The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 293 Dragon and Tiger (4k)

After watching Du Yuan leave, Cui Shilu looked at the wine jar in his hand with great joy.

He was the eldest son of the Cui family of Qinghe, the most noble of all. In the past twenty years, what treasures hadn't he seen? What beauties hadn't he admired?

But none of the many treasures he had seen, nor the many beauties he had beheld, could compare to the wine jar presented as a congratulatory gift!

"An artifact from the immortals! It's definitely an artifact from the immortals! What a treasure!"

Moreover, putting aside its appearance, just the scene of that gentleman taking this thing out of thin air just now made him certain that this thing was no ordinary item!
Meanwhile, the guards and servants nearby were also dumbfounded.

Even after Du Yuan had been gone for a long time, they still hadn't reacted before they heard their young master utter such a phrase about celestial objects.

They all snapped out of their daze and then eagerly looked at the wine jar.

In an instant, praises of all kinds poured out:

"What a beautiful baby."

Is this really just a jar of wine?

"That gentleman just appeared out of thin air; he's definitely extraordinary!"

Hearing these words, Cui Shilu felt incredibly happy.

Just then, someone suddenly said:
"It's a pity this item is meant for that person."

Upon hearing this, everyone sighed in regret.

Who was Wang Chengsi?
That was an absurdity that was famous throughout Kyoto, and many people said he was just a seemingly normal but actually stupid person!

Such a treasure, of all people, but it was given to him of all people!
Even a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung isn't as distressing as this.

Cui Shilu also felt the same way.

Yes, the treasure is wonderful, but it belongs to that scoundrel.

This is truly a waste of resources!
Just then, a servant stepped forward and whispered to Cui Shilu:
"Young master, everyone here is family!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Shilu suddenly turned around to look.

The other person was startled and quickly lowered their head, but still gritted their teeth and said:
"Young master, I'm telling the truth!"

His meaning was clear: the goods were already in their hands, and everyone here was one of their own.

Why waste the bounty of nature?
As for why Young Master Wang didn't get the item, that's even simpler; all he has to do is switch it out with something else, right?
Cui Shilu didn't answer in his heart, but just frowned more and more as he looked at the other person.

At this moment, everyone present dared not even breathe and all stared at Choi Si-rok.

Suddenly, one of the guards, with sharp eyes, noticed that the hesitation between Cui Shilu's brows was gradually fading, replaced by a resolute look. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly gritted his teeth and gave his companion a meaningful look. His companion understood, and the two stepped forward, one on each side, to hold the door open.

"Squeak-"

With a muffled thud, the heavy wooden door of the Cui family of Qinghe, which had accompanied the founding emperor to this place and withstood a century of wind and rain, slowly closed. The sound of the hinges turning was particularly clear at this moment, shutting out the sunlight and noise from the outside world behind the door.

Hearing the noise, Cui Shilu hurriedly turned around and said:
"What are you doing?"

The guards quickly knelt down and said:

"Young master, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! We are only thinking of you and the distinguished members of your family!"

How could such a treasure be given away after it has entered the home?

At the same time, they quickly said:
“We’ve been keeping a close watch on the door. We can swear on our lives that not a single person passed by before we closed the door!”

Cui Shilu raised his hand, holding the wine jar, intending to reprimand them for acting on their own initiative, but after holding his hand in mid-air for a long time, he couldn't utter a single word.

After a long pause, he finally said:
"This will never happen again!"

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a great sense of relief, followed by overwhelming joy.

Although most of them will not get to taste such treasures, they will certainly receive plenty of money and benefits!

For a moment, everyone was overjoyed, except for one retainer standing in the crowd, whose brows remained furrowed and whose expression was solemn.

As Cui Shilu hurried back to his room with the wine jar, preparing to call his elders over, the retainer pushed the door open and entered.

Upon seeing him enter, Cui Shilu frowned slightly, his tone tinged with impatience:
"Zhang Miao, you go and rest first. I will find you after I finish these things."

Cui Shilu didn't particularly like this retainer—Zhang Miao had never shown much talent, nor did he ever deliberately try to please him, which always left him feeling bored.

The reason I took him along on today's hunting trip was simply to set an example of "treating everyone equally" for the many retainers in the manor, so as to avoid giving others cause for criticism.

Unexpectedly, after Zhang Miao entered, he showed no sign of backing down. Instead, he bowed deeply and said in a deep voice:
"Young master, I must take my leave!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Shilu's brows furrowed instantly:
"Zhang Miao, I ask you, how long have you been a disciple of mine?"

