Chapter 52
The old master had wanted to accept Chu Huan as his student for a long time, and was even willing to accept Chu Qin as his student so that Chu Huan could become his student under Chu Qin's identity.
This matter has remained at a standstill for three months because of the old Grand Tutor's status as the Emperor's tutor.
Now that Chu Huan treated a function that was useful to Dasheng as a piece of junk and discarded it like a piece of trash, everyone couldn't sit still anymore - they had to find a way to improve her vision and awareness!
Anyone is fine, but it can’t be the old master.
The emperor was thinking about the right candidate in his heart. He had to have a certain level of knowledge and status, but he couldn't be too rigid and harsh, otherwise he wouldn't be able to suppress Chu Huan's personality, which was very similar to his.
Suddenly, the old tutor volunteered: "I'll take it."
The old master was stunned.
What’s the matter? Isn’t it exciting enough to watch a few ministers fighting for people? You have to go on stage and fight for one yourself, right?
To his surprise, the emperor and others showed expressions of "good idea".
Old Master: ???
Old Master:!!!
What's so good about it? They're both high-ranking officials, so why can't he do it, but that old bastard can?!
"I don't agree!" The old Grand Tutor looked angry and wanted to settle the score with someone, just like the Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
I've persisted for so long, both openly and covertly, but just when I was about to succeed, someone who showed up halfway snatched away my achievements. This is too much! I'm so angry!
The old tutor raised the corners of his lips slightly, with a hint of gloating, as if to say: What's the point if you don't agree?
The final decision on this matter lies with the emperor.
As long as the emperor agrees and makes the final decision, who can do anything about it?
The old master knew it but was unwilling to give up: "This matter has to be based on a first come first served basis. You can't just jump the queue!"
The Minister of Works who had joined the team: "..."
Shuntian Prefecture Governor who was cutting in line: "..."
When the Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court pointed out the connotations, they didn't think it was a big deal. But after hearing what the old Grand Tutor said, they felt a little uncomfortable.
Perhaps their skin wasn't thick enough, so they silently made a resolution: They had to learn from the Minister of Revenue! This fellow was thick-skinned and willing to take risks; he was the perfect role model to learn from.
The old Grand Tutor glanced at the Emperor, then said to the old Grand Tutor, "You've never shown any intention of taking her as a student."
So don't just take someone in as your student just to oppose him or annoy him. It will only mislead the students.
The latter part of the sentence was not spoken out loud, but the old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Master had been sworn enemies for so many years that they didn't understand the man's implication too well, and their mouths twitched immediately.
Hey, you know what, he didn't really want to fight, but who made him such a rebellious person?
The old tutor smiled and said, "There wasn't one before, but there is one now." I just want to take her in and make you mad to death!
The old master who successfully interpreted it: "..."
He turned his head and saw that the Imperial Hospital Director was not there. He immediately said to Chen Jiu, "Call an Imperial Physician."
Chen Jiu:?
He was just about to ask the emperor if he really wanted to call the imperial physician when he saw the old Grand Tutor roll up his sleeves and walk towards the old Grand Tutor aggressively. It was obvious that he was not going to argue any further and was going to start talking right away.
The old tutor did not dodge or evade, but rolled up his sleeves, his eyes shining with excitement, obviously ready for a head-on confrontation.
emperor:"……"
Officials: "..."
Ah, it comes again, and both the emperor and his ministers are very troubled.
The old Grand Tutor and the old Preceptor studied under the same teacher when they were young. Both of them were very talented and could apply what they had learned to other situations. The teacher was very happy and praised them a lot in his conversation.
Young people are full of vigor and are happy to be praised, but they don’t want to be compared with others all the time, especially when the other person is of the same age as them. Who would like to be compared with others?
I don’t know when it started, but the days of you and I rolling with each other began.
Both of them were very talented in literature and were only one year apart in age. If they had taken the exams separately, they would have been the top scorers. However, they insisted on taking the exams in the same session to see who was better.
There was only one number one scholar, so who should he give it to? The old emperor was very troubled.
Later, because the old tutor was more handsome, he was given the third place in the imperial examination and the first place was given to the old tutor.
