frightfiction Chapter 518 is pretty good too...
Chapter 518 is pretty good too...
The next day, Mingzhu went to the town academy as usual.
Because of the good fortune that day, and Mingzhu's exceptional intelligence, Mr. Cui was delighted and allowed her to become his disciple without charging her any tuition fees.
Mingzhu's mother was afraid that her daughter would be ridiculed at the academy, so that winter, she used the money she had saved for winter clothes to buy cured meat and asked Mingzhu to give it to Mr. Cui.
However, the gap between the rich and the poor cannot be bridged by a string of cured meats. Every aspect of her life, from food and clothing to daily necessities, reveals that Mingzhu's family is poor. Those who should look down on her still despise her.
The cured meat bought by scrimping and saving did not bring dignity, but instead deepened the family's poverty.
Mingzhu quickly understood this principle.
Therefore, they learned early on to only report good news and not bad news.
Nowadays, she can earn some money by copying books and writing letters for others. Even though she is ridiculed for being "stingy and poor," she will not ask her family for money to save face.
That string of cured meat had long ago made her realize that investing in dignity is a bottomless pit.
Poor people can't afford to play this game.
Fortunately, Mr. Cui valued her highly and would ask Mingzhu to do whatever he needed to do, which also brought her some income.
Whether you can become a clerk in the future depends not on your academic knowledge, but on how well you can govern a city.
"Like Li Chengguan in Changxiao Town, she intentionally provided a path for poor students to advance, which is why she held examinations and selections. That's how our Lord Su and Su Xiao were able to enter officialdom."
"If it were someone else in charge, they might be assigned based on chance, or depending on who pays the most tribute, or they might have someone with influence under their command who would be brought in directly for the position."
"Even if the Star-Picking Tower holds examinations to select talents, the number of times and the number of official positions are very few. Perhaps hundreds or thousands of people are competing for only two or three positions."
Mr. Cui shook his head, letting out only a sigh.
If one does not wish to be dependent on cultivators, mortals have few opportunities to change their fate.
Mingzhu lowered her head. She knew that she was lucky to be able to read and write, and that she could live a slightly more decent life in the future by relying on her knowledge. But if she wanted to take another step forward, it would be as difficult as climbing to the sky.
"but--"
Mr. Cui closed his folding fan, resting the handle on the sheet of Xuan paper on the table, and changed the subject, saying:
“You have a better chance to change your social class than the students in my college. This Miss Wu is your opportunity.”
On the sheet of rice paper that the fan handle rested against, there was a line of poetry written—
"Now I droop my wings and attach myself to the wild goose; one day I will not be ashamed to be a snake that becomes a dragon."
This is a line of poetry that Mingzhu liked very much when she visited Zhu Wuyao yesterday. Zhu Wuyao saw that she liked it, so she gave it to her.
And so today, it was brought to the school.
Perhaps it was the longing from childhood, the long-standing attention, that made Mingzhu realize Wu's talent upon their reunion. Mingzhu felt proud of Wu's talent.
Hearing Mr. Cui mention Sister Wu, Mingzhu's eyes lit up, and she nodded, saying:
"Sister Wu writes excellent poems. It is an opportunity for me to learn to write poetry from her. I will definitely learn to write poetry well from her."
Mr. Cui hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.
What she meant was—judging from this person's calligraphy, he had a dignified air about him, and he was certainly not the treacherous villain circulating in Changxiao Town. The relationship between Li Chengguan and her must be much deeper than imagined…
What she wanted to say was that this Miss Wu was probably a reclusive master, and perhaps she had a close relationship with Li Chengguan, Su Xiao and others.
She wanted Mingzhu to visit Miss Wu more often, hoping that one day she might run into Li Yan, the city management officer, or Su Xiao, the magistrate. This way, she could become a familiar face without seeming out of place, a perfect opportunity to take advantage of her proximity!
Mr. Cui had not had this idea before.
Because she couldn't figure out what kind of person Miss Wu was.
If it were true, as the rumors in Changxiao Town suggest, that she slandered someone to escape from prison, would she really push someone to the side of a villain just to give Mingzhu a better future?
Now, after reading this poem and hearing the lines recited by Mingzhu, I can understand its meaning.
He is truly a person of great talent.
But what caught Mr. Cui's attention the most was actually this calligraphy, which expressed the ambition and pride of a soaring serpent transforming into a dragon on the paper. Even those who cannot read can perceive the spaciousness and grandeur in the irregular and unrestrained ink characters.
Hearing that Mingzhu was so innocent.
It turns out I really have to focus all my energy on learning to write poetry.
Mr. Cui hesitated, wanting to speak frankly and guide her on the right path, yet unwilling to let Mingzhu learn to be opportunistic and lose her true self.
"It's good...it's good..."
She offered a reluctant comment, then continued, "When you're with Miss Wu, don't just learn poetry. Poetry requires inspiration; diligence can't overcome talent."
"Why don't you learn her handwriting? You can definitely improve your calligraphy if you put in the hard work."
Mingzhu smiled and agreed, saying:
"What you say is true, sir. Sister Wu's calligraphy is also very good, especially her small courtyard which is filled with Xuan paper. Being there, one can almost hear the clash of swords."
These descriptions also made Mr. Cui somewhat yearn for them.
She nodded and continued:
"Judging from what you've said, this Miss Wu must be quite young. But her handwriting... not only does she like to use dry brushstrokes, but it also has a rather old-fashioned feel to it. It's quite interesting, though."
"Sir, is this good or bad?"
Mr. Cui nodded after a slight hesitation:
“It is excellent that it was written by Miss Wu, but as a beginner... go and learn from it. If you can really learn it, it will be a good thing.”
The handwriting is indeed good, but it's not very suitable for beginners. Once you get used to it and can write it smoothly, it's hard to change the style, and you might be limited in your skills.
But she told Mingzhu to seek advice from Miss Wu more often, not only to learn poetry and calligraphy, but also to let Mingzhu try his luck and see if this disciple had the talent to catch the eye of Li Chengguan.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
In a village in the south.
Lu Youqi walked straight to the village chief's house. He was surrounded by several people, all dressed in extremely luxurious and elegant clothes, with a sword hanging at his waist.
With a wave of his hand, the door to the village chief's house burst into flames.
"Heh, so it really is here. The strange things around your village were caused by this old thief secretly raising his underlings."
Having said that, Router took out a talisman, waved it in the wind, and the talisman spontaneously combusted without wind. A ruthless and smug smile flashed in his eyes as he scoffed:
"die!"
Someone mustered up their courage and went into the house to look. They saw that the village chief, with his white hair and beard, was indeed dead, bleeding from all seven orifices. Two other pale arms were sticking out from his waist, which looked very gruesome.
The villagers immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Lu Youqi in gratitude, calling him "Immortal".
Lu Youqi, having exhausted his spiritual energy, looked somewhat tired. He glanced at his followers behind him and said:
“You, burn this house down, lest the ghosts be resurrected by its life force.”
"This immortal has exhausted his spiritual energy and needs to rest. Remember, the way of heaven is constant. Although this immortal has the heart to help the world, if I rashly intervene in the mortal realm and save you mortals who should have died, I will inevitably suffer a backlash. In order to avert disaster, each family must take out all their savings to avoid calamity!"
After saying that, Lu Youqi yawned, and smoke suddenly rose from his body.
When I opened my eyes again, the person was gone.
The villagers were filled with awe and kowtowed repeatedly, fearing that they might displease the immortal and have him move a mountain with a single finger to crush the entire village to death.
The words "The village chief was originally a good person" and "The village chief even gave my daughter clothes" were swallowed back down and not spoken aloud.