The Beacon of Kyushu

Although he could not remember the man's name at the moment, he still kept the stone that the candidate named Wang gave him that day in his arms. Chen Tuan saw that Wan Jianfeng seemed to know this young man, so he asked, "Jianfeng, do you know this man? From the look of his face, I can see that he will not only be the top scorer in the next imperial examination, but also the only one who can win the top scorer in two consecutive examinations!"

Wan Jianfeng blurted out, "He is a poor guy, and his father-in-law is a stingy person. If it weren't for my kindness, I'm afraid he would never be able to marry his fiancée in this life!"

Chen Tuan was too lazy to ask more questions after hearing what he said. He just squatted down and felt the pulse of the candidate named Wang. He felt that the pulse was weak, the liver yang was inflated, and the qi was disordered. It was obvious that he had worked hard for several days and was angry. This disease was difficult for mediocre doctors to treat, but it was easy for Chen Tuan, a master doctor.

Chen Tuan pressed hard on his zhong acupoint, and then put his left hand on his back to secretly circulate his Qi for a while, and the scholar surnamed Wang woke up immediately. He didn't know Chen Tuan, but he saw Wan Jianfeng beside Chen Tuan, and said weakly: "Wan... Young Master Wan, you... you saved my life again, I really don't know how to repay you."

Wan Jianfeng smiled and said, "Brother Wang, are you confused because of illness? Open your eyes and see clearly. It was my master who saved you, not me. If you want to thank you, you should thank him. After all, there is no reward without merit."

The scholar surnamed Wang hurriedly turned to Chen Tuan and bowed, saying, "Thank you very much for saving my life, Master and disciple. You are really my benefactors. If it weren't for you, I would not only not be able to marry such a virtuous wife, but would also be bullied by villains and die in a foreign land!"

Chen Tuan shook his head and said kindly, "Blessings and blessings to the Lord, I am a monk, and saving the world is my duty. You don't have to be polite. You are weak now, so it is not suitable for you to stay here for a long time. Why don't you come with us to a nearby inn to rest for a few days?"

Wan Jianfeng frowned subconsciously and whispered to Chen Tuan: "Master, our silver was stolen last night. What are we going to do with this brother now?"

Chen Tuan said calmly: "Jianfeng, when it comes to martial arts, medical skills, divination, and alchemy, you are not as good as your brothers. Only when it comes to eloquence and deception, I am afraid you are the best in the past and present. If you say that others can't do it, I will believe it, but if you say that you can't do it, I will definitely not believe it."

Wan Jianfeng chuckled and said, "Master, are you praising me or scolding me? I don't quite understand. But whether it's praise or scolding, since Master has spoken, I will think of a way."

As he spoke, he slowly helped the scholar surnamed Wang up from the ground and asked, "Brother Wang, who is Wang Qinruo? Why did he make you so angry? Let's go to the inn first. I'll find you a bed to lie down and rest. When you've rested, tell me exactly how this evil man bullied you, and I'll vent your anger for you!"

The candidate surnamed Wang nodded weakly, his lips moved up and down several times, but he was too weak to speak clearly. He smiled bitterly and had to suppress his anger temporarily. Accompanied by Chen Tuan and Wan Jianfeng, he went against the flow of people to the busy Bianhe Street.

Perhaps the Eighth Prince had just been here, for at this moment the bustle of Bianhe Street was no less than that of the Imperial Street in front of Donghua Gate. Some of the people were overjoyed, some secretly sighed at their bad luck, and a few were still bent over stubbornly, wishing they could dig out half a gold ingot from the cracks in the ground.

Wan Jianfeng had never seen such a ridiculous scene before. He laughed and shouted to the crowd, "Hey, what are you doing? Qian Kunlang is not working hard, but daydreaming, imagining that gold will fall from the sky or silver will fall from the ground."

