"The Wenxin Trial is upstairs. You can go upstairs from here to the top floor." Song Tingfeng took him to the staircase and pointed upstairs.
"There are no requirements for this trial, but you have to remember to follow your heart. If you are too pretentious, your score will be lowered."
"What's the point of scoring?" Xu Qi 'an asked.
"Why do you test your aptitude? There are four grades: A, B, C, and D. The better the aptitude, the easier it is to be cultivated. " Song Tingfeng raised his chin and said, "I am B."
Zhu Guangxiao said in a muffled voice, "I am C."
I am a strong man … Xu Qi 'an silently joked and went upstairs alone. When he came to the second floor, he saw an ancient bronze mirror hanging on the red pillar opposite the stairs.
His figure was reflected in the mirror.
Xu Qi 'an's heart palpitated for no reason. His muscles tightened uncontrollably and then slowly relaxed.
The distracting thoughts in his heart settled, and his mind became calm. He let go of all fame, wealth, and selfish desires.
There's something wrong with this mirror … As soon as this thought flashed through his mind, it sank into the bottom of his heart.
Forcibly entering the Sage Time … The thought also sank.
He turned the corner with light steps and came to the hall on the second floor. There was a Buddha worshiped here. He was plump and dignified.
Offerings were placed on the shore, and incense smoke curled up.
An official stood in front of the Buddha, looking at him.
Xu Qi 'an calmly looked at the Buddha for a while, then stopped looking and walked toward the stairs to the third floor.
The official watched him leave, then lowered his head and wrote on a piece of paper, as if he was evaluating.
…
The third floor worshiped the Taoist Lord. He wore a Taoist robe, held a wooden sword, and stepped on auspicious clouds.
There was also an official in front of the Dharma Idol, quietly watching Xu Qi 'an's arrival.
After Xu Qi 'an turned around and left, the official also picked up a pen and wrote on a piece of paper on the table.
…
The fourth floor worshiped the Confucian Sage. He wore a Confucian robe and a Confucian crown, looking into the distance.
The official still stood in front of the Sage, quietly watching Xu Qi 'an.
"This saint sculpture is exactly the same as the one in Yunlu Academy …" Xu Qi'an sighed with emotion and left without any reluctance.
He arrived at the highest floor, the fifth floor.
The one consecrated on the fifth floor was a man in a yellow robe. He stood there majestically with a sword in his hands. His eyebrows were sharp like swords, and his eyes were bright like stars.
Xu Qi 'an didn't know who this person was, but the bright yellow dragon robe explained everything.
One of the kings of the Daibun Dynasty, or the founding emperor.
At this point, he suddenly understood the true meaning of the "Test of Conscience". Testing one's aptitude was only a part of it. Its true meaning was to test one's moral character.
The mirror's function was to prevent people from doing things that went against their will, such as deliberately offering incense and worshipping.
… Oh no, I didn't worship Buddha, Taoist Primogenitor, or Sage. This means that I don't worship God or Buddha, and I don't care about the Four Books and Five Classics …
… These are all fine, but I must worship the one on the fifth floor … If I don't worship him, I'll be done for … A person who has no master, no father, and ignores the gods is not allowed to exist in this era …
What kind of organization was the night watchman?
It was the Emperor's spy and guard organization.
It could disrespect the three religions, but it couldn't be loyal to the Emperor.
Therefore, the "Test of Conscience" was a screening of one's moral character.
Xu Qi 'an was undoubtedly a failure. He went up to the fifth floor in one go, but he didn't worship anyone.
I'm a scum of the world, I'll be kicked out of the night watchman's office … That's fine, the key is that the night watchman knows that I've framed Zhou Li. Who knows if he'll bring up old scores because of this …
These thoughts flashed through his mind one by one, then settled down and automatically ignored.
Xu Qi 'an anxiously fought against the "Sage Mode" and forced himself to worship the Emperor. The two consciousnesses fought wildly, his body stiffened, and his muscles convulsed and trembled.
The official standing in front of the Emperor observed Xu Qi 'an for a moment, then swept past him and went downstairs.
After a few minutes, the official returned. Xu Qi 'an was still standing in the same place, his body stiff and trembling, as if his limbs were cramping.
The official looked at Xu Qi 'an like he was looking at a rare animal, and said in a low voice, "I've already exchanged comments with my colleagues downstairs."
The official continued, "When Duke Wei set up the Test of Conscience, he made it clear that if anyone went up five floors in a row without kneeling or worshiping, he must be a heinous criminal."
