Wife is hell

Chapter 100 How come I didn't know I had such a talented disciple? (6700)

Looking at the scene of the discussion before him, Jiang Mu's memory suddenly went blank for a moment.

It seems like there was such an occasion before.

The sun splits open like a golden wheel, two luminaries shine brightly, and a vast sea of ​​clouds hangs upside down.

A graceful figure in red hangs above the red sea, the surroundings are silent, she speaks proudly and suppresses all schools of thought.

Fragmented memories pierce the brain, constantly overlapping...

This plunged Jiang Mu into a state of inexplicable anxiety and excitement.

Seeing Tang Jinxian's disheveled appearance, it seemed as if a feeling had pierced his heart.

Finally, he abruptly stood up.

……

"What Young Master Wu says is utter nonsense!"

The sudden sound drew everyone's attention to the corner.

A handsome man dressed in a blue robe slowly walked out from the inconspicuous seats.

Jiang Mu held a round fan in his hand, fanning himself casually, displaying a rather scholarly demeanor.

The round fan is painted with a picture of a lady.

The fan belonged to Lady Yan.

Jiang Mu originally intended to find a folding fan to enhance his aura, but since he couldn't find one, he had to borrow one to make do.

"Mu Jiang?!"

Tang Jinxian stood there, stunned.

What's this guy doing here?

"what?"

Su Meixin was also surprised. She subconsciously sat up straight, her silk-wrapped toes touching her buttocks, her eyes sparkling. "This little rascal actually came to join in the fun."

Could it be... a surprise?

Thinking of the exquisite couplet Jiang Mu had casually mentioned on the carriage, she couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.

Shi Xueying, a girl in the crowd, also stared wide-eyed at the figure.

"Why is it him?"

How could the boy next door, who was once her childhood sweetheart but is now a stranger, appear in such a place...?

Meanwhile, in a separate room at Wenhua Mountain.

The moment Zhao Niansheng saw Jiang Mu's face clearly, he was stunned for a moment, and then he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Dead memories suddenly began to attack him relentlessly.

"what!!"

He let out a scream, clutching his head in terror, and cowered in the corner, trembling.

"It's...it's him! It's him!!"

Those around him were startled and cast puzzled glances at him.

But no one paid attention to this "madman," and their gazes quickly returned to Jiang Mu in the center of the dojo.

Jiang Mu, holding a round fan, walked calmly to the center of the dojo and bowed slightly to Wu Jing.

“Young Master Wu, I just heard you use the ‘mountain spring theory’ to metaphorically refer to innate goodness, which I find quite inappropriate.”

"Therefore, I couldn't help but come here to refute your point. Please forgive me."

Wu Jing frowned deeply.

He was already confident of victory, but was interrupted midway, and he was already dissatisfied.

"Who are you?"

Jiang Mu smiled and shook his round fan: "I am Mu Jiang, just a lowly yamen runner in Yancheng County."

"what?"

"A yamen runner?"

Wu Jing and the others were all stunned.

What is a lowly yamen runner doing here at such a gathering of sages and saints?
Do you even know how to read before you come up here?
"Mu Jiang!"

Tang Jinxian finally snapped out of her shock, a thin layer of anger rising in her beautiful eyes. She stepped forward and said urgently in a low voice, "What are you doing? Get down here! This is not a place for you to act recklessly!"

Jiang Mu winked at her:

“My lord is in trouble, how can I sit idly by? After all, I am now your man.”

"you……"

These ambiguous words were like a spark falling into Tang Jinxian's ear, burning her ear tips red.

But she immediately regained her senses.

"This is a forum for philosophical discussions, not for your usual couplet-matching. Get down here now, or they'll laugh at you."

Tang Jinxian hates losing.

But she didn't want to see Jiang Mu become a laughing stock.

Jiang Mu smiled, ignoring her, and looked directly at Wu Jing, whose face was gloomy, and said loudly:

"Young Master Wu used mountain springs as a metaphor for human nature, saying that mountain springs gush out from the cracks in the rocks, and their 'clarity' is an innate quality. Even if they encounter mud and sand along the way, they can still remain clear as before with a little dredging. If the mountain spring is not clear to begin with, no matter how you filter it, it will never become a sweet spring."

