Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 16 Ten Handsome Men

The carriage drove out of the county school and headed west along the street.

The road became increasingly flat, with lavish mansions on both sides.

The carriage drove directly into a house through the side door, and the guard personally helped Lu Qubing get off the carriage.

Two special maids had already been waiting here. They smiled sweetly at Lu Qubing and led him to the main courtyard.

The pavilions and towers everywhere sparkled in the sun, and servants were kneeling beside the pillars, carefully smearing them with oil.

Under every archway they passed, there was a tall man standing. Some of them were leading ferocious dogs. The big dogs were drooling and pretended to bite Lu Qubing, but were restrained by ropes.

This was Lu Qubing's first time here. The gravel roads in the courtyard were crisscrossed, and the view was blocked by the green trees on the roadside. Without someone to lead the way, it would be difficult to get out.

After walking for a long time, Lu Qubing was finally brought in front of Fei Zongxian.

He turned his back to the road and squatted on the ground like a big barrel.

"Master, Mr. Lu is here."

The maid said sweetly.

Fei Zongxian stood up with some difficulty and waved to Lu Qubing with a smile.

"Come, come, come here!"

Lu Qubing walked up to his side and looked down in the direction he was looking.

A few yellowed papers were thrown on the ground casually.

The handwriting was illegible and stained with all kinds of filth.

Lu Qubing just took a few glances and then stood there.

"these are"

"Hahaha, do you like them? They are all calligraphy masterpieces, some by Wang Xizhi and Lu Wei. Most of them are unique copies. I collected them all with great care."

Lu Qubing's entire body began to tremble, and veins popped up on his forehead again.

"You, you fat man, how can you just throw this away?!"

Fei Zongxian put away his smile and glanced at these precious books. "They are just some torn papers and rotten words."

Lu Qubing gnashed his teeth and said, "I have also heard about how Mr. Fei had 'meticulously collected' things in and outside the city before. Since you don't like these, why did you do that?"

Fei Zongxian did not answer his question.

"You like it?"

"Well, go pick two and I'll give them to you."

Lu Qubing looked at the treasures in a daze, but his eyes suddenly became clear and he shook his head.

"No need."

Fei Zongxian laughed, then took Lu Qubing's hand and led him to the table, calling on everyone to prepare the meal.

More than a dozen servants came in one by one carrying food.

The table in front of Lu Qubing was six feet long. The food brought by the servants filled almost every corner of the table. There were all kinds of meat, rare treasures, and no one was repeated. There was no empty space on the long table.

As the servants rushed to deliver food, Fei Zongxian also spoke, "Mr. Lu, logically speaking, we should have been closer a long time ago."

"You have been in the county school for some time, but we have never had the chance to get together."

"Are you used to the county school?"

Lu Qubing's attitude was not very friendly, "Not bad."

"I heard that the Law School has changed a lot recently. What method did Lu Jun use?"

“They are studious.”

“But are there any outstanding performers among them?”

"No."

Fei Zongxian was a little surprised. "In the past, I often heard people say that Lu Jun was good at speaking. Today I know that the rumors are not true. Lu Jun is a man of few words."

He raised his wine cup and took a sip. "There is talent in the Law School. Everyone already knows this."

"I heard that there is a man named Liu Taozi, who comes from a good family, has good morals, and is studious. Everyone likes him very much."

"The county school selects talents for the country. As you know, I have a quota for recommendations. I really don't want to miss out on such a talent."

He took out a book and put it aside.

"I want to transfer this person out of the law room and let him learn the great way of the saints."

A lewd smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he asked with a smile:
"I heard that this person is close to Lu Jun. I wonder if Lu Jun can give up his love?"

Lu Qubing just felt frightened.

He said seriously: "Most of the rumors are untrue. Liu Taozi is rude and unreasonable, of low birth, vicious and stupid. I'm afraid he is not worthy of following you to learn the great way of the saint."

"Ah, how can you say that? Even if you are not from a high-class family, with a famous teacher as your assistant, why can't you achieve academic success?"

"I have always been compassionate to these low-level scholars. None of my disciples and followers are of high birth. I don't care about this."

Lu Qubing had a stern face and said nothing.

Fei Zongxian looked at him expectantly and rubbed his hands again, "How about this, I'll trade with you. I have many good disciples around me, including handsome men. Even if they are not as good as Taozi, I can still trade for one more!"

"How many do you want? There's no outsider here, just tell me! I'll trade five, no, ten handsome men for peaches! Is that ok?"

At this moment, Lu Qubing's face turned red. He stood up with his teeth chattering.

