Self-cultivation after the cannon fodder

Chapter 58

"Lord Xiao, when will the debate start?"

"Please wait a little longer, everyone." Xiao Yiming cupped his hands and looked up at the sky.

The wind is sunny and the sun is cloudless.

The venue for the debate was chosen on a hillside in the suburbs of Beijing, planted with Asparagus evergreen, elegant and quiet.There is a forest of strange stone steles in the mountains, which were left by the literati of the previous dynasty, and the atmosphere of the book is strong.

The open space in the middle of the mountain was full of scholars in Confucian shirts, old and young, all came to witness the debate.

Seeing that Xiao Yiming didn't seem to have the intention to start, he couldn't sit still and asked, "Hasn't Master Jijiu already arrived? How long do we have to wait?"

"I heard Mrs. Xiao say that there seems to be a friend coming. Look at the seat at the front, isn't it empty?"

The weather is hot, even if the sunshade is carefully arranged, as the sun gets higher and higher, there are still people who are not heat-resistant and can't stand it.

The Xu family waited for a while, seeing the fine sweat on the forehead of the sacrificial wine, they couldn't help urging: "Master Xiao, how long are we going to wait?"

Xiao Yiming was still waiting for Zhu Sining: "Wait a little longer, we can't start until His Highness arrives."

The Xu family was full of displeasure: "What if he doesn't come?"

Zhu Sining was not interested in Confucian classics, and the edict might have been written on a whim, and it is not impossible to change his mind now and not come.

"He will surely come."

As soon as Xiao Yiming finished speaking, he saw a queue approaching not far away, and a eunuch riding a fast horse came first to announce the order.

Zhu Sining only brought a small queue and didn't let anyone clear the way. If he didn't bring the queen's guard of honor, at first glance he would look like a rich man traveling.

After omitting everyone's etiquette, Zhu Sining apologized, "I came late and delayed everyone."

"Nothing, His Highness came just in time."

Xiao Yiming led Zhu Sining to sit in the front seat and glanced at the venue.

Many people complained that Zhu Sining was late for such a long time, but because of Zhu Sining's identity, he didn't dare to speak out.

He called his servants to bring tea and cakes for everyone, Xiao Yi Mingchao bowed his hands and gave a welcome speech on the stage, modestly expressing that everyone is fortunate to gather here today, as a friendly exchange, each can learn from each other's strengths.

When he said this, Zhu Sining heard the Xu family not far away snorted.

Xu Jijiu was calm and kept his eyes closed.

Just a little bit of sweat on my head.

Zhu Sining waved to the palace servants around him, who immediately understood and bowed down to find the steward in charge of tea.

"Your Highness came late, and seeing everyone waiting for him in the sun, I felt ashamed, so I gave everyone the tea he brought from the palace to relieve the heat," the palace official deliberately increased his voice, which happened to be the people in the surrounding circle In a voice that can be heard clearly, he pretended to sigh, "These snacks in the imperial dining room in the palace were specially brought to Confucian scholars by His Highness. It was originally just to wait for this to be ready before it was too late. If I knew it earlier, I wouldn't have to prepare it for so long. Such a waste of time..."

Zhu Sining was definitely one of the most eye-catching presences in the arena. There were many people secretly paying attention to him. Seeing him in charge, the courtiers all craned their necks to see what he was going to do.

In this debate, apart from scholars and great Confucians, there are also white bodies. Less than half of them have been officials in the court, and most of them have never seen Zhu Sining. Looking at him from behind, he can only be seen surrounded by a group of people , leaving the top of the black hair, and the plain white jade crown.

Now that I heard that he specially brought food to distribute, my opinion of him changed a lot.

Xiao Yiming first asked the people present to think about it, and then began to explain his reading experience and the principles of enlightenment these days. Naturally, these experiences conflicted with Xu Jijiu's academic views, which quickly aroused discussion.