"But I would argue that if a spring were to gush forth without being dredged or channels dug, it would eventually dry up. How then could there be any distinction between clear and muddy water?"

Before Wu Jing could retort, Jiang Mu raised his voice again:
"What I am discussing today is that human nature is evil, and that goodness is feigned!"

boom--

One stone caused a thousand waves!

Everyone present was in an uproar.

Their discussions of "innate goodness" and "acquired goodness" today are all based on the fundamental principle of "human nature is inherently good," and are used to expound their doctrines.

After all, this is the core doctrine in Confucian classics.

It is the supreme theory that has been deciphered by generations of great figures since the Spirit Disaster, after countless efforts.

This kid is something else, he goes all out right from the start.

This guy isn't here to discuss philosophy.

He's here to overturn the table!
"You brat! Stop spouting nonsense here!"

"Guards, drag this scoundrel out!"

"He blasphemes against sages! He should be executed!"

Immediately, the crowd was filled with indignation, and shouts of condemnation rose and fell.

Jiang Mu, on the other hand, remained calm and composed.

He slowly waved the round fan in his hand and smiled faintly:

"Please hear my opinion first. If anyone disagrees, feel free to come forward. I will accept all your challenges."

……

Forbidden area, inside the stone chamber.

"A yamen runner?"

The old man was somewhat bewildered when he heard the young Taoist boy's account.

Then, he chuckled and tossed a black piece onto the chessboard:

"Haha, as expected, this year's examination is getting worse and worse. Now even a lowly yamen runner can go up on stage and bark a few words."

Ling Miaozhu frowned slightly and remained silent.

The old man waved his hand, signaling the young Taoist to continue exploring.

But when the young Taoist priest ran back, panting, and relayed Jiang Mu's words, "Human nature is evil; goodness is feigned," a white piece suddenly slipped to the ground with a "thud."

Ling Miaozhu, who had been deep in thought about the chess game, looked up in surprise.

For the first time, a dazzling light shone from those otherworldly, icy eyes.

“…You, go listen again.”

The woman's voice remained calm, but it quickened slightly.

The young Taoist priest accepted the order and left.

Seeing her like this, the old man stopped joking and asked curiously, "What, even someone with your level of cultivation agrees with the idea that human nature is inherently evil?"

Lingmiaozhu shook her head:

"I came across this theory while deciphering an ancient book of spiritual artifacts, but it was like looking at flowers through a fog; there was always a layer separating me from it..."

The old man picked up a chess piece, twirled it between his fingers, and said with a smile:
“You cultivators are too obsessed with the things of the spiritual world. The Dao of that world may not be applicable to our world.”

Ling Miaozhu looked at the chessboard and said softly:

"But the way of this world now completely follows that world."

The old man was speechless for a moment.

Lingmiaozhu is right.

The appearance of spiritual objects and ancient manuals of cultivation techniques brought about a qualitative leap in the martial arts and metaphysics of this world.

Everyone was frantically researching and following the theories of that world.

I don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.

The old man recalled that he had once petitioned the imperial court, hoping to use strong measures to prohibit cultivators from practicing those mysterious spiritual cultivation techniques.

But no one paid any attention.

After all, his own ideas were just wishful thinking.

When faced with a pile of readily available gold, how many people can resist taking it?
As for whether the gold was coated with a slow-acting poison, who cares?
"Master-uncle!"

Just then, the young Taoist priest came running up again, his face as red as a ripe apple, breathless, "That yamen runner...that yamen runner said—"

"Take your time, no rush."

Lingmiao Zhu said softly, her mind now at peace.

The young Taoist nodded, mimicking Jiang Mu's light tapping of his fan, and recited in a crisp voice:

"The reason why a sage is the same as the masses and not different from them is his nature; the reason why he is different from the masses and surpasses them is because he is artificial!"

