Great Wei Kyoto.
The North Gate.
There are three pa*sageways: the people’s road for ordinary people, the merchant’s road for traders, and the official road for officials, and finally there is a small pa*sageway for urgent documents, which must not be blocked.
As he stepped down from the carriage, Xu Qingnian looked at the imposing capital city and felt some emotions inexplicably.
He wanted to recite a poem, but thought better of it for fear of attracting a vision or something, so he might as well save it for the banquet later.
“Thank you for accompanying me all the way.”
After getting down from the carriage, Xu Qingnian took out two twenty taels of silver tickets and handed them to the two officials.
Although it was official work, the two men had done their best in the past few days anyway, and it was impossible for Xu Qingnian not to show something.
“Mr Xu is very kind, we can’t accept this silver, you have done justice for our brothers, if we still accept your silver, we are really not human.”
The two men arched their hands, refusing Xu Qingnian’s kindness.
“Good, thank you both.”
Xu Qingnian was also generous, and after taking back the silver ticket, he made a slight salute towards the two men.
The two men also saluted, and then drove the carriage back.
After watching the carriage leave for a while, Xu Qingnian began to queue up normally.
The queue to enter the capital was very long, and it would take at least an hour and a half to get through.
There was no room for sloppiness in checking identity information and so on.
Xu Qingnian was patient.
After nearly an hour and a half, the queue finally reached Xu Qingnian, who handed the information to the officer in charge of checking the road guide.
But soon his expression changed, and then he lifted his head and looked at Xu Qingnian.
“Your Excellency is Xu Qingnian? Xu Wangu?”
He stood up, a look of surprise in his gaze.
“Precisely, I wonder if your Excellency is?”
Xu Qingnian replied modestly and politely.
“Aiya, it really is Xu Wangu, brother Xu.”
“My lord does not dare to be, my lord does not dare to be, my name is Zhou Jing’an, I am a gatekeeper of the city of Kyoto, meet Xu Wangu, brother Xu.”
Zhou Jing’an said as he rose.
Zhou Jing’an looked to be in his thirties and had an ordinary look.
This Zhou Jing’an was a sesquicentennial official within Kyoto, but at least he was an official in the capital, right? Naturally, he had heard of Xu Qingnian, and it could even be said that who in Kyoto did not know Xu Qingnian?
He was wondering if he could meet Xu Qingnian before, but he never thought he would meet her here.
“So it’s Lord Zhou, I’d like to meet you.”
Xu Qingnian was also very polite, not caring about the other party’s official rank, no one who could be an official in the capital was incompetent, so he might need to ask for help in the future.
When he entered the capital, the most important thing for himself was his connections, as long as he was not hostile to himself, he would make acquaintance if he could.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Brother Xu is already a seventh-ranked Ming Yi, in terms of learning, I have to call him sir, in terms of official rank, Brother Xu came first in the government exams, and now he has even been summoned by His Majesty, it won’t be long before he can join the court.”
“Wait a moment, Brother Xu.”
Zhou Jing’an first praised him, then got up and asked the a*sistant beside him to work for him, while many eyes were cast around him, each one showing astonishment.
When he had finished explaining his work, Zhou Jing’an said with a smile.
“Brother Xu, you have just arrived in the capital and may not be familiar with it, so I will show you around and also help you find a place to settle, I don’t know if Brother Xu is willing to do so.”
What kind of person was Zhou Jing’an?
He was a mere gatekeeper in Kyoto, a mere seventh-ranked official, but in reality, what was he? Zhou Jing’an had basically memorised all the famous people in the world.
After all, this was the capital, a place where the world’s most famous, powerful and wealthy merchants would come sooner or later, so what if they came across him that day? If he missed them, it was fine, but what if he had offended them?
Although there are duplicate names, it is enough to ask. If they don’t admit it, they won’t be offended, but if they do, they can climb the ladder.
If they acknowledge it, then they can climb the ladder. Just like now, isn’t it a case of climbing Xu Qingnian’s relationship? Whether Xu Qingnian agrees or not, at least it will leave a good impression.
The company’s main business is to provide a wide range of products and services to the public.
The main thing is that Zhou Jing’an is not a Confucian, so it doesn’t matter if Xu Qingnian offends Confucianism or not, and the Great Wei Palace of Literature is not just the Zhu Sheng lineage.
“If it is possible, I would be grateful to Lord Zhou.”
