Geniuses were often only associated with theories. They were only responsible for proposing possible solutions to problems, but were unwilling to verify the answers. They knew and guessed, but did not care about how to prove it. That was why Confucius, who was not good at mathematics, could propose the theory of relativity and then continue to be in a daze. The preliminary experimental verification needed to wait for several years before those poor scientists went to the Wilderness and stared at the solar eclipse for a long time to make it.
Ning Que was praised as a genius. It seemed that he could throw his ideas to his Senior Brothers and let them turn them into reality. Unfortunately, the talisman arrow was what he needed, and the talisman was something that a Talisman Master had to participate in. More importantly, he was the youngest Junior Brother in the Academy and had neither the qualification nor the courage to pretend to be the leader of the subject. Therefore, in order to turn the genius' idea into a perfect technological design, he had to continue painfully drawing drawings and talismans on paper in the following days, doing the most tedious and boring technological design work.
As someone's natal item, Sangsang had to continue to play an important role in the talisman experiment. After several ups and downs, it was finally the good time for her to be a little handmaiden of a rich family. However, she did not expect that she still had to struggle and roll around. Even though she was a little dull, she could not bear the itchiness and inexplicable strange feeling any longer. She resolutely tore off the white cloth on her body and moved the washtub to hide in the fake antique shop next door.
Although he had lost the most sensitive experimental tool, Ning Que still had to continue his research work. He stood in front of the desk and bit the tip of the pen, thinking hard about how to improve the talisman so that it could bring the greatest acceleration effect to the arrow. The most troublesome thing was how to perfectly draw the last stroke of the talisman when the arrow was ejected.
His hair changed from a bird's nest to a chicken coop, and then to a fish house that Second Brother's big white goose built with seaweed in the stream. His eyes changed from tiredness to excitement and then to tiredness again and again until they were completely dark. He always felt that he was about to solve the problem, but he also felt that the answer was still floating in the clouds far away. He reached out to touch and explore, but there was always nothing. He bumped into the water surface and the mirror, which was painful and annoying.
At this moment, someone knocked on the door of the Old Brush Pen Shop.
Ning Que did not call Sangsang. He called Sangsang several times, but there was no response. Then he remembered that she had already hidden next door. He had to throw away the pen in his hand and walk forward to open the door angrily.
A middle-aged man in a short-sleeved green shirt stood outside the door with a respectful expression. Ning Que felt that the man looked familiar. He took the invitation and looked at the signature on the invitation. Then he remembered that this middle-aged man was the steward of the Princess Mansion.
"What is it?" He rubbed his eyes, yawned, and asked, "Must I go?"
The steward was startled by his reaction. He forced a smile and said, "Honorable Ning, I really don't know the specifics, but according to His Highness's arrangements, it should be a private gathering. It would be best if you went."
Ning Que was just asking casually. He did not mean to show that he was not afraid of the royal power.
Ever since he stopped attending banquets in Chang 'an City, he had not participated in such social activities for several days. Now that he was busy with the Talisman Arrow, he should not be in the mood to attend such an appointment. However, Li Yu was the most beloved princess of the Tang Empire. He had not seen Li Yu for some time, so he wanted to see what she wanted to say and take a break. Perhaps it would be beneficial for the current predicament, so he said, "Be there on time tomorrow."
…
…
The heat of the end of summer gradually faded. The big leaf fan in the distant corridor was still spinning, blowing a gentle breeze into the courtyard, adding to the refreshing and pleasant feeling. Sangsang took Xiaoman to catch insects under the old trees. Ning Que and Li Yu sat on the wooden planks in the courtyard, drinking tea and chatting. The scene was indescribably indifferent and casual.
However, the expression on Ning Que's face did not match his current appearance. He frowned very tightly, and the small dimple on his left cheek was especially clear because he was gritting his teeth and tightening his jaw muscles. He asked angrily, "Your Highness, can I not go?"
"My father's letter should have arrived at the Academy by now." Li Yu gently turned her wrist and brought the teacup to her lips. She took a sip and praised, "The rock tea from Shanyin County is really good."
