Chapter 180: The gathering begins, surnames are chosen by drawing lots...
Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and the distinguished scholars and talents from all over the country who were invited to participate in the gathering arrived in Zhangzhou Prefecture.
The grand gathering then began.
The attendees were all renowned figures with immense influence and appeal, which Zhang Ting took very seriously. Even Prefect He, who had been ill for many days, rarely showed up to receive guests from all over the country.
With a pale face, Prefect He finished reciting the opening poem for the banquet. He glanced nervously at Zhang Ting, and only felt relieved when he saw that she looked calm and showed no displeasure.
"This old woman is afflicted with illness and lacks the strength to accompany you all on your sightseeing trip, and I am deeply sorry. Lord Zhang will temporarily take my place and invite all of you, old and young friends, to tour this estate and enjoy its scenery." With that, she left, feeling dejected, surrounded by her entourage.
During the gathering, everyone was discussing the matter.
"Although Lady He is frail and often ill, she is broad-minded and does not cling to power. She generously relinquishes power, which is quite rare. It is a pity that Heaven has made her so sickly!"
"They say seeing is believing, and that's certainly true. People outside say that Lord He is petty and opportunistic, but in my opinion, that's just the gossip of a petty person."
The minor officials in the prefectural city, who had witnessed the prefect's imposing manner, all tried their best to suppress their laughter and hide the distorted expressions on their faces upon hearing this.
Old Turtle He wasn't 'resigning power with peace of mind' at all; she was clearly being completely subdued by Lord Zhang, who was pressing down on her and 'asking' her to hand over power.
Zhang Ting didn't even blink when he heard these idle gossips, and occasionally chimed in with a few words to these Confucian scholars.
For the remainder of the time, she toured the city with everyone to show hospitality. Afterwards, Zhang Ting summoned a sixth-rank official to accompany her and sent Zheng Er to follow, before returning home. As the prefect of a prefecture, she had countless official duties to handle every day. While socializing with renowned scholars was important, she couldn't neglect other matters.
On her way back, her sedan chair was stopped.
Suiyi glared angrily, about to reprimand him, but was stopped by his master.
Zhang Ting lifted the sedan curtain and carefully examined the person in front of her.
The newcomer was dressed in fine clothes and looked somewhat familiar, but Zhang Ting couldn't quite place her. However, since officials of high rank were not required to kneel before them, Zhang Ting decided to listen to her explain her purpose.
The man bowed respectfully to her, saying, "My name is Han Yunying, a native of the capital. I was a fellow graduate of the same imperial examination as you, and I am a third-class scholar. However, I have not yet been appointed to an official post. I have long admired your reputation and have come to pay my respects today." He paused, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
What Han Yunying wanted to say was that she had met Zhang Ting once before, at an elegant gathering hosted by a student of the Imperial Academy. She mistakenly thought that Zhang Ting was an uninvited person who was trying to curry favor with the powerful, and she was very contemptuous of him at the time. She wanted to apologize, but she was too ashamed to say it.
A few years ago, she had looked down on and despised this person, but now he was far superior to her in terms of status, talent, and reputation. Anyone would feel ashamed in this situation, and Han Yunying was especially embarrassed.
Zhang Ting thought for a moment and realized that it was Teacher Han's daughter. Although she didn't know why Han Yunying was so uneasy, since she was Teacher Han's daughter, she was Zhang Ting's half-sister!
Zhang Ting got out of the sedan chair and came over, took her hand, and exchanged pleasantries with her.
The fact that Zhangzhou Prefecture was able to successfully weather the natural disaster and that Zhang Ting was able to be promoted to prefect was largely due to the influence of Teacher Han. Zhang Ting admired Han Bingyue's integrity and discipline and was sincerely grateful to her, naturally feeling closer to her daughter.
Han Yunying felt a sense of relief upon sensing Zhang Ting's warmth and friendliness, but at the same time, a strange sense of loss arose within her. It turned out that Zhang Ting didn't care about or remember the past that had been weighing on her mind.
Zhang Tingruo was completely unaware of what was going on. She addressed the other woman as her sister and even warmly invited her to dinner, showing her utmost sincerity.
Han Yunying smiled faintly and readily agreed, her thoughts drifting away. Perhaps this was the purpose of her mother's insistence that she travel and study abroad—to see the vastness of the outside world, to witness the open-mindedness of others, and to recognize her own narrow-mindedness.
...
This gathering was a grand occasion. The renowned scholars and Confucianists who visited praised the scenery of Zhangzhou Prefecture, calling it a little-known paradise, beautiful and magnificent, like a fairyland, and urging them to compose poems to extol it.
Everywhere they went was breathtakingly beautiful. They were overwhelmed by the sights and couldn't decide which ones to visit first.