Most of the people ignored Wan Jianfeng's words, and some went about their business, while others continued to bend over and search. Only one child glanced at Wan Jianfeng, looking at him as if he were a fool, and said disdainfully: "Beggar, even if you are not from the capital, you should have heard of the legend that the Eighth Prince scattered gold ingots on the streets of Bianhe every day, right? If you really haven't heard of it, then you deserve to be poor for the rest of your life!"

"Throwing gold ingots?" Wan Jianfeng thought he had misheard, and turned his head to ask, "Master, what did this kid just say? If I heard correctly, he seemed to be saying that the Eighth King goes out to the street to throw gold for fun every day?"

Chen Tuan nodded slightly and said, "Yes, you heard it right. But whether the Eighth Prince is making a fuss or keeping a low profile, it has nothing to do with you and me, master and disciple. The important thing now is to find an inn for this scholar to have a good rest for a few days." Wan Jianfeng stood on tiptoe and looked into the distance for a long time, but did not see the Eighth Prince's yellow silk sedan chair, so he had to support the scholar named Wang and continue to move forward.

The three of them walked for a short while before arriving at a fairly clean inn. In front of the inn stood a gray-haired old man, constantly shouting to attract customers. Wan Jianfeng saw that the old man had a face full of flesh and his eyes were shrewd, and he could not help but smile. He then looked up at the signboard and saw the words "Yue Lai Inn" written on it. The scene of this old man bullying an orphan and a widow when he first came to Tokyo a few years ago suddenly appeared in his mind, and he immediately became furious.

This old man was busy with guests every day, so he didn't even remember Wan Jianfeng. When he saw the three people stopping in front of the inn, he immediately came over with a big smile on his face. "Three guests, do you want to stop by or stay overnight? The food here is cheap and the rooms are clean. The rooms were fully booked the past two days, but this morning a failed scholar finally left, so I finally vacated a room. Otherwise, I really couldn't accommodate you three."

Wan Jianfeng grabbed the old man's wrist and said with a smile: "Old man, the three of us need to rent a room here, and we have to stay for at least two or three days. I wonder how much it costs?" The old man thought for a while and said loudly: "Although the imperial examination in Beijing has come to an end, most of the candidates have not left the capital, so it is still not easy to find an empty room in the city. But I see that one of you is too old, one is sick, and one is ragged. I am afraid that if I ask you for more money, you can't afford it. Why don't you just give me three taels of silver, and I will let you stay for three more days, and I will also give you less money for the food and drinks for the other three days. What do you think?"

Wan Jianfeng has been traveling around the country for many years, and he knows how much it costs to sleep in an inn for one night better than his own surname. Seeing that the old man was still the same as before, he glared at him and pointed at the scholar surnamed Wang and said, "Old man, I advise you to be more careful! Don't underestimate this brother Wang because he looks unkempt and dusty. He is a person valued by the current government and will be very successful in less than three days! If you don't charge us the inn fee, this brother Wang will naturally be grateful for your kindness, and you will be blessed in the future. But if you are tempted by the devil and dare to make a random offer and offend him, you will have a miserable life in the future!"

Evildoers will always be punished by evildoers, the law of nature will always be like this, karma will always be like this. Wan Jianfeng can't read faces, but he can tell that this old guy is not a good person, let alone Chen Tuan who is good at divination. In addition, saving lives is the most important thing at the moment, so Chen Tuan will naturally not interfere with Wan Jianfeng's behavior.

But the candidate surnamed Wang was quite honest. He did not want Wan Jianfeng to deceive an old man like this, so he said with great effort: "Wan... Young Master Wan, I have not had the honor to be close to the government yet, so how can I expect you to be valued? You should..."

Wan Jianfeng wanted to flatter the old man with big words and get the only guest room without spending a penny. Unexpectedly, when he spoke up for this scholar surnamed Wang, he publicly undermined his own efforts. He was really angry and amused, thinking to himself, "This brother Wang is too honest! Fortunately, he didn't pass the imperial examination, otherwise, with his personality, once he entered the officialdom, wouldn't he be played to death by those old foxes in the court?"

