The weak scholar in the end of ancient times

Chapter 128 My sword is not at a disadvantage

Back in the imperial city, those civil officials liked to use the influence of the empress's relatives to boost their reputation.

The He family was one of the targets of this attack.

The title of the He family has been trampled down generation after generation!
After arriving in Xinzhou, the He family had some ideas. They were quite experienced and wanted to choose a target to increase their reputation, so of course they chose the method they were most familiar with.

In Xinzhou, Wen Gu was also a relative of the imperial family.

But to my utter surprise, things didn't go as planned.

What's Old Zhuo doing here?!
Damn it, I faced your old faces in the capital, and now that I've come to Xinzhou, I'm facing your old faces again!

The moment Mr. He saw the other person's old face, his heart skipped a beat, as if something terrible had happened.

After a brief moment of hesitation, the question blurted out: "You're not..."

The rumor goes that the body is still alive, its spirit has departed, and it's about to die.
He had just been thinking about when he could go to the Zhuo family and feign sadness.

But in the blink of an eye, the other party was about to attack me with a sword!
Don't believe rumors!
As Master He pondered, the gaze of the person in front of him was already fixed on him.

Old Master Zhuo approached step by step, exuding an invisible sense of oppression.

"I've just recovered from a serious illness and wanted to see what Xinzhou City looked like, but I never imagined that this main road would be impassable!"

His voice wasn't loud, and it was rough and hoarse from a long illness, but combined with his overall aura, it possessed a kind of resilient and profound strength that was awe-inspiring.

The onlookers, who had been watching from a distance, had stopped talking. The previous commotion had suddenly subsided.

Master He wanted to say it was a misunderstanding; he was betting on Wen Gu today, how could he dare to be so reckless as to bet on Lao Zhuo?

"No, I thought..."

But the other side had no intention of letting him say more. Zhuo Xiang stepped forward, then fired a series of shots at his face, shouting:
"Now that the plague is rampant outside, to this extent, you show no concern for the suffering of the people, nor do you help the weak and vulnerable, yet you dare to display your ferocity here!"

Mr. He was completely bewildered by the barrage of criticism and couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up to explain, "No, I..."

Zhuo Xiang did not give the other party a chance to argue.

Suppressing with your imposing manner and belittling with your words, continue to berate the other party: Now that Xinzhou is protecting your safety, the situation outside the city is tense. You have no ability, and you don't even listen to your music in the mansion, but you still come out to cause trouble.

"...In fine clothes and sedan chairs, with entourages as numerous as clouds, they openly block the road and bully the people in broad daylight, treating the city as their private residence. Their behavior is shady, their arrogance is rampant, they are unruly! Unrestrained! Unjust! Why should they not die?!"

What gives a family of officials the confidence to back up their careers!
Zhuo Xiang looked at him with disdain: "You treacherous people who are granted titles by relatives of the emperor and who are involved in nepotism, do you dare to spout nonsense in front of me?"

Mr. He was both bewildered and furious: What nonsense are you spouting? I didn't say anything!

Wait, old man, who are you calling a jerk?!

Master He was also furious. How could he tolerate being pointed at and scolded in front of everyone?

"You, surnamed Zhuo, do you still think you're the prime minister? Stop flaunting your power; the world has changed!"

As a result, the heads of the two families, both in their fifties, clashed in the street, digging up each other's dark past.

Old Zhuo, after all, had been a prime minister; his firepower was incredibly fierce, and his delivery was extremely persuasive, full of emotion, with tears in his eyes, conveying a sense of self-reproach mixed with sorrow.
"When the country is in chaos, a minister cannot save it. When the people are in distress, an official cannot help them..."

Old Zhuo was willing but unable; he finally made it north to Xinzhou, only to fall ill. But even while confined to his sickbed, he remained concerned about the state of the world and the lives of ordinary people.

Unlike you!
Despite being physically healthy, he failed to set a good example. Instead of helping to resolve difficulties, he put on airs and acted arrogantly in public!
"...The treacherous and wicked lack any long-term vision, and are hated by both the gentry and the common people! The gluttonous and greedy are cunning and deceitful, pursuing profit without repentance, and deserve to die for their crimes!"

