"Did you hear that Xia Yuanlong is coming back as director..."
Wang Zhengui, who was a counselor in the salt class and academy, walked through the corridor and walked slowly into the back room. The whispers of the Confucian scholars on the side also reached his ears.
"I pay my respects to Dean Zhu." Wang Zhengui leaned forward slightly and bowed his hands in greeting.
"Ah, Jin Gui, sit down." Zhu Che frowned.
Wang Zhengui quietly walked aside and looked at his movements, but he just sat on the chair and held a pen, but there was no word on the paper.
"You don't have to suffer when you have a lot on your mind." He looked at the blank papers on the table, then raised his head and smiled at him.
Zhu Che saw that he had read through her thoughts, so he sighed, put the pen back in the pen holder, and put away the paper hastily.
"Jin Gui doesn't know something," he shook his head. "All the people in Nanjing are arrogant and ambitious. Even Xia Fumeng is the same. They are not people who can do practical things."
The more Zhu Che talked, the more aggrieved he felt: "Counsellor Wang, just imagine, how can a private academy develop and grow without the help of the government? Last time Mr. Yao went to Nanjing with good intentions, but he was scolded by the guards and the people, saying that we have long They are flattering. In my opinion, they are just whimsical and do not understand the current situation! If the future is left in the hands of these people... the academy does not need to be opened. "
Wang Zhengui's face was like a flat lake, and he bowed and replied: "Dean Zhu has said it. The Suzhou government has understood the reason after the previous trouble. If we take the opportunity to communicate with them, we must work together."
Zhu Che said: "This is also difficult. Xia Fumeng has set off from Nanjing and will arrive in Suzhou two days later. All the princes have seen his majesty, how dare they say 'no'? In the end, they still have to follow his path. . It’s a pity that Suzhou’s talented people are like a forest and can’t carve out a prosperous road on their own!”
"Xia Fumeng relies on me as a local in everything. When he comes, he will discuss it with me. If someone offends all the wise men, I hope you will forgive me. This is also a last resort. But please believe me, dean. , my heart always turns inward rather than outward." Wang Zhengui said, poking his chest.
Zhu Che was overjoyed and held his hands repeatedly: "With Jin Gui's words, Brother Yu has nothing to worry about."
Xia Yuanlong rode a fast horse, and it took him two days to reach Suzhou City before dark. After arranging his accommodation and feeding his horse, he walked straight to the academy without stopping.
When Zhu Che heard the knock on the door outside, he guessed it was Yuan Long's visit. He hurriedly called the kitchen servants to cut the beef and boil the wine. He put the dishes on the table in the main hall and just dressed to greet him.
"Xia Fumeng, these days Zhu has been looking forward to the stars and the moon to wait for you to come, and his heart is extremely tormented!" Zhu Che said kindly, while leading him into the main hall.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to eat well after all the travels of the deputy alliance." Zhu Che took a plate of beef and poured a bowl of wine diligently. "Because it's late, we can't have a banquet, so we have to prepare wine and meat as a courtesy. I hope you don’t dislike it.”
Yuan Long smiled and said, "We haven't seen each other for many days, but now we are so polite." He drank wine and chatted with Zhu Che first. After talking for a while, he saw Zhu Che going back and forth only talking about family affairs, or talking about the hardships he had experienced in the past, wiping tears from his nose, and did not follow Yuan Long's words at all.
When Yuan Long came, he was sleepy and lacked horses, so he couldn't eat much for a few days. Secondly, when he saw that he was prevaricating at every turn and had to think hard about his words, he wolfed down the meat, dividing it by three and five, and there was not a single piece left on the plate.
He put down his chopsticks, burped, and immediately said to Zhu Che: "The dean entertained me like this, so I should do my best to help. There has been nothing going on in Nanjing recently, and the leader of the alliance sent me to the border of Rusuzhou to vigorously implement the new policy and give it to the officials. There's a loud noise. I wonder what the dean wants?"
Zhu Che was caught off guard by this sudden attack. He looked around nervously, but there was no one around him, and he began to panic and didn't know what was going on.
"I know that Professor Yao has different opinions on this. You might as well ask his opinion. We in the academy must always work together and slowly convince everyone. This is the purpose of Yuan Long." Yuan Long saw that he was a little bit unable to get off the stage, so he replaced him. He said it.
Zhu Che was in a panic, and he was afraid that Yuan Long's heart was as solid as stone. Yao Xiaogu was not very helpful, so he forced a smile: "Although Professor Yao had quarrels with the Wei League, he cares about the people after all. He is not two-minded about the New Deal." Naturally, I will do it.”
Yuan Long also smiled and said: "With the dean's words as a guarantee, I feel at ease. It's late today, and I'll invite you all to discuss the big plan tomorrow. Take your leave!"
Dean Zhu tried to persuade him to stay for a few times and then let him out. He returned to the hall and saw that there was some warm wine left in the pot. He sighed and kept drinking the dull wine until there was a bang at one o'clock and the pot was empty.
He poured up and down again, and only two drops of wine fell, crystal clear and shining white under the moonlight. Zhu Che reluctantly drank the last sip and touched his face, but most of it was warm.
"Zhu Che, Zhu Che!" He raised his wine glass high and murmured, "You thought Xia Yuanlong was some kind of indomitable hero? It turned out that he was just a willful villain! Without exception, our opinions fell into disrepair. As their decision swayed...those fools, have they ever thought about what would happen if they left the government? Nothing, nothing! They should be removed from the register and removed from the roster! Bastards..."
Zhu Che had scolded enough and became angry. He stood up unsteadily and prepared to talk to his colleagues.
As soon as he reached the gate of the inner courtyard, Song Zhang, the counselor, came to greet him and told him a piece of news: "Dean, it is said that Wang Zhengui was summoned by Xia Yuanlong and is now in the hotel."
"How did Governor Song know?" Zhu Che suddenly felt like he had been given a head-on blow. Most of the alcohol was gone, and cold sweat broke out all over his body.
"Hey, it's curfew. Someone is passing by on the street with a lantern from the Salt Administration Department. It's very eye-catching!" Yao Xiaogu flashed out from the grass in the distance, blowing a bamboo fan and shouting weakly.
"By the way, have you met him?" Song Zhang asked.
"I just sent him away."
"Hey! What did the dean say?" Yao Xiaogu came over in a hurry.
"He said he wanted to implement the New Deal, asked me if I would follow it, and asked you to argue. Xia Yuanlong's sophists all know that you are absolutely no match for him. So I only agreed to a few words, not wanting to cause trouble."
Yao Xiaogu was so angry that he stamped his feet: "Dean Zhu, what did you promise him to do? If you challenge him in the future, he will carry you out... Now, everyone obeys the order obediently, and there is nothing to say." .”
Song Zhang also turned his attention to Zhu Che and spread his hands, which meant "a pity".
Zhu Che felt guilty and his face turned red: "I forgot. If I had discussed it with everyone in detail beforehand, it wouldn't have ended up like this!"
"We don't need to be wise anymore," Song Zhang and Yao Xiaogu said consolingly, "No matter what, we can't save it. But now it depends on whether Wang Yanke can be tough!"
Zhu Che held the same expectation, and the three of them looked at the dark sky.
