I then returned to the control room.
Brother Nine's voice suddenly rang out. First, he congratulated me for passing the test. Then, he continued," Your willpower and mental endurance are not bad, but you still need to practice more in the future." The next task is more complicated. It's not really an assessment but more of an adaptation training. It's to let you have enough adaptability to some situations. Under the premise of ensuring that you won't change history, we will transfer your consciousness to the historical figures so that you can feel and adapt to their environment. The era you will be teleported to is the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. This test is divided into two parts. The first part is to transfer your consciousness to a beggar's body. You will have to suffer hardships that ordinary people have never experienced before. The second part is to transfer your consciousness to the most honorable person in the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, allowing you to enjoy a blessing that ordinary people have never enjoyed. Get ready to officially start tomorrow.
I was very excited. This was the legendary transmigration. After calming my emotions, I told Ninth Brother that I understood. I just have a small request. Can the first part of the adaptation training be reduced in difficulty? I've suffered enough these past few days. I'm afraid that my consciousness won't be able to take it.
We will observe your adaptability at any time. When it reaches a certain level, we will naturally stop. You don't have to worry or think about slacking off.
Alright, since I'm already here, I'll take it as it is. I'll listen to your arrangements. However, I have a question for you. Why can't you be like the other Virtual Humans in the Meta-Universe and have your own body as the carrier of your consciousness? Why do you have to let me only hear their voices and not see them?
Don't ask this question again. Now is not the time to answer you. Leave it in suspense. After all, this is not the only secret here...
On the second day, I didn't go to the training ground. Instead, I went straight to the control room of the meta-universe.
After all, this was my first time transmigrating. Brother Nine told me the things and details that I needed to pay attention to when I teleported to the ancient times.
I will remember them one by one.
The assessment began. I began my first transmigration. A pillar of light appeared around my body. Then, I felt that my surroundings were rapidly spinning and retreating.
Half a minute later, my consciousness was transferred to a beggar. I'm currently in a forest in the northern mountains. The forest is covered in thick snow and is extremely cold.
I was filled with curiosity and surprise about my first transmigration. After all, he had only seen such things in novels before.
However, my excitement only lasted for half a minute before I quickly calmed down. After I carefully looked at my surroundings, I realized that reality was cruel. The environment here was too harsh. His eyes were filled with a despairing snowfield, and his body was bone-chilling cold.
I looked at myself again. Rather than saying that I was wearing clothes, it would be better to say that I was wearing rags.
In the real world, one could no longer find such shabby attire. I should be less than 30 years old now. I have a medium build. Although I don't have a mirror, I don't feel that I'm particularly ugly after touching myself. It's just that I haven't washed my face for many days, so I feel particularly dirty.
I don't know what my name is, and I don't need to know. I just need to know that I'm a beggar.
I was very cold and hungry. I needed to find food and a place to warm myself. I really didn't know how I got here. I started to walk aimlessly into the distance.
Without food in my stomach, the more I walked, the hungrier I became. If I was thirsty, I could just grab a handful of snow and put it into my mouth. However, I couldn't solve my hunger. I tried to find some wild fruits, pheasants, or rabbits to satisfy my hunger.
However, there were no wild fruits at all. I did see a few hares and pheasants. However, the wild rabbits and pheasants were obviously more adapted to the environment here than me. Every time I approached them, they would escape or fly away. I searched for an entire morning and didn't find anything, but I was getting hungrier and hungrier.
I didn't know where I was, so I kept walking forward, hoping to find someone to eat and avoid the cold.
However, I didn't find such a place until the afternoon. Later on, I was so tired that I couldn't walk anymore. I didn't find anyone, not even a cave or a hiding place. I could only rest against a big rock.
I was really too cold and needed to keep warm. I found some dry wood, but I didn't have anything to start a fire with. I also knew that I could start a fire by drilling wood, but after trying for more than half an hour, I couldn't even make any smoke. I could only give up. Looking at the endless forest and snow in the distance, I began to despair.
The sky was getting dark, and it was getting dark very quickly.
Although I knew that this was just an adaptation training, I also began to feel fear. I was unprecedentedly afraid of the darkness and of death.
