Chapter 296 Exposed

Chen Shiyi felt that he couldn't show his appearance to others, so he stayed in his room peacefully for the past few days.

Unexpectedly, instead of going to look for Situ Yu, Situ Yu actually came to look for him.

What a rare guest.

He looked at the shadow on Chen Shiyi's right eye that had not yet disappeared, and his expression changed indescribably.

"Master Yuncang, I'm sorry. I thought you were flirting with my wife, but I didn't expect you to help her. I was so anxious that I hurt you. I sincerely apologize to you."

Chen Shiyi forced a smile.

"Oh, it's all right now."

Situ Yu presented a scroll with both hands.

"This is my thank you gift, please accept it."

Chen Shiyi was a little flattered and took it with both hands.

Situ Yu bowed to Chen Shiyi, then turned and walked out of Luoying Garden.

Chen Shiyi slowly opened the scroll, and a painting appeared. In the painting, there was a woman in blue clothes with a relaxed look and a gentle smile. She was standing under the branches of a golden osmanthus tree that stretched out of the courtyard wall, holding up the leaves with her hands. In the distance, the river was gurgling and the air was misty.

The woman in the painting is Chen Shiyi herself.

Jingran was amazed by the painting.

"Mr. Situ knows that you are a woman?"

Chen Shiyi pondered for a while, then rolled up the painting in his hand.

"Maybe he knows, or maybe he's testing me."

"But this is clearly what you looked like before. You are completely different now."

Chen Shiyi felt a slight fear in his heart.

We are all smart people.

This time, when he was helping Madam Situ, he was too close to her, which must have made her realize that he was a woman. Situ Yu also figured out his own identity from these clues, so he painted this picture for himself.

So what did it mean that he personally sent the painting?

Also, when had he ever seen himself?

Most scholars are a bit stubborn and pedantic. She knew that she was a woman and refused to teach. Then all her previous efforts would be in vain.

Chen Shiyi thought he couldn't hide it any longer, so he decided to be frank and have a good talk with Situ Yu.

Situ Yu seemed to know that Chen Shiyi would come to see him.

He was dressed very formally today, in a long robe with a round collar and wide sleeves and a lotus pattern, a wide belt decorated with gold, a white jade pendant with double tassels, and a gold crown with silk embroidery on his head.

The disdainful look in the past now has a hint of gentleness.

If he hadn't seen how distant and cold he was before, Chen Shiyi would have thought that he was about to be taken away by someone else.

"Mr. Situ, are you okay?"

Situ Yu smiled.

He actually laughed?

He usually has a bad face towards himself.

"It seems my guess was correct."

"How did Mr. Situ guess it?"

Chen Shiyi drank the tea that Situ Yu had prepared, which was extremely sweet.

She remembered that she had eaten a can of bitter herbs, fists, and a lot of losses before.

Don't even think about this kind of treatment.

"Mr. Situ is so polite all of a sudden. Yun Cang is a little uncomfortable. Actually, I didn't do anything extraordinary. It's just a piece of cake."

Situ Yu said.

"It's just a simple task? Driving out the enemy is also a simple task? The valiant county lord, or the queen?"

Chen Shiyi said with a smile.

"I'm Yun Cang. I don't know any of the people you mentioned."

Situ Yu nodded.

"Master Yuncang, you have approached me several times. What do you want me to do?"

Chen Shiyi followed suit.

"I have built a college and would like to invite you to be the dean."

Situ Yu was stunned for a moment.

"That's it?"

"Well, that's it?"

"Why?"

Chen Shiyi thought for a while and spoke softly.

"I just want more people to learn to read and write, understand honor and disgrace, and cultivate character. They can use their pens and ink as knives and their tongues as swords, and work for the well-being of the people and the prosperity of the country."

Situ Yu thought for a moment.

"Yun Cang came for His Majesty?"

Chen Shiyi did not comment.

“Yes, but not entirely.”

"I'd like to hear the details."

Chen Shiyi took a deep breath.

"Mr. Situ, now the aristocratic families control many official positions in the court, not only civil officials, but also countless military generals. When a court is controlled by aristocratic families who only care about the reproduction of their family and do not care about the lives of the people, then the enclosure will become more and more serious, and the taxes paid to Daye will become less and less. Once the tax revenue is reduced, then the various prefectures will impose heavy taxes on the people, making the people's lives more difficult, and the people will be in misery. Once the people even have problems surviving, they will inevitably rise up in rebellion and overthrow the government. In the end, the people will suffer the most casualties."

Situ Yu was used to this and seemed to have heard too many such remarks.

"It's a good thing that Yun Cang is worried about the country and the people, but what does this have to do with me?"

Chen Shiyi didn't say anything.

"Are you trying to say that I am a citizen of Daye and I should devote myself to the country of Daye until my death?"

Situ Yu sneered.

"Did you know that I pursued studies, took exams, and entered the Imperial Academy with this belief in mind?"

"But, corruption and lawlessness are everywhere, and selling for fame and fortune is commonplace. The oaths they made in front of the sage's book gradually disappeared in this long official career. They will only be assimilated, stained by the ink, and finally become one of them."

"I was a hard rock at first, and I broke a lot of eggs, which were their food. The people who were eating didn't want to eat, so I was naturally thrown out."

"Yun Cang, my education will kill people."

Chen Shiyi nodded in agreement.

"Mr. Situ, you have been in the officialdom. I have also met people who have been in the officialdom. He told me that being an official means leaning towards the weak under the name of fairness, helping the good under the sword of justice, and becoming a brave man in the chaos of order. It does not distinguish between clear and turbid, but only seeks success and results."

"I know your concerns and I understand your disappointment, but the mission of scholars is to keep fighting, not to compromise. To do something knowing it is impossible is a sign of integrity and will resonate with you."

"I have seen real wars, with mountains of corpses and seas of blood, it is a horrible sight. A general told me that war is dark, but every drop of blood he shed in the war is moving towards the road to light."

Situ Yu was very appreciative.

"Yun Cang, I have already failed. My wife was poisoned after giving birth to Ping'er. The three of us were locked up in a dark cell for three years. As a result, Ping'er could not play and laugh with other children of the same age. This is the retribution for my struggle. You are right, but I am now a retired wounded soldier and can do nothing."

Chen Shiyi was stunned.

She suddenly felt that her high-sounding words were ridiculous.

Situ Yu is a great scholar today, how could he not know?

What she was trying so hard to obtain were other people's bloody scars.

I once firmly believed that the arrogance of scholars was just a way for them to reject others and a barrier to protect themselves.

Maybe it's time for her to leave Qun Yuyuan.