Ning Que looked at her beautiful face and sighed. He said, "Your Highness, can we skip these clichéd pleasantries and get down to business? You and I are both young people. There is no need to learn from those old people and try to probe. "
Li Yu's thin eyebrows slowly raised as she listened to the words, and she looked at him with a faint smile. But in the end, she did not use these words to express her feelings. She said, "Since my father has spoken personally, I think Mr. Jun Mo will not object. In my opinion, you have to go to the Wilderness."
"I have already entered the Second floor. Why do I still have to go for practice?" Ning Que asked confusedly.
Li Yu also did not understand his attitude. She frowned and said, "Why are you not willing to go? You should know that the students of the Academy will be the pillars of the imperial court in the future. If you lead them to practice in the Wilderness, they will at least not dare to disrespect you on the surface, no matter whether they think of your benefits or not. "
Ning Que shook his head and said, "The Wilderness is a very dangerous place."
Li Yu looked at his eyes quietly and said, "Will staying too long in the bustling Chang 'an wear down one's iron bones into a crisp? I don't believe such a small scene can scare you. I know your reputation as the woodcutter of Shubi Lake. Are you still afraid of those barbarians on the grassland? "
"It's the woodcutter." Ning Que corrected her.
He continued to explain, "Although the Seven Stockaded Villages have not officially fought with the Golden Palace in the grassland for many years, I am not unfamiliar with the battlefield. I am not afraid of returning to the battlefield. But since it is the battlefield, life and death have no eyes. Those students in the Academy say that they are invincible, but they do terrible things. Who knows how many will die on the battlefield? I have to be responsible for their lives when I bring such a group of children to the battlefield. The pressure is too great. "
Li Yu smiled and said, "Don't forget that they were once your classmates. You keep saying that they are children. How much older can you be than them? I don't know why you have learned to act like an old man now. "
Ning Que thought to himself that he was at least seven or eight years older than them. Although he was not old, he always looked at things cautiously. He said, "The older they are, the easier it is for them to survive on the battlefield in the Wilderness."
"But in fact, you don't need to bear this kind of pressure."
Li Yu looked at him and said calmly, "The practical cultivation of the Academy is a major event for the empire to train talents. How can you protect them like an old hen? Life and death have no eyes. Only the students of the Academy who can come back alive from the battlefield are qualified to be seriously trained by the imperial court. So you just need to bring them there and not care about their lives."
Hearing this, Ning Que was slightly shocked. After a moment of silence, he asked confusedly, "If I don't care about their lives on the battlefield, why do I have to bring them there? Can't the Military Ministry just send anyone? "
Li Yu did not speak. She looked at the few freckles on this fresh and pleasant face and suddenly felt a faint sense of regret.
Last year, when they returned from the grassland together, she could be said to be the first bigwig in the Tang Empire to discover Ning Que's ability. She had also tried to recruit him, but now it seemed that compared to Ning Que's potential, her efforts were indeed too weak. In just a year, this young soldier from the City of Wei had become the successor of the Divine Talisman Master, a student of the Second floor, and a celebrity in Chang 'an …
Her slender fingers slowly turned the teacup and gradually woke up from her daze. She looked at Ning Que and said with a smile, "Father wants you to bring the students of the Academy to the Wilderness, not because he values those students, but because he values you. He wants you to win some face for the empire, and at the same time, he wants to see what kind of ability you can show."
Ning Que was slightly startled and said, "Your Majesty … Don't you think too highly of me?"
"Because you have ambition and ideas, different from those Senior Brothers and Sisters in the back of the mountain of the Academy. And father values your ambition and ideas. For our empire, whether young people have ambition or not is a very important thing."
"I really don't know what ambition I have."
"Or in another word … ideal?"
"Your Highness should be clear about my ideals. They are all very simple things."
"But when you have fulfilled your childhood dreams, don't you have bigger dreams?"
"For example?"
Li Yu looked at his thoughtful expression and said, "Do you like to cultivate in the back of the mountain of the Academy all year round?"
Ning Que answered without hesitation, "Yes."
This question might have confused him in the past, but it was no longer a problem since Chen Pipi took him to the study in the cliff cave and saw the scholar who kept copying and reading.