The old Grand Tutor thought that he could not compare with the old Grand Preceptor in the emperor's favor, and the old Grand Preceptor thought that the emperor thought he was not as good-looking as the old Grand Tutor. Both of them felt that they had lost and disliked each other even more.
What's worse is that they fell in love with the same girl.
The two men competed openly and secretly, and showed their affection to each other. In the end, the girl chose the old master because he was more handsome.
The old tutor exploded immediately.
Rivals in childhood, different political views, stealing someone's love... little by little in daily life accumulated, and the two became inseparable enemies.
Arguing and stepping on each other has become a regular part of their daily routine. If this part is missing one day, it means that they are definitely planning a big move.
Look, they didn’t even argue, they just started working.
They are obviously two skinny scholars, but they are not weak at all when fighting. Every move they make is insidiously aimed at your face, giving you a black eye and a red nose. Their main goal is to make you lose face!
How could it be that two first-rank officials came to court with bruised faces and noses?
It would have been fine in the past, but if Chu Huan saw it now and asked the system out of curiosity, wouldn’t it be exposed immediately?
At the emperor's glance, all the officials rushed forward to separate the two, trying to persuade them as they went.
"Isn't he just a student?"
"Just give in."
"We are all colleagues."
"Don't let this ruin the relationship."
Everyone had a say, with military officers mainly mediating and scholars persuading, and everyone doing what they were good at.
The emperor nodded secretly after hearing this. That's right, we'll meet each other sooner or later, so why make it so deadlocked?
As a result, this persuasion did not work, but instead made him angry.
The old master was so angry that his face turned red and his neck thickened. "What do you mean by giving in? How long have I been eyeing her? If you hadn't refused, I would have accepted her as my student long ago. How much can I teach her in three months?"
"As for letting her see the weather forecast now, is she still complaining about it being useless? It cost ten thousand taels to build the Star Picking Platform, and it cost eight thousand taels to invite him to come out of the mountains, and all it costs is a little bit of melon energy, which is free!" He felt heartbroken when he said it.
In the 127 years since the founding of the Great Sheng Dynasty, there has never been a good thing that is free of charge. But in the end, it’s gone, it’s gone!
The old tutor's face was dark: "The student and the lady are the same. There is no question of giving in or not. If you say so again, we will fall out!"
emperor:"……"
Officials: "..."
Oops, I hit the old master’s sore spot of having his beloved stolen.
Although they felt that there was no connection between the students and the lady, everyone had different ways of thinking and they couldn't force it. Talking further would only add fuel to the fire.
Now the emperor was in a dilemma.
The imperial teacher cannot accept students casually. Even with the status and position of the old tutor, he should not accept Chu Huan.
Originally, he planned to let the two people quarrel, and then he would come out to practice Tai Chi and choose someone else instead of choosing either of them. However, he accidentally overturned the plan.
The old master, who was already determined, became angry.
The old tutor, who had just joined in the fun, also got angry.
They fought hard, and no one was willing to give up, but there was only one Chu Huan.
At this moment, the Minister of Revenue came up with a brilliant idea: "Even if you beat yourselves up here, Chu Huan doesn't necessarily need you."
“…” The entire imperial study fell silent.
Yeah, what are you arguing about?
The Minister of Revenue kindly offered an idea: "Why don't you two teach her a little bit first and see which teacher she likes better?"
The emperor was not happy.
Isn't this just nonsense? How can a Grand Tutor and a Grand Preceptor teach the same person?
He couldn't help but wonder, was it because Chu Huan had confiscated too many properties and brought too much money to the national treasury that the Minister of Revenue had completely sided with Chu Huan?
If Chu Huan were a prince, one could still make up a conspiracy theory that she secretly formed a clique and won over the Minister of Revenue, but she didn't like anyone and didn't stand on the side of any prince, so the conspiracy theory was completely useless.
The old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Preceptor were also unhappy.
Why should his students allow their sworn enemy to teach them? What if his sworn enemy has ulterior motives and corrupts his students?
At this moment, the Minister of Revenue laughed gloatingly: "What if she doesn't like either of them?"
Old Master: “…”
Old Master: “…”
You know what, it’s very likely.
