River Water Kirin in the River

"You little brat, you dare to play tricks on me after two months! It's nothing serious, is it? You were all egged on by your colleagues, weren't you? Say it again and see what happens! Today I'll teach you a lesson about seniority!"

In the backyard of the Martial Arts School, lush trees shaded the entire courtyard, and the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms filled the air like honey.

Xiang ChangSong grabbed Liang Qu's neck and pulled him down hard.

Liang Qu grabbed Xiang ChangSong's arm and bent over laughing, his hair unknowingly adorned with a few golden osmanthus blossoms.

"Senior brother is so angry, so are you going to come to the banquet another day or not?"

"Come on! Of course I'm coming!" Xiang ChangSong gritted his teeth. "I'm going to eat you up, eat you out of house and home, make you cry, and make you regret it so much!"

"Be careful not to overeat and get diarrhea, junior brother. I've prepared Crab Feast!"

"What's Martial Artist afraid of diarrhea? At worst, I'll just eat a few more pieces of old ginger and drink a few more sips of Yellow Wine! I'm going to eat two hundred of your crabs!"

Seeing the two continuing their heated argument, Hu Qi interjected and called for a halt.

"Junior Brother Xiang, stop joking around. Let Junior Brother Liang tell us what His Sacred Emperor's complete edict is."

Xiang ChangSong slowly opened his arms.

Liang Qu snatched the osmanthus flower from his head, stood up and replied, "'Build bridges and canals, you must do your best.' No more, no less, exactly ten characters."

That day, the Imperial Envoy arrived, read the imperial edict aloud, and then, in front of everyone, dictated it to me personally.

"Build bridges and construct irrigation canals; you must strive to do so..."

Hu Qi repeated the story several times, a hint of reminiscence and sigh on his face, "Junior Brother Liang has only been a disciple for a year, but the scene of him teaching you Standing Post is still vivid in my mind. In the blink of an eye, you've already made Master and your fellow disciples proud!"

Liang Qu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "It's mostly thanks to Senior Brother Hu's excellent teaching."

Hu Qi shook his head. "Junior brother is also River Water Kirin. How could I possibly teach someone who can be encouraged by the Sacred Emperor's Edict?"

Thirty-seven disciples have left the temple this month so far. None of them seem to have the abilities of their junior brothers; it's already a miracle they haven't used their skills to cause trouble in the countryside.

"Our sect is about to produce an extraordinary figure!" Xiang ChangSong patted Liang Qu's arm. "His Sacred Emperor has personally issued an imperial edict. Shouldn't Junior Brother find an opportunity to turn it into Ink Treasure and have it framed in the hall?"

"That makes sense! I'll go find my Master later and ask Master to write one for me, then frame it and hang it in the main hall!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a splash of orange-yellow light entered the backyard.

Liang Qu's gaze pierced through the bluish-gray shade of the trees and reached the distant sky.

As the sun sets in the west, the light turns a yellowish hue.

If we linger any longer, we might miss having dinner with the Old Monk.

"It's getting late, and I still need to go see Master. Today, I mainly want to inform my two senior brothers. As for the invitations, please excuse me and let Xing Lai and collect them for you another day."

Hu Qi nodded. "I don't care about those formalities."

"We're all from the same sect, as close as brothers. If you're inviting someone to dinner, just call out to them; there's no need for an invitation."

People often get together for meals during holidays and festivals.

Even if it's not a festival, just the ripe plums and jujubes in my Master's yard are enough to warrant a visit for a meal. Sending a formal invitation every time would seem too distant and troublesome.

After bidding farewell to his two senior brothers and politely declining the apprentices' request for guidance, Liang Qu promised to do so next time and then hurried along the Azure Stone Street to the Yang Residence.

Yang Dongxiong and Xu Shi, having been informed by their servants, sat in the hall to wait while Liang Qu strolled through the corridor.

After two months apart, Liang Qu had even more to say to his Master and Master's Wife.

He took the tea that Nan Di had brewed and began to recount how he had rushed to Hua Zhu County without stopping day or night and discovered that the Water Standard Tablet was strangely broken.

Then they encountered the County Magistrate's fleet, killed the strange fish, and personally went to the Sand River Gang borrow a boat. The Gang Leader, Cheng Chong, confessed his crimes, and the gang members turned against him.