Old Master He's temples throbbed with veins, his face contorted, and he roared, "You surnamed Zhuo, that's enough!"

However, today Lao Zhuo seemed to have been unleashed, unleashing extreme firepower continuously, and without any restrictions on genre, taking turns speaking in poems and prose, rambling on and on.

The onlookers were astonished by Lao Zhuo's extensive knowledge and imposing presence.

He Da, who was hiding in the crowd, was also shocked.

A loafer nearby whispered, "Boss He, can you understand?"

He Da snapped out of his daze, coughed lightly, and shamelessly said, "I know a little."

At least I read a few more books after coming to Xinzhou, and my literary skills improved a little.

Another idler said, "I could understand some of what Prime Minister Zhuo said at the beginning, but I couldn't understand the rest."

He Da felt a pang of unease. In fact, he felt the same way; when Zhuo Xiang started writing poetry and prose, he basically didn't understand anything anymore.

Sigh, although he couldn't understand it, he could sense the aura and intent!
To maintain his authority as the boss, He Da, with his negligible level of education, conducted an impromptu reading comprehension exercise:

"You wouldn't understand if I explained it in too complicated a way, so to put it simply, the general idea is..."

"Ugly on the outside, and dirty on the inside!"

"The situation is critical! The weather is getting dangerous, and everyone outside the city is preparing for war. Not only are you not helping, you're actually hindering us! What kind of time is this to be playing your petty, despicable tricks? Shameless!"

"Immoral, uncultured, their kindness has not increased, but their ability to commit evil has surpassed that of the past. They are incredibly stupid!"

He Da gave a vague explanation, but the people around him believed him without a doubt and nodded repeatedly: "Prime Minister Zhuo is right!"

He Da also agreed with what Zhuo Xiang said.

"This is a great man who once served as prime minister; his way of speaking is truly different!"

People like them who can't understand the language just find the tone and style pleasant to listen to!

No wonder he was once a prime minister; he speaks elegantly and doesn't repeat himself. Unlike them, who only say "Yes, yes, yes," "Hahaha," "That's right," and "Awesome, awesome."

This era greatly admires scholars; this is the prevailing ideology.

When they hear refined, literary words, it sounds like heavenly music.

If Zhuo Xiang used the same words to scold them, not only would he fail to defeat them, but he might actually make them feel good.

But this member of the He family had received an elite education from a prominent family, so he could certainly understand this level of scolding.

Being able to understand it is a different feeling altogether.

Even if you can understand the argument, you still can't win the argument, so you feel it even more deeply.

You can understand it, but you can't win an argument; you can't win a fight either; it's incredibly frustrating!
For a moment, Master He was at a loss for words, so angry that he trembled and even drew his sword.

Zhuo Xiang, however, was a far cry from his usual listless and sickly state. The more he cursed, the clearer and more energetic he became, as if an invisible fighting spirit was erupting from his entire being. He was in high spirits and exuded extraordinary aura!
He bombarded Master He with one sarcastic remark after another, his sword gripped tightly in his hand.

He Da, hiding at the back of the crowd, led a few street thugs to cheer on Zhuo Xiang.

"That's right!"

"Well said!"

Seeing that the two sides were about to start fighting, they moved closer and pretended to mediate.

"Forget it, forget it, you can't beat him..."

Standing beside Prime Minister Zhuo, the eldest son of the Zhuo family also wanted to mediate the fight, fearing that his father's excessive excitement might worsen his already improving condition.

But as they watched, their old man became more and more energetic, his voice loud and clear, full of fighting spirit! He was radiating fighting spirit!
Fighting the strongest!
On the contrary, Master He on the other side looked like he was about to faint.

Young Master Zhuo, who had initially intended to step forward to mediate the fight, took a step back.

Well, a wise person acts according to circumstances!

Adjust strategies in real time, adapting to changing circumstances!

-

Wen Gu's carriage left Jingxingfang and headed towards the Zhao residence along the same route as always.

Cheng Zhi remained worried in the car.

