"This young master Wang, he wants to recommend me, and he's saying all this to me, but what is his real purpose...?"

Mao Jie gave Liu Hong a deep look, somewhat puzzled as to what Young Master Wang's purpose was in suddenly telling him all this.

Perhaps they wanted to win me over, or perhaps they were speaking on behalf of the nobles, officials, and powerful families to show ordinary students like myself that the only way to rise in rank was to rely on them.

Regardless of the other party's motives, Mao Jie now understood that what the other party said was not an exaggeration; noble officials and powerful families would certainly not allow anyone to break their privileges.

The thought that the assessment system might actually be abolished caused Mao Jie's expression to become somewhat uncertain.

Mao Jie then glanced at Liu Hong and said through gritted teeth:

"The emperor's assessment system is fair and just, in line with the will of the people, and is for the benefit of all students. It is now the general trend and the will of the people."

Anyone who dares to sabotage or obstruct this process is making an enemy of me and all the students in the world. If the assessment is truly forced to be canceled, the countless students across the land will not let it go... they will tear them to pieces!

"To become an enemy of all scholars in the world, to tear them to pieces...?"

Seeing Mao Jie's gritted teeth, Liu Hong suddenly laughed.

In Liu Hong's view, Mao Jie's words today basically represent what most ordinary students are thinking.

These people would be a great help to Liu Hong's future reforms, which made Liu Hong feel somewhat relieved.

"What? Does Young Master Wang think I'm joking? Or does Young Master Wang look down on us because of his noble birth...?"

Seeing Liu Hong suddenly burst out laughing, Mao Jie couldn't help but frown with displeasure.

Mao Jie thought that this young master Wang seemed to be mocking him and those students for overestimating their abilities.

"No, I was just thinking about some happy things..."

Seeing Mao Jie's displeased expression, Liu Hong simply smiled faintly and shook his head.

"However... what you said makes me think that you might actually be capable. I hope that you can truly help the Emperor withstand those people when the time comes!"

"Aren't you one of those people...? Why are you saying these things to me?"

Looking at the young master Wang in front of him, Mao Jie's expression became even more puzzled, as he couldn't quite understand it.

Liu Hong smiled and said softly, "Yes...no!"

"Yes and no? What do you mean?"

Mao Jie looked at Liu Hong with some confusion, feeling that there was something hidden in the man's words.

"Heh~, guess...!"

Liu Hong smiled at Mao Jie's astonished expression, then turned around and continued walking forward, with Xi Zhicai, Jian Shuo, Wang Yue, and others following closely behind.

"Uh~?"

Mao Jie was left standing there, still stunned.

"His surname is Wang, and he comes from Pei County... Pei County... Xu Zhicai... Zhicai... Could he be...?"

As he muttered to himself, Mao Jie's expression changed, and he looked up at Liu Hong's back with disbelief.

Upon realizing the other party's true identity, Mao Jie couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart.

"Huh? Brother Xiaoxian, what are you standing there for? Come over here quickly!"

Noticing that Mao Jie hadn't followed, Liu Hong turned around and called out.

"Oh, here it comes, here it comes!!"

Upon hearing Liu Hong's shout, Mao Jie hurriedly ran over, followed behind Liu Hong with his head down, looking somewhat restrained.

Seeing this, Liu Hong realized that the other party probably already guessed his identity, so he smiled and casually asked:

"Xiaoxian, where will you stay after you arrive in Luoyang?"

Mao Jie hurriedly replied, "In response to Young Master Wang, after arriving in Luoyang, I moved into the accommodations arranged for the students by Lord Situ!"

Liu Hong nodded, then asked, "Hmm, how are the conditions there? Are there many people? Is the food good?"

Mao Jie said respectfully, "Everything is fine. There are about a thousand students there. We exchange knowledge and talk about our ideals every day, which makes us very happy. We also have people to deliver our food. We students are very satisfied!"

"Well, that's good. I wonder if Xiaoxian has visited those three academies?"

Mao Jie shook his head. "In response to Young Master Wang's question, I have just arrived in Luoyang and have not yet been there!"

Liu Hong smiled, turned to look at Mao Jie, and said with a serious expression:

"I see. If you have nothing else to do, Xiaoxian, when you get back, you can tell your fellow students living with you to visit the three colleges more often and learn from them. It will be very helpful for your upcoming assessments!"

Upon hearing Liu Hong's words, Mao Jie nodded with a look of gratitude.

"Thank you very much, Young Master Wang. I will definitely take everyone there and study diligently!"

"Okay, that's good!"

Liu Hong smiled and nodded.

Before long, the group arrived at the square in front of the Martyrs' Shrine.

Looking around, dozens of stone tablets stand in the square of the Martyrs' Shrine, each engraved with the life stories of ancient sages.

Looking at the countless students lingering in front of the various stone tablets in the square with expressions of reverence, Liu Hong nodded in satisfaction.

"Indeed, if our Han scholars can learn from the deeds of those sages and take them as role models, how can our Han not prosper?"

Mao Jie quickly chimed in, "Young Master Wang is right. Whenever we think of the deeds of these virtuous and famous officials of the past, we students cannot help but admire them. At the same time, this admiration also spurs us on to keep moving forward!"

Liu Hong smiled and nodded, "Well said, the power of role models is boundless!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!