Chapter 156: Meet Ke Honglong again, sharpening the ancient sword
It's late afternoon.
Du Ning took a senior official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and arrived at a mansion in the south of the capital.
This is the Zhenguo Hou Mansion that Emperor Hongxuan rewarded Du Ning with.
Among them, the buildings are majestic and quite royal.
"Congratulations to Mr. Du on your promotion to the Marquis of Zhenguo. You have made great contributions to the Yun State. If you have any assignments in the future, please feel free to do so."
"I don't dare. Please take care of me in the future."
"Where, where."
The two exchanged a few polite words, and then the bachelor official left at a smooth pace.
Duning opened the door with the key. From now on, this is his new home, and it can be regarded as a family business.
Marquis is not only a status, but also a symbol of status in the court.
Therefore, there will be servants, housekeepers, guards, etc. in Zhenguohou Mansion in the future.
The Marquis also has a privilege, that is, he can have his own private soldiers and staff, which means that from now on, Duning can start to cultivate his own force.
Du Ning will slowly run the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion. The requirements are not too high, as long as he can gain a firm foothold in the capital.
The next day.
After retreating from the Jinluan Palace.
Li Changsheng, Cao Wenxuan and many other friends came to the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion, brought many Suzhou specialties to Du Ning, and congratulated Du Ning on being canonized as the Zhenguo Marquis.
Although he was canonized as a Marquis of Zhenguo, Du Ning never put on any official airs in front of his friends and treated everyone as usual.
Friends from the bottom of their hearts respect Duning even more.
Subsequently, officials from the Ministry of Industry made a plaque saying "Zhenguo Hou Mansion", and King Ji personally brought someone to the door to install it.
Immediately afterwards, King Chong, King Xian, King Xia, and many officials from the court came one after another, bringing gifts.
Some people give gold and silver, some people give carriages, and some people give precious aged tea, etc.
There were also scholars from aristocratic families in the capital. Suddenly, the entire Zhenguohou Mansion was bustling with guests, both inside and outside.
Most of the officials came in, sat for a while, and then said goodbye to Du Ning, because they still had a lot of official business to be busy with, and Du Ning did not dare to stay long.
Officials from the Xian Wang Party came with gifts and left without saying a word to Du Ning.
"Brother Du, come and see, I have brought you a special gift today!"
The King of Xia led a group of soldiers to Du Ning and called him "brother", intending to get closer to Du Ning.
Du Ning was too embarrassed to correct him, after all, this kind of thing was irrelevant.
Then, he set his sights on the soldiers brought by King Xia.
Du Ning also knew these people. They were soldiers who fought side by side with Du Ning on the battlefield in the Western Regions. They could also be regarded as brothers who knew each other in life and death.
"I've met Mr. Du."
"I've met Lord Marquis."
The soldiers half-knelt on the ground and saluted, with extremely respectful expressions and a little excitement.
"We are all brothers who share life and death on the battlefield, so there is no need to be so polite."
Du Ning stepped forward to help the soldiers up, smiling, which made the soldiers feel less restrained.
"Thank you, sir."
"Thank you, Lord Marquis."
The soldiers stood up one after another.
"Ninth Prince, what are you..."
Du Ning looked at the King of Heroes with a puzzled look on his face. He didn't know why the King of Heroes brought these soldiers here.
The King of Xia smiled and said: "These are all brothers who fought with you in the Western Regions. You are now a prince of the country and cannot be without guards around you, so I went to the Ministry of War to select twenty elite soldiers for you. They have passed
In order to save the time for military service, it is also a credit to my return from the Western Regions. I discussed it with them and they all expressed their willingness to follow you, so I went through the relevant procedures at the Ministry of War in advance."
Many people's expressions changed. The King of Xia had given Du Ning a great favor, allowing those who had fought with Du Ning to serve as Du Ning's private soldiers. This is absolutely very reliable.
After all, they are friends of life and death.
The officers and soldiers in the military camp belong to the imperial court and not to any officials. They only follow the orders of the soldiers.
After being taken out by the King of Heroes and sent to the Prince's Mansion, he became Du Ning's private soldier and could only obey Du Ning's orders.
They respected Du Ning very much in their hearts. When they learned that they had the opportunity to follow Du Ning, they did not hesitate to quit the military camp and become Du Ning's personal bodyguard.
"We are willing to follow Mr. Hou, please give him permission."
"I am willing to saddle the horse in front and behind for the Marquis, and hold the whip and stirrup."
The soldiers spoke one after another and expressed their attitude of following Duning.
A good bird chooses a tree to roost in, and a wise minister chooses his master to serve.
King Yan gave them the power to choose, and they would naturally take advantage of it.
They believed that Duning's future achievements would be immeasurable, and they would be able to stand out better by following him than in the military camp.