Li Yu stared at his eyes and asked, "But after you have enough power, don't you want to rely on power to do what you want to do and achieve some of the goals you want to achieve?"
Ning Que's mind flashed with the dilapidated mansion, the blood-stained stone lions, and his friends sitting in front of the wet wall. His body felt slightly stiff. After a long silence, he put these unspeakable thoughts behind him. He looked up at her and shrugged. He said casually, "I used to be obsessed with fame and fortune, but now I have it. I only know the troubles of being famous after I become famous. So I really don't know what to do in the future."
Li Yu looked at him quietly and suddenly thought that this guy was now a student of the Headmaster of the Academy. The fame and fortune in the world were indeed not very attractive to him. Somehow, she felt a little frustrated and helpless.
"I remember that once in the last winter, you told Xiaoman a fairy tale in the wooden courtyard where we are sitting now. The little princess in the fairy tale was proud, timid, and incompetent, while the frog prince was a bit unreasonable."
After a long silence, she opened her mouth and said.
As soon as she opened her mouth, she felt that something was wrong. She couldn't figure out why she suddenly told the story. But since it had already begun, she clenched her fists and forced herself to calm down and tell the story. She didn't know if it was because of the hot wind at the end of summer or because the palace maids in the corridor were lazy and stopped fanning themselves, but she felt that her cheeks were a little hot.
"If you want to do anything in the world, you must first dare to think. If you don't think, you will never be able to do it. The so-called ambition, desire, and ideal, in the final analysis, actually depends on the word 'courage'. "
Li Yu's emotions gradually calmed down and she said slowly.
It was quiet in the courtyard. Only the sound of the big leaf fans in the corridor in the distance could be faintly heard, the surprised cheers of Xiaoman under the old tree, and the sound of water dripping into the pond between the rockery could be heard.
Ning Que saw the tranquility, gentleness, and even indulgence in her eyes and understood the meaning of her words. He couldn't help but think of the young girl who listened to the story by the bonfire at the entrance of Northern Mountain Road. But in a flash, he came back to his senses and remembered that she was the noble princess of the Tang Empire. In particular, those past speculations were still lingering in his mind. After a moment of silence, he didn't answer, but asked, "How is Mr. Lyu recently?"
Li Yu didn't hear his tentative words, and felt a little regretful and sad. But she also breathed a sigh of relief. She picked up the precious bamboo pot in front of her and filled the teacup in front of Ning Que. She said with a smile, "Mr. Lyu refused to live in Chang 'an and insisted on cultivating in the Tile Top Mountain. A few days ago, he sent a letter saying that he was in good health. By the way, he was very happy to know that you entered the Second floor of the Academy."
Thinking of the old man Lyu Qingchen's selfless teachings on the journey, when he was just an unknown lad who couldn't cultivate, Ning Que couldn't help but feel emotional and grateful, and his mood became much warmer.
"Your Highness, when I go to the Wilderness … I'll leave Sangsang in your care."
"Don't worry."
Under the care of the Fourth Princess of the Tang Empire, no one in Chang 'an would dare to bully the little handmaiden. But Ning Que's trip to the Wilderness was the first time that Sangsang left his side since she was born. So after getting such a positive answer, he was still a little worried. He stared into Li Yu's eyes and said very seriously, "Don't let anyone bully her."
Being questioned by Ning Que, Li Yu, as a princess, was not unhappy, but calmed down. Because she knew that Ning Que was worried about Sangsang, but he was willing to let her take care of Sangsang, which showed a certain attitude.
"Don't worry. If anyone dares to bully Sangsang, I'll make him suffer."
"Your Highness, that's too cruel. Just let that person die and his whole family die."
"…"
"Your Highness?"
"Nothing. I have a letter here. Take it with you. Although I know you won't be afraid of those barbarians in the Wilderness, you are in a foreign land. If anything happens, take this letter to Crown Prince Chong Ming. "
Ning Que took the letter and put it in his arms. When he was about to say some standard words of gratitude, he suddenly raised his eyebrows. Listening to the breathing coming from outside the flower wall, he wondered who in the Princess's Mansion dared to ignore the rules and eavesdrop on the conversation between the princess and him.
