Chapter 227: Muddled Through by Zhang Chun Again

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End of March, the sixth year of Hongwu.

Wu Yong left the place of posting the list with extreme disappointment.

'Didn't pass at all!!!'

Actually, before the list was posted, Wu Yong knew he wouldn't pass, although he felt his article was written very well, and quite a few people said he had the talent of a top scholar.

Originally, Wu Yong was also very confident, feeling that even if he couldn't pass as the top scholar, passing as a jinshi would definitely be no problem.

It was just that what Wu Yong never expected was that to show the importance of talent, Zhao Yu personally brought people to patrol the exam, and accidentally saw Wu Yong's name tag. Cai Jing immediately said without being polite: "The name is too unlucky. If we really take 'Useless' as a scholar, wouldn't it damage the image of our Great Song?"

Others around Zhao Yu seemed to fear Cai Jing's power, and no one stood up to refute Cai Jing.

And Zhao Yu did not speak for Wu Yong.

At that time, Wu Yong felt that things were not looking good.

Someone advised Wu Yong to go to the Cai residence to pay respects and offer thick gifts; perhaps there was still salvation.

But Wu Yong neither had that much money to send to Cai Jing, nor did he want to do this bribery, and he still had confidence and expectations for Zhao Yu, who had the name of a holy master, so he didn't go to walk Cai Jing's path.

Unexpectedly, he really didn't pass.

At this moment, Wu Yong was very angry, and even felt that Zhao Yu was also a muddled emperor, not at all as holy and wise as the world rumored.

Just as Wu Yong was about to turn black, Yuwen Yuwen Xuzhong, dressed in brocade, suddenly appeared and blocked Wu Yong's way.

Although Wu Yong didn't know Yuwen Yuwen Xuzhong, he recognized the official uniform Yuwen Yuwen Xuzhong was wearing—the python robe.

"The python robe is like the clothing of a dragon, similar to the robe worn by the Supreme, but with one less claw!"

This python robe was divided into sitting python and single python, and was the exclusive attire of high-level leaders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Only high-ranking officials of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who were highly trusted by the emperor were qualified to wear it, and it was also a symbol of glory bestowed by the emperor upon meritorious officials who were appreciated in the court.

Wu Yong hurriedly paid respects: "Seen the Prime Minister."

Yuwen Yuwen Xuzhong didn't talk nonsense either, but said straight to the point: "The Emperor wants to see you."

Wu Yong was stunned! He truly never expected that Zhao Yu would actually want to see him, a person who failed the exam. What was this about?!!!

Yuwen Yuwen Xuzhong didn't mean to explain to Wu Yong at all, but turned and left.

Wu Yong was so clever, how could he not know that, let alone passing as a jinshi, even if he had passed as the top scholar, it would be far less important than Zhao Yu's attitude. Moreover, he, a failed scholar, was summoned by Zhao Yu alone; there must be something tricky in this.

Therefore, although Wu Yong was full of question marks in his heart and secretly pondered Zhao Yu's intentions, it did not delay him at all from quickly following Yuwen Yuwen Xuzhong's pace, fearing that this opportunity that could change his fate would slip away from his eyes.

Soon, Wu Yong followed Yuwen Yuwen Xuzhong to the palace, then passed through the winding and deep palace corridors, and the two stopped in front of a remote yet elegant side hall.

Yuwen Yuwen Xuzhong said to an exceptionally tall female general at the door: "Please, Miss, report for me. The minister Yuwen Yuwen Xuzhong brings Wu Yong to seek an audience."

Before Liang Liang Damei could go in to report, Zhao Yu's voice came from inside: "Come in."

Yuwen Yuwen Xuzhong heard this and immediately brought Wu Yong into the hall.

Stepping into the hall, a faint dragon saliva incense rushed to his nose. Wu Yong couldn't help but lower his head, his gaze not daring to look directly at Zhao Yu who was sitting at the top.

Zhao Yu asked: "Called me a muddled emperor?"

Wu Yong was shocked, hurriedly knelt down, and denied it: "The commoner dares not!"

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yu said: "If it is really because of a name that one abandons a talent, it is indeed a muddled emperor."

Hearing Zhao Yu say this, Wu Yong had mixed feelings in his heart, both the panic of having his thoughts seen through by Zhao Yu and the surprise at Zhao Yu's unexpectedly broad-minded cognition. He looked up and carefully looked at Zhao Yu, who had a few points of hard-to-detect gentle aura within his majesty, trying to find more clues from the other party's eyes.

Seeing this, Zhao Yu's mouth hooked into a faint smile. He didn't pay attention to Wu Yong's little thoughts, but asked straight to the point what he most wanted to know: "I have an important matter and want to find a Shandong hero to handle it. This person must have the ability to respond to a hundred calls, the power to do great things, and even more so, must be loyal and righteous, and not afraid of difficulties and obstacles. You are from Shandong; do you know if there is such a person in Shandong?"

