country

In front of Baili Academy.

After the shirtless man left, several examinees stepped forward to try to lift the stone lion. Although there were many people who could move it, none of them could support the ten-step distance. All the examinees could only shake their heads and sigh in frustration.

Everyone around was talking about it, and the meanings were roughly the same. They were all dissatisfied with the registration method of raising a stone lion.

Mr. Chen Yin is a tycoon in the literary world, so to choose an apprentice is naturally to choose a literati, and these literati are all gentlemen, so how can you do such a brute force thing as lifting a stone lion?

These words are of course expressing one's point of view secretly, Xiao Moting is highly respected, and ordinary people dare not make irresponsible remarks to him, but in everyone's words, there is a taste of sour grapes.

"Who else wants to be named?" the head of the escort asked loudly.

Everyone around is staring and sighing. This stone lion is there. Although many people have the idea of ​​going up to try it, they can't even lift twenty catties on weekdays, let alone These two hundred catties of stone lions are already worth it, so I'm afraid it will make people laugh, so the head of the escort called three or four times, but no one agreed.

The head of the escort said loudly: "There is still more than one hour. If you want to try, please hurry up. Once the time is over, the door will be closed. So far, 160 people have passed a level. Starting tomorrow The second level of the test will begin."

There was a commotion below, and it was noisy for a long time, but no one came forward.

"I'll give it a try." Seeing that no one was selected, Xue Poye finally stepped forward from the crowd and said with a smile, "I hope I can become one of the 160 four."

Everyone around turned their eyes to Xue Poye, seeing that he was a slender young man, they all disapproved.

"Here comes another playboy, how much has he run away...!" Someone muttered softly.

However, among the crowd, a local scholar from Hangzhou saw Xue Poye, and someone recognized him: "Hey, isn't this shopkeeper Xue?"

"Yes, shopkeeper Xue is here too." Someone responded immediately.

Candidates from other places didn't know why, so they inquired about it, and the local scholars in Hangzhou praised it in a low voice. It was nothing more than saying that Xue Poye saved Wang Shizhen's family in front of the government office. .

Of course, Xue Poye's victory in civil and military affairs at the Lu Mansion's night banquet was also a topic that people talked about. Naturally, this point must be mentioned, but no one knows that this young shopkeeper has suddenly become an important official of the imperial court. The position is extremely prominent.

The head of the escort is also the deputy head of the Weiyuan Escort Bureau in Hangzhou, and his subordinates are quite capable. Seeing Xue Poye coming out, he has heard of the reputation. He clasped his fists and smiled: "Master Xue, please, this is two hundred catties." Stone lion, if you can move ten steps, you can be named."

Xue Poye clasped his fists and smiled, "Thank you." Under the gaze of nearly a hundred people around him, he walked slowly to the side of the stone lion.

Although Xue Poye was well-known in Hangzhou, everyone didn't know how well Xue Poye worked. Seeing that he was slender and looked like a weak young man, it might be difficult for the [-]-jin stone lion.

Xue Poye felt a little uneasy, although after practicing the "Ecstasy Mind Method", the various skills of his body increased several times, but the two hundred kilograms of stone lions really did not move.

He stretched out his hand to touch the stone lion, his hands were icy cold, the winter chill seemed to seep into the stone lion's body.

Everyone around knew that Xue Poye was a leading figure in the Hangzhou business community. Compared with the other candidates, they paid close attention to him. They all wanted to know whether this guy from a businessman background had the ability to move the [-]-jin stone lion.

Xue Poye took a slight breath, bent down, grabbed the two lion feet, one front and one back, and exerted a little force, but felt that the weight of the stone lion was indeed not light.

When people around saw Xue Poye bent over and holding the lion's foot to exert force, but the lion didn't move at all, some people secretly laughed in their hearts, thinking that Xue Poye was just asking for insults when he went out.

You Shaoqing was a little nervous at the side, but he glanced at Xiao Shitou, and saw that Xiao Shitou was calm and calm, young and confident, it seemed that in his heart, he was full of confidence in his master.

Hearing Xue Poye yell suddenly, amidst the exclamation of the crowd, the stone lion was actually lifted up by Xue Poye. When the stone lion was lifted up to the neck, it suddenly stopped, and even had some deflection. It looked like he was about to fall, and there was another exclamation all around, even You Shaoqing cried out, but Xiao Shitou was giggling and didn't care, of course he knew that it was just a trick of the master.

Sure enough, just when everyone thought the stone lion was about to fall, they saw that the stone lion was as light as a feather in the blink of an eye, and Xue Poye put it on the left shoulder. Base, move forward slowly.

"Okay!" the head of the escort shouted, and one of them clapped their hands. Although the people around were full of thoughts, they all clapped their hands when they saw Xue Poye walking more than ten steps away with the stone lion on his back.

