Minister Lu came to Lantai Temple again to check the information.
He remembered the sloppy old man he met last time at Lantai Temple.
Although he is sloppy, he has a good memory.
It is clear what information is stored where.
Therefore, after Minister Lu arrived at Lantai Temple, he asked the sloppy old man from last time to accompany him to look for information.
The Junior Secretary of the Lantai Temple asked cautiously, "The slovenly old man that the Minister of the Palace mentioned is the one wearing a dusty old robe and with a messy gray beard..."
"Yes, yes, that's him."
Before the Shaoqing of Lantai Temple could finish his words, Minister Lu had already confirmed that the person he was talking about was the one he was looking for.
He asked, "Where is this person? What is his name?"
The Junior Secretary of Lantai Temple hurriedly said, "This man's name is Zhou Shi'an, and it seems he's not here for work today."
A clerk nearby reminded him, "Did you forget, sir? Zhou Shi'an submitted his resignation yesterday, so he didn't come today."
"Yes, yes, I do remember this. Look at my memory." The Shaoqing of Lantai Temple patted his head. He almost forgot that Zhou Shi'an had submitted his resignation.
Minister Lu was surprised. "Resignation? Why does he want to resign?"
"I don't know!" said a clerk.
"It seems that Shanhe Academy has given him a letter of employment." said another clerk.
Shanhe Academy again?
Why is Shanhe Academy trying to recruit people?
Minister Lu frowned.
Anyone who is noticed by Shanhe Academy must have something extraordinary.
Minister Lu immediately said, "Give me Zhou Shi'an's file and his address."
"Why is your Excellency so concerned about Zhou Shi'an?" asked the Shaoqing of Lantai Temple curiously.
Minister Lu pretended to be profound and said, "I have my own reasons. Just hand over his file."
The Shaoqing of Lantai Temple did not dare to delay and hurriedly ordered someone to dig out Zhou Shi'an's file and hand it over to Minister Lu to take away.
When Minister Lu left, he did not forget to hand over the list of required information to the Shaoqing of Lantai Temple.
"Once all the information is collected, send it to the Political Affairs Hall."
“Yes, yes, yes!”
The Shaoqing of Lantai Temple hurriedly agreed.
Minister Lu left Lantai Temple, got on a carriage, and told the driver to go to Zhou Shi'an's residence.
He sat in the carriage and looked through Zhou Shi'an's files.
"She's from the Zhou family of Chuzhou. No wonder she was chosen by the Shanhe Academy. Huh? She ranked last in the imperial examination?"
Minister Lu was very surprised.
The Zhou family of Chuzhou had a very strong literary style.
He thought that those who could be selected by Shanhe Academy should be at least among the top ten in the second class, if not the top scorer.
As a result, Zhou Shi'an's imperial examination ranking was unexpectedly at the bottom. No wonder he was sent to Lantai Temple.
Lu Shixin had many questions in his mind.
What is so special about Zhou Shian that he is favored by Shanhe Academy?
The carriage swayed slowly through the streets and alleys, and finally arrived at a market place in the south city.
The simple streets and dilapidated houses, Minister Lu never expected that the descendants of the Zhou family in Chuzhou would live in such a dilapidated place.
This further aroused Lu Shizhong's curiosity.
After asking two people, I finally found the place.
I knocked on the door, and after a while there was no movement from inside.
The door opened.
Zhou Shi'an revealed half of his face and looked at Minister Lu with a strange expression.
"Lord Lu?"
"It's me! Could you please let me in and sit down?"
"I don't have any tea to offer here."
"That's all right! A glass of water is enough."
Zhou Shi'an opened the door and invited Minister Lu in.
Minister Lu looked around the courtyard.
The small courtyard separated by a wall had only three rooms. The courtyard was very small, and the entrance to the room was only a few steps away.
Standing in the yard, you can clearly hear everything that happens in the yard next door.
Talking, coughing, cooking, swearing...it's all in my ears.
Zhou Shian greeted Lu Shizhong, "This place is so simple, please forgive me, Lord Lu."
Minister Lu chuckled, "Mr. Zhou is too polite. I came uninvited and was an unwelcome guest. Mr. Zhou saved my face by not kicking me out."
Zhou Shian raised his eyebrows and smiled.
Even the way he addressed me changed. I actually called him Mr. Zhou, which was quite interesting.
"Master Lu, have some water."
A white porcelain bowl with a missing mouth, half filled with water, was placed in front of Minister Lu.
Minister Lu thanked him and continued, "I recently reread the Gongyang Commentary and gained new insights. One of the passages..."
Minister Lu did not give Zhou Shi'an time to figure out his intentions. He directly used Gongyang Zhuan as a starting point to bring up the topic.
He did this on purpose, taking this opportunity to examine Zhou Shi'an's knowledge.
Zhou Shi'an has solid knowledge and has dabbled in everything.
The two chatted from Gongyang Zhuan to Zuo Zhuan, then Guliang Zhuan, and then to the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Book of Changes...
Talking about these things is not enough to satisfy you. The topic is no longer limited to the Four Books and Five Classics. Taoism, Buddhism, Yin-Yang School, Military Science, and Miscellaneous Schools...all are involved.
The two chatted freely, from daytime to candlelight.
After a long conversation, both of them felt excited about meeting a close friend.
Zhou Shian's face flushed red. It had been a long, long time since he had had such a pleasant chat. He couldn't remember how many years it had been.
His whole body was filled with excitement, and every cell in his body was dancing.
Minister Lu also had a similar feeling.
This Zhou Shian is indeed extraordinary.
"Brother Zhou, with his knowledge, is worthy of being the top scholar. However, your imperial examination ranking was not as good as expected. Could cheating have occurred?"