So Xu Jijiu also came to the stage, and began to refute Xiao Yiming's views one by one. The two of them came and went, without any rest except drinking some tea occasionally.

During the whole process, except for drinking tea and snacks, Zhu Sining looked confused. Occasionally, Xiao Yiming glanced over and tried his best to cheer up and pretend to be listening.

Today, in order to catch up with this debate, he deliberately got up early. Although it was still not as early as Zong Qihao, it was still very rare.

Because he got up too early and had a bumpy road, and at the end, Xu Jijiu and Xiao Yiming quoted scriptures on the stage. He understood every word he said, but he didn't know what it meant when he connected it. Soon, Zhu Sining was rejected. Hypnotized, the head began to doze off bit by bit.

Xiao Yiming's voice on the stage paused for a while, and did not attract the attention of other people in the audience, but Xu Jijiu, who was arguing with him, noticed it. He squinted his eyes and looked towards the sun, feeling that there were too many people below. It looked like a ghost.

"Father!"

"master!"

Surprised by several hurried voices, Zhu Sining lost his sleepiness, and quickly opened his eyes: "What's wrong?"

The palace man beside him replied: "Xu Jijiu fainted."

As soon as Xu Jijiu fainted, the Xu family rushed up anxiously, and some wanted to catch Xiao Yiming to make a theory, so the people brought by Xiao Yiming followed to protect the master.

When there was a dispute between the two parties, there were naturally those who persuaded them to make peace, and other people who came to watch the debate came out one by one to act as peacemakers, and the stage was chaotic.

And Zhu Sining, who was sitting in the front row, was also affected. The palace guards around him didn't know whether to advance or retreat, and the space that was originally vacated for Zhu Sining gradually shrank.

But as soon as he closed his eyes, Zhu Sining blinked and said, "I think..."

The guards yelled again and again to calm down the others, but no one listened at all, and the palace people also joined in, and they couldn't hear what Zhu Sining was saying clearly.

Looking around the audience, Zhu Sining was the only one who had nothing to do.

He held a cup of tea and drank half of it to refresh his mind and moisten his throat.

"I said, isn't the time coming?" Zhu Sining held back a palace man and lowered his voice, "Now that's the case, I don't think... there's no need."

Palace man: "What did you say, Your Highness?"

The other voices were too loud, completely drowning out Zhu Sining's voice, but he couldn't speak loudly.

Zhu Sining: "Did you forget what I said before you came?"

The palace man was shocked: "I have not forgotten, how dare you, but it is just like this, wouldn't it be better to cancel it?"

Zhu Sining: "So I told them not to come, they don't need it anymore, find a way to go out and notify. What time is it now, is it the agreed time?"

"Now..." The palace man made a brief estimate, "It seems to be almost here, it's too late."

Zhu Sining: "..." Well, he knows, and there will be more confusion in the future.

Sitting in his seat, Zhu Sining counted the time calmly: "Three, two, one—"

not here.

Count again.

"Three, two, one—"

This time, the assassin appeared as promised.

The sharp blade became brighter and brighter in the sun, and the palace servants screamed at the right time: "There are assassins, escort—"

After throwing a cup and trying to cooperate, Zhu Sining sat on the seat and watched other people running around in a panic, thinking casually, although it is a bit exaggerated, but in such a chaotic situation, how much can be deceived.

It doesn't matter if the idea is a little silly, the debate is over anyway.

The moment Xiao Yiming saw Xu Jijiu suddenly collapsed on the stage, Xiao Yiming's pupils shrank, and panic arose in his heart that he had never experienced before. Before he could figure out the situation, a group of assassins rushed out to Zhu Sining .

The unarmed scholar was terrified, and panicked when he heard the assassin, and ran around, and some legs were weak and couldn't walk, so they just screamed on the spot.

Xiao Yiming pushed away the crowd and rushed to Zhu Sining: "Your Highness, are you alright?"