Although nearly 200 people passed the level this time, it is really a minority who passed the level as easily as Xue Poye. As a celebrity in Hangzhou, Xue Poye's doing so undoubtedly added luster to the face of the locals in Hangzhou, so The applause from Hangzhou locals was especially loud.

Xue Poye put down the stone lion, walked up to the head of the bodyguard, cupped his hands and smiled, "Show me your shame, big brother, have I passed the test?"

The head of the escort raised his thumb and said: "Master Xue, you really don't show your face, I admire you." Taking a copper piece back, he said: "Master Xue, you put this away, and tomorrow you can use this to enter the white palace." Li Shuyuan."

"Thank you very much!" Xue Poye took the copper piece and put it in his arms, without further words, he left gracefully under the gaze of everyone.

"My lord is really wise and powerful." You Shaoqing followed behind Xue Poye, and praised repeatedly: "It is said that real people don't show their faces, and adults have a lot of abilities, but Shaoqing has never realized it. It is really stupid."

A faint smile appeared on the corner of Xue Poye's mouth, and said: "Brother You's eyes are not good, but his mind is good. You can't see through my abilities, and it's hard for me to see through your thoughts."

You Shaoqing was a little embarrassed, he laughed and said, "My lord is joking."

Xue Poye didn't say much, and ordered You Shaoqing to take Xiao Shitou back first, and when he arrived at the Hangzhou government office, He Ruhui received him warmly again, and immediately reported in detail about the posts to the major merchants .

He Ruhui knew very well that Xue Poye had a bright future, so he decided to take refuge in him. This attitude of humility and kneeling was full of humility. After reporting the business, he suddenly clapped his hands lightly, and saw a guard coming over with a big box .

Xue Poye was a little strange, and asked, "Master He, what are you?"

He Ruhui smiled obsequiously: "My lord, please take a look." After speaking, he went up to open the box, Xue Poye took a closer look, but it was the treasure he had given to He Ruhui.

Ye Zhan Buddha!

"Master He, what do you mean?" Xue Poye squinted his eyes, touched his nose and smiled.

He Ruhui approached and said: "My lord, out of regret that day, my lord sent Ye Zhan Buddha to me to watch. I still want to come, and I am very grateful. I have also wanted to return this treasure many times, but my lord has a lot of opportunities every day. I have free time, so I have been depositing it here at Beizhi, and today I am honored to come here, and I hope that the adults will accept it with a smile."

Xue Poye glanced at He Ruhui, and said with a smile: "Master He, there is no need to be so alien to us, you just use it for fun, this...!"

"My lord, I am very grateful for giving this thing to my humble official for enjoyment. How dare I continue to take away people's love." He Ruhui held the box, handed it to Xue Poye and said, "If my lord doesn't accept it, my humble official would rather kneel down and die." .” After speaking, he was about to kneel down.

Xue Poye stopped him and said: "In that case, hey, Mr. He, you send someone to Hanyuan." Holding He Ruhui's hand, he sighed: " Between you and me, don't be too far-sighted. yes."

He Ruhui waved his hand and ordered: "Don't send it to Hanyuan yet." The officer agreed and went down immediately.

Seeing that there were no one around, He Ru took out a thick stack of banknotes from his bosom, and said with a low laugh, "My lord, you come to Hangzhou, and you can't be filial with a lowly position. This is everyone's kindness, you keep it for fun." .” While speaking, he had already stuffed the banknote into Xue Poye’s hand.

Xue Poye was slightly taken aback, but immediately, like a seasoned master, he quietly put the banknotes into his sleeves. The money must have been exploited by He Ruhui, so don't waste it for nothing.

At this moment, he deeply felt the pleasure that power brought him.

If it weren't for power, this Ye Zhan Buddha might never come back, maybe this Ye Zhan Buddha is nothing, but the things that he was extorted by others returned to his hands in such a way, it always makes people It was a very pleasant thing, so Xue Poye's mood suddenly became very good.

To Xue Poye, the gain of power may have been a bit of a surprise, but until today, Xue Poye didn't want to have other surprises on his way to power.

"Master He, Han Yuan still has your part. Now it's the end of the year and it's time to settle the bill. You can go to the shopkeeper of Nanda to get the money." Xue Poye said with a half-smile: "If it's not convenient , I’ll have the shopkeeper of Nantah University send someone to deliver it when the time comes.”

He Ruhui hurriedly said: "Your Excellency has killed the lowly officials. Those people don't need to mention them in the future. If the adults want to strengthen the business world, it is tantamount to being humble and filial to the adults."

Xue Poye saw that He Ruhui was so sensible, although he disdained his character, he still liked his way of handling things, pondered for a while, and finally said: "Master He, I know what you think." He paused After a pause, he finally said: "Let's say that the capital is not peaceful at the moment. When the situation stabilizes, if there is a vacancy in this capital, Poye must pay homage to the Holy One and say that Mr. He is fair and honest, with extraordinary talents. Then go Just fill in the gaps.”