I slowly stood up again and walked forward with difficulty. At this moment, snow began to fall from the sky again, and it was getting heavier and heavier. The snow was also getting thicker and thicker. At first, I walked, but later on, I could only crawl. Every step I crawled required me to pay a huge price. I crawled and crawled for another half an hour. Suddenly, my feet sank and I fell into a hole. The worst thing was that my feet were also twisted heavily. A heart-wrenching pain instantly surged into my heart.
I slowly moved around. Fortunately, it was only a sprain and not a fracture.
I calmed my mind and looked around. The outline of the surroundings gradually became clear. This should be an abandoned underground cellar. There was almost nothing else inside except for hay.
I searched around the cellar and only found two half-eaten potatoes and some rotten cabbage. I couldn't eat the cabbage, but the potatoes were fine. There was still no fire, so I could only eat them raw. This lousy potato was bitter and astringent, but I could only swallow it to fill my stomach.
After eating the potatoes, I found a pile of hay and covered myself with it. Just like that, I slowly fell asleep.
I thought I would catch a cold, but I didn't catch a cold the next day. After a night of rest, I recovered some of my strength, and my feet seemed to be fine, but I was still very hungry.
I climbed out of the cellar. The snow had stopped, and the white snow was unusually dazzling under the sun.
I couldn't keep walking around in this forest. I had to go out. I identified the direction and headed south.
I was also cold and hungry, but to my surprise, I saw a village at noon.
I saw hope and strode towards the village. When I reached the village, I was so tired that I only had a trace of strength left.
I couldn't care less about anything else and went straight to knock on the door of the first house at the village entrance. Soon, a middle-aged woman walked out. She was wearing the coarse clothes of a rural woman from the Ming Dynasty. I said politely, sister-in-law, I'm too hungry. Can you give me something to eat?
Unexpectedly, the woman directly scolded,"Stinky beggar, go, go. Our house has nothing to eat." I still wanted to say something, but this middle-aged woman directly closed the door. It seemed that in this era, not only was it difficult to beg for food, but even eating was also a problem.
I thought it was an exception, so I went to the next house. It was another sister-in-law. This time, I thought that my mouth would get dessert. After saying a few words of New Year's greetings, I continued to praise sister-in-law's beauty against my will, hoping that she would be driven by her beauty to give me something to eat. Actually, she's even uglier than me.
The sister-in-law was stunned for a moment. It was obvious that she had never been praised by anyone before, so she was very surprised. However, he suddenly reacted and said," Pervert, get lost."
In the end, I was rejected again. It seemed like this wasn't popular in this era.
This place definitely wasn't rich, but I was too hungry. I could only go begging from house to house. Although I thought of many ways and suffered from being looked down upon, I still couldn't get a single meal. I was so hungry that I even wanted to rob and steal, but in the end, I didn't do that. That wasn't my personality, and the Primordial Universe wouldn't allow it.
I also wanted to help others do some work and then eat some food, but every family was in the cat winter. No one worked at all.
Just as I was worrying, a villager in his thirties who looked like a loafer came to me.
I knew he wasn't a good person from his appearance and behavior, so I simply ignored him.
He took the initiative to tell me,"Beggar, are you hungry? I have two cornbread at home, but my dog hasn't eaten anything either." I'll call the dog out later, and the two of you can snatch it together. Whoever snatches the cornbread will get it. What do you think?
I was so angry that my entire body trembled. I glared at him and said, Why don't you let your father and the dog fight for food?
The kid was furious when he heard that. He called me a beggar while punching me. I was even angrier. Although I didn't have much strength, I couldn't save any more strength against this kind of person who deserved a beating. I could only rub and beat him.
I hadn't eaten properly for two days. Although my combat ability was still good, it was obvious that my strength was not good. Soon, I was at a disadvantage and was pressed down by this bastard.
I can only parry, I can't fight back. Fortunately, the ground was covered in sand. I grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at his face. His eyes were blinded and his combat power was obviously reduced. I took the opportunity to break free from under him and picked up a wooden stick beside him. I beat this bastard up.
This kid saw that the situation was not good and ran away.
I was so tired that I panted on the ground for a long time before getting up. After this ordeal, I wasn't as cold anymore, but I was still very hungry.
