Chapter Ninety-Two: Exhausting the Picture

  Remember in one second, wonderful internet for free!

  This official, with a robust build and dignified appearance, had three strands of whiskers, was about forty years old, wore a dark blue robe with gold trim, and a Confucian hat on his head. His belly slightly protruded, giving him an air of natural authority that inspired awe in those who saw him.

  When he saw him, Huangfu bowed his hand and smiled: "I've met Mr. Li, I'm polite." That Mr. Li glanced at Chen Jianchen behind him and asked, "Who is this?"

  Huangfu's assistant stepped forward and introduced: "This is Chen Jianchen, courtesy name Liuxian, a student from Minghua Academy in Jiangzhou. He is an old friend of mine."

  In fact, he and Chen Jianchen had only met for the second time, but the introduction was so exquisite to avoid being underestimated by Chen Jianchen, otherwise his face would not be good.

  As expected, Li Da Guan Ren immediately put on a smile and said warmly: "So that's the case, the good friend of the official is also the good friend of mine, please come in quickly."

  Just now, things were urgent, and Chen Jianchen didn't get to know the details of Li Yifeng from Xiang'er. Now that he saw him, his first impression was that the other party had a heroic demeanor, with grand and elegant manners, not a single drop of water leaked out, absolutely not easy to deal with. He said: "Uninvited guest, disturbing you, please forgive me." Li Yifeng laughed loudly and waved his hand generously: "Liu Xian, what are you saying? We are both scholars, all under the same sky, no distinction between us. You say this, you deserve to be punished with wine!"

  They soon entered the hall, where they found it to be very spacious, with an area of over three hundred square meters. Inside, there were more than a dozen tables, all filled with guests, creating a lively and extraordinary atmosphere.

  Li Yifeng sat down at an empty table with Huangfu Yuanwai and Chen Jianchen, instructing the maid to pour tea and serve wine. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he went off to attend to other guests elsewhere.

  Taking advantage of the leisure time, Chen Jianchen asked: "Mr. Huangfu, you and Mr. Li are quite familiar?" Mr. Huangfu smiled and said: "It's just business dealings."

  Chen Jianchen's heart suddenly lit up, understanding that Yuan Furen and Li Yifeng were not close, and asked: "Yuanwai, this Li Daren should be an official on duty?"

  Huang Fu took a sip of tea and said, "Not at all. He was the second-place winner in last year's imperial examination and could have been assigned to a position in the county town. However, he declined it himself." Chen Jianchen immediately caught the underlying meaning behind Huang Fu's words. In the Tianyun dynasty, those who passed the imperial examination would be assigned official positions by the Ministry of Officials. However, due to differences in ranking and social class, there were many levels to these official positions.

  Generally, the official positions assigned to successful jinshi candidates were not very high-ranking, mostly being clerks or assistants, with slightly better ones being county sub-magistrates; it was extremely rare for them to be directly appointed as county magistrates.

  As a result, some selective problems emerged. For example, after the Xiucai was promoted to the imperial examination, he could not be assigned to a good official position for the time being, so he could shirk and wait for opportunities with his white body.

  Of course, this opportunity is impossible to wait for by guarding the trees, it requires a lot of "activity" and a huge "money offensive".

  However, Li Yifeng has already passed the imperial examination and no matter what, he can't escape being an official. So people all call him "Da Guan Ren". The titles in this world are quite particular, a Xiucai is called "Xiang Gong", while a Jinshi can be called "Da Guan Ren" or "Lao Ye".

  Ever since Chen Jianchen was no longer entangled in the rigid form of the eight-part essay, he had made great efforts to understand this aspect of his career. After all, in the world of red dust, the greatest power comes from power itself, and only by grasping it can one better display their ambitions and implement their ideals. Otherwise, without a position, no matter how hard you try, it's difficult to make a name for yourself.

  There is a saying: "When in office, don't be the master of the people, it's better to go home and sell sweet potatoes." But selling sweet potatoes at home is even less possible for serving the people.

  That's exactly what I mean.

  Through Huangfu's answer, Chen Jianchen immediately roughly grasped Li Yifeng's identity background and, at a deeper level, his character and ambition.

  Huangfu's eyes sparkled as he suddenly asked, "Chen Gongzi seems to be quite curious about Li Da Guanren!" Chen Jianchen chuckled and said, "That's natural, Li Da Guanren is a jinshi, someone our generation looks up to." With just one sentence, the matter was settled.

  Huangfu's expression changed, and he said meaningfully: "Young master, your words are deceiving me. Although I'm not talented, I also know some physiognomy. Observing Liu Xian, although he is a rich and noble person, he will not be infatuated with wealth and status because of this. Would he bow down for the sake of one jinshi's fame?"

  Upon hearing this, Chen Jianchen's heart skipped a beat: This mysterious official was indeed no ordinary person. He replied perfunctorily, "Official, you're overpraising me. As the saying goes, 'Ten years of cold windows with no one to ask, one success and the whole world knows.' To study and excel, then serve in government - this is what we scholars strive for."

  Upon hearing this, Huangfu's expression changed and he smiled wryly, refraining from further argument.

  Chen Jianchen finally let out a sigh of relief, found an empty space, said he wanted to take a walk around, take a look, and then left the table.

