Ever since the day he intercepted Gu Jin’an and listened to his words, Gu Dexing had been hesitating about whether to ask Scholar Shang to take him as a disciple.
Today, he finally mustered the courage to go to the Shang Mansion to request an audience with Scholar Shang.
However, it was quite unfortunate that Third Grandpa and Uncle Dashan also followed Good Brother An to the Shang Mansion, so he could only hide in the bamboo forest and wait for Third Grandpa and Uncle Dashan to leave before coming out.
Shortly after, the grand gate of the Shang Mansion opened, and a servant clad in a brown cloak peeked out half of his body, noticing him and asking with a frown: "You’re not from Shang Family Village, where are you from? What brings you to the Shang Mansion?"
Gu Dexing folded his hands and bowed: "I am Gu Dexing from the Gu Family of Da Feng Village, here to request an audience with Scholar Shang. Please trouble you to deliver this visiting card to Scholar Shang."
He took out a red visiting card, which he had bought for ten copper coins in a bookstore in the town.
Because the Lord County Captain often had people submit visiting cards to visit his household, the servant was used to it and took the visiting card saying, "Please wait here."
Gu Dexing, fearing that Scholar Shang would not see him, added: "Young man, my family has chores that need attention, and I’ve taken ti out of my busy schedule to co today, please help put in a good word so that Scholar Shang might see ."
The servant was decent, and replied: "Alright, I’ll pass on your ssage to the master."
"Thank you, young man," Gu Dexing said happily, standing outside and rubbing his hands in anticipation.
The servant quickly delivered the visiting card to Scholar Shang and relayed Gu Dexing’s words to him.
Scholar Shang was teaching Gu Jin’an how to do Gongbi sketches, when he heard the ssage, he told the servant: "Tell him that if there are chores to be done at ho, he should go ho and attend to them."
"Yes," the servant replied and turned to leave.
Gu Jin’an said, "Sir, is this not too harsh? Brother Dexing genuinely desires to take you as a teacher."
Scholar Shang said, "What he’s seeking isn’t a teacher, but power."
Gu Dexing is young but obsessed with power. His persistence in taking him as a teacher was largely because of County Captain Jiang.
Gu Jin’an frowned and said, "But sir, you’ve said before that people always rely on various forms of power to live. Brother Dexing wanting to rely on power seems... not wrong."
Scholar Shang was a peculiar person, not like other scholars who prided themselves on high integrity and kept away from power. He often said to him that even he relied on County Captain Jiang to live a leisurely life.
Why then, when it ca to Gu Dexing, did the sir refuse to take him in?
Scholar Shang said, "It’s indeed human nature to seek the shelter of power, and that’s alright. However, he lacks honor; my students can rely on power, but the primary requirent is that they must be honorable."
"An honorable person, even under great power, won’t commit evil deeds but will use power to protect his family and clan; whereas soone lacking honor might exploit the power to dominate the villages and commit atrocities."
Gu Jin’an pondered for a mont and then said, "It’s like the situation with your household and the Lu Family."
The sir being the son-in-law of the county magistrate, but only uses County Captain Jiang’s power to lead a carefree life at ho; whereas the Lu Family thrives by misusing the power of County Magistrate Zou, exploiting the village residents.
Scholar Shang replied, "Exactly that."
After thinking it over, Gu Jin’an still spoke up in favor of Gu Dexing: "Although Brother Dexing craves power, his intentions aren’t bad."
Scholar Shang stated, "I never said Gu Dexing had malicious intentions, but his unrefined ntality is certain; he needs to be polished. If he’s polished well, taking him as a student is fine. However, if he gives up halfway or harbors resentnt against us, then there’s no need to accept him."
Looking at Gu Jin’an seriously, Scholar Shang added: "Human nature can turn wicked under discontent and jealousy. If you wish to be an official, rember this; discern when to befriend soone, and when to keep your distance."
Gu Jin’an, enlightened by these words, responded: "Sir, your advice is well received. Jin’an has learned."
Outside the Shang Mansion, the servant relayed Scholar Shang’s words to Gu Dexing, who upon hearing them, left looking utterly dejected.
