Chapter 2: Becoming an Official (Part 2) Li Xu is now asking for help from others, and he is worried about gains and losses. The more he thinks about it, the more confused he becomes. Many things that have happened in the past year are emerging one after another in front of his eyes, but none of them can be understood clearly.
I walked around half a circle in the room irritably and waved away, but there was a crisp "immortal buzz" sound in my ears. I looked down again and found that my hand was touching the guqin again.
Regarding the art of piano, Li Xu only learned a few scores in order to prepare for the exam. When he was studying in Yixian County, his family had no money left to buy such an elegant thing, and the piano in the county school was in charge of Master Liu. In Master Liu's eyes,
A person like Li Xu who is ignorant of current affairs and has no one to support him will always go home to farm sooner or later. Except for the time when he teaches skills, which has to "sulli" his elegance, he usually wants to touch the strings.
Impossible
Thinking of the scene when he was a student, Li Xu sighed lightly. No matter how troubled or happy he was, they have become a meaningful memory. The philistine Master Liu, the erudite Master Yang, and a group of ambitious and broad-minded people.
The happy boy was once so close, but in retrospect he is so far away
Unknowingly, he took advantage of the tuned strings and began to pluck them gently with both hands. Cai Yong's "Autumn Thoughts" is a compulsory piece for students aspiring to achieve fame. Vaguely, Li Xu felt that he still remembered the score.
I probably couldn't think of anything at the moment, so I just played it casually. Although the music was wrong, my troubled heart slowly stopped agitated with the sound of the piano.
He thought of the good times he had spent with Gan Luo and Tao Kuo Tuosi on the banks of the Crescent Lake. He sang happily and thought of how several people shared weal and woe while being chased and intercepted by the Xi tribe's scouts. His song became impassioned again when he remembered defeating Suotou.
After Xibu, the Xiren tribe brutally slaughtered the captives, and a gloomy energy flowed out from the fingertips again, accompanied by the sound of the piano and it also became sonorous...
In the blink of an eye, the song "Autumn Thoughts" was coming to an end. The rustling autumn wind mixed with the sound of drums and horns came out through the window, making the whole courtyard look desolate. Countless autumn leaves fell from the sky, and they were as colorful as rain.
"What a song "Autumn Thoughts"!" Someone clapped softly outside the window. Li Xu was stunned, and the meaning of the music could no longer be smooth. His fingers quickly slid over the strings, and with a "boom", the sound of the piano was loud.
end
"Mr. Li, my eldest son and Mr. Liu are back!" Outside the door, the announcement from the servants of the Li Mansion rang out, just in time to catch up with the lingering sound of the piano.
"Ah, oh, please!" Li Xu was stunned and replied numbly. He didn't expect that he had been playing the piano for so long, and he didn't expect that the etiquette here was so complicated. The host had to pass by the servants before entering the guest's room.
General knowledge
"Go, go in, my brother is a free and easy man, let's not talk to him about such vulgar etiquette!" Liu Hongji's voice sounded just right, resolving the embarrassment in front of Li Xu. With a hearty laugh, Li Jiancheng,
Liu Hongji walked into the house one after another
"Zhong Jian played the piano so well that the whole yard was immersed in the boundless autumn atmosphere!" Li Jiancheng walked a few steps quickly and praised with a smile.
"I just studied with the Master in the county school for a few days!" Li Xu knew what he was doing and answered modestly.
"I have reached this state in a few days. I, who have studied hard for several years and haven't seen the way, have become a fool!" Li Jiancheng retorted with a smile. Although he is the eldest son of Duke Tang, he is not like Li Xu who saw him in the county school.
I have seen some local officials' children who are so arrogant, but they have an air of humility all over them.
"If Zi Gu has a wooden head, I will be like that stupid cow. Not only can't I play, I don't even have the qualifications to listen!" Liu Hongji smiled and rescued Li Xu. After being together for so long, he still didn't know that his little brother actually
I know how to do this
"Brother Hongji, haven't you ever learned the piano?" Li Jiancheng turned around and glanced at Liu Hongji, with a face full of surprise. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, piano, chess, calligraphy, and painting have been compulsory pursuits for children of wealthy families. Children of Jiangnan aristocratic families regard horses as tigers.
Some people will find it strange that they are not proficient in piano and chess, but they will inevitably be treated as a laughing stock. Although the wealthy families in the north are not as sophisticated as those traditional aristocratic families in the south of the Yangtze River, they only have lower proficiency requirements, except for piano, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
, but also added riding and archery. Liu Hongji's father Liu Sheng once served as the governor of the Sui Dynasty. He himself also inherited the hereditary position of Youxun Shi. He can be regarded as a genuine descendant of an aristocratic family. If he doesn't know any piano music,
Then he can indeed be called an alternative among the children of wealthy families.
"Since my father's death, my hands have been used to hold a knife much more often than to hold a pen. How can I find the time to play the piano!" Liu Hongji looked at his calloused hands and said calmly.
When Li Jiancheng heard this, he quickly stepped forward and bowed to apologize. While bowing, he explained: "The younger brother was so happy to see the elder brother. He got carried away for a moment and actually touched the pain in Brother Hongji's heart. He really deserves to be punished!"
Liu Hongji returned the gesture and shook his head slightly, "It's nothing to worry about. It's just a fact. Besides, it's the time for the country to employ people. It's easy to regain the family status if you have some martial arts skills! As long as Zi Gu doesn't stay away from Brother Yu because he is a rough man.
