Hurrying slowly, Xiao Zhengning did not stop when he arrived at the county town; he only asked his two sons to go back to the academy first. He took his daughter to the county town to buy longans and red dates and put them in the basket, and the father and daughter returned to the academy.
"Minghua, you go back to the academy first. After I settle the matter, your wife will take you to see the dean."
Minghua nodded obediently. There were some things that everyone agreed on tacitly, "Okay, dad, I'll leave first."
"Go ahead."
Xiao Zhengning watched his daughter disappear around the corner of the women's school, and carried the basket back to the dormitory. After putting down the things, he tidied up his clothes and planned to strike while the iron was hot. Although his daughter was not the first, she was also the second, and she had a great chance of convincing the dean.
With a lot of words in his heart, he walked into the dean's small courtyard. The dean was leisurely drinking tea in the courtyard. When he saw someone coming, he smiled and said, "Zheng Ning is here. Just in time. Come and drink tea with me. Drink alone. , it will be more delicious if two people drink it together."
"Okay." Xiao Zhengning bowed first and then sat down at the stone table opposite the dean.
The dean personally poured a cup of tea and offered it, "Have a try."
Xiao Zhengning took a sip and said, "Good tea, sweet aftertaste and mellow taste."
"Really, hahaha, this is the tea I got with great difficulty." Dean Fan laughed happily, his eyebrows bright, "You are coming here now. Have you settled your family affairs?"
Xiao Zhengning nodded, "Yes, I went back to see my parents and my wife, and told them about Hongkang and Minghua's brother and sister having a second child."
"It's time to go back and say that you two brothers and sisters can already see a future."
"It's their master who taught them well and the dean who taught them well."
Dean Fan waved his hand, not wanting to hear these flattery words, "They all teach the same way, and the only ones who succeed are those who consciously work hard and are diligent. Your three children are all serious and hard-working children. If you teach them well, they will have a bright future." Guangming. You and I know this very well, so I won’t say more. But you, why are you back so soon? And you came here to me.”
Xiao Zhengning smiled slightly and said, "I can't hide anything from the dean, so I'll get straight to the point; if there's anything wrong, feel free to point it out."
"Is it for the future of your two children?"
"Yes." Xiao Zhengning nodded sincerely and said unhurriedly: "I am here to find a teacher for my little girl Minghua. There is not much she can learn in the women's academy. I implore you to accept her as your disciple. You know something about her talent. I don’t want her talent to be wasted on extra time. With you here, her path will be smoother."
He did not hide his inner plans; in front of Dean Fan, his scheming was too superficial and he could not hide it at all.
What Dean Fan likes the most is Xiao Zhengning's honesty and intelligence. He doesn't hide anything when he knows it can't be concealed; he never uses scheming to secretly plot in front of him, and says what he has to say.
"Your Minghua is indeed smart, but her talent is one thing, and so are your and her master's teachings."
"Yes, her talent is one thing, to be honest with you; I have taught her very little in private, not as much as her two brothers, but she can still pass the exam at the age of seven." Xiao Zhengning was proud, "If With the support of a good teacher, she will be even better."
"You never thought about letting me take Hongkang as my disciple?"
Xiao Zhengning shook his head gently, "I know that Hongkang's talent is not as good as Minghua's; he studied harder than Minghua for several years before he got one more place than Minghua. Who knows that Minghua can't be better than him in the future?"
Dean Fan pulled out the two children and weighed them repeatedly. Generally speaking, he was more optimistic about Xiao Hongkang; men, there are not so many constraints, and there are no emotional problems between men and women. It's not that he sees women clearly. Today's women basically rely on their husbands to survive, and most of them are emotional.
"You are quite good to your daughter."
"She is my daughter, and it is Her Majesty the Queen's grace that she can take the imperial examination. It is also her destiny. As a father, I can't do much for her. I only hope that she will have fewer hardships in the future. Even if there are hardships, She can get through it safely. From this point on, I thought of you. If you are willing to accept a disciple, her future will be much easier." After a pause, Xiao Zhengning continued: "As for Hongkang, he is a boy , it’s always easier than Minghua.”
Dean Fan shook his head and laughed, "You are partial."
"No, it's just a matter of measuring the future of a pair of children." Xiao Zhengning shook his head. Favoritism does not exist. It is true that the resources are tilted towards Minghua.
"Forget it, I can't teach that child Minghua. My mentor is eighty years old this year. It was when Xianfu was at home that I came forward to write a letter asking him what he thought." He really didn't want to waste Xiao Ming's time. Hua's talent can help to a certain extent, and it can help.
Xiao Zhengning's heart lifted, "Then..."
Can it be done?
Dean Fan had more than one disciple as his mentor, and Dean Fan withdrew from the court early again.
"Don't worry, just follow the teacher's arrangements; your daughter can pass the Tongsheng test at the age of seven, which shows that she is an extremely smart child. This is her best answer." It is impossible for the teacher not to be moved.
"Okay, listen to the dean, thank you for planning for Minghua." Xiao Zhengning wrote down this kindness.
He didn't know who Dean Fan's mentor was, he only knew a few of this person's deeds; he only hoped that he could sincerely give Minghua some protection.
After sending Xiao Zhengning away, Dean Fan went back to his room, polished his ink, wrote a letter and gave it to his confidant, asking him to go out.
The boy left the academy with the envelope in his arms. Dean Fan sat at the table for a long time and sighed softly.
"I haven't seen my teacher for many years, and I don't know if my teacher is angry and blaming me." This letter was sent out, firstly for Minghua, and secondly for myself. At that time, I gave up the court and wanted an official position out of anger, and was disappointed with the muddy water in the court. And, he decided not to become a scholar anymore.
His mentor sent him more than a dozen letters back then, but he declined them all. Later, his mentor and he had a stalemate, which has not eased for so many years. The annual filial piety was sent to him, but he felt that he was too embarrassed to see his mentor.
This letter was the medium to break up the relationship between him and his mentor, and it was also a pawn for him to test his mentor's attitude.
The letter was delivered to Duke Weiyuan's residence in the middle of the capital, and was delivered directly to the old man of Duke Weiyuan's house. This old man was in his eighties, with gray hair and a wrinkled face. He still had clear eyes and a strong body.
"Old Master, your student sent this from Xianyun Town, Shuzhou." The old housekeeper presented the letter with both hands.
The old lady hummed lightly, but did not answer it immediately; the old housekeeper planned to put the letter on the table and wait until the old lady wanted to read it, then the old lady sighed slowly, "That's all, that boy is quite old now. "You have no conscience! It took so many years to write to me, please give it to me."
"Yes, old man."
The old housekeeper delivered the letter to him.
The old man opened it and read it carefully, frowned and then loosened it, which made the old housekeeper's heart skip a beat.
