When the officials of Gyeongo saw this scene, they could no longer describe their feelings. They all looked at Fang Yun in shock. He had clearly written a poem to save the dancers and scold the Qing Emperor, but in the end, he had forced Gyeongo to be at odds with him, and it would be difficult for them to recover.
Things had already happened. No matter what Xin Zhi did, what happened today would be like a thorn in the Qing Emperor's heart.
This thorn itself was not very powerful, but if it was stabbed into Gyeongo's lost Xiangzhou, unless Gyeongo took back Xiangzhou, it would never be resolved.
Some of Xin Zhi's colleagues sighed in their hearts. Although Hanlin's position was high, it was nothing in front of the Qing Emperor.
For a large country like Gyeongo, the Qing Emperor did not even care about whether a scholar stayed or left. Only a great Confucian scholar could make him pay attention.
In Jingguo, whether a scholar stayed or left was enough to shake the court.
Fang Yun knew that taking over a province was a huge project. As for the negotiations with the other government, it would take at least a month or two. These things would be negotiated by the officials of Jingguo. He would not waste time on such a small matter.
"This matter will be negotiated by General Zhou and the officials. Tomorrow, I will return to Jingdu." After Fang Yun finished speaking, he walked out of the Academy of Arts.
Walking out of the Academy of Arts, he saw that the side of Academy Street was the same as before, blocked by countless Baling people. However, those people were all waiting quietly. It was exceptionally quiet.
Everyone looked at Fang Yun, suppressing the excitement in their hearts.
Most of the people who came here were elderly. The youngest was 40, and the oldest was over 90. They had all experienced the terrifying period when Gyeongo suppressed Xiangzhou decades ago. That kind of bone-deep hatred could not be eliminated no matter what.
Fang Yun looked at the dense crowd in front of him. A sad expression appeared on his face. He cupped his hands and said, "I've wronged you all these years."
Fang Yun's words were like a switch, causing the grievances that had accumulated over the years to completely erupt. Countless people burst into tears, and some even cried loudly.
Their cries shook the sky.
"Son's mother, we're going back to Jingguo! Back to Jingguo! "
"Father, your spirit in heaven must have seen it! We are Jingguo people again! The words on your tombstone can be changed! We can change it now! "
"Back to Jingguo!"
"Back to Jingguo …"
Most of the young people who didn't know much about the past were influenced by the atmosphere. Their eyes were red. They were all smart people. Everyone knew the difference between Gyeongo and Jingguo.
Some of the scholars clenched their fists tightly. Their gazes were firm, and their eyes were filled with hope that had never existed before.
The return of Xiang Prefecture meant that everyone in Xiang Prefecture was equal from now on. Everyone had the right to participate in Xiang Province's imperial examinations. Xiang Province's quota would no longer be taken away by people from other provinces.
However, a small number of young people were not happy. Most of them had migrated from various parts of Gyeongo. If there were no accidents, they would immediately migrate back to Xiang Province.
Fang Yun had a faint smile on his face as he watched everything that was happening. After a while, he returned to his residence in the State College of Arts. He continued reading.
To Fang Yun, today was just a normal day. There was no need for him to rest.
Until late at night. Fang Yun lay on his bed and recalled the day's events. From the composing of poems at the banquet, to the confrontation with Xin Zhi, to the ten rounds of literary battles.
In the end, Fang Yun could no longer endure the fatigue. He slowly fell asleep.
Fang Yun originally wanted to sleep for two hours as usual. However, the ten rounds of literary battles were too tiring. It was beyond the limits of an ordinary Grand Scholar. Not only was he physically exhausted, but his literary courage and literary palace were also at their limits.
Six hours later, Fang Yun finally woke up. By now, the sun was shining brightly, and the sun was hanging high in the sky.
Fang Yun was anxious to return home. After briefly informing the Jingguo officials, he left the city in the Dragon Horse.
