Gao Huai gave an order, and the accompanying imperial army took down the three-tailed shad from the carriage.
The three shad were each placed in an ice basket, and each one seemed to weigh at least ten kilograms.
The scholars outside the door were all surprised when they saw this scene. Sheng Changfeng and Qi Heng couldn't help but secretly sigh: It seems that although the young gentleman has been demoted this time, he is still in the emperor's heart!
After Gao Huai and his party left, Sheng Changfeng and Qi Heng stepped forward and handed over invitations, asking to see Wei Chen.
Hearing that these two people actually had a teacher-student relationship with Wei Chen, the surrounding scholars cast envious glances and automatically moved out of the way.
Therefore, Sheng Changfeng and Qi Heng held their heads high, passed the crowd of scholars, and were led into the mansion by Uncle Fu, an old servant of the Wei Mansion.
Entering the yard, the two of them saluted Wei Chen together. Sheng Changfeng saw the three bamboo baskets full of ice particles and said with a smile: "Sir, I have heard that anchovies are delicious and are worth a hundred taels of silver in Jiangnan." , and it’s still expensive but not marketable. If you were in Bianjing, it would be hard to buy half a tail no matter how much money you spent!”
Qi Heng also said with a smile: "This is the official's respect for the young gentleman, a lot of money is not easy!"
Wei Chen waved his hand indifferently, looked at Sheng Changfeng and said: "Chang Feng, you came just in time. These shad must be stored in the ice cellar. I can't store them here. You can take them all back to Sheng Mansion and give you one." The fifth sister and the sixth sister, give one to your father and mother, and keep the last one, I will use it to honor the teacher."
Sheng Changfeng was very excited when he heard that Wei Chen asked him to bring the fish back to Sheng Mansion. But after hearing Wei Chen's distribution plan, his face suddenly fell: "There are three shad in total, and they are all divided like this?"
Immediately he rolled his eyes, rubbed his hands and came to Wei Chen's side, he chuckled and said: "Little sir, this shad weighs at least more than ten kilograms. The fifth and sixth sisters are both girls, how can they eat them all? Give them half the tail to eat, and leave the remaining half for me and Yuan Ruo to have a tooth ceremony, right?"
"What a beautiful thought!"
Wei Chen glared and said angrily: "If you can't finish it in one sitting, just marinate it and eat it slowly!"
"Oh..." Sheng Changfeng glanced at the ice basket containing the anchovies reluctantly, and then lowered his head in aggrieved manner.
Wei Chen was secretly amused, so he could only say slowly: "Teacher is old and has a poor diet. He cannot eat a whole shad. When the day comes, I will ask Uncle Fu to inform you and your second brother. Yuan Ruo, when the time comes, you will also come together, there will be more people and it will be more lively, and the teacher will feel happier after seeing it."
"Very good!"
Sheng Changfeng was overjoyed after hearing this. He looked at the anchovy in the ice basket and said with salivation: "I heard that this anchovy can be used as fish dumplings or cooked. It is extremely delicious!"
Qi Heng on the side noticed that Wei Chen had taken care of all aspects in his words, but he did not mention Wei Chen himself, and when he spoke, there was a hint of unnoticeable sadness in his tone.
Thinking back to the fact that Wei Chen was appointed as the magistrate of Yuzhou by the imperial court, Qi Heng, who was attentive and thoughtful, immediately understood Wei Chen's worries. He bowed deeply and said, "please don't worry, little sir, Chang Feng and I will definitely come to visit the teacher from time to time." .”
Wei Chen glanced at Qi Heng in surprise, then cupped his hands towards Qi Heng and said, "Yuan Ruo, you are interested. When I am not in Bianjing, the teacher will ask you to take more care of me."
After hearing the conversation between the two, Sheng Changfeng remembered that Wei Chen would be leaving Bianjing to go to Yuzhou to take up his duties in the near future. A feeling of separation and farewell arose in his heart, and the excitement and joy just now disappeared.
Sheng Changfeng immediately bowed and said: "Changfeng is willing to go to Yuzhou with the little gentleman, and I ask the little gentleman to agree."
Wei Chen smiled and refused: "The affairs of the people-friendly official are complicated. If you work with me, you will definitely delay your studies. You should stay in Bianjing with peace of mind and prepare for autumn."
