Chapter 40: Gifting Treasures

It was the first month of the lunar year, and the weather was cold. Such nights were suitable for sleeping until the sky was dark, but Yan Chengjin was used to morning exercises, so how could he sleep?

In addition to running in the garden of the mansion, he also practiced archery.

Someone came to visit the Yan Mansion early this morning. The housekeeper saw that it was Wang Yue, the general manager of the three sides, and quickly opened the door for him.

When passing through the courtyard, Wang Yue found a scholar shooting arrows in the corner of the yard. The housekeeper smiled and said, "That's my young master."

Wang Yue knew that Yan Kesong had only one son, so it must be him.

Seeing him practicing archery, he couldn't help but feel itchy and shouted, "When shooting arrows, you should stretch your chest wide enough, your left shoulder facing the bull's eye, your feet as wide as your shoulders, and your body's strength should not deviate from any foot. My nephew will miss if he shoots like this."

The scholar's hand loosened, and the arrow flew away quickly, hitting the bull's eye,

and instantly slapped his face.

Yan Chengjin then looked at the person next to him.

Wang Yue was a little embarrassed: "I am good at shooting and swordsmanship." As he said that, he picked up the three-stone bow that Yan Chengjin had not yet pulled, and shot an arrow right into the bull's eye.

His face was slightly relieved.

Yan Kesong said: "Chengjin, don't be rude, this is the deputy governor of the Five Military Governor's Office, Lord Wang!"

Wang Yue?

Wang Yue was a little thin, about the same height as his father, with some scholarly airs, which was seriously inconsistent with the tall and mighty general image in Yan Chengjin's mind.

"Which Wang Yue are you?"

"Who else could it be!" Wang Yue stroked his beard, a little proud: "I am the former three-border general, Wang Yue!"

Yan Chengjin took a step back. Logically speaking, Wang Yue's punishment had already been handed down. He was not afraid of being implicated by contacting him, but it would always ruin his reputation, right?

Wang Yue pulled out a sword from his waist, with a bit of regret: "I am here to give you a sword today. This blue steel sword has accompanied me in battles for many years. When the Tatars saw it, they retreated. Now it is in Beijing, I am afraid it can't be used, so I give it to you, my dear brother!"

Is this the blue steel sword that Wang Yue asked his son Wang Chun to give to Wang Yangming before his death in the previous life?

It can cut hair with a blow and cut iron like mud.

Yan Kesong thought that this was very valuable. In the military tent, Wang Yue never let it leave his arm's length away. "Brother Shichang treats it like a wife or a concubine. How can I give it away? What talents do I have? I am not qualified to use this sword. Brother Shichang should take it back."

Sure enough, a dog can't change its nature.

The Tatars have always liked to invade the Hetao area, so the Hetao is the most important of the nine frontiers, and the court will send the most capable generals to garrison it.

My father is the garrison commander of the Hetao, and he has a bright future this time.

Wang Yue knew that his father would be given an important position, so he came to express his gratitude.

"So this sword is so valuable, my father can't accept it, Lord Wang, please take it back." Yan Chengjin simply pushed it back into the sheath.

Wang Yue said angrily: "Who do you and your son think I am? I just like to give gifts, not to seek rewards!"

"What are you thinking, Lord Wang? Lord Wang is in a high position and has great power. How can my father and students not know it?" Yan Chengjin said.

Wang Yue was not happy and said unhappily: "Since we entered the door, I have called your father my brother, and your father has called me Brother Shichang, but you keep calling me Lord Wang. Is there such a mess of seniority?"

"???" Yan Chengjin was stunned.

After returning to Beijing, Wang Yue found that Yan Kesong's reputation in Beijing was far more frightening than he had heard.

The most important thing is that Yan Kesong has a clean background and comes from a poor family. He has never done anything dirty in the Hanlin Academy for more than ten years. Your Majesty likes such people, so he wants to win him over.

Wang Yue hopes that the Tatars will invade so that he can return to the border.

But it is impossible.

It is impossible within five years.

It is better to give the Qinggang Sword to Yan Kesong than to keep it with him. This is to show Emperor Hongzhi that he is determined to serve the country with all his heart, even if it is a sword that he regards as a concubine!