Li Yu was slightly startled when she saw his expression. She looked back and frowned. "Why are you here? Have you finished today's homework? Since when does the Imperial College allow students to leave early? "
A young man in bright yellow clothes came out from behind the flower wall. The young man had delicate features, but his face was pale as if he hadn't seen his eyes for a long time. His thin body and pale face gave people a feeling of weakness.
The young man replied with a smile, "Sister, don't always be so fierce."
Hearing the title, Ning Que knew the identity of the young man. He was the eldest son of the Emperor of the Tang Empire, the Eldest Prince Li Huiyuan, who was most likely to inherit the throne. So he stood up and saluted with hands folded in front.
When he saluted with hands folded in front, the young prince raised his eyebrows and showed a trace of displeasure on his pale face. He waved his hand casually and said, "No need."
In his opinion, although this person was qualified to sit opposite his sister, he was not an ordinary person. But no matter who he was, since it was the first time he met the prince, he should at least bow to the ground, if not kneel. It was too disrespectful to bow so casually.
He was secretly angry at Ning Que for being disrespectful, but Li Yu's face suddenly turned cold. She scolded unhappily, "Where are the manners that the teacher usually taught you? Hurry up and return the greeting to Sir Ning. "
Hearing the words "Sir Ning", the young prince Li Huiyuan suddenly remembered the uproar in the palace this year. He looked up at Ning Que curiously and finally matched the real person with the person in the legend.
If it was on a normal day, even if he knew that this person was someone appreciated by his father, he would not show any expression. But in the world, the person he feared the most was his sister. Looking at Li Yu's frosty face, he quickly stood up and returned the greeting to Ning Que.
Ning Que smiled gently and waved his hand to indicate that there was no need, but he did not move sideways to avoid it.
Li Huiyuan noticed this from the corner of his eyes. When he stood up, his face was a little pale. But after all, he was a child who grew up in the royal family. He quickly suppressed the anger in his heart and walked in front of Ning Que, holding his hand and chatting enthusiastically.
His pale and immature face showed a morbid nobility. He deliberately showed affection, but could not hide the indifference in his eyes. Ning Que was used to life and death, and could not tolerate such poor acting skills. But he was not unhappy because of this. Instead, he brought out his best acting skills and the best mental state. He was humble and enthusiastic, like a ball of fire in the desert in winter.
Acting skills were the foundation of an actor's life. Today, Ning Que and the young prince were performing on the same stage by the cool breeze and flowing water in the wooden courtyard. They kept performing like this, which was equivalent to using excellent acting skills to humiliate each other.
Looking at the scene of the two chatting, Li Yu had already noticed that something was wrong. She rubbed her eyebrows in distress and stared at Ning Que reproachfully, indicating that he should stop.
The Prince had suddenly appeared in the Princess Mansion and happened to meet him. Ning Que would not believe that it was a coincidence. He knew what Lee Yu meant, but he did not have the right and did not want to get involved in that matter. Even if he wanted to, it would be a long time in the future. So when he saw Lee Yu's reproachful eyes, he smiled and stopped teasing the Prince. He bowed to the two nobles and left.
Under the willow tree on the way out of the Princess Mansion, he saw a young Taoist with a yellow paper umbrella under his arm. He could not help but be slightly startled. These days, he often went to the South School of Haotian Taoism across the imperial city, so he recognized the young Taoist as He Mingchi, a disciple of the Nation Master Li Qingshan. This person was in charge of some important work in the Imperial Center Administration and was extremely busy. He did not expect to see him in the Princess Mansion today. It seemed that he was waiting for someone.
Ning Que walked over and asked curiously, "Senior Brother Mingchi, who are you waiting for?"
The young Taoist looked at Ning Que and smiled helplessly. He pointed to the direction of the mansion and said, "Under His Majesty's order, I am in charge of supervising the prince's study. He ran out of the Directorate, so I had to follow him."
Ning Que thought that the foppish pale prince was really not an easy person to get along with. It was really a tough job to supervise his study. He looked at him sympathetically and comforted him, "It's just a matter of turning a blind eye."
