Жизнь сельских жителей в городе во времена династии Сун

Глава 50

"Oh? What does Young Master Wei think?" Su Li asked.

"Reporting to Your Excellency!" Wei Zijun replied with clasped hands, "The so-called Son of Heaven is the Son of Heaven. He should regard fortune and misfortune as mere weeds, and tread on water and fire as if on flat ground. He should assess the situation and make the best use of everything and everyone's talents. He should be broad-minded enough to embrace the world and have a heart as vast as the ocean. He should be close to all things and follow the will of Heaven. The will of Heaven is not in the high places but in the low places. The will of Heaven is in the hearts of the people."

These words astonished everyone. They hadn't expected that Young Master Wei would make such a judgment about the Emperor, neither undermining the Emperor's authority nor failing to articulate the principles of rulership. Even if the current Emperor were present, he would likely offer his highest praise.

Li Tianqi stared intently at Wei Zijun's sharp eyes, the glint of which made it impossible to discern any emotion within them.

"Excellent! Well answered. What do you all think, gentlemen?" Su Li looked around and saw that everyone was nodding in approval. "Young Master Wei wins this question. Brother Li, please answer the next one."

"Very well!" Li Tianqi became interested. "May I ask you two, how should virtuous men and scoundrels be employed in this imperial court?"

After hearing the question, Young Master Jiang stepped forward and said, “Since ancient times, when villains are in power, the country will surely suffer. They harm the interests of the emperor and ruin the affairs of the country. Therefore, villains should be exterminated to ensure the stability of our country and the peace of the world.”

"Hmm! What do you think, Zijun?" Li Tianqi looked at Wei Zijun, his eyes full of amusement.

"Since ancient times, treacherous ministers and loyal officials have been irreconcilable enemies. A virtuous person is like water, while a petty person is like oil; water and oil cannot coexist. To make good friends, one must associate with virtuous people. To govern the world, one must employ both virtuous and petty people, making the best use of both. This is the way of the emperor."

Li Tianqi's expression remained calm, revealing neither agreement nor disagreement. He subtly said, "Fourth Brother even understands the ways of the emperor. Is there anything Fourth Brother doesn't understand?" He looked at Wei Zijun for a while, then turned to Su Li, "Let the magistrate decide the outcome of this battle."

Wei Zijun glanced at Li Tianqi. What were these things? The business world was like a battlefield, and running a company was much like governing a country. To manage the company well, she had read countless books, even the Four Books and Five Classics, not to mention Sun Tzu's Art of War and Cai Gen Tan. She had long been adept at using the ways of the virtuous and the petty.

“Indeed, loyalty and treachery have always been intertwined, difficult to reconcile, yet closely intertwined. It is only through the presence of villains that the virtuous are revealed, and even the virtuous can become a stumbling block for villains at some point. In this question, Young Master Wei wins.” After saying this, Su Li turned to the crowd and said, “Anyone who has a good question may raise it, and the two young masters will answer until everyone is satisfied.”

Wei Zijun felt helpless upon hearing this and couldn't help but sigh softly, glancing out the window. It seemed Su Li had plenty of free time, engaging in these pointless charades; she really wanted to enjoy the moonlight over the Qiantang River.

Li Tianqi took in all of Wei Zijun's expressions. He stared at her helpless expression with amusement, deliberately teasing her, "Then let's ask the two gentlemen to compose a policy essay. The topic will be 'On the Essentials of Policy and Governance,' with a time limit of fifteen minutes."

“Lord Su!” A young man stood up. “I believe that as a talented man, Young Master Jiang only needs to be proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and prose. He does not necessarily need to be an expert in governance. It would be more appropriate for us to compete in these areas.”

"Hmm! Very well, then let's test our skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting." Su Li turned to Li Tianqi, "Brother Li, what do you think?"

“Brother Su, I certainly agree, but Ziju’s guzheng playing is so beautiful that the sound lingers for days, and even the palace musicians cannot compare.”

"Oh? Then you must be quite skilled at playing the zither, but what about your chess skills?" Su Li asked.

"As for chess, I wonder if Brother Su has ever competed with Young Master Jiang. In any case, my game with Ziju was a 2-2 win and a 3-3 loss."

“That’s incredible! I’m no match for you. As for calligraphy, needless to say, Young Master Wei is even better. What about painting?” Su Li continued to ask.

"The painting goes without saying; with just simple lines and no color, it is already lifelike," Li Tianqi sighed. He wasn't exaggerating; he truly believed it.

"My lord! Words alone are not enough. Why not let everyone see for themselves?" the young master who made the suggestion persisted.

"Yes! That's only right. Of the four arts of qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, qin is the most important, and of all the instruments, qin is the most respected. So let's start with the qin, Young Master Wei, please." Su Li was very fond of talent and had long intended to select talented people from among the scholars to report to the court. Today, he met Wei Zijun and took a liking to him. He wondered how talented Wei Zijun was and wanted to find out.

