Lu Ban wielding an axe in front of his door, Du Kang selling wine in front of his shop, and the Headmaster of Academy drying books in front of his door were, of course, the most overconfident actions. But if one were to look at it from another perspective, when Lu Ban saw the guy wielding an axe in front of his door, Du Kang saw the guy selling wine in front of his shop, and the Headmaster of Academy saw the guy drying books in front of his door, especially when they realized that the guy was the most sacred and supreme existence in the secular world, would they feel the same itch as Ning Que from the bottom of their hearts?
I want to be a wooden bird and tell that guy that the prototype of an airplane is like this. I want to brew a pot of wine and tell that guy that the wine of a fallen country is like this. I want to write a few words to tell that guy that this is the soul soup. I want to write a few more words to tell that guy what is called writing. Even if you are the Human Sovereign or the Heaven Emperor, you have to listen to me.
At this moment, Ning Que was immersed in this extreme pleasure. He looked at the gradually drying ink on the Xuanzhou bud paper with satisfaction. He imagined that he was playing the role of His Majesty's calligraphy teacher, using those brush strokes to slap the old man's palm, and scolding him with disdain and disdain.
"I wrote wrong again! Stretch out your hand and hit the board! "
He was very satisfied with the five words he had written and even felt that they were the best he had written in recent years. Other than the excellent quality of the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and the wonderful location of the Imperial Study, the most important reason was that he had accumulated too much itch in the room. More importantly, the first five words were written by the Emperor himself.
He admired his round brush with relish and the straight and broad structure. For a moment, he was a little reluctant to destroy the paper. So he was ready to put it into his sleeve after the paper was dry and quietly take it out of the palace. However, at this moment, an angry roar suddenly sounded outside the Imperial Study which had been silent all this time.
"Where did that bastard go!"
Ning Que was shocked. When he looked up, he saw the door of the Imperial Study being pushed open by a hand.
His pupils constricted slightly, and with a quick flick of his finger, the ink paper on the drying table lightly slid into a gap in the corner of the bookshelf. Then, he turned around, folded his sleeves, and pretended to look at the books on the bookshelf. As his sleeves brushed past, the row of books on the bookshelf had already changed directions, and the "Flowers Bloom on the Shores on the Shore" was firmly pressed in the innermost area. No one could tell that someone had moved it.
The person who walked into the Imperial Study was a short and strong middle-aged general. He wore a palace bodyguard uniform and had a black gold belt tied around his waist, showing his extremely high rank. The middle-aged general saw Ning Que beside the bookshelf and the lad who was engrossed in reading like a Calligraphy Addict. He was so angry that he rolled his eyes and yelled, "Who the hell let you in?"
Ning Que pretended to be absent-minded, but in fact, his ears had been pricking up to listen to the movements behind him. When he heard this, his heart thumped. He guessed that there was some misunderstanding in this matter. It should be that he had misheard something when the little eunuch had told him what to pay attention to. It should not be a conspiracy like the White Tiger Hall. If the palace wanted to deal with a nobody like him, there was no need to do so much. However, the crime of entering the Imperial Study without an edict could be serious or minor. No matter what, he could not let himself get into such trouble.
He was like a cute little scholar who had been dazzled by His Majesty's collection of books. He turned around and rubbed his eyes. He looked at the short and fat bodyguard at the door and said with a face full of confusion, "I have entered the palace by imperial edict. Is there a problem?"
The short and fat bodyguard was slightly startled. He had probably never imagined that someone could be so calm and unperturbed after being caught red-handed in the Imperial Study. He could not help but reveal an inexplicable expression on his face. He painfully covered his forehead with his hand and angrily said to himself, "Old Chao, you bastard! You didn't even teach me the rules in advance! "
Ning Que walked out from behind the desk and bowed with his hands folded in front of his chest. He asked in confusion, "General, do you know Brother Chao?"
In Lin 47th Street, in Spring Breeze Pavilion, no matter how Chao Xiaoshu had behaved in high spirits, Ning Que had always refused to acknowledge him as a brother. At this moment, he did not care and naturally said the word "Brother". It was to protect himself. As for the rhetorical question, it was to turn defense into offense. Anyway, his purpose was to divert the other party's attention from the Imperial Study to somewhere else.
The short and fat bodyguard confirmed that there was no one around the Imperial Study. He looked at the array in the room with a vigilant and uneasy expression. He did not find anything strange. He covered his forehead again with some lingering fear and looked at Ning Que in pain. He said, "You rascal, hurry up and come out. I have been looking for you outside for almost an hour. Who would have thought that you would dare to come in here? Remember, you did not come in here today. Don't even think about showing off to others for the rest of your life. Otherwise, I will destroy you!"
Ning Que followed the nagging bodyguard out of the Imperial Study. He took two steps to the west and came to the guard duty room in the Spring Harmony Hall not far away.
In the dark room, he finally knew that the short and fat, amiable guy in front of him, who spoke with a Hebei accent and whose every word seemed to have the smell of scallions, was actually the Deputy Commander of the Tang Imperial Bodyguards, Xu Chongshan. He was also the person that Chao Xiaoshu had asked him to meet last night.
"His Majesty is very fond of calligraphy. Coincidentally, you are a seller of calligraphy, so he brought you into the palace with this identity. It was just to avoid people's eyes and ears. But you, you rascal, actually entered the Imperial Study without saying a word! Do you really think that you are a master of calligraphy?! Do you really think that His Majesty asked you to come and appreciate the calligraphy?! "
Xu Chongshan pointed at Ning Que's nose angrily and growled in a low voice, spittle flying everywhere.