Sheng Changfeng also understood that what Wei Chen said was reasonable. Even if Wei Chen agreed to take him with him, Sheng Hong would not let him go, so he had no choice but to give up.
While he was talking, Yuan An walked in and said respectfully: "Master, more and more scholars are gathering outside the door. They still refuse to leave. They only want to see you."
Wei Chen couldn't help but feel a little troubled when he heard this. These scholars came here because of their reputation, either sending gifts to their doorsteps or posting messages asking for an audience. The most difficult thing among them was the scholars who wanted to become Wei Chen's disciples. Each one was more interesting than the last. Patience can't be driven away.
At that moment, Wei Chen brought Sheng Changfeng and Qi Heng to the door, and persuaded the scholars outside: "Wei appreciates your kindness, but Wei is about to be sent to Yuzhou as an official, and he really has no time to accept disciples. Please go back."
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Most of the scholars had a look of regret on their faces when they heard this. Most of them were from Bianjing. They had parents to serve and could not travel far away.
However, more than ten famous scholars still said in unison: "We are willing to accompany Wei Liuyuan to Yuzhou."
Wei Chen couldn't help but be moved when he saw this.
In the past, Confucius was trapped between Chen and Cai, but Yan Hui and Zigong were still with him. Today, Wei Chen has been demoted from the capital, and there are still people who are willing to follow him. This life is enough!
Wei Chen solemnly bowed deeply to all the scholars, but the scholars did not dare to accept the courtesy and bowed in return.
Seeing this scene, Qi Heng reminded him softly from the side: "Sir, I think most of these scholars are sincere apprentices, not just on a whim. Many of them have come more than once. Please consider it carefully. If you do it again and again, To refuse will only hurt the hearts of the scholars."
Wei Chen smiled bitterly and said: "I don't know their intentions, but I need to be particularly cautious when recruiting disciples. Now I have just been demoted and am in a place of suspicion. If I recruit disciples widely, I will inevitably offend others. I am afraid that things will change again!"
Only then did Sheng Changfeng and Qi Heng understand Wei Chen's concerns. For a while, they felt a headache and were at their wits' end.
Wei Chen thought for a while, accepting a large number of disciples implies political risks, and driving them all away would be too unkind. The only way was to find a way to raise the threshold for accepting disciples.
At that moment, Wei Chen asked those scholars who were willing to follow him to Yuzhou to send him several copies of the articles he had obtained for his review.
Wei Chen read the article and then asked about his character. If both of them were satisfactory, he would take this person into his sect.
Despite the harsh conditions, many people were still willing to give it a try. After the final assessment, only three people met Wei Chen's conditions.
The three of them bowed to Wei Chen very solemnly, and then Yuan An brought tea. The three of them served tea to Wei Chen one by one. After Wei Chen drank this cup of tea, it was considered that his status as teacher and student had been confirmed.
What Wei Chen pays attention to is the ceremony of what he likes. As for Shu Xiu, he doesn't care. He can just make up for it another day.
After the three successful apprentices walked out of the door, their faces were full of joy and their spirits were high. Many scholars were envious when they saw this scene and came up to congratulate them.
After working for a long time, they finally sent away all the scholars outside, and Sheng Changfeng and Qi Heng also said goodbye.
However, Wei Chen couldn't rest yet.
Since he is about to serve as a people-friendly official, he cannot be alone like a Hanlin official. He must have a team of people to assist him in handling government affairs, that is, staff.
As for the three newly admitted students, although they are enthusiastic, they have no experience in doing things, so it is difficult for them to help Wei Chen.
The staff must be smart and capable, and Wei Chen already had an idea in mind about the specific candidates.
Wei Chen first went to the backyard to talk to his teacher Zhuang Junxu for a long time. After Sheng Hong went home from the office in the evening, he went to Sheng Mansion again.
On the second day, Wei Chen sent a message to the residence of Wang Wenqing, the minister of Dali Temple, and made a special trip to visit him.
After going around in circles, Wei Chen finally returned home, picked up a pen and wrote a letter, and sent a horse to deliver it to Bailudong Academy, thousands of miles away.
