Seeing the Grand Master's sincere "self-criticism" spirit, Fang Yingwu quickly suppressed his guilt. The Grand Master said that it was his own mood that had changed and he couldn't taste the tea, so Fang Yingwu didn't want to continue to struggle.
However, Fang Yingwu secretly lamented that it was not easy to play the role of a mountain scholar. Today he almost made mistakes twice, once taking the wrong book and once taking the wrong tea, but fortunately he managed to make up for it.
This is not because Fang Yingwu has this kind of role-playing habit. In fact, he has no choice but to show up like this this time.
A normal person would be overjoyed when the academic officer unexpectedly came to visit him, as if a pie had fallen from the sky, but Fang Yingwu didn't think so.
If I act too affectionately, it seems inappropriate. Judging from the tone of voice, Shang Xianggong and Tixueguan are not the same people. It is not necessarily a good thing for me to be warm and welcoming to Tixueguan.
Besides, this academic official was too strict and upright in his work. Although he could win official status, he offended the interests of large households in the county and made many gentry in the county dissatisfied with him. He could not stand against the people in his hometown and let the people in his hometown join forces.
I was disgusted too.
But if you are very alienated from the academic officer, that is not good, and there is no reason to confront him. After all, the academic officer is directly in charge of the academic affairs of the province, and it happens that the other party should be working hard. Now is the time to make progress, if he is included in the academic administration
The blacklist in the official mind will be very troublesome.
Therefore, Fang Yingwu realized that when facing the official, he could neither be too flattering nor too indifferent. He could not offend the official, nor could he cause the Shang Xianggong and the people in his hometown to disagree. This balance is very delicate and difficult to grasp.
.
Finally, out of desperation, he came up with a solution, which was to meet Li Tixue with his eclectic appearance as a mountain man and a scholar.
Only in this way can we rely on the halo of being a mountain scholar and father Jieyuan, to be neither humble nor arrogant in front of the Grand Master, with appropriate etiquette, and not to offend in all aspects (excluding those attendants)——
In the eyes of Ti Xueguan, it is reasonable for the hermit in the mountains to be a little more arrogant; in the eyes of his hometown people, little boy Fang is dignified and does not beg for mercy.
Let's not talk about it, but after saying that arty and elegant, Fang Yingwu didn't want to continue to entangle with the tea leaves. He quickly started talking and said: "When the master comes here, he must have something to teach me. I'm here to listen carefully.
listen."
Li Tixue suddenly woke up from the sadness of losing his integrity, and was secretly extremely upset. He, a veteran of more than ten years in officialdom, was actually guided by this little boy's emotions, mobilized the atmosphere, and took the initiative! Seeing that it was late, he almost almost
Delaying your purpose! What a waste for an eighty-year-old woman!
With regrets, Li Tixue quickly pulled himself out of the romantic mood, and said straight to the point: "A few days ago, the Japanese officials went to Renshou Township to greet Mr. Shang, but Mr. Shang was not feeling well, so he stayed behind closed doors.
I deeply regret this.
Later, I heard someone say that you have been studying scriptures and essays with Xianggong Shang these days, so I came to ask how Xianggong Shang is doing these days."
As soon as Li Tixue showed concern and asked about Mr. Shang's current situation, Fang Yingwu felt something was wrong. Although he had never experienced officialdom, the vast amount of historical materials was not in vain. He knew every move of the big shots when they were interacting with each other.
They usually have a lot of meaning and are by no means aimless.
For example, it is normal for Li Tixue to visit and greet Mr. Shang. If an official passes through Chun'an County by road, it would be abnormal not to visit Mr. Shang. This is considered an official etiquette. Unless he is a minor official of the eighth or ninth grade,
My status is too low and I am not qualified to go.
Although Li Tixue was declined politely and failed to visit him, he had already fulfilled his courtesy and nothing would happen next. After that, he would either choose another day to go or give up. Both options were normal. No matter what,
No one else can fault it.
However, what surprised Fang Yingwu was that Li Tixue made the third choice - to go to Shanghuaxi Village to find Fang Yingwu and inquire about Mr. Shang's current situation. This was a bit unlike a normal situation.
Now that we know that this is not a normal situation, we can deduce that Li Tixue's visit to Shang Xianggong is not normal, and it is not just a matter of official etiquette on the surface.
As for Shang Xianggong using physical discomfort as an excuse to avoid Li Tixue, it is of course even more abnormal. Fang Yingwu knew very well that Shang Xianggong was very energetic a few days ago and could mark three articles for him every day. This physical energy
Can it be bad?
Besides, it is a sign of respect for a passing official to come to see you. Unless you have a grudge in the past, you should generally give him a face-saving interview. However, Mr. Shang declined politely. Is this normal? After all, Li Tixue is the academic official in charge of the academic affairs of a province, absolutely.
I am qualified to meet Mr. Shang.
The Grand Master asked himself, how should he answer? Fang Yingwu thought for a moment and decided that it would be better to be vague before he could figure out Li Tixue's true thoughts.
"My dear, when I was in the academy, I studied scriptures and meanings all day long and didn't care much about other things. However, Mr. Shang seemed to be out of energy for a few days. If the great master is concerned, I might as well pay him another visit."
Li Shishi sighed, "I was here to inspect the academic affairs of Chun'an, and I did some things based on my heart. Although I have a clear conscience, there may be some flaws in it. I wonder how Shang Xianggong views it? Can I discuss it in normal times?"
