The fifteenth day of the lunar month is really auspicious, the new snow is after the first sunshine, and the sky is high and the clouds are light. The Hibiscus Garden, which has not been open for a long time, finally ushered in the long-lost visitors, and the sound of laughter sounded in the dark fragrance floating in the plum garden, adding a bit of vitality to the long-quiet plum forest, as if returning to the world from a fairyland.

In the viewing building in the corner of the plum garden, several old men surrounded Mr. Song, either laughing heartily or pretending to be dissatisfied, talking about his newly acquired disciple. And the young man who became the topic of their mouth was dressed in a big hat, and was smiling slightly and talking to a dozen or so young Langjun of the same age. Whether it is his appearance or bearing, he is like a jade with light, which makes it difficult to take his eyes off at a glance. If you listen carefully to his elegant conversation, it will teach people to linger and stop, and they are reluctant to leave.

"Tsk, the old man also said Why did you finally remember to accept disciples, I didn't expect that such a piece of good talent and beautiful jade would let you be deceived. You have been complaining all the time that you shouldn't have promised to be recommended for admission to the office, and you shouldn't have entered the Guozijian to do anything, and now you don't regret it anymore? Just by meeting this disciple, your grievances in the past twenty or thirty years are worth it!! Which of you will recommend the old decay? Let the old decay also go to the Guozijian or Guozixue to take a closer look? Let's see if we can take in one or two good disciples? ”

"You don't think about it, but he has been guarding for twenty or thirty years before he can keep such a disciple. If you keep it for so many years, your bones will turn to ashes, and you may not be able to find any jade! However, this disciple is indeed highly qualified, and if he is a good student and teaches for a few years, he will definitely not be a problem. ”

"Speaking of which, the old man was very curious. You are just a national superintendent, where did you get the face to hold an apprenticeship ceremony in the Furong Garden? Is it a favor from the sacrificial wine or the priest? Is there a chance to come back in the future? Alas, we are all rural veterans, and we are used to seeing the scenery of Nanshan on weekdays, but we have no chance to come to this famous hibiscus garden for a walk. Although it is a feast for the eyes today, it is just a plum garden, and there are many gardens next to it......"

Mr. Song grinned, unable to hide his smugness: "If you have the opportunity to come over, you must cherish it!" If you look around, you can't tell if you can go back and make a few paintings! Sometime...... Hehe, if the old man is in a good mood in the future, I will ask for you! As for whether you can come over, the old man said that it doesn't count! ”

After that, he added: "What is just a first-class head? The old man's disciple must be the youngest Jiadi head of the national dynasty! After three or four years, I will be sure to take the provincial exam! That little boy of the Yang family is not too good to say, and let him be in the limelight for a few years first! After patting his chest, he squinted his eyes and laughed, showing off his brilliance: "Even if you don't take the Jinshi exam, you will be promoted to the rank of martial artist, and the old man's apprentice will never lose to anyone!" The number of Lile shooting books is top-notch! ”

The rest of the old men were naturally not convinced, and shouted to call all the disciples over for a competition: "It's just a casual compliment to your disciples, do you really believe it?!" Who doesn't have a few outstanding disciples? It's just that your mouth is full of praise, how dare you be so arrogant?! Hum! After your precious disciple loses, see how proud you will be in the future?! ”

"Isn't it?! What do you think we all do? How many lifetimes of face have been stepped on by him arbitrarily? ! You wait for the old man to see how the old disciple cleans up your precious apprentice! If he loses so much that he can't raise his head, and he will never recover, then don't complain about being old and ruthless!! ”

Mr. Song was furious and summoned his own apprentice prince over: "If you don't defeat all their apprentices, today's apprenticeship will be over!" Let's admit defeat and go back to practice for a few more years, and then we must give them some color to take a good look!! ”

When a group of old men heard this, they became more and more angry. Almost all of them were flushed, and the corners of their foreheads were bruised, as if they could breathe fire in the next moment. And their disciples all looked helpless, smiled bitterly at the prince, and arched their hands as a salute. Wang Zixian bowed his head very calmly: "The disciples are all according to what the master said, everyone, please." ”

The so-called things gather by like, people by groups, he really thought too much before. Most of his husband's friends are some unknown hermits, but their temperaments are similar to his, and they are all very straightforward old children. People like them are not looked down upon by those who compete for fame and fortune, and they are also easily satisfied, and the two have nothing to do with each other, but they are very quiet.