This was a good feeling, Xu Qingnian indeed did not understand the layout of the capital, if there was a Pepsi leading the way, it was quite good ah.
“You’re welcome, you’re welcome.”
Zhou Jing’an said with a smile, followed by inviting Xu Qingnian to walk forward, and then the two walked parallel to each other.
“Brother Xu, the capital of Great Wei is 4,500 miles from east to west, 4,300 miles from north to south, divided into internal and external, the capital is internal, with 108 streets laid out horizontally and vertically.”
“The Imperial City is at the top, with the Vermilion Bird Avenue on the left, where the princes and lords of the state live, and the Xuanwu Avenue on the right, where the royal relatives and the court officials live.”
“Down to the left and right are the Seventy-two Square, and the two East and West Streets, which are incredibly lively, so Brother Xu and the others can go to the two Streets some days later to have fun, eat, drink and be merry.”
Zhou Jing’an explained the layout of the entire Imperial City for Xu Qingnian.
The Imperial City was huge, this was the inner city, but the resident population reached three to four million, intricate and complex, and it was at least two hours’ walk from the palace to get there.
But fortunately, the layout of the streets within the Imperial City was also huge, taking into account the movement of carriages, dividing pedestrian paths and horse paths, and to Xu Qingnian’s surprise, there was even traffic control.
Tsk, worthy of being the imperial capital, it was just different, traffic control had come in.
Xu Qingnian’s amazed gaze made Zhou Jing’an enjoy it, but unfortunately what he didn’t know was that Xu Qingnian’s amazement was not so much about such an advanced setting, but the fact that traffic control would still be present in such a feudal era.
After a long walk and almost a long chat, Zhou Jing’an called out for a carriage.
If he really wanted to walk to the real centre of the capital, he would have to walk for at least an hour or so, but a carriage would be much faster, and he would be there in half an hour.
The carriages inside the imperial city were not ordinary products, and it was insulting to describe them as a thousand-mile horse. The horses were not big, but rather short, but had large paws, so they ran through the imperial city with great speed and did not raise any dust.
Inside the carriage, Xu Qingnian looked out of the window, gazing at the crowds outside and admiring the Imperial Capital of Great Wei.
Even after a while, an image that surprised Xu Qingnian even more appeared.
Blonde hair and blue eyes.
Crooked day, foreigners all?
Xu Qingnian really didn’t expect to see foreigners in the Great Wei Dynasty, not that he hadn’t seen them before, but it was a bit surprising to see them in this kind of world.
“Lord Zhou, are these people from a foreign country?”
Xu Qingnian pointed to the blondes who had already pa*sed.
“Hahahahaha, is brother Xu surprised? But it’s normal, when Zhou first came to the capital, he was also startled.”
“Those people are all from foreign countries. The Great Wei Dynasty was once called the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Kingdoms and had a huge territory, but the world is not just Wei, there are naturally many small countries.”
“All of them have accepted the tribute of Wei as the top country, and their majesties have accepted it with pleasure.
“And quite a few gifts were given, so it was a way to give them some face.”
Zhou Jing’an said with a smile.
Only when this was said, Xu Qingnian could not help but frown slightly.
“Do they have to pay taxes when they come here to do business?”
Xu Qingnian was not surprised at all by the foreigners, but rather by seeing them in this kind of world, but when you think about it, there have always been foreign countries since ancient times, and it is normal to have some of these blondes in one side of the land.
When he heard that he was doing business to earn a living, Xu Qingnian was a bit curious and asked.
“Is it taxable?”
“That’s not necessary, after all, these states are from poor countries, in addition to the annual tribute, the court of Confucian officials think, they have a sincere, so also give themselves to the grace of heaven, let them enjoy some heavenly grace.”
“And also let other countries see the ambitions of my Great Wei, the prestige of my country.”
Zhou Jing’an spoke with great enthusiasm and seemed smug.
But Xu Qingnian sounded a little off.
“Not paying taxes?”
“Enjoying the grace of Heaven?”
“It’s really a case of corrupt Confucians misleading the country.”
There was something unsettling in Xu Qingnian’s heart.
What was the greatest benefit of the trade economy to the country? There were only two: the circulation of money and the collection of taxes.
The main thing is to get tax revenue. If they are not given tax revenue, then they are just making money by coming over to do business, bringing the money they earn to their own country, developing their own economy, promoting labour production, and then making money again by doing something random.
