“What a modest gentleman!” Ouyang Yan looked at Feng Qiwu’s distant back and sighed tersely.
He and Han Wenxin had only just arrived and Feng Qiwu had finished asking questions. It was already dusk, and it was a bit late to wait until they had finished talking with President Zhuge before coming to ask for advice. The rules of Confucianism were such that master and disciple did not get along as casually as those sects did.
”If Wenxin had chosen Feng Qiuwu, I wouldn’t be this angry ——” Ouyang Yan glanced at Han Wenxin who was bowing his head beside him and thought darkly.
No —— Ouyang Yan secretly shook his head. No one can, the Shanhe Academy is never involved in the battle of the royal sons, this is an iron law.
Moreover, it has recently been rumored that Feng Qiwu will be the best candidate to be the next dean. His character and talent aside, the mere fact that he was the closed-door disciple of Dean Zhuge was already something to ponder, knowing that Dean Zhuge, back then, was also the closed-door disciple of the previous dean.
“Come in.” A gentle voice rang out as if in his ears.
Ouyang Yan and Han Wenxin went over to meet the dean and said, “Dean.”
“This ————”
Ouyang Yan recounted all the events that had happened not long ago to Zhuge Long Su. This included receiving a message from Han Wenxin this afternoon and going to rescue him. Afterwards, on the way, he heard the attacker drink out with his true qi about Han Wenxin’s defection to the Sixth Prince’s banner.
Han Wenxin also knew that this matter would not stand up to investigation for the Shanhe Academy, and admitted directly to Ouyang Yan the fact that he served the Sixth Prince.
After listening carefully to Ouyang Yan’s account, Zhuge Longxu said to Han Wenxin, “Wenxin, what do you say?”
“I just think that the Eighth Prince will succeed the dean in the future and take charge of the Shanhe Academy. Apart from the Eighth Prince, only the Sixth Prince has the posture of a bright ruler and can be the future ruler of my Great Zhou!” As Han Wenxin had already admitted it, he would not change his mind and did not refute what Ouyang Yan had said, but stated his opinion directly.
“Shut up, the rumour of Feng Qiuwu taking over as President is only a rumour, it cannot be taken seriously. Besides, the current Saint is in the prime of spring and autumn, and the Crown Prince has not yet been appointed for the sake of not losing harmony between father and son, how can you —— how can you ——” Ouyang Yan snapped.
It looked like he was angry with Han Wenxin, his body was shivering with anger.
“Ouyang,” Zhuge Long Su stopped Ouyang Yan’s words, “after so many years, your irritable temper still doesn’t change!”
And then he said to Han Wenxin, “Whether Qiuwu can take over as dean depends on his own behaviour, talent and morality, and has nothing to do with his status. The next dean will also not be decided at my word, and the dean’s closed disciple, who is a help to Qiuwu, is not a hindrance.”
“The academy will not interfere with the choice of the scholars. You think the Sixth Prince will be a bright ruler in the future and want to serve him, that is your choice and the academy will not interfere.”
“But the academy will also not get involved in the battle for the imperial son, so tomorrow, you will go down the mountain.”
“Dean, this ——” Ouyang Yan called out.
Zhuge Long Su waved his hand and said, “In a few months’ time, you should also graduate. Now that something like this has happened, let’s make an exception and let you graduate early. This way, it won’t be against the rules of the academy.”
If you graduate from the Shanhe Academy, then the Academy will not be involved in any more disputes between princes. Otherwise, with so many great officials in the Northern Zhou dynasty who graduated from the Shanhe Academy, there couldn’t be a unanimous movement in one direction. After leaving the academy, the relationship would be considered relatively closed.
“Thank you, Dean!” Han Wenxin said with a deep bow.
With this move, Zhuge Longjue had made an exception for Han Wenxin and left room for his future. Otherwise, a student who had been expelled from the Mountain River Academy, he could be said to have had a hard time making his way in Northern Zhou.
“Go.”
Han Wenxin bowed and stepped back a good distance before turning around and leaving.
“Dean, just let him go like that?” Looking at the fading Han Wenxin, Ouyang Yan said despondently.
“What, do you still want to keep him as punishment? I am not one of those Jianghu sects, let alone a devilish cult, so I don’t care if he stays or goes.” Zhuge Longjue said.
“No —— this —— I don’t mean this ——,” Ouyang Yan stammered.
“Forget it, don’t joke with you. Ouyang ah, you are still so rigid.” Zhuge Longxu waved his hand and said.
“Teacher, that’s not funny at all.” Ouyang Yan straightened his tongue and said.
Zhuge Long Su was one of the many students who had graduated from the school and worked as a lecturer at the Shanhe Academy, but he usually addressed Zhuge Long Su as Dean for business purposes. There are many others like him in the Shanhe Academy.
“What I mean is that the triennial competition for the position in the literary world is coming up, and Han Wenxin has outstanding talent, and the ‘Hao Ran Zheng Qi’ has long been good, so I’m afraid that without him, I’m ——”
“What are you afraid of? I am a Confucian orthodox, how can I be afraid of that group of cynics who are so flattering to power. Forty years ago, their ancestor Zhu Xiping was defeated by the hand of his teacher. In the past thirty years, the Confucianists have come and gone with great ambition. There is no need to worry.” Zhuge Longxu said domineeringly.
Forty years ago, Zhu Xiping, the founder of the Great Qian School of Science, had achieved great academic success and reached the state of God in the “Inner Sage Law of the Heavenly Reason”, thinking that he had no rival in the Confucian Way. He took advantage of the situation to come to the Shanhe Academy in Northern Zhou to argue with Meng Shanhe, who had not yet left his post.
As a result, Zhu Xiping lost both the academic battle and the battle between the “Heavenly Principle of Inner Sanctity” and the “Hao Ran Zheng Qi”.
He was so depressed that he vomited blood and died.
The death of the founder was a blow to the rise of science at the time. Other schools of thought at the Jikei Academy who did not like the school of science also fell on their sword. It was not until ten years later that the school of science got its breath back.
After that, the school went back to the Shanhe Academy and set up a three-year competition with Zhuge Longsu, who had just taken over the position in the literary world. The students who had been taught for three years competed for the top spot in the literary world.
At that time, Zhuge Longxu, who had just taken over the post, lacked prestige, so he agreed to such a competition when the scholars of science came to him. He then succeeded in his decision, and over the past thirty years, by constantly beating up on the little brother of the school of thought, Zhuge Long Su’s status in the Confucian school has risen, and he is already close to his teacher, the Grand Master of Confucianism, Meng Shan He.
The world of literature is fighting for position, said to be fighting for position, but in fact is fighting for the great qian science, Shanhe school has been sitting like a mountain, no movement.
