Tomorrow is the provincial examination. Li Ling and the other two planned to write an article in the end and discuss it. After they took a break early, they didn't expect that when dusk approached, someone suddenly came to the door and said, "Mr. Li, my master wants to invite you to come to the mansion."

"What is your master?" Li Ling looked at the bookish manager in front of him and had already guessed the answer. Sure enough, the other party also said truthfully: "My master has always been called Master Zhang Ru. Thanks to Mr. Li, you were righteous before, so today I asked the young man to come and invite him. I hope the young master will not refuse."

"This..." Li Ling thought for a moment, then looked at Xu Cang beside him and smiled, "Since it was an invitation from Confucian master, I naturally dare not refuse. However, my friend has always admired the style of Confucian master and wanted to listen to his teachings. I wonder if I can go with me?"

Xu Cang was stunned and hurriedly said, "Wen Zhong, Master Confucian is invited by you..." The following words were interrupted by Li Ling's wave of his hand: "I think Master Confucian should not refuse my students thousands of miles away, right?"

As soon as these words were said, the other party was really hard to refuse, and he smiled and said, "Since Mr. Li has such a request, please ask this young master to go with him. But I can't guarantee whether my master will see you at that time."

Xu Cang was also happy when he got this answer. He admired Zhang Hefeng more and more these days. It would be good to be able to meet him at close range today, even if it would not help the imperial examination. He immediately looked at Li Ling gratefully. The other party really helped him too much.

Since they were determined, the two of them did not delay anymore. They followed the man out, left the inn in a simple carriage he brought, and then headed straight to the east of the city. More than half an hour later, the carriage entered a simple but somewhat noble house.

The three-entry yard was scattered on three or four acres of land, and evergreen trees such as pine and cypress were planted in the courtyard. Several servants came and went from the aisle to work on their own affairs, giving people a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere. They did not let people go in advance to report, until they brought Li Ling and the other two to a study room that was almost called the hall. The manager went in and reported it first. After a moment, he smiled and said, "Mr. Li, please invite me in. My master also wants to meet the scholar who can make friends with Mr. Li."

"Thank you." In this environment, Li Ling seemed more polite. As for Xu Cang, he became more restrained while being excited, and the smile on his face became more nervous. He only followed Li Ling and entered the study.

At this moment, the study room was as bright as daylight. Zhang Hefeng wore a wide robe, shaking his head and reciting an article like an old man in a private school. It was not until the two of them came forward to greet him that he slowly closed the book and pointed to the seat in front of him and said, "Please sit down and talk, friends."

"I dare not, Master Confucian should call me Li Ling or Wen Zhong, the name "六文"

"My younger generation Xu Cang, but he has not yet obtained the word "print."

The two of them dared not be proud of each other, and thanked each other again, and then they sat down gently. Seeing the two of them performing like this, the smile in the old man's eyes became even stronger, but his eyes were more on Li Ling: "Wen Zhong, your word "女" is very different from your previous performance."

"It made me laugh. It was because I was too aggressive that the teacher gave me this word. I hope I can be more steady in the future."

"Do you already have a teacher? Is it a teacher or a teacher?" The so-called teacher is the teacher when a child is in the beginning of the dynasty. Although you may also give you words, the relationship may not be very close. As for the teacher, it is almost the same as the parents, that is, the so-called one day as a teacher and a father for life, and the imprint cannot be erased.

Li Ling was a little strange, but he answered honestly: "It's a guest."

Zhang Hefeng showed a little regret: "Oh? But who is it?"

"It's my Weixianzun in Jiangcheng County."

"Is Wei Zhongxian? This son is extraordinary. I have also had some friendships with him, and he is also among the top young officials in terms of talent and character."

Li Ling nodded with a smile. In this era of respecting teachers and respecting the truth, as a student, it is really hard to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of his teacher. However, when he heard the strange name, he felt a little uncomfortable.

After sighing softly, Zhang Hefeng smiled again: "I'm going to invite you here abruptly today, don't be surprised. But I was busy with some mundane affairs before, and I felt that you might not have any time to prepare for the exam, so I didn't rush to invite you over and thank you in person."

Li Ling vaguely guessed that the other party seemed to have the intention of taking him into the wall, but now he already has a teacher, so it is hard for the old man to mention it again. However, he did not get involved in this and smiled and said, "I can't be the word "Xie" for Confucianism. The matter on that day was just a coincidence. In addition, I really don't agree with their views, so I refuted it. And I believe that even if I don't stand up, the eloquence of Confucianism will be enough to make them lose their ugly people."

"Haha, you kid is really good at speaking. No wonder you can achieve something in just a short time and have friendship with the people of the Wan family." Zhang Hefeng was praised by him and laughed happily, and then said, "But I still know myself. That business matter is not what I know. If I really want to argue with them, I am afraid that I will not be able to match it. So my gratitude to you is real, otherwise I am afraid that my reputation for many years will be destroyed in that event."

