When Yu Shu was still in Yiyang City, she had heard of the name of the Ji family's Old Master. Everyone in the city knew the name of Ji Huaishan. He was a high-ranking official of the Celestial Commissioner's Office in the capital.
Yu Shu had never met Ji Huaishan, but if the upper beam was not straight, the lower beam would be crooked. Looking at the Ji family's descendants, she knew that the old man was not much better.
He was indeed an upright old man. He would not use his power for personal gain and steal the Dayan examination questions.
"When you are in front of your grandfather, remember to speak respectfully. Don't be rude and offend the elders. Do you understand?" On the way to see Ji Huaishan, Ji Hyotani reminded Yu Shu.
"Oh."
Yu Shu looked at Ji Hyotani's back and wondered if Ji Laosan had told Old Master Ji that she had accused the Ji family of forging the Horoscope Sticker to harm people and humiliated the Ji family in court. If Ji Huaishan told him about that, he would definitely hate her. If he mentioned it in front of him later, would she play dumb or pretend to be stupid?
After crossing half of the house, they arrived in front of an independent pavilion behind the garden. Ji Huaishan stood outside the door and said, "Father, I have brought them."
There was a low response from the door, and a page boy rolled up the curtain to let them in.
Yu Shu followed Ji Hyotani in. The building was warm and there was a smell of tea. It was bitter. Yu Shu did not like it. She wrinkled her nose and heard a slow voice above her head, "Are you Yu Shu?"
Yu Shu put her hands in her sleeves and raised her head. Not far away, there were two carved tables with all kinds of tea sets on them. Behind them, there was a majestic old man sitting on a majestic armchair. His eyes were full of spirit, his forehead was full, and his face was red. At first glance, she could tell that he was a knowledgeable person. It was completely different from the sinister old man she had imagined.
Seeing that Yu Shu did not answer, Ji Hyotani pushed her shoulder. Yu Shu reacted and raised her hand to salute.
She lowered her head and said, "Yu Shu greets Old Master Ji."
Since she was in someone else's territory, she had to show some respect. What she felt was one thing, but she had to keep up appearances.
Ji Huaishan said, "Raise your head. Come to think of it, this old man has never seen you before."
Aunt Cui had long remarried into the Ji family, but Yu Shu and her brother had been living outside. It was only two years ago that they moved under Ji Hyotani's name. Ji Huaishan lived in the capital for a long time. Due to the long journey, he only returned home once every three to five years. It was true that he had never seen Yu Shu. However, with his status, even if he returned home, it would not be Yu Shu's turn to see him.
Hearing Ji Huaishan's words, Yu Shu raised her head. She did not know that the old man in front of her had come to a conclusion after reading her face. He thought that this girl's hair was uneven and her eyebrows were loose. She was not destined to be with her parents. Her nose was straight, her wings were short, and her mouth was wide. She was a clever person. It was a pity that she was too complacent.
"I have lived in the capital for a long time. I have been busy with the government affairs and rarely took care of family affairs. I heard that your father had sent you and your brother away for several months. If Xingxuan had not seen you by chance, I would not have known that you had come to Anling. I could not bear to see you and your brother alone outside. I sent someone to pick you up before the New Year, but you refused. I am asking if you are unwilling to go home because you were chased out at that time. "
Ji Huaishan's words were dignified and his expression was gentle. If Yu Shu had not recognized the faces of the Ji family, she would have thought that he was a kind person.
Yu Shu sneered in her heart. She could not stand this sanctimonious look. It was obvious that he was plotting something. That was why he pretended to be polite and spoke so casually. It turned out that the person who beat her and her brother up, threatened her to be a concubine, and then chased them away mercilessly was not a member of the Ji family.
Thus, she replied, "To be honest, I don't dare to hold a grudge. Xiaoxiu and I are outsiders. We are not part of your family. If you are happy, you can give us a meal. If you are not happy, you can beat or chase us away. We deserve it."
As soon as she said this, Ji Huaishan and Ji Hyotani frowned at the same time. How could they not hear the sarcasm in Yu Shu's words?
Ji Huaishan saw that she did not know what was good for her, so he did not have the mood to persuade her. He knocked on the lid of the purple tea in his hand. His brows suddenly became stern as he reprimanded, "Then why are you talking nonsense and slandering the reputation of the Ji family in public?"
Seeing that the old man suddenly became hostile, Yu Shu was not frightened. On the way here, she had already expected this to happen. Without thinking, she played dumb and said, "What are you talking about, Great Elder? When did I slander the Ji family?"
Looking at Ji Huaishan's expression, Ji Hyotani took advantage of the situation and said coldly, "Last year on the ninth day of the sixth month in Yiyang's county yamen, the beggar who represented someone and accused the Ji family of deceiving the public. Isn't that you?"
Yu Shu had a confused expression as she said, "On the ninth day of the sixth month, I had already taken a boat to the capital. Why would I go to court to complain? Third Elder must have mistaken me for someone else."
While playing dumb, she laughed inwardly. This was not a court case. So what if it was her? She would not admit it.
