Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Cutting off one's own retreat?
Go to the academy?
Today is my aunt's birthday. It's not right to leave before the banquet is over.
The person opposite him had his head slightly lowered and his eyes drooped, looking pitiful.
Xiaoman immediately softened her heart and said, "I'll talk to my mother. Please wait for me."
"Forget it." Chen Ling'an suddenly changed his mind. "There's nothing to see here. I have things to do. I'm leaving now."
Xiaoman was completely bewildered by his sudden arrival and departure. She quickly grabbed his sleeve and said, "I'm going to the academy with you. Mother will be worried if you leave without saying goodbye. Wait for me. I'll be there soon."
She trusted him wholeheartedly, and no matter what he wanted to do, she didn't ask for reasons and always supported him unconditionally.
Chen Ling'an's eyes sparkled with tiny rays of light, like the lake water illuminated by the soft sunlight, with golden ripples swaying in the spring breeze.
Xiaoman stared at him blankly, a strand of hair hanging from her temple, swaying in the wind.
"It was just a sudden thought." Chen Ling'an picked up the lock of hair and gently tucked it behind her ear. His tone was filled with a subtle tenderness that he himself hadn't noticed. "It's rare that Madam Jiang is happy, so I'll spend a day relaxing with her."
-
Nancui Academy is located at the southern foot of Qingping Mountain. It is divided into three parts according to the terrain. It is a sea of green, with rockery, pavilions, flowers, trees and clear springs. The sounds of wind, rain and reading are so pleasant to the ears.
However, the academy was unusually quiet today. Apart from the old man guarding the gate, there was not a single person in sight.
The old man looked at Chen Ling'an with cloudy eyes, "Are you here to study? Go to another academy, this one is closed."
Chen Lingan was secretly surprised, "Why?"
The old man sighed with regret, "After the fall of Lord Chen, the teachers went home. Without teachers, the students naturally stopped coming."
"I don't understand. The academy is a place for learning, not for politics. Teachers won't be implicated. Even when the first principal got into trouble, the academy didn't close down."
"This...I can't answer that either." The old man said embarrassedly.
Chen Ling'an was stunned for a moment, then smiled to himself. What was wrong with him that he actually grabbed an old gatekeeper and asked him questions.
He didn't ask any more questions, stepped over the threshold of the academy gate, and set out on the road to school again after ten years.
But last time it was just him and his father, this time he was alone.
My father put a lot of thought into it, from the layout and structure to the small flowers and trees, he paid attention to every detail and did his best to build this academy.
Ten years have passed and the academy has not changed much.
It seemed that even the picky Chen Shao couldn't find fault with the academy. Chen Ling'an laughed a mixture of sadness and joy, then knelt down under the magnolia tree.
Looking up, you will see large patches of magnolia flowers, pure white in color, yet with an exceptionally moving beauty. The air is filled with a fresh fragrance, mixed with the scent of the evening breeze, which is indescribably comfortable.
On the day the academy was completed, my father planted a magnolia tree and an osmanthus tree, which meant "a house full of gold and jade."
He couldn't stop laughing: This is a place full of books, but it is filled with the connotation of money, which is really unsightly!
My father said seriously, "Most people study for fame and fortune, and long for wealth and wealth. This is human nature, but fame and fortune are external things. The right path is to seek the truth. Our academy not only teaches, but also guides students on the right path."
The right path...
Chen Ling'an slowly exhaled, leaned against the tree trunk, looked at the flowers, looked at the colorful clouds, looked at the half-sinking sunset, his mind was empty, and he thought of nothing.
It seemed that he had been in this state ever since Chen Shao died. He could never concentrate and had no motivation to do anything.
As night fell and the evening breeze blew gently, a petal floated down slowly and someone reached out to catch it.
"Dad?" Chen Ling'an looked at the person sitting next to him and could hardly believe his eyes.
My father still looks the same as he did ten years ago, handsome and elegant, with sparkling eyes and a gentle smile on his face.
Chen Ling'an's eyes blurred, and his nose and throat felt sore and uncomfortable. He sniffed hard and lowered his voice.
"I'm so tired, Dad. I'm really tired. I haven't had a single day off in ten years. I've fantasized about killing Chen Shao countless times, but when he really died, I realized it was just that."
"Father, why did you disobey the emperor's order? Why didn't you follow the late emperor's wishes? Is the fairness of the imperial examinations, the fairness of academia, more important than your life? More important than us?"
His father just looked at him and smiled.
Of course he didn't get any answers.
"Dad is still the same, he hasn't changed at all, but I've grown up and will continue to grow older. Even if I become a hunchbacked old grandfather, Dad will still be the same. I can't... I can't imagine what Dad will look like when he's old."
Chen Ling'an's voice was shaking violently.
His father stretched out his hand as if to give him something.
Chen Lingan subconsciously picked it up.
A white magnolia petal gently fell into his palm.
Chen Ling'an looked up in surprise. His father was gone. Only the white petals lying in the palm of his hand were shining faintly in the moonlight.
He slowly clasped his palms together, lowered his head, and cried like a child.
In a corner behind the house, Xiaoman hid in the shadows, quietly wiping the corners of her eyes.
"Why don't you go and comfort him?" He Ping said softly.
Xiaoman shook her head and decided not to disturb Chen Ling'an at this time. He had been suppressed for too long, so it would be better to let him vent.
He Ping pulled her back on tiptoe, but accidentally stepped on a stone, which made a crackling sound, immediately alerting the people under the tree. "Who?"
Under Xiaoman's angry glare, He Ping turned around with a bitter face and tried hard to force a smile: "Xiao Anan, it's me!"