As soon as Zhao Yu finished speaking, a figure appeared in Wu Yong's mind: agile in body, dark-skinned, eyes shining with spirit, with decisiveness and strategy hidden in his gaze, and always carrying a kind of affinity and majesty in his gestures, making people feel that he was not a person in a pond at first sight.

This person was Wu Yong's close friend—the Wang Yuncheng petty official Song Jiang.

Seeing Zhao Yu so discerning, Wu Yong dared not have the slightest concealment, and said very simply: "The commoner has an old acquaintance who is such a person."

Zhao Yu asked: "Who is he?"

To tell the truth, after asking this, Zhao Yu was actually a bit nervous!

—Zhao Yu was a bit worried that the person Wu Yong said was not Song Jiang, or even Chao Gai.

In that case, Zhao Yu would really not know whether to change people or continue to look for Song Jiang?

Furthermore, for a transmigrator, if the person Wu Yong said was not Song Jiang, Zhao Yu might feel very uncomfortable in his heart. This feeling is hard to describe; it's just very awkward and uncomfortable all over.

At this moment, Zhao Yu could somewhat understand why Zhang Chun, Li Lin, and Ye Ye Shi Yun were hard-assembling Liangshan heroes there.

Fortunately, what Wu Yong said was: "The commoner's old acquaintance, surnamed Song, named Jiang, is the clerk of my county. He is righteous, has many friends, and is also eager for justice and charitable, often helping people in distress. He has prestige among the grassroots, and is truly as Your Majesty said, loyal and righteous, and can be used."

Zhao Yu heard this and immediately felt his whole body was smooth. 'It really is Song Jiang. It is time for my Water Margin plan to be implemented!'

But Zhao Yu was calm on the surface. He just nodded slightly and said: "Oh? There is such a person? You should tell me in detail what kind of deeds this Song Jiang has that can make you recommend him so highly."

Seeing that Zhao Yu seemed interested, Wu Yong felt a little relieved in his heart and hurriedly told everything he knew about Song Jiang one by one. From how Song Jiang helped the weak and punished the bullies, to how he generously gave money to help the poor, and then to how he, as a clerk in Wang Yuncheng County, was fair and selfless in handling cases and won the hearts of the people, every single thing was told vividly, as if Song Jiang was in front of Zhao Yu. That image of chivalry and bravery jumped into Zhao Yu's heart. Moreover, every single thing Song Jiang had done revealed his extraordinary leadership temperament and noble character...

In the left warm pavilion, Zhang Chun, Li Lin, and Ye Ye Shi Yun pricked up their ears to eavesdrop on Zhao Yu and Wu Yong talking.

Hearing Wu Yong say the name Song Jiang, Ye Ye Shi Yun slapped Zhang Chun's butt and said: "Look, how dangerous. If the person Wu Yong said was not Song Jiang, you would have messed up this time."

Li Lin also said: "That is, it's already this time, and you still dare to pretend to be a god-stick, and still 'saving the country depends on the wood, the sword and soldier point to the water worker.' If Wu Yong said another name and it didn't match the two words Song Jiang, I'll see how you explain it to the Emperor?"

Ye Ye Shi Yun echoed: "You spoke too full. 'The trace appears in Shandong' means he is very famous in Shandong, and Wu Yong is from Shandong. If the person he said was not Song Jiang, you would have to be slapped in the face."

In fact, Zhang Chun, who always looked at the head but not the tail, also regretted that she had spoken too full, for which she even pretended to be a god-stick again.

At that time, Zhang Chun really felt that she had thought of a wonderful idea, and Song Jiang was the best candidate to execute this task, so she said a prophecy in a hurry. Otherwise, how could she explain the person Song Jiang?

Thinking about it now, this is really dangerous enough. If Wu Yong said some Zhang San or Li Si, Zhang Chun's persona might have collapsed.

Speaking of which, Zhang Chun felt that she was really lucky. Over the years, the things she advocated were not all sure-fire, but for some reason, they could all magically round up in the end.

Little did she know that this was actually Zhao Yu secretly wiping Zhang Chun's butt. Otherwise, with her rash personality, she didn't know how many times she would have died. Maybe the grass on her grave would have grown several meters high.

However, although Zhang Chun knew she was wrong, she still said stubbornly:

"Cut~! Do you think I didn't think of these? The reason I dared to say so is because I am confident."

"You don't understand history, so you don't know that anyone who can lead a local uprising must have great fame and prestige in the local area. It's not that any cat or dog can climb high and shout, and someone will follow them to rise up."

"Therefore, I concluded that Song Jiang must be very famous in that area of Jizhou. Wu Yong is from the same place as Song Jiang, and in history, he was the second-in-command of Song Jiang's rebel army, and his ranking was even higher than Lu Lu Junyi. It is impossible for him not to know Song Jiang, and Wu Yong's relationship with Song Jiang must be very good. You taste it, you taste it carefully, is it like this?"

"Let Wu Yong recommend a hero, besides recommending Song Jiang, who else can he recommend?"

The reason Zhang Chun hadn't been exposed all these years, besides having Zhao Yu secretly covering her, was that she was truly able to quibble, and she always bullied Li Lin and the others for not understanding history.