He Ruhui was overwhelmed with surprises, prostrated himself on the ground, and said respectfully, "Your Excellency is the reborn parent of a humble person, and I am willing to do my best for you."

Xue Poye smiled faintly, and immediately ordered He Ruhui to call more merchants from Jiangnan to gather in Hangzhou within ten days, and then ordered He Ruhui to be ready to welcome them.

He Ruhui naturally agreed repeatedly, Xue Poye gave him reassurance, and he naturally tried his best to do things.

At present, He Ruhui accompanied Xue Poye to the post house again, and inspected the Habayashi guards in the post house. Although they were outside Beijing, the Habayashi guards still maintained the habit of practicing diligently every day. A martial arts competition in the post house.

Xue Poye became interested, and had a sparring session with all the feather forest guards. By the time he was sweating profusely, it was already getting late. He Ruhui wanted to hold a banquet, but Xue Poye refused, bid farewell to everyone, and went Back to Hanyuan.

After dinner, Xue Poye naturally went to Yuezhu's room.

The two turned upside down, Luan upside down, and Phoenix last night, which made Yuezhu taste the sweetness of it, but under the new love last night, Xue Poye loved a hundred times, it was just a gentle lingering.

Xue Poye has read countless AVs, and has over a hundred postures in his mind. This night, he naturally cared for him carefully, but boldly led Yuezhu to try some novel postures.

Although Yue Zhu was shy, but under the gentle words of Brother Po Ye, she obeyed in every possible way, not only allowed herself to experience the joy of being a woman again, but also let Xue Po Ye immerse herself in the wonderful tenderness.

The lingering night was endless, and I didn't say much, until the two had a good time, they embraced each other and fell asleep.

The next morning, the city began to be full of excitement. Everyone knows that there is another wonderful show to watch at Baili Academy today, so those who pass the test will of course have to take the second test, and those who are not selected will also go to see the excitement Yes, after all, many people are curious about the content of these two levels.

In addition to these people, those boring and lazy idlers are naturally indispensable.

When Xue Poye came to Baili Academy, Baili Academy was surrounded by three floors inside and three floors outside. If it wasn't for the bodyguards who made the bodyguards open a lane, the candidates really couldn't get in.

Xue Poye led You Shaoqing and Xiao Shitou to the door, and saw three burly bodyguards guarding the gate of Baili Academy, with fleshy faces, round waists and thick legs, they were not good characters at first glance.

"what name?"

"Xue Poye!"

"Entry order!"

Xue Poye took out the copper plate, the bodyguard waved his hand and let it go in, but blocked You Shaoqing and Xiao Shitou, Xue Poye whispered, but didn't know what he said, the bodyguard hesitated for a while, and finally He just stopped You Shaoqing, but let Xiaoshi go in with Xue Poye.

"Master, what did you say?" Xiao Shitou was very curious: "Why did he let me in? Why didn't he let Mr. You in?"

Xue Poye chuckled, and said softly: "I didn't say anything, I just told him that you are a relative of the magistrate, so he let you in."

"So easy?" Little Stone asked with his eyes wide open.

"It's not difficult at all." Xue Poye smiled and said: "You have to know that if power is not good, there won't be so many people chasing it."

"Power...!" The little stone man, Xiao Guida, was thoughtful, and asked after a moment: "Master, aren't you lying to him? I am not related to the magistrate."

Xue Poye squatted down, supported Xiao Shitou's shoulder, and said seriously: "Little Shitou, you have to remember that sometimes, deception can accomplish many things. If everyone in this world abides by the rules, everyone is righteous and upright. , then we don’t need to deceive and conceal and some means that the world considers despicable. But if people in the world are just duplicity, then sometimes, even if we are very reluctant in our hearts, we have to use some extraordinary means.”

Xiao Shitou was silent for a moment, finally nodded vigorously and said: "Master, I understand, I will firmly remember your words."

Xue Poye smiled and said: "You are a smart child, I know you will understand." Standing up, looking around, I saw that the scale of Baili Academy is really not small, it is elegant everywhere, there are many bookstores, and the yard is The snow traces in the courtyard have also been cleaned up, and every other section of the road is dotted with a few sparse bamboo trees, and next to the big bookstore in the east, there is suddenly a large bamboo forest, which adds to the unique beauty of the academy. Scholarly atmosphere.

There were a lot of people coming and going in the courtyard, including the suave and suave rich son, the mighty and powerful gangster, and even some poorly dressed barbarians with some martial arts skills.

These people have obviously moved the stone lion.