He had been pondering many things these past few days. The powerful families were deeply intertwined. Although he came from a commoner background, he had met many noble children at the academy and had gained some insight into their situation.

On matters concerning social status and class, aristocratic families are particularly prone to forming cliques. They may not necessarily look down on the He family, but they are not necessarily friendly towards Wen Gu either.

They're tough to deal with!

That Mr. He may not be a purely evil person, but he is very disgusting.

"Rumors can kill!"

Cheng knew that his family had suffered such hardships.

If this attack fails to defeat the opponent, even more outrageous rumors are likely to emerge. Even if it's not the He family, someone else will likely do it.

Therefore, Cheng Zhi genuinely hoped that Wen Gu could resolve the trouble this time.

He wanted to go in with the Prime Minister when he visited the Zhuo family that day, but the Prime Minister needed to rest and recuperate, so he only saw Director Wen.

Cheng Zhi also knew that Wen Gu and Zhuo Xiang had other plans, but he didn't know how they would resolve the issue or whether they could resolve it at all.
I received news just now when I left the storehouse that the He family had indeed made a move.

But Wen Gu was as quiet as ever today, not out of timidity, but out of a leisurely and unhurried manner, as if waiting for the right moment.

Cheng Zhi kept glancing ahead, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Wen Gu reassured him, "Don't worry, it's not a big deal. Some people are used to being arrogant, but they'll eventually stumble."

In the eyes of the He family, Wen Gu was nothing more than a stepping stone, a tool to boost their reputation.

I wonder if Master He ever considered that they were just stepping stones in the eyes of others.

Zhuo Xiang should be confident in facing the He family.

There's nothing special about it; it's just a matter of practice.

As they drew closer to the city center, the commotion ahead began to spread.

"The fight started!"

"There was no fight, just an argument, no physical violence."

"It moved! It started moving while we were arguing! I could hear it."

"I'm tall enough to see, so it wasn't a real fight, just some friendly sparring."

Hearing the murmurs, Wen Gu lifted the carriage curtain.

Using the height of the carriage, they could see some of the scene ahead and hear some voices.

Ahead, Lao Zhuo is composing a long, eloquent, and emotionally rich piece of parallel prose.

Four-character and six-character phrases deliver a continuous barrage of heavy firepower, much like a rotary machine gun.

Overwhelmed in terms of talent and reprimanded in terms of morality, suppressing with double firepower, with a sarcastic tone, sharp and powerful, with an overwhelming momentum, pressing forward step by step!
Wen Gu praised, "Prime Minister Zhuo's demeanor today is truly extraordinary!"

Because of traffic congestion, their carriage stopped, and they watched the battle unfold ahead.

The current situation is roughly as follows—

Master He: That's enough. Don't think I'm afraid to use my knife!

Zhuo Xiang: My sword has never been less effective!

The scene was extremely agitated, as if invisible flames were bursting forth.

Cheng Zhi... Cheng Zhi is already in a state of dementia.

At heart, he was still the most common type of scholar of this era, from an ordinary family.

There is a natural and strong sense of admiration and awe for a great figure like Zhuo Xiang.

It's true that Lao Zhuo came from a good family, but more importantly, he also took the imperial examination with integrity and fought his way up to the position of prime minister!
That's beyond what ordinary people can imagine—the pinnacle of power!

Regardless of what Cheng Zhilai was thinking, he was basically in a state of mental lapse at this moment.

Setting aside reason and immersing myself in the powerful aura of a master of the prime minister level, at this moment I feel nothing but boundless admiration for this top-level academic genius and industry benchmark!

I admire and aspire to reach such heights!
The young intellectuals who were watching nearby were in a similar state to Cheng Zhi.

It's no exaggeration to say that at this moment, Zhuo Xiang was shining brightly in their eyes!
Even if Old Master Zhuo were to raise his arm and call for them to charge into battle, scholars like Cheng Zhi, who are powerless even to kill a chicken, would be willing to give their lives!
Wen Gu was also filled with admiration.

As expected of Old Zhuo, could this be the legendary hardcore family education of the Zhuo family—the way of the gentleman?
He has the demeanor of a sage from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

(End of this chapter)