became officials in the future, should they save themselves first or the common people first? They fell into deep thought.

"He Shen is right. If we officials can't survive, how can the people be saved without us?"

"Ridiculous! Officials are only rewarded for saving the people. Without the people, where would the officials come from?"

Everyone had their own reasons and kept arguing, but no one was convinced by the other.

The uncle of the king, who was hiding in another dark place, was very pleased to see this. His "nephew-in-law" could actually educate these students by storytelling. He felt that perhaps in the near future, these students would become people like Ji Xiaolan and Heshen.

Ah Niu, playing two roles, felt a little thirsty after speaking. After taking a sip of water, he helplessly imitated Heshen and said, "If it weren't for these corrupt officials manipulating me, I wouldn't be able to carry out disaster relief and I wouldn't be able to keep my position as the Grand Councilor. If this happens, the disaster victims will have no hope of getting food. Only by feeding these corrupt officials will they be willing to work for me."

This statement sparked another heated discussion.

"As long as we all exercise self-discipline, won't that be enough?"

"That's right. As long as we work diligently, will this kind of thing still happen?"

"What's the point of this?"

Ah Niu shook his head. How many people spoke well before becoming officials, only to be corrupted beyond recognition in the end? This was human nature. After living a good life for a long time, it would be difficult to survive if they were forced to endure hardship.

Bang! Ye Aniu slapped the wooden board and said, imitating Ji Xiaolan's righteous expression, "Absurd! Corruption and bribery can actually be justified?"

Many students agreed with Ji Xiaolan's rebuke.

Aniu continued to tell Ji Xiaolan what Heshen had told him earnestly, that this was his own personal experience from his decades of official career, just like the two mouths in the Chinese character "official", only when the upper mouth is full can the lower mouth have something to eat. These words left Ji Xiaolan speechless.

"Ah!" Ah Niu sighed and said, "I only saw Ji Xiaolan sighing helplessly, saying that honest officials were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, while corrupt officials were as numerous as the grains of sand in the Yellow River."

"It seems Ji Xiaolan has given in..." Ah Niu said this, imitating Heshen: "Since the reality is like this, if we don't rely on corrupt officials, who else can we rely on? Without their support, I, the so-called Grand Councilor, am nothing."

"After pouring out their sorrows, they each offered the other a glass of wine. It was clear that neither could convince the other. So, they decided to put aside their grudges for the time being and have a drink to ease their sorrows."

After hearing this, everyone raised their glasses and toasted Ye Aniu.

"It's a good thing that these rivals are drinking together and settling scores."

"In this way, we can also use the story to feel the same way. I suggest that we also have a drink with each other."

"Hahahahaha, come on, do it."

"To know what happens next, please wait for the next episode." Ye Aniu nodded to everyone and walked off the stage.

Everyone seemed to have gotten used to it, and they felt that hearing so many officialdom principles today was worthwhile.

The two days passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was time for the third exam.

After the first two exams, the candidates were no longer as nervous as when they first arrived. It might be because they knew that their level was just that and they had recognized their fate, so they were not so nervous.

The third exam today was very difficult, consisting of five policy questions.

Of course, some people scratched their heads and their hair was messed up, some people bit several brushes and broke them, but only Ye Aniu continued to answer the questions quickly.

I have to say, cheating feels really good. Ye Aniu even secretly asked the magic book if he could pass the exam and become the top scholar. The magic book shook it, meaning that the top scholar was nothing and even the top scholar would be no problem.

Sometimes he couldn't figure out what this magical book was. Now it seemed to have consciousness. Sometimes whatever he wanted to say would appear in his mind. It was magical.

Exam time always passes quickly. Aniu took a nap comfortably until the end of the exam, and then slowly returned to Jieyuan Building. The next step was to wait for the results to be announced. There was still about half a month left. Aniu felt that he was quite far away from home, and since Jieyuan Building offered free accommodation, he might as well wait for the results here.

the other side.

The eldest princess was sitting in a chair with her eyes closed, and Hanmei was massaging her shoulders. At this moment, a servant outside suddenly came to report.