There was a rubbish dump nearby, so I had no choice but to pick up the rubbish and eat it. However, there was definitely nothing edible in the trash. After picking for a long time, I only picked up a small portion of a sweet potato, two small potatoes, and some broken rice. I ate the sweet potato and potatoes raw, but it didn't satisfy my hunger at all.
Soon, it was night time. I was afraid that I would freeze to death, so I returned to the broken cellar. What kind of era was this? It was too difficult. They couldn't even get food. I know I'm taking the test, but besides starving myself, I can't let this body starve to death. That would change history, and I might have to suffer a second time.
I still have to think of a way to go further. Perhaps it will be better when I reach the city. As I thought about it, I fell asleep again.
When I woke up the next day, I actually didn't catch a cold. It seemed that this person's body was really good. I was so hungry that my stomach was numb and my body was extremely weak. I barely crawled out and walked towards the village from yesterday, hoping to get some food and ask about the way to the city.
After walking for nearly an hour, I finally arrived at the village. I first went to yesterday's garbage dump and found a few rotten vegetable leaves. It was really inedible.
I was shameless enough to go begging from house to house. After asking for more than ten houses, I went to an old man's house. This old man was really good. He gave me a cornbread and a bowl of warm water.
This was the first mouthful of rice I had ever eaten here. I almost cried. I was very grateful to the old man and said all kinds of New Year greetings.
The old man pitied me and told me that our village was remote. Many families in the village didn't know how to eat, so it was unlikely that you would get anything to eat. There's a rich man in the neighboring village. Although he can't be considered a tycoon, if you can work for his family, it won't be a problem for you to eat your fill. You can try.
I thanked him profusely and inquired about the specific location of the rich man's village from the old man before bidding farewell to him.
I followed the old man's directions and found the village he mentioned.
This village was actually not much different from the old man's village. Most of the houses were dilapidated. Therefore, it was very simple to find a rich man's residence. One just needed to look for a house with tall walls and beautiful buildings.
After walking two streets, I found the rich man's house at the corner of the street. I looked at this residence carefully. This residence was indeed different from the others. There were a total of five rooms in front and back. The walls were also very particular. They were made of lime and there were auspicious and wealthy New Year paintings on them.
In order to fill my stomach, I had no choice but to brace myself and knock on the door. Soon, a person who looked like a butler came out.
Just as I was about to speak, the butler saw that I was a beggar and immediately said impatiently,"Get lost, smelly beggar. You still dare to come to our squire Zhang's house to beg for food. You'd better leave quickly. If you walk slowly, someone will break your dog legs when you come out."
I quickly explained,"Brother, I'm not a beggar. I'm just looking to see if our squire Zhang's family accepts long-term workers. I can do anything, as long as you give me food."
The butler became even more impatient. He said,"You still say that you're not a beggar. How can there be idle food for you to eat?" You're still here. Do you want me to get someone to beat you up before you leave? After saying that, he was about to call for help.
I was so scared that I quickly retreated.
At this moment, a councilor walked out of the hall. Why was it called a councilor? It was because his clothes were too obvious. He was wearing silk and satin, and he was also wearing a mink coat.
As soon as the official came out, the butler immediately changed his expression and flattered him to the extent of unintentionally adding.
The squire asked,"Old Zhou, what's going on? Who are you talking to?"
Old Zhou quickly replied,"Minister, it's nothing. We have a beggar here. I'll chase him away immediately. Don't delay my good mood." After saying that, he glared at me fiercely and motioned for me to leave.
When I saw the councilor, in order to survive, I remembered the saying,"Before the dragon meets, it hides among the fish and turtles." If a gentleman loses his time, he will bow to a villain.
Against my will, I braced myself and knelt down to beg. I'm not a beggar. I'm here to find some work. I'll do anything, as long as you give me something to eat.
This Old Zhou saw that I was still struggling and wanted to hit me. However, he was stopped by the official surnamed Zhang. Minister Zhang asked me,'What's your surname, kid? Where's your home?'
I said, my surname is Li and my name is Li Si. My family is from the northeast and I fled here. I hope the squire can give me some work to do. I also have a mouth to eat.
