Chapter 25: Startling Divination

Liu Bi helped his grandfather onto the sedan chair. The strong Prince's mansion guards had already lifted the sedan chair and sent Liu Liu Yanxiu to Shuyun Villa on the mountainside.

Prince Prince Jia Shun accompanied Celestial Master Zhang up the stone steps, pointing out the mountain scenery along the way.

The young man carrying the long sword followed closely by Zhang Zhang Yuzhen's side. As his eyes turned, he noticed that Zhang Zhang Yuzhen had been examining the teenager walking in front and accompanying the sliding chair from time to time.

The teenager was wearing a bright red scarlet felt cloak, which was very eye-catching in the snow, and the Sun Xiuyu hairpin on his head reflected a warm light in the sun.

When the group stepped into the gate of Shuyun Villa, the sword-carrying teenager saw that there was no one beside Zhang Zhang Yuzhen, so she leaned forward and asked:

"Father, you have been examining that kid. Have you seen anything strange?"

The voice was like a yellow oriole coming out of a valley, very beautiful. It was actually a girl's voice.

She knew that her father, Zhang Zhang Yuzhen, had inherited the family's secret methods since childhood and was best at the art of divination. Just now, seeing him examine Jia Cong for a long time and pinching his fingers to calculate, she knew there must be a reason.

Zhang Zhang Yuzhen said gloomily: "That child's aura is natural, and his spirit is full, which I have never seen in my life."

"But looking at his three stops and twelve palaces, his fate is erratic, his vitality seems broken but not broken, and it contains the secrets of heaven. I have never seen such a strange divination in the mortal world."

Among them, Liu Liu Yanxiu had the most respected status in the scholarly forest. The scholars participating in the literary gathering almost all came to pay respects to this contemporary literary saint to show their respect and etiquette.

On the mountainside of Qifeng Ridge, there was originally a natural huge open space. The grandfather of the current Emperor, Emperor Emperor Hongxuan, built a small detached palace here according to the natural terrain.

These people sat down one after another along both sides of the stone canal from north to south according to their age and reputation.

The person who built this villa back then must be a master with a chest full of hills and valleys.

Every distance on both sides of the stone canal was paved with bluestone to form a low table, with embroidered cushions beside the table, incense tea and wine pots on the table, burning incense, and wide umbrellas standing on top.

This was Shuyun Villa. However, after this villa was built, Emperor Emperor Hongxuan only lived here twice before he died of illness. Since then, this villa had been vacant.

The people participating in the literary gathering had arrived one after another, and the maids of the Prince's mansion introduced them to the pre-arranged seats.

A water canal half a person wide was chiseled out on that open space, winding and turning, running through the entire villa. The stream was introduced and then ran along it, flowing into the large artificial lake on the north side of the courtyard.

That large lake leaned against a cliff, planted with plum blossoms of various colors, blooming in the snow, with fragrance overflowing.

To the south of the villa, there was an open space. A door hole half a person high was opened at the foot of the wall, covered with dense fine steel wire mesh to prevent wild animals and outsiders from breaking in.

The clear and rushing Nanxi River in Qifeng Ridge was introduced into the villa from this door hole. The dense fine steel wire mesh could block wild animals and foreign enemies, but it did not block the clear stream.

Prince Prince Jia Shun, Liu Liu Yanxiu, Zhang Zhang Yuzhen, and the other three were now seated in the stone pavilion.

Back then, Prince Prince Jia Shun was sixteen years old and wanted to move out of the palace. He loved the scenery on Qifeng Ridge, so he asked for this villa from the Retired Emperor.

Jia Cong saw this series of exquisite arrangements clearly. This clear canal was naturally for the purpose of floating wine cups on winding water.

The girl who changed into men's clothes was startled. She had been influenced by her father since childhood. Although she hadn't learned this skill of her father, she knew the weight of it.

Not far from the stone pavilion, there was a book desk with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and a beast-head incense burner on the desk was spitting out curling green smoke.

Jia Cong saw that the flowers and trees in Shuyun Villa were sparse, the pavilions and towers were scattered, the water pavilions were natural, and the winding corridors were secluded, which had the beauty of wild interest.

Near the large lake, there was a spacious stone pavilion with three seats. The water canal extended into the pavilion, turned around in the center of the pavilion, and then flowed into the large lake.

Looking at the teenager walking in front with confused eyes, vitality seems broken but not broken, not a mortal, could it be that he is not a living person, or has he died before? Although it was a bit absurd, she couldn't help but shudder.

At this time, it was the Si hour, and the morning sun was shining warmly on this piece of open space facing south. Even in such a cold day on the fifteenth, there was no half-point chill.

Jia Cong saw that slightly fat Brother Wu Jinrong also stepped forward to pay respects to Liu Jing'an, but the old man just nodded slightly in return.

Looking at the expression of this Brother Wu Jinrong, he wanted to find some words to get close to this literary saint, but saw Liu Bi standing outside the pavilion with a cold look, so he stopped his actions.

This scene made Jia Cong, who was standing on the side, feel a bit confused.

Liu Bi saw his expression and didn't hide it from him, saying somewhat indignantly: "Brother Cong, this person is not a good thing. You should be careful if you meet him in the future."

Liu Bi saw that more and more people came up to greet his grandfather, so he pulled Jia Cong away a few steps.

That slightly fat Brother Wu Jinrong had been squeezed to the side by the crowd, his expression somewhat frustrated. Liu Bi glanced at that person, with a thick look of disdain in his eyes.