"Your Highness, Master Cui Mingyuan requests an audience."

The eldest princess opened her eyes and her expression changed several times in an instant. She thought about all the possibilities of Cui Mingyuan coming here, and finally felt that he came here to test Ye Aniu.

So she said calmly, "Please ask him to come in."

"Yes."

Soon, a servant led in a young man dressed in plain clothes, with a handsome appearance and a folding fan in his hand.

"Greetings, Princess." Cui Mingyuan saluted, holding a folding fan.

"What's the matter with you coming to see me?" The eldest princess half-lying on the chair, enjoying Hanmei's massage, asked in a somewhat lazy tone.

Cui Mingyuan seemed to be accustomed to her tone. He smiled calmly and said, "Mingyuan happened to come to Fengtian Prefecture this time and happened to meet Ye Aniu, who is good at making stinky tofu, who was taking the provincial examination. I chatted with him and heard that the princess was here, so I came to pay a visit."

After saying that, he carefully observed the eldest princess's expression, hoping to find some subtle changes, but he was disappointed. The eldest princess still looked lazy. Well, if her expression changed drastically because of such a small thing, she would not be herself anymore.

"You haven't just come to see me, have you?" The eldest princess sat up straight and waved her hand, signaling Hanmei to stop.

"Indeed..." Cui Mingyuan smiled calmly and said, "I happened to find a phoenix hairpin in Qingshi Town. Mingyuan thought it was particularly suitable for the princess, so he bought it specially for her. I hope the princess won't dislike it."

After saying this, he carefully took out an exquisite phoenix hairpin wrapped in white cloth from his arms and handed it over with both hands.

The eldest princess frowned, thought for a while, and whispered: "Hanmei..."

"Yes."

Hanmei took small steps, took Cui Mingyuan's phoenix hairpin, and handed it to the eldest princess. The eldest princess took a look at it, then handed it back to Hanmei and said, "Put it away. I like it very much."

When Cui Mingyuan saw this, a look of joy appeared in his eyes, but also a hint of bitterness.

"Since Her Royal Highness the Princess has accepted the gift, Mingyuan will not bother you any more. Goodbye." After saying that, he bowed and turned to leave.

Watching his departing figure, Hanmei couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, is Master Cui really just here to give you a gift?"

She didn't understand why the princess didn't like Cui Mingyuan, who had everything. But that Ye Aniu seemed pretty good too, except... Oh, it was so hard to choose!

"Sending gifts?" The eldest princess snorted coldly, her tone full of disdain, and said, "You just want to test my attitude towards Ye Aniu."

Meanwhile, Steward Cui had been waiting outside for a while. Seeing his young master's delight, he quickly greeted him with a smile and asked, "Sir, has Her Royal Highness the Princess accepted the gift?"

Cui Mingyuan smiled slightly, glanced at Butler Cui, and said, "I'm talking to you, are you so bold now that you dare to guess what I'm thinking?"

Butler Cui thought that the young master would be happy if the princess accepted the gift, and he got carried away and said, "I told you, the princess will definitely like the gift given by the young master."

"Ah..." Cui Mingyuan sighed bitterly, and said, "So what if she accepted it? She didn't accept it because of me."

"Hiss..." Steward Cui took a breath and asked in surprise, "Sir, why is this happening?"

"What?"

Cui Mingyuan laughed self-deprecatingly and said, "She must have forgotten that she never accepted any gifts I gave her before."

"Now that I mentioned Ye Aniu, she suddenly accepted it. She just wanted to divert my attention from Ye Aniu."

As he spoke, Cui Mingyuan glanced at the street with a gloomy expression. His tone was somewhat sad as he said, "She thought she was being clever, but she didn't know I had already seen through her."

Then he asked Steward Cui, "Have you finalized the matters you discussed secretly with the Prime Minister?"

Butler Cui knew that he couldn't anger the young master at this moment, so he quickly bowed and said, "Sir, everything has been settled."

"Okay..." Cui Mingyuan nodded and murmured to himself, "You care about him, but I want you to never forget me."

(End of this chapter)