Chapter Nineteen: Heart Like a Rock
Lan Liuxiang ran away again.
Bai Changjue was really angry. He never expected that his strength would definitely crush him, but he could never hold on to this Mingwu God who was even more elusive than a ghost.
However, Lan Liuxiang suffered severe internal injuries and could not run for too long. The only thing that could be considered was that Lan Liuxiang's escape was no longer Yizhou, but turned north.
From Luoxiao Mountain to the north, one is the Jingzhou border and the other is the Jinling imperial capital!
Bai Changjue did not hesitate for too long. Looking at Jinling from afar, there must be six extremely important figures there. Following him, even if he couldn't find Fengdu Mountain, he would not return empty-handed.
Jinling, the southern foot of Zhoushan Mountain, Guo's villa!
Concubine Song stood behind Guo Mian, rubbed his shoulders and back to relieve his muscles and bones. Yurong frowned and said, "Ah Sheng looked like he had lost his virginity from Xu You. This was awesome. She gave him 30,000 taels of silver for free, and even gave him a girl who was as beautiful as a flower."
Guo Mian smiled bitterly and said, "A woman is not a big one. Over the years, she has suffered a lot in the Guo Mansion. It is the year of the peach and plum blossoms. It is unbearable for the empty bedroom, so it is better to have a good person."
"But I think that Xu You is unfathomable, not necessarily a good person..."
"It is a good thing for men to be a little scheming. It is always more suitable to live in this troubled world than those scholars who are ignorant of the world." Guo Mian narrowed his eyes and said, "No need to mention Xu You's talent. From the first sight of me, I knew that this son was definitely not a thing in the pool. Not to mention anything else, just seeing him being able to put down his foundation in Qiantang and resolutely plunge into Jinling, a quagmire where people are killed without blood, you know that his ambition is great and may really be able to revive his family style in the future."
"Master Huang means that Xu You has learned the news about Taicheng and then took the risk to return to Jinling?" Concubine Song was surprised and said, "It's not right. Even we have only found out a little bit of news in recent days. Calculate the day. He set out from Qiantang a month ago..."
Guo Mian opened his arms and showed his plump body. Although it was late autumn, he was still sweating profusely. He wiped his face with a scarf and sat up from the bed and said, "So I said this is not a thing in the pool. Besides providing him with information, there must be other ways. This is the most terrifying place. I think he is far away in Qiantang, but he knows more about every move in Taicheng than we are in Jinling. If we don't have a glimpse of the sky, how can we see the scenery in the clouds?"
Concubine Song said horrifiedly: "I'll send someone to investigate now..."
"Don't be fooled!" Guo Mian said lightly: "Xu You is not our enemy. Don't offend him. Everyone has their own way. We can't walk, and others can't walk? At the moment, it's urgent that you are responsible for secretly arranging the retreat. Once there is a change in Taicheng, you must ensure that all our people are withdrawn safely. As for other matters, don't participate in this change. Let's be a spectator quietly!"
Concubine Song's beautiful eyes were filled with admiration. Guo Mian was like the mountain in her heart. As long as the mountain was there, no matter how strong the wind was or how high the waves were, she was fearless.
Cui Yuanxiu was entangled by the King of Xiangdong for three days. He couldn't stand the noise and fled back in a panic. He had just entered the mansion and had not had time to take a break, but the man who had demolished the walls of the Prince of Xiangdong was here. He said helplessly: "Disassemble it, demolish it, demolish it, so as to avoid being upset when you see it all day long."
When the wall was demolished, many people came to watch. Some outsiders, people from Cui's mansion, Liang Yuan and Fan Ge and others also came to see them. They were crowded inside and out. Xu You stood in the bustling crowd and turned around by chance, but saw Zhang Xuanji wearing a green skirt and a white gauze deep in the shade of the Cui's mansion, like an orchid in a valley that was independent of the world, leaning against the autumn maple tree, graceful and beautiful as a painting.
The orchid is so beautiful that it smells like its fragrance. If you don’t pick it, you will be wearing it without wearing it, so why should you hurt the orchid?
There are countless beautiful ladies in the world, but Zhang Xuanji only has one!