… Brother, give me one more chance!
Xu Qi 'an was extremely anxious.
"Thus, Duke Wei gave us another chance and set up a sixth stage. However, no one has ever gone through that stage before." The official looked at Xu Qi 'an curiously. "You are the only one who has ever been there."
"Relax your body, don't cramp," he said.
Xu Qi 'an no longer fought against the Sage Mode in his heart. He adjusted his breathing and successfully stopped his muscles from cramping.
Only then did he realize that his back was drenched.
He followed the official around the Emperor's statue and went deeper into the area.
Mottled sunlight shone through the hollowed-out window, illuminating the wooden platform in the room.
There was a line of poetry carved on the wooden platform.
He killed millions of enemy soldiers, and the sword at his waist reeked of blood.
He returned with the Golden Truncheon in his hand, and no one dared to say a word.
The poem was quite domineering … Show me what it means.
Xu Qi 'an tilted his head and looked at the silent official. He wanted to give him some banknotes and get some information from him.
But on second thought, how could a mere official understand the mind of the powerful eunuch? It was impossible.
Don't lead yourself astray, it would be a dead end.
Poetry competition? Impossible, the theme was clearly not a competition of poetic talent. The Test of Conscience was related to moral character, so he had to start from that.
Since it was a test of moral character, why did Wei Yuan put this poem here?
Xu Qi 'an cleared his mind of distracting thoughts and actively used his brain.
The sixth test was arranged for a materialist like me who had no master and no respect for gods and Buddha. It was equivalent to the last chance.
Naturally, he wanted to dig out some precious moral character from me. If I didn't, I would be dead.
Precious moral character … Suddenly, Xu Qi 'an thought of the couplet in the hall on the first floor:
Willing to serve the world with a deep heart, not seeking personal benefits.
And the duty of the night watchman was to supervise the officials … Wei Yuan's poem also had the meaning of being loyal to the country and intimidating the officials.
Thinking of this, he suddenly understood the eunuch's meaning.
This poem was placed here not for a poetry competition, but for empathy.
If that heinous person who had no master and no army really had a bad nature, he would not be able to resist his own heart in the Test of Conscience and forcibly write an empathy poem.
On the contrary, it meant that he still had a precious moral character, so Wei Yuan was willing to give him a chance.
Xu Qi 'an sighed and stretched out his hand. "Serve me a brush and ink."
The official handed over the brush and spread the Xuan paper on the wooden platform.
Xu Qi 'an put the brush on the paper and closed his eyes.
Although I have no master and no respect for gods and Buddha, I am a genuine materialist.
But I am not a heinous person. I have justice in my heart and principles under my feet. I have never abused the people, never used my status as a petty official to extort money, even if this is the normal state of society …
Even if I have tried my best to make money.
If you want empathy, I will compose a poem to fulfill your wish.
Xu Qi 'an put down the brush without any psychological barrier and wrote in an ugly font:
You eat your own food and drink the people's blood and sweat.
It is easy to abuse the people, but hard to bully the Heavens.
The official looked at the four sentences on the paper in a trance.
He put away the Xuan paper and stared at Xu Qi 'an for a while, saying, "The Test of Conscience has ended. You can do as you please, but don't leave the yamen before the result is out."
"The qualifications of every night watchman must be judged by Duke Wei himself. I will send it to Duke Wei now."
He practically ran as he left the floor. Footsteps could be heard coming from the stairs as he quickly disappeared into the distance.
Xu Qi 'an felt exhausted. He held the wooden platform and gasped for a moment, then went downstairs.
Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao were waiting for his colleague on the first floor. Seeing Xu Qi 'an coming downstairs, Song Tingfeng smiled and waved at him. "How many times did you kneel?"
The way he smiled made him look like a fox.
The official who went downstairs did not tell him the process and the result.
Xu Qi 'an opened his mouth and finally chose to keep silent.
Zhu Guangxiao's serious face slightly wrinkled his eyebrows. "You don't look so good."
"It's more than not good. I feel that I have wandered on the edge of life and death twice. It's more exciting than a roller coaster …" Xu Qi 'an shook his head tiredly and said,
"I want to find a place to sit down and drink tea and rest."
Song Tingfeng smiled and raised his eyebrows. "I will hire a prostitute to massage your shoulders and legs?"
"You are like a crosstalk under the bridge …" Xu Qi 'an smiled and nodded. "Go to the Musical House to invite Miss Fuxiang."
Song Tingfeng was stunned and laughed. "I also had this dream when I was young."
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