  Looking at his back, Huangfu's face showed a thoughtful expression, and he suddenly whispered in a low voice that was almost inaudible: "This child is open-minded and intelligent, with a free and easy personality, unbound by conventions, indeed an excellent choice."

  "Niang'er, no matter what, Father will invite him back to be your teacher"

  As soon as they went outside, Chen Jianchen immediately called Xiang'er over and gave him instructions.

  Xiang'er was small, but very clever and had been serving people in the Bird's Paradise Building for a long time, so she had seen and heard many things and had developed a clever and nimble character. After receiving Chen Jianchen's order, she nodded repeatedly.

  The two of them pretended to stroll around, searching everywhere for Lu Gong's daughter's trail, but unexpectedly, after a whole incense stick's worth of time, there was still no sign of her. Their hearts couldn't help but feel some anxiety, especially Xiang Er, who was so anxious that she almost cried.

  It took too long to come out, and it was inevitable that people would have doubts. Under the helplessness, Chen Jianchen had no choice but to take Xiang'er back again.

  At this time, the tables in the courtyard of Huafang were almost all seated, and the banquet was also opened early. The cups and chopsticks were intertwined, and the voices of the people were deafening, making it very lively.

  Chen Jianchen sat back down and chatted idly with Huangfu. Suddenly, Xiang'er, who was standing behind him, reached out her small hand and pinched his back.

  This girl doesn't know her own strength, it hurts a lot.

  Chen Jianchen turned his head slightly and saw Xiang'er making gestures to him. Following the gesture, he saw two women entering from the middle courtyard door. The first one had a face full of makeup, wore gold and silver accessories, and walked with small steps, looking like a young girl, but in terms of age, she was actually the mother of a young girl!

  The woman behind her was the real youthful beauty, with a slender figure and wearing simple clothes. Just by looking at her physique, she was already an uncommon beauty. Unfortunately, her face was covered with a thin veil, only revealing a pair of beautiful crescent-shaped eyebrows and a pair of bright, starry eyes below them.

  From Xiang Er's behavior, Chen Jianchen immediately knew that this woman was indeed her family's young lady, Lu Gongzi!

  Chen Jianchen's eyes were fixed intently on Lu Gongzi's daughter, closely watching her every move. He saw that after she entered the courtyard, her head naturally drooped slightly, and a pair of jade hands were holding an ancient zither.

  A sharp tool is hidden in this lute!

  Chen Jianchen quickly came to a conclusion, because on the body of Lu Gong's daughter, there was no other place where the blade could be hidden, and the best place to hide the blade was obviously inside the guqin.

  It seems she has also been preparing for a long time with great effort and came fully prepared.

  They walked in, and under the gaze of the crowd, most of which fell on Lu Gong's daughter, not a few with ulterior motives.

  Li Yifeng was the first to stand up and walked forward, saying to the leading woman: "Zhang Mama, is this the Lu girl you mentioned, who came to perform the piano?" Zhang Mama smiled and said: "Yes, Lu's piano skills are truly unparalleled in the world, and it's rare to hear such a performance!"

  Li Yifeng laughed: "Aunt Zhang, you're not exaggerating, if this girl's piano skills are so amazing, why haven't I heard of her before?" Aunt Zhang replied: "Miss Lu is not a local, but just passing through Suzhou. She happened to have run out of money and only agreed to perform a piece to earn some expenses."

  Li Yifeng nodded and gazed at Lu Gong's daughter, saying: "Indeed it is so."

  "Where's the fake..." Zhang Mama replied, but was immediately interrupted by Li Yifeng: "Lu Niang, you come and answer."

  Madam Lu slightly bowed her head and said, "I dare not speak falsely." Her voice was soft and delicate, like the first chirps of an oriole, making one's ears feel numb.

  Li Yifeng burst out laughing: "Alright, but since you want to come and perform, why not lift the veil and let me feast my eyes?"

  Immediately afterwards, a burst of noise erupted from behind.

  "Shh, Your Honor," Zhang's mother whispered, "Lu'niang is not from the pleasure boat, so..." "Silence!" Li Yifeng shouted, saying: "Since this little girl has come aboard to perform her musical talents, she must follow the rules of the pleasure boat. Quickly remove your veil and let me, as well as all the esteemed guests, take a look. Heh heh, little girl, you don't have to be afraid. I am a reasonable man; if you truly catch my eye, there will be a generous reward."

  The lady's head hung lower, her hair as black as clouds. "I'm afraid my appearance is too coarse and I don't dare to startle the great official and all the noble guests." Li Yifeng couldn't help but hear the evasiveness in her tone, and he coldly snorted, "You're talking nonsense, are you waiting for me to take action?" He took a step forward, making a gesture as if he was about to reach out and pull off the veil covering her face.

  At the same time, Chen Jianchen clearly saw that Lu Gong's daughter's right hand was quietly hidden under the bottom of the guqin, as if grasping something sharp, and even her arm was slightly trembling.

  She would wait for Li Yifeng to approach her, then draw out a sharp blade and kill him before he could react. By that time, the sword light would appear, and blood would be seen.

  "Miss, I've finally found you!"

  At this critical moment, Xiang'er behind Chen Jianchen could no longer hold back, throwing Chen Jianchen's instructions to the ninth cloud, and rushed up without permission, rushing to the front of Lu Gong's daughter.

  Provide a better experience, bookshelf and computer version synchronization.