A few days later, Yan Qingqing heard that the new county magistrate had taken office.
Yan Qingqing just smiled when she heard this. Even if the new county magistrate had taken office, he should have come to pay his respects to her first.
However, Yan Qingqing did not receive a visit from the newly arrived county magistrate, but instead received farewells from Madam Song and Master Zhao.
Yan Qingqing knew that once Xiao Mochen left, the two of them wouldn't be able to stay in Canghe Town for long.
Yan Qingqing looked at the two of them and said, "I know that you two are both learned scholars."
Teaching in our Canghe Town is merely a temporary measure.
"With your exceptional talents, this is truly an injustice."
The two exchanged a glance, realizing that Ming Zhaoshuo indeed knew their identities.
Needless to say, their identities were definitely revealed to Yan Qingqing by Xiao Mochen.
It seems that His Highness Prince Chen and Ming Zhaoshuo's relationship is indeed extraordinary.
Fortunately, during their time in Canghe Town, they treated Ming Zhaoshuo with considerable respect and did not take advantage of her status as a contemporary Confucian scholar to look down on her as a woman.
Song Lian spoke first, saying, "You flatter me, Master Mingzhao."
The time Song Mou spent in Canghe Town was the most relaxed and comfortable period of his life since he entered officialdom.
It also witnessed the remarkable achievement of Canghe Town developing from a small village into a town.
The people of Mingzhaoshuo deserve a large part of the credit for Canghe Town's current success.
If Ming Zhaoshuo were a man, he would definitely be the best candidate for prime minister.
Song Mou deeply admired Ming Zhaoshuo.
Zhao An, standing to the side, secretly glared at Song Lian, cursing him inwardly as an old scoundrel who had said all the nice things without leaving anything for himself.
Finally, Zhao An said, "Master Song is absolutely right, and I, Zhao Mou, deeply agree."
Yan Qingqing chuckled twice upon hearing this and said, "You two are really flattering me."
"Regardless, it's an honor for the entire Canghe Town that you two have come to teach."
After saying that, he turned to Ruyi, who was standing to the side, and said, "Go and prepare some travel expenses for the two teachers to take with them."
Upon hearing this, Ruyi naturally agreed immediately.
Song Lian and Zhao An also strongly declined when they heard this.
Yan Qingqing looked at the two of them and smiled, "You two don't need to refuse. This is just a small token of my appreciation as the host."
If you don't accept it, I won't feel at ease.
If I ever find myself on your turf again, I hope you'll take good care of me.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing had said that, the two of them couldn't refuse anymore.
On the surface, they were summoned back to the capital by the emperor, but in private, they would go to assist Prince Chen.
Sooner or later, I'll have to get along with Yan Qingqing again.
Zhao An thought for a moment and said, "Since you, Master Ming Zhao, are so hospitable, it would be impolite of us to refuse."
I have a few rare books and some essays on policy questions from past examinations; I'll leave those with you, Fourth Master.
Upon hearing this, Song Lian quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, I also have a few good books. I'll organize them and have someone send them over to Ming Zhaoshuo."
Now it was Yan Qingqing's turn to express her gratitude; this item was truly priceless.
If Li Xiangkang had these things, passing the imperial examination would be just around the corner.
Yan Qingqing still remembers that Ding Xiu, a poor student, passed the imperial examination as a child scholar by relying on the past exam questions given to him by Han Yu.
Han Yu was just a scholar at the time, so the things he obtained were naturally not as valuable as those given by the two great scholars.
Soon Ruyi packed out two trunks, and Yan Qingqing smiled and had them carried back to the academy without asking any questions.
After the two left, Ruyi gave the list to Yan Qingqing.
Yan Qingqing looked at the gifts and found that, in addition to some dry rations for the journey, she also gave each of them a set of fine writing implements and three thousand taels of silver notes.
Yan Qingqing nodded and said, "As long as the accounts are kept clear, that's fine."
These things all came from Yan Qingqing's private treasury, so there was no need for Yuan Huiniang to issue a receipt.
As long as Ruyi remembers where these things are, she won't have any problems reconciling the accounts during the next inventory check.
When Li Kaishan heard that Song Lian and Zhao An were leaving Canghe Town, he hurriedly came to Yan Qingqing to discuss countermeasures.
Li Kaishan said sincerely, "Qingqing, I've been very busy lately and haven't had time to attend to things at school. Why are Master Song and Madam Zhao leaving?"
Do they feel that we have neglected them, or that the tuition fees we paid were too low?
We can negotiate.
Yan Qingqing knew that Li Kaishan was unaware of the two men's identities, so she explained, "Uncle Town Chief, they are not ordinary people; they are renowned scholars from the capital. It's only a matter of time before they leave."
They can teach here for a while. That's a blessing for the children at our Canghe Town school.
Li Kaishan listened to Yan Qingqing's words and didn't ask any more questions. He knew that Xiao Mochen had invited these two people.
Although Li Kaishan wasn't entirely clear about Xiao Mochen's identity, his overall demeanor and speech indicated that he was no ordinary person.
Li Kaishan sighed and said, "Alas, I heard that their knowledge was the best among all the teachers. It's a pity that they've both left."
"If they could stay at our Qingqing Academy for a few more years, our town would surely produce a few more scholars."
Yan Qingqing comforted him a few more times after hearing this, and Li Kaishan, knowing that things were hopeless, gave up.
Soon Song Lian and Zhao An left Canghe Town, sending two large boxes of books with them before they left.
Yan Qingqing looked at them and found that there were indeed many rare books that could not be found on the market at all.
Yan Qingqing wondered if these two had given all the savings they had accumulated over the years to their family.
If that's the case, she'll owe a huge favor.
However, Yan Qingqing was not a scholar of this era, and she didn't know how many people of their age would have a collection of treasures.
After expressing her feelings, Yan Qingqing had all the items carried into the study, and then had a separate cabinet prepared, where she personally arranged the books according to their categories.
At the very end, Yan Qingqing discovered that there were actually two more martial arts manuals. Needless to say, Song Lian must have put them there.
Yan Qingqing remembered that Xiao Mochen had said that Song Lian's kung fu was quite good, and that he had even taught Xiao Mochen in private.
One of these two martial arts manuals is called "Tai Xuan Xin Jing," which is obviously an internal energy cultivation method.
There was also a book called "The Great Virtue Sword Manual," which Yan Qingqing glanced through. Surprisingly, it had illustrations.
Yan Qingqing found it quite novel. However, she was long past the prime time for martial arts training, and martial arts training was a difficult and lengthy process. She had neither the energy nor the time, so even if she watched it, it wouldn't be of much use.
Yan Qingqing herself doesn't need it, but others can.
For example, Mu Xi, or Li Xiangyang and Li Jinxiu.
Li Xiangyang, in particular, spends all day beating dogs and fighting chickens, or playing pranks on the servants at home; he has boundless energy.
Although Yan Qingqing would criticize her seriously each time, and she would admit her mistakes very well, she would still be the same afterward, unable to behave for more than two days.
Yan Qingqing thought it would be good to find her something to do and distract her.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing casually put the two books into her bosom.
A few days later, after finishing up the household chores, Yan Qingqing decided to go to the county town for a stroll, as she hadn't been shopping in a long time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com