The Hidden Immortal

"Are you really going to leave this place?"

The elderly scholar sat upright in the county government's public school.

Although the young man in front of me was simply dressed, with his cuffs washed white, his spine was as straight as a pine tree.

His eyes were like stars, and his eyebrows were especially striking—thick, straight, and almost joined together.

"Lord Tang has already spoken with the Changming Prefecture. It would be inappropriate not to go."

"Rest assured, Master, the day I return, I will surely make a name for myself!"

The old master said, "Even without official rank, one can still pursue scholarship and achieve fame and success."

The young man shook his head: "That official in charge of education bullies people, saying my knowledge is nothing special and I'll never pass the exam. I must prove him wrong!"

Seeing his unwavering determination and resolute gaze, the old scholar knew he couldn't persuade him otherwise, and could only ask, "Have you spoken to Chu Dabing about it?"

"I have already knelt down with my father to bid farewell to you, sir."

"What did Chu Dabing say?"

"The master said, 'You can try to cut water with a knife, but the water will flow on.' You may go, but don't let your teacher's teachings go to waste. Whether you achieve fame or not in the future, never forget to be a good person."

The old scholar silently recited several times: "You can try to cut water with a knife, but the water will flow on..."

"Although Chu Dabing has no official rank, he is very talented. Very well, let him go."

"If you come back in the future, you can come here for further study."

The young man nodded, took three steps back, knelt down respectfully, and kowtowed three times to the old master.

Then he got up, turned around and left.

Watching his swift and graceful figure, the old scholar's eyes held both admiration and worry.

Many years ago, he saw a ragged child outside the school.

He secretly took a tree branch and squatted on the ground to practice writing.

Although his handwriting wasn't beautiful, he wrote it very carefully, unlike any of the other children in the school.

The laws of Jing State forbid the common people from secretly learning them.

So the Master called him over and slapped his palm.

Come once, fight once.

After finishing, you still have to wipe the table and sweep the floor.

Then, after thoroughly cleaning the teacher's brush and inkstone, and finally tidying up the bamboo paper covered with writing, they were allowed to leave.

This child is slow and dawdling when he works; he never gets home until it's dark.

The other children watched with laughter and schadenfreude.

However, several years later, he was recommended by the county magistrate Zheng Xiuwen.

The child passed the preliminary examination and the prefectural examination smoothly, earning the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination).

He was A-Qiao, and his father was a tenant farmer in Chu Xun.

He failed the prefectural examinations multiple times, not because he lacked talent, but because he offended the provincial education official in charge of the provincial examinations.

The official appointed by the Ministry of Rites, a fourth-rank official, was forty-six years old and arrogant.

When Ah Qiao participated in the academy examination for the first time, he was scolded for dressing too simply, and was told that he had insulted the teachings of the sages.

A-Qiao, unconvinced, retorted: "A gentleman seeks the Way, not food; he worries about the Way, not poverty. Wearing tattered clothes and eating simple food is not shameful; but being ignorant and incompetent, dressed like a monkey in fine clothes, that is shameful!"

These were the words his teacher had said to him when he was secretly studying at the county government office and was ridiculed. He had kept them in mind ever since.

The provincial education official flew into a rage, declaring, "As long as I am here, you will not pass the exam!"

Huan'er and A Qiao were quite familiar with each other. After learning about this, she asked Tang Shijun for help, but it was to no avail.

The other party was dispatched by the Ministry of Rites. Although their rank was not as high as Tang Shijun's, they were an independent entity.

They said they would only consider giving Prefect Tang face if A-Qiao came over and knelt and kowtowed three times, but how could A-Qiao agree to that?

Fortunately, Tang Shijun gave Ah Qiao a way out, telling her to go to another mansion and avoid this person.

Outside the school, a tall, thin farmer and an equally thin woman were carrying a bundle.

Ah Qiao took the package from his father and said, "This journey will take at least a year, maybe two. Take care, Father and Mother. I will repay your kindness when I return!"

After kneeling and bowing to his parents again, A-Qiao got up, slung his bundle over his shoulder, and left.

In front of the school, the tenant farmer couple supported each other as they watched their son's figure gradually disappear into the distance.

Songguo Village.

Chu Xun sat on a wooden chair by the door, with two small weasels nestled between his legs.

This is probably the nth generation of the little guy, and he's becoming increasingly unafraid of strangers.

It dozed off with its eyes half-closed, occasionally wagging its fluffy tail, looking quite content.

The spirit pearl grass at my feet has grown a size larger and its green fruit has darkened slightly.

The soil is irrigated by spiritual mist once every seven days, turning it over without interruption.