Minister Zhang looked at me and then said to Old Zhou," As soon as he mentioned looking for work, I remembered that the old farmer who fed the sheep was too old to work anymore. I think this kid is wearing tattered clothes, but he is still smart. Let him try. If he does well, he will stay. If he doesn't do well, he will be sent away."
When I heard that they wanted me to stay, I quickly kowtowed to thank them. Minister Zhang ignored me and left.
When Old Zhou saw that the squire had asked me to stay, he reluctantly let me into the courtyard.
When I entered the courtyard, I saw that although it wasn't a luxurious place, it was obvious that it was a wealthy family. The tall houses had bright tiles, and the courtyard was exceptionally clean. There was a Yong road in the middle, and there were corridors on both sides.
I was looking at it when Old Zhou said to me impatiently," Don't look blindly. You still have some life. Our master doesn't easily recruit beggars to work. He has chased away all the others. You are the first one." But you have to remember that you have to follow the rules when you come to our Zhang residence. I'm the butler here. My surname is Zhou. You can call me Master Zhou in the future. In the future, not only do you have to listen to the minister, but you also have to listen to me. If you don't listen or do a bad job, not only will you not be given food, but you will also be beaten.
How could I not lower my head under the low eaves? I quickly nodded in agreement. Butler Zhou saw that I was too dirty, so he called a servant who was sweeping the floor over and said to him,"Lil Tang, take him to the woodshed now and let him boil some water to wash himself. I'll get someone to send him a nice dress later. Then, take him to the backyard and teach him how to feed the sheep."
Little Tang nodded in agreement. Butler Zhou left after saying that.
Little Tang took me into the woodshed in a roundabout way and asked me to get some dry wood for myself. Then, I went to the kitchen to boil some water with dry wood. Without a big bucket, I couldn't bathe. I could only use a small wooden basin to scrub my body. My body was too dirty, especially my hair. It was almost stuck together. I used six basins of water to finally wash myself clean. I looked at the rubbish pile that I poured dirty water on. There was a layer of grayish-black stains on it. It made me feel disgusted.
At this moment, another shop assistant brought over a set of clothes. Although it wasn't too good, it was much better than what I had worn before. After I changed into it, I immediately felt much warmer. It was noon, so I followed Lil Tang to the dining room where the servants ate.
Lunch was cornbread, cabbage soup, and salted vegetables. I was so hungry that I ate eight cornbread and three bowls of cabbage soup. The servants beside him were dumbfounded. It's so full that I can't stand up. This made Little Tang so angry that she laughed. She said contemptuously,"You're really the reincarnation of a hungry ghost. Aren't you afraid of bursting to death?"
I smiled awkwardly.
After dinner, Little Tang brought me to the sheep pen. There were forty to fifty sheep in the sheep pen. Next to the sheep pen was a material room. There was a broken bed with a broken quilt on it.
Little Tang told me how to feed the sheep, how many times a day, and what to feed them. Finally, he warned me not to have any thoughts about the sheep. The surrounding area was the property and long-term workers of the Zhang family. There was a shepherd who secretly sold a sheep in the old field. In the end, he was discovered by the surrounding watchmen and reported to the squire. He was almost beaten to death by the squire.
I quickly said,"No, I just want to eat my fill. I definitely won't steal sheep." Little Tang looked at me and said,"You better not." With that, he left.
Finally, there was a place to stay. I simply tidied up the material room and bed, then fed the sheep according to Little Tang's teaching.
After two days, I gradually adapted to my current life. I could finally eat my fill. I thought that the assessment would end here. Unexpectedly, from the third day onwards, my peaceful and poor life changed. I was originally in charge of feeding the sheep, but from the third day onwards, Butler Zhou began to arrange other tasks for me. He arranged for me to do firewood, fetch water, sweep the floor, and all kinds of heavy physical work. In addition, every time Minister Zhang went out or came back, Butler Zhou called me over to be a human ladder. This job isn't tiring, but it really damages my self-esteem. I wanted to quit several times, but thinking that the assessment might end at any time, I endured it first. However, the assessment didn't seem to end at all. I was so tired that I couldn't even straighten my back. At night, I could fall asleep as soon as I touched my pillow.
