Chapter Seventeen: Inviting Guests

  Ning Caichen did not know that Xu Xian had seen a lot of the world and had been through many dangers. He no longer took many things to heart, just as Xu Xian's teacher Wang Wenhui said, he was just a small person, but small people who wanted to rise up were most likely to bite like mad dogs, and only be obedient to their masters.

  Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to find trouble with Xu Xian, because coming to bite Xu Xian would take a lot of risk. If it triggers a fight between the two sides, no matter who wins or loses in the end, such a small person is likely to be used as a pawn, and of course, there is also a possibility that he will rise to prominence.

  Xu Xian thought for a while, but couldn't think of a suitable way to resolve the matter. For him, it was quite simple: just activate his stealth charm, sneak into the new county magistrate's mansion and give him a Thunderbolt Seal, then the world would be at peace again. People would still gossip that the new county magistrate had done too many evil deeds, or offended the Star of Literature, and was struck dead by heavenly thunder. Of course, this was just wishful thinking; human affairs ultimately have to be dealt with according to human rules.

  Xu Xian thanked Ning Cai Chen and wanted to keep him for dinner, but Ning Cai Chen asked him to hurry up and deal with the matter, and left in a hurry. Xu Xian then went to Yun Yan's room as planned and had an intimate conversation with her, oh, and added one more thing, discussing how to deal with this new academic policy. However, being intimate was still a bit more important.

  Yun Yan's room.

  "Hey, husband, with your hand like this, how can I think of a solution?!" Yun Yan said discontentedly, her face red.

  Xu Xian laughed and said, "Is this my hand?" Seeing this disastrous woman, he couldn't help but hug her in his arms, and then he couldn't resist groping her up and down. "I'd rather eat you instead."

  Yun Yan said: "No way, I'd rather die!" Then she shouted loudly: "Luan'er, come out for me!"

  Inviting the green phoenix, Yun Yan finally managed to escape from Xu Xian's magical grasp and then helped him think of a solution. Yun Yan thought that it was really infuriating, as he had taken advantage of every opportunity.

  Yun Yan sat at the edge of the table, thought for a moment and said: "Although Governor Pan is in power, it's not convenient for him to participate in local government affairs. If he were the prefect, things would be much simpler. I suppose the other side also saw this point and acted accordingly." She was also worried about Xu Xian's career, hearing that the new academic official wanted to expel Xu Xian from the academy, she was even more anxious than Xu Xian himself, but later Xu Xian dispelled her anxiety with a few words.

  Xu Xian lazily lay on her cloud bed, lightly sniffing the fragrance on the bed, and said, "Then what?"

  Yun Yan said, "The simplest way now is to invite this learned gentleman to dinner, and then apologize first, and cater to his tastes, give him some gold and silver, I suppose the other party won't necessarily want to tear their face off!"

  Xu Xian furrowed his brow and said, "As my teacher said? Enduring is the best!"

  Yun Yan said: "Yes!"

  Xu Xian said: "Well, in that case, if it's just a matter of eating a meal or spending some money, then it doesn't matter!"

  "Ah, husband," Yun Yan exhorted, "achievements and fame are a person's lifelong great matters, they cannot be taken lightly!"

  Xu Xian stretched his waist and said: "Nothing, I have someone above me!"

  Yun Yan said: "Wang Daren wants to take power, it's still a while away. Although Pan Gongzi is a good friend of my husband, they have been separated for a long time, and I'm afraid...". Now that she had calmly spoken out the three words "Pan Gongzi", her heart was surprisingly calm, so calm that even she herself was a little surprised.

  Xu Xian knew Yun Yan's concerns, the ups and downs of officialdom, and the word "friend" was worth only a few coins. In Pan Yu's position, it was impossible to disregard the overall situation for the sake of a friend. However, Yun Yan did not know that Xu Xian and Pan Yu were more than just friends, and what they had experienced together was beyond the imagination of outsiders.

  They had all decided to give up their own long-held intentions for each other.

  However, Xu Xian took a glance at Yunyan, especially her warm and red lips. He thought to himself: If you could treat me like Yuer does, I wouldn't care about any fame or fortune.

  The moonlight is like water, shining through the pavilions. A handsome young nobleman with a green robe and a precious crown looks up at the moon, holding a paper crane in his hand.

  A palace-dressed woman walked up to the pavilion and said, "Yu'er, are you still thinking of that person?"

  Pan Yu seemed to have noticed early on, turned back and smiled: "Mother, I was thinking about the matter of transporting grain by canal!" The paper crane had been put away in his sleeve.

  The woman looked at her daughter, stroking her own chest and said: "Yu'er, you don't have to be like this. If you like that person, you can speak clearly with him." She also wanted to share her daughter's worries like all mothers in the world.

  Pan Yu was taken aback, then smiled and said: "Mother misunderstood me, this matter only concerns the rise and fall of the Pan family, and has nothing to do with personal likes and dislikes. If we can get Xu Xian's help, it will be extremely beneficial to the Pan family's business!"

  The woman sighed and said, "As long as you're happy, that's all that matters!" But she knew that Pan Yu's intentions were not so easily obtained, wasn't this layer upon layer of masks something the Pan family had imposed on her? She couldn't oppose her husband's decision, perhaps she didn't even want to. A mother's status is derived from her son, and now she finally held the highest honor in the manor, but she would never again be able to hear her daughter's innermost thoughts. Hopefully, when facing that person, she could reveal her true self!