"This is too much!"

Lu Qubing turned around and left.

Fei Zongxian also stood up, with a fierce look on his face, "Lu Qubing! I'm talking to you to give you face! Do you really think I can't do anything to you?!"

"Just wait! I have the final say on whether you can become my apprentice!"

"How long do you think you can monopolize him?!"

Lu Qubing had already gone far away, but Fei Zongxian was still jumping in anger.

The law school was quiet, and the noise outside would stay at the high wall, unwilling to step into this place of lowly people. Lu Qubing sat opposite Taozi, opened his mouth several times, but could not utter a word, and stammered.

"Speak now."

Hearing Taozi's words, Lu Qubing stared at him seriously.

"Taozi, why don't you drop out of school and go home."

"Why?"

"That Fei Zongxian has a bad reputation. You don't know him..."

Lu Qubing organized his words and said, "This man is vicious and has a very bad reputation."

"He was born into a wealthy family in Handan. He is uneducated and extravagant. He has gathered a group of evil men around him. He once openly sent people to rob famous works in and outside the city and accepted bribes. In short, this man is a villain!"

"Ah."

Peach remained calm.

"The most despicable thing is that this person is so promiscuous!"

"When he was in Ye City, he was expelled because of his relationship with the noble. It's really disgusting!"

"Since this guy came to Cheng'an, he has been doing evil everywhere. Whenever he sees something he likes, he will use any means to seize it. From what I know, three people have been forced to death by him!"

"Their parents reported the case to the authorities, but the county government said they committed suicide and would not pursue the matter."

"In the end, the incident got out of hand and they just found someone to take the blame. It was because of this incident that I fell out with the county magistrate and was demoted here."

Lu Qubing explained for a long time and added a sentence at the end.

"Now, he's attracted to you again."

After Lu Qubing finished speaking, he looked at Taozi.

Taozi looked indifferent, and he nodded again, "Yeah."

"So, you should drop out of school. This person has many friends and relatives in Cheng'an, and I am alone. I am no match for him."

"After you finish your studies, you will need the county school to issue you a certificate before you can go to take the exam. Fei Zongxian will be in charge of this matter. He will definitely take the opportunity to threaten you. If you don't obey, he may use other means."

"I've thought about it. You should go home first and don't go out for the next few days. I'll ask someone to find you a job in the village and testify for you."

Lu Qubing talked a lot.

"What do you think?"

The corner of Liu Taozi's left eye twitched, and a hint of ferocity flashed in his eyes.

He glanced at Lu Qubing.

"Thank you."

After saying that, he turned over, lay on the bed and closed his eyes.

Lu Qubing was stunned, "Brother Taozi, you..."

"Ugh."

"Forget it, let's wait and see. If this guy really wants to resort to some tricks, I will go directly to the chief priest. The chief priest is a famous person in the city. I don't think he would dare to act presumptuously."

Lu Qubing was still talking to himself, but Liu Taozi's snoring could be heard from the other side.

Lu Qubing felt a little complicated, but for some reason, he didn't seem as worried as before.

He also slowly lay down on the bed with a solemn expression.

After resting for a while and having lunch, Lu Qubing gave a lecture to everyone again.

Everyone knelt in the courtyard respectfully and listened attentively. They cherished this hard-earned opportunity very much.

But not everyone is like this.

Kou Liu stood with his back against the dormitory door in a very rude posture, looking down at the scene in front of him.

"Hey, interesting."

"Fun."

Lu Qubing glanced at Kou Liu and ignored him, just talking about the law and practice.

Seeing that no one paid attention to him, Kou Liu went back to his room and never came out again.

When the lecture was over, everyone stood up and expressed their gratitude.

Lu Qubing returned the gift with a smile.

Kou Liu walked out of the house at some point and looked straight at Lu Qubing.

Lu Qubing frowned and followed Taozi into his room.

As soon as he entered the room, he could not help but complain to Taozi beside him: "This guy is not here to study! He insists on living in a separate room, saying that he has been used to living in a separate room since he was a child."

"He actually wanted to bribe me!"

"I am not."

"Lu Lingshi!"

Kou Liu walked into the house and interrupted Lu Qubing.

"Ling Shi, it's the same thing. I really can't get used to sleeping with others. Please help me."

"I still need to rest, you go out first."

"No, you must help me."

As he was speaking, he accidentally met Taozi's eyes.

Taozi stared at him straight, not hiding the hostility in her eyes at all.

Kou Liu took a step back and swallowed.

"Then I won't bother you anymore. I'll talk to them myself."

(End of this chapter)