The backyard of the Anzhi Hall.
Taishang Laojun sat by the stone table, with a pair of cats and dogs standing in front of him, their heads drooping.
"Why aren't you looking at me? Is it because I have old, sparse eyes and a scruffy beard, and you find me annoying?"
Dahuang rolled its eyes inwardly. That stingy, vindictive old man, so fond of scolding, why doesn't he go home and scold his own cows? What's the point of talking about them? Go scold the owner!
Xiaoli hung its head and remained silent. If it weren't for this old man's meddling, it would be the Mountain God's second-in-command now, the proudest member of the Mountain Fox Lineage.
Why bother comforting a child in the mortal realm...?
Seeing Taishang Laojun the cats and dogs remained silent, Laozi snorted, "Don't learn that nonsense from your master. If you dare to curse again, I'll sew your mouths shut."
"You dare, you dare sew their mouths shut, I'll eat braised beef that very night..." The sound of Jin Shanyao came from inside the house.
Taishang Laojun was so angry he puffed out his beard and glared, "My green ox is a mount, not a pet!"
"What's the rabbit Chang'e has for? Is it also a mount?"
Taishang Laojun felt a lump in his throat, and after a long while, he turned his face away, not wanting to argue with her about such useless things; it was too tiring.
Qin Baitang knew that Jin Shanyao's master had arrived. He hurriedly gave a few instructions to the servants and went to the backyard. He was so excited that he ignored the solemn atmosphere.
He strode forward, cupped his hands in a respectful greeting, and said, "Old sir, are you... Manager Shopkeeper Jin's master?"
Taishang Laojun slowly raised his head, glanced at him, and nodded.
Qin Baitang took a deep breath and suddenly bowed deeply, "Junior Qin Baitang greets the old sir. Shopkeeper Jin's medical skills are superb; I've always been curious about who she learned them from, and I never expected to meet such a master today."
Taishang Laojun paused for a moment, then laughed, "What kind of expert? My disciple is stubborn... she's very particular about what she learns. I only teach her once, and the rest she has to learn through hard work on her own."
Jin Shanyao was surprised; she hadn't expected the old man to praise her in front of outsiders. Wait, when did she become stubborn?
Qin Baitang straightened up, looking intently at him. "Old sir, could you... tell me how Shopkeeper Jin developed his superb acupuncture skills?"
Taishang Laojun laughed loudly, "Practice makes perfect... If you practice this a hundred thousand times, you'll also achieve mastery."
Qin Baitang's lips twitched. He finally realized who Jin Shanyao, talking nonsense. Even if he did hundreds of thousands of acupunctures, let alone whether he had that many patients.
Even if he kept stabbing people until they died, he still couldn't finish. Qin Baitang sighed inwardly, taking it as his own rudeness, and didn't ask any more questions.
Even so, Qin Baitang Taishang Laojun held Jin Shanyao, this old man must be a reclusive master.
For the next few days, Qin Baitang neglected his shop and spent all his time with Taishang Laojun, playing chess, drinking, and discussing medicine. He seemed to have found his lifelong friend.
We chat from morning till night every day, as if we'd known each other forever.
Inside the examination hall.
Without the protection of the Jin Shanyao's Spiritual Power, Meng Anci felt exceptionally cold. He wrapped himself in a quilt and drifted off to sleep, feeling uncomfortable all over, as if the exam had just begun the moment he closed his eyes.
Meng Anci took out the water pouch filled with Qing He and drank a large gulp, finally warming himself up. He then tidied his bedding and arranged his writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone in preparation for the exam.
The exam papers were distributed.
Title: The situation in the Northwest frontier is of paramount importance and urgency. The recovery of the Hetao has been discussed extensively. However, with insufficient supplies and manpower, success is not easily achieved. Now, how can we effectively manage this territory and secure lasting peace?
Meng Anci paused for a moment after reading the question... Border defense.
Although he didn't lead troops into battle, he knew how to conceal his strength and how to make money.
After much deliberation, he picked up his pen and wrote, "First, cultivate land to ensure sufficient food, so that the army will not have the burden of supplying provisions. Then, carefully select capable generals, and ensure that rewards and punishments are carried out fairly to win the hearts of the troops."
Only when we have food can we talk about fighting. Soldiers are led by generals; if the generals are not chosen well, everything else is in vain.