  Pan Yu smiled and said: "I'm very happy! It's cool at night, mother should go to bed early!"

  The woman said: "That's good!" and slowly left.

  Pan Yu touched her chest, thinking softly, next year she can see him again. Next year, next year, ah, it's still a long time!

  "Rice, why hasn't Master come yet?!" On the mountain peak, Xiaoxian leaned on her cheek with one hand and sighed to the ghost-faced monkey beside her.

  Rice Mountain was jumping and waving its hands under the mountain, still shouting "wa wa" in its mouth. Little Qian patted its head and said, "Okay, okay, I know that Mr. Xiang left last night!" Although she had agreed on a time with Xu Xian, she also knew that at least three to five days would pass before Xu Xian could come again.

  Xiao Qian suddenly reached out and grabbed a handful of rice, saying: "Let's go find him, give our husband a surprise! You're excited too, aren't you?"

  The rice was stirring violently, showing dissatisfaction, without any sign of excitement. But probably all leaders have the talent and right to misinterpret their subordinates' intentions.

  "Alright, let's get ready and go tomorrow! I'll make sure to dress up nicely. And we should bring some gifts for our husband too. There's a ginseng spirit on the mountain in the south that has been cultivated, although it's the territory of those two rabbits, but never mind, I've got a plan, let's go catch it and have our husband eat it."

  "What, you want to eat too? Aren't you a meat-eater? Alright, alright, the master is very generous, giving you some to eat won't be a problem."

  The next day, Xu Xian came to the Imperial Academy, ignoring everything else, and met the new educational administrator, whose surname seemed to be Zhang. However, this Educational Administrator Zhang did not have the appearance of a flattering and fawning person that Xu Xian had imagined. Upon seeing Xu Xian, he didn't speak hastily or sternly, but instead politely asked Xu Xian to sit down, and then gave him some sincere advice, saying that academic pursuits were of utmost importance, and that he shouldn't let his mind wander or be distracted by romantic entanglements.

  If you only look at the surface, it's almost as if Wang Wen and Xu Xian are no different, and he seems even more gentle. But Xu Xian is not a three-year-old child, so of course he wouldn't believe whatever others say. Instead, he feels a hint of hostility, a kind of intuition that only cultivators would have.

  Xu Xian thought to himself, if he really wanted to curry favor with Liang Wang by disciplining himself, there was no need to be so polite to himself. Could it be true that Yan'er had guessed correctly, and he was a fence-sitter who tried to please all sides? No, this enmity wasn't fake, then he must have an ulterior motive.

  Xu Xian gazed at this scholar-official, secretly guessing his thoughts, but ultimately it was hard to fathom the human heart. He simply said: "The other day when the students were distracted and he was away, they failed to welcome Your Excellency's inauguration. Today, the students have set up a banquet in the Qiongqing Building to apologize to you, I wonder if Your Excellency will grant us an audience?"

  Zhang Xuezheng smiled and nodded repeatedly, saying it was good, but then said: "Going to the wine tower would be awkward, why not just do it at Han Wenyu's home? You can also taste the culinary skills of the respected lady."

  The two words "Chinese text" were naturally called out the most by Xu Xian's sister, followed by Pan Yu, which always made Xu Xian feel a sense of closeness. Now being called out by this new scholar in front of him, he only felt a wave of disgust, and didn't bother to pretend to be polite, so he smiled and agreed, then turned around and left to invite other guests.

  At the moment Xu Xian turned around, Zhang Xuezheng's face still had a smile on it, but his eyes suddenly turned cold. Xu Xian smiled slightly and thought to himself: People like this are probably just minions of evil spirits! They only care about having fun while they're alive, without knowing whether they'll be deep-fried or flayed after they die in the underworld.

  Xu Xian invited the teachers and classmates from the academy, now seeing Xu Xian, they naturally had a different feeling. At the same time entering the academy to read books, at that time Xu Xian was just a poor boy, even now they still have to study hard in the cold window, worrying about their future. But Xu Xian suddenly became so famous and renowned throughout the country, having property in Hangzhou, with a beautiful wife by his side. It couldn't help but evoke some emotions.

  Li Si Ming smiled and patted Xu Xian's shoulder, saying: "I originally thought you were just a talented scholar, but I didn't expect you to be a literary giant. It seems I underestimated you." He was a broad-minded person and didn't have any jealous feelings at all.

  Xu Xian smiled and said, "How can a sparrow recognize a swan?" Only with Li Si Ming could he joke around like this. In front of other gentlemen and classmates, they would have to exchange pleasantries, with the other person praising Xu Xian a few times, and Xu Xian politely responding with a few "where, where!"s, which was quite dull.

  The two of them chatted and laughed for a few sentences, when Xū Xiān suddenly remembered her admiration for Yǐn Hóng Xiù, and asked with a smile: "How was your performance in that one act of 'Feng Qiú Huáng'?"

  Li Si Ming shook his head and sighed, "Xiang Wang has the intention, but the goddess is heartless. It's better not to say anything!" Later, he also expressed concern to Xu Xian, "I think that new scholar-official is not a good person, you still need to be more careful!"

  Xu Xian knew that this was already an extremely exceptional case, and the other party's concern had been received. He thanked them and returned to prepare food and drink.

  At this moment, on the Lingyun Peak in the south of Qiantang County, Xiaoxian hid in a dark place, looking at the old man fishing by the pond, and a confident smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. Even if the grass and trees became spirits, they would still be just grass and trees after all.