Ji Hyotani saw that she would not admit it no matter what and suddenly remembered the scene of her pointing at his nose and cursing him in public. He could not suppress the anger in his heart and reprimanded her on the spot, "You ingrate. My Ji family provided for you and your brother to eat, live, and go to school. You are a scoundrel who can't be fed well. In the end, you bite back. I really regret being softhearted that day and bringing your brother and sister to our home. Even feeding two scoundrel dogs is better than feeding you."
Hearing this insult, Yu Shu's face fell. If she was still living under the Ji family's charity, then it would be fine. But now that she was independent and had enough to eat and drink, she did not take advantage of the Ji family. Why should she suffer his grievances? She sneered and said, "I want to ask Third Elder Master, how much rice did my brother and I eat in your home? How much oil did we use? How many days did we go to school? My younger brother and I are not part of your family. I thank you for giving us a mouthful of food to eat. But the two of us are not servants either. Our food and lodging in your house are not even comparable to that of a servant. We even have to endure your beating and scolding, ignoring us no matter what. Aren't you treating us like dogs? "
Hearing her words full of sarcasm, Ji Hyotani was furious. He glared at her. Based on his temper, he would have slapped her. But he still had some self-control. He knew that if the old man did not say anything, he could not do anything to her.
"What's more," Yu Shu changed the topic and mocked, "That time when you used a whip to hit my brother, didn't I settle it with you? I turned it all into banknotes and returned it to you. But you tore it up and didn't want it. Now, you're angry. What, do you want me to calculate interest for you again?"
Ji Hyotani flew into a rage out of humiliation, "You shut up!"
When they first entered the room, it was still peaceful. But in the blink of an eye, the three people in the room, old and young, all turned hostile. It had to be said that Yu Shu's firecracker was not a good one.
After a moment of silence, Ji Huaishan's face darkened. He slammed the teacup in his hand on the table. Today, he finally saw how disrespectful this little girl was. She had a sharp tongue and dared to shout in front of him. She was unmoved by force or persuasion. She really had no morals. Did she not know that Taoist Qing Zheng was crazy? Why would he teach the Art of Hexagram Diagrams to such a scoundrel of the marketplace?
"Don't be presumptuous. This old man asked you to come here to ask you a few questions, not to listen to your glib talk."
Knowing when to stop, Yu Shu did not continue to disgust Ji Hyotani. She turned to face Ji Huaishan and said, "I wonder what Grand Elder Sire would like to ask?"
How could she not know what he wanted to ask? At most, it would be those two things, Taoist Qing Zheng and the Art of Hexagram Diagrams. "Let me ask you. Answer me honestly and don't lie. When you were in the Ji family, you were punished to clean the Jing Shang Hall. You came into contact with Taoist Qing Zheng there. Did he teach you a set of money divination called the Art of Hexagram Diagrams?"
Without blinking, Yu Shu answered, "No."
Ji Huaishan narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Whether he did or not, you better think carefully."
"No means no."
Hearing this, Ji Huaishan did not get angry. Instead, he smiled and suddenly asked, "I know you participated in this year's Da Yan Examination. You have the heart to win. Do you want to be Master Yi?"
Yu Shu asked in return, "Which one of those who studied Yi doesn't want to improve?"
Ji Huaishan said, "Then do you know how to become a Master Yi?"
Hearing him change the topic, Yu Shu was suspicious. But she still said, "Among the six subjects, other than Arithmetic, you can be promoted to Master Yi if you can get a hundred yuan in any subject."
Unexpectedly, Ji Huaishan shook his head and said with a deeper meaning, "Then do you know that in the Da Yan Examination, if you don't take a single subject of Yi Li, all five subjects will be useless?"
Yu Shu frowned. She knew this clearly. Regardless of whether one was proficient in Qimen Dun Jia or Divination or physiognomy, one must take the Yi Li examination. Otherwise, the other subjects would be useless. She had previously visited a Master Yi with Liu Jiong's name card and was repeatedly reminded. That was why she had been cramming the theory of Yi and practicing calligraphy every day.
Ji Huaishan looked at her expression and knew that she knew. Without waiting for her to answer, he reached out and took the paper on the coffee table. He called out to her, "Come here.
Yu Shu stepped forward and took the pieces of paper in confusion. She looked down and didn't think much of it at first, but then her face turned green. She didn't recognize the handwriting on the paper, but the content, every word and sentence, was clearly the answer to her Yi and Li class!
"As you can see, this old man has the ability to have someone copy your paper, and I also have the ability to have someone draw your paper. Every year, in the Great Yan Examination, there are always a few cases of Yi and Li being lost. This old man knows that you are skilled and may be able to enter the rankings in this subject. I believe that you do not want to waste all your previous efforts, what do you think?"
Yu Shu's face tightened. She clenched the paper in her hand. A ball of fire burned in her heart. She wanted to explode, but she suppressed it. She knew that this old man wasn't joking. He could really draw her paper!
"Perhaps you want to go to the yamen and complain again. I will say this clearly. The capital is not like the provinces. I am an official. If you go to the court to beat the drum, you will be hit with fifty iron rods. You will be lucky if you can still breathe."
Ji Huaishan reminded Yu Shu with a calm expression. He picked up his teacup and took a sip to moisten his lungs. After a while, he felt that the time was right. He asked her again, "Now answer this old man. Did Qing Zheng teach you the Art of Six Lines?"
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