Most of the rich men look down on me and I look down on you, with high eyebrows and low eyes, but the gangsters are very happy, and sometimes they say "So you are the flying hero on the grass, I have admired you for a long time" "So you are the mighty king Zhuge the Great" Hero, lucky to meet you" These conversations, amidst the laughter, naturally did not forget that the other party was also his competitor.

Xue Poye took the small stone with him, but he started admiring the plum blossoms in the courtyard.

"The sharp edge of a sword comes from sharpening, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold!" Xue Poye smelled the faint fragrance of plum blossoms, and could not help but softly chant.

But I heard an old voice next to me say: "A sword without a sharp edge will not hurt people, and plum blossoms will be more pure if they lose their fragrance."

Xue Poye was startled, and turned his head away, only to see an old man standing beside him, with his hands behind his back, and there was a hint of a smile in those eyes full of wisdom.

"Teacher!" Xue Poye lost his voice.

This old man is Han Mozhuang, Xue Poye's first teacher in this era, and now he is leading five children to practice literary arts.

Han Mozhuang looked much less energetic than before, and said softly: "Poye, the old man is still worried, if you fail this test, you will lose a great opportunity."

Xue Po Yechui stood beside Han Mozhuang, looking very humble, respectfully said: "Teacher, how is your health?" He blamed himself secretly, after returning, he didn't take the time to visit the old man.

This old man has a whole body of backbone, when he had a misunderstanding with Wu Lachi, under Wu Lachi's iron fist, he didn't have a trace of fear, and he even reprimanded him without any false words. He was very upright and won Xue Poye's respect .

Han Mozhuang smiled and said: "When a person is old, no matter how good his body is, he will look like that. The cycle of life and death is unavoidable. It's just that people in the world want to survive more than they want to die. This old man is just trying to live a few more days. Just look at this wonderful world. .”

Xue Poye respectfully said: "Teacher will live a long life."

Han Mozhuang chuckled, stretched out his hand and patted Xue Poye's shoulder, and said warmly: "It's good if you can pass the level. With your intelligence, the next level will naturally not be difficult for you. As long as you are careful, you can always worship Chen Yin." under Mr.'s door."

Xue Poye shook his head, and sighed softly: "The student is not for being able to worship Mr. Chen Yin, but for Su...!" With a wry smile, he shook his head and said, "The biggest mentor in this life of a student is you, teacher. The students are grateful for your teaching.”

Han Mozhuang saw that Xue Poye's expression was sincere, without the slightest hint of false words, he could not help stroking his beard in relief and said: "I have taught countless apprentices in my life, and you are one of them. I am very pleased." After a pause, Asked: "What do you think of what the old man said just now?"

"A sword without a sharp edge will not hurt people, and plum blossoms will be more pure if they lose their fragrance!" Xue Poye stared at Han Mozhuang, and whispered softly: "The meaning of the teacher is to teach students to be restrained in everything and not to be too ostentatious."

Han Mozhuang nodded appreciatively, and said warmly: "Actually, it is very rare to be able to do this. You young people have not gone through too many twists and turns, and it is difficult to understand the true meaning of it. What's more, young people are full of enthusiasm. They are impulsive. It is even more rare to achieve the word 'convergence'."

Xue Poye nodded and said: "What the teacher said is that the word 'restraint' is easy to say, but it is easier said than done." A breeze blew past, carrying the fragrance of plum blossoms, but with a hint of chill in the wind, Xue Poye He couldn't help tightening his clothes.

Han Mozhuang stared into Xue Poye's eyes, and said softly: "Poye, what others can't do but you can do, is the real excellence." Wei Yi pondered, and said softly: "People can be restrained, but they can't be helpless." Feng, what this old man means is that you can do things with a pure heart for a while, and on the other hand, hehe...!" He leaned closer and said in a low voice: "In the court, once you gain power, don't force others, and once you lose power, don't be depressed. In short, everything is clean."

Hearing Han Mozhuang's meaning, Xue Poye seemed to have other meanings, more like teaching himself how to be an official in the court, so he couldn't help but wonder: "Teacher, you...!"

Han Mozhuang smiled slightly, and said in a low voice: "Don't forget, the old man was also a scholar of the Imperial Academy, and he still has some old friends in court. I still know some news about Beijing."

Xue Poye suddenly realized, and only then did he realize that Han Mozhuang was a retired scholar of the Imperial Academy, how could he even forget this.

From this point of view, Han Mozhuang already knew what he did in the capital, and also knew his official position, and he came here today just to teach a few words based on his experience, it was just a good intention.

Xue Poye was grateful in his heart, bowed to the ground, and respectfully said: "Student thanked teacher!"

"This is the old man's many years of experience as an official, and he can only come up with the word 'clean'." Han Mozhuang smiled.

At this moment, a bell ringing from the big bookstore in the bamboo grove, clear and loud, could be heard in the whole academy, and a person shouted loudly: "Entered, entered!"

When the candidates heard the voice, they flocked to the big bookstore.