This led to Zhang Chun's crooked theories being effective every time.

Just like this time, Li Lin and Ye Ye Shi Yun listened to Zhang Chun's impassioned quibbling, looked at each other, and were speechless for a while. Zhang Chun's confident and articulate appearance really made them feel that their previous worries were a bit redundant.

Ye Ye Shi Yun smacked her lips and muttered: "It seems... what you said also makes some sense?"

Li Lin rolled her eyes and complained in a low voice: "It's just that the Emperor believes in your deduction skills, otherwise you wouldn't know how many times you would have been exposed."

Speaking of this, Li Lin warned Zhang Chun again: "Pay attention next time. Unless it is a last resort, don't pretend to be a god or ghost again. If this is exposed and causes the Emperor's suspicion, you will harm others and yourself."

Ye Ye Shi Yun also warned Zhang Chun: "Right, you die if you want to die, don't pull me as a cushion."

Zhang Chun rolled her eyes: "The five of us have almost given birth to twenty children for the Emperor. The raw rice has long been cooked into rice paste. Even if the Emperor doesn't look at the monk's face, he has to look at the Buddha's face. He really can't do without us, you guys are just worrying blindly."

Ye Ye Shi Yun said: "This is not necessarily true. The Emperor's heart is the needle at the bottom of the sea, unfathomable. Who knows when he will change? Let's not be too presumptuous. By the way, didn't you often tell us that the Emperor's mind is the hardest to guess, and accompanying the king is like accompanying a tiger? Did you forget what you said?"

"How could I forget what I said myself?"

"However, what I said was about other emperors, not our Emperor."

"We have been with him for six or seven years. When have we ever seen him take action against his own concubines? Here, even if we make a big mistake, at most it's just a spanking."

"Besides, are we ordinary concubines? We are his beloved concubines. When he was still a prince, we were with him. Over the years, to let him become an emperor through the ages, which of us hasn't been tired like a dog, let him play, given birth to children for him, which of us hasn't treated him with all our hearts? Which of us hasn't worked hard and made great contributions?"

"Just say about giving birth to children, which of us hasn't given birth to three or four? These are all gambling our lives for his favor."

"If he really takes action against us, then he is truly heartless and ungrateful, and heaven will not tolerate it!"

Li Lin heard this, gently stroked her slightly protruding lower abdomen, and thought it was true. She had given birth to three sons for Zhao Yu, and this was the fourth. Over the years, she had been trying her best to help Zhao Yu strengthen the training of the Divine Machine Army and the Four Auxiliary Armies. Compared with her, the contributions of the other four women to Zhao Yu were only more and not less. The key was that Zhao Yu was indeed good to them and indeed tolerant enough. Thinking about it this way, as long as they didn't do anything too out of line, Zhao Yu would indeed not be too calculating with them.

Ye Ye Shi Yun still wanted to argue with Zhang Chun, but she thought about how she had wholeheartedly helped Zhao Yu control the economy of the Zhao Song Dynasty over the years, and had given birth to two sons and one daughter for Zhao Yu. She was the best virtuous helper, and if Zhao Yu was really not good to her, then she would really have to dig out her own eyeballs.

In this way, Zhang Chun muddled through again.

Zhao Yu listened quietly to Wu Yong's introduction of Song Jiang and found that although this Song Jiang was definitely not the same person as the Song Jiang in "Water Margin," they still had many similarities.

When Shi Nai'an wrote "Water Margin," he drew on the "Praise of Thirty-Six People of Song Jiang" written by Gong Kai.

Gong Kai was from the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, only more than a hundred years away from Song Jiang's era, and should have quite a few materials, or at least legends, about those thirty-six people.

Even if it was Shi Nai'an, he was born in the Yuan Dynasty, less than two hundred years away from Song Jiang's uprising. Did he also collect quite a few materials about those people of Song Jiang?

If this is true, then it is understandable that this Song Jiang has some similarities with the Song Jiang in "Water Margin."

This is a good thing for Zhao Yu. If this Song Jiang is also as eager for recruitment as the Song Jiang in "Water Margin," then he will be easier to control.

In short, after listening to the Song Jiang introduced by Wu Yong, Zhao Yu made up his mind to use him.

After the decision was made, after Wu Yong finished introducing Song Jiang, Zhao Yu said: "As you said, this Song Jiang is suitable to do this for me."

Wu Yong took it all on himself: "The commoner dares to guarantee with his life that Brother Gongming will definitely not fail Your Majesty's trust."

Being able to let a smart person like Wu Yong guarantee with his life, Zhao Yu felt that this Song Jiang should have something.

Therefore, Zhao Yu said to Yuwen Yuwen Xuzhong: "In that case, you take him down and explain this matter to him in detail."

Yuwen Yuwen Xuzhong accepted the order, took Wu Yong to the Embroidered Uniform Guard Command Office, and told Wu Yong about Zhao Yu's Water Margin plan...

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(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 228 =====