"Brother Cong doesn't know that this person is named Wu Wu Jinrong. He was a second-class Rank Metropolitan Graduate in the eighth year of Emperor Jia Zhao, and was appointed as a Hanlin Academy bachelor. He can be considered a noble person, and his talent is quite extraordinary."

"Because he came from a humble background and had no connections in the court, he spent two years in the Hanlin Academy. His peers were all appointed to actual positions, but he had no movement."

"So he began to drill and make connections everywhere to find some paths."

"I don't know how, but he managed to make friends with Cai Cai Xiaozhang, the second son of the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Cai Xiang."

"It's just that Cai Cai Xiaozhang is a playboy who took him to play and have fun. How could he really pave the way for him? After dragging on for several months, there was no clue."

"Once, he went to the Cai mansion to pay respects to Cai Cai Xiaozhang, and unexpectedly saw the third young lady of the Cai family, and was shocked by her beauty."

"This guy was also blinded by greed and wanted to climb the dragon and attach to the phoenix to use as a stepping stone. He sent poems and gifts to that young lady."

"How could the noble daughter of the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet pay attention to such dirty things? It's just that this Wu Wu Jinrong made a big stir, resulting in some gossip outside."

"The Cai family young lady heard the rumors outside and felt very ashamed, and even wanted to die."

"That Cai Xiang was furious after knowing it. This person was originally a fierce scholar who had been stepped on his face. How could he not retaliate? Moreover, he was just a Hanlin Academy bachelor with no foundation."

"I don't know what means he used, but news came out from the Ministry of Personnel at the end of last year that Wu Wu Jinrong was to be transferred to be a county magistrate in a third-class lower county, and the official notice would be issued after the New Year."

"Brother Cong might not know that if first-class and second-class Rank Jinshi are sent out to be officials, they start as a county magistrate at the very least."

"Going to be a secondary official in a lower county is equivalent to demotion, and his lifelong official career is equivalent to being abolished."

Jia Cong glanced at Wu Wu Jinrong standing outside the crowd. As a second-class Rank Jinshi, for the sake of his official career, he actually thought of using a woman to climb up. He was really shameless.

Suddenly, he saw a young scholar of medium build walk to Wu Wu Jinrong's side and say something, and their eyes kept looking at their side. Jia Cong felt some suspicion in his heart.

Only hearing Liu Bi beside him continue: "If he went to be that county magistrate, it would be fine, and he could still have a bit of uprightness. But he was unwilling to give up and struggled in every possible way."

"He had been in the Hanlin Academy for several years, and his news was well-informed. He actually learned that His Majesty transferred Dezhou Military Commandant Zhou Zhou Junxing back to the capital to take charge of the Investigation Court."

"During the late Emperor's period, the Investigation Court had great power and was feared by civil and military officials. Now that His Majesty has restarted the Investigation Court, he is likely to use it heavily."

"A person like Wu Wu Jinrong, who is good at drilling, how could he not know the pros and cons? He actually gave birth to the idea of relying on Yama Zhou. I heard that he took advantage of his leave to rush to Dezhou overnight."

"Finally, he returned quietly, and I don't know if the matter was successful. At that time, it was a laughing stock in the official circles of the Divine Capital."

"But I didn't expect that Yama Zhou returned to the capital on the fourth day, and on the same day, he entered the palace to meet the Emperor and recommended Wu Wu Jinrong to enter the Investigation Court as a supervising censor. Everyone was very surprised when the news came."

"This Yama Zhou is a cruel official who doesn't get up early without profit. He was actually willing to stand up for Wu Wu Jinrong. No one knows the reason."

"But Wu Wu Jinrong, in order to climb up, shamelessly relied on a cruel official like Yama Zhou. His low character is undeniable."

"His peers in the Hanlin Academy almost wanted to break off relations with him."

"He was invited to the literary gathering. Now the Prince must regret it in his heart, not wanting this guy to stain the reputation of the Nanxi Literary Gathering."

The Nanxi Literary Gathering had always invited celebrities from the scholarly forest and those with high talent. The compilers, editors, and Imperial Academy Bachelors of the Hanlin Academy were all the best among the first and second-class Rank Jinshi.

These people were naturally profound in learning. Although not all of them were invited this time, more than half were. Wu Wu Jinrong was among them, and at that time, his reliance on Zhou Zhou Junxing had not yet been exposed.

As for his affair with the Cai family young lady, it could only be considered a romantic affair of a Rank Jinshi, which, although absurd, was not enough to damage his reputation.

Otherwise, with Prince Prince Jia Shun's consistent knowledge and etiquette and not asking about politics, he would never have invited someone like Jinrong, whose reputation was stained, to cause controversy for himself and the Nanxi Literary Gathering.

Jia Cong had experienced the deceit of the later world and knew that with Yama Zhou's narrow, private, and insidious nature, he would not easily stand up for others unless he sought huge benefits.

This Wu Wu Jinrong must have given Zhou Zhou Junxing something he craved to make him plan an official position for him. What exactly it was, no one knew.

Jinrong, as a second-class Rank Jinshi, used unscrupulous means for his personal official career, completely disregarding the nobility of the Imperial Academy Bachelors, which was also rare.

Although he was despicable, this person was decisive and dared to risk universal condemnation, which could be considered a formidable character.

Just now, seeing him and another young scholar seem to be pointing and peeking at himself, Jia Cong felt some suspicion in his heart, and he had to be more vigilant.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 26 =====