Zhu Sining pointed to the wheelchair under his seat, and reminded: "I can't go anywhere, the assassin didn't see what he looks like, let these people go quickly, it's getting more and more chaotic, and stampede accidents are easy to happen .”

"Yes, Your Highness is right." Xiao Yiming responded repeatedly, and called his servants to make arrangements quickly.

The guard had already entangled with the assassin, the sword clanging continuously, the guard and the assassin retreated while fighting, Zhu Sining couldn't see clearly from a distance, but he saw the scholar in front of him rolled his eyes and passed out like Xu Jijiu.

Zhu Sining: "..." It can be regarded as meeting someone worse than him.

The debate conference that had been prepared for a long time ended in such a mess. Many people were frightened. Although they didn't even see the appearance of the assassin clearly, they were still scared out of their wits and had no intention of staying any longer.

Most of those who were willing to stay were officials who were still serving in the court, and some of them stayed with them seeing that Zhu Sining had no intention of leaving.

"Your Highness is not afraid in the face of danger. You really have the demeanor of the King of Qin." Several court officials praised Zhu Sining's performance. Even they were a little panicked when they heard that there was an assassin.

In particular, Zhu Sining couldn't walk on his legs, but he could still maintain his composure.

"It's all because of me. You surprised all the adults." Zhu Sining felt a little guilty. These elders were no older than him, the planner, even if it was a fake, the heart couldn't bear such a sudden shock.

"It's a false alarm, as long as it's okay." A bachelor from the Imperial Academy was also present, "This debate can't go on now. For the sake of safety, Your Highness should go back to the palace first."

"Your Excellency is right." Zhu Sining responded, but did not leave immediately. He had to confirm the situation of Xu Jijiu first, "I have an accompanying imperial doctor with me. Doctors, especially Mr. Xu, I am really worried."

The bachelor thanked Zhu Sining for Xu Jijiu, and several young scholars came to Zhu Sining to express their gratitude.

"It's just a little effort, so there's no need to be too polite." After confirming that Xu Jijiu just fainted from heatstroke, Zhu Sining didn't stay any longer.

Xiao Yiming was still busy dealing with the follow-up, comforting the other people present at the meeting, and when he heard the report that Zhu Sining was leaving, he quickly put down what he was doing: "I originally wanted to show His Highness, but I didn't expect it to turn out like this. It surprised His Highness."

The whole debate has been thrown into such a mess that he still can't figure it out.

"It's okay, actually I don't understand either." Zhu Sining said, "I'm not frightened, Master Xiao don't have to worry."

"Your Highness didn't understand and came here on purpose..." Xiao Yiming's eyes softened, "It's all because I didn't arrange it well, and such an accident will not happen next time."

The bachelor shook his head: "You are still too impatient. You haven't fully grasped the knowledge of Xu Jijiu. You only grasped a few points before discussing it publicly. You are too sharp and lose the humility and respect for the seniors that the younger generations should have. Although you Brave enough to question authority, but this time, I won't praise your bravery."

Xiao Yiming was startled, this was the first time that a bachelor criticized him so bluntly.

Zhu Sining looked at the bachelor unexpectedly, he had always had a favorable view of Xiao Yiming, and even taught Xiao Yiming on key matters, he was his staunch supporter.

The bachelor shook his head, his eyes filled with disappointment: "Let's stop here."

He bowed to Zhu Sining and took his leave first, waved his hands to tell Xiao Yiming not to see him off, and turned to leave.

==========

After Zhu Sining's guard of honor entered the city gate, he stopped moving.

"Why don't you leave?" Sensing the carriage stopped, Zhu Sining ordered the palace servants in the same carriage to go down and ask.

As a result, I didn't come back for half a day.

Zhu Sining had to ask again.

There was silence outside the carriage, even the sound of the guards ordering the horses at the city gate disappeared. Zhu Sining stretched out his hand to reach the curtain of the carriage, and just as he touched it, the curtain was lifted from the outside.

