Including Zhao Ran, there were five people on the list of candidates recommended by the eight deacons. Among them, no one was recommended in the Sutra Hall, no one was recommended in the Accounting Room, and Yu Zhiyuan was forced to suppress them in the Living Room, and there was no recommendation at all.
Zhao Ran was the layman recommended by the dormitory as a fire worker, Feng Can was recommended by the number one, Li Liang was recommended by the warehouse, Cheng'an was recommended by Fangtang, and Zhuang Huai was recommended by Dianzhuang.
Feng Can is the nephew of a co-president of Long'an Prefecture. His family background is among the best, and he is also the most promising person to be selected to receive the ultimatum. Li Liang is the son of the Li family, a wealthy businessman in Chengdu Prefecture. Because of his "low-level career" as a merchant, he was in Chengdu Prefecture.
Unable to enter the Taoist gate, he found a way to go to Guyang County to "gold-plating". This time, he spent an unknown amount of money, but he actually won a recommendation spot, making him a "dark horse" second only to Zhao Ran. Zhuang Huai remained silent.
It doesn't sound loud, but it has a good origin. He is a secular relative of the head of Shuifangzhuang in Xizhenwu Palace.
Based on this calculation, Zhao Ran's hope is only higher than that of Cheng An recommended by Fangtang. Fangtang is Wujiyuan's military support, and many people with high skills are selected as pyrotechnics laymen. Generally, people from Fangtang are very good in martial arts, but
Their academic foundation is extremely weak, so even if they join the Taoist Hall, they will basically not be able to survive the hard life of chanting scriptures in the future. Therefore, Fangtang's recommendation is almost of a "soy sauce" nature, and it is difficult to get into the upper echelons of the Taoist Temple.
’s discernment.
Cheng'an is the nephew of a Qian family in Sichuan. He is a typical person with "well-developed limbs and empty mind", so his threat can basically be eliminated.
It’s not that Cheng’an’s family background is not rich, nor is it the discriminatory policy of “differentiating between civil and military” in the Taoist Academy. This is indeed due to cultural considerations-letting a bunch of warriors study Taoist classics, just thinking about it
It's disappointing enough.
Yu Zhiyuan reminded Zhao Ran that in addition to Feng Can, Li Liang and Zhuang Huai should not be underestimated. He had obtained inside information. Li had promised to the Prison Court that once Li Liang could become a chanting Taoist boy, he would go to the Wuji Academy
Donate five thousand taels of silver! The price is far higher than the market price. In comparison, although Zhao Ran can afford it, is he really willing to give it up?
As for Zhuang Huai, there is also the possibility of an upset. Wujiyuan belongs to the Taoist temple under the jurisdiction of Xizhenwu Palace. The head of the water house of Xizhenwu Palace in the Taoist sect has the same level as the eight deacons of Wujiyuan. That's all. The key is Zhuang Huai.
Fangtou has been in the Xizhenwu Palace for eighteen years, and his connections and connections can be imagined. Zhuang Huai is definitely a powerful competitor!
Zhao Ran and Yu Zhiyuan considered and estimated that only Lao Du Guan has made a clear promise to them at present, and Lao Du Guo, who is involved in the line through Jingtang Liu Jingzhu and Jiang Gaogong, has never given them reassuring words. Although Liu Jingzhu and
Jiang Gaogong patted his chest and promised that he would do his best, but they were just messengers, so the degree of fulfillment of the guarantee had to be compromised.
As for the one thousand taels of silver notes sent out, they can return them intact afterwards, and then send them a casual sentence of "I have tried my best." Who will I ask to explain then? It is not bad to return the banknotes, I'm afraid
I'm just afraid that if things don't get done, I'll keep the money, and then tell you to "wait for the next opportunity", that would be like crying without tears.
No matter how you look at it, you feel that there is little chance. Even Yu Zhiyuan's encouraging words sound like comforting him.
On December 20, at Chen time, Zhao Ran had finished washing and came to the Sutra Hall in the southeast of the Sutra Collection Building. The Sutra Hall is a typical palace-style building, but its size is slightly smaller than that of the Sanqing Hall. It has no railings and a high platform, and is more
There are no cornices or painted beams, making it look extremely simple.
Zhao Ran waited quietly at the door. Not long after, Feng Can from the room, Li Liang from the warehouse, Cheng An from the fangtang, and Zhuang Huai from the Dian Zaofang gathered together and arrived. The five of them were all wearing blue Taoist robes. They were the laymen of Wujiyuan Fire Engineering.
Compared with the attire of Taoist priests who have received ultivation, the only difference is whether there are black edges on the cuffs and lapels. The black edges on the Taoist robes are rusty, which means that they are formal Taoist priests who have received excessive ultivation. A few shallow black edges show that
The completely different statuses are like a chasm.