Zhang Anxiu came in from outside the courtyard and said, "Li Chang'an really moved away, and I guess he won't be coming back."

Chu Xun nodded slightly, without saying a word.

After Huan'er won second place, Li Chang'an could no longer stay in Songguo Village.

Having already lost all face, what good is it to earn several hundred taels of silver a year just by virtue of the title of a successful candidate in the imperial examinations?

Every single penny he was swindled left him bruised and battered, unable to face anyone.

"Did A-Qiao really go to another prefecture? That's so far away. What if he runs into trouble on the way, all by himself..." Zhang Anxiu said worriedly.

Although A-Qiao was the son of a tenant farmer, he often came to visit Chu Xun and Zhang Anxiu.

The two were addressed as Mr. and Mrs.

This was the first time Zhang Anxiu had been addressed as "teacher's wife," and A Qiao's straightforward nature pleased her greatly.

Chu Xun then spoke up, "Huan'er also went to serve as a county magistrate hundreds of miles away. If young people want to fly higher, they have to go further. There's nothing wrong with that."

"You know, most people get more timid as they get older, but you seem to get bolder," Zhang Anxiu muttered a few times, then asked, "When Lord Tang went to the capital to take up the post of Vice Minister of Revenue, you didn't even send him a gift. People will say you've been impolite."

Chu Xun smiled and said, "If the world says I've been impolite, I can't let Lord Tang say I don't know my place."

If you try to give gifts to someone who gets promoted, given Tang Shijun's temperament, he'll only feel insulted.

True friendship is like water, pure and simple; giving gifts would be superfluous.

Zhang Anxiu wanted to say a few more words, but when she saw the few gray hairs growing at her husband's temples, she swallowed them back.

Never mind, I'm getting old, so I won't bother sending it.

Zhang Anxiu picked up the dried radish from the yard and headed towards the woodshed.

After walking a few steps, Zhang Anxiu turned around and asked, "What was A-Qiao's name again?"

He was always called "Ah Qiao," which was actually his nickname.

Chu Xun held the little weasel's tail, stroking its fur in circles, and said:

"Huang Qi".

Zhang Anxiu muttered, "It sounds like a medicine."

------

The fourth year of Yongji.

The emperor issued an edict to wage war against the southwestern barbarians, intending to expand the territory.

The barbarians lived in the mountains and forests, and lived among wild animals.

With a large army unable to deploy, it was destined to be a protracted war.

Fortunately, the Jing Kingdom had a solid foundation under the rule of Emperor Taizu.

With a full treasury and ample grain supplies, there was no concern about supply shortages.

Shi Tou, who should have been returning home to visit his family, was promoted to vanguard commander of a thousand men before the battle.

He wrote back, saying he would use the blood and corpses of the barbarians to pave a road for him to ascend to the heights.

This is no exaggeration; expanding territory was an unparalleled achievement.

If one can truly fight bravely and achieve great military exploits, it would not be surprising if one were to be ennobled and appointed as a general in the future.

In his letter, Shi Tou said that he wanted his son, Liao Licheng, to join the army as well.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if their sons were born into a powerful family?

But Qiaohua refused to let Liao Licheng go. Her husband was already losing sleep worrying about fighting on the front lines, and if her son went to the battlefield as well, she was afraid he would have nightmares every day.

On the contrary, after hearing about this, Qi Ermao had his son take several villagers of the same age to join the army.

Back then, he and Shi Tou, one left and the other stayed, and now their statuses are worlds apart.

How could I not feel regret?

He wanted his son to complete what he had failed to do himself.

After hearing about this, Zhang Anxiu angrily went to scold Qi Ermao.

The child is only fifteen years old. What's wrong with him staying at home and honestly farming?

If something goes wrong on the battlefield, to put it bluntly, it would be a tragedy of parents outliving their children.

Qi Ermao, in his thirties, could only force a smile at Zhang Anxiu, whose hair was already half white: "Auntie, don't be angry. If you get sick from being angry, Xun-ge will cause me trouble."

"You're right, if you really anger her, I'll definitely give you a beating," Chu Xun said as he entered from outside the courtyard.

Several crows flew over and landed on the wall.

Those dark, bright eyes made Qi Ermao's scalp tingle.

Chu Xun came over and persuaded Zhang Anxiu to leave after much pleading.

Qi Ermao's wife, Chunni, watched the two men leave and said, "Xun-ge must be almost fifty this year, right?"

"Yes, I'm forty-nine."

Chunni sighed, "Even Xun-ge'er is getting old..."

"Don't talk nonsense, forty-nine is not old at all. Look at Xun-ge'er walking, he's still very strong, he's at the age where he can do great things."