The old man, who had been sneering just moments before, was stunned.

Lingmiaozhu suddenly stood up from the chessboard.

The veil fluttered slightly, revealing a pointed chin, its lines as cold and beautiful as a crescent moon above the snow line.

Before the two could process what was happening, the young Taoist priest dashed off again.

A moment later, he rushed back.

Like a crazy megaphone:
"He also said... 'All things obtain their own harmony to live, and their own nourishment to grow. Once the heavenly duty is established and the heavenly work is accomplished, the form is complete and the spirit is born!'"

He then refuted the man, saying, "The stars revolve... Yin and Yang transform... all things obtain their harmony to live, and their nourishment to grow... this is what is called divine!"

"He's swearing again... saying, 'What is considered good throughout history and across the world is righteousness, reason, peace, and order. What is considered evil is bias, danger, perversion, and chaos...'"

"..."

With each word the young Taoist boy brought, the atmosphere in the stone chamber became more and more tense.

Lingmiaozhu stood there, motionless.

The dim lamplight shattered into a shower of stars in her eyes.

For the first time, a look of near awe appeared in his usually cool and aloof eyes.

The old man's mouth was wide open, and he couldn't close it for a long time.

This……

Is this some kind of yamen runner?
……

Above the dojo.

Wu Jing slumped on the prayer mat, as if his spine had been removed, his face as pale as paper.

Sweat dripped from his forehead like raindrops, pattering down his brow bone and into his eyes, stinging so much that he couldn't open them.

But he didn't even have the strength to blink.

He could only stare intently at the man in the blue robe, who was waving a round fan, three steps away.

It was as if I were watching a demon god who had suddenly descended to earth.

Tang Jinxian stood to the side, her beautiful eyes wide open and her red lips slightly parted, as if she had been frozen in place.

She was completely stunned.

She felt lightheaded, as if someone had shoved a scalding hot water bottle into her face in the dead of winter, making her heart tingle.

It felt like a dream.

Inside the private room, Su Meixin was even more out of control.

Her already rosy complexion turned even redder, like a ripe persimmon, and she was even sweating slightly.

She only felt her mouth was dry.

As Jiang Mu spoke eloquently, he kept changing his sitting posture, crossing and separating his legs.

Tea spilled all over the bed and then onto the floor.

Suddenly, the small private room was filled with a strange, musky smell.

Shi Xueying stood there blankly in the crowd.

She stared blankly at the spirited man in the arena, her mind completely blank.

Is this still the Mu Jiang she remembers?
When did that silly little boy who used to catch cicadas, climb trees, and steal sweet potatoes with her, and who almost died after being hit by a carriage while saving her, become like this?
The person she once looked down upon, the one she deliberately distanced herself from... turns out, is someone she can no longer look up to.

Suddenly, something seemed to surge up inside the girl, causing her to ache in waves, as if she were being repeatedly cut by a rusty, dull knife.

Every memory is a slow, agonizing torture.

A sharp pain called "regret" made it almost impossible for her to breathe.

Zhao Ling, standing beside her, also looked astonished.

This silly kid is actually this amazing?

At this moment, she felt a mix of emotions and thought to herself, "I didn't expect that I had misjudged him."

Meanwhile, several respected elderly scholars couldn't help but step down and try to argue with Jiang Mu.

But without exception.

Jiang Mu refuted them all, leaving them speechless and red-faced.

Jiang Mu spoke more and more passionately, spitting everywhere.

The vague memories in my mind constantly intertwine and overlap with the scenes in reality.

It was as if the woman was looking at him with a smile.

Jiang Mu seemed to be disturbed by this chaotic and excited emotion, so he simply rolled up his sleeves, put one hand on his hip, waved a round fan with the other, and started a chaotic killing spree.

Judging from their appearance, they're completely hyped.

The funniest part was that Tang Jinxian couldn't bear to see him fighting against so many people, so she subconsciously spoke up, wanting to help Jiang Mu add a point to his argument.