Regarding this question, Fang Yingwu couldn't even answer it. With Shang Xianggong's secretive character, how could he easily reveal such concerns in front of him?
Besides, he was so dizzy from the eight-part essay all day long that he didn't even know what was happening in the county, let alone pay attention to Shang Xianggong's attitude.
Moreover, Fang Yingwu felt more and more that Li Tixue's behavior was very strange. If he was really worried about Mr. Shangge's opinion, he didn't have to come to Chun'an County at all.
According to the rules, you only need to go to Linfu City to be promoted to an academic officer, and there is no need to go deep into the counties. But Grandmaster Li came here, and the first stop was Chun'an County. This was obviously deliberately seeking attention.
I had previously thought that Li Tixue was here to flatter Xianggong Shang, but judging from Xianggong Shang's tone and Li Tixue's behavior, it didn't seem like this at all.
After thinking about it in his mind, Fang Yingwu intuitively felt that Li Tixue had been playing riddles, but Shang Xianggong easily saw through Li Tixue's tricks and responded with riddles as well. So Li Tixue was at a loss.
He actually went to Huaxi to look for him, a little boy, to insinuate himself.
But Fang Yingwu couldn't figure out the answer to the riddle between the two parties for the time being. He couldn't help but sigh, officialdom is indeed a very mentally demanding place. There was only one small interaction between Shang Xianggong and Li Tixue, and it was very inconspicuous.
A single interaction created such a treacherous situation.
After another silence for a while, Li Tixue said seemingly sincerely: "I am in charge of academic affairs, and I dare not not ask the opinions of the local sages. In recent days, you are the only one who has been waiting for Mr. Shang day and night. You should respond to the Prime Minister's thoughts.
You know best. You might as well be honest with me. I have absolutely no ill intentions and there will be consequences."
The sincerity of politicians... is better to be ignored. Even if Fang Yingwu has never been in officialdom, reading history makes people clear their minds, and they are well aware of some truths.
But at this time, Fang Yingwu was still a little happy. His experience of "study" with Xianggong Shang was finally noticed by others. He wished that everyone in the world knew about it. Anonymous disciples are also disciples!
However, seeing Li Tixue's unusual desire to "seek attention", Fang Yingwu's heart was moved. The great master was so concerned about Shang Xianggong's attitude. Could it be that he wanted to analyze something in this attitude?
Thinking of this, Fang Yingwu suddenly vaguely guessed something. A mere academic advisor would not be able to afford a full meal and play riddles with someone at the level of a chief minister. He was not on the same level at all.
Judging from the timid attitude of the great master, it is not that he lacks self-awareness. Then he must have been instructed by the backstage to do it as a last resort. As the saying goes, people cannot help themselves in the world.
Just because of Grandmaster Li's strange appointment, a mere Jinshi who was ranked among the top three in the district could get the position of academic officer in Zhejiang. It would be impossible without strong support from the backstage. In other words, it was not that Grandmaster Li wanted to explore Shang Xianggong's attitude.
, but his backend has this demand!
After thinking about this, Fang Yingwu had a new confusion. There have been no major events in recent times, and naturally there is no need for officials from the government and the opposition to express their respective stances. In this generally peaceful time, some people want to discuss business issues.
What is Xianggong exploring here?
At this time, Fang Yingwu should stop thinking for the time being. The distinguished guest is in front of him, so he cannot think endlessly, otherwise he will inevitably treat the guest slowly.
But it was impossible for him to express his position on behalf of Mr. Shang, so he bowed to Li Tixue and said: "The great master came to visit the boy in person. How can we not feel deeply in our heart? Your Excellency's concern for Mr. Shang will be conveyed to Mr. Shang as soon as possible."
, if there is any news, please report it to the Grand Master."
What Fang Yingwu meant was that he promised to be a string in the middle and send a message, Grand Master, just go and continue playing riddles with Shang Xianggong, and he, a little boy, would not participate.
Li Shishi nodded when he heard this, "That's fine! I'll leave it to you. I admire Xianggong Shang very much. If I can't pay a visit to Chun'an now when I'm in Chun'an, I feel very sad."
After sending off the great master, Fang Yingwu returned home and thought about it again. Since he promised to send a message, he must do it. But his home is twenty miles away from Renshou Township, and he has just come back, and he doesn't want to come back again.
Toss back.
So Fang Yingwu took up a pen and wrote a letter to Mr. Shang, and boldly started it with "teacher". He also found a young fellow villager and asked him to take the letter to Juanju Academy in Renshou Township to deliver it tomorrow morning.
This eliminates the need for Fang Yingwu to run errands himself, saving a lot of energy. The sage said, "Those who work hard will govern others, and those who work hard will govern others."
In the evening, the person who delivered the letter returned to Shanghuaxi Village and brought back the reply letter from Mr. Shang. This moved Fang Yingwu very much. Mr. Shang must have read the letter and wrote a reply on the spot. This kind of love is really
There is nothing to repay.
I opened the reply letter and read it. There were only a few lines on it: "I have read the letter. Master, you can just socialize for me, but it depends on your heart. Also: Since you are determined to achieve fame and progress, this matter is
It’s a question, you’d better make it yourself.”
The interpretation is - I will let go and authorize you to deal with Li Tixue on my behalf. You can say whatever you like. This is an official question. You should think about it yourself and it will be an exercise for you.
Fang Yingwu looked up to the sky and sighed, you better give me a good time! How can I solve this problem?