Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 194 Is there such a good thing?
"Brother Jingming, congratulations! This painting of a pine and crane extending longevity is exquisitely constructed and profoundly intended. It may seem ordinary at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it is truly astonishing. I admire it, I admire it. On behalf of the academy, this is a gift to Your Majesty. It will surely fill the room with brilliance."

"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it, it's just a flash of inspiration, a clever work, please give me such praise, I am really ashamed."

"Haha, Brother Gao, you're here. Come with me quickly. Several classmates have prepared a banquet to celebrate for you. You are the only one missing. You have to tell us how you came up with this idea in the first place."

"I'm really sorry, I caught a cold last night and now I'm feeling dizzy and confused. It's hard for me to accompany you. If I infect you, I'll be guilty. So, I'll treat you to an apology another day."

"Is this Mr. Gao Jingming? He's really easy to find. I wonder if you're free right now. My young master would like to have a chat. I hope you'll do me the honor of moving over."

"It's really unfortunate. I'm not feeling well. I'm afraid I'll disappoint you, sir. Could you please leave your name? Jing Ming will definitely visit you later..."

Along the way, people who knew him and those who didn't knew him all came to Gao Jingming's side. Some came simply to congratulate him, some wanted to discuss something, and some took the initiative to make friends. It was hard to tell whether they were sincere or not.

Although Gao Jingming was helpless, he had to deal with them one by one and find excuses to shirk responsibility.

I am really happy, but it is also true that I am tired of dealing with it.

This is the impact of fame. Once you have achieved something in a certain area and attracted attention, the word will spread quickly. Under such circumstances, no matter whether it is false or pretentious, many people will approach you actively.

Fortunately, Gao Jingming was able to keep his composure, otherwise he would have easily become arrogant and would have lost all track of himself after receiving a few compliments from others.

When the crowd had thinned out, Gao Jingming, looking rather sickly, said helplessly, "Ah Xuan, now I understand exactly what Master meant when he said fame is a burden. Just a single drawing has attracted so many people to offer their support. You can only imagine how it must have felt when Master was awarded the top prize."

"This is just the beginning. There will be more people coming to visit and make friends in the future. Young Master must be mentally prepared," Chen Xuan said with a smile.

Gao Jingming's face turned bitter. He really didn't want to waste time on such social etiquette. He said in a dilemma: "What should I do? I can't keep pretending to be sick. Besides, if I refuse too many times, it will leave a bad impression on people."

"It's okay. As time goes by, this matter will fade away and fewer people will come to you. Take some time and invite some people who you think are necessary to get together. This way, you won't seem too cold, nor too casual, and you can get by," Chen Xuan advised him.

"This is the only way," Gao Jingming agreed. He could naturally think of this method, but he just wanted to talk it out.

Fame is a good thing, but it's also tiring, that's the truth.

Without dwelling on these, Gao Jingming changed the subject, recalling what he had seen before and said sincerely, "The academy is truly full of hidden talents. If it weren't for some clever trick, how could my work have the opportunity to represent the academy in presenting a gift to His Majesty? Let alone Ning Wei's talent, the other seven people's works have displayed talents that I can't even catch up with. The gap is huge, and I have to admit defeat."

"Young Master is neither arrogant nor impatient, and is not blinded by his current dazzling achievements. This is what is truly worth celebrating," Chen Xuan said sincerely.

Shaking his head, Gao Jingming said, "Master taught me to be modest and prudent since I was young. If not, how could I remain calm? To be honest, Xuan, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. Before the Wanshou Painting was completed, if I had encountered a situation like this, I'm afraid I would have lost my way. But after that period of time, I deeply understand that everything else is false. Only knowledge is real. Only with real talent and knowledge can you have everything. Otherwise, it's all castles in the air."

"The young master has really grown up. The master, mistress, and others will surely be pleased to know this."

Gao Jingming laughed and said, "Ah Xuan, you're here again. Your tone is just like Master's, so conscientious. When will you change?"

To be honest, when I first saw you, you were just a little brat in my eyes, and I guess that can't be changed.

Before he could say two words, someone else came up to him and tried to get close to him. Gao Jingming had no choice but to stop talking and pretend to be sick to deal with it.

After finally returning to my residence, I saw someone walking hurriedly in front of me.

Chen Xuan and Gao Jingming looked at each other and smiled helplessly. "You're still here? We can't have peace and quiet even at home. It seems we have to keep going for a while."

The one who came was Feng San. Gao Jingming guessed that Zhang Ao had instructed him to come. He was either trying to get close to him, or Zhang Ao was going to cause trouble again. He didn't want to see him, so he said, "A Xuan, please help me deal with it. If anyone else comes, please send them away. Just say I'm sick. I'll also take good care of Xiao Cai and the others."

After saying this, he ran into the house.

What could Chen Xuan do? In name... well, the fact was that as a servant of the Gao family, it was only natural for him to be used as a shield.

"Brother Feng, what are you doing?" Chen Xuan spoke first, asking questions as usual, while guessing the other party's purpose.

Feng San was no different from usual, but Chen Xuan always felt that he was in a hurry, as if some ferocious beast was chasing him.

Feng San walked up to him quickly and said with a smile, "Brother Chen, I finally see you. I've been looking for you everywhere. Congratulations to your young master. On behalf of the academy, he has specially prepared a gift to express his congratulations to His Majesty. Please accept it."

As he said that, he handed a box to Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan didn't take it, but shook his head and said, "No merit, no reward. I accept Mr. Zhang's kindness on behalf of the young master, but forget about the gift." "Brother Chen, you may have refused some small gifts given to you before, but you must accept it this time. Your young master's gift to His Majesty represents not only him, but also the academy. My young master and your young master are classmates, and it is an honor for him to benefit from it. The situation is different, so you can't refuse it anymore."