Du Ning hesitated for a while, thinking that the King of Xia was also a sincere friend, and he couldn't live up to the King of Xia's kindness towards him, so he finally agreed, "Thanks to your wrong love, okay, you can stay in the Hou Mansion!" <
/p>
"Thank you, Mr. Marquis, for making it possible."
"I will definitely live up to the kindness of the Marquis."
The soldiers were overjoyed. From this moment on, they were members of the Marquis' Mansion.
"Thank you, Ninth Prince, for the gift." Du Ning thanked the Xia King.
"Haha... It's just a little effort, Du Ning, don't be polite."
The King of Xia waved his hand, indicating that Du Ning should not take it to heart, and turned to look at King Chong beside him: "Second brother, what is the gift you brought to Marquis Zhen Guo?"
After saying that, he raised his head slightly, looking slightly satisfied.
Prince Chong smiled and said, "I'm not as generous as you. I selected a group of retired elite soldiers to serve as Du Ning's private soldiers. However, the gift I gave was not bad. I chose a set of carefully selected Jinshi cultural treasures and used this
If you use Tao Wenbao to write war poems, you can increase the power of war poems by about 30%."
King Chong's entourage immediately presented gifts and placed them on the table.
"Thank you, Second Prince." Du Ning said gratefully.
"You're welcome. You've done a lot for us, so what does it mean if we give you something?" King Chong said with a smile.
The wise king stood aside without saying a word. After his entourage gave him the gift, he glared at Du Ning fiercely. Du Ning just pretended that he didn't see anything. After all, there was no need to be acquainted with him.
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King Ji suddenly said: "There are still official affairs in the court, so it is not appropriate to stay for a long time. I will leave first."
"His Royal Highness King Ji, please walk slowly. After your official has finished handling the housework, he will immediately come to the Ministry of Works to help."
"You have just opened a palace in the capital, and you must settle down at home. Scholars must first organize their families and then govern the country. If the family is not in order, it will be difficult to govern the country. The Ministry of Industry has me as the king, so you don't need to worry too much."
King Ji handed over to Du Ning and left with his entourage.
"The Ministry of War has urgent reports from the northern and southern frontiers at any time. Brother, I don't dare to stay for a long time. I will meet you for a drink another day when I have free time. Brother Yu took the first step."
The King of Heroes also said goodbye to Du Ning, and became very familiar with Du Ning as brothers, and he was indeed not a few years older than Du Ning.
"Let's leave now and meet again another day."
"Farewell."
The others left one after another, and Du Ning also saw them off one by one.
"Master Duhou, the scholars in the capital will hold a literary gathering in the near future. If you are free, please be sure to attend."
Someone handed over an invitation to the cultural gathering, and it was a scholar from an aristocratic family in the capital.
"If I have time, I will definitely go next time."
If Du Ning refuses the other party's invitation, it means not giving him face and embarrassing the other party. Therefore, he can only accept the invitation first. As for whether he will be free to participate, he can only tell when the time comes. p>
If he really couldn't go, Du Ning would send someone to let him know.
Du Ning now has a lot of part-time jobs, and will spend most of his time in the court, so he won't have much free time.
Moreover, Du Ning has become a Confucian and Taoist scholar. In addition to participating in the work of the court, he also has to spend a lot of time focusing on his Confucianism and Taoism.
"Ke Honglong, a student from the Liao Kingdom, came to congratulate Mr. Du and congratulate Mr. Du on his promotion to the marquis of the country!"
A loud voice suddenly sounded.
Many people changed their expressions. They did not expect that people from the Liao Kingdom would come to congratulate Du Ning, nor did they expect that people from the Liao Kingdom would dare to come to congratulate him.
Now the relationship between Yun and Liao has become very extreme. If you are not careful, there will be a conflict. And this is the capital of Yun State. It is really bold to dare to appear in this place.
"Ke Honglong?"
Du Ning remembered that he did recognize this person. He had fought against Ke Honglong when the Ke family represented the Liao Dynasty in fighting against Suzhou.
In Du Ning's impression, Ke Honglong is a relatively upright scholar and a concubine of the Ke family.
Later, after the Ke family's civil war failed, they announced that Ke Honglong would be expelled from the semi-saint family and would never be able to recognize his ancestors.
This is definitely a very tragic thing for Ke Honglong.
Du Ning never thought that Ke Honglong would come to the capital of Yun State and come here openly to celebrate himself.
A scholar slowly walked into the hall, with no followers or friends around him.
He was wearing a robe, holding a folding fan, and had a faint smile on his face. He didn't care at all about the various looks that many Yun people looked at him.
"How presumptuous! Where are the people from the Liao Kingdom from? This is the Zhenguo Marquis' Mansion, is this a place where you can come? Get out, you are not welcome here!"
Someone said with hostility.
"You are a guest, so don't be rude." Du Ning said immediately.
The man had no choice but to shut his mouth and say no more.
