Finest Servant

Chapter 4 So, You're a Little Girl (Part 1)

"After hearing the couplet that you recited just now, I know that you are a person of great ambition," the stunning youth stopped laughing and looked at the lake, pondering. "As you said, the south of the Yangtze River is abundant with talented individuals and beauties, with many literati and poets. Their couplets are famous throughout the world. These are their strengths, but also their weaknesses."

"Oh?" In this era, there are still people who think about these things. Lin Wanrong became interested. "This ladyb- oh, my friend, what does this mean?"

He almost slipped and almost said the word "ladyboy". Although he estimated that this youth did not know the meaning of that word, explaining it would only embarrass him greatly.

The handsome youth nodded and said, "Since the founding of our dynasty by Emperor Taizu, we have had the habit of valuing literature over martial arts, especially in the south. Talented men and women are proud of their literary talents and charm. During times of peace, this is not wrong, but in times of national crisis when the enemy is invading from the north, they still remain complacent and place the country in peril. A country, a home- only with a country can there be a home. If everyone is like them, 'the warm breeze intoxicates the traveler, mistaking Hangzhou for Bianzhou', then what hope is there for our Great Hua Dynasty?" The more he spoke, the angrier the monster youth became, with rage filling his face.

Lin Wanrong had been in this world for a month now and knew that this era was called the Hua Dynasty. The emperor's surname was Zhao, and the capital was in Shuntian.

He heard that the foreign tribes were invading the northern border, and the Great Hua army was losing ground and retreating step by step. Fortunately, although the barbarian army was fierce, they did not expect the Great Hua army to collapse so quickly. The barbarian army's food and preparations were insufficient, and it happened to be late autumn and early winter. They had to temporarily suspend their attack and retreat to the grasslands while reorganizing and preparing for the next year's full-scale invasion of the central plains.

During the previous Song Dynasty, Bianzhou was the capital city. When the external enemies invaded, threatening the safety of Bianzhou, the Song court had no choice but to relocate to Hangzhou, making Bianzhou a subordinate capital. When the Hua Dynasty's ancestors established the dynasty and drove out the barbarians, they could never forget the shame of Bianzhou's subordinate capital status. Therefore, when Lin Wanrong said "mistaking Hangzhou for Bianzhou," this handsome youth could understand and sympathize with his feelings. (Note: This book is set in a completely unfamiliar world, and this Song Dynasty is not the Song Dynasty we are familiar with, but just happens to have the same name. There will be an explanation later in the book.)

Although Lin Wanrong felt somewhat out of place in this world, he knew that since he had arrived here, he had to immerse himself in it. Regardless of anything else, these were his fellow countrymen, and he could not allow outsiders to bully them.

"A country must be strong both culturally and militarily, and one cannot do without the other. It's better to have less of this kind of peace achieved through superficial displays of harmony." The stunning young man finally made a concluding statement with a look of concern for the country and the people.

At first, Lin Wanrong thought this damn ladyboy only looked so beautiful because he was always hanging out in the powder pile. He didn't expect him to have some ambition. His impression of the young man changed significantly.

However, for Lin Wanrong at the moment, the temporary responsibility of making the country prosperous and the people strong was not his, so he did not show much interest.

The stunning young man was dissatisfied with the literati on the lake and his words seemed to make some sense. But Lin Wanrong's professional experience told him that this matter was not as simple as it seemed on the surface, so he could not completely agree with the stunning young man's words.

Lin Wanrong snorted, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, nor paying attention to the stunning young man. He just looked at the lake, not saying a word.

The stunning young man saw Lin Wanrong's expression and thought he was also an official. He furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "Brother, do you have any accomplishments?"

Lin Wanrong shook his head and said, "I have not even taken the imperial examinations." Damn, you only know how to drop your brush, I can do that too. But this kid's eyesight is really bad. Have you ever seen a scholar with exposed toes in coarse cloth?

The stunning young man asked again, "Have you ever passed the county level examinations?"

Lin Wanrong continued shaking his head and said, "I don't even know which direction the examination hall is in."

The stunning young man was surprised and said, "If that's the case, brother, you can't even be considered a schol--" He stopped halfway through his sentence, realizing his mistake and hastily took back the rest of his words.

Lin Wanrong understood his meaning, and was furious. Damn ladyboy, what kind of eyesight is that? If I wasn't an educated person, could I have come up with that timely and appropriate poem? As a graduate of Peking University, to put it in modern terms, he was a student of the National University, and in a few years, he might even be able to become a sacrificial official at the National University. How dare you disrespect me like that.

However, speaking of this era's literature, Lin Wanrong had indeed not read many books. The androgynous young master was right to say that he could not be considered a man of letters, but it was not entirely without reason.

Lin Wanrong felt extremely unhappy in his heart and let out a light snort. He recited slowly, "Beyond the mountains, beside the towers, when will the songs and dances by the West Lake end? The warm breeze intoxicates the travelers, mistaking Hangzhou for Bianzhou."

The androgynous young master's eyes brightened, and he clapped repeatedly, exclaiming, "Excellent, excellent! What a beautiful poem! Brother, you are truly remarkable. With this one line, no one under the heavens can compare to you."

Even the servant who had been coldly looking at Lin Wanrong showed a look of reverence.

Lin Wanrong found it amusing that the androgynous young master's flattery philosophy was despicable, but he seemed to have caught onto his pulse, and this flattery made him feel comfortable.

However, the androgynous young master always talked down on literary men and officials, yet he couldn't praise Lin Wanrong's poem enough. It was truly ridiculous.

The androgynous young master was a very shrewd person, and when he saw the expression in Lin Wanrong's eyes, he seemed to understand his meaning. He quickly said, "Sir, please forgive me. I absolutely do not mean to look down on men of letters. It's just that the country is in a difficult situation right now, and I can't bear to see the scholars of Jiangnan acting like 'when the country is in danger, no one cares about me.' That's why I spoke out of turn. Sir, you are a man of great virtue and talent. Please forgive me."

As he spoke, he actually lowered himself and bowed to Lin Wanrong to show his apology.

Seeing that this guy had a very good attitude towards his apology and was extremely skilled in flattery, Lin Wanrong didn't bother with him anymore. He pretended to be kind and helped him up, saying, "May I ask for your name, Brother?"

"I dare not, I dare not. My surname is Xiao, Xiao Qingxuan." The androgynous young master quickly bowed respectfully.

"Oh, so you're Brother Xiao. My surname is Lin, and I am Lin Wanrong." Lin Wanrong said with a smiling face, without any hint of respect.

"I see, it was Brother Lin. Please forgive me for my rudeness earlier." Xiao Qingxuan looked at Lin Wanrong and revealed two dimples on his white face, accompanied by a blush. There was an indescribable coquettishness in his eyebrows and eyes.