Before she could finish her sentence, Jiang Mu retorted, "That's pure bullshit!"

Tang Jinxian was left speechless by his barrage of criticism, her beautiful face flushed red with shame.

She was stunned for several seconds before she came to her senses.

its not right!
I'm your teammate!

Weren't you trying to help me? Why are you even criticizing me?!
The woman clenched her small pink fists, her beautiful eyes glaring angrily at Jiang Mu, full of resentment, wishing she could rush up and beat him to death with her little fists. But Jiang Mu, who was in the throes of high spirits, didn't care about any of that.

Regardless of friend or foe, they slaughtered indiscriminately!

……

Forbidden Stone Chamber.

As the young Taoist boy kept reporting back and forth, the two people in the stone chamber had long lost their interest in playing chess.

The old man squatted alone in the corner, facing the wall, seemingly lost in thought, occasionally tugging at his hair and tapping his head.

He muttered to himself, "He's gone mad...he's gone mad..."

Lingmiao sat upright at her desk, her slender hand holding a brush, writing swiftly on the paper.

She wrote extremely fast, the tip of her pen almost tearing through the paper, which was enough to show the turmoil in her heart.

I wanted to rush out several times, but I held back in the end.

She didn't really want to see Consort Yue.

It wasn't that she harbored hostility towards Consort Yue like Su Meixin did, but rather for some reasons that were inconvenient to discuss.

Ling Miaozhu's emotions had not calmed down even after the Dao Inquiry Conference ended.

The old man grabbed the young Taoist boy and instructed him:
"Go ask the sect leader and others to find out which school that kid studied under."

The young Taoist priest ran off.

He returned quickly with a strange expression:

“Grandmaster Uncle, I asked Grandmaster Uncle Hongyuan, and he said that the yamen runner named Mujiang is a disciple of Fairy Miaozhu.”

"?"

"Now the news is all over the place. Everyone is saying that although Fairy Miaozhu didn't come this time, she specially sent her personal disciple to cause trouble. Many people are cursing Fairy Miaozhu."

"..."

Lingmiaozhu looked up in surprise.

How come I didn't know I had such a talented apprentice?
-

No one expected that a conference would end in this way.

After the ceremony, many high-ranking officials, dignitaries, and literati came to him, wanting to get to know this exceptionally talented young man.

Many people also wanted to roll up their sleeves and have a fight.

After all, this guy looks so annoying.

However, when they learned that Jiang Mu was actually Ling Miaozhu's disciple, they all looked strange.

Although that fairy was famous throughout the world, she was aloof and eccentric, and never interacted with others. She had almost no social connections in the mortal world, and it could be said that she had very poor interpersonal relationships.

Befriending this person's apprentice might...

Whether they wanted to make friends or fight big shots, they started to hesitate and back down again.

Jiang Mu was also secretly regretting it.

He felt he had gotten a little too high.

He thought that offending so many people would bring him endless trouble. But when he saw that those people actually backed down after hearing that he was Ling Miaozhu's apprentice, he was surprised.

Jiang Mu was immediately delighted.

So they simply acquiesced.

They neither admitted nor refuted it.

Although he didn't know who this Ling Miaozhu was, he was relieved to hear from Wenhe that this woman was elusive and rarely appeared in the secular world.

Anyway, that fairy is traveling around, she can't just land at Chongtian Temple the next second, can she?
Jiang Mu harbored a glimmer of hope.

And even if they do come looking for me later, I can say, "I never said I was your apprentice. They're just making wild guesses. It has nothing to do with me."

The only thing Jiang Mu regretted was that he never saw Consort Yue's true face.

As soon as the Taoist gathering ended, the lady departed.

He simply sent a maid to deliver an exquisite box to Jiang Mu as a reward gift for the "leader".

Inside the box were a pair of high-quality jade bracelets.

Jiang Mu wasn't interested in this thing, but thought that he would give one to Sister Yuzhu and one to Aunt An when he got back, which would be perfect.

……

Chongtian Temple, rear hall.