From what I've gotten to know Chu Huan over this period of time, I've learned that she enjoys watching the fun, is petty and holds grudges. Her biggest hobby is reading storybooks, and she's even written a few. She refuses to touch any other books.
Asking her to learn history and politics is probably more difficult than asking her to stop eating melons.
Minister of Revenue: "Personally, I think she is more suitable for the Ministry of Revenue, and may be more willing to be my student."
As soon as these words were spoken, the emperor and all the officials frowned.
Chu Huan controls the system, and no matter where she goes, she will find corrupt officials and fill the national treasury. If she follows the stingy nature of the Minister of Revenue... then she will be extremely rich and doubly stingy.
There was a pile of money that they could see and touch, which made them want to spend it, but they refused to use it.
Hiss—No, no, absolutely not!
The emperor and his ministers have a rare tacit understanding: they can take their time to choose the teacher, but the Minister of Revenue is definitely not an option!
The Minister of Justice was overjoyed! It didn't matter if he couldn't bring Chu Hua to the Ministry of Justice. He could just take her in as a student and keep her by his side at all times.
"Your humble servant can accept it."
Dali Temple Minister: "I can do the same."
Shuntian Prefecture Governor: "I am also willing."
In the blink of an eye, more and more people wanted to take Chu Huan as their student, and the competition became increasingly fierce.
The old master was so angry that he fell backwards: "Why are you all causing trouble?"
The old master was no longer anxious and sneered, "Then it depends on your ability."
"Based on my ability, would I lose to you?" The old master sneered in the same way.
The two men were at loggerheads, and if there weren't several civil and military officials between them, they would definitely have fought.
emperor:"……"
He wanted to refuse, but then he thought that the Minister of Revenue was right. Chu Huan might not accept it. Then he would not have to offend his two loyal ministers, so that the two elders would not do anything openly and would take revenge on him when they got the chance to hinder him.
Okay, let him just watch the show.
Unfortunately, he was destined to be disappointed this time.
The earthquake prediction in the weather forecast was actually a bait thrown out by Chu Huan after discussion with the system.
As soon as they took the bait, the system knew about it and happily informed Chu Huan: [Sister Huan, they really are just as you predicted! You're amazing!]
Chu Hua: [Da Sheng has suffered from natural disasters for a long time, and they have no other options.]
Just think about it, with the surplus grain in the national treasury and the stinginess of the Minister of Revenue, he was willing to spend over 10,000 taels of silver to hire that person to be the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, and even specially built a star-picking platform for him. This clearly shows how capable he is.
Now that you know you can predict it for free, what a steal! You can even get a week in advance, compare the two, and have a backup in case the person gets sick, has something to do, or drops out. How can you not be happy?
System: [I don't care, Sister Huan, you're just amazing. You're perfect for being an empress!]
Haven't given up yet?
Chu Huan was helpless and told the truth: "I came here a few years earlier than you, so I'm more familiar with the people and things here. You can expect this if you stay a few more years."
The system loved to hear this and laughed like a little fool.
[By the way, there's a melon from the old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Master, would you like to try it?]
Chu Hua: [Eat.]
The system turned on sharing and asked again, and after getting Chu Huan's answer, it started cutting the melon.
These two people often clash in the court. I wanted to know why they were like that, so I just searched and the result was... Hahahaha!
This was a way of making up for it so as to avoid arousing suspicion from the emperor and the officials.
Chu Huan cooperated: [Why?]
System: [Geniuses are always arrogant because of their talent. They study under the same teacher, but the teacher is also bad. He says to one person, "He learns quickly," and to another, "He understands more thoroughly."]
The teacher saw that they learned everything so easily and was worried that they would become arrogant. She wanted to let them know that there are always people better than them and to put some pressure on them to prevent them from becoming overconfident and conceited. But when they heard this, they said, "You're faster than me, you're better than me? That won't work!"
Today I read one more page than you, tomorrow I'll read two more. Neither of us wants to admit defeat, so we compete in reading, memorizing, writing, playing the piano... and the king of the exam is rising.
Chu Huan gasped: [Oh my god, the students who share a teacher with them are so miserable!]