Chen Lingan immediately returned to his indifferent attitude, "I have something to ask you, come here."
He Ping walked over as if he was going to die, his expression tragic and solemn: "Ask."
Chen Ling'an got straight to the point and didn't waste any time talking to him. "What are you doing at Nancui Academy?"
"Of course I came to see you. After I sobered up, Xiaoman told me you were looking for me—"
"You know that's not what I'm asking!"
He Ping scratched his head, "...Okay."
After the last autumn examination, He Ping did not continue to study with Mr. Lin Ting. He chose to travel and study. He spent three years visiting nearly twenty academies across the country, either studying or giving lectures, and gained a lot.
"I've also seen many of the academy's shortcomings, or rather..." He Ping hesitated, then said, "hidden dangers."
Xiaoman was surprised. "Hidden danger? What hidden dangers could there be in the academy?"
Chen Lingan said: "Classmates, classmates, brothers, forming a sect."
"This kind of behavior is common in all dynasties. It is unavoidable for officials. It is an obvious concern, not a hidden danger." He Ping's expression became serious rarely.
"Unlike official schools like prefectural and county schools, academies were founded by the public, and free instruction prevailed. This wasn't a bad thing. However, some teachers exploited this freedom to promote their own deviant teachings, impersonating the teachings of sages to practice their own devious arts. They even appeared to be forming their own sect, challenging Confucius and Mencius, and yet they still had many followers."
Xiaoman was stunned. "Is this true? Scholars are not fools. How could they believe such nonsense?"
"Scholars are the easiest to deceive, especially those who are locked up in academies and only know how to study." Chen Ling'an sneered, "They are naive, stupid, blindly confident, and easily instigated. They will follow you if you give them a little sweet thing."
He Ping's eyes widened. "Xiao An'an, you can't say that. People learn from books. Reading is better than not reading at all."
Chen Ling'an sneered, "You also discovered someone teaching heretical teachings in Nancui Academy?"
"No, we are under the emperor's rule, and with a senior official as the head of the mountain, the management and supervision in this regard is still in place."
If there is no problem, why is the academy so deserted and lonely?
Chen Ling'an suddenly asked, "Mr. Lin Ting, do you understand the hidden dangers of the academy?"
He Ping nodded. "I know. During my study tour, I kept in touch with my teacher through letters. Oh, he even wrote a secret memorial. Then he was summoned to the capital and asked to compile a commentary on the classics. This will be the designated reading for official schools."
Chen Ling'an keenly caught a word, "Official schools, only official schools? It's obvious that academies are the only places with hidden dangers."
As soon as he said this, his breath was choked. Hidden dangers, cliques, academy...
A bright white light flashed through his mind, connecting all his doubts.
The emperor wants to close down the academy, and Nancui Academy will be the first one to be eliminated!
Mr. Lin Ting absolutely could not have proposed this. Who made the suggestion? Liu Fang? He must have persuaded the emperor to eliminate heresy, curb factions, and strengthen imperial power. What a good reason.
This move will definitely cause objections among officials and the public. Liu Fang does not know how many dissidents he will suppress and how many of his confidants he will place in his position by taking this opportunity.
Can't the emperor see Liu Fang's intention?
Or is this the Emperor's intention? But what good would it do to support the Liu faction as the sole leader?
Chen Ling'an rubbed his brows, and his thoughts, which had just been organized, became a mess again.
But he was very clear about one thing: the emperor wanted him to close Nancui Academy.
The ones who are wrong are those who spread heresy, and the academy is not wrong. Is it fair to the students and teachers here, and to this academy, to ban the academy?
Someone grabbed his arm. Chen Ling'an lowered his head and met Xiaoman's worried gaze.
"It's okay." He smiled with difficulty, "I now... kind of understand how my father feels."
In the palm of my hand, the petal was burning.
No one could answer his questions, and Chen Ling'an was so worried that he couldn't sleep all night.
Someone also couldn't sleep that night, Liu Jinshu.
He found the booklet about Xiaoman that Zhang Anyi gave him. He was mad at Chen Ling'an today and didn't care about the principle of "don't look at what is inappropriate". He wanted to find a few things to make Chen Ling'an angry next time.
The booklet records all the trivial matters of Xiaoman's life in the Zhang family, either revolving around Mrs. Jiang or Chen Ling'an, and even records what food is cooked and what ingredients are used.
He read all night until the eastern sky turned pale, then he slowly closed the booklet.
He looked gloomy in the mirror.
-
The weather was very good that day. Wu Yong looked at his superior's rare sunny face and asked happily, "Sir, what's going on today?"
"Indeed, there is good news." Chen Ling'an glanced at him with a forced smile, "Liu Fang has a private relationship with the vassal king. Let's go and capture him."
Why is it that Your Excellency is always picking on the Prime Minister? Wu Yong broke out in a cold sweat, "He is in the Emperor's good graces, so I'm afraid it won't be easy to deal with him."
"The Northern Pacification Office has always handled difficult matters." Chen Ling'an said coldly, "The princes are offering tribute during the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Prince of Ning is coming to the capital. You must keep a close eye on Liu Fang."
Wu Yong thought it unlikely that they would meet. "Liu Fang has always been cautious in his official duties and would not knowingly commit a crime."
Chen Ling'an's eyes suddenly turned cold and stern. "He may be cautious, but the people around him may not be."
It was a taboo for court officials to have personal relations with vassal kings. If Liu Fang was caught in the act, it would surely arouse the emperor's suspicion of him. Then, the emperor might not necessarily agree to his suggestions.
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