Jiang Mu sat in the chair, gulping down tea to soothe his parched throat.

Across from him, Tang Jinxian, Madam Yan, Master Hongyuan, Su Meixin, and many other acquaintances all stared at him with complex expressions.

It's like watching monkeys in a zoo.

Especially Tang Jinxian.

When she learned that Jiang Mu was a disciple of Ling Miaozhu, she almost choked.

The person she hated most in her life was that woman.

Moreover, it's the kind of deadly feud where even sleeping together can't resolve the conflict!

As it turns out, the man she had finally chosen turned out to be that woman's apprentice.
Who can bear this?

Tang Jinxian was extremely depressed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Jiang Mu felt uneasy under the scrutiny of several pairs of eyes. He tucked his fan into his belt and helplessly shrugged.

"I was just rambling on. Lady Tang is my superior. She's in trouble, so as her subordinate, it's only right that I draw my sword... uh, it's all part of my duty."

Tang Jinxian: "..."

She's furious, but she can't seem to vent it.

"Young friend Mu."

Master Hongyuan stroked his beard, his eyes burning with curiosity. "Your discussion of 'human nature is evil' today, could it be... also taught to you by Fairy Lingmiao Bamboo?"

Jiang Mu chuckled:
"These are just snippets of conversation I overheard from my master's casual chats. Don't take them seriously, don't take them seriously."

He only referred to it as "my teacher," but never mentioned the three words "Miraculous Bamboo."

Seeing his evasive answers, the crowd became even more convinced that he was Ling Miaozhu's disciple, and their expressions grew increasingly complicated.

Just then, a female guard dressed in a tight-fitting outfit walked in.

They were the guards who had been standing outside Consort Yue's private room.

The female guard bowed to Jiang Muyi and said in a clear voice, "Mr. Mu Jiang, Consort Yue invites you."

coming!

Jiang Mu's heart skipped a beat.

Finally, I can find a bigger, more powerful patron to cling to.

He stood up, straightened his robes, and prepared to leave with the female guard.

Tang Jinxian quickly stepped forward and whispered her instructions:
"Remember to be more cautious and avoid recklessness. The minds of the royal family are deep and unpredictable, so you must be careful with every word and action. You never know what unintentional act might offend the Empress."

"clear."

Jiang Mu nodded and gave her a reassuring look.

……

Jiang Mu followed the female guard through several corridors and entered a quiet and elegant courtyard.

Outside the courtyard, female guards in golden armor stood solemnly on guard, creating a tense atmosphere.

Upon arriving at an elegant little house, a pretty maidservant gestured for him to stop.

The door was wide open.

A thin bamboo curtain hung down, obscuring the view inside.

The maid went inside and didn't come out for a while, holding a piece of paper in her hand. She said softly:
"Her Majesty has ordered that Young Master Mu first solve this riddle."

Jiang Mu was taken aback, utterly puzzled.

What are you doing?
Why are you even trying to solve riddles now?

Do I have to take a civil service exam to see the Empress?

Although he found it inexplicable, he couldn't question the other party's high status.
Jiang Mu took the riddle.

On it, written in delicate small regular script, was a question: "A white jade plate, perfectly round, rolls on a blue board all night."

Jiang Mu glanced at it only once and casually said:

It is the character '月' (moon).

The maid curtsied and then went back into the room.

A moment later, she came out again, this time holding a riddle in her hand:
"Please guess again, Young Master Mu."

Jiang Mu frowned, took it and glanced at it—before her remarriage.

After a moment's thought, he said, "It's the character '妃' (fei)."

The maid entered the room again.

A moment later, she came out, holding... another word puzzle.

Jiang Mu: "..."

It's endless, right?

He patiently looked at it and saw that it read: "No one comes at the year's end."

Jiang Mu said, "It's the character '仙' (immortal)."

The maid entered again.

This time, when she came out again, she finally didn't have a riddle in her hand.

Jiang Mu had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the maid say, "Her Highness asks if Mr. Mu is married?"

"what?"

Jiang Mu was taken aback; the change in tone was too sudden.