One night, I filled up five jars of water according to Butler Zhou's instructions. I carried my tired body back to the material room and lay on the pillow. I fell asleep quickly as usual. But today, I don't know why, but I keep feeling that something is wrong. I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night. Seeing that it was still early, I wanted to go back to sleep.
Suddenly, I heard a sound from the sheep pen. I quickly put on my coat and went outside to check. I was shocked when I saw two black shadows stealing sheep. With the faint moonlight, I saw that one of the black shadows looked like Butler Zhou. I was about to shout, but I didn't expect someone to stand behind me. I was knocked unconscious with a stick.
When I woke up again, I was already dragged to the front hall of the Zhang residence. Minister Zhang is sitting on the chair of the Grand Preceptor, looking at me with a dignified expression. Housekeeper Zhou was beside him. Seeing that I had woken up, he quickly said to Minister Zhang,"I said that this kid was pretending. I haven't poured cold water on him yet, but this kid woke up on his own."
When Minister Zhang saw that I had woken up, he suddenly slammed the table and scolded angrily. What exactly do you do? I kindly took you in, but I didn't expect you to pretend to be unconscious after taking in a thief. There are only fifty sheep in the sheep pen. You stole seven last night. Tell me, where did you sell my sheep? Who are your accomplices? Where is the money? If you don't tell me, I'll kill you today.
Only then did I understand what was going on. I turned around and knelt on the ground, shouting that I was wronged. He said that he was unfamiliar with the place and had no accomplices, so it was impossible for him to steal the sheep. He hoped that the squire would investigate.
Minister Zhang was obviously angered. He asked sternly,"If you didn't steal the sheep, then who did? How did you look at the sheep?"
I quickly told Minister Zhang about the incident where I saw the black shadow stealing the sheep last night and how I was beaten up.
When Minister Zhang heard this, he sneered. You still dare to make up a story for me. You said you saw a black shadow. Did you see who that black shadow was?
I looked at Housekeeper Zhou. Housekeeper Zhou's face had obviously changed. In order to survive, I could only tell Minister Zhang that I saw two black shadows yesterday. One of them looked like a housekeeper.
As soon as I finished speaking, Housekeeper Zhou cursed at me. As he cursed, he said to Minister Zhang,"Minister Zhang, did you see that? I said that this kid is a thief. Not only is he a thief, but he also framed me." Minister, listen to me and hand him over to me. If I don't beat him up today, my surname isn't Zhou. Minister, rest first. I'll definitely solve this case for you.
Minister Zhang looked at me angrily and said that this thief's bones needed to be repaired before going to the back hall to rest.
Butler Zhou saw that the squire had left, so he called two more servants over. They tied my hands and feet without saying anything, then dragged me to the woodshed and hung me on the beam.
Housekeeper Zhou held a whip in his hand. He didn't ask anything and whipped me more than 30 times. After the beating, Housekeeper Zhou asked me breathlessly,"Kid, do you still dare to spout nonsense in the future?"
I now completely understood why Housekeeper Zhou assigned me so much work every day. It turned out that he had planned it all along. He wanted me to be so tired that I couldn't take care of the sheep so that they could steal the sheep. However, I didn't expect to wake up and see them stealing the sheep, so they knocked me out. No matter how painful it was, I felt countless grievances and unwillingness. When I saw him coming up, I spat at him fiercely. As I spat, I scolded him. You old bastard, you were the one who stole the sheep. How dare you frame me? You will die a horrible death.
Butler Zhou sneered. So what if you know? The minister only listens to me. Since you are so stubborn, I will teach you a lesson first. Brothers, let's fight together. When you are beaten to submission, it will end. If you die, it will be on me.
After saying that, the three of them took turns to whip me. I clearly felt that I couldn't take it anymore. I screamed and started to contact Ninth Brother with my consciousness. I told him that I couldn't take it anymore and that he had to save me. I contacted him for a long time. I even felt that Ninth Brother knew that I was contacting him, but he ignored me.
I felt that my consciousness was becoming more and more unclear, and I no longer shouted. At this moment, one of the people who hit me said to Butler Zhou," Butler, don't really kill him. No matter what, it's still a life. This kid's life is not worth anything, but we shouldn't cause trouble."
Housekeeper Zhou thought that it made sense. After lashing me a few more times, he asked someone to put me down and lock me in the woodshed.