Is that a good thing to do?
But it’s understandable that these states don’t have to pay taxes, it’s just to satisfy a country’s vanity.
To put it bluntly, the Great Wei dynasty thinks it is above all nations, and if the smaller nations around it disagree and mock, is it not without authority? Then Great Wei would have to attack to teach you a lesson.
But wars have to be fought for a purpose, purely to make others shout, you’re a bully, such wars are almost meaningless, unless they are of the colonial kind.
But what if Great Wei thinks it is above all nations, and the smaller nations around it show their approval and even send people over to offer gifts? Confucian rule is simple: if you give me face, I will give you ten times as much face, it is called etiquette.
Its purpose is to satisfy this vanity which is hardly worth anything.
The vanity of the emperor, the vanity of his subjects, the vanity of the people.
But who suffers in the end? The emperor? The subjects? The people?
No, it is the state that suffers.
People come and bow down to you, call you “big brother”, give you some raggedy vegetables, cry out that the gift is light, and then reward you with a bunch of gold and jewels.
The name is to let you learn about culture, but if you are not one of us, you are a wolf, and if you are smart, you will take your money to learn your things and return home to develop yourself.
The stupider ones will take your money and go to eat, drink and have fun, and after they are done, they will pat their a*ses and go home and let their sons come over to have fun.
The actual fact is that you can’t be sure that you’re going to be able to get a good deal on a lot of these.
The actual fact is that you can’t get a lot of money out of a person’s pocket.
But this matter, still have to pay more attention.
The carriage sped on.
Xu Qingnian also asked a lot of things, and Zhou Jing’an was patiently explaining along the way.
“In fact, Brother Xu should not worry about the Zhu Sheng lineage, after all, it is not like he is the one sitting in the Great Wei Wen Palace.”
“The Palace of Literature was built to honor five saints, and this Zhu Sheng lineage, it is said that all literati in the world honor Zhu, but there are still many who learn from other saints.”
“Furthermore, over the years, the Confucian official lineage has indeed been somewhat arrogant and often angered His Majesty, after all, this Great Wei is still His Majesty’s word, not the saints’.”
“Do you think so? Brother Xu?”
Zhou Jing’an spoke up, talking to Xu Qingnian about the Zhu Sheng lineage.
“En, after all, the Great Wei is His Majesty’s Great Wei, not the Great Wei of the Saints, but I, Xu, also respect the Zhu Saints, for those who can be Saints should be extraordinary, for the benefit of the world, and must not be disrespected.”
“It’s just that nowadays, the Zhu Sheng lineage is borrowing the words of the Zhu Sheng and doing selfish deeds, using the public for personal gain.”
Xu Qingnian still had respect for the saints, a saint was a saint, he would never disrespect the Zhu Sheng, it was just that his philosophy was different.
“Yes, yes, yes, what brother Xu said.”
Zhou Jing’an also nodded along.
Finally, the carriage stopped and came to the core of the imperial city, and no driving was allowed inside.
The two of them stepped down from the carriage. Originally, Zhou Jing’an had planned to take Xu Qingnian to the Xianchen Pavilion, but Xu Qingnian intended to be clean for a while, so he just chose a tavern.
He still had two hundred taels of silver in his hand, which he had obtained by selling the gift of the Duke of China, so he could afford to stay at an inn in the capital, so Zhou Jing’an took Xu Qingnian to a fairly good restaurant.
The Jing Yan Inn.
When he entered the inn, Zhou Jing’an took the initiative and asked the innkeeper to open a room for him, and also paid for Xu Qingnian’s silver coins.
At that moment Xu Qingnian wanted to stop Zhou Jing’an, but the latter was all sorts of obstructive, “Brother Xu, it’s your first time in the capital, plus it was also Zhou who came to welcome you, honestly this is fate, just a few silver taels for the lodging fee, don’t argue.”
Zhou Jing’an pulled Xu Qingnian and said seriously.
Xu Qingnian was strong enough to push Zhou Jing’an away, but he also knew that the other party was acting for the sake of the world, and he could not refuse this kindness, so he accepted the favour.
After the upper room was opened, Zhou Jing’an also took out a piece of paper from the room and drew on it horizontally and vertically.
“Brother Xu, this is a rough map of the inner city, Zhou heard that some of the state dukes favour you, now the time is not too late to visit the dukes, I am afraid you don’t know the way, so I have prepared it for you.”
