No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 887: Sword Master Talent Assessment? (asking for a monthly ticket or 2)

Inside the Dripping Cave, there is an entrance to a corridor.

While Ouyang Rong was deep in thought, Xi Qi was actually observing him quietly.

She could not hide her curiosity about the young man in the felt hat who failed to get into the Bamboo Hall.

What is this person's background? Why did the female monarch above him make an exception for him and help him find a job in Jianze?

Although the faceless queen in the Queen's Palace did not directly open the back door for him to enter the Bamboo Hall, she did not interfere with the list of candidates drawn up by the Six Queens and Taotang.

But this matter is ultimately a bit disgraceful and not suitable to be brought to the table.

You know, if it was when the third female monarch was still in Jianze, the Caotang, which enforces the law impartially, would definitely react strongly, and the law-enforcing Yue women would uphold justice and fight back, even if it was a verbal order from Her Highness the Female Monarch.

So this time even Uncle Tang didn't show up in person, but handed it over to her, who had a relatively gentle personality, instead of Sister Yuan, who had a straightforward personality.

Moreover, Xi Qi was very attentive about this matter and noticed one detail.

Uncle Tang received the oral order from the Queen's Palace early in the morning. The Queen who issued the order did not show up, nor did she say whether it was the order of a single Queen or the joint decision of all the Queens.

There wasn't even any physical document or warrant, just a light oral order.

Obviously, the female monarch who did not reveal her face or rank was a little embarrassed to bring up this issue.

There is also some avoidance of suspicion.

However, Uncle Tang has a high seniority in Jianze and is familiar with the styles of the female monarchs. Perhaps he knows which female monarch the oral instruction came from through their speaking habits and can guess it, but he just didn't say much to the deacons and the Yue women.

Xi Qi did not dare to ask more questions, because seeing how solemnly and seriously Uncle Tang treated the oral order, this lady must be very important and one of the ladies in charge of the Lady's Palace.

Well, first of all, we should rule out the open-minded eldest lady... Could it be the second lady? Or the fifth lady who is pure-hearted but has a lot of say? If not, then it can't be the young lady who is rumored to have returned to Jianze but has never shown up, right?
The more Xi Qi thought about it, the more curious she became.

At this moment, seeing that the dull young man also looked confused and embarrassed, she suppressed her curiosity for the time being and said casually:
"Can you read?"

Ouyang Rong shook his head.

Xi Qi seemed to have realized what was going on and asked a nonsense question, so she added:

"Excuse me, may I ask..."

Ouyang Rong suddenly said:

"I know a little bit of arithmetic, and I can also...read palms. I learned this from the abbot when I was ringing the bell in the temple...The abbot likes to hold a marriage fair, and he collects a lot of money, so he needs help, so I go to make up the numbers."

"Can you do arithmetic?"

Xi Qi asked, looking at him for a while longer. As for the palm reading, she simply ignored it.

"Ah."

Ouyang Rong looked calm. Anyway, the matter had already been leaked once in the Red Dust Inn. If it was examined carefully, it could not be concealed. He simply took advantage of today's incident to take the initiative to propose it and smooth it over.

Unexpectedly, Xi Qi shook her head directly:
"It's a good skill, but we don't need it here. There are not many positions that can be used, but each one is very important. They are all in the hall presided over by the Second Lady, but there is no shortage of people there. The Second Lady doesn't like other people to interfere in the matters she is responsible for.

"That's one reason, and the second reason is... I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. As a girl from Taotang, I don't have much authority, so I can't arrange for you to go there. Even if my uncle comes forward, it may not work... You will know if you stay in Jianze for a long time."

Ouyang Rong was somewhat surprised by Xi Qi's frankness. He remained silent for a moment and said in a muffled voice:

"Senior Sister Xi, I can wait. When the bell rings, I will go up. Besides, I can do any laborious work. I can be a handyman and you don't have to feed me."

Xi Qi looked a little hesitant when he heard this.

In fact, if it was just an ordinary chore, there would be no need for her to spend so much effort on it. She could do it herself or just let her subordinates do it.

But today's matter was commissioned by the lady above.

Although she didn't know who it was specifically, Xi Qi knew that Uncle Tang entrusted the matter to her with a sign of importance, although Uncle Tang was also trying to avoid suspicion.

Making an exception to arrange this Liu Aliang was a bit of an opening, and the lady monarch couldn't show up. However, if the Yue women from the subordinate halls could help the lady monarch to handle the unceremonious matter in a proper and decent way, the lady monarch would naturally remember the consideration of her subordinates...