He shook his head and said, "I'm not married yet."

The maid asked again, "Does Her Highness ask if Mr. Mu has a woman he admires?"

Jiang Mu's mind flashed instantly to the image of his wife, then to the figures of Shi Yuhua and Tang Jinxian. He shook his head and mumbled, "Not yet."

The maid asked again:

"The Empress asks, when does Mr. Mu plan to get married?"

"……do not know."

Jiang Mu became increasingly puzzled.

Isn't Consort Yue being a bit too gossipy? Or... is she planning to play matchmaker for me?

Jiang Mu thought about it and it seemed more and more likely.

He was afraid that the other party might arrange a marriage for him, and if they were to arrange a marriage for him with a beautiful woman from the palace, that would be a huge problem.

Jiang Mu quickly changed his words:
"Actually, we're already preparing. We'll get married very soon."

Unexpectedly, the maid's next question was even more direct: "Your Highness asks, how many concubines does Mr. Mu plan to take?"

Hearing this, Jiang Mu felt a sense of displeasure.

His appearance clearly suggests a devoted and faithful man; why would he need to ask how many wives he would take?
Jiang Mu honestly replied, "The more the better."

"..."

The maid was taken aback by his frank answer and returned to the room with a strange expression.

After a while, the maid came out expressionlessly.

"Mr. Mu, the Empress says you may return now."

what?
Is this over?

Jiang Mu glanced at the room with the gauze curtains tightly closed, feeling utterly confused. He could only bow slightly and turn to leave.

Upon returning to the main hall, they discovered that Tang Jinxian and Su Meixin had already left.

Only Lady Yan was still waiting.

Jiang Mu didn't think much of it. As the head of the patrol office, Tang Jinxian was busy with official duties, so it was normal for her to leave first.

He exchanged a few more pleasantries with Master Hongyuan and the others, and then returned to the city with Madam Yan in a carriage.

When I returned to the courtyard, it was almost dusk.

Jiang Mu entered the house and was about to change his clothes when he heard a soft knock on the door.

"Who?"

He asked as he walked over and opened the door.

Upon opening the door, they were surprised to find Shi Xueying standing there.

The girl was dressed in a simple white dress, with a slender figure and a pure and beautiful appearance like a lotus.

"Xueying?"

Jiang Mu paused for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Is there something you need?"

The girl lowered her head, twisting the ribbons of her skirt with both hands, her pearly teeth gently biting her lower lip, seemingly unsure how to speak.

After a long pause, she raised her head, her eyes filled with complex emotions—curiosity, unfamiliarity, and a hint of unspeakable disappointment.
"Today... I went to Chongtian Temple."

"Oh."

Jiang Mu responded with a sound of agreement, but said nothing.

Shi Xueying seemed to be stung by his calm tone, and her body trembled slightly.

The atmosphere was a little awkward for a while.

She took a deep breath, finally mustered her courage, and looked Jiang Mu directly in the eye, asking, "Mu Jiang... why have you changed so much? It's like... you've completely become a different person."

"I?"

Jiang Mu smiled and said in a half-joking, half-serious tone:

"I am actually the reincarnation of the God of Literature. I accidentally had my wisdom awakened some time ago, so I am different now."

Shi Xueying, of course, did not believe it.

She fell silent again.

"us……"

After a long silence, she opened her mouth, the words rolling on her tongue several times before finally uttering them.

"Can we still be friends?"

Jiang Mu chuckled at her abrupt question: "Haven't we always been friends?"

However, this seemingly normal statement caused the girl's heart to clench painfully.

It felt like something had suddenly "thumped" in my heart.

It fell to the ground, feeling empty and lifeless.

"friend……"

She didn't say anything more, but her face turned even paler, and she turned and left silently.

Their pace quickened, and by the time they reached the courtyard gate, they were jogging.

Tears could no longer be held back and rolled down her cheeks.

She tried to wipe it off with her sleeve, but no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't come off; the more she wiped, the more it spread.

(End of this chapter)