Xu expected that this kind of thing was very likely to happen, and the pen, ink, paper, inkstone, chess game, piano table, and bow and arrow had already been prepared. First of all, the literary fight, compared with calligraphy and painting, the prince won in danger and danger, and all the gentlemen admitted that his calligraphy and painting were better in artistic conception and style. Because he has traveled abroad since childhood, what he has seen and learned is not the same as that of other people, so the technique is still secondary, but the aura can reveal the painting scroll. Then he put a lot of effort into this aspect, intending to win the first head, how could he lose lightly?

The serious literary fight has won, but there are still some elegant trails. Playing games, playing the piano and even cooking tea and making tea, etc., as the son of a family, he naturally knows everything, and he is slightly better.

Then it was time to test the bow and arrow, and several young men were all nine out of ten shots, which caused their master to stroke his beard and laugh again and again. Mr. Song couldn't help but snort lightly: "What is nine out of ten shots?" My apprentices have always been ten shots and ten hits! Never missed! These words made a group of old men more and more angry: "You usually can't even shoot a hare, how do you know how rare it is to shoot ten out of ten?!" Talk nonsense, and don't be afraid to make jokes! ”

"Oh? Every time you hit ten shots? That...... I...... I'll have to take a good look. In the excitement of the crowd, no one noticed that an old man strolled over with his grandchildren. The old man's face was slightly pale, as if he was a little sick, but his spirit was still good, and he had a unique bearing when he walked, which made people feel awe, and his identity was obviously not ordinary. However, his clothes looked very ordinary, just like an old man in an ordinary official family. Of course, if you look closely, you can find that those seemingly ordinary clothing and accessories are rare treasures, and even the rich and noble may not be able to get them.

Hearing this, the handsome little Langjun and the beautiful little lady beside him all smiled: "Grandfather, don't worry, Zixian will not disappoint grandfather." Xiao Langjun's smiling appearance was completely different from the nervous or excited expressions of the people around him, and he was extremely calm, and people couldn't help but want to believe him when they saw it.

Behind them, a round figure was struggling to move. Accidentally caught a glimpse of the calligraphy and painting in the Yanxi Pavilion next to him, and he immediately "rolled" over with agility, and sighed in admiration, as if he had become radiant in an instant. A middle-aged woman with another pot-bellied young lady approached, and another young man stood by their side, acting with great caution, as if he were afraid of injuring them.

The three of them all ignored the person in front of them, and when they saw the "grand occasion" in front of them, they were all a little surprised: "Isn't it a gift of apprenticeship?" How did it compare to the arrows? However, it is more interesting than the gift of apprenticeship. ”

Although Wang Zixian did not look around, he had already faintly heard the most familiar voice, and the corners of his lips hooked slightly. In the eyes of outsiders, he is confident and confident. I saw that he slowly drew his bow and arrows very casually, and did not aim at the target as carefully as the others, and released the bowstring almost instantly—the arrows were like meteors, whistling, and then another arrow, faster and faster, as if instinctively, without stopping, and without hesitation!

In just a moment, he shot fifteen arrows in a row, and fifteen hits! The young men around him suddenly made a big uproar, and their faces were full of admiration. The masters looked sour, snorting at Mr. Song, who was laughing at the sky, and had nothing to say for a while, only to sour him, it was indeed a very good "luck". Another old man couldn't help but stab: "Except for the theory of poetry and strategy, you haven't taught him anything else, what's there to be proud of?" ”

"If you accept such a good disciple, don't you allow the old man to be proud?" Mr. Song glanced at them, and somehow, out of the corner of his eye, he fell into the crowd, and he found the smiling King of Xin'anjun. He bowed slightly towards the little county king, and was just about to announce that the auspicious time was coming, when the apprenticeship began, he found that there was a little lady next to him and an old man with a somewhat familiar face. Although it has been twenty or thirty years, he has been a petty official from the seventh grade, and he has no chance to participate in the daily court meetings. But on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, he is also a Beijing official who can face the saint! No matter how far away it is, the description of the saint can vaguely remember a few points!!

