Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 274 I, Xu Jie, must immediately retire and return to my hometown! [Seeking monthly votes]

"..."

Thinking about these things, Xu Jie felt increasingly uneasy.

This is an extremely frightening problem.

Xu Jie recalled the popular novel he had once read called "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," in which there was a story that left a deep impression on him: "Why did Heaven create both Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang?"

Although the story says that Zhuge Liang's talent and wisdom were superior to Zhou Yu's, Zhou Yu was jealous of him and tried every means to fight and frame him, but failed. In the end, he was consumed by jealousy, fell off his horse, and died.

But he felt that if there really was someone in the court who was better than a confidant and who was always one step ahead of him in everything, then he would be able to achieve his goal.

His situation would be even more passive than Zhou Yu's, and he should shout, "Why was you born when I already have a ladder?"

He is the "self" who puts everything before him; that is his future, or perhaps his future self.

How can one surpass their future self?

the most important is.

He was still so outstanding and quick-witted that even he himself was unwilling to be his own enemy, let alone have the confidence to surpass himself.

It's a coincidence!
Must be a coincidence!

No two leaves are the same, and no two people can be the same, not even brothers born from the same womb.

Moreover, this isn't just about the exterior, it's about the interior!

How could there possibly be two people in the world who are exactly the same inside, even with the same behavior and thought patterns?
Otherwise, he could do almost nothing, because if he had such a "self," he wouldn't even need to bend over; just a slight pain in his stomach would be enough for "himself" to know what kind of poop he was about to take.

How can someone who can see right through him conceal his true intentions and carry out his plans?
"Xu Xianma, what's impossible? Is there something wrong with this precept?"

Xu Jie's intense reaction startled Kong Jian, who was standing nearby, and the other colleagues who heard the commotion also looked over with strange expressions.

"N-nothing, I just remembered the nightmare from last night..."

Xu Jie was still in shock, but he had to try his best to remain calm and quickly smooth things over with Kong Jian and his colleagues.

He felt that after screaming and yelling during the flogging, his colleagues were looking at him with increasing strangeness, as if he were a madman, because of his sudden outbursts.

What's this all about...

To think that I, Xu Jie, with my illustrious reputation, would become a madman in the eyes of my colleagues on my very first day back at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

Xu Jie knew very well that the first impression one makes is extremely important.

Once a bad first impression is made and a label is attached to you, changing others' perceptions is no longer a matter of "doing twice the work for half the result".

How am I supposed to establish prestige among my colleagues now?

Who would willingly be lured by a madman and support him? Wouldn't that just make them look even mad?
"Um……"

Kong Jian nodded, slowly and carefully took two steps back, then turned and left.

"In the future, we should be more mindful of the occasion and avoid startling our colleagues. Let's talk again when we have more time."

"No... Shangguan, it wasn't me, I didn't do it, don't be afraid..."

Xu Jie felt like crying but had no tears, unable to defend himself, and could only offer a series of stumbling denials in an attempt to explain.

However, Kong Jian had already fled the courtyard as if he were running away, giving him no chance at all.

"I really am not..."

Xu Jie looked around with a bitter expression at his colleagues who were either glancing sideways or peeking out from their duty rooms.

"!"

His colleagues either immediately looked away, pretending to casually gaze at the sky and dispersed, or immediately pulled their heads back into the duty room, trying their best not to be noticed by him.

"..."

Xu Jie felt like he was about to cry. He had lived for nearly forty years and had never been so misunderstood.

And just as his eyes were already brimming with tears of anxiety.

"What happened?"

"What's impossible?"

"What happened?"

With a cheerful voice, a familiar young figure appeared at the courtyard gate. It was Yan Maoqing who, upon hearing the commotion, hurriedly led Yan Shifan to join in the rare excitement at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

"Hoo-hoo—Greetings, Duke Biguo... Ah!" The main character has appeared!
Upon seeing this, Xu Jie quickly sniffed, composed himself, and bowed in greeting.

As soon as he bent over, the bruises on his back were aggravated, and he couldn't help but let out a cry of pain, even distorting his carefully composed expression.

"You're being too dramatic. I've been flogged before. It does hurt, but I didn't make such a fuss."

