Overlord's Road to Ancient Emperors

After the meal, Li Xu asked Liu Shu to find some chicken feathers and prepare to make a chicken feather shuttlecock.

Liu Shu went to the kitchen and looked around, but he didn't see a single chicken feather, but there was a basket of duck feathers, so he picked out some beautiful duck wing feathers and came back, "My lord, can you see the duck feathers?"

Li Xu laughed angrily, "Have you ever seen a duck feather shuttlecock? Stupid."

Liu Shu said aggrievedly: "I haven't even seen a shuttlecock, so how do I know if it's made of duck feathers or chicken feathers?"

"Okay, I'll make one for you later." Seeing the long duck feathers in his hands, Li Xu had an idea, and hooked his fingers at him. "Bring the duck feathers. Go to the palace and find some chicken tail feathers. You want more colorful and beautiful ones." At this time, the chickens were still more like pheasants with beautiful feathers. Kou's mansion even raised a few. The golden pheasant is purely for ornamental purposes, and the shuttlecocks made must look good.

Li Xu took the duck feathers and measured the length. Each wing feather was about the length of a hand, and then pointed it at the light, then ran to the study to get some ink, cut off the tube at the base of the duck wing feather, and dipped some ink on it. I went up and wrote a word on the paper, but the ink ran out halfway through writing, "No way, the tube is too thin to hold the ink."

Not long after Liu Shu left, he came back, holding a basket of chicken feathers, all of which were the most beautiful tail feathers, and handed them to Li Xu obsequiously. "Your Highness, do you think these are enough?"

Li Xu knocked him on the head with a duck feather, "Are you going to make yourself a chicken wing so that you can fly to the sky?" Having said that, Li Xu took the chicken feather and asked Liu Shu to look for any goose feathers. Duck feathers are too short and thin, goose feathers are definitely enough.

Liu Shu said with a bitter face: "My lord, why are you having trouble with these beasts today?"

"You'll know when something good is made." Li Xu practiced brush calligraphy every day, but he didn't make much progress after practicing for half a year. He could barely write properly, so he rarely wrote in front of outsiders. As a modern person, Hard-tipped pen calligraphy is definitely better.

A basket of chicken feathers was very bright, all plucked from the chickens that were slaughtered today. Li Xu picked out a dozen colorful chicken feathers and used a copper plate as the bottom of the shuttlecock, but there was still one thing that was fixed.

"What should I use to fix it? There is no rubber." The bottom of the chicken feather shuttlecock must be soft to kick it. Li Xu found a piece of shabby clothes that he didn't wear, cut a piece of cloth, folded it in two, and wrapped the copper plate and the root of the chicken feather. Get up, and tie it tightly with a string, and a beautiful shuttlecock is ready.

"I'm so talented!" Li Xu couldn't help boasting, then went to the yard to find his daughter, and presented it to the little princess like a treasure. "Does it look good?"

The little princess nodded in surprise, "Is this the shuttlecock? It's so beautiful."

"This thing is not for viewing, it's for kicking. I'll teach you." Li Xu threw the shuttlecock high, then raised his leg when it fell, and lifted his heel lightly, and saw the shuttlecock flying straight In the upper half of the sky, it parabolically fell into the pool.

The little princess was dumbfounded and almost wanted to jump into the water to pick it up, but was stopped by Li Xu.

"There seems to be something wrong." After all, this is the first time making shuttlecocks, and Li Xu has no experience, so he feels that something is wrong, as if it is too heavy and too hard.

"Wait, Father will make another one." Li Xu turned around and ran into the house, this time he only picked five tail hairs, held them in his hands for a while, then added a few softer chicken wing feathers, so that As soon as it comes, the bottom is fluffed up, so it will not be top-heavy.

"Very good, I will succeed this time." Li Xu returned to the yard with the completed shuttlecock, and saw that the shuttlecock in the pool was picked up by He Zun, but the hairs had already stuck together, turning into a soaked shuttlecock.

"Try this." Li Xu made the classic starting move of kicking the shuttlecock, but still only lifted the shuttlecock once before it landed.

He was helpless, "This time it's not the shuttlecock's problem, it's because the father is not good enough, why don't Shu'er play by himself."

The little princess couldn't wait to try it out herself. Girls basically couldn't resist the temptation of this toy. It was so beautiful and fun that they couldn't bear to put it down until dark.

"Father, can I invite my friends to play shuttlecock at home tomorrow?"

"Of course, I can ask Mrs. Qian to make a few more and give them to friends as gifts." Li Xu taught Mrs. Qian how to make shuttlecocks. It is easy to make, and he can make dozens of them with a basket of chicken feathers. Made it in one night.

Moreover, Mrs. Qian was careful, and even improved it a bit. She cut out the soles of the shoes and made them into trays, which are more stable and thinner than randomly folded cloth.

Within a few days, the chicken feather shuttlecock spread in Minzhou city. Not only children like to play, but also some young people like to play, without feeling childish at all.

It's a pity for the chickens in the city. They were either killed and plucked, or they became bald-tailed chickens, wandering the streets with bare buttocks, and the chickens were devastated.

One day, when Li Xu came home from outside, he saw Ji Hanyu kicking shuttlecock with the little princess in the yard, and he was able to do all kinds of tricks, kicking back and forth, making the little princess fans applaud again and again.