Zhou Jing’an was really sophisticated, he had arranged every aspect for Xu Qingnian, he was indeed a good man.
“Thank you, brother Zhou, if we are finished, I will treat brother Zhou to a drink.”
Xu Qingnian said gratefully.
The latter waved his hand and smiled, “Brother Xu is very kind, but if you go, you should prepare a small gift, not too much, and the princes don’t need it, just the thought will do.”
“If you go, I can accompany you, so that you don’t run into any trouble.”
Zhou Jing’an said.
“Trouble? There shouldn’t be any trouble buying some things, right?”
What Zhou Jing’an said made him a little curious.
“It’s true that there’s no trouble with normal trading, but there are a lot of Hu people trading in the east and west streets who are not very nice and have a hot temper.
“There are often some small disputes, they are the people of the foreign countries, the court considers the state of the Great Wei, so it is not very strict control, so as not to provoke some things.”
Zhou Jing’an replied, and these words caused Xu Qingnian to frown slightly.
At the foot of the emperor, within the imperial city, would there be such a thing?
Isn’t business just a matter of seeing and not touching? What a lot of power! If it’s jade or something like that, it’s fine, but if it’s a normal business, isn’t it just bullying?
“This foreign country is also a stickler, not as smart as our business in Wei, but the big thing is nothing, but afraid of encountering, nagging, and then have to go back to the court to tug around, in the end, only mediation.”
“There’s no need to waste any time for them.”
Zhou Jing’an could see that Xu Qingnian was a bit unhappy, but it was nothing, just get used to it, there was nothing right or wrong about not inviting it anyway.
“Fine, then I’ll trouble Brother Zhou to accompany me on the trip.”
Xu Qingnian nodded, and after putting his things down, he left with Zhou Jing’an.
After walking out of the inn and taking about four hundred steps, he saw an incomparably wide street, which, in the middle of the street, could be described as being full of people, with people from all over the capital gathering here, from teahouses and pubs to theatrical buildings and juggling.
There were many stalls outside, with all kinds of strange and exotic objects, calligraphy and paintings, jade and precious stones, all dazzling and overwhelming at a glance.
Xu Qingnian walked through the streets, preparing gifts for the princes of the state, but Xu Qingnian did not consider such things as calligraphy, painting and jade, one is not cost-effective, and the other is that these military officials can not appreciate it.
As for the tonic herbs, he did not intend to buy them, as a state duke, the daily tonic herbs must be of the highest quality, his own silver can not afford to buy, so after thinking about it Xu Qingnian bought some top quality silk satin, such things even if the state duke does not use.
It’s not important what you send, as long as people are there, but if you really want to send something expensive, it’s problematic.
Where would a scholar get the silver?
It was not long before Xu Qingnian realised that he had underestimated the spending power of the capital.
A foot of silk could easily cost two taels of silver, it was a foot! Not one, one forty metre, that is to say about one hundred and twenty-five feet, which works out to two hundred and fifty silver taels a cloth.
This price made Xu Qingnian go silent.
After browsing the other places, although there were some cheap things, they were all small things that Xu Qingnian could not give away.
After thinking about it, Xu Qingnian gritted her teeth and bought ten nice folding fans.
They were not cheap either, ten taels of silver for one folding fan, the bones of which were made of a hundred refining irons, and the faces of the fans were also made of a kind of fire velvet cloth.
Borrowing a brush from the shopkeeper, Xu Qingnian quickly put words on the fan.
[Loyalty and service to the kingdom]
[High-mindedness and integrity]
After writing, he dropped his name and then presented one of the fans to Zhou Jing’an.
“Today, I’ve bothered Brother Zhou, I don’t know what Brother Zhou needs as I don’t have anything, so I hope Brother Zhou won’t mind this small token of appreciation.”
Xu Qingnian gave the fan to the other party, the quality of the fan was already very good at ten taels of silver a piece, and with his inscription, it was not too much to ask for, right?
It was also a gift.
“This, this, this, this, this, this, thank you brother Xu, thank you brother Xu.”
Zhou Jing’an subconsciously wanted to refuse, but when he saw with his own eyes that it was a fan nominated by Xu Qingnian, he couldn’t say anything.
If Xu Qingnian’s position in the court grew higher and higher, this fan would be worth a thousand gold, oh no, ten thousand gold.