Yan Shifan, who was following behind Yan Maoqing, couldn't stand it anymore and said disdainfully in the tone of someone who had been through it all.

However, what Yan Maoqing saw first was the admonition in Xu Jie's hand.

"Uh……"

My first feeling was one of guilt. This admonition was almost a direct quote from Xu Jie's original words written on the wall in history. At this moment, it was as if the plagiarist had met the original author, or the imposter had run into the real deal.

The second feeling was one of sudden realization.

Yan Maoqing had almost guessed why Xu Jie had just exclaimed "This is impossible."

Yan Maoqing put himself in her shoes and thought that if he were in a similar situation, he would probably react in a similar way.

After all, this is too surreal, too unbelievable; even seeing a ghost in broad daylight wouldn't be as surreal.

Xu Jie probably never imagined that on his very first day reporting to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, he would suffer such a devastating blow from later generations…

"Please forgive me, Your Excellency, I was impolite and disrespectful."

Xu Jie ignored Yan Shifan's rudeness, silently bearing the humiliation in his heart. He then suppressed the urge to cry out in pain and bowed to Yan Maoqing again.

"The words of admonition written by Duke Biguo are truly gems. After reading them, I cannot help but admire Duke Biguo's wisdom and ability. From now on, I will take Duke Biguo as my role model, be loyal to my duties, speak out for the people, and serve the country. I will never dare to slack off in the slightest."

This should fall into the category of boasting, right?
Yan Maoqing felt that things had come to this point, and Xu Jie was probably thinking something.

Instead of deciding to increase the intensity of his training, which might help him further develop his abilities and yield unexpected results, he said with a forced smile:

"Not at all, not at all. I am just a third-class scholar who came last in the imperial examination. How can my literary talent compare to that of Xu Xianma, who came third in the imperial examination?"

"However... does Xu Xianma find this admonition somewhat familiar?"

"???!!!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Jie's pupils constricted sharply, and his heart stopped again.

Yan Maoqing's words were clearly loaded with meaning, and could even be considered an admission of their "soulmate" relationship in a way that only the two of them could understand!
This is actually true!

There really is a "self" in the world who always puts others before him!
Moreover, it wasn't just him who knew of this "self's" existence; this "self" probably sensed his presence long ago and was testing him at the moment!
The show of force that Yan Maoqing gave him when we met a few days ago was probably because of this!
The most terrifying thing is.

This "self" is clearly more powerful, wiser, and more capable than him.

After all, he was the top scholar in the imperial examination in the second year of the Jiajing reign, but he has only managed to become a fifth-rank official in the Bureau of Classics.

This "self" only took a little over a year to rise to the rank of Duke, almost reaching the point where there was no way to advance further!

If you put yourself in their shoes, and you are wary of the existence of another "self," then that "self" must feel the same way, since their behavior and way of thinking are the same.

and so……

No!

I absolutely cannot admit it, otherwise I fear I will be in grave danger, and it will be the greatest crisis of my life!

So Xu Jie pretended to be calm, restraining his expression and lowering his head to say:

"With such virtue and talent as Duke Biguo, I am inspired to emulate him. I feel an instant connection with him and deeply admire him."

We must first find a way to appease Yan Maoqing.

Then, he should leave the court as soon as possible, retire and return to his hometown, and from then on, he should stay at home and never return to officialdom.

In this way, the interests of both parties will no longer conflict, which may alleviate their concerns and resolve the crisis.

Unfortunately, his father had passed away in the third year of the Jiajing reign, and his mother had passed away three years earlier. He had only just finished his mourning period, so he no longer had the opportunity to use this reason...

What should I do?

The current emperor is also aware of this, and has always regarded the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) as his private retainers, rarely granting them leave to retire unless there is an unavoidable reason.

Therefore, this matter probably needs further consideration, and it cannot be accomplished immediately no matter how urgent it is.

or……

Why not just pretend to be sick?
We can bribe the imperial physician with some silver to prescribe a terminal illness, such as tuberculosis, which is contagious. This should allow us to achieve our goal quickly and ensure that we will never be recalled!

(End of this chapter)