Chapter Thirty-Four Blue Blue

  The county magistrate counted the numbers, and Yun Zheng returned home together with his disciples. As they walked, he picked out some of the disciples and said: "No wonder your master punished you, indeed you have lost the spirit of fairness and justice, only seeking victory or defeat, and the beauty of the game has been completely destroyed by you."

  Yun Zheng hadn't spoken yet, when a clear and crisp voice came from behind the pavilion: "Father lost is just lost, why still make excuses, I've already given you three fallen leaves and you're still unaware, killing the big dragon with great enthusiasm, Cloud Brother discovered it early on but you didn't know anything.

  The county magistrate stroked his beard and said to Yun Zheng: "This is my little daughter Lanlan, spoiled by me, don't mind her."

  Yun Zheng smiled but didn't speak. At this time, continuing the conversation would only invite the girl's severe criticism. A thousand words are not as good as one silence.

  A small white hand emerged from the lush bamboo grove, quickly snatching three bamboo leaves from the chessboard. Yun Zheng only caught a glimpse of a wrist as white as jade and half of a yellow sleeve.

  "Naughty!" The county magistrate's eyes were filled with doting love, and he didn't scold his own daughter for her impolite behavior at all. Yun Zheng smiled mischievously at the county magistrate and said: "It's said that official families have young masters worth ten thousand taels of gold and young ladies worth a thousand taels of gold. Just now, there was an earthquake and thunderstorm - could it be that your precious daughter has made her move?"

  The county magistrate burst out laughing and pointed at Yun Zheng, saying: "You little scoundrel, you dare to fabricate stories about people and use Dongfang Shuo's old tricks to play jokes on young girls. Be careful not to get burned."

  Yun Zheng pointed to the remaining bamboo leaves on the table and said: "Filial piety is the most important of all virtues. In ancient times, there was a story about a man who used his precious clothes to entertain his parents. Now, throwing away these bamboo leaves to save my old father's chess game from danger is also a beautiful story. So I'll just throw a few more pieces, making it look like the wind blew them down, and it will seem much more natural. If the old man doesn't notice, that's understandable too."

  The county magistrate laughed even more happily, clapping his hands and saying: "What a clever little scamp! I don't know what kind of moral teacher could tame such a mischievous monkey like you."

  Yun Zheng poured the county magistrate a full cup of tea, and with a solemn expression, invited him to drink. Seeing that the county magistrate still had a curious look on his face, he sighed and said: "My master never talks much with me, usually just uses his stick to explain his principles."

  One sentence made the tea in the county magistrate's mouth spray out, at this time Yun Zheng had already hidden far away, and the county magistrate's tea was all left to himself, who was holding his chest and laughing so hard he couldn't straighten up.

  Yun Zhen heard a string of silvery laughter coming from behind the bamboo grove, and only then did he slowly let out a breath of relief. Today's matters were now in the past, and it would be best to keep a distance from these people from now on.

  The farewell dinner was not as sumptuous as the legend had it, just a fish, a plate of mutton, and a few dishes of vegetables. However, the wine was good, said to be the famous Shibazi filtered wine, with a greenish hue and the fragrance of orange peel wafting up, possibly with some orange peel added in.

  The time spent talking was longer than the time spent eating, and young people were originally not hungry. Yun Zheng was already starving at this time, but he couldn't eat voraciously. He picked up each dish and ate two mouthfuls, immediately praising it to no end. Especially that carp, even the stinky tendons on its belly didn't go away, and its red gills were still intact. No matter how Yun Zheng ate it, it wasn't tasty, but he had to lie through his teeth. The mutton from Shu had a particularly strong smell, and it was hard to make it taste good even with clear water cooking. On the other hand, several dishes of vegetables were made salty and delicious, and Yun Zheng couldn't help but eat more.

  After a brief meal, the county magistrate and Yun Zheng rinsed their mouths together and sat back in the pavilion to continue their conversation.

  "The county school has only one student and is already considered abandoned. However, the books inside are still quite rich. As the head of the school, I am busy with official duties and have no energy to teach you. If you want to make progress in your studies, you need to study hard on your own. I think you have a solid foundation and good insight, so you should be able to slowly grasp the meaning of the books."

  "The only thing I can help you with is the insights from my years of reading, which amounts to two big boxes. It's supposed to be passed down in the family, but unfortunately, I only have a daughter and no one to inherit it. You might as well take it away and read through it, then return it to me after you're done."

  This is a great kindness, Yun Zheng stood up to thank him, seeing that the county magistrate had already let people carry out two large chests, he knew it was time for him to take his leave. The county magistrate was able to spend half a day on himself, which was quite rare.

  The county magistrate saw Yun Zheng's figure disappear on the flower path and turned his head to ask behind him: "Lan Lan, what do you think of this young man?"

  "Dad, this man can easily pass the imperial examination as a scholar, but wanting to be called out at the Donghua Gate is probably not easy for him. He doesn't have the demeanor of a literati!" A young girl wearing a yellow jacket with crossed collars jumped out from behind her father's back and intimately wrapped her arm around his arm.

  "Oh, let's see, how does he lack the demeanor of a scholar? Father actually thinks highly of this young man."

  "Dad was cheated by him, this person is insincere. He obviously didn't like that fish or the lamb dish, but kept flattering, which shows he can't stand up for himself and definitely isn't a poor man, his background won't be as simple as it seems."

  The county magistrate nodded in agreement with his daughter's opinion and looked at her with regret, saying: "Lanlan, if you were born a boy, it would be great. My Lin family will surely prosper because of you."

  The young girl pouted and said, "What's wrong with being a daughter? The Empress Dowager has been in power for five years, isn't she also a daughter? Isn't Wu Zetian also a daughter?"

  The county magistrate sighed and walked into the backyard with his hands behind him, leaving a heartbroken girl biting her lip and tearing down countless bamboo leaves.

  Yun Zheng came out of the county government office and accepted congratulations from Old Master Liu, Liu Du Tou and others. The bright red congratulatory banner had already been posted on the bulletin board at the entrance of the county government office. This year, Dou Sha County only had one child born with a special gift, and that was Yun Zheng.

  He took over the key to the library from the old master, and from then on, this library next to the county government belonged to him alone. The only child prodigy in the county moved to Chengdu, preparing to take part in the prefectural examination and the imperial examination nearby, making a last-ditch effort for his own future, he was already forty-five years old this year.

  Yun Zheng didn't plan to live in the library, he chose to go to Dou Sha village, the old tribal leader was overjoyed with tears streaming down his face, and went on a crazy shopping spree at Dou Sha Pass, tonight, the village will be sleepless.

  I thought I could take the county, prefecture and imperial exams in one breath, but after listening to the introduction of the chief clerk, I realized that this was impossible. At the age of 15, participating in the prefecture and imperial exams requires an official or noble identity, or a recommendation from a great Confucian scholar. Neither of these conditions can be met in Dou Sha County, so I had to wait patiently for two years before going to Chengdu to take the exam.

  Yun Er was very dissatisfied and insisted that the children's test should be a real exam, he thought that this year he could also take the exam, maybe even better than his brother, because after hearing Yun Zheng introduce the exam content, he thought he had no problem.