"Brother Lu, you misunderstood. There was no cheating, but rather someone was unsuitable for the times and my essay was too bold and unrestrained. I was lucky that the chief officer chose my name."
I see.
Minister Lu suddenly understood.
The two of them already call each other brothers and can be said to appreciate each other.
Minister Lu then directly extended his invitation, "I have learned that Brother Zhou has resigned from his position at the Lantai Temple and is preparing to join the Shanhe Academy. I, a humble person, would like to ask Brother Zhou to change his mind. The Secretariat is still short of a Secretary, would you be willing to take on the position?"
Zhou Shian raised his eyebrows. "It's the Secretariat, not the Ministry of Personnel?"
Minister Lu nodded and said, "It is the Secretariat."
Zhou Shian laughed, "So, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Lord Li, is about to abdicate and let someone else take over?"
"Brother Zhou, you guessed correctly. To be honest, I was chosen by His Majesty to be the next Minister of the Central Secretariat. Brother Zhou, you are so talented that you shouldn't be buried in the Lantai Temple, nor should you waste your time at the Shanhe Academy. The court needs you, and so do I!"
Minister Lu invited me sincerely and with full sincerity.
Zhou Shi'an stroked his beard and closed his eyes slightly.
After so many years, he once again felt the heartbeat.
He was not tempted by Gu Jiu's invitation.
It was out of a desire to escape that he decided to accept the offer from Shanhe Academy.
But at this moment, Minister Lu promised the Secretary of the Central Secretariat that he could directly enter the core of the court to make suggestions for the government. Zhou Shi'an's heart, which had been silent for many years, began to beat rapidly.
His mouth felt dry and he seemed unable to speak.
Minister Lu said again, "Brother Zhou, don't worry. I will take care of Lantai Temple for you. Shanhe Academy is also a piece of cake. When you enter the Secretariat, I will arrange for you to live elsewhere."
"Brother Lu invited me so kindly that I should have been more tactful. However, I have some questions in my mind that I cannot help but express."
"Brother Zhou, please speak."
"Brother Lu, after only chatting with me for one day, you're letting me join the Secretariat. Isn't that too hasty?"
Minister Lu laughed. "Even though it was just one day, it was better than several years. One day was enough for me to realize Brother Zhou's talent. Shanhe Academy only hired Brother Zhou to teach there because of his great talent. However, I believe that the academy is not suitable for Brother Zhou at all. With Brother Zhou's talent, he should be serving in the court, helping the court and His Majesty. The Secretariat is where Brother Zhou should be, not the academy."
"Although Brother Lu holds the title of Minister of the Imperial Court, the Secretariat is currently still headed by Lord Li. As far as I know, the position of Secretary of the Imperial Court is not vacant."
Minister Lu laughed heartily. "If I say there's a vacancy, then there must be one. Three days from now, the gates of the Secretariat will be open to you, Brother Zhou. I will then personally welcome you at the gate. I believe you will make a wise decision. Farewell!"
Minister Lu left decisively.
Zhou Shi'an sat in the empty house, frowning and thinking deeply.
He was moved!
He already had the answer in his mind as to where to go.
…
Three days later, Zhou Shi'an reported to the Secretariat and officially became a secretary.
He rejected the offer from Shanhe Academy early on.
When Gu Jiu learned about this, he was so angry that he vomited blood.
"What a jerk! Minister Lu, he actually tried to steal someone from me. It's so rare for me to value someone, and he stole her away from me. It's so infuriating!"
Talent is rare!
After much difficulty, I found a talented person, and he has already agreed to teach at Shanhe Academy.
Gu Jiu was very happy as he had acquired another great figure.
Don’t be too beautiful!
As a result, the great god that was in hand flew away.
Fly away!
Gu Jiu was furious.
Liu Zhao comforted her, "It's just Zhou Shi'an, what's so great about him? At worst, we can find other talents."
Gu Jiu rolled his eyes. "This isn't just a matter of poaching people, this is a war for talent. Talent is hard to come by! How did Minister Lu discover Zhou Shi'an? You don't know, but I do. Minister Lu heard that Zhou Shi'an had resigned from his post at Lantai Temple and was preparing to teach at Shanhe Academy, so he decided to poach him."
In other words, at first, Minister Lu had no idea who Zhou Shi'an was. He only became interested in Zhou Shi'an because of the reputation of Shanhe Academy. Otherwise, how could an unknown Zhou Shi'an have the qualifications to have the dignified Minister condescend to visit him and discuss Confucianism and philosophy for a whole day?
As a result, Zhou Shi'an was tricked into joining the Secretariat by Lu Shizhong. My heart aches. Zhou Shi'an's stance is too shaky. And Lu Shizhong is too decisive and has a sharp eye. Just because Shanhe Academy hired Zhou Shi'an, he's thinking of poaching him. It's clear that he's secretly treating Shanhe Academy as a talent pool, or even a competitor for talent.
Meeting an opponent like Minister Lu, Gu Jiu wanted to cry.
In the past, Shanhe Academy poached people from everywhere, but no one took it seriously.
Therefore, Shanhe Academy can select talents according to its own wishes.
Now, Minister Lu has started a war to snatch people.
It is conceivable that it will be ten times more difficult for Shanhe Academy to poach people in the future.
Gu Jiu slapped his head and said, "I have to sign the Sun family's top scholar before Minister Lu finds out. Otherwise, once Minister Lu makes a move, the Sun family's top scholar will definitely run away to become an official."
With the idea of officialism, a top scholar would choose to be an official rather than teach in a college.
Sanyuan Gong is an exception.
Liu Zhao volunteered, "I'll keep an eye on Minister Lu for you."
Gu Jiu reminded, "Be sure to keep a close eye on him."
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