"Construct fortified villages and stockades gradually, advancing step by step, without seeking quick results. Military expenditures will be obtained through frugality, clearing out settlements, and facilitating commerce, without further burdening the people."
We can't rush things. Taking it one step at a time is more reliable than deciding the outcome of a single battle. Where will the money come from? From savings, from land reclamation, from commercial taxes... We can't squeeze it from the people.
Finally, he concluded with eight characters: "Defense is the best form of warfare; garrison troops to sustain the army; in time, the enemy will retreat on their own."
When Meng Anci put down the brush, he found that his fingers were so stiff that he couldn't straighten them. He took out the brush and slowly rubbed his right hand with his left hand, and it took him a while to recover.
The second day, the third day, the fourth day...
The days consisted of answering questions, eating, sleeping, and enduring the cold in a repetitive cycle.
On the sixth night, a howl suddenly came from the opposite cell.
Meng Anci woke with a start and looked out by the moonlight... The examinee opposite him was frantically tearing at his blanket, shouting, "Wrong! All wrong! I wrote it wrong!"
The examiners on patrol rushed over, and several of them pinned him down and dragged him away.
The crying woke up all the examinees. Meng Anci sat in the cramped space, forcing herself to imagine that this was Anzhi Hall's examination cell, and that the footsteps of the patrolling soldiers were her aunt's footsteps.
This was just a mock exam set up by my aunt. As I thought about it, I calmed down, wrapped myself tightly in the blanket, and drifted off to sleep again.
The seventh day, the eighth day...
Achoo... Meng Anci sneezed, and snot ran down his nose. He quickly wiped it with his sleeve and continued answering the questions.
On the afternoon of the ninth day, he finally put down his pen and looked outside the examination cells. Only then did he dare to acknowledge that this was the examination hall, not Anzhi Hall. He smiled and silently packed his things.
The gong sounded, signaling the end of the imperial examination. When Meng Anci walked out of the examination hall, it was almost dark.
He looked around, lost in thought, when he heard a voice beside him call out, " Anci... Anci, look this way!"
Meng Anci looked in the direction of the sound and saw Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi waving at him from not far away. There was also an unfamiliar old man sitting on the oxcart, eating a steamed bun with his head down.
Meng Anci was suspicious. He walked towards the oxcart, Jin Shanyao took the luggage and placed it on the cart. Meng Anzhi then stuffed a steamed bun into his hand, saying, "Eat quickly... it's still warm."
Meng Anci turned his gaze to the old man, and Meng Anzhi, seeing this, smiled and introduced him, "This is Grandmaster. My aunt's master happened to be traveling here and decided to stay for a few days."
Meng Anzhi has become quite familiar with Taishang Laojun in the past few days and greatly admires his medical skills. There is no question that her master cannot answer.
Meng Anci harbored doubts, but still bowed to Taishang Laojun and said, "Greetings, Grandmaster."
"Good, good, good..." Taishang Laojun smiled and looked him up and down. He noticed that Laozi was emanating a faint blue aura and looked past Meng Anci to look behind him.
The young man, shrouded in purple qi, was walking towards them, and the purple hue grew even more intense as he approached.
Zhao Zhiyuan bowed to Jin Shanyao, called her "Aunt Yao," and then gave Meng Anzhi a bright smile.
Meng Anci couldn't bear to watch anymore. After taking so many exams, instead of going home to rest, he came over to say hello.
His thieving heart is obvious...
Zhao Zhiyuan felt a burning gaze and turned his head to see an old man staring at him.
Hello, sir.
Taishang Laojun laughed and said, "Just call me Grandmaster. Where are your family, child?"
Zhao Zhiyuan pointed behind him, where Master Zhao and the others were separated from the crowd, waving to them from afar.
Seeing this, Meng Anzhi smiled and said, "Go on over there, everyone's waiting for you."
Zhao Zhiyuan smiled faintly, "Sister Anzhi, I'll head over now. We'll talk again later," he said, bowing to everyone before leaving.
Meng Anci silently rolled her eyes!
On the way back.
Meng Anci always secretly sized up this grandmaster, but every time his gaze passed over him, he was caught red-handed. He was astonished... No wonder he could be his aunt's master.
This insight and reaction speed is even faster than my aunt's...