Jin'an City, Pingchuan County.
The Yang family is a century-old prominent family in Pingchuan County and has great power. Their ancestors once produced three prominent military officials.
…………
"The strong wind knows the strong grass, the fierce fire refines the true gold, does not suffer from the frost, and the peaceful fragrance hits people..."
Early in the morning, in the woodshed in the southeast corner of the Yang Mansion, the window was opened, and a thinly dressed young man pursed his lips tightly and concentrated on practicing calligraphy on a piece of low-quality straw paper.
His expression was focused, and although the cold wind was hitting him, he didn't feel it at all.
This young man is about fourteen or fifteen years old. Although he is not very old, he has a maturity that is rare among his peers. Just looking at his clothes and where he lives, you can tell that his situation must be difficult.
"Whether I can pass the imperial examination and get ahead depends on the imperial examination in six months... It has been eight years, and I can't stay in this clan for a moment longer."
After a long time, Yang Ji picked up his pen and recalled many past events in his mind.
Yang Ji was originally a young master of the Yang clan, living an enviable and wealthy life. However, an accident occurred and both his parents died. Yang Ji, who was only seven years old, became helpless and his status in the clan plummeted.
He was supposed to be the closest clan member to him, but instead became the person who suppressed him the most.
First, his family property aroused the covetousness of his uncles and aunts, and then he was kicked out of the place where he lived and relegated to this remote woodshed.
In the past eight years, not only the people in the clan suppressed him, but even the subordinates dared to criticize and ridicule him in front of him.
Yang Ji has seen all the warmth and coldness of human relationships, as well as all the hardships of the world.
Despite the difficult situation, Yang Ji never gave up hope. He always told himself that everything in life was a test for himself.
"The strong wind knows the strong grass, the fierce fire refines the true gold, and the cold and frost can not endure the pain, and the fragrance can hit people." These four sentences were his encouragement to himself, and they were also the sentences he wrote the most when he was practicing calligraphy.
In the past eight years, Yang Ji has endured hardships and studied diligently, and now he has finally achieved something. Whether it is text, scriptures, or calligraphy and painting, Yang Ji has achieved achievements that are rare among his peers.
Now everything has finally reached the time of "harvest". As soon as the New Year is over, and in June, it will be the Tongsheng test that Yang Ji has been looking forward to for a long time.
The Tongsheng Examination was a grand event held every three years in the Han Dynasty.
The Han Dynasty was rich in culture, with many talented people and strong strength. At this time of year, competition would be extremely fierce. At that time, more than 80,000 students from eight villages and towns in Pingchuan County would take the exam, and only three of them would win in the end.
Yang Ji had the confidence to keep quiet and become a blockbuster. As long as he got the top three and won the title of Tongsheng, he would be able to break away from the clan and stand out from others.
The strength of the Han Dynasty, even for a child, is no small matter.
"I wonder what the expression of the eldest lady in the clan would be like when she suddenly found out that I was pregnant with a child."
Yang Ji thought of that face and sneered secretly.
In the past few years in the clan, he has been taking things easy, silently enduring all the oppression, and telling himself to endure it secretly. As a result, no one has taken him seriously in the past few years.
If they find out that they are a middle child, they will definitely have a wonderful look on their face.
"It's a pity that my foundation is too weak. Otherwise, I can just take the martial arts examination and pass the martial arts examination. There is no need to go to such trouble."
Yang Ji came back to his senses and sighed, with a slight sadness in his eyes.
This world is the world of "martial arts and gods"!
It is rumored that those powerful warriors can become saints physically, use their energy to transform mountains and mountains, ascend to the green mountains and fall to the underworld, and even create creations in the world, and become gods and demons.
And the current dynasty is full of martial saints, and can even directly enshrine gods, build temples, and enjoy incense!
These are far beyond the imagination and comparison of a weak scholar.
Therefore, the imperial court's imperial literary examination has always only set up "tongsheng" and "xiucai", and there is no "juren", let alone "top scholar".