Li Ling didn't expect the old man to be so straightforward, so he could only smile and dare not say more. At the same time, he also guessed in his heart why the other party invited him until today. A few days ago, the other party went to check his life experience and just now he accidentally let him go.

The old man looked at him again and said, "It is indeed not easy for you to reach this point with poor children. Since I have received your help, I will repay you. Originally, I planned to put you in the door, so even if you fail the imperial examination today, you can study hard in front of me and wait three years before taking the provincial examination. But since you already have a famous teacher, leave this matter to him for a headache. In this way, if you have any requests, as long as you do not violate the principles and laws, I can do it, just ask."

Li Ling really didn't expect the other party to be so straightforward. He was stunned at first, then glanced at Xu Cang and smiled and said, "The elder dared not say anything. Since the Confucian master said so, I must not be ungrateful. Then I would like to ask Confucian master to bring Brother Xu to his subordinates."

"Huh?" Zhang Hefeng was surprised. In fact, he had already made it clear that he wanted to give Li Ling a big future. With his reputation, as long as he said, even if Li Ling failed the imperial examination this time, he would have a way to let him enter the officialdom in other ways. But this young man was so good that he actually gave such an opportunity to his friends.

Xu Cang was completely stunned, and his eyes turned red after he came back to his senses: "Brother Li, this is not allowed. This time, it is your helper. I can come here to meet the Confucian master with you. It is a blessing to listen to some teachings. How can you have such delusions..."

"Brother Xu, you are too arrogant. You are only above me in terms of talent and knowledge. It is just because your family is poor and you have not been guided by a famous teacher. I also believe that as long as the Confucian master truly understands you, he will definitely agree to accept you as a disciple." Li Ling said with an open mind and smiled.

This really made Zhang Hefeng interested. He carefully observed Xu Cang. With his eyesight of countless people, he found that the young man in front of him did have the style of a gentleman. Although he looked ordinary and was a bit restrained when he sat there, he was indeed a piece of unconventional jade.

"Xu Cang? I asked you, what classics have you been teaching recently?"

"I...students have been studying in Spring and Autumn this year, and feel that being able to understand many saints' views on dealing with the world is also of great benefit to my own improvement."

"Oh? Let's hear it." The old man continued to look at him, but his eyes added a little appreciation.

Among the Five Classics, the content of "Spring and Autumn Annals" is the most complex and difficult to understand. However, Zhang Hefeng is a master of this art and has his own opinions on this. Since Xu Cang also reads this sutra, he naturally has to take the exam.

Now Xu Cang also understood the other party's meaning, and immediately put aside his distracting thoughts and slowly explained some of his daily experiences. Many of these things were just knowledge he saw from books, but it was impossible to know whether it was correct. At this moment, he was just asking for advice in front of a great scholar like Zhang Hefeng.

With such an idea, Xu Cang was no longer as nervous as before. His words were more organized. Some of the ideas he expounded were fresh. Zhang Hefeng's eyes were full of colorful eyes, nodding frequently, and occasionally giving a few tips, which immediately made Xu Cang have a new and correct understanding of the content of the Spring and Autumn Period, which made him very excited, and even forgot about the others, including his possible apprenticeship of this great scholar.

The two of them talked for a while, and they were interrupted until the manager arrived in front of the door again. Zhang Hefeng did not ask the manager to speak in advance, but looked at Xu Cang with a smile: "It seems that you are quite insightful about Spring and Autumn, which is not bad. I heard that you have not yet written a word for prose. I have one here. The water of Canglang is clear and can wash my crown, and the water of Canglang is turbid and can wash my feet. I am called Zhuo Wu, what?"

Xu Cang looked at the old man blankly, and his mind was not turning around for a moment. Li Ling had already reminded him: "Brother Xu, why don't you kneel down to pay homage to the teacher quickly. Master Zhang Ru promised to accept you as a disciple!"

Xu Cang then reacted, overjoyed, and quickly knelt down on the ground with a pounce, kowtowed to Zhang Hefeng: "Disciple Xu Cang pays homage to the teacher, thank you for your words, I will call you Xu Zhuowu in the future..." When he looked up again, he was full of tears on his face, and bowed to Li Ling to thank him.

Zhang Hefeng smiled and stood up and helped him up: "It's a blessing for me to accept you as my disciple. Of course, I have to thank Wen Zhong for your recommendation."

It was not until the master-apprentice relationship was confirmed and the two were allowed to sit back again that Zhang Hefeng looked at the manager: "Is there anything wrong?"

"Master, Luo Liheng is here again. Not only did he send many generous gifts, but he also brought people to kneel in front of the door, saying that if Master refused to see him, he would kneel in front of our mansion and not leave..."
Chapter completed!