!”
"How can I be such a vulgar little brother!" Li Jiancheng laughed and assured, "To be honest, I am not very interested in playing the piano or ink. It's just that as the eldest son of Li, I have to do something to show off my appearance. The second brother said
Well done, that thing is quite pleasant, but if you really want to get fame, you can do it quickly on horseback."
The three of them looked at each other and smiled, and all the embarrassment was over. When Liu Hongji saw Li Jiancheng mentioning his brother, he asked with a smile: "How is Shimin doing recently? Is he still so fond of martial arts?"
"Not only are they addicted to martial arts, they are simply martial arts idiots. They just came to Huaiyuan a few days ago, and he and Wan'er have flattened a good back garden and turned it into a martial arts arena!" Li Jiancheng shook his head repeatedly when mentioning his younger brother.
Although it is full of blame, the expression of love and pity can't help but show on the face.
"Wan'er, she also practices martial arts? I remember that the last time I met Shibo, Wan'er was studying Ban's "Girls' Commandments"!" This time it was Liu Hongji's turn to be surprised. In his impression, Li Jiancheng's sister Li Waner
She is a very quiet little girl who never shows her teeth when meeting people.
"That happened many years ago. Ever since Shimin started practicing martial arts, Wan'er has been accompanying him to learn martial arts. Now, let alone women of the same age, most teenagers are no match for her!" Li Jiancheng shook his head with a smile, his tone sounded like
But with a bit of pride
All the topics were family matters. Although Li Xu couldn't get in the conversation, he could tell that the relationship between Li Jiancheng and his younger brother and sister was very good. When Li Xu was very young, his older brother Li Liang died in the battle in Liaodong.
Therefore, he longed for brotherly love in his heart. Seeing the sincere expression on Li Jiancheng's face, he felt a little better about him.
"It's still early, why don't we go to the garden to see Shimin, he also misses Brother Hongji very much!" After chatting about family matters for a while, Li Jiancheng suggested with a smile.
"That's fine. I haven't seen you for many years. I wonder if the little guy has grown taller?" Liu Hongji agreed with a smile.
This time we were not meeting women, so Li Xu was naturally invited. The three of them chatted and walked away. After a while, they came outside the back garden and separated by the screen wall, they heard the rustle of the wind inside.
"That's it. No one can be so addicted to bow-drawing except him!" Li Jiancheng shook his head, sighed with a smile and ordered the servant not to complain, and went in with two friends.
Li Xu hurriedly took a few steps and looked forward from behind Jiancheng. He saw a young man with his hair still bent and shooting at a target with a bow. He didn't know how accurate he was, but the target was placed next to the young man 70 steps away. It was a boy his own age.
A young girl of similar age does not hold a round fan like the legendary woman from a wealthy family, but holds a pair of drum hammers, ready to cheer the young man on the drum.
Hearing the sound of footsteps at the door, the young man who was shooting did not raise his head. He first released the arrow in his hand, and then asked without looking at it: "Brother, why are you here free? Are you willing to compete with me today?"
"Brother, why are you here? Aren't you busy today?" The girl noticed that there were outsiders next to her brother, put down her drum hammer, and stepped forward to greet her.
"I have to help dad deal with a lot of things. I don't have time to practice martial arts with you. Someone came to see you. I wonder if you two still remember it!" Li Jiancheng smiled and reminded his brother and sister.
"Is anyone here to see me?" The boy holding the bow raised his head, his bright eyes flickering around Liu and Li like meteors, then he dropped the bow and ran forward with a big smile.
"It turns out to be Brother Hongji. I haven't seen you for many years, but the eldest brother is in trouble!" The young man shouted while saluting.
"I've seen my wise brother Shimin, and I've seen my sister Wan'er!" Liu Hongji quickly stepped forward and bowed to the Li siblings who were bowing to each other.
"They said that a distinguished guest came to visit. I was surprised by which distinguished guest dared to come to the frontier to see my father. It turned out to be a bunch of stupid guys like Brother Hongji. Brother Hongji is a member of his own family, so how can he be considered a guest?"
Li Shiminnian shouted happily, his immature face turned pink due to excessive excitement
"I also brought a brother, who is of the same race as you. He seems to be two years older than you!" Liu Hongji smiled and pulled Li Xu over and introduced him.
After hearing this, Li Shimin and Li Waner immediately stepped forward with a smile and asked how Li Xu dared to let the children of the two princes salute him. They quickly took half a step forward and said with cupped hands: "Li Zhongjian has met the second young master and the eldest lady in Shanggu!"
Judging from the color of their clothes, the Li siblings could see that the other party had no fame, so they could only clasp their hands and return the favor with half a courtesy. Just as the three of them had finished greeting each other, Shimin immediately stepped forward and grabbed Liu Hongji's arm, shouting
He made a request: "Brother Hongji has been traveling all over the country, and his martial arts must have improved. Why don't you give me some pointers and give you some tips to comfort me from missing my brother?"
Note 1: Li Wan'er, Princess Pingyang, one of Li Yuan's nineteen daughters, was born to the same mother as Jiancheng, Shimin, and Yuanji. Later in the history of the Song Dynasty, the woman's name was not recorded, so her name was only mentioned in the romance of the late Qing Dynasty.
Her name was Li Waner, and Mr. Huang Yi made up that she was Li Xiuning. When Li Yuan started the army, Li Shimin was nineteen years old, and Princess Pingyang had been married for many years, so she should be Shimin's elder sister rather than his younger sister.