“Brother Zhou is very kind.”
Xu Qingnian shook his head, and at the same time, he felt a little sad that the capital was so expensive. It seemed that if the emperor did not reward himself with some silver, it would be a problem, and he might have to go to Zhou Jing’an’s house to dawdle with food and drink.
With a hundred taels of silver, Xu Qingnian didn’t think much of it and left the shop with the remaining nine fans.
“Brother Xu, go all the way towards this street, turn to the left and you will arrive at Zhuque Avenue, according to the map, I have marked the location of the Duke of State.”
“I won’t go over there, I’ll take my leave first, if Brother Xu is busy and wants to find someone to have a drink with, come and find Zhou anytime.”
Zhou Jing’an pointed the way for Xu Qingnian, he would have liked to follow Xu Qingnian over there, it was just a pity that if he went over there himself, I guess he wouldn’t stay in the capital, some things still couldn’t rub off on him.
“Thanks for the guidance, brother Zhou, see you in a few days.”
Xu Qingnian smiled, and after saying goodbye, he followed Zhou Jing’an’s map and groped for the address of An Guo Gong.
On the street, Xu Qingnian walked slowly, and soon the appearance of some officials not far away caught Xu Qingnian’s eye.
The four officials came to a shop, and many people gathered around, casting glances, and fierce shouts rang out, appearing somewhat angry.
“This! Thing! Very, very! Precious! He touched it! It should be bought! Why else, he, would he have touched it?”
A voice full of anger rang out, and it sounded like the people of the Fans.
Not far away, dozens of foreigners from the Fan State, dressed in strange costumes, stood in front of the officials, each with a fierce look, and although silent, they gave the impression that they were ready to strike at any moment.
“I only touched it, I didn’t know there was such a rule, and furthermore, where does one touch and buy in business? The things are placed here and there is no notice not to be touched.”
“Sir, you must do something for me in this matter.”
A scholar looked a little agitated and said.
“If you touch it, you have to buy it, that’s our, rule.”
“These jewels, which we found from the holy mountain, have a sacred aura, if you touch them, they are gone, worthless.”
“Five thousand taels, no less.”
The foreigner’s voice sounded uncomfortable and the tone was quaint, but Xu Qingnian could see the point, a typical forced purchase staged to bully foreigners.
“Five thousand taels? You sold me, I don’t even have five thousand taels, you’re a lion, my lord, I’ll never compensate.”
The scholar shouted straight away when he heard five thousand taels, how could a normal person possibly get five thousand taels of silver?
“All right, all right.”
“All stop arguing.”
“What jade from the holy mountain, five thousand taels is too much, can’t we have ten taels of silver? Stop arguing, if you keep arguing, you will all go to the court.”
The official’s voice rang out, and he looked at Fan Bang and the others and said so.
“Ten taels won’t do, it’s too little.”
The group of foreigners shook their heads, thinking that ten taels was too little, and at the same time they had to continue to talk about the sacred qi.
“Just ten taels, if not, go and see the official, then you won’t be doing business today.”
The official also came to temper and said very directly.
The latter looked at each other, nodded, and agreed.
As for the scholar, he was a little aggrieved and puzzled.
“Ten taels of silver? I just touched it and it’s ten taels? I don’t give.”
He was not convinced, ten taels for just one touch, this was a rip-off.
“Don’t be unconvinced, these people are not easy to mess with, when you go to the authorities, they will take a statement and get out and continue working, you will be detained for twelve hours if you go, and you will still be made to pay for it when you come back.”
“Come on, think of it as buying a lesson, if you really P*ss these people off and they really come after you then, we won’t be able to come to your aid in time.”
The official’s voice rang out, some impatience, he was also angry, but what can be done, this gang of foreigners is this hanging, relying on the court all kinds of grace, plus Confucianism all kinds of etiquette of the state, to have the image of the state, are afraid to do anything to them.
Spend some money to solve it, there is no need to make a big deal.
As soon as this was said, the scholar panicked a bit, looked at the group of foreigners from the foreign countries, finally gritted his teeth and took out ten taels of silver cheque, and then angrily brushed his sleeve and left.
The official got the silver ticket and handed it over to the group of people who also had some unkind words.
“That’s enough, his Majesty’s birthday is coming up soon, if you mess up at that time, don’t blame us for not being polite.”
