Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 242 A good show

The former Zhongdu of the Jin Dynasty and now the capital of the new Sui Dynasty is even more prosperous than before.

Because it was the Han Dynasty, many merchants and nobles who had originally migrated south also appeared in the capital, waiting for an opportunity to fight for a future.

When the New Sui Dynasty was first established, the imperial examination had not yet been introduced.

Emperor Yang Kang of the Sui Dynasty did not seem to show any intention of opening the imperial examination system, but he did not oppose it either, right?
Moreover, the imperial examination system originated from the former Sui Dynasty. Since the new Sui Dynasty inherited the country's name, should it also inherit the system?
Many southerners who had originally been reluctant to set foot in this place because it was the heartland of the Jin Dynasty, could not help but put aside their contempt after seeing the red buildings and painted pavilions, embroidered houses and red doors, carved carriages and galloping horses in this city.

Originally, many people held on to old ideas and thought that the Jin Dynasty was a barbarian country. It was unwise for the new Sui Dynasty, which rose from the corpse of the Jin Dynasty, to establish its capital in the former Zhongdu!

Only when I really arrived here did I realize that the Lin'an City of the Southern Song Dynasty was actually nothing special, and the Bianliang City of the Northern Song Dynasty could perhaps only be compared to it.

In the most prosperous street, there was a large empty space in the middle. On the ground was a silk banner with a white background and red flowers, embroidered with four golden characters "Martial Arts Competition to Recruit a Bride". Two people were fighting fiercely under the banner, one was a girl in red, and the other was a middle-aged man.

Many people gathered around to watch, cheering from time to time, but no one said anything rude or teased the beautiful girl in red.

The two men were seen fighting back and forth. Although their moves were just fancy moves, they were still dazzling to watch.

The two men fought for a while, and then the middle-aged man started to speak in a tone like an actor on the stage, "My surname is Mu and my given name is Yi, and I am from Shandong. I am passing through your place not for fame or profit, but because my daughter has reached the age of marriage and has not yet found a husband."

"She once made a wish that she would not marry a rich man, but a man with outstanding martial arts skills. So I dared to challenge her to a martial arts competition. Anyone who is under 30 years old and unmarried and can beat my daughter with a punch or a kick, I will marry her to him. My father and I have traveled from south to north and have traveled through seven places, but because all the famous heroes are married, and young heroes are rarely willing to look at us, we have never found a good match."

At this point, the middle-aged man was so full of energy that he shouted with a boldness that was not in line with his status: "Beijing is a place where crouching tigers and hidden dragons are hidden. There must be many masters and heroes. I acted absurdly, so please forgive me."

As soon as these words were spoken, both the ordinary people around and the new dynasty officials who were dressed more luxuriously, bowed in return.

This little gangster seems like some big shot.

People who came to Beijing for the first time were inevitably curious and whispered to the people around them, "What is going on? If it's a martial arts competition to win a bride, why is it done like this, and... no one is going up to challenge?"

Speaking of this young man from the south, he also seemed to be eager to make something.

The girl in red, although her temperament was a little mature, was still extremely beautiful. She stood there stroking her hair with her eyes downcast. She did not look at the audience below the stage. Instead, she was like a lady from a noble family. Her eyes did not meet anyone's, which made people feel pity for her.

"You're new here!"

"You don't understand this! They are waiting for His Majesty to take a fancy to them!" said someone who was well aware of the inside story.

"Brother, what do you mean? Are you going to hold a martial arts competition on the street to win a bride, and attract the emperor's attention?" the young man asked in confusion.

"More than a month ago, the emperor asked a maid to perform such a play here. After returning to the palace, he made the maid his concubine and stayed in her room for seven days. After that, a man who was good at researching found a woman, also dressed in red, and held a martial arts competition here to find a husband. He actually invited the emperor to come on stage to compete. The woman came from the opera theater and was of the lowest class, but she was also taken into the palace and favored. Now she is the emperor's favorite concubine and may have a chance to become the queen."

"Since then, people have often set up a stage and looked for a man and a woman to play the role of father and daughter, just to wait for the emperor to come."

"Of course, not all of them are lucky! A few days ago, a 'father and daughter' acted too much. The beautiful girl in red was turned into a prostitute. Both of them were arrested and beheaded."

Listening to the explanation of the person next to him, the young man from the south felt that he didn't quite understand, but was greatly shocked. It is indeed worthy of being the best place in the world, under the feet of the emperor... there are so many strange stories.

This was the first time I heard that the emperor chose his concubine not by selecting beautiful women to enter the palace, but by performing a show on the street. In the crowd, a young man with a narrow sword scar on his face and a solemn expression stood there. His tall and straight figure seemed to stand out from the crowd.

He turned around, led his horse, and walked out of the crowd.

"Brother Jing! Are you going to stage this drama to lure Yang Kang out?" After the young man walked out of the crowd, a petite girl came up to him and asked in a low voice.

The young man was naturally Guo Jing. At this moment, he looked at Huang Rong in front of him and frowned slightly.

"Rong'er! Why are you here? I'm not..."

"Do you think a little bit of incense can make me faint?" Huang Rong wrinkled her nose, put her hands behind her back, and said charmingly.

Guo Jing sighed and said, "I can put my life and death aside, but I must find Yang Kang to avenge Master Zhebie and Taoist Priest Qiu."

"Only in this way will Yang Kang come out and fight me."

Huang Rong's eyes dimmed slightly when she heard this. She sighed and said, "Brother Jing! If you want to die, Rong'er will definitely accompany you."

Guo Jing's eyes gradually became vague, and he said with a wry smile: "Rong'er is so smart, it turns out that I can't hide anything from you."

Huang Rong smiled brightly and said, "Brother Jing, you are so easily at odds with yourself. You want to avenge Master Zhebie and Taoist Qiu, but you also know that Yang Kang is now a good emperor and is responsible for the country. So you want to die to comfort the dead, and at the same time, you want to use the last duel with Yang Kang to remind him and let him continue to be a good emperor. Is that right?"

Guo Jing said, "Rong'er! We are not destined to be together in this life. I am sorry for you."

"If you wish, you can collect my remains and send them back to Peach Blossom Island, and then remember me. I will live with you until you are ninety or a hundred years old!"

"Brother Jing!" Huang Rong interrupted Guo Jing.

"You know, if you died, I would never live alone."

"If you really want to act out this scene, I will accompany you. I am very familiar with Sister Mu, and I am also proficient in disguise. I can definitely play Sister Mu vividly." Huang Rong said.

Guo Jing wanted to cruelly drive Huang Rong away, but Huang Rong stepped forward and hugged Guo Jing, completely ignoring the sight of passers-by and pedestrians nearby.

"Brother Jing! Don't chase me away, or I will die in front of you now."

Guo Jing held Huang Rong in his arms, and his determination, which had finally been strengthened, began to waver again. Although he was honest, he was not stupid. He knew very well that once Huang Rong got involved, everything would definitely develop differently from what he had planned.

He wanted to use his death to warn Yang Kang and to express his gratitude to his teachers.

But Huang Rong might really want to take this opportunity to kill Yang Kang once and for all.

Huang Rong was very smart, so she knew that as long as she played the role of Mu Nianci realistically enough, Yang Kang might not dodge even if she inserted a dagger into his chest.

If the dagger was poisoned, Yang Kang might be killed even if he had great martial arts skills.

(End of this chapter)