Xi Qi, who has high emotional intelligence, pondered for a moment:
"Forget about doing those dirty and tiring menial jobs, Liu Aliang. I have seen your results in the three levels. You have the qualifications to enter the Bamboo Hall, but your bone age results are not ideal, so you were not selected. It's a pity. It's a waste of your talent to just be a hard laborer.

"Besides, most of the Yue women in our sect are self-reliant and do not need servants to serve them. Those who are not Yue women and can stay in Jianze, except for the sword cultivators in Zhutang, are key laborers in positions involving food, clothing, housing, transportation, running errands and sailing. They must also be loyal and reliable, with a clean family background. They are generally employed for many years, such as some of the ladies in charge of logistics.

"Moreover, the Lady King's Palace stipulates that Vietnamese women should treat the laborers as family members, and do not allow the situation where the powerful families down the mountain scold their servants like animals to exist...

"Therefore, there will be no restrictions on the laborers from watching and learning, or practicing Qi in private. However, there are not many laborers who have the perseverance to learn Qi practice on their own. But I think you can give it a try. After all, compared to them, you are still very young, and you may achieve great success later in life..."

Just at this moment, a burst of dense footsteps was heard in the corridor in front of the two of them.

The young girl and the boys who participated in the "fourth level" assessment have returned.

Xi Qi took the initiative to make way, turned around, walked around the platform, and was heading towards another corridor in the Dripping Cave.

Ouyang Rong also followed.

Xi Qi didn't turn her head back, and continued to talk as she walked, speaking softly:

"Okay, I have a general idea of ​​your situation. I will help you find a job. It would be best if it is a labor job close to our Taotang or Yunmeng Book Pavilion. On weekdays, you can also get in touch with Qi Refining or ask people for help... I saw that among the selected candidates, you seem to have met a girl and a Zhutang partner. They are all of the same age, so it would be convenient for you to meet each other on weekdays..."

Ouyang Rong, who was walking behind, raised his eyebrows slightly.

I looked at Xi Qi's back twice more.

Why do I feel that the Yue girl in Yunmeng Jianze is quite humane?

Except for Miss Zhishuang.

Ouyang Rong was muttering to himself when he heard the noisy sound of a crowd coming from behind.

The large force returned to the Dripping Cave.

Xi Qi chatted with Ouyang Rong for a few more words, then asked him to stay and went on to do her business.

Ouyang Rong stopped and looked back at the noisy crowd pouring into the hall, ready to look for Ah Qing, but after taking a few steps, he was stopped by someone. "Brother Liu!"

In the crowd, the sharp-eyed Miss Yu locked her eyes on the dull young man and the moving delicious food box. Song Zhian, Lu Jinghong, and Sha Ergou followed behind and walked forward without saying a word.

Ouyang Rong noticed that the two girls had some joy on their faces, especially Song Zhian, whose usually calm and indifferent face now had an irrepressible smile.

The other girls around were also talking about something, some were happy, some were disappointed.

When Ouyang Rong passed by, he vaguely heard the words "Qiutang", "Caotang", "Taotang", "Qinglianggu" and so on.

In addition, he keenly noticed that everyone, including the four friends, had a badge hanging around their waists, but the materials were different.

Song Zhian, Yu Mili and other girls wore peach pendants around their waists, which were the same style as most of the Vietnamese girls' waist pendants seen before.

This should symbolize that she has become an official Yue girl of Yunmeng Jianze. The only things left missing are the Wu clothing and the sword.

However, Lu Jinghong and Sha Ergou wore bamboo plates made of completely different materials around their waists, which was easy to understand. They were Bamboo Hall sword cultivators, unlike the Yue women.

Ouyang Rong asked, "Have you finished the assessment?"

Miss Yu immediately replied:

"The exams have been completed long ago, and even the identity tokens have been issued. Also, the halls for this batch of new Yue women have been assigned. Haha, Brother Liu, guess where Sister Song has been assigned? You will never guess..."

Ouyang Rong shook his head. He didn't even fully understand the functions of the many halls in Yunmeng Jianze.

"Let's talk about Brother Liu first."

Song Zhian took a step forward, interrupting Miss Yu's boasting. She asked seriously with a pretty face:

"Brother Liu, why did Senior Sister Xi keep you here? Could it be that there are changes?"

Ouyang Rong was quiet for a moment, looked at the worried expressions on Song Zhian, Sha Ergou, and Yu Mili's faces, and Lu Jinghong also looked at them with a puzzled look, so he told them roughly what Xi Qi had just said.

However, he did not mention the Queen's oral order in detail, only saying that Taotang was planning to keep him in Jianze to work as a laborer.