There was nothing the officials could do, so they left with a harsh word.
The group of foreigners smiled smugly and looked at the silver tickets, looking extremely pleased with themselves.
“Dogs.”
Xu Qingnian frowned coldly, but did not mind his own business, walking towards the front, and after a few steps, shook his foot and a stone shot out, aiming at the support point of their stall.
Bang.
Clatter!
Only a slight sound was heard, followed by the sound of various jade shattering as the stall collapsed and various jade items fell to the ground, destroying at least forty to fifty percent, which would have been more than the ten taels of silver if it was cheaper.
“My sacred jade.”
The cries of the foreigner rang out, and the smile on his face was completely gone.
Xu Qingnian did not linger and continued on his way.
Doing good deeds without leaving a name.
About half a quarter of an hour later, Xu Qingnian finally arrived at Vermilion Bird Avenue.
Compared to the bustle of West Street, Vermilion Bird Avenue was instantly much colder, there were not many people on the street and they came and went in a hurry, plus the street was very clean and lined with mansions, standing with at least six gate guards and various mansion plaques.
The Vermilion Bird Avenue was where the state princes and lords lived, while the White Tiger Avenue was where the royal family and ministers of the court lived.
Xu Qingnian searched according to the map and finally found the house of the An Guo Gong.
An Guo Gong’s House.
A large plaque appeared in Xu Qingnian’s eyes, the gate was wide and there were four guards standing to the left and right, each of them was full of essence, and Xu Qingnian could detect the aura on them.
Very strong, at least an eighth grade martial artist.
A Dantian martial artist, coming here to watch the door, is really a seventh-ranked official in front of the Chancellor’s gate, but these should be the former men of Lord An Guo, a close friend, it is normal.
When he arrived at the front of the residence, Xu Qingnian clasped his fist and arched his hand.
“My name is Xu Qingnian, the word Shouren, I have been invited by Duke An to come and visit.”
Xu Qingnian made a salute and bowed towards the mansion.
As the voice rang out, the eight men guarding the door did not move at all, not even casting a glance, still staring at each other.
But at that very moment, the gate of the mansion opened.
An old man who looked like a butler stepped out, turned his gaze towards Xu Qingnian, and then spoke.
“Duke Xu, the State Duke has prepared a banquet.”
The butler revealed a smile and made a slight salute towards Xu Qingnian, saying very politely.
“Your Excellency is most gracious.”
Xu Qingnian walked up the steps, and then followed the butler inside.
As they entered the house, they were lined with maids on the left and right, at least thirty to forty of them at a glance, each of them at the age of a douche.
“Greetings, Duke Xu.”
The maids spoke in unison, showing off the grandeur of the State Duke’s residence.
Xu Qingnian’s face was gentle, and after a slight nod, he followed the butler all the way.
After pa*sing through several courtyards, fake mountains and lakes, the housekeeper of the State Duke’s Mansion seemed to be deliberately trying to show off, taking Xu Qingnian east and west, and after a tour, it took two quarters of an hour before he arrived at a garden.
At that moment, a banquet was already set up in the garden, a long table, and at a glance, there were more than ten people waiting for them, and in the middle of the crowd, an old man was sitting on the first place.
The old man had a head full of white hair, but his spirits were high, without any sense of a broken candle, his gaze was like that of a tiger, his aura like that of a dragon, sitting here, inexplicably giving people a great pressure, without any surprise, this should be the An Guo Gong.
“I, Xu Qingnian, pay my respects to Duke An.”
“I came here to buy some gifts, but I don’t have anything to wear, so I have no choice but to buy a fine folding fan and dare to inscribe it for Duke An. I hope that Duke An will not mind.”
Xu Qingnian took the fan out of his sleeve and made a bow at the same time.
The steward took the folding fan and came in front of Duke An.
“Loyalty to the king and serving the country with high style, hahahahahaha, Qingnian has a heart, come, come, don’t be formal, sit down and sit down.”
Xu Qingnian was so courteous and attentive, Duke An was naturally happy, the main thing was that Xu Qingnian’s face made people very comfortable.
He was a military official and did not like the manners of civil servants, instead he preferred to be more casual, if it was not the first time they met, he would not have sat down like this.
Now that he saw how polite Xu Qingnian was, he also became more casual.
“Thank you, An Guo Gong.”