"A Ning gave me this big gift as soon as I came up, it's too polite." Zong Qihao said with a smile in his voice, and helped Zhu Sining up.

After Zong Qihao stepped into the carriage, the driver swung his whip and drove the horse on the road. Zhu Sining failed to stabilize and fell to one side.

Fortunately, Zong Qihao grabbed him in time and let him lean on himself.

There were no palace servants coming up, Zhu Sining was worried that he would sway again at the next turn, so he simply stayed in this position.

"Why is Your Majesty here?"

"I heard from the urgent report that Aning met an assassin and rushed over."

Zhu Sining raised his eyes and looked at Zong Qihao in puzzlement: "It's not necessary, and it's not true."

"A Ning." Zong Qihao only had these two words, and nothing else.

His palms stroked Zhu Sining's back over and over again.

Of course Zong Qihao knew it was fake, he himself was a participant, but the moment he heard the news, he still couldn't help feeling flustered.

Worried that the people who had arranged for him didn't do well and accidentally hurt Zhu Sining by mistake; worried that the scene was chaotic, Zhu Sining was inconvenient to move and was ignored by others; worried that his acting skills were not good enough and Xiao Yiming found it difficult...

In all aspects, it was clearly planned well before, but when I look back, I only feel that there are many mistakes and omissions, and there are still many details that have not been perfected.

Zong Qihao can only feel at ease when he sees that Zhu Sining is doing well.

========

After sending away the famous Confucian scholars in the field and the officials of the current dynasty, Xiao Yiming had time to catch his breath.

There were not many people left in Banshan, most of them had a good relationship with Xiao Yiming and stayed to comfort him.

"Brother Xiao is very knowledgeable. This is just a passing accident. In time, other people will understand the truth of Brother Xiao. By then, Brother Xiao will be able to earn more than he does now just by printing books!"

"It's just a small debate. In the future, there will be bigger opportunities for Brother Xiao to play. Don't worry about it..."

Xiao Yiming thanked them all one by one, and arranged meals according to the procedure.

After drinking, my heart became much more at ease. It was not good to talk too much about Xiao Yiming's failure in the debate, and everyone turned the topic elsewhere.

"Today is the first time I saw His Highness, and it really is as rumored... Sigh, I don't know what words to use, she looks so good." Someone said drunkenly while holding the wine jar, "He took a look at me, I They're all too nervous."

The companion laughed and scolded: "How could His Highness look at you, who are you?"

"It must be looking at me. I am standing next to Yiming. His Highness must remember me!"

The person who said this also attracted boos: "Your Highness must be looking at Brother Xiao, he came here specially to see him."

Xiao Yiming smiled reservedly: "It is my honor to be favored by His Highness."

Although the result of this debate is not very good, it doesn't matter. Anyway, Zhu Sining can't understand, and the other party is going to be assassinated, so I'm afraid he won't pay attention to the result.

"I have taken so many Jinshi examinations, but I haven't been successful once. I thought that I would never see the sky in my life. I never thought that since I could see His Majesty, after hearing what you said... Your Majesty and His Highness are indeed a match made in heaven!"

This person came to pick up a friend, and he happened to meet Zong Qihao's guard of honor when he was leaving the city.

"Your Majesty must have heard that His Highness was assassinated, so he came out of the palace to pick him up!" He was very excited, "It's exactly the same as what was said in the book!"

"Your Majesty is really here?" One sentence attracted the attention of other people, and discussions soon started.

Xiao Yiming was confused and asked: "What kind of book are you talking about?"

He was so busy with the debate these days that he practically lived in the library and neglected his business.

Never heard of these.

"It's a folk story, it's normal if Brother Xiao doesn't know..." The others laughed, "It's all just joking about the empress, it's not worth mentioning. You see, this person has never been admitted to Jinshi, just to see what he said Ben made a fuss, I really thought he was His Highness, and with His Majesty here, if you want to read the script, you can go to the library to read enough."