National Division

Chapter 12 Only those who are capable can attain a position.

In the Shen residence, the lights flickered in the hall, creating a tranquil atmosphere.

Shen Xian and Yu Qingchan exchanged a few more words, glanced at the sky outside, and said, "Uncle Lin, it's getting late. You and Qingchan should rest early. We'll talk in detail tomorrow."

The arrival of Lin Jing and his nephew, to some extent, compensated for the disadvantages of his confined life and limited perspective.

If this young master Shen wants to live a comfortable life, he needs to either hope his father will become a dragon (achieve great success) or climb the social ladder himself.

Anyway, looking at Da Jing, he feared there would be great chaos in the future.

"Nephew Shen, if you have any questions about your studies, you can talk to Qingchan more. Qingchan is not only well-versed in national history, but also in Taoist scriptures, which can be beneficial to your imperial examinations." Lin Jing was increasingly satisfied with his nephew-in-law.

Shen Xian nodded and said, "There's plenty of time in the future."

Then, after taking a deep look at Yu Qingchan, who was wearing a straw hat, he didn't say anything more and turned back to his own residence.

"Uncle, this young master Shen seems to be a good person."

“Yes, it’s rare to find someone with such a pure heart. But before I came, I had someone inquire about him. He doesn’t really like reading, so it’ll be difficult for him to take the imperial examination route,” Lin Jing said, shaking his head.

Yu Qingchan said softly with a hint of a smile, "I don't think it will be too difficult. We just need to catch up now."

"Besides, what about mine?"

Only at this moment did the girl reveal the brightness and playfulness that belonged to her age.

Lin Jing smiled and said, "That's true, with you, the living Daoist scripture, here."

After exchanging a few jokes, Lin Jing sighed, "The Shen family of Lanxi has also declined. Once that old man Shen retires at the end of the year, his connections and resources will no longer fall into Shen Bin's lineage."

The Shen family of Lanxi was only a second-rate clan, and the head of the family was Shen Lin, the second grandfather of Shen Xian.

The second branch of the Shen family had its own direct lineage, including two cousins ​​of the same generation as Shen Bin, both of whom were involved in literary pursuits. Their names were Shen Zheng and Shen Zhai.

As for Shen Xian's uncle, Shen Qian, he served as a low-ranking military officer in the Southern Army of the Capital.

Yu Qingchan's voice carried a hint of determination as she said, "How can one claim to have achieved anything by relying on the blessings of one's ancestors? More than half of the thirty-six meritorious officials in the Qilin Pavilion came from humble backgrounds."

“That was during the founding of the nation,” Lin Jing said casually, without arguing. Looking at his niece, he sighed, “If it weren’t for you… perhaps you could have entered the palace as a lady-in-waiting and gained the Empress Dowager’s favor. Perhaps the Yu family wouldn’t have been involved in today’s case.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingchan felt a pang of sadness.

Lin Jing didn't want to continue the topic, so he said, "This young master Shen is a meticulous person. You should talk to him about Taoist scriptures more often."

Yu Qingchan hummed in agreement, seemingly lost in thought.

……

……

Meanwhile, Shen Xian walked along the corridor, passed through the moon gate, and arrived at his backyard.

"Young master, Uncle Ning from the front courtyard said that the master is handling a case at the yamen tonight and won't be returning today." Zhiyun carried a lantern and stepped forward to greet him. The lantern illuminated her rosy apple-shaped face beneath her twin buns, which was fair with a hint of naivety.

Shen Xian said, "I understand."

He was clearly used to his father working overtime late into the night.

As they spoke, Zhiyun followed Shen Xian into the house, brought out a teacup, and said with a smile, "This ginseng soup was just brewed; it's perfect timing that you've returned, young master."

Shen Xian took the cup and drank it all in one gulp, feeling a warm current flow through his limbs and bones.

"Young master, the medicinal bath is ready." Xiuyue moved her slender waist, her fair and delicate face beaming with a bright smile.

Shen Xian nodded and said, "Then I'll go to the training room first and wait a quarter of an hour before turning on the hot water."

The saying goes, "The poor study literature, the rich study martial arts." He needed a lot of resources to cultivate martial arts, but his silver was becoming increasingly insufficient.

According to Uncle Li, if he wants to break through to the fourth level of the acquired realm, he needs to change the medicinal bath formula, and the corresponding medicinal materials will become more and more expensive.

Shen Xian composed himself and walked towards the training room next to him.

At this moment, the training room is in the courtyard on the left. After the servant lit the lamps, it was brightly lit. On the left side were various weapons such as swords, spears, halberds, bows, crossbows, and arrows, while on the right side were iron chains and stone mills.

Shen Xian looked at the crossbow next to the powerful bow and thought to himself, "It's only because my father is the county magistrate that this crossbow would be a violation of the law."