Fang Mingchi smiled bitterly and shook his head. He said, "I was adopted by my master. I have followed my master in and out of the palace since I was young. I am familiar with the prince, so His Majesty entrusted this task to me. I dare not take it lightly."
…
…
Ning Que went to the old tree to look for Sangsang and chatted with Xiaoman for a while. Then he left the Princess Mansion.
Walking in the busy streets and looking at the naughty children playing around the well, he thought of the young prince and the rumors about the fight for the throne. He could not help but shake his head and sigh. "The princess is really unlucky to have such a brother. I don't know how much suffering she will suffer because of him in the future."
Sangsang asked curiously, "What's wrong with the prince? Young master, do you think he is an idiot again? "
"If he is really an idiot, then it's fine. No one will make things difficult for him. But he has learned some tricks from Her Highness … an idiot who wants to be smart will easily cause trouble. "
Sangsang looked around and reminded him in a low voice, "Young master, that is a prince."
Ning Que smiled and said, "So what? So what if he is Prince Long Qing? If this little prince dares to provoke me in the future, I will let him know how difficult it is to be a performer. "
"Young master, you are often very proud and complacent now."
"Two years ago, we could only participate in the distribution of the gambling rights in the City of Wei. Now it seems that we can participate in the distribution of the throne. How can I not be proud? And it is not that there are no outsiders. "
Sangsang glanced at him and did not speak.
"You have to believe it. Once you enter the Second floor of the Academy, you will be the core disciple of the Headmaster of the Academy. As for the succession of the throne, the attitude of the Academy seems to be very important now. The Senior Brothers and Sisters in the Back Mountain are definitely not interested in this matter. I am probably the only one who might be interested … "
Ning Que said, "That is why the Princess played this trick today. But looking at the little prince's performance today, I suspect that she will regret today's arrangement. At least she should have told the little prince in advance. "
Sangsang asked curiously, "The Academy can also play a role in the succession of the throne? Young master, you have such a high status after becoming the core disciple of the Headmaster of the Academy? Is the Headmaster of the Academy so powerful? "
Ning Que said with a self-deprecating smile, "Don't forget that I have not seen this teacher until today. But I have heard a lot of rumors and the attitude of the people around me. I can roughly understand how important this teacher is."
"Young master, then should we be on the Princess's side?"
"Xiahou … should be on the Empress's side. Then in the future, I can only stand on the other side of the Empress, that is, on the Princess's side. I mean, if there is a need to choose a side. In fact, I have figured this out a long time ago. But everything is waiting for a good price. If I want to sell it at a suitable price, I have to wait. Now that the price is good, I can slowly start selling it. "
Sangsang suddenly stopped and looked up at his side profile. She said very seriously, "When you were telling me the fairy tale about the Frog Prince, I also understood it. Is this a good price?"
After a moment of silence, Ning Que shook his head and said, "Not all toads want to eat swan meat."
"Is swan meat not delicious?" Sangsang asked confusedly.
Ning Que looked at her and said with a smile, "In the eyes of some toads, dirty and smelly black loach is much more delicious than swan meat."
Sangsang asked, "Young master, are you beating around the bush and saying that I am ugly and black?"
Ning Que smiled and said, "It seems that my little girl is finally willing to use her brain to think."
Sangsang said seriously, "So the more I think about it, the more I think it is a good thing. According to what you told me when I was a child, if I can marry Her Highness, I can work less for many years."
Ning Que continued to walk forward and said, "The problem is how many people she has said this to."
These words involved the most vicious speculation about women. Sangsang frowned and said unhappily, "Young master, you have always been prejudiced against Her Highness. In fact, she is a good person."
"Whether she is a good person or a bad person, what does it have to do with me?"
"Didn't you say just now that you want to sell it at a good price? What price will be higher than Her Highness's? "
"Hey, haven't you heard that selling one's art is not selling one's body?"
…
…
(I have tried my best to write and continue to pressure myself. Tomorrow, I will still keep writing 6,000 words. Please continue to sincerely vote for me and vote for me.) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for me and vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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