Yang Ji also wanted to practice martial arts, but unfortunately, the clan kept depriving him of his money and cut off the supply of medicinal materials he needed to practice.
"It is said that there once existed a great literary sage who could become a saint through reading. When he spoke, he was so majestic that he could make dragons and phoenixes bow their heads, command heaven and earth, follow his words, and make people yearn for them. I don't know if it is true.
.”
In a daze, Yang Ji remembered some unofficial history and couldn't help but yearn for it.
According to the book, before this world, there was actually another world. And "Literature Sage" is the story of that era.
This kind of thing is too far away and naturally cannot be verified.
Yang Ji didn't know whether studying could lead to sainthood, but at least in the eight years he had been studying, he had never felt this way.
Putting down his books, Yang Ji began to practice the "breathing technique".
No matter how busy he has been with his studies in the past few years, Yang Ji has never given up on exercise. The so-called "breathing technique" is a method of improving blood transportation capacity and exercising lung power and physical strength through special breathing control methods.
This is the most basic foundation-building skill before practicing martial arts.
The art of breathing is divided into ten stages. For ordinary people with a healthy body, one breath and one breath can be divided into two stages. Due to insufficient support from medicinal materials, Yang Ji has made slow progress. So far, he is only at the level of three stages of breathing, which is comparable to that of his peers.
…
"rustle!"
I don't know how long it took, but there was a sound of rustling footsteps. Yang Ji was disturbed and came back to his senses. He saw the door of the room opened with a creak, and then an old man with gray hair came in.
His steps were staggering, and he was holding a food box in his hand. He saw Yang Ji smiling gently.
"Uncle Liang, you are here."
Yang Ji stopped practicing and said happily.
"Haha, young master, it's hard to practice calligraphy. Let's eat something first."
After a pause, the old man said apologetically:
"Sorry, I was delayed for a while on the road today. You must be hungry."
"It's not in the way. If it's a little later, it's a little later. It's not in the way. Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Liang."
Yang Ji didn't take it seriously.
The old butler slowly walked to the table carrying the food box, and then took out things one by one. They were all very light things, such as tofu with scallions and fried bamboo shoots.
"The cash from the accountant hasn't been paid yet. In a few days, I'll make you a delicious meal of bamboo shoots and meat."
The old housekeeper said busyly.
"Haha, it's okay."
Yang Ji paused, suddenly frowned and said, "——Uncle Liang, are you okay?"
For some reason, Yang Ji felt that Uncle Liang looked a little different from usual today.
"Ah, no, no..., what can happen to me?"
The old housekeeper froze slightly, a trace of panic flashed in his eyes, and waved his hands repeatedly.
"Master, it's cold and the food gets cold easily. You should eat it while it's hot."
The old man urged.
Seeing the old man's reaction, Yang Ji became suspicious. Then he remembered that the old butler had delivered the meal much later than usual today, and suddenly he seemed to understand something.
"Uncle Liang, is someone giving you trouble again?"
Yang Ji said loudly.
"No, no..."
The old housekeeper became more and more panicked.
Yang Ji couldn't believe it at this time, so he couldn't help but take a big step, bypassed the table, and walked to the left side of the old man. Suddenly, a bruise and high swelling came into view.
boom!
Seeing this bruise, Yang Ji's heart was shocked, and a soft corner twitched violently, as if he had been hit hard.
"These beasts even attack you!"
Yang Ji's eyes turned blood red, and he was shaking with anger. He finally understood why Uncle Liang was so wrong today, and he deliberately turned his face sideways when talking to him.
In the past few years, he has been in a difficult situation in the clan. He often encounters many people deliberately making things difficult and insulting him, but as long as it is not excessive, he tells himself to endure it. But why do these people attack an old man?!
"Yang Yong! It's Yang Yong, right? Did he instigate it? This bastard!"
Yang Ji was furious.
He is the most targeted person in the clan, and he is the only one who can do such a thing.
"I will never let him go."
To be continued...