Zhang Miao answered with his hands clasped in greeting, without hesitation, clearly remembering the answer exceptionally well:

"I have been under your tutelage for seven years."

Seeing that he remembered everything perfectly, Cui Shilu frowned even more deeply:
"Then let me ask you again, for the past seven years, my guests have never lacked three meals a day, their clothes have been replenished on time for all four seasons, their daily allowances have not been reduced by a single penny, and they have received generous rewards during festivals. Have I ever shortchanged you in any of these matters?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Miao bowed even more respectfully.
“The young master has never mistreated me. Not only is there never a shortage of supplies, but he has also given me extra gifts on many occasions.”

"If that's the case," Cui Shilu snorted coldly, his anger barely contained, and said in a deep voice, "I'll ask you again, have I done anything to wrong you that would make you so dissatisfied that you want to resign today?"

Zhang Miao, however, no longer bowed, but knelt upright on the ground and paid his respects with great ceremony:
“Young master has never wronged me in the slightest. On the contrary, I have been in your household for seven years and have failed to do anything of value for you. I am already filled with anxiety and unease.”

Seeing that he also knew of his "incompetence," Cui Shilu's patience completely ran out, and he flew into a rage:
"If you know you are useless, why do you insist on resigning today? I have treated you with kindness, are you going to repay me with indifference?"

Zhang Miao sighed deeply, his voice tinged with sorrow:

"As the ancients said, 'One who eats the king's food should bear the king's worries.' I have served under you for seven years, yet I have accomplished nothing, and I am already ashamed. Now that I see that you and even my Cui family of Qinghe are about to face a great calamity, I am helpless and have no face to accept your salary or use a single penny or item from your household."

He paused and then said:
"Please rest assured, young master, after leaving the manor today, I will find a secluded and deserted place to hang myself to atone for my incompetence over the past seven years!"

Cui Shilu's anger vanished instantly, leaving only doubt and disdain.

"My Cui family of Qinghe is now thriving, so how can there be any talk of a great calamity? Besides, if there really were a calamity, even an incompetent person like you could see it, so why can't I see it?"

Zhang Miao looked up, his gaze fixed on the wine jar in Cui Shilu's arms, and slowly said:
"Young master is clearly holding the source of disaster in his arms, yet he turns a blind eye to it. Isn't this a sign that disaster is about to befall him?"

Cui Shilu's expression changed drastically, and his tone suddenly turned cold:

"Are you trying to lecture me with those so-called principles and morals?" "I wouldn't dare!" Zhang Miao quickly shook his head. "I just dare to ask you, young master, what do you think of my abilities? And what kind of job am I capable of?"

Cui Shilu scoffed:
"You? At best, you're only capable of governing a county. Entrusting you with more important tasks would be a disaster, both for public and private reasons."

“My lord, you are wise!” Zhang Miao said respectfully. “I know that I am not very talented and can only govern one county at most, and it is definitely not a strategic place like Hexi. Even an ordinary county would require a lot of effort to manage, for fear of making a mistake.”

He then changed the subject and asked:

"Therefore, I dare to ask again: if you were to appoint me to a post outside the capital, would you assign me a task beyond my capabilities, or a task that you could easily handle even if I failed?"

Cui Shilu answered without hesitation:

"Of course it's the latter! I'm not stupid, how could I not know how to make the best use of people's talents? If I really send you out, I will only give you a job that is within your capabilities and that you will not make any mistakes, so that you, an incompetent person, will not tarnish the reputation of my Cui family! And I will have to deal with you later."

Before he could finish speaking, Cui Shilu suddenly froze, his disdain vanished instantly, leaving only utter horror.

He suddenly looked at Zhang Miao, who was kneeling on the ground, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

Seeing that he had come to his senses, Zhang Miao said no more, but knelt on the ground and said with a wry smile:
"Since you understand the crux of the matter, I will not say any more. I only ask that you grant me permission to resign and leave the manor."

"Wait, wait! Sir, please wait."

Cui Shilu was now a burly man with a deathly pale face.

Yes, if they themselves know that they cannot assign tasks to others that they cannot accomplish, how could the immortals not know this?

Since the other party gave me the item, it means they knew I could do it, or rather, they weren't afraid I wouldn't be able to do it!

As for how the other party is preventing him from succeeding, how could an ordinary person possibly fathom that?

And at this moment, the other party said again:
"If you, young master, follow that gentleman's wishes, you may be able to get a few sips of the immortal wine. But if you wish to stay, how can we mortals possibly withstand the power of immortals?"