Xu Qingnian was also not polite and slowly sat down, too polite, in the mind of this kind of military official is probably not modest, but pretentious.
When he sat down, a servant girl immediately poured wine for Xu Qingnian.
And Duke An was also very direct, looking at Xu Qingnian and saying.
“I have always heard that you Xu Qingnian have the talent of the ages, now that I have seen you in person, you are indeed not bad, you have talent within and your looks outside, not bad, not bad, come, don’t stand still, we have guests, have a drink.”
Duke An said smilingly, and the crowd immediately raised their cups and drank the first cup.
“Duke An Guo is really over-complimented, the talent of ten thousand ancient times is still too exaggerated.”
Xu Qingnian said modestly, this was still something to be said, after all, a great talent of ten thousand ancient times, could not afford it.
“But don’t, but I have heard that the sky is not born to me Xu Qingnian, Confucianism is like a long night, these words are very domineering and have the taste of my military family.”
“You don’t need to be modest about anything either, that’s how you readers are, you always like to be modest, there’s no harm in being direct, instead you’re blunt, old man is fine, turn around and go to some of the other state dukes.”
“They hate this kind of literary modesty even more than I do.”
Duke An said with a smile, casually saying something that was actually a nod to Xu Qingnian.
Indeed, they were all martial generals, so naturally they didn’t like this kind of pretentious modesty, plus Xu Qingnian was still young, it wasn’t like he was 40 or 50 years old and had experienced great storms.
A little arrogance was one of the characteristics of a young man, as long as he didn’t overdo it.
“Yes, old brother Xu, if I had your talent, I guarantee that my nose would be turned towards the sky, and I would scold anyone who dares to look at me on this Vermilion Bird Avenue.”
“We are all martial artists and coarse people, so speak up, Old Brother Xu, come, have a drink.”
The descendant of An Guo Gong followed suit, laughing brightly and inviting Xu Qingnian to have another drink.
The second gla*s of wine went into his belly, and I have to say that the wine from the State Duke’s residence was strong, strong and dominant, but just astringent, purely strong for the sake of being strong, not as good or as strong as Maotai in the previous world.
But still, you have to drink it and give face.
“Since you all have asked for it in this way, Xu Mou will not be modest.”
Xu Qingnian smiled, but only said so, it is difficult to say, An Guo Gong you stand up, everyone here is rubbish?
Wouldn’t that be seeking death?
“En, it’s good to be straightforward, come on, come on, have another drink, have another drink.”
The crowd laughed, and then took turns to toast.
After three rounds of wine, finally An Guo opened his mouth to get down to business.
“Xu Qingnian, this time you have been summoned by the Emperor in advance, what are your plans?”
An Guo openly asked.
“Your Excellency, I have no plans at the moment, I am only waiting for His Majesty to summon me.”
Xu Qingnian answered truthfully.
“En, that’s right, then do you have any ideas?”
Duke An continued to ask, whether Xu Qingnian was from the Bing family or not was only a guess up to now, after all Xu Qingnian had not admitted it himself.
So no matter how much one guesses, it is still just a guess. Now Duke An is very direct, asking Xu Qingnian what he thinks and what he intends to do.
There is nothing wrong with asking directly, no matter how Xu Qingnian chooses, he can help Xu Qingnian for reference, which is also a kind of help from an elder to a junior.
Faced with this question, Xu Qingnian took a deep breath, he understood very well how important his next answer was.
If he answered well, he would be considered stable, but if he answered badly, he might be in trouble.
“Your Highness, Xu is not talented, after all, he is new to the court, so he should not have had any ideas.”
“But do you know that I, Xu Mou, have composed a song?”
Xu Qingnian said so.
“I remember, it’s called Full River Red, I have quite a lot of feelings about this lyric, it’s very good.”
An Guo Gong seriously praised.
And Xu Qingnian could not help but stand up at this moment, and immediately looked at An Guo Gong.
“Duke An, the reason why I, Xu Qingnian, composed this lyric was because I was looking through the historical records and saw this piece of history.”
“My Great Wei Dynasty, which is above the upper kingdoms, has had bright kings and a strong state, but I never thought that this barbarians in the north, invaded my land, killed my people and plundered my Wei wealth.”
“History books are merciless, a single line cannot tell the tragedy, an article cannot tell the fierceness of the barbarians, every time I think of this, my heart aches immensely, every time I think of this, I am even more indignant.”