As if he had a heart of mind, Zhang Xuanji suddenly looked at Xu You. Xu You lowered his head and avoided it. After that, he would look up again. The beauty was misty and disappeared.
The vigorous wall demolition farce lasted for a whole morning, but it was rich and powerful to do things. Before dusk came, a new wall was built and perfectly integrated into the original architectural style. It was not abrupt, but it was even more refined. The King of Xiangdong acted more domineering, but this is the reason why it was not annoying.
As soon as the night came, the manager came to the kitchen to instruct Xu You to prepare to light the soup to wake up the spirit and quench the thirst, and then make some pastries to bring them over. Xu Youqi said, "Master Huang has never eaten at night, what's wrong today?"
The manager got along well with Xu You during this period, but he didn't hide it. He smiled and said, "Miss Zhang is here, Lord Huang is happy. You don't know how painful it is to accept this female disciple..."
Zhang Xuanji went to find Cui Yuanxiu so late, and had to tear down the walls for a day. Only this point could be free. After Xu You observed, Zhang Xuanji did not live in Cui's mansion, but left in the afternoon to return to his residence. There must be important matters to discuss tonight, so he had to avoid the messy people and things during the day.
After making midnight snacks, Xu You said to the waiting manager: "A new product has just been developed. The owner may ask, why don't I send it in?"
The manager thought about it and it was not the first time anyway, so there should be no problem, and said, "Okay, go, remember not to disturb Master Huang and Ms. Zhang!"
"Yes, the villain knows!"
When Cui Yuanxiu met Zhang Xuanji in the study, Xu You was smart now. He was four or five feet away, and the surrounding environment was very quiet, so he kept all the conversation between the two.
"Master, you promised me when you left the mansion the day before yesterday. After you came back, you would discuss the matter of accepting Xu You as your disciple. Why don't you want to talk about it again?" Zhang Xuanji knelt on the ground and begged: "Xu You's character and literary sensi are both outstanding people in Jiangdong, so he will definitely not insult Master's reputation.
Cui Yuanxiu sighed, "Xu You's son is ruthless and unrighteous. Why do you compromise yourself so much for him? I deliberately humiliated him, which is to exclaim your anger!"
Zhang Xuanji whispered: "Why did Master say this? Xu You and I are just acquaintances, and we have no grudges..."
"The maid next to you is Qingluo, right?" Cui Yuanxiu didn't hide it and explained: "Once your master's wife asked Qingluo privately whether you have a husband you like - Xuanji, don't blame your master's wife for being troublesome, she also cared about you and had no malice. Qingluo mentioned that Xu You and you had dated in Qiantang, like those who were unwilling and frugal, I have a judgment on the character of their own."
“Master, I…”
Zhang Xuanji did not expect that the most secret feeling in his heart was told by Qingluo privately. Perhaps Qingluo seemed that Cui Yuanxiu was her master, which was almost equivalent to her parents. When induced by his master's wife, he could not help but speak out loud and scold Xu You. This is understandable, but who would have thought that such a big storm would be caused?
Cui Yuanxiu smiled and said, "You don't have to be shy. I have always been in good terms with your father. Now I am your teacher again. Don't tell me if you have nothing to do."
Zhang Xuanji was silent for a long time and said, "I value him not being depressed when he is in trouble, nor being defeated when he is in trouble. I pity his life and life, and I am lonely and lonely. I like his poems and articles, and I admire his ambitions and admire him a little bit, but if you say you are in love, you are not as good as your master thinks."
"Since that's the case, there is no need to take him into my wall! Even if it's not for you, I'm extremely disgusted with this boy. He became famous at a young age and was extremely frivolous. He relied on the power of Princess Danyang and King Xiangdong to suppress me and bow his head... Humph, who is Cui? Thirty years ago, the Lord forced me to become an official several times, but I refused to accept it. How is a mere child better than today? He is really ungrateful! People say righteousness and righteousness to Xu's family are all barbarians, and they are really unreasonable!"
The reason why Cui Yuanxiu refused Xu You as his disciple was true and vented his anger for Zhang Xuanji was true. The inexplicable disgust in his heart was true, but there was also a very important reason for Liang Yuan, whom he valued and loved the most.