"Young master, please remember that judging immortals by common sense is utterly foolish. After all, how can one speak of immortals if one cannot transcend common sense?"

Choi Si-rok did not speak again, but simply sat down, his legs slightly weak, holding onto the chair.

After a long pause, he finally addressed his retainers:
"I almost went astray today, thank you for saving me in time."

Seeing that Cui Shilu had come to his senses, Zhang Miao's expression softened slightly, and he spoke again:

“Now that you have seen through things, I have done my duty to you for the past seven years of kindness and support. However, sir, I have another request.”

“Please speak freely, sir!” Cui Shilu was filled with gratitude and felt that he should agree to whatever Zhang Miao asked for. He even blurted out, “Even if I were to share half of my share of the benefits with you in the future, it would not be a problem!”

He believed that his words showed the utmost sincerity and were enough to keep this "lifesaver" with him.

Unexpectedly, the other party replied with:
"Please, sir, allow me to leave."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shilu was completely dumbfounded.

He looked at Zhang Miao with a mixture of confusion and anxiety:

"Why are you leaving, sir? I was saved from disaster today thanks to your wise words. I was just about to repay you and help you rise to prominence and bring glory to your family. Why are you so determined to leave? Is it because you still look down on the Cui family of Qinghe and are unwilling to stay?"

"Does the young master want to hear the truth?" Zhang Miao remained silent for a moment before slowly cupping his hands, his expression full of helplessness.

"Of course we must hear the truth!" Cui Shilu said urgently.

Zhang Miao slowly rose, his previous respect gone, replaced by a look of sorrow.

He looked at Cui Shilu and said, word by word:

"I am reminding you today to repay your kindness of seven years and to return the favor you showed me in the past; but I insist on leaving because I want to save my own life."

These words struck Cui Shilu like a thunderbolt, instantly filling him with shock and anger:
"How could I be such an ungrateful person?"

How could he not understand—Zhang Miao was afraid that he would change his mind later, and feared that he would be silenced because of what happened today!
This suspicion truly enraged and terrified him.

Zhang Miao bowed again and said:
“Young master, you are an exceptional person with boundless magnanimity. However, young master, I must make things clear today, because after today, no matter what the circumstances, I will never be able to see you again.”

"Therefore, young master, remember this: you are merely an ordinary person, and so are the noble people around you. Never treat ordinary people with the eyes of a saint! Otherwise, disaster will surely follow!"

There were many things Zhang Miao didn't say, but the two of them both knew.

Today you feel fortunate that you didn't leave behind that divine wine, but as time goes by, won't this sense of relief turn into resentment?

Even if you can remain sober, what about the others in the manor? Won't they resent your choice today and then blame me, a guy with the surname Cui, for 'meddling'?
The answer is, definitely.

It's just that we are all ordinary people, unable to escape the entanglements of worldly thoughts such as greed and resentment.

After hearing this, Cui Shilu stood there stunned for a long time, then suddenly gave a bitter laugh and said:

"What a bunch of ordinary mortals."

Zhang Miao didn't speak, but simply stood there with his hands clasped in front of him.

After a long while, Cui Shilu, who had regained some of his strength, bowed respectfully to him and said:

"Sir, I have misjudged one thing, and you have misjudged one thing as well. That is, you are indeed only fit to govern a county, but if you were to assist someone else, you would be a king's advisor!"

“You really can’t stay here any longer, Cui. You should leave. Stay far away from us common folk.”

He paused again, unable to bear seeing such great talent buried in the world, and added with a hint of expectation:
“That gentleman went to the Cui family in Boling. You might as well see if you can find him and ask him if he has any way to change someone’s appearance.”

"The Emperor has changed the country's name to Jiayou. According to custom, a grand imperial examination will be held the following spring to select the most talented individuals. You are wasting your talents by serving under me. You should go to serve under the Emperor!"

"Perhaps the place where you can truly shine is by the Emperor's side."

Zhang Miao bowed deeply in respect:

"Zhang Miao bows in gratitude for your guidance and seven years of kindness, young master!"

Neither of them exchanged another word, but bowed to each other before parting ways.

When Zhang Miao walked out of the century-old mansion alone, he pushed open the tightly closed gate of the Cui family mansion in Qinghe all by himself.

With just this one push, Zhang Miao no longer had a place to stay in the vast Cui family estate.

Looking at the Cui family who had lived behind him for seven years, Zhang Miao was stunned for a long time before he suddenly rushed into the capital.

(End of this chapter)