“The shame of Jingcheng is still fresh in my mind, and we, the scholars, only know how to talk about pen and ink.”
“Guo’an, Xu’s idea is to drive north, kill the barbarians, eat their flesh and drink their blood.”
Xu Qingnian’s words were powerful and from his heart.
He would not forget the shame of Jingcheng, nor would he ignore it.
He would never let go of the barbarians’ hatred either.
Only, at the moment, it cannot be done because there is no money to fight, so I still have to make money for the country, and when I have money, then I will fight again.
En, in essence, there was no difference.
However, these words Xu Qingnian just hid in his heart.
“Good!”
“Good one, kill the barbarians, eat their flesh with hunger and drink their blood with thirst.”
Xu Qingnian’s infectious words made Duke An shout in approval.
It was true that young people nowadays also wanted to go to war, but what were they fighting for? It was to build a career, to make a name for themselves.
But he could see that there was hatred in Xu Qingnian’s eyes, a hatred of the country.
This hatred was the hatred of the country. It was the hatred of a man who truly wanted to wipe out the shame of his country.
From this, it could be concluded that Xu Qingnian was a member of his martial arts team, not bad, not bad, not bad!
“Xu Qingnian, I will have a drink with you, I hope that one day you will really be able to wipe out the shame for Great Wei.”
An Guoguan said openly, extremely fond of Xu Qingnian.
“What I would like to do is to follow you on your expedition and kill the barbarians, leaving no one behind.”
“I admire you the most, for you have killed over ten thousand enemies in your seven northern expeditions.
Xu Qingnian did not dare to say this, but still had to praise An Guo Gong.
As expected, hearing Xu Qingnian’s praise, Duke An’s eyes became even more joyful.
“What is your song “Full of River Red”?”
An Guo Duke looked at Xu Qingnian and could not help but ask.
If Xu Qingnian had really given it to himself, it would be a happy event.
“Your Excellency, it’s true that I composed it for someone else, but I’m afraid that the world will say that I’m pandering, so I won’t say anything, but Your Excellency An is someone that I admire.”
“The student is having a drink.”
Xu Qingnian did not say who the Full River Red was for, but the meaning was clear.
The reason for not saying was also very simple, it was not good to give it to anyone, and it was true that he did not write it for anyone, it was just a feeling.
“Hahahahahaha, good, good, good, nephew Qingnian, ah, you are really modest, modest, ah.”
“You people, learn from other people’s nephew Qingxian, how modest and smart, and then look at you, all you know is to go outside all day to string hutongs, eat, drink and play.”
“If I am still alive, who will be able to protect you one day when I am no longer alive?”
“I wonder why I have never produced a scholar. If I had a tenth of Qingnian’s nephew, I would have died in peace.”
The Duke of An was indeed very happy and valued Xu Qingnian so much that he started calling him Qingnian’s nephew.
But in pa*sing, he also used Xu Qingnian to scold his own descendants.
The people did not dare to speak, and Xu Qingnian could not intervene, the old man taught his son the right thing to do, what he intervened.
But at that moment, a voice suddenly rang out.
“Grandfather, father, why are you here?”
The voice rang out and sounded somewhat familiar.
He looked back and saw.
Good Lord, wasn’t this the middle-aged boy in purple who had blocked his demand for money at the city gate?
He turned out to be the grandson of the Duke of An Guo, huh?
No wonder he dared to be so arrogant.
Xu Qingnian sort of understood, but at the same time, he was also a bit depressed, he didn’t expect the other party to be the grandson of Duke An, so this was a bit difficult to deal with ah.
And the young man in purple quickly ran and came to his own grandfather’s side, and without any loneliness, he picked up a piece of cake and ate it, while the smile on Duke An’s face appeared again.
It looked like he should be loving this grandson.
Wait a minute.
Suddenly, a thought surfaced in Xu Qingnian’s mind.
In an instant, Xu Qingnian gathered his Hao Rang Qi and his eyes emitted a purple glow, landing on the young man in purple.
The crowd was a little surprised, and Duke An even frowned, wondering what Xu Qingnian was doing.
Only the next moment, Xu Qingnian’s voice rang out.
“Hiss! Duke of State!”
“Your grandson has the talent of a great scholar!”
Xu Qingnian opened his mouth, and with a single sentence, everyone in the room froze.
Just him?
A great scholar?
Are you kidding me?