Although he had a premonition that his chances were slim, Zhao Ran could not help but feel uneasy. Even if the hope was small, he would not give up easily until the last moment.
Feng Can clasped his hands behind his back, standing proudly, with his chin raised high. It seemed that he was... looking at the sky? Well, Zhao Ran admitted that this guy does have the capital to be arrogant, but you don't have to be so pretentious, right?
?
Cheng An, who had a strong body and looked powerful, was the most free and easy, pulling Li Liang and talking non-stop. Li Liang, who had invested five thousand taels of silver, answered Cheng An's topic absentmindedly, and dealt with it for a while.
, so he found an excuse to escape and paced back and forth in front of the sutra hall, looking like he was distracted.
Zhuang Huai appeared calmer, always keeping a smile on his face. He did not show any impatience with chatty Cheng'an's entanglement, but always responded politely. Seeing Zhao Ran's visiting eyes, he kept smiling.
He nodded in greeting, which made Zhao Ran look familiar to him - by the way, this guy's performance was very professional!
While several people were waiting outside, the atmosphere in the sutra hall seemed very solemn. Although every assessment is a necessary procedure, this procedure is often just a formality. Which candidate will be transferred to the ordained Taoist priest?
Basically, everything is drawn up in the high-level discussion before the assessment. Unless the performance of the candidates determined in advance is really unsatisfactory during the assessment, generally speaking, the subsequent decisions will not change much.
Among the five candidates this time, the Prison Court is most interested in Feng Can and Li Liang. Needless to say, Feng Can, and the five thousand taels of silver promised by the wealthy businessman Li really made the Prison Court excited. Zhuang Huai is in the west
The background of Zhenwu Palace is indeed somewhat powerful, but compared with Councilor Feng's status and Li's huge donation, the Supervisory Yuan believes that it can choose to suppress it and talk about it when there is an opportunity in the future. As for Zhao Ran and Cheng An, they are completely
It's not under the prison's consideration.
But something changed last night. This change caught the prison hospital completely off guard. A letter forwarded from Xizhenwu Palace was delivered to the hospital. The recipient was Zhao Ran, a layman in charge of fire work in the dormitory. The sending address of the letter was
It is "Jade Emperor Pavilion".
For the small Wuji Academy in Guyang County, Huayun Pavilion is already an untouchable and secret place, not to mention the Yuhuang Pavilion, which has a higher status in the Taoist sect than Huayun Pavilion. On the eve of the selection of Taoist priests,
A letter was sent from Yuhuang Pavilion and addressed to the candidate Zhao Ran, which is very strange no matter how you think about it.
The prison did not dare to neglect and asked to see the abbot overnight. At that time, the abbot did not give any countermeasures. He only asked the prison to consult the "three capitals" for their opinions before today's selection.
At this moment, the Supervisory Academy held the letter in their hands and asked the three most senior "Sandu" of Wuji Academy: "Three senior brothers, this letter is here and has not been forwarded to Zhao Ran. I don't know.
Senior brother, do you have any suggestions?"
Yuan Duchu first asked: "Does the prison know the contents of the letter?"
The Supervisor shook his head: "The letter from Yuhuang Pavilion is not an official document. How can I open it and read it at will?"
Yuan Duchu licked his beard and smiled: "That's it. Since it's not an official document, I just forwarded it to Zhao Ran. As for what is written in the letter, it has nothing to do with today's events."
In his heart, the Prison Warder was inclined to choose one of Feng Can and Li Liang, and he immediately agreed: "So, Senior Brother Yuan means that this letter does not need to be considered?"
Yuan Duchu said: "That's how it should be. Let's put this letter aside and discuss first who should be chosen to receive the ultimatum."
The prison guard looked at Zhu Dou expectantly, but Zhu Dou remained silent. Then he looked at Luo DouGuan, but Luo DouGuan asked a question.
, what is the relationship?
Yuan Duchu smiled and said: "This Zhao Ran was rescued by the Great Refiner at the edge of the river and was brought to the courtyard along the way. That's all. You and I were both present that day. We saw these things with our own eyes. If the Great Refiner and this Zhao Ran
However, if there is really a connection, there will definitely be an explanation before I leave that day, and it won’t be impossible to say anything at all.”
The Supervisor nodded and was about to speak, but Guan Luo immediately asked: "In that case, this letter must have been sent by the Great Refiner, but why would the Great Refiner send such a letter at this juncture?
?Senior Brother Yuan, don’t you think it’s strange?”
Yuan Duchu's face was slightly cold and he said: "I just said that if the Great Refiner intends to take care of Zhao Ran, he will send a letter to the abbot and the prison. As long as we mention a sentence in the letter, we can still defy the Great Master.
What is the master’s intention? But what is this letter sent to Zhao Ran? Why does the great master do this?”