I was so angry, painful, and cold that I fainted. I don't know how long it took, but I woke up in a daze. My entire body was in unbearable pain.
I sat up first, then slowly stood up with the help of the bed. Fortunately, my body was still quite good.
I was still in the woodshed. It should be early in the morning. It was quiet outside, and there was the occasional wind. The door of the woodshed was locked, but the door frame had not been repaired for a long time. I shook it hard and the bolt was cracked. I found a wooden stick and pried it hard. The door was pried off by me. I was afraid to make a sound and quickly held the door.
I found two more clothes and put them on before escaping from the woodshed.
I had just taken a few steps when I heard a dog from the neighboring courtyard barking wildly. I was so scared that I rolled and crawled. Fortunately, no one chased after me.
I didn't dare to delay and ran out of the village that night. After running for who knows how long, I finally saw another village.
At this time, the east side was gradually turning red. Although I was still in pain, I had already seen the dawn. I walked into the village and started my old job, begging.
After asking for five or six, an old man finally gave me half a cornbread. After thanking him, I asked for directions to the city.
The old man told me that if we walk along the main road outside the village, we will be able to enter the city after walking for more than 20 miles.
I followed the old man's directions for more than two hours and saw a large city. I came in and asked around before I found out that this was Tongzhou.
I heard that this place is not far from the capital. After entering the city, there was a straight street in front of them. The streets were quite bustling. After all, it was not far from the capital. There was a lot of traffic and shops were also close to each other. However, there were still beggars on both sides of the road. Every beggar was dressed differently, but they were all very dirty.
When in Rome, do as the locals do. I naturally learned from the other beggars. I picked up half a broken bowl and curled up by the wall, waiting for the charity of the kind-hearted people. However, no one gave me any alms for a long time. Even if I was hungry and cold, the strength in my body was gradually exhausted. I could only stay in place and did not want to move.
I thought that I had suffered enough. Why hadn't Ninth Brother summoned me back yet? When would this experience end? As her thoughts ran wild, the sky gradually darkened. It was already evening.
All of a sudden, the beggars around me stood up and ran in the same direction. I didn't know why they were running, but I knew that I should do the same as them when I was unfamiliar with the surroundings.
I also ran over. When I got closer, I realized that it was a restaurant that poured swill. The waiter might have gotten used to it, so he placed the swill bucket and some unwanted or expired food by the roadside. The beggars swarmed up and fought for the food inside. I was so hungry that I couldn't stand it. Without any other food, I could only follow them to snatch the swill to eat. When a person was hungry, their sense of taste and smell would be especially sensitive. The smell of swill was really too unpleasant, but such food could not be eaten without fighting over it. I only managed to snatch two pieces of rotten cucumbers and a small piece of steamed bun. This couldn't resist hunger at all, but it was better than nothing.
Just like that, not every restaurant was so kind. Most restaurants were unwilling to even give the swill to the beggars, but fed it to the pigs themselves. There were dozens of restaurants, but only seven or eight of them gave swill to beggars. The more I snatched, the more skilled I became. After snatching the food that two restaurants didn't want, I was actually half full.
Just as I was about to rob the fourth restaurant, a few sturdy beggars suddenly came to my side and surrounded me. They couldn't be said, and they beat me up. As they beat me, they scolded me.
I was beaten up by them. A wise man doesn't know when to lose. I can only endure it and don't dare to snatch anymore.
It was getting late. It seemed that I had to find a place to sleep. There was no place in the city. It seemed that I could only go outside the city to look for it. I remembered that when I came, I saw a dilapidated temple by the roadside. I could go there and rest for the night.
I walked for half a day and finally found the broken temple. When I went in, it was already full of beggars. I humbly bowed to everyone, hoping that they could take me in for a night.
He did not expect them to disagree at all, and there was no room for negotiation. I said half a car of good words, but I was still chased out. Helplessly, I could only leave. Fortunately, I found a haystack not far away. I was too tired, so I burrowed into the haystack. Needless to say, this really could protect me from the cold. In a short while, I actually fell asleep.