Ning Que rubbed his nose in embarrassment and thought to himself, "His Majesty did not ask me to come and appreciate the calligraphy, but I have already written something in the Imperial Study. What can you do to me?" Thinking of this, he thought of the "Flower Blooms on the Shore" in the corner of the bookshelf. He thought to himself, "How can I take that thing out in the future?"
Xu Chongshan was a little tired from all the scolding. He supported his thick waist and said, "Let's get down to business."
Ning Que smiled and replied, "Please go ahead."
Xu Chongshan looked at him strangely and said, "You're such a cheeky young man. You don't look like what Old Chao said at all."
"That's because you are too powerful, Commander." Ning Que explained very seriously.
Anything could be penetrated by mountains of gold and silver, but not by flattery. Even the most immature and clumsy flattery had its uses, not to mention that the one doing it was a seemingly immature and clumsy young man. Xu Chongshan's expression became slightly better. He coughed twice and asked, "Now you should know who Old Chao works for, right?"
Ning Que frowned slightly and asked, "Is Brother Chao the commander's subordinate?"
"I don't have the guts to order Spring Breeze Pavilion Old Chao around. Also … don't call him Brother Chao in the future. Those old people are few and far between now. We are used to calling him Second Brother Chao."
Xu Chongshan said seriously. Then he thought of the massacre in the spring rain last night and Old Chao's evaluation of this young man. He found Ning Que more pleasing to the eye. He suddenly changed the topic and asked with a smile, "Why did you help Old Chao last night?"
"I took 500 taels of silver." Ning Que answered honestly.
No one would risk their life for a person they had just met for 500 taels of silver. Moreover, that person was a 16-year-old young man who was about to enter the Academy. Xu Chongshan did not believe his explanation, so he did not think that Ning Que was greedy for money. Instead, he thought that Ning Que was a true man of character. Suddenly, he found Ning Que more pleasing to the eye.
"His Majesty likes people of character, and so do I." Xu Chongshan looked at him with a smile and asked, "Then I only need to ask one question. That is … are you willing to sacrifice your life and even your reputation for the Empire?"
Ning Que was slightly stunned. He frowned and thought for a long time. On the one hand, he was trying to guess the real reason why this bigwig would ask such a question. On the other hand, he did not understand why the bigwig would use the word "even" in front of the word "reputation". Was reputation more important than life?
This question was very big and broad, very serious and sacred, but also very confusing. He thought for a long time. He thought about the previous generals of the City of Wei, the comrades who had gone through thick and thin with him, and the passionate people in Chang 'an. He answered seriously and slowly, "If I'm forced, I can sacrifice my life …"
Speaking of this, he suddenly thought of a scene last night. After Chao Xiaoshu reluctantly put down the bowl of noodle soup, he looked at the grey wall across the shop and talked to himself. So he hesitated and added, "But some things can't be done."
Xu Chongshan looked at him solemnly. He realized that the young man did not give a powerful answer without hesitation. Instead, he thought about it seriously and even embarrassedly for a long time. Regarding this, the Deputy Commander was not angry. Instead, he was very appreciative, because he knew that a prudent answer after thinking was more reliable than a hot-blooded and impulsive one.
"From now on, you are a member of the Tang Imperial Bodyguard."
There were no more questions or tests. It was just a simple conversation. Xu Chongshan decided to recruit this young man into the Tang Imperial Bodyguard team. Part of the reason was that Chao Xiaoshu was his guarantor, but more importantly, he really liked the young man's temperament when he answered the questions.
So it was Ning Que's turn to be shocked and speechless. He looked at the matte ebony waist token in his hand and looked at the identification mark on it. After a long silence, he said blankly, "I became an imperial bodyguard after a fight?"
"The Fish-dragon Gang was forced to the light by the idiotic ministers in the imperial court. Don't look at me like that. The word idiot was given by His Majesty in a rage last night. So we need to rearrange some people to hide in the dark."
Xu Chongshan explained coldly, "This is the glory of the Tang Empire. Don't think about rejecting it."
"It's not about rejecting it." Ning Que said helplessly, "The problem is what does the imperial court need me to do? What can I do? Most importantly, I'm about to participate in the Academy entrance exam. "
Xu Chongshan's expression changed slightly when he heard the word "Academy". It was not for any other reason. As an old guard, he knew very well what Chao Xiaoshu had gone through in the past. It was also because of those past events that this batch of secret guards now had the treatment that they did not have in the past. He looked at Ning Que with a gentle smile and said, "Don't worry. You can enter the Academy if you can. After you graduate from the Academy, you will still be serving the imperial court. There is no conflict between the two."
"You haven't told me what I need to do." Ning Que insisted.
"The Fish-dragon Gang has been exposed, but there is no longer any problem with the Jianghu in Chang 'an." Xu Chongshan frowned slightly and said, "Your task is very simple. It is to collect information. We will talk about the details later."
If Jianghu was no longer a problem, then the biggest problem other than the imperial power was the world of cultivators. Thinking of the fact that he was about to enter the Academy and the vague instructions of the deputy commander, Ning Que naturally thought of a possibility. Was the imperial court going to attack the Academy?
The guard token in his hand was a little wet from his sweat. But he knew that he could not refuse these things. He only hoped that things would go differently from what he imagined.
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