When Gu Dexing returned ho, He Sanlai found Gu Dewang, who was gathering firewood, and dragged him into a low-lying gully. He took out a caral and gave it to him: "Brother Wang, go to the Gu Family and call Gu Xiaoyu over here. Just get her to co out, and I’ll give you another caral."
Gu Dewang, who loved to eat, imdiately stuffed the caral into his mouth. With a few crunches, he chewed up the caral and swallowed it, then stretched out his hand to He Sanlai: "One caral is not enough, I want two. If you don’t give them, I won’t relay the ssage for you."
He Sanlai was taken aback. Damn it, he was always the one tricking others, but today he was tricked by a little kid.
He Sanlai was so furious that he raised his hand to hit Gu Dewang, but Gu Dewang was quicker, pulled open his throat, and shouted, "Soone! He San... mmm mmm!"
"Don’t shout, don’t shout, ancestor stop shouting, here’s your candy." He Sanlai hurriedly gave Gu Dewang another caral.
Gu Dewang took the caral, ate it in one bite, and stretched out his hand again: "You just wanted to hit , you need to add another one."
He Sanlai wished he could kick this little bastard to death. How could this child not look as dumb as he appeared? Appearing not so smart, yet he had a shrewd heart, He really lost big ti.
With no other choice, He Sanlai had to give Gu Dewang another caral and seriously instructed him: "Quickly go call Gu Xiaoyu over, tell her I have sothing important to tell her. If she doesn’t co, your families might not have a place to stay."
Gu Dewang, oblivious to these matters, just rembered the candies. Upon hearing this, he only asked, "If I call Sister Xiao Yu over, how many candies will you give as a reward?"
He counted on his fingers, "I have a little brother, I need to give him one. I have a very fierce cousin at ho; if she sees us eating candy and doesn’t have any, she will beat us. I also have a cousin brother who needs one too."
Gu Dewang stretched out a palm, "So after the task is done, you need to give five candies."
"You, your little brother, your cousins add up to only four people, why should I give you five candies?!" He Sanlai was so angry he almost wanted to strangle him.
While eating the caral, Gu Dewang pointed to himself and said, "For the effort of my running legs, I need one more, so it’s five candies."
This reasoning was simply irrefutable.
He Sanlai could only agree: "Alright, alright, hurry up and call Gu Xiaoyu over. If you call her, there will be candy to eat."
Gu Dewang smiled with squinted eyes, ditched the firewood, and ran to the Gu Family to find Gu Jinli, waving at her: "Sister Xiao Yu, co out quickly."
Gu Jinli stopped the action of putting roasted soybeans into a small cloth bag, ca to the courtyard gate, and asked him, "What do you want with ?"
Gu Dewang pointed to the candy in his mouth and then to the woods not far behind Qin family’s house, "That He Sanlai gave so candies to call you, said there’s sothing important to tell you, asked you to et him in the hollow of the woods. He also said if you don’t go, our families will have nowhere to live."
He grinned and said, "Sister Xiao Yu, he’s a bad man, you shouldn’t go. I just wanted to trick him for his candies, I didn’t plan to help him trick you."
He Sanlai never expected that after throwing out a packet of candies, he would be sold out by Gu Dewang in the end.
Gu Jinli certainly had no plans to et He Sanlai alone in the woods. She went to Qin family, found Qin San Lang, and told him about He Sanlai.
"Brother Qin, go catch He Sanlai in the woods and bring him to your house. I’ll co to your house to see him and ask him what he ans by those words."
Qin San Lang nodded, "Okay, wait here, I’ll go catch him."
Saying so, he let Gu Dewang lead the way to capture soone in the hollow of the woods.
He Sanlai, upon seeing Qin San Lang, took to his heels. While running, he shouted, "Brother Qin spare my life, I had no ill intentions, I really have sothing important to tell you."
He cursed Gu Dewang: "You little brat, after cheating so many candies out of , yet you bring people to catch , you just wait..."
Before he could finish, a rock the size of a wine cup hit his leg, with a bang, he was knocked down on the ground, crying in pain while holding his foot.
Qin San Lang approached, dislocated his arm with a grab, then picked him up by the collar and said, "Talk at my house.
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