The Child Who Had Wanted Quick Results Since He Was Little

Zhang Xuezhou needed to go to the palace, but his first stop after agreeing with Zheng Wukong and others was the Pingyang Marquis's residence.

This was a place the new emperor frequented, and it was open to him as well. Zhang Xuezhou had no difficulty entering and leaving the Marquis of Pingyang's residence.

"It's been a long time since I've seen your family, so I came to visit!"

After the gatekeeper relayed the message to Wei Qing, he was led into the Marquis of Pingyang's residence, where he also saw Wei Qing removing his heavy Wei Qing.

Zhang Xuezhou found an excuse to visit the children, which brought a smile to Wei Qing's face.

"Qubing is growing very well, and he's both clever and quick-witted," Wei Qing said. "He even learned a poem from his mother just a couple of days ago!"

"You can sing at such a young age?"

Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

The songs of the Great Han Dynasty were not children's songs like "counting ducks," but rather songs sung using the fu (a type of classical Chinese prose-poem) as lyrics.

A single fu (a type of classical Chinese prose-poem) can range from a hundred or so characters to thousands or even several thousand characters.

Adults' writing doesn't consider children's needs; the words they use are often obscure and difficult to understand, so much so that even some adults don't understand them.

If a five-year-old can read one or two poems fluently, it's considered a sign of good family education, let alone a three-year-old like Huo Qubing.

Zhang Xuezhou's praise was genuine; at least he himself didn't have such abilities at the age of three, and Zhang Xuezhou didn't even know what he was doing at three years old.

"A thunderous roar, a rushing, bubbling sound, a torrent of foam..."

Wei Qing hummed a couple of lines, but when he forgot the words, he scratched his head sheepishly.

"At my age, I can't even remember as well as a child. I didn't remember the beginning, and I didn't remember the end either. I only remembered a few lines that I hummed in the middle," Wei Qing said.

"This is a rhapsody by Sima Xiangru. His rhapsodies are known for their ornate language, so it's normal that you can't remember them!"

Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand.

He knew immediately whose lyrics Wei Qing was singing.

Zhang Xuezhou disliked composing fu (a type of Chinese prose-poem), while Sima Xiangru rose to officialdom through writing fu; the latter was also a professional fu writer.

There are many women in Suiyang who sing Sima Xiangru. Even though Sima Xiangru now blind and old, many women still read the poems and think of him, believing that Sima Xiangru handsome and good-looking.

"A good fu (a type of classical Chinese prose-poem) must be simple, easy to learn, and easy to understand in order to spread far and wide," Zhang Xuezhou criticized. "A fu that everyone can learn is a good fu!"

"Only someone as dim-witted as me could forget such a fine poem," Wei Qing said cheerfully. "Many people have memorized it!"

"So many people?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise.

"Sister Shao'er learned to sing poetry from Sister Zifu. She went to Silanfang to sing for a living, and many people have learned to sing poetry," Wei Qing said.

"Wei Shao'er singing for money?"

Zhang Xuezhou was surprised, thinking that Wei Shao'er was truly a restless person, able to make a living by talking even with his inconvenient legs.

"Sister Shao'er is sick and has to drink medicine every day," Wei Qing said. "I've poured all the money I saved for buying a house and getting married into her life, but it's all for nothing. It was Sister Zifu who showed Sister Shao'er a way to make money, and now there's a glimmer of hope for her!"

"It seems Wei Shao'er has earned quite a bit," Zhang Xuezhou said in surprise.

"Sister Shao'er can earn tens of thousands of half-taels of silver for a single performance, and many people come from far and wide to sing her songs. She's made quite a bit of money these days," Wei Qing said. "Now that more people are singing her poems, Sister Shao'er's earnings have decreased, but she says she's not worried at all. She can still go to the palace to learn how to sing poems from Sister Zifu!"

"This is a fast way to make money!"

Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Wei Qing earns three to five half taels of silver for pulling a cart, while Wei Shao'er earns tens of thousands of half taels of silver for singing a song.