Wei Zijun sighed inwardly. Why did they have to choose such a boring talented scholar and force her into this? Now they were forcing her to play the zither in a competition, making her feel like she was being forced into prostitution. But she didn't want to offend Su Li, so she sighed softly and knelt down before the zither table.

With the left hand pressing the strings and the right fingertips lightly brushing, a piece of "Guangling San" rises forth in a stirring and tragic melody. The powerful finger strikes bring forth the stirring and tragic theme, followed by the spacious harmonics, shrouded in sorrow. The sound of the zither is smooth and clear, ancient and unpretentious, beautiful and lingering, balanced and harmonious, with delicate fingering, elegant and refined, with measured tempos, and a serene and distant quality.

"Hmm! The zither is a symbol of restraint. It restrains evil and rectifies people's hearts! Excellent!" Su Li stroked his beard and exclaimed in admiration, "The sound of the zither is beautiful without being gaudy, sorrowful without being tragic, simple yet refined, discerning without being deceitful, warm and harmonious, clear and secluded, melodious and intricate, and its sound stands out in a solitary and elegant way. What excellent zither playing and what excellent character!"

The music shifted abruptly from melancholy to indignation, its fervor reaching a point of fierce battle, brimming with Nie Zheng's resolute determination to face death.

This piece, "Reporting to My Beloved," is one of the few guqin pieces with a murderous atmosphere, and she portrayed this atmosphere of fierce battle with such breathtaking skill.

Everyone was captivated by Wei Zijun's zither playing; the entire ship was completely silent except for the melodious strains of her music.

Just then, a discordant voice broke through the air.

"Help! Help! Someone has fallen into the water! Xinhe! Why are you so foolish!" The cries for help from outside startled Wei Zijun, who was immersed in the music.

Xinhe!? She fell into the water!?

The music stopped abruptly. Wei Zijun leaped away and saw a brothel boat opposite, crowded with people, all looking at the ripples in the water. A woman was crying for help, but no one jumped in to save her.

Without a second thought, she plunged into the water, the icy autumn lake instantly submerging Wei Zijun's warm body.

[Volume 1, Deer City Chapter: Chapter 45 Cold Wind]

After rescuing the person, Wei Zijun was completely chilled.

As she boarded the boat, she gently tugged at the front of her dress to prevent the wet fabric clinging to her body from revealing the shape of her chest. Although she was wearing a corset, her breasts were still more undulating than those of other men.

They placed the person on the deck and examined her closely; indeed, she was Xinhe.

Li Tianqi climbed out of the water and asked, "How is she? Is there any hope?" Seeing Wei Zijun jump in, he was worried that she would drown, so he jumped in after her.

Wei Zijun reached under Xinhe's nose and said, "She's not breathing. We need to do CPR." She knelt down on one knee, placed Xinhe's abdomen across her lap, and pressed on her back. After a while, a large puddle of water flowed from her mouth.

Seeing her vomit fluid, Wei Zijun laid her flat on the ground and pressed her chest with both hands, "Xinhe! Wake up! Xinhe!" After pressing for a while, she still didn't respond. What should she do? Artificial respiration? But Xinhe was a woman. How could she give a woman mouth-to-mouth resuscitation? Besides, it wouldn't be good for Xinhe if word got out. This wasn't modern times, where you could do whatever you wanted.

"Second brother, give me a handkerchief." She always forgot to bring a handkerchief, but Li Tianqi, a man, always carried one.

Li Tianqi took out a soaking wet handkerchief and handed it to Wei Zijun, who then covered Xinhe's face with the handkerchief, pinched Xinhe's nose, and leaned down.

When his lips touched the ground, the onlookers gasped. They saw him blow a few breaths, then get up and press his chest, then blow again. After a few of these actions, the person on the ground actually groaned.

"Oh, she's awake! She's awake!" everyone exclaimed. They knew that her method was to save someone, but... it was really a bit too much.

Wei Zijun breathed a sigh of relief. "Quickly carry her to the bed and change her into dry clothes. She'll catch a cold." As she finished speaking, she herself shivered from the cold and sneezed.

"Look at yourself, and you're still thinking about others." Li Tianqi helped the soaking wet Wei Zijun up; the water dripping from her clothes had already soaked a patch of the boat plank. Li Tianqi hugged Wei Zijun tenderly, stroking her shoulders and back repeatedly. "Zijun, you must be cold. Look at your petite body, you won't be able to stand it."

"Second Brother—" Wei Zijun pushed Li Tianqi away. What kind of word was that? Petite! How could he describe her like that?

"Hurry back to our ship, there are clean clothes on board." Li Tianqi picked Wei Zijun up in his arms.