And the story of how local grain merchants in Sweet Spring Town were attacked by a mob of outsiders, how locals who had made an agreement turned against them and joined in the looting, and how they encountered the Red Dragon Fish... He recounted everything in detail, leaving no stone unturned.

Xu Shi was delighted to hear this. "You had a very fulfilling two months in Hua Zhu County, borrowing boats and arresting people. You made Great Merit."

This has caused your Master much worry, as it's the first time you've handled such an important task, and he's afraid something might go wrong. He sends the gatekeeper to the post station every day to check for any correspondence.

Yang Dongxiong looked indifferently and picked up his teacup to drink tea.

Liang Qu, sitting below, felt awkward listening to this.

For two months, he didn't send a single letter, mainly because he felt that Hua Zhu County and Ping Yang County were too close and there was no need to.

In addition, the floods also submerged the post stations in Hua Zhu County, making it difficult to send letters home, even though official correspondence was still available. It was necessary to go to great lengths to have someone deliver them.

Liang Qu changed the subject. "Master Master's Wife, why don't you guess what reward the imperial court gave me for my work in Hua Zhu County to control the floods?"

The past cannot be changed, and the two of them truly stopped holding a grudge about the letters.

Yang Dongxiong pondered, "According to what you said, your achievements in controlling the floods this time are quite significant. Could it be that you have been promoted to the Hengshui Envoy?"

Liang Qu shook his head. "Master is wrong, I have not been promoted."

"Since Xiao Jiu said that the breach of the dike was the Sand River Gang's revenge against the River Conservancy Office, no one in the River Conservancy Office will be promoted because of this."

Otherwise, if they reward themselves for their own transgressions, how can the court maintain public support? I suspect it will mostly be material rewards, elixirs, or Cultivation Method.

"Master's Wife is half right, but besides the material reward, there is another very important matter."

besides?

Yang Dongxiong and Xu Shi fell into deep thought together.

The emperor had three powerful tools for governing the country: orders, the axe, and rewards.

The methods of rewarding officials are nothing more than a few: promotion, granting titles, and bestowing rewards...

There was no promotion, let alone a noble title.

What else could it be? Yang Dongxiong couldn't think of anything.

Xu Shi suddenly realized. "His Your Majesty has bestowed a marriage upon you?"

"Cough cough cough..." Liang Qu choked on his own saliva. "Master's Wife is thinking too far off. How could it be an imperial marriage?"

Xu Shi closed the lid of his teacup and glared at her.

"You know it all, yet you're keeping us two old folks in suspense? Just tell us already!"

Seeing that neither his Master Master's Wife could guess the answer, Liang Qu straightened his back.

"As a disciple, I have received an imperial edict. His Your Majesty said that I am responsible for 'building bridges and constructing canals,' and instructed me to 'strive to do my best!'"

Yang Dongxiong was astonished. He put the teacup on the table and sat up straight.

"Is this true? Is there really an imperial edict?"

Liang Qu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This disciple would not dare to make such a joke. These ten characters were personally passed on to this disciple by the imperial envoy after he finished reading the imperial edict. Everyone in the River Conservancy Office is a witness to this."

"I have come today for two reasons: first, to let my Master Master's Wife know I am safe and sound; and second, to ask my Master to write a piece of Ink Treasure for me to hang in the main hall."

Yang Dongxiong and Xu Shi exchanged a glance.

The Sacred Emperor personally issued an edict of encouragement!

Build bridges, construct irrigation canals...

Earth is the origin of all things and the root of all life.

Water is the Blood Qi of the earth, flowing like the meridians.

Water conservancy has been a key focus of successive dynasties since ancient times.

While the coincidence of Liang Qu's name certainly played a part, the encouragement he received from this incident carries significant weight!

After a while.

After calming himself down, Yang Dongxiong shook his head and refused, though he was pleased.

"It's not that I'm unwilling, but if you want me to write it, you might as well go to Headmaster Zhao of the Shanghu Academy. He is a famous master of calligraphy and painting."

Your progress in Pinyin Method has been so rapid, thanks to the help of Headmaster Zhao. He won't be reluctant to help you.