Chapter 166 Self-humiliation
On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, the academy's short exam was over. Liu Ji took the test paper with the excellent grade marked by the teacher, took a deep breath, prepared himself mentally to face everything, packed his luggage, and set off for home.
During this period, Liu Bo came to the county town to see him once, mainly to confirm whether he had really come back alive.
After confirming that he was still alive and studying hard, he felt very relieved and went home with peace of mind.
At this point, Liu Ji knew that Qin Yao already knew that he had returned alive.
He didn't dare to step out of the academy gate until the midterm exam was over and the academy had started its annual holiday, so he had to leave. Only then did he leave the city with trepidation.
Since I had no money, I had to walk.
Along the way, Liu Ji was like a frightened bird. He would be frightened at the slightest movement.
After walking for an hour and a half, when we reached the road between Xiahe Village and Jinshi Town, the sky suddenly became gloomy and white snow fell like salt grains.
Liu Ji quickened his pace. He had been a laborer before, and had been urged and whipped by the soldiers every day, so his speed had improved. He soon reached Xiahe Village.
There was less than an hour left to go from home. Thinking that if Qin Yao wanted to ambush him, she would have done so long ago. There was no way she would suddenly attack him on the way back to the village. He breathed a sigh of relief.
I never expected that as soon as I walked out of Xiahe Village, I suddenly heard the sound of galloping horses behind me.
Liu Ji's heart trembled and he turned around in disbelief, only to see a big brown horse rushing towards him at a very fast speed.
The woman on the horse's back, wearing a hat with the brim pulled down very low, revealing only a pointed and cold chin, was the person he least wanted to see, having been so nervous all the way.
Qin Yao shouted "Gee!" and squeezed her legs against the horse's belly. The horse under her increased its speed again and rushed forward.
Liu Ji's eyes were red as if they were about to burst. It was too late to dodge. In the panic, he completely forgot all the ways of coping that he had thought of before.
He knelt down with an honest "dong", closed his eyes and began to recite the book loudly at a very fast speed:
"The Master said, 'Governing with virtue is like the North Star, which stays in its place and all the other stars revolve around it!'"
"The Master said, 'Govern them with laws and discipline them with punishments, and the people will avoid punishment but will have no sense of shame; govern them with virtue and discipline them with rites, and they will have a sense of shame and will be upright!'"
"The Master said, 'At fifteen I set my mind on learning; at thirty I stood firm; at forty I had no doubts; at fifty I knew the will of Heaven; at sixty I was able to listen to others; at seventy I followed my heart's desire without transgressing the rules'"
The horse's hooves had already reached above Liu Ji's head, but Qin Yao made a sharp turn and almost fell beside him.
Liu Ji could feel the scorching heat emanating from Lao Huang's sturdy horse legs. Although he seemed calm, cold sweat was already rolling down his forehead.
He did not stop reciting, but spoke faster, "The Master said, 'If one can review the old and learn the new, he can be a teacher. Zi Zhang asked, 'Can it be known in ten generations?' The Master said, 'The Yin followed the Xia rites, and the additions and deletions can be known. If there is a successor to the Zhou, even after a hundred generations, it can be known.'"
"The Master said, 'To offer sacrifices to a ghost which is not one's own is flattery. To see what is right and not to do it is a lack of courage!'"
I memorized all twenty-four chapters of "Governing" from the Analects of Confucius in one breath, and only then did I dare to open my eyes to see what was happening.
As soon as he raised his eyes, he met Qin Yao's condescending gaze. There was a hint of novelty in her eyes, as if she didn't expect that he could have such a skill.
I clearly couldn't memorize the stuff even after being beaten to death, but now I can memorize it all of a sudden?
"Liu Ji?" She called him coldly, as if to confirm whether this man had been possessed by his soul.
Liu Ji said "Ah" weakly, and smiled awkwardly, "Madam, I got an A in the test."
As he said that, he quickly took out the test paper from his bag, spread it out and held it high up so that she could see clearly the big "Excellent" on it.
Qin Yao took a deep breath and brushed off the snow on the paper. Sure enough, there was a word "Excellent" written in a flamboyant style.
She frowned and glanced at him suspiciously.
Liu Ji quickly expressed his loyalty, "My lady, although my corvée service delayed me for three months, I have memorized one of the Four Books. I still have two months to memorize the remaining three. As long as I work hard, it should not affect my first exam next year."
This time, Qin Yao really had a new respect for the waste in front of her. She put away the half-drawn knife and motioned for him to stand up and talk.
She rode ahead calmly, "Where's the dagger?"
Liu Ji had always kept this treasure in his arms and did not dare to sell it even when he was the poorest. Now he hurriedly took out the dagger wrapped in three layers of rags and returned it to Qin Yao.
Qin Yao: "Where's the pot?"
Liu Ji patted the bundle and said, "It's well kept. It's not damaged at all. I'll take it first, so as not to tire your hands."
This flattering look was still exactly the same as before. Qin Yao dispelled his suspicion that he was possessed by someone else's soul and asked,
"I didn't give you money to pay for the corvée labor. You must hate me in your heart, right?"
It was a snowy day, and Liu Ji was sweating profusely. He quietly raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his forehead and said seriously,
"At first I didn't understand why my wife was like this, but later I gradually understood that my wife was right to do this. It was because I couldn't control myself and neglected my studies."
"But now I know I was wrong. My wife, you hit me because you love me."
Qin Yao immediately reminded: "Watch your wording."
Liu Ji laughed dryly twice, skipped over the cheesy words, and continued:
"As the saying goes, a scholar is born under the stick. If it weren't for you, my lady, who always whips me, I wouldn't have the good life I have now."
"This time when I went to the border to deliver food, I finally understood that only by studying can we change the fate of lowly people like us. Oh, I mean me, not you, don't get me wrong."
Realizing that he had said "we", Liu Ji hurriedly made amends.
Fortunately, Qin Yao did not take this trivial matter to heart. She was evaluating in her mind the benefits and troubles that Liu Ji could bring to her.
Finally, we come to the conclusion that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages at the moment.
After all, the payback period for training the four Dalang brothers and sisters is very long.
Liu Ji was different. If he really calmed down and studied hard according to her method, he would be able to pass the examination and become a scholar in no time.
Then, she will also benefit from it.
As for the troubles Liu Ji had brought her, after this incident and considering his current attitude, they were within her tolerance range.
Because she believed that Liu Ji never wanted to perform corvee labor again.
This time I was lucky enough to come back safe and sound.
You may not be so lucky next time!
"Madam, are you still angry?" Liu Ji asked nervously after not hearing Qin Yao's voice for a long time.
Qin Yao lowered her eyes to look at him and smiled contemptuously, "Why should I be angry? Are you worth my anger?"
Liu Ji: "I'm sorry, I brought shame upon myself."
Qin Yao nodded in agreement, "You are lucky. You have survived this for now."
The snow fell little by little, but there was no sign of heavy snow. The two men, one on horseback and one at a trot, chased after them and successfully returned to Liujia Village.
Seeing Qin Yao park her horse in front of the gate of the Liu family's old house and about to go in with a basket of fresh pork belly, Liu Ji suddenly remembered to ask her why she appeared behind him just now.
Is it really a coincidence?