Wang Yue said: "My brother is a civil servant. He became the deputy general of Ningxia with just one battle. He has no life-and-death friendship with the brothers in the border. This time, without me in the camp to suppress, I am afraid it will be difficult to convince the crowd. With this Qinggang Sword, seeing the sword is like seeing the person. It will be much easier for my brother to act in the army."

The soldiers on the border are all brought by Wang Yue. It may be a bit difficult for Yan Kesong to command them like his right-hand man.

Yan Kesong also knew the difficulty, so he did not postpone it: "Brother, I dare not refuse the gift, so thank you, Brother Shichang."

After the New Year, although the snow on the ground had not melted, there were some signs of spring.

Yan Kesong was going to return to Ningxia to guard the border. Before leaving, he said to Yan Chengjin ashamedly: "Last time in the autumn examination, Dad was obsessed with writing books and never gave you any guidance. Now that the spring examination is coming again, Dad has to guard the frontier again. I feel sorry for you when I think about it!"

Passing the imperial examination is one of the three great joys in life.

He should have supervised from the side, but how many parents in the world can really do it?

With military affairs, Yan Kesong had to leave.

However, Yan Chengjin had already asked Yan Kesong to review the test questions for the spring examination before the autumn examination, but his father didn't know it.

What else could Yan Chengjin say? He could only watch his father and the housekeeper mount their war horses and return to Ningxia Prefecture to guard the border.

The 12th year of the Hongzhi reign was the most prosperous year of the Hongzhi reign, and it was also the year that could truly be called the Hongzhi Restoration.

The people of the capital seemed to have endless money in their hands. After the New Year, the desire for shopping did not diminish. Teahouses and restaurants were often full of guests, and the silver sent by Wang Bushui increased.

Of course, a large part of the reason is that Cheng Minzheng took no money from the money, and Yan Chengjin only gave Wang Busui 20%, 80% of which was his own.

The novel culture is on the rise, and the book market is booming. I heard that several classics have also been released in Jiangnan, but their reputation is still far behind that of Hu Zhai.

The situation of hundreds of schools of thought contending and hundreds of armies contending is already in front of us.

Is this a prosperous age for the literary world, and what is the manifestation of cultural prosperity?

No one dares to judge easily.

Forbidden City,

After discussing state affairs that day and having nothing to do, Emperor Hongzhi became concerned about the people in the capital and asked, "I haven't left the palace for a long time. Is there anything new that you can tell me these days?"

Liu Jian was a straightforward man and couldn't hide what he wanted to say, so he said: "I really have something to report to the Holy One. There is another person in the capital who is like a welcoming pine. This person has a very high reputation and is regarded as a leader of the new sect. The writings written by this person He seems to have a spirit and can write down the stories about fox ghosts realistically, so he is called the Immortal of the Pen by the new sect."

Emperor Hongzhi smiled and suddenly became interested: "Oh, who is this person?"

Li Dongyang said uncertainly: "The person's signature is Taoist Liu Nuan, but between the lines, I always feel that he has the style of Cheng Minzheng, the Minister of Rites."

Emperor Hongzhi said firmly: "It definitely can't be him. He is aloof and arrogant. He founded a popular school of poetry and prose. How could he turn against him?"

Li Dongyang and the other three nodded, feeling that it made sense. Cheng Minzheng was unique in Beijing and had a high spirit. Who didn't know it?

But who could it be if it wasn't Cheng Minzheng?

………………

Cheng Mansion,

Cheng Minzheng has been pinching walnuts since he got up early in the morning. He was famous before, but now he is called the Pen Fairy. How can he bear it?

"These people are so boring, huh!"

I don't know what he said. Cheng Zhitang thought his father was jealous of the reputation of Taoist Liu Nuan. He looked at the broken walnuts on the ground and asked worriedly: "Dad, your hands don't feel good today?"

Cheng Minzheng seemed to have not heard anything and started shouting. The old man couldn't bear it anymore.

I wish I could go to Dongshi right now and shout, Taoist Liu Nuan is me!

But Yan Chengjin's warning to him before quietly came to mind again.

I didn't expect that going into seclusion would be so painful and difficult. After thinking about it, I changed into a new set of Confucian clothes and went straight to Yan's Mansion.