Ten thousand half taels of silver is equivalent to ten strings of cash. This is not much for Zhang Xuezhou, who is used to gold and silver, but singing is something he can do every day, so the income is sustainable.

If he encounters some generous donors, Wei Shao'er's income could be even higher.

Zhang Xuezhou's targets for making money are either the lowest or the highest levels, while Wei Shao'er's targets are the middle class, and even a very wide range of people, resulting in a high-volume approach.

He had only come to check on Wei Shao'er's health and to provide some information for Zheng Wukong and the others. Zhang Xuezhou never expected to encounter a Wei Shao'er who could make him rich.

"Sister Shao said that once we've earned enough money, she'll buy me a big house and marry me the best wife," Wei Qing said happily.

That's it!

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

Chen Zhang lacked the funds to support Wei Shao'er's health and medical treatment. Wei Qing had used all the money he had earned from driving the carriage and his salary over the years, so it was normal for Wei Shao'er to repay him when he was able to.

He chatted with Wei Qing for a while, and when he learned that Wei Shao'er was still singing in Silanfang, he could only wait for a while.

"Uncle, I heard that someone has come to your place!"

After removing his armor, Wei Qing went into his room and brewed two bowls of coarse tea to entertain Zhang Xuezhou.

When the excited voices came from outside the door, Wei Qing's face twitched slightly with joy, and he rubbed his forehead.

"Master... you're that Dongfang Gao!"

The door to the side room was pushed open with a slap, and a child, about a meter tall, squeezed in, wiping his snot.

Zhang Xuezhou saw the other person wipe their nose and then run towards him, so he couldn't help but jump quickly on the stool.

"My name isn't Dongfang Gao!" Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed. "And I'm no expert either. You've mistaken me for someone else!"

"I remember you, and I also remember that wise man from Anle Palace!"

Huo Qubing raised his head and looked at Zhang Xuezhou, who had jumped away. He was clearly disappointed that he hadn't wiped his snot all over Zhang Xuezhou.

Only after Wei Qing wiped his hands and nose with a damp cloth did Huo Qubing see Zhang Xuezhou jump down.

He muttered something, and Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache, wondering why Divine Lord Zhenyuan had been spotted by Huo Qubing in Anle Palace.

That's why no one believed the child's words, which is why Huo Qubing's random shouts had no effect whatsoever.

"Master, teach me some skills!" Huo Qubing tugged at Zhang Xuezhou's clothes and begged.

"What skills do I have?" Zhang Xuezhou said. "You can learn great skills from your uncle, you can learn great skills from your mother, and you can learn even more great skills from your godfather!"

"Learning their skills takes too long. I want to learn skills that are both powerful and quick to master," Huo Qubing said.

"Then I'll need to cultivate my skills for a very long time," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Impossible!" Huo Qubing said, "I can tell from your delicate skin that your skills don't require much hardship!"

Huo Qubing pointed to Zhang Xuezhou's hand, then turned over Wei Qing's hands, which were covered in bloodstains and calluses.

"Your hands are even more beautiful than my mother's, so you must have some amazing and eager-to-learn skills," Huo Qubing concluded, pointing to both of their hands.

"I don't have any skill that's both powerful and easy to learn; you can't learn it quickly," Zhang Xuezhou said, waving his hand.

"You're such a grown man, yet you're lying to a child! You have no sense of propriety at all!"

Seeing that Zhang Xuezhou was unyielding and refused to teach, Huo Qubing asked him a few more questions, but could only go off to drink tea in a sullen mood.

"I really haven't practiced any skills that can make people learn quickly," Zhang Xuezhou said, spreading his hands as he looked at Wei Qing. "However, I did remember that Kong Anguo has some tea that can enhance wisdom. The brewed tea can make people intelligent and thus have a certain enlightening effect. If you've learned a lot but can't understand things clearly, drinking his tea might bring some wonderful benefits!"

"Kong Anguo's tea?"

Wei Qing exclaimed in surprise, and Huo Qubing also raised his head, feeling that he had finally found a good way to quickly improve his cultivation.