Chapter 12: A Combination of Civil and Martial Arts (Part 2)

  "Is it the silk thread wrapped around the long bow?" Guo Yu muttered to himself.

  Shen Da Gongzi thought for a moment, and smiled in praise: "Indeed wonderful! The word 'yin' split open is actually the character 'gong' with an extra vertical stroke. That vertical stroke naturally refers to this silk thread. And 'silk thread wrapping' and 'golden hook hanging' can be perfectly matched."

  The thirteenth princess laughed so hard that her eyes narrowed into a thin crescent moon, and she was overjoyed in her heart. Someone said that love doesn't need a reason, but that's nonsense. There is no love or hate without cause in this world. Love, even if it doesn't require specific reasons before it happens, must have some basic conditions. For example, being tall and handsome, having great talent, compatible personalities, holding high positions, coming from wealthy families, having noble character, etc., which vary from person to person. It's impossible for a woman with all good qualities to fall in love with a man who is completely useless in every way - if that happens, it can only be said that this woman has very special requirements. She loves the scum of society, but even so, being "scum" to such an extent seems to have become a condition in itself, at least a condition that meets the requirements of this strange woman. Therefore, the previous statement still holds true.

  The thirteenth princess originally liked a hero with high martial arts skills who had been protecting her since childhood. The advantages of this "hero" covered up his shortcomings in talent, but the disadvantages were still there, even if she chose to ignore them selectively. However, the thirteenth princess suddenly discovered that the biggest shortcoming of the person she had been thinking about in her heart had disappeared overnight like smoke and clouds blown away by the wind - this was what they called a pleasant surprise beyond expectation.

  Another person who is particularly happy is Lin Xi. If he wants to successfully stand alone as the third force competing for the throne outside of the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, in addition to relying on his maternal family Qin's reputation in the imperial court, he also needs a strong enough military power. No matter which dynasty, it is necessary to use military power as the basis for its rule, and competing for the throne is no exception. Once there is a formidable armed force in hand, no matter what action his opponent wants to take, they must first consider whether provoking that sharp sword will put themselves at risk. Even the old emperor cannot ignore the attitude held by a powerful armed force - such as the attitude of the Yun family.

  So, Lin Xi and Yun Zhong have been close friends since childhood, but now that Yun Zhong has returned to the capital, Lin Xi, as a prince, personally came to invite him. To say that there is no intention of winning him over would be unbelievable even to pigs. This has nothing to do with high or low moral standards, nor does it relate to the authenticity of their friendship - it's simply about mutual benefit. Lin Xi needs the support of the most powerful military family in the world, and the Yun family also needs to establish a new emperor who relies on their family's military power during the change of dynasty. The only difference is that the Yun family has slightly more room for choice than Lin Xi - so it was Lin Xi who came to find Yun Zhong, not the other way around.

  Lin Xi felt that supporting Yun Zheng was a matter of course, given his current attitude towards him. The Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince's behavior also proved this point. So, the more capable Yun Zheng was, the better he performed, and the more help he would get from Lin Xi, who smiled almost as brightly as the Thirteenth Princess.

  Shen Zhu was also smiling, the relationship between the two families of Yun and Shen had indeed been good in recent years. The smarter the young master of the Yun family was, the more beneficial it would be for the Shen family. By joining forces, they could occupy a more advantageous position in both the imperial court and the outside world.

  Qin Xiang also knew Yun Zhuang since childhood, and in his opinion, Yun Zhuang was a man of his word. Thinking back to their younger years, whether it was Lin Xi or him, whenever they needed Yun Zhuang's help, he never hesitated or made excuses. So he always thought that Yun Zhuang was a particularly worthy friend to have, as for whether Yun Zhuang's exceptional talent would steal the spotlight from him, he hadn't really considered it.

  Actually, for the past two hundred years, the Yun family only had one official, namely Yun Dai, who was Yun Zhen's uncle and a scholar. Moreover, he was an unexpected exception. When Yun Dai was young, he contracted an illness that made him unable to practice martial arts. At that time, Yun Zhen's grandfather, Cloud Country Duke Yun Wei, held the firm attitude that "my Yun family will never have anyone who is useless to the country." He allowed Yun Dai to study literature from a young age, and perhaps heaven indeed blessed the Yun family, for Yun Dai was extremely intelligent and learned quickly. At the age of seventeen, he gave up the opportunity to be "recommended" (Note: In the tradition of the Great Wei, officials from aristocratic families above the second rank can recommend one person every three years to enter the official circle with a scholar's background.) and participated in the imperial examination, where he achieved the fifth place in the second class. He obtained an authentic scholar's background and afterwards had a smooth career, becoming the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue today.

  Lian Yun and Dai are both because they can't practice martial arts, so they unexpectedly became civil officials. As the eldest son of the Yun family, who has been outstanding in martial arts since childhood, even if Yun Ting's literary talent is high, it is obvious that he will not become a civil official - if he becomes a civil official, how can he inherit their old Yun family "世袭罔替一等武毅云国公" title?

  Qin Mulian was also smiling, but her smile was somewhat strange, and from time to time she would glance at the 13th princess, it was unclear what she was thinking.

