amaotonovel Chapter 232 A monument is not something that needs to be erected; it is something that needs to be c
Chapter 232 A monument is not something that needs to be erected; it is something that needs to be c
Besides, Xiao Si was genuinely afraid of Jing. She revered Jing's upright character and quickly hid the gilded tortoise shell from her sleeve, thinking, "I hope Qiu Rongjing doesn't find it and confiscate it, or I'll suffer a huge loss..."
Suddenly, I remembered that when I did the divination this morning, the old servant of the Qiu family said that Lord Qiu has been sleeping on a rattan bed for twenty years.
Gao Lishi saw through Xiao Si's thoughts:
&34; Last year when you performed divination for Sanlang, you insisted on using deer antler ash from Changbai Mountain. When Jinggong found out, he said &39; Tortoise shells are spiritual, why do they need flesh and blood &39; ... Don't be afraid, just don't let him see your collection set again... &34;
Xiao Si found Xiao Gao increasingly interesting, so she asked the handsome guy a whole bunch of questions.
Upon returning to the astrology teahouse, they were suddenly greeted by the reprimanding voice of Saburo Zian.
Xiao Si tiptoed and saw Sanlang Zi'an slam Cui Ruochong's memorial in front of Qiu Rongjing:
&34; You're really ruthless! You even dared to confiscate the masks and armor of the Imperial Observatory!! Now you've approved an increase of only two percent in taxes, is that all? Can that stabilize salaries?? And you insist on banning the monument and abolishing abuses!! Who will want to work for us in the future? &34;
"Your Majesty, reforming these abuses must begin with me. If those who serve you are all bad people, it's better not to use them!" Jing knelt upright, moonlight filtering through his hair and casting a thin shadow on the gold bricks. "I have already instructed the people of Guangzhou to use the money meant for carving the monument to repair the orphanage that Cui Kai failed to complete twenty years ago. As for my salary..."
Jing suddenly took out a fragment of Cui Mian's "Inscription of a Humble Abode," in which Cui Mian wrote: "One can play the plain zither and read the Buddhist scriptures." The plain zither is a stringless zither, and the Buddhist scriptures are handwritten scrolls. "I believe that poverty is the very essence of an official's salary!"
Oh dear, Jing's image suddenly seemed much more imposing. As the fifth watchman's drum struck, Xiao Si squatted by the palace wall, locking the tortoise shell, deer antler, bear bile, and ginseng into a box and burying it under a sacred tree. But Jing reminded Xiao Si of her ex-husband, Qiu Xiaohu's father, that seemingly perfect young man with a slightly conflicted inner world.
Gao Lishi, holding a lantern, laughed at her: "Little fairy, have you changed your ways?"
"Yeah, only the worst students have a lot of tools!"
Xiao Si was stunned for a moment, then said, "Even Duke Jing dares to show his scars to the emperor, what am I?!"
She patted the mud off her hands and suddenly saw Qiu Rongjing's carriage at the end of the palace road, crunching through the morning frost. The carriage curtain had a hole in it, revealing half of a patched blue cloth—the very fabric she had given him last year.
Three days later, half of the memorial archway in Guangzhou was demolished, and the bricks and stones were transported to build an orphanage.
Cui Mian added the following inscription to the broken stele: "A mountain is not famous for its height, but for the immortals who dwell there; a stele is not sacred for its erection, but for the sincerity of its inscription."
Xiao Si's divination hut has a new sign that reads "Qin Tian Su," meaning divination is done using only water and bamboo strips.
Sanlang saw her write in that ledger no one had ever seen before: "Jing Gong's salary is the sound of the people's peaceful snoring at night..."
The twilight, like a thin veil, gently enveloped the palace courtyard.
Xiao Si squatted by the charcoal brazier that Gao Lishi had set up, the firelight making her cheeks slightly red.
She suddenly pulled an object from the strongman's old box, held it up to the firelight and examined it closely.
"Hercules, how come this fish talisman is so rusty? The fish's eyes are about to fall out!" She frowned, her tone carrying a hint of disdain.
Gao Lishi was fiddling with the charcoal ash when he heard this. He paused, glanced at the fish-shaped tally, and said indifferently, "This is the tally for Bai Juyi, the magistrate of Zhouzhi County, to collect his salary. That year, there was continuous autumn rain, and he braved the rain to carry thirty strings of copper coins into the palace. His blue cloth shirt was stained like a water ghost."
"Huh? Bai Juyi? That Hermit of Xiangshan, the Drunken Poet?" Xiao Si's eyes widened, her tone full of surprise.
A strange glint flashed in Gao Lishi's eyes, as if he were hiding some unspeakable secret.
Xiao Si's heart skipped a beat, and she thought to herself: Could this handsome eunuch also be a time traveler? She tentatively asked, "Do you know Emperor Dezong of Tang? Li Shi? Oh, it should be pronounced Li Kuo, that was in the sixteenth year of Zhenyuan..."
"Yes, 800, a Jinshi degree." Gao Lishi replied calmly, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.
"You mean he scored 800 points on the college entrance exam and became a Jinshi?!" Xiao Si almost jumped up, her voice rising several decibels.
Gao Lishi chuckled and shook his head: "Ha, of course not, it's 800 AD."
Xiao Si stared at him, her eyes full of suspicion: "Tell me the truth, who are you?!"
Gao Lishi raised an eyebrow, a mysterious smile playing on his lips: "Guess!"