It could be said that as the son of a county magistrate, he was just a nobody compared to the high-ranking nobles of the Great Jing Dynasty, but he did have some advantages over ordinary people.

Shen Xian picked up a hundred-forged steel sword from the weapon rack. The sword light around him was like a dragon, like a startled rainbow, and the sword light was amazing.

This is the third level of the Acquired Realm in martial arts. Practicing techniques to perfection and cultivating internal energy is called Acquired Realm.

Shen Xian's Bagua sword technique was so skillful that even in the rainy courtyard outside, it was almost impervious to wind and rain.

Shen Xian finished his practice and stood up. With a "whoosh," he returned the knife in his hand to its sheath and exhaled a deep stream of white internal energy.

As time went by, he gained more and more control over this body, feeling his blood and qi were abundant. He could easily tear apart tigers and leopards with his bare hands, let alone break bricks with one hand.

Wonderful, this world actually has such martial arts.

In his previous life, he practiced some martial arts in his spare time during his university years, but it was all just for show, good to look at but useless.

At this moment, Xiu Yue sat not far away, cracking melon seeds in her hand, watching her young master practice martial arts. Although the girl was in her prime, she already had a charming and graceful air about her, and her eyes were lively.

Zhiyun served tea and snacks, a faint smile on her face.

Seeing that Shen Xian had finished practicing, Zhiyun quickly stepped forward, handed him a towel, and said, "Young Master, your sword dance was truly beautiful."

Shen Xian composed himself and said, "The hot water should be ready. Go take a bath."

He has now reached a bottleneck in his martial arts realm. He will ask Uncle Li again tomorrow to see what to do.

Upon entering the house, after passing a beautifully painted bamboo and rock screen, she removed her clothes with the assistance of two maids.

Shen Xian said, "I can do it myself. You guys wait outside."

He was, after all, a person from his previous life, and was temporarily unaccustomed to such... extravagance and debauchery.

Zhiyun said softly, "Young Master, this is how you always serve him."

Xiu Yue blushed and said, "You all serve me, I'll wait outside."

Compared to Zhiyun, who was a maid brought by Shen Xianzhi's mother's family and had long regarded herself as a concubine, Xiuyue, a little maid who was bought into the mansion by Shen's father at the age of five, was somewhat unable to resist the separation between men and women.

Shen Xian glanced at Zhiyun and said, "You go outside and prepare the national history; I need to look at it later."

Upon hearing this, Zhiyun didn't think much of it and nodded.

After Zhiyun left, Shen Xian removed her inner garment. As she lowered her eyes, she felt both surprised and delighted.

In the hidden passage, a flash of cold light appeared first, followed by a spear thrust out like a dragon...

Suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, he stepped onto the bamboo stepping stones and entered the steaming hot bath.

At this moment, the medicinal soup had already been diluted in the hot water. Shen Xian was soaking in the hot soup, his eyes slightly closed, pondering what he had seen and heard during the day.

His immediate priority is to study the Taoist scriptures, catch up, and participate in the county examination. He hopes to get a government position, but that will probably be difficult in the short term. He still needs to help his father get promoted.

As the saying goes, "Only those who are capable can attain a position."

There's also martial arts cultivation, which requires a lot of money. Relying solely on my father's financial support probably won't be enough.

Take the medicinal bath he is currently taking, [Yiqi Tongmai San], as an example. It contains more than ten kinds of precious medicinal materials, such as tiger bone and ginseng.

All of these require money.

Shen Xian pondered, feeling the effects of the medicine taking hold, silently circulating his internal energy, and before he knew it, half an hour had passed.

Shen Xian felt a trace of internal energy growing and sighed inwardly.

He clearly sensed a bottleneck and thought it might be time to try a new prescription.

I'll have to ask Uncle Li tomorrow.

In fact, because Shen Bin disliked Shen Xian practicing martial arts, Shen Xian had always been doing it secretly. Later, when Shen Bin found out, he could only accept the fait accompli, but he still missed his son.

"Splash..." With the sound of water, Shen Xian picked up a towel from the side, wiped himself, picked up the neatly folded clothes, and began to change.

A short while later, they arrived at the study. At this moment, Zhiyun approached and said, "Young Master, the books are all prepared."

Shen Xian nodded and said, "I'm going to review my lessons."

His main task was to thoroughly study the history of the current dynasty; otherwise, he would be unable to pierce through the fog of mystery and prescribe a remedy for the court of the Great Jing Dynasty.

This is an essential quality for someone from a later era. Since you can't compete with those noble families, powerful clans, or influential clans by relying on your father's connections, then use your foresight and wisdom, which surpasses that of the natives, to launch a devastating attack.

(End of this chapter)