The little lotus leaves are just beginning to stand, the bamboo dewdrops make a clear sound, the fragrance of flowers fills the air, and the warmth of the day creates a fragrant aroma.

In the bookstore, the cat servant was curled up on the couch, the lazy donkey was rolling around in a pile, Xu Jiang was yawning while writing bookmarks, and only Liang Mo was energetic, with his sleeves rolled up and sweating profusely in the backyard.

Spring sleepiness cannot sleep the youthful vigor and vitality, and Xu Jiang could not help but envy him.

Actually, it’s not entirely Chun Kun’s fault. Last night, Lou Yunchun couldn’t stand Xu Jiang’s nagging and told her the person he recommended, but it made her think about it for half the night before she fell asleep.

The person recommended by Lou Yunchun was Master Lin.

Although Xu Jiang was surprised, she also felt it was reasonable.

Although the late emperor had demoted Master Lin and punished him with a lifetime ban from officialdom, he had passed away many years ago. Now that Your Majesty is in power, if he wants to re-employ Master Lin, he can find an excuse that the late emperor had appeared in his dream and do so.

Furthermore, the late emperor originally dismissed Master Lin to balance the court and give the gentry an explanation. But now the gentry are restless, framing officials and disrupting the court, intending to restore the old system and break the rules established by the late emperor. So, there is no reason for the sage to continue foolishly following the old order.

Only those who plan things can succeed in everything if they can adapt to circumstances and changes.

Just imagine that Master Lin's firewood directly burned the Ministry of Personnel's power to preside over the imperial examinations. If the anger is rekindled, the court and the capital will probably be in an uproar.

I just don't know whether he will agree or not.

The hardships and neglect that Master Lin had endured over the years had made him suffer a lot. When Madam Lin left him, his heart was like a dried-up river, with only a pile of rocks left.

Although he seems to be above life and death, he is actually sinking into loneliness. Even if he tries to stay alive, it is only for Lin Hongchu.

Thinking of this, the ink from Xu Jiang's pen condensed onto the paper, creating a pool of ink that then spread out in all directions.

Master Lin needed to rekindle his will to avoid a more difficult life ahead. Lou Yunchun recommended Master Lin not only because he was the most suitable candidate at the moment, but also because he wanted to give Master Lin a chance.

The sage also intends to help him achieve this, as this is also the debt owed to him by the court and the previous emperor.

However, if Master Lin is unwilling, Lou Yunchun and the Sage will not force him. Although the position of Director of the Imperial College is not a high-ranking position, it is related to the imperial examinations and the future talents of Dasheng. If he is unwilling, it will be disadvantageous.

In addition, most of the students in the Imperial College are children of officials. If the superiors are not upright, the subordinates will be crooked as well, so the person in charge must be upright.

In recent years, under the supervision of the Ministry of Rites and Yuan Zuzhi, Du Hui and others, the Imperial College implemented an admission examination system, and those who failed the examination would be rejected even if they came from aristocratic family.

After strict screening, the students who enter the Imperial College will not be too bad in character and qualifications. After receiving education, they will take the imperial examinations, and those who pass the examinations will account for most of the list.

Among them, many children of aristocratic families are also on the list, such as Lou Yunchun.

After these sons of the gentry entered officialdom, they formed their own networks, making it difficult for them to unite with other gentry. If they were not united, they would be marginalized, and the marginalized would have no choice but to turn to the sage and the humble. This not only gradually divided the power of the gentry, but also helped to purify the court's ethos and centralize imperial power. For the sage, this was a three-pronged approach.

Therefore, a sage would never give the position of the Imperial College to someone recommended by the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue.

But it is hard to find someone in the court with a reputation as vicious as Du Hui, so after Lou Yunchun reminded him, he set his sights on Master Lin.

Master Lin's upright and unyielding spirit, coupled with his many years of teaching, made him the perfect person to take over the position of Director of the Imperial College.

Thinking of Master Lin's serious face, Xu Jiang deeply agreed.

"Shopkeeper Xu, the ink has smudged."

A voice startled Xu Jiang back to her senses. She put down her pen in a hurry, then looked up and saw that it was Wu Qingye.

How did he find you?

Xu Jiang stood up and greeted him with a smile, "Dr. Wu, what brings you to my humble shop? I wonder what brings you to my humble shop?"

Wu Qingye saluted her and then said with a smile: "Of course, we come to the bookstore to buy books."

Although Xu Jiang had her doubts in her heart, she remained calm on the surface. "If you want to buy music scores, there aren't many left in this shop, only one or two. Doctor Wu, please take a look."

"Although I'm a musician, I don't just buy sheet music." He looked around, then pulled out a copy of Hanshan Poetry and flipped through it, asking, "Is this new?"

Xu Jiang praised: "Doctor Wu has a good eye."

Wu Qingye held the book to his nose and sniffed it. "The ink is still new." He then carefully examined the signature on the printing plate. Seeing that it was produced by a monk from Guoqing Temple, he was a little surprised and asked, "How much is this collection, Manager Xu?"

"Seven hundred coins for a set." She had originally priced it at six hundred coins, but the price of paper and ink had risen recently, so she had no choice but to add an extra hundred coins.

"Then I'll buy a set." After saying that, he picked up "Huanhua Qingwan" on the adjacent bookshelf and read it.

Are you really here to buy books?

Never mind. Since he came to buy books, she would sell them to him and not ask or think about anything else.

"This set of 'Huanhua Qingwan' was written by Zhang Bing of Suzhou and engraved by Niu Fang, also from Suzhou. It consists of thirteen volumes, covering topics such as painting appreciation, antiques, sword and knife manuals, orchid manuals, and chess rules, as well as a collection of leisure books."

"The book is a leisure book, and the person is a leisure person. The two are suitable, so I want it too."

"This set costs eight hundred coins." Because it contains illustrations and requires more materials, it is expensive.

Wu Qingye carefully read the books, not asking about the classics, history, and miscellaneous books, but he did like quite a few miscellaneous books. Finally, he picked up a dozen books and handed them to Xu Jiang, saying, "I want all of these."

Xu Jiang took it and calculated the price for him. "The old travelogues and folk tales are one hundred coins each, and there are four volumes in total. The two volumes of songs and lyrics are five hundred coins each. The storybooks and legends are six hundred coins each. Together with these two sets of new books, the total is three thousand eight hundred coins."

"Okay." Wu Qingye took out a few pieces of silver from his purse and asked Xu Jiang to weigh them. After weighing them, it was four taels. Xu Jiang was about to use scissors to cut the silver, but Wu Qingye stopped her. "No need to make up for it. The shopkeeper generously gave me two sets of music scores last time. How can I be stingy?"

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!