"Honorary professor, what's that?"

Zhao Shou asked curiously.

Tang Huan scratched his head and tried to explain, "You can think of it as maintaining a good relationship with Yunlu Academy. You're nominally a teacher at the academy and occasionally give lectures, but most of the time you have other work to do..."

"So that's how it is. That word is quite fitting," Zhao Shou remarked.

Tang Huan asked, "If I were to become an honorary professor, I wonder if the dean would agree? You know I can't stay at the academy for long, and even going there occasionally would be difficult. It's already extremely difficult to do this."

"I understand. It is already a blessing for the academy that Lord Tang is thinking of the students of Daqing. Thank you, sir."

"Thank you, sir."

Everyone spoke in unison, bowing to Tang Huan to express their gratitude.

Taking this opportunity, Tang Huan also inquired about the situation of Yunlu Academy.

Although the original owner had some understanding of the academy, it was only superficial, and he did not come into contact with many key information.

According to Zhao Shou and Li Mubai, Yunlu Academy has existed for over two hundred years, close to the time when the Great Qing Dynasty was founded.

Several deans were appointed during this period. At its peak, students were found all over Daqing, and even people from the north and the western regions came here to study.

That period was the most prominent time for Yunlu Academy; anyone randomly selected from the imperial court was a student there.

Unfortunately, it has gradually declined in recent years, overtaken by Confucian academies and other academies.

Today, Yunlu Academy has fewer than a thousand students, less than one-tenth of its peak number.

"No wonder."

Tang Huan understood. No wonder Dean Zhao Shou came in person, and even insisted on coming over at night.

Is this because they're worried that people from other academies will come and snatch them away before they get there?

Yunlu Academy needs to attract enough attention, which is why it wants to hold a few lectures.

As everyone ate and chatted, Tang Huan specially asked Li Daikui to buy some wine from Chunfenglou.

Two elders from the academy, fueled by alcohol, tearfully recounted the hardships the academy had endured, moving all who heard and witnessed them to tears.

The dinner lasted for nearly two hours. Tang Huan finally agreed to visit Yunlu Academy another day before seeing them off.

After seeing these people off, Tang Huan immediately blocked the door.

He patted his chest. "Luckily, I met with those people before I went to the palace. They knew I was going to see His Majesty. Otherwise, there would probably be even more people at home by now."

This socializing is too much trouble, even if I'm the one being asked for favors.

However, Tang Huan felt somewhat uncomfortable when faced with people who were clearly older than him bowing and scraping before him.

As night fell, Tang Huan finally got some peace and quiet and went to bed early.

Qin Yu tiptoed out of the room, heading towards the west wing, while keeping an eye out for Li Daikui, who was on night patrol, suddenly appearing.

After hiding in the shadows under the house, Qin Yu put his finger to his lips and blew hard, producing a clear bird song.

If you didn't see it with your own eyes, you would just assume that a bird flew by.

A moment later, the roof tiles made a clattering sound, followed by a thud as they hit the ground.

A figure dressed in black appeared in front of Qin Yu.

"Princess!"

The other party was extremely excited.

Are you alright?

Qin Yu changed from the pitiful, submissive demeanor she displayed in front of Tang Huan to a more assertive one.

“I’m fine. I was chased in Kuizhou and got injured. Then I was found by people from Qihuai County and taken back. I’ve been recuperating during this time, so I haven’t tried to contact you.”

"I'm glad you're alright." The other person breathed a sigh of relief.

Qin Yu countered with, "How are the others?"

Xue Qi's joy vanished instantly, replaced by melancholy. "I didn't expect Kuizhou to launch a sudden search. We were caught off guard, and many of our brothers have been killed. I've tried to gather them up, but I've only managed to contact half of them."

The rest either hid because they hadn't escaped danger.

Or perhaps they simply couldn't evade capture.

This news is undeniably devastating.

“Princess, I think Tang Huan is someone we can win over. If we can get him on our side and leverage the power of Qihuai County, our plans will be much easier.”

Qin Yu sighed and said, "I know that all too well, but I don't know what he's really thinking."

Having spent a long time together, Qin Yu never sensed any awe or reverence Tang Huan held for the Empress; in fact, Tang Huan would sometimes even tease him.

However, Tang Huan's eccentric personality made Qin Yu hesitant to act rashly, fearing that if he expressed his thoughts, Tang Huan would push him in front of the Empress to gain credit.

Tang Huan is an extremely greedy person, this is

Qin Yu was certain.

"Let me see him; that way, your identity won't be exposed."

Qin Yu shook his head to stop him, saying, "No, it's already very risky to contact him rashly today. He stole the show at the poetry gathering today, and countless people are watching him and this place. Don't show up again for a while. The capital is not like Kuizhou. Once we are discovered, we will have nowhere to escape."

"I understand..." Xue Qi said somewhat unwillingly.

"Princess, please be careful. If anything happens, you can try to contact me. We have some brothers hiding in the capital."

"good."

After seeing Xue Qi off, Qin Yu acted as if nothing had happened and returned to his room.

She tiptoed onto the bed, transforming back into the maidservant who was bossed around by Tang Huan.

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