Since Zhang Xuanji took the initiative to join Cui Mansion half a year ago, Liang Yuan has been moved by this rare strange woman in the world. Cui Yuanxiu also intends to fulfill this fate. He thought that it would not be too late to propose marriage after the New Year's Eve when the time is ripe. But he never thought that Xu You suddenly came to Beijing, and Zhang Xuanji was willing to leave the opportunity to find Guangling San, and despite the pain of running around, he rushed back to the capital to express his love overnight.
He became a sting when he was old, and his eyes were so vicious that he had just tried it briefly. Naturally, he could see that Zhang Xuanji was insincere and probably had a love for Xu You, so he said ruthlessly, completely cutting off Xu You's path to entry.
"Master, Xu You is definitely not such a person. Please give me some explanation..."
Cui Yuanxiu waved his hand and said, "No need to say, Xu You will never be my disciple in this life, so don't try to talk about it anymore." He also said, "However, since you talk about you tonight, I don't have to hide it from you anymore. Mystery, Liang Yuan's character is a hundred times better than Xu You. Although his family background is not as good as the Zhang family in Wujun, he is also considered a middle-class gentry in the rank. Xu You's newly restored low-class gentry is incomparable. I will arrange it in a few days and go to the mansion to propose marriage on behalf of Liang Yuan. I believe that Zhang Zhongcheng should like the son-in-law I chose for you!"
Zhang Xuanji's father was promoted from Sima Jiangzhou to Shishu. In recent years, he has become the fourth-rank censor. He is a member of the clan. As long as he does not make big mistakes and has the best resources as a senior citizen or above, it is not difficult to get promoted.
No matter what, Zhang Xuanji did not expect that Cui Yuanxiu was planning her marriage early. He raised his head. Although his voice was not loud, he was extremely determined and said, "Senior Brother Liang is a good man, but I am not a good match for Jun. My disciple remembers the kindness of his master. But if you want me to marry Senior Brother Liang, you must not!"
"Random!" Cui Yuanxiu was furious and stood up, pointing at Zhang Xuanji about to scold him, but he opened his mouth, looking at the fetal marks on her face, thinking about the grievances that his disciples in front of him had suffered over the years, and his expression cleared a little, and said warmly: "Xuanji, you have been raised in the deep boudoir since childhood, and you don't know the sinister hearts of people. You are blinded by Xu You, and you are unforgettable. You are not blamed for your teacher. However, marriage is a joke? The words of the matchmaker are always more knowledge and experience than you are young, so you will not be entrusted with unselfishness. It will be too late to regret it in the future!"
Zhang Xuanji's eyes were clear, and the shadow of that person seemed to appear in front of him again. An invisible smile overflowed from the corner of his lips, and he said word by word: "I don't regret it!"
Xu You, who had been standing hunched outside the door, suddenly straightened his back, showing his invincible demeanor. If the in charge was beside him, his eyes would probably fall out.
Although Cui Yuanxiu was a great scholar, he was also a human being, and he also had selfish thoughts and likes and dislikes. Looking at Zhu Xi in later generations and Dong Qichang, his knowledge and talent do not mean he can be selfless. Xu You, who was a man of both lives, had long been able to see this clearly, so when he heard Cui Yuanxiu's words, he did not feel shocked or angry. His purpose of becoming a disciple was not pure, so naturally no wonder others would deal with him with impure.
However, if someone else set up a arch, he didn't need to do anything more. Besides, what he eavesdropped over the past ten days is enough to understand how much Cui Yuanxiu's research on Shangshu has reached. Simply put, although Cui's academic studies are quite sophisticated, they still have not escaped from the rut of the times. Xu You has Qingming and He Ru around him, and the accumulation of countless scholars of the later generations, so it is not difficult to win.
If a man and her husband are afraid of being watched by the girl he likes, what is the use of a person who is forced into such a Jedi, and what is the use of a mysterious heart?
Holding the food plate with his hand and pushing open the door of the study room. Xu You swept away his usual cringe and humility, stood upright, and smiled and said, "Mr. Cui, the villain is here to deliver you food!"
Chapter completed!