The Chu family: "..."
Jinyiwei: "..."
Is your focus a little off?
Chu Hua: [Many people today choose to play it safe because there are many other ways to get rich besides studying. In ancient times, the class concepts of scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans were fixed. Many people in their seventies and eighties were still taking the imperial examinations, and many businessmen tried every possible means to ensure that their descendants could enter the officialdom.]
The imperial examination was held every three years, and only a certain number of people were selected. It was much more difficult than the college entrance examination, which was held once a year and allowed repeat exams.
To pass the single-plank bridge of the imperial examination, everyone was desperately trying to get through. Two super-talented test takers were leading the way. Not taking a test would be a shame for all the years of hard work, so everyone was testing it together. I can only imagine how desperate they were.
She used to live under the shadow of one super-roll king after another.
I want to give up, but seeing how hard they work gives me a strong sense of inferiority. When I get tired and take a break, I feel inexplicably guilty, until I get up and continue playing while cursing, only then do I feel like I'm back to normal.
But what kind of normal daily life is that?
Chu Hua: Thanks for the invitation. I don’t want to remember it at all :)
The system had heard a lot about Chu Huan's past life and knew too well how frivolous she was in that life.
Hearing the tone of the question, which strongly resembled the Gaokao exam, he quickly redirected her attention: [It's fine if they only took the test themselves, but they're forcing their sons and grandsons to take the test as well. They're determined to outperform their sworn enemy's sons and grandsons in every way.]
[I can be frugal, but my wife must eat and dress better than my enemy's wife. Otherwise, how embarrassing it would be!]
[There's also an interesting story here. Back then, the old Taishi fell in love with a girl, but because she was shy, he wrote many poems but didn't dare to send them to her. When the old Taifu heard about it, he went to see her just for fun, and ended up being attracted to her himself.]
People from the Chu family: Ouch?
Jinyiwei: Say more, say more!
System: [The old master saw that his sworn enemy also liked the girl he liked. How could this be allowed? If he didn't take action now, his beloved would be abducted! So, he quickly gave away all the poems he had accumulated and also sent flowers.]
The old master looked at her and was surprised to see that he was sending both poems and flowers. The same tactics certainly wouldn't attract a girl's attention, but these days, sending poems and flowers is the most classic way to court a girl. He pondered over it and finally came up with a trick.
Chu Hua: [What?]
Anyway, it's impossible for me to be like modern straight men and give a bouquet of broccoli on Valentine's Day. I deserve to be a single dog for the rest of my life.
System: [He went to sing.]
Chu Huan was a little curious: [Does it sound good?]
System: [Tone-deaf yet incredibly confident.]
Chu Huan understood immediately: [So this girl ended up becoming the old Grand Tutor's wife?]
System: [Yes.]
[To save the old lady's face, the girl made an excuse: "I think he's more handsome."]
[Since then, the old master has been paying close attention to his face, often discussing skincare tips with his wife, and even studying ancient books to make a bottle of whitening cream.]
Chu Huan was quite dazed. [I was wondering why I could smell a faint fragrance every time I passed by the old master. I thought he had a scented sachet or his clothes were scented. Turns out it's the scent of whitening cream.]
[I see that the old lady has good skin even at her age. Is the whitening cream really that effective?]
System: [Of course, the old master relied on this bottle of whitening cream to win the beauty.]
Chu Hua: [Huh? ? ?]
Everyone: Eh!!!
The next day, every time the old master met someone, someone would ask him for whitening cream.
Even the old master, yesterday's mortal enemy, shamelessly came with dark circles under his eyes and said, "My wife is very interested in your whitening cream. I wonder if you can give it to her?"
The old master had no expression on his face: "Get lost!"
You are already prettier than me, and you still want my most precious treasure to beautify you further? You are dreaming!
Not long after, the old tutor met Chen Jiu, the emperor's personal eunuch.
"Master Taifu, the Emperor heard that you have an extremely effective whitening cream and wants to give it to the Empress."
So, you know.
Old Master: “…” No, I don’t understand!
You want to please the lady, so why are you using my best treasure?! This is not fair!!!
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