I slept until dawn. I woke up because I was hungry. I left the haystack and came to the edge of the city. There was no food, so I could only lean against the corner of the wall and bask in the sun while thinking about how I should get out of this predicament. This is the Ming Dynasty. If I was an ancient person, I might not have any shortcuts. However, I am a modern person. I should be able to use this advantage to overcome the current difficulties. However, I don't know if the Metauniverse Committee will allow it. Forget it, I'll try it first.
But what kind of modern consciousness should I use to survive better in ancient times? I quickly thought about my next step. I thought for a long time and finally came up with a very tacky idea.
With this idea in mind, I was in a great mood. I even felt full of energy. I shook off the dust on my body and strode into the city. After entering the city, I didn't find a place with many beggars to lean against the wall like yesterday. Instead, I went straight to the downtown area. There were also a few beggars begging in the downtown area, but business was not good. From time to time, there were soldiers chasing them away.
I didn't beg like them. Instead, I found a hard brick and started my plan. I first found a stone around me and wrote on the brick: He was selling ancient poems for ten wen each. After I finished writing, I sat down with narrowed eyes.
People came and went here, and it was really bustling. Moreover, from the clothes, it could be seen that most of the people lived a wealthy life. At first, no one paid any attention to me. Some people only looked at the words on the ground and then at me. They scoffed at me for being so poor and still selling poems.
After a while, six or seven well-dressed young masters came from afar. When they approached me, I deliberately raised my voice and shouted,"I'm selling ancient poems for ten wen a piece. If it's not good, I don't want money."
They were walking forward when they heard that someone was selling ancient poems. They were also very curious, but when they saw that the person selling ancient poems was a beggar, they all revealed contemptuous expressions.
One of the young masters in a light blue shirt said to the few people beside him," Did you see that? The morals of the world are declining day by day. The hearts of the people are not the same as before. A beggar actually peddles ancient poems. It really makes people laugh." After saying that, the six or seven people all burst into laughter.
I looked at them disdainfully and deliberately said,"Young masters, I'm indeed poor now, but I was also a scholar who had read a lot of books." If you know poetry and want to buy it, I will sell it to you. If you don't know poetry, I hope everyone can be magnanimous and not delay my business, okay?
I was intentionally provoking them. This move was indeed useful.
This young master in the light blue shirt was obviously angered by my words about not knowing poetry. He came in front of me aggressively, and the others surrounded him. The surrounding people were also curious about what had happened here and gathered around.
The young master in the light blue shirt said," Stinky beggar, you're really boasting shamelessly. Didn't you say that if it's not good, you don't need money? You can come up with a poem first. If it's good, we'll naturally pay you. If it's not good, or if you plagiarize someone else's poem, or even if it's not even a poem, not only will we not pay you, we might even teach you a lesson. How about that?"
I saw that with so many people surrounding me, I had already achieved half of my goal. The remaining half was up to me. I said calmly, may I ask your name?
The young master in the light blue shirt said,"My surname is Wang. What's wrong with that?"
I said that I completely agreed with Young Master Wang. You all agreed to give me money only if it was good. If it wasn't good, I definitely wouldn't take the money. However, what if the poem I wrote was originally outstanding, but you deliberately made things difficult for me and said it wasn't good?
Young Master Wang thought for a moment and said," This is easy. My brothers are all scholars. You might be one too." Since we are all disciples of Confucius, we must understand the rites of the Duke of Zhou after reading the books of Confucius and Mencius. Naturally, he would abide by his words. Otherwise, it would be presumptuous to claim that he was the disciple of Confucius.
When I heard that this was a good contract standard. I agreed. Alright, although this can only be based on everyone's faith, I am willing to believe in everyone.
Then I'll write a poem first. Everyone, listen up. If it's good, you can reward me with money. If it's bad, not only will I not take a penny, but you can also deal with me according to your methods.
After saying that, I looked at the distant sky. Although it was midwinter now, the weather was like my situation. It should not be far from spring. I pretended to think for a moment and then recited Chairman Mao's divination operator, Ode to Plum Blossom.
The wind and rain sent spring back, and the snow welcomed the spring.
It was already a hundred feet of ice on the cliff, and there were still beautiful flowers.
Beauty does not fight for spring, but only reports spring.
When the mountain flowers were blooming, she smiled in the bushes.