Many officials of Baling were already waiting outside the east gate. Even Lord Qing was there.
If the Lei family had not been punished by the Fire of the Three Rites, Lord Qing would have left early last night. He would not have wronged himself by sending off the victors of the enemy nation. However, even if he had a hundred guts, he would not dare to not send off Fang Yun personally.
Etiquette could not be ignored. Thus, Lord Qing got off the carriage and walked with Fang Yun. They chatted intermittently and walked for a full ten li before stopping.
Xusheng arrived and sent him off ten li.
The Ten Li Pavilion was located on the south bank of the Yangtze River.
Looking around, it was a warm spring with blooming flowers and tall grass. It was a different season from the north of Jingguo.
Everyone faced the Yangtze River. It was the spring flood. The river was rolling and the current was rapid. It was as vast as the ocean.
On the other side of the Ten Li Pavilion was a tall skyship.
Fang Yun and a portion of Jingguo officials stood on one side of the skyship. Gyeongo officials, Xiangzhou officials, and a portion of Jingguo officials who remained in Xiangzhou stood on the other side to send them off.
Gyeongo's literary minister, Gu Fu, stepped forward and cupped his hands toward Fang Yun. He said, "Let's not talk about the civil war today. At this time, we are here to send off Fang Xusheng. Fang Xusheng's Literary Name is at its peak. It is like adding oil to the fire. We should not display our slight skill in front of an expert. However, as a scholar, how could there be no poems when sending him off? Old Man suggests that we choose three young people to send off Fang Xusheng. What do you think? "
Fang Yun nodded. "Mr. Gu is right. It can be seen that Gyeongo is a state of etiquette. Then I will leave it to you to choose three people. "
Gyeongo's young scholars were eager to give it a try. In fact, many of them were already prepared for this because it was customary.
Family hatred was one thing, but sending off a farewell poem in front of Xusheng was another. This was a good opportunity to raise Fang Xusheng's Literary Name. Even if he could not leave his name in history, he would definitely leave a mark in the local annals. Who would send a poem to Fang Xusheng in a certain year, month, and day? If Fang Yun could become a Half-saint in the future, it would be a Half-saint who would bring honor to his ancestors.
The Half-saint aristocratic families and wealthy families did not think highly of Xusheng, but the aristocratic families and commoners all looked forward to it.
Moreover, most of the young scholars here were from Xiangzhou. They were part of Fang Yun's family. In the future, if they had the reputation of sending a poem, they would definitely be different from ordinary people in Jingguo. Perhaps they would have more connections.
Many of the young people's faces turned red. They could not help but squeeze forward, causing temporary chaos.
Fang Yun looked at these young people who were all older than him. He smiled and sighed in his heart. He did not expect that in less than a year, he would go from being a poet to being a recipient of a poem. Moreover, countless young people were proud of giving him poems. The difference in status was unimaginable in the past.
Gu Fu coughed softly and scanned all the young scholars with his cold gaze.
These people immediately felt as if there was a knife on their backs. They were so scared that they could not move. Gu Fu was a great scholar. He could kill them all with just one word.
Gu Fu's gaze landed on Yan Yukong, who was Gyeongo's representative last year. Like Fang Yun, he was going to participate in this year's Court Examination. He wanted to be the first in all ten subjects and enter the Ocean Competition.
"Yukong, you and Fang Xusheng were both representatives last year, and you are old acquaintances. You will be the one to gift the first poem to him."
Gu Fu's words caused many people to sigh. If it were someone else, they might not be convinced. However, Yan Yukong made them speechless.
"Yes, Minister Wen."
Fang Yun looked in the direction of the voice and saw Yan Yukong walking out from the crowd. Not only did Yan Yukong win the competition, but he was also the most popular candidate to be the top scholar in Gyeongo this year.
Yan Yukong and Fang Yun had known each other for a long time. They had worked together in the Holy Ground and the Hunting Ground. They were true friends who had gone through thick and thin together.
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