But Ke Honglong ignored it and walked up to Du Ning.
"Master Du, I haven't seen you for a long time. You have become a Jinshi and have been granted the title of Marquis of the State. I am very happy and congratulated. I have taken the liberty to come here. Please forgive me."
Ke Honglong put away his folding fan and bowed to Du Ning.
"It turns out that Brother Ke is here, and Du is not far away to welcome him." Du Ning bowed in return.
The two of them puffed up their chests and looked at each other with a smile.
Later, Ke Honglong apologized again and said: "Ke should apologize to all the literary friends of the Yun Kingdom. Under the instigation of Ke Changyi, a rotten scholar, he asked Ke Changyuan of the Ke family to assist Qin Wentai in leading his troops to seize the city in the western region of the Yun Kingdom. This was a crime he committed.
Big mistake. As a former member of the Ke family, I am deeply sorry and ashamed."
After saying this, he bowed to everyone again.
The expressions of the Yun people softened a lot, and they returned the gifts to Ke Honglong one by one. Most of them put away their hostility towards Ke Honglong.
"Brother Ke is serious. I heard that you were expelled from the Ke family. The actions of the Ke family have nothing to do with you, so there is no need for you to apologize. Moreover, Ke Changyi was also beheaded by our Half Saint of the Yun Kingdom. After paying the due price, this matter is a thing of the past, and there is no need to mention it again," Du Ning said.
"Even though I have been expelled from the family now, it can't change the fact that the Ke family is of blood. And I am from the Liao country. I am really sad to do such a stupid thing to the people of the Liao country." Ke Honglong sighed.
"What are Brother Ke's plans for the future?" Du Ning suddenly changed the topic.
Ke Honglong calmed down and said slowly: "I plan to follow the example of Confucius and Saint, who traveled around the country, and devoted myself to the pursuit of Confucianism and Taoism. Then I will write a book based on my life experience and leave a travel journal for future generations of scholars. This life is enough."
Many people watched in shock as Ke Honglong wrote a travelogue based on his life experience. If it succeeds, it will definitely become a masterpiece in the literary world.
"Brother Ke actually has such a great ambition, which is really enviable."
"Where, where..."
Ke Honglong took out a small piece of something wrapped in white paper, "This is a dragon blood ink ingot made from the blood of the monster dragon king. It can increase the power of war poems by 40%. I hope Brother Du will accept it as a gift."
"Thank you, Brother Ke."
Du Ning took it gratefully. The blood dragon ink ingot was extremely rare. Only aristocratic families could obtain this kind of thing. It must have been collected by Ke Honglong in his early years.
"If Brother Ke writes a travelogue, I want to be a reader of your travelogue."
"If Mr. Ke can write a travelogue, I will let Brother Du read it." Ke Changhong laughed.
The two chatted for a while.
Soon after, Ke Honglong said goodbye to Du Ning and left the Zhenguo Hou Mansion.
Others also left one after another, not daring to disturb Du Ning.
Now that the war in the northern and southern borders is tense, Du Ning has to continue training the artillery battalion for the Ministry of War, and also has to improve the mysterious cannon with the Ministry of Industry.
After saying goodbye today, I really don’t know when we can get together again next time.
Du Ning's friends were the last group to leave. They had many things to say to Du Ning, but they had to take the initiative to say goodbye and not delay Du Ning's official duties.
In the next half day, Du Ning will first make arrangements for the daily routine of his Zhenguohou Mansion, and will hire some servants in the capital to come in and do laundry and cooking.
He also has to hire a reliable housekeeper to help him take care of the internal affairs of the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion, and calculate the daily expenses of life, which must be within the range of Du Ning's own salary.
After a busy day, Du Ning finally took care of the housework.
After taking a short rest in the room, Du Ning took out a small box with the word "sealing" written on it.
Du Ning smiled slightly, erased the word "Feng", opened the box, and as a stream of pure spiritual energy came out, there was a stone the size of a palm inside.
It is the Kunlun millstone given by Half-Saint Fan Qianfeng.
Du Ning's talents emerged from his body, condensing into a three-foot-long silver-bright ancient sword.
With a thought in mind, the ancient sword was gently placed on the Kunlun millstone and sharpened back and forth, making crisp sounds.
At the same time, the spiritual energy emitted by the Kunlun grinding stone gradually merged into the Wen Gong ancient sword.
Du Ning can feel that during this sharpening process, the ancient sword can be nourished by the spiritual energy of the Kunlun grinding stone, allowing the Wen Gong ancient sword to gradually show its edge.
An hour later, the power of Du Ning's Wen Gong Ancient Sword had greatly increased, and it was three points sharper than before sharpening the sword.
And this piece of Kunlun grinding stone has only been used less than one-tenth.
Du Ning took back the Wen Gong Ancient Sword, then started to light up the lamp and read at night, and did not fall asleep until late at night.