  At this moment, Yun Zhong spoke up. He slightly raised an eyebrow and said, "Fourth Prince, since I've luckily won half the battle, why not stop here today?"

  The fourth prince secretly resented it in his heart, but he couldn't think of a way to refuse. He mechanically nodded and was about to agree when an slightly aged voice said: "Cloud young master, wait."

  Everyone turned their heads at the same time, and saw an old man wearing a first-class purple official uniform, with a golden fish belt on his left waist and a crane jade pendant on his right waist, walking over from the garden gate next to him. With a smile on his face, he said: "I am Zhang Yan Yu, today I originally came to attach myself to the elegance of the wind, but unexpectedly heard a few clever couplets, and suddenly felt itchy in my heart, couldn't help but want to match a few couplets with young Master Yun. Young Master Yun won't blame this old man for being too meddlesome, will he?"

  Yun Cong's inherited memories were a bit fuzzy in some aspects, but he knew this old man. Zhang Yan Yu, who held the positions of Taizi Shao Shi, Wen Hua Dian Da Xue Shi, and Li Bu Shang Shu. In the Great Wei Dynasty, men with single names were considered noble, only aristocratic families could have single names, while women, regardless of their family background, could not have single names. So it was clear that Zhang Yan Yu was a true Confucian scholar who came from a humble background and rose to prominence through regular imperial examinations. How could someone like Yun Cong possibly match wits with such a person? He really had no confidence in his heart, who knew how abnormal these people who spent their lives reading books were?

  However, he is an old senior, and his generation is even higher than Yun Zheng's father. He is a small character, how can he refuse? Hurriedly, he greeted the elderly gentleman with several people around him. Lin Sheng, Lin Xi, and the 13th Princess naturally knew Zhang Yan Yu, who was the trusted minister of Emperor Wan Chang and also held the title of Taizi Shaoshi, University Scholar. These three small characters could only respectfully greet him as a student would.

  It was easy to get busy and finish, Zhang Yanyu smiled and said: "Little Cloud Gongzi..."

  Yun Cong hastily said: "Old Master, you'd better just call me Yun Cong, I don't dare to take on that title."

  "Alright, alright, whatever you say. To tell the truth, I get along quite well with your uncle... Oh, never mind that today, let's talk about riddles instead. But first, let me make one thing clear: I'm not trying to test you, and I won't intentionally come up with difficult ones. We'll just focus on the atmosphere, how does that sound?"

  Yun Cong felt relieved, as long as it wasn't a test for him. Heaven knows how deep the old men's literary foundation is. He hastily said: "The elder's proposal is excellent, I will certainly follow."

  "Good!" Zhang Yanyu smiled and pointed to the surrounding flowers and trees, saying: "The room has a lingering fragrance, thanks to the precious orchids, chrysanthemums, and laurel trees."

  It was indeed not difficult for him. Yun Zheng felt greatly relieved in his heart, and after a moment's thought, he said: "Empty without long things, Tang poetry Jin characters Han article."

  "En, not bad." Zhang Yanyu nodded and said: "The flowers are in full bloom, the birds sing in harmony with the flute without holes."

  Yun Cong listened and immediately praised: "Good sentence! Good meaning!"

  Zhang Yanyu smiled: "Stop flattering the old man and think of a matching couplet quickly. If it's not good enough, it won't do."

  Yun Cong smiled and said, "In the courtyard of trees, at dusk, the cicada's sound is like a zither without strings."

  Zhang Yanyu did not expect him to respond so quickly, and the tone was in no way inferior to his own upper rhyme. Although he had previously heard him answer others, knowing that this little guy was quite capable of couplets, he was still somewhat surprised: "The little guy is indeed quick-witted. Hmm, let the old man think...Hmm, Mount Tai is majestic, four green peaks pressing down on eastern Lu."

  Geography? That's our strong point. Yun Cong smiled and said: "The Yellow River flows turbulently, the nine-turn jade belt locks in Western Qin."

  "Ah, good, the momentum is just right." Zhang Yanyu nodded and said: "Xiao Chen Xingxing, like an immortal scattering golden chess pieces."

  Yun Cong only then noticed that the sky had already darkened, and it was already night. After a moment's consideration, he replied: "The ancient pine hangs with the moon, like an old dragon holding up a night pearl."

  Zhang Yanyu was even more surprised, and laughed: "I am a native of Jiangxia. Last year when I returned to my hometown to visit relatives, I happened to get a couplet: The first of the four waters is the Yangtze River, the second of the four seasons is summer. I live in Jiangxia, who is the first, and who is the second?"

  Yun Cong smiled and said: "This couplet is probably a bit too much."

  Zhang Yanyu smiled but did not speak.

  Yun Cong thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead: "The three teachings of Confucianism are in the front, the three talents are in the back, I am a Confucian, how dare I be in the front, how dare I be in the back?"

  Zhang Yanyu listened and admired in her heart, just about to praise a few words, but heard a refined middle-aged man's voice had already rushed out: "Good sentence! Ya Pei, don't be busy first, I...I'll ask two couplets first!"

  ！