This poem,"Ode to the Plum Blossom" was a poem written by Chairman Mao using the inscription of Lu You's tune. I didn't dare to recite the most famous poem, Spring Snow in Qin Garden. I was afraid that people would say that I had the intention of rebelling. However, this ode to plum blossoms is also one of my favorite poems.
The people of the Ming Dynasty had definitely never heard of this poem. After hearing this poem, these young masters were completely stunned. They never thought that such a romantic and imposing poem would come from a beggar.
There were also a few literati beside him. After hearing this poem, they had already taken the lead to shout, and the surrounding commoners also followed suit.
This time, even if these young masters wanted to renege on their debts, they could not deny it. Young Master Wang wasn't a profligate scion. At the very least, he knew poetry very well. After being stunned for a moment, he actually took the lead and clapped. He really didn't expect such a beautiful poem to come from a flower beggar. You really can't judge a book by its cover. I agree to give you ten wen. After saying that, Young Master Wang took out ten copper coins from his chest pocket and handed them to me.
I only took 10 coins from it, and I returned the rest to Young Master Wang. Young Master Wang nodded and said," You indeed have the backbone of a scholar. However, this one poem doesn't prove anything. If you can make two more outstanding poems, I won't give you ten wen per poem. I'll give you two taels of silver directly. What do you think?"
I say, is this true?
Young Master Wang smiled and said," It's true. People say that scholars despise each other, but our Darming Dynasty's scholars should help scholars."
I nodded and pondered for a while. Then, I recited my favorite poem from Zengguang Xianwen: It is difficult to become a man without poverty, and it is naive without being hit. Since ancient times, heroes had come from purgatory and had always been rich and noble. Who would be angry if they were drunk? Tuoma's Spear Seizes the Universe. The people around me were all stunned. I was also stunned. I thought they had heard this poem before. Just as he was about to explain, Young Master Wang no longer had his previous arrogance. He squatted down and said," This poem is really too good. Can you recite it again? I really like it."
I had to recite it again. Just as he finished reciting, the crowd burst into thunderous cheers. This time, there were even more people gathered. Everyone was whispering to each other about what had just happened. These young masters were completely convinced. They also squatted down with Young Master Wang and said, Your Excellency's literary talent is indeed outstanding. Can you reward me with another poem? I said, no problem, but I can only sing one more song. I am indeed poor and destitute. Otherwise, I would never dare to exchange the ink talent taught by Confucius for money.
Actually, I didn't know how to recite much. I didn't know how long I would stay here. I had to leave something for myself. Thinking of this, I recited the last song. This is one of my favorite poems on the internet. After getting drunk, I don't know that the sky is in the water, and the boat is full of clear dreams. I and the spring breeze are passers-by, you carry the autumn water to embrace the galaxy. Who will go to immortality with the bright moon? I miss you so much that I cry without a trace. The onlookers cheered again. Young Master Wang directly gave me two taels of silver and humbly asked me,"What's your name? Where is your immortal hometown? Can you make friends?"
I really don't know what the surname of this beggar that I'm occupying right now is, or why he became a beggar. I can only say that my surname is Li, and I'm from the northeast. It was only because his family was in decline that he had no roof to cover his body and no place to stand below.
Life is bound to have ups and downs. With Brother Li's talent, he will rise again in a few days. We brothers appreciate Brother Li's literary talent very much. Can we move to our biggest restaurant, the Drunken Eight Immortals, and continue to recite poems?
When I heard that I still had to recite poems, I quickly waved my hand and said,"It's really not convenient today. If you guys are interested in poetry, let's meet here tomorrow at this time. How about it?"
Young Master Wang and a few of his friends invited me again and again, but I insisted on not going. In the end, they had no choice but to give up.
After I saw them leave, I immediately got up and went to a nearby breakfast shop to order three bowls of noodles and two catties of steamed buns. These things were simply too delicious to eat when one was hungry. Just as I was enjoying my meal, Brother Nine suddenly spoke to me with his consciousness, telling me to go to a hidden place and then let my consciousness return to the original universe.
I did as he said. After returning to the Yuan Universe, Brother Nine said that your performance was a little opportunistic, but it was considered that you passed the test.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。