Song Zhian and others breathed a sigh of relief. Lu Jinghong's face suddenly brightened. They no longer had any doubts. They just thought that it was Jianze's redistribution and utilization of those who were not selected, and they were also happy for him.

No matter what, the five-member group did not lose any members, it was just that their status was slightly different, and Brother Liu was regretfully shorter.

But at least we can see each other often. As for what will happen due to the difference in status... we'll talk about it later.

Except for Song Zhian, who is more mature and calm, the others are still young at heart, focusing on the present and not thinking too much.

Miss Yu stared at the food box in Ouyang Rong's hand, nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, and said happily:
"Okay, okay, since Brother Liu is here and we are close by, we can eat delicious food every day. Don't you think so, Brother Liu..."

It was obvious to her that she wanted to eat right there.

Unfortunately, Ouyang Rong seemed not to notice and turned to ask Sha Ergou, who was smiling:

"Ergou, Master Lu, how are things going over there? I see you guys have also been issued badges."

Sha Ergou was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"We came out of that dark room and were only given a bamboo card. Nothing else happened. It was not like what Sister Song and the others did...Brother Liu, the test was very strange. They took us to a dark room with several very strict and cold sisters. They asked us to make a strange sword on a stone platform move without being able to move our hands...

"Don't you think this is nonsense? How can you make the sword move without touching it with your hands or feet? Just shouting? Anyway, I just stared for a long time and came out confused. I don't know how others are doing."

Lu Jinghong curled his lips and said sarcastically:

"Otherwise, what else do you want? You are just staring blankly. This is not a test prepared for us. If I am not mistaken, the talent it tests may involve the legendary sword wielder's meridian... However, this rare talent is very rare."

His face turned serious:
"I asked privately, and no one has triggered this level for a long time. It's just that the Female Monarch Palace attaches great importance to this matter, so they test newcomers year after year."

Ouyang Rong looked at the corridor calmly.

Is the assessment about the talent of the sword wielder?
Lu Jinghong turned around and said to Song Zhian:

"Congratulations, Miss Song, for getting a good place to go. You left Taotang ahead of schedule. Although you are not a direct disciple of the Queen, unlike Miss Liu and Miss Chen, it is also an important hall under the Queen's jurisdiction. You are considered to be following the Queen. Who knows, if the Queen sees your efforts and has a good impression of you, it is not impossible for you to be accepted as a disciple halfway through. I heard that there was a precedent before."

Song Zhian shook her head: "Mr. Lu, you are too polite. It's just luck. It's a pity that Mi Li's luck is not very good today..."

Yu Mili waved her hand nonchalantly:

"Let's just call it Taotang. Everyone is not here, and I am not the only one. Only the best of you, Sister Song, have been selected first. This is Sister Song's ability...

"Anyway, I can still choose another hall in the future. There is still a chance. I will work hard and strive to be in the same hall with Sister Song. Hehe, in fact, a hall close to where Brother Liu works will also be fine."

Everyone:...

Ouyang Rong listened silently and glanced at Song Zhian.

Without asking in detail, he roughly understood something.

Song Zhian noticed his gaze and misunderstood him. She turned her head and explained softly to him:
"The assessment just now was just a formality. After it's over, no one can make the strange sword in the secret room react, including Liu Qing and Chen Jiaxin.

"However, the key point is that after the assessment, the Sixth Lady was waiting for us in the hall outside the secret room. She also brought senior uncles from various halls and distributed peach cards and Wu clothing to us...

"They also picked a small group of new Vietnamese women to go with them. They should be suitable for each hall and will provide fresh blood for each hall...

"As for the majority of the remaining Yue girls, they will all stay in Taotang for the next year. When they reach the ninth level of Qi Refining as the senior sisters mentioned, they will be selected and have another chance to move to a better or more suitable hall..."

Ouyang Rong nodded slowly:
"I see. What about Ergou? What does Zhutang say?"

Lu Jinghong shook his head:

"Today is the day for the allocation of new Yue girls, which does not involve our Zhutang. In addition, there is another reason. Many seniors from the Zhutang did not come. Some of them are lazy, so we have to wait for us to go to the Zhutang. Senior Sister Yuan asked us to wait patiently, get the bamboo card first, and complete the admission procedures..."

After explaining, Lu Jinghong, who was selected as the first male in Zhutang, looked indignant.

Today he did not receive the attention he had expected, and was seated in the audience the entire time. He complained a little:
"Why do I feel like those of us who entered the Bamboo Hall were all raised by stepmothers?"

(End of this chapter)