I haven't seen him for a while, Ji Hanyu looks much healthier, his face is rosy, and his thin body has recovered a little bit, after taking care of it, he is still that handsome scholar.

Seeing Li Xu rushing over, the little princess ran into Li Xu's arms, and waited for Li Xu to pick him up before she said, "Father, Mrs. Ji is really good at playing shuttlecock."

"Father saw it, it was very powerful."

Ji Hanyu looked at Li Xu in embarrassment, and explained: "I used to play it when I was young, and I made you laugh." As a dignified and steady teacher, kicking shuttlecock must be degrading in the eyes of some people.

Of course Li Xu didn't think so, and joked with a smile: "It's great to finally see the lively Master Ji again."

Ji Hanyu pulled out the hem of the clothes inserted into the belt, patted it, and cupped his hands with a smile: "Thank you for your concern, my lord. Since I stabilized, I have been taking supplements every day, and Xiaosheng's body has recovered."

"That's good. Since Master Ji is in good health, is there anything else you want to do?"

Ji Hanyu used to be full of confidence in himself, thinking that he was capable of worshiping the prime minister, no matter how bad he was, he would also be a learned scholar with a long history. He never thought that after leaving Qingqiong Academy, he found that he was nothing, except for the ink in his chest. In the land of martial arts, he can only teach children, which makes him very depressed.

"Xiaosheng has the trust of the prince, and it is enough to stay in the mansion to teach one or two children." Ji Hanyu said insincerely.

"Really?"

Of course it wasn't the truth, Ji Hanyu pursed his lips and didn't answer, just rolled his eyes quietly.

Li Xu looked amused, "Mr. Ji should serve the country with all his talents and knowledge. After a while, I will find a gentleman to hand over to you, and you can do some practical things for me."

Ji Hanyu nodded and said nothing, feeling sorry for himself, deeply afraid that he would not be able to do practical things well if he was young and inexperienced, but he really didn't want to let go of this opportunity.

"Thank you, my lord."

Li Xu changed the topic and asked him: "How are your students doing? Are there any disobedient ones?" Besides the little princess, Ji Hanyu was still teaching Wu Jin and that alien boy, two crooked melons and one ignorant kid , I want to know how Ji Hanyu feels.

But Ji Hanyu said with great joy: "Wu Jin is really a genius. He has made rapid progress in a short period of time. He has an excellent memory and never forgets it. He will surely achieve something in the future."

Li Xu asked in surprise: "Really?" The boy said that he was the son of a wealthy businessman, and he had studied for several years, but he did not learn well and had no achievements. Could it be that he was lying to him.

"Of course it's true." Ji Hanyu stepped forward and told Li Xu a lot about Wu Jin's deeds, praising him like nothing in the world.

"It's just been delayed for a few years. If you start training from an early age, you can already master the Four Books and Five Classics, poetry and songs at this age. You are definitely a child prodigy. It's a pity."

Li Xu stopped him, "Stop, stop, go and call him, and I will ask him personally. It is really as good as you said."

Although they were together all the way south, Li Xu didn't pay much attention to Wu Jin. The boy in his impression was still the one who was brave enough to fight against his fate but flinched. Why did he suddenly become so good?

Wu Jin came soon, dressed in commoner clothes, his hair was tied into a bun on his forehead with a cloth rope, he saluted politely and greeted him, then stood aside and waited for Li Xu to speak, his appearance couldn't be more honest.

Li Xu coughed dryly, "Wu Jin, come over here." When someone stood in front of him, Li Xu sized him up and found that this kid had really grown a lot in the past few months, and his facial features had also grown, making him even more handsome , Going out is also a handsome young man.

At this age, Dayan can already marry and have children. As a modern person, Li Xu definitely does not support early marriage and early childbearing, so he did not put this matter on the agenda.

He opened his mouth and asked: "Mr. Ji said that you are excellent in academics and have a good memory, but is it true?"

Ji Hanyu interjected, "How can the prince ask such a question? If he tells the truth, he seems too conceited, and if he tells lies, he seems too hypocritical."

Li Xu and Wu Jin laughed at the same time, Wu Jin blushed and said, "Thanks to Mrs. Ji's patient teaching, my studies have really improved a lot, and I can only find out after comparing them. In the past, the teachers my father found for me were too miserable and misleading my children."

"Master Ji is the teacher of Qingqiong Academy. He is knowledgeable and not pedantic. He is definitely not comparable to ordinary teachers. It is also a blessing for you to have his teaching."

"That's true. Wu Jin dare not forget the kindness of Master's rebirth."

Li Xu pointed to himself, "Then you have to thank me, the king invited such a good wife."

Wu Jin blushed, and bowed his hands, "Yes, thank you, my lord, you are Wu Jin's benefactor." If it wasn't for Li Xu, he would still be begging and wandering around, maybe he would have frozen to death in a certain place in the cold winter last year. down the street.

Of course, Li Xu's cultivation of Wu Jin was not out of good intentions, but an investment in talents. The more promising Wu Jin will be in the future, the greater the rewards he will get. Although Wu Jin was not allowed to sign the contract of sale, but he did not work for a few years and wanted to leave. Impossible, capitalists are not that kind.

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small theater:

Old Gong: "I heard that shuttlecock kicking is popular in the city recently."

Li Xu: "Yes."

Old Gong: "Daughter-in-law, shall we play shuttlecock?"

Li Xu: "Childish."