This excuse was really well thought out, but Chen Xuan couldn't accept it. Who knew what tricks Zhang Ao would play? He might be setting a trap for him to jump into.

Before he could continue to refuse, Feng San opened the box and said, "They're nothing valuable, just a few books. They're classics that my young master has acquired with great difficulty. They have annotations by many learned scholars and will be of great help to one's studies. You must accept them. By the way, my young master is going to Mo City to have some fun and plans to invite Master Gao to celebrate with him. Would you mind my honor?"

"Please take back the gift. My young master is not in good health..."

Before Chen Xuan could finish his words, Feng San said regretfully with an expression that he had guessed long ago: "Is that so? Then we can only do it next time. Put the things away and I'm leaving first. The young master is still waiting for me. If I go to Mo City now, I can still catch it before closing time. Otherwise, it will be too late. I'll be back early tomorrow morning, hehe."

As he said this, Feng San gave Chen Xuan a look that said even men would understand but a little kid like you definitely wouldn't. He stuffed the box into Chen Xuan's arms and turned away, as if to say, "You can take it or leave it, just throw it away yourself."

Looking at his departing back, Chen Xuan was completely confused. What was going on?
I always feel that things are not that simple.

Holding the box of books, Chen Xuan wanted to throw it away, wondering if it was a trap set by Zhang Ao. However, he keenly noticed that there were slips of paper hidden in some of the books, with a corner slightly exposed. He pulled it out and looked at it. His eyebrows raised and his expression became strange. He glanced at the direction Feng San left and knew that he couldn't do anything to him...

On the other side, after Feng San returned, Zhang Ao, who had been impatient for a long time, asked, "Has the stuff been delivered?"

"Don't worry, young master. I handed it to Chen Xuan personally and even opened it to reveal a corner. He can't possibly ignore it," Feng San nodded.

Then Zhang Ao waved his hand and said decisively: "Let's go, let's go now. I can't stay in the academy anymore. Who knows what kind of trouble Wu Junyao will arrange for me later."

Then Zhang Ao walked away in a swagger with several servants including Feng San, without even bringing any gifts, giving the illusion that they were traveling normally.

When he arrived outside the academy, he waved his hand and chartered a carriage, shouting that he was going to Mo City to have fun. But after he was far away from the academy, he bought the carriage without any regrets and turned a corner to go in another direction.

As night fell, Zhang Ao left the academy behind and continued on his journey, showing no sign of stopping. He told Feng San, who was accompanying him, "To be honest, Gao Jingming and I have no grudge against each other. I was just following orders to curry favor with Young Master Wei. Now that we're gone, I feel relieved. I no longer have to rack my brains to please him, and I'm under so much pressure."

"Young Master is wise. Young Master Wei and Young Master Jiang will graduate and leave soon. As for Young Master Wu... there is really no need to curry favor with Wu Junyao. Young Master Wei and Young Master Jiang have never taken you seriously anyway, and they probably won't even remember you in the future. Although Wu Junyao's family is rich, his reach is not that far. He can't do anything to you if he stays away from them," Feng San pondered.

Nodding, Zhang Ao said, "Of course I understand. I tricked Wu Junyao. Of course, he can't do anything to me for legitimate reasons, but I'm afraid he'll be desperate and hire someone to kill me. That's why I had to flee overnight. After that, the mountains are high and the roads are long, where can he find me?"

"That's true," Feng San agreed deeply.

Then Zhang Ao looked towards the direction of the academy, still feeling a little conflicted. This was one of the three major academies, and he had to leave in such a disgrace. It would have been great if he could study in peace and quiet. Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished, and he had to leave.

Then he murmured, "I hope Gao Jingming can listen to me and deal with it in advance. This is all I can do. Just consider it an apology for last time. From now on, we owe each other nothing."

"Young Master is thoughtful"

In the academy's study, Chen Xuan handed Gao Jingming the paper inserted in the book given by Feng San. After Gao Jingming finished reading it, he said with a mixture of laughter and tears, "What do you think about this, young master?"

"Are they having an internal conflict?" Gao Jingming was also stunned.

The paper not only explained Wu Junyao's plan to praise and kill Gao Jingming, but also said that the last incident was instigated by Wu Junyao, and Wei Ziyan and Jiang Hechuan were involved.

It was not surprising that Wu Junyao targeted Gao Jingming, as it was something he had expected. But it was a surprise that Wei Ziyan and Jiang Hechuan were also involved. However, the paper also said that Wei Ziyan and Jiang Hechuan would graduate and leave soon, so it was not a big deal. Otherwise, if the two of them continued to target Gao Jingming, it would be a headache. With their power, he would have no chance of staying in the academy if he was not careful.

Their internal conflict was obvious. Chen Xuan shook his head and said, "I'm talking about Wu Junyao's plan to praise the young master to death."

Gao Jingming immediately said happily: "How do I see it? According to what you said, Ah Xuan, there is such a good thing?"

"That's right. If the young master is all show and no substance, it would be hard to resist the conspiracy of flattery. But if you have real talent and knowledge, then that would help you become famous. Tsk, Wu Junyao is going to shoot himself in the foot," Chen Xuan also laughed.

Shaking his head, Gao Jingming said calmly, "Ah Xuan, do you trust me so much? Will Wu Junyao's tricks be defeated?"

"To be honest, in the past, I did think that the young master was in a bit of trouble. But now, as long as he keeps his feet on the ground, a little wind and rain are nothing to worry about," Chen Xuan said sincerely.

Gao Jingming smiled and said, "I don't know where your confidence in me comes from. Forget it, since Wu Junyao is restless, we can't just passively deal with him all the time. We have to find something for him to do, otherwise we'll be fed up with dealing with his little tricks all day long."

……

(End of this chapter)