As a result, Mr. Song suddenly stiffened, and his triumphant attitude was instantly thrown out of the clouds. Of course, he didn't care about the sage's opinion of him, and he never worried about his career prospects, but he was suddenly startled, feeling that the rumored big man was coming, and he couldn't react a little. What's more, the so-called "image of celebrities and celebrities" has completely collapsed, and there is always some weakness, isn't it?

Hehe, I should have thought of it a long time ago. With the king of Xin'an County, will King Pu be far away? Will the saints be far away? That's a favored emperor's grandson, participating in the apprenticeship of a close friend, and the elders should also be honored. By the way, the elders came over to join in the fun, as if, seemingly, probably, probably...... Also reasonable?

The sage didn't care about the group of honest old men, because he also had a willful and casual side, but looked at Wang Zixian with great interest, and said with a smile: "Bring your bow and arrows and show them to the old man!" This was the second time he had seen this young man, and he was even more impressed. It is indeed rare to see such a young talent who is both civil and military. Just now, he has also seen his poems, strategies, calligraphy and paintings, and he is indeed better than others, with a sharp and unique vision.

When the prince heard that he called himself "old man", he knew that he did not want to reveal his identity, so he respectfully presented his bow and arrows. The saint looked at the bow and pulled the bowstring casually: "It's just a three-stone bow, it should be a little light for you, right?" Usually good at using a five-stone bow? ”

"What your Excellency said is very true. However, the student has also practiced the three-stone bow hard, and he only needs to control the strength, which should not hinder the accurate head. The prince replied. The young men around listened to it and admired it even more. Five-stone bows are not common, so they are not available, and one-stone bows, two-stone bows, and three-stone bows are the most commonly used, and they are also selected by everyone. In this way, although they lost, they still took advantage of it.

"With a bow that doesn't fit your hand, you can still shoot fifteen shots and fifteen hits, it's really rare!" The saint stroked his palms and laughed, "Ah Hui, you can go to my library to pick a good bow for him later, it can be regarded as my congratulatory gift to him!" ”

"Thank you, grandfather." Li Hui said with a smile, and Wang Zixian immediately saluted and thanked him. The people around only thought that it was the prince who gave gifts from the elders of his friend's family, and did not think much about it. Among the crowd, only Yan Balang barely concealed his surprise, guessed the identity of the old man, and had a clearer understanding of the friendship between Li Hui and Wang Zixian and the status of King Pu in the hearts of the saints.

"Aren't you going to apprentice? Don't delay the auspicious time. The saint reminded again.

So, Mr. Song finally came back to his senses, glanced at his disciples vaguely, and led everyone to the observation tower. The apprenticeship has its own rules, so you won't make a mistake if you follow it. But Mr. Song, who should have been extremely excited and excited, was reserved as a "famous man", and he was very "indifferent" from beginning to end. The rest of the old men, who knew his true nature, felt more and more that he was pretending, but they did not know that there was really suffering in his heart.

And after His Royal Highness King Pu found a group of celebrities, his eyes lit up and he couldn't wait to intersect with them. He saw that his grandfather didn't want to reveal his identity, but he also became smarter, called himself Li San, and talked with a group of old people with great interest, and after a while, they introduced each other as close friends, and made an appointment to meet again next time.

As for Wang Zixian, he followed the saint, accepted his examination, and was praised by him, and he vaguely felt very satisfied in his heart. He didn't think about it, whether this was the satisfaction and joy of a courtier being appreciated by the lord, or whether he was particularly happy because he had been affirmed by his friends and elders.

Yan, Zhou and Li Xin may not have seen such a lively scene for a long time, although they just watched from afar, they also felt in a good mood. The county lord of Changning even found that a group of old children were more interesting than anything else, and wrote down their words and deeds one by one, planning to tell them to grandpa and auntie.

In this way, today's apprenticeship ceremony, except for Mr. Song, can be regarded as a great joy.