The old man was a little hesitant just now, but after listening to what the scholar surnamed Wang said, he immediately became confident, "Young man, it is said that 'poor people have strong ambitions', but you are so good that you have cheated me for a room! Either you pay the money quickly today, or leave immediately. If you say another word, I would rather leave this room empty than let you stay there!"

Wan Jianfeng was very smart. He rolled his eyes and came up with an idea. "Old man, this prince has indeed not spoken to the emperor, but he and the emperor's princes are close friends! Especially the King of Chu Zhao Yuanzuo. If the emperor hadn't stopped him, he would have almost kowtowed to him and sworn brotherhood with him. It's only a matter of time before the emperor values ​​him and appoints him to a high position. Can you not be so careless at your age?"

"What!" The old man was even more shocked. He didn't dare to say anything else and led the three people into the inn. The scholar surnamed Wang was too weak to explain himself. He had no strength left and could only reluctantly enter the only empty room in the inn with the help of Wan Jianfeng.

Wan Jianfeng was afraid that he would have too much burden on his conscience, so he could only whisper: "Brother Wang, this old guy is not a good person. I have seen him cheat people many times before. I dare to bet with you that there is definitely more than one empty room in this inn. He just wants to drive up the price of the house. Don't think too much and just stay here with peace of mind." The scholar named Wang nodded half-believingly when he heard this, and got on the bed with the help of Wan Jianfeng. Not long after, he fell into a deep sleep.

Chen Tuan took his pulse again while he was asleep, and said with more certainty: "Jianfeng, this scholar is not in danger of death, and his health has improved slightly. I will write you a prescription later, and you can ask the waiter to go and get the medicine according to the prescription. I believe that within three days, his body will be fully recovered."

Wan Jianfeng nodded and said gloomily, "Master, we are still a step too late despite our haste. I guess the emperor should be in Qionglin Garden now, entertaining the group of Jinshi who passed the imperial examination. What do you think, should I sneak into Qionglin Garden, or wait until tomorrow to meet him in the palace?"

Chen Tuan said, "In everything, we should 'do our best and leave the rest to fate'. You and I came here today without delay, and we have done our best for the soldiers of the Song Dynasty. Unfortunately, we are late for a moment, and this is the will of heaven. The Qionglin Banquet is a banquet hosted by the emperor himself. Even the princes and ministers have no right to enter without permission, so how can you sneak in? It is better to wait for the right time and enter the palace to see the emperor before the morning court tomorrow."

"Okay." Wan Jianfeng agreed verbally, but he was not willing in his heart. He thought to himself, "I am the emperor's savior. Many of those scholars are my old friends. Moreover, I am going to see the emperor for state affairs. It is not unreasonable. Could it be that they are so stubborn that they just follow the royal rules and refuse to see me? Why don't I go to Qionglin Garden in the name of getting medicine? If the emperor is willing to see me, it would be the best. If not, I will come back. It won't be a loss for me."

Wan Jianfeng made up his mind and said to Chen Tuan immediately, "Master, Brother Wang's illness cannot be delayed. You should prescribe medicine for him now. After all, this guy is my friend. I can rest assured if he gets better soon."

Chen Tuan hesitated for a moment and said, "Jianfeng, I didn't bring any paper or pen with me, and the innkeeper is very greedy, so I can only tell you verbally. You must remember it."

Wan Jianfeng said confidently: "I am so wise and powerful. It's just a small prescription. I can definitely remember it."

Chen Tuan thought for a moment and said, "Take one coin each of Akebia, Radix Rehmanniae, Radix Licoriceae, and Bamboo Leaves. Pack three bags each and try to get them back in the afternoon. Jianfeng, you are playful by nature. Don't be so obsessed with the prosperity of the capital that you forget to buy medicine just for watching the excitement."

Wan Jianfeng patted his chest and said with a smile: "Master, don't worry about this. I will leave now and will definitely bring back the medicine in the afternoon. I will definitely not delay Brother Wang's treatment." As he said this, he poked the oversized Dragon Subduing Stick on the bed, carefully put the shorter handsome stick in his arms, and quickly left the inn. (End of this chapter)