Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

She sat up slightly, her tone calm yet authoritative: "Tell Physician Liu that I have long admired the exquisite embroidery skills of the sixth daughter of the Sheng family, Minglan, and wish to ask her to embroider a set of everyday clothes for me to enjoy flowers in spring."

"Let him take the opportunity of delivering flower patterns and taking measurements to examine the seventh young master of the Sheng family. He must be attentive during the examination, carefully examining the hand injury to see how it might affect his writing in the future. After the examination, he should return to the palace immediately and report to me in detail."

Rong Zhixian added, "To the outside world, just say that I am showing compassion for Miss Sheng's filial piety and have sent her to treat her and inquire about her well-being. Let's not involve anything else, so as not to disturb the Sheng family, and also... to avoid frightening that girl Feiyan."

This arrangement was flawless.

This not only fulfilled his sister's deep affection and concern, but also gave the Sheng family great prestige, and cleverly used the eyes of the imperial physician to personally examine the Sheng Qilang who had caused his sister so much worry.

His injuries, his demeanor, and his handling of the family turmoil will all be important factors in her assessment of whether he is a suitable match for her sister.

This silent investigation had already quietly begun with the imperial physician's carriage.

Meanwhile, some people also began their work.

In the backyard of the "Listening to the Rain Pavilion" teahouse in the west of the city, there is a secret room that is perpetually filled with the smell of cheap tobacco, damp mold, and cheap tea.

The dim, flickering flame of the oil lamp cast distorted, swaying shadows on the wall, illuminating the face of "Over the Mountain Wind" Zhao Mang, a face etched with fierceness and ruthlessness, as if polished by the fierce winds and sands of the Lüliang Mountains.

He was originally a hunter from a mountain valley. In his youth, he earned the nickname "Mountain Wind" on the Lüliang Mountain Road by relying on his superhuman strength, his ruthless snake hook with poison, and his ability to traverse mountains and valleys as if walking on flat ground.

However, a prestigious reputation does not equate to intelligence. In reality, this person is a brute with only brute strength and a crude mind, acting solely on whims and rarely engaging in scheming.

Extremely dissatisfied with the actions of the leader Lu Hongti after taking office, such as reforming the mountain rules, restricting plundering, and even seeking "non-aggression" with the officials and merchants down the mountain, he encountered setbacks everywhere on the mountain and was frustrated and unsuccessful.

Having just been lured down the mountain by the cunning old fox Black Hawk with his clever words, he was eager to make a name for himself in the dazzling and bustling city of Bianjing and amass a fortune that he could never spend in his next life.

At this moment, his large, rough, and dark hands, as large as palm fans, were greedily rubbing and weighing the ten-tael ingot of official silver and several brand-new silver notes that Zhou Xueniang had just delivered, with dirt and sweat still remaining between his fingers.

The bright yellow and white color made his triangular eyes gleam with a greedy green light, like a hungry wolf. His yellowed and jagged teeth, exposed under the dim light, looked particularly filthy.

Little did he know that the woman he looked down upon had embezzled half of it!
That's right, Lin Qinshuang gave another eight hundred taels, while Zhou Xueniang only added four hundred taels.

"Hehehe, that crazy woman from the Sheng family, she's really going all out to cripple that illegitimate brat!" His hoarse voice was like sandpaper rubbing together, filled with undisguised drooling. "Crippling one of his hands? A piece of cake! I'll take the job!"

"Originally, we were going to Yanzhou to find someone, which would have been like finding a needle in a haystack, but this job is much easier!" Guoshanfeng was very satisfied with this kind of pleasant work.

His mind was already filled with the pleasant sound of gold ingots clinking together, and the enchanting scenery of the brothels in Bianjing, but who was the target?
He's just a pedantic scholar raised in a secluded mansion, powerless and only good at spouting classical Chinese phrases!
Zhao Mang, nicknamed "Over the Mountain Wind," roamed the greenwood for over a decade, and the number of heads he chopped off was more than the number of books that kid had read!
Crushing such a tiny chick would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it? As for that humiliating defeat a few years ago in the Lüliang Mountains, where we were nearly disemboweled?

The huge, ugly scar on my chest, resembling a centipede, still aches faintly on rainy days.
Those are all old grievances, long since diluted by the fine wines and beautiful women of Bianjing and the real gold and silver in their hands!

He only vaguely remembered that he was defeated by Lu Hongti and a masked expert who appeared out of nowhere. As for what the expert looked like, he didn't know.
What is your name?

It has long been forgotten.

In his simple mind, scholars and martial arts masters were from completely different worlds.

A lean, burly man nicknamed "Bald-tailed Rat" stood nearby, his mouth watering at the sight of the gleaming silver, but a chill ran down his spine. He couldn't help but whisper a warning: "Master Feng... Master Feng, this is Bianjing, right under the Emperor's nose. Those henchmen of the Imperial City Guard have noses sharper than dogs! If we force our way into a high-ranking official's residence, what if..."

"Fuck your motherfucker!"

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, the mountain wind suddenly turned its head, its triangular eyes flashing with ferocity, and its spittle almost sprayed onto the bald-tailed rat's face. "Trying to force your way in?"

"Do I look like a brainless idiot? Openly committing violence in Bianjing City, do you think I'm tired of living?!" He lowered his voice, with a smug and self-satisfied cunning. "Didn't that crazy woman say that her troublemaking daughter was just locked up in the ancestral hall? She's desperate to get her daughter out of trouble! She'll pave the way for us!"

"For example... paying a hefty sum to bribe a greedy and penniless doorman to leave us an inconspicuous corner door in the back alley! Or, calculating the time when those idiots guarding the house are taking a nap during their night shift and when they're most relaxed!"

"Let's be quick, brothers. Picking locks and entering is our specialty. Let's find that kid's yard and sneak in without anyone noticing! We don't need to kill him, just do what the employer said and cripple his right hand that he uses to write!"

"Sever tendons, smash bones, do whatever you want! Get out of here immediately when you're done! Even if the Kaifeng Prefecture investigates, they'll just think it's a petty thief who broke into a house, accidentally alerted the owner, and in the chaos, used excessive force!"

“These kinds of cases happen every day in Bianjing City, three or five a day. Those officials don’t have the time to investigate them carefully!”

The more he talked, the more he felt his plan was flawless. It could easily make him incredibly wealthy while minimizing risks—it was simply perfect.

He patted his chest, brimming with confidence, completely unaware that his greed and arrogance were pushing him step by step into an abyss of no return.

Little did he know that the "pedantic scholar" he was about to cripple was none other than the "masked master" from Mount Lüliang who had descended like a god of death and nearly cleaved him in two with a single move!
"Master Feng, you're brilliant! Brilliant!" Bald-tailed Rat quickly forced a fawning smile, his unease suppressed by his desire for money. "Then... shall we brothers go to 'Lanxi Courtyard' to relax for a bit?"

"The girls there... hehe, the way they sing those little tunes, the way they sway their waists..." He rubbed his hands together lewdly, a lewd grin spreading across his face.

With a wave of his hand, Guo Shanfeng exclaimed with boundless enthusiasm, "Go! Everyone go! It's on me! We won't leave until we're drunk tonight! After we finish our business the day after tomorrow, we brothers will have a good time!" (End of Chapter)