Although Zhangzhou Prefecture has been remote and impoverished since ancient times, with winding and difficult roads, it has been rarely visited. However, its unique terrain and climate have created a unique landscape.
In spring, the sky is a vast expanse of blue, peach blossoms and willows are green, bright and beautiful, even the air is filled with the fragrance of flowers; in summer, the sun shines brightly, and a layer of red earth covers the land, making the open and heavy terrain appear even more majestic, soaring to the heavens; in autumn, sometimes there is continuous rain, sometimes the ground is covered with gold, and sometimes the fallen leaves are desolate and cold, ever-changing, yet showing a variety of beautiful scenes; in winter, the snow is white, the land is covered with silver, as if stepping into the realm of gods, the wind in the forest is sharp, and also the purest.
It is currently the transition from summer to autumn.
It is the time when fruits are most abundant and plump, the time when the scenery is most unique and varied, and the time when people have the most smiles.
Those invited to this place were all captivated and deeply enchanted, to the point that the gathering was indefinitely postponed.
However, Zhang Ting's obsession with sightseeing did not affect her promotion of culture and tourism. She ordered people to compile the leaked poems, essays, and paintings into a book and let people circulate it quietly, so that the world could see the charm of Zhangzhou Prefecture through poetry, painting, and imagination.
In addition, is "A few things about He Xiucai's travels to the divine realm ready?" This book is Zhang Ting's painstaking work, which he has been working on in his study for the past month. It tells the story of He Xiucai who gets lost and accidentally enters a peach blossom forest, and arrives at the divine realm (Zhangzhou Prefecture). Using the four seasons as a clue, he has a series of poignant love stories with the neighbor's young master, a beautiful actress, a cold and aloof musician, a noble county princess, and so on.
"Reporting to you, sir, 30,000 sets of the storybooks have been printed and are secretly piled up in the warehouse, awaiting your order." Wang Wu wiped his neck menacingly, as if he were plotting some terrible crime.
Zhang Ting: "..."
She just wanted to take advantage of the situation and make some extra money.
He slapped Wang Wu on the arm, looking every bit the bully. "Behave yourself and get back to work."
Wang Wu's face immediately fell: "Oh."
...
Two months have passed in the blink of an eye, and the topic of the gathering in Zhangzhou Prefecture has gradually diminished. Did Zhang Ting's grand gesture attract people to Zhangzhou Prefecture? Some did, but not many. Zhangzhou Prefecture is so far away that it's like going to exile. Even though it's a famous place personally endorsed by great scholars and sages, the inconvenient transportation and difficult travel are enough to deter people from going.
Many people in Kyoto were secretly watching Zhang Ting's downfall. So what if her promotion speed was faster than theirs? Zhang Ting was nothing but a mediocre talent who sought fame and fortune. She made a big show of it, making the whole country aware of it, but in the end, it was all bark and no bite. Let's see if His Majesty will regret promoting her. Let's see if she still has the face to stay in the officialdom.
However, at this very moment, a storybook titled "A Few Things About Scholar He's Journey to the Divine Realm" suddenly appeared and quickly swept across the country, with the level of heated discussion being unprecedented in history.
From high-ranking officials to ordinary merchants, everyone was closely watching and deeply immersed in a bittersweet love story.
Suddenly one day, someone discovered a clue in a storybook: the divine realm described in the book was exactly the same as that in Zhangzhou Prefecture.
When officials learned of this, they cursed Prefect He as a treacherous villain who was secretly plotting against them. He even used storytelling to promote the idea that Zhangzhou Prefecture was weak and could be dealt with at will, which was a lie. He was hiding something and letting them play a big game.
If you ask for evidence, consider this: the book's protagonist's surname is He, and the book revolves entirely around Zhangzhou Prefecture. Prefect He, being a high-ranking official, should have been actively seeking ways to develop the economy. Isn't this irrefutable proof?
No one expected that Prefect He, who always seemed honest, timid and cowardly, would be so fearless and courageous as to write such an erotic book to promote Zhangzhou Prefecture, despite the great risks involved.
She's actually a capable and strong woman.
Prefect He was completely unaware of her own strong will. She stayed cooped up in her house all day, wholeheartedly feigning illness, to the point that she was almost truly sick.
As usual, Zheng Tongzhi visited his fellow patients, carrying a book in his hand.
He first sighed, looking at her with pity, "Lord He, are you alright?"
Prefect He thought to himself: I'm so bored I'm going to die.
He replied listlessly, "It's not good at all." He used to hold great power and only thought about having fun, but now that he has lost power, it's too late to regret it.
Zheng Tongzhi sighed again, feeling sympathy for her unfortunate fate. "It seems you already know about this."
He comforted her, saying, "We have to look forward to everything. Let's take it one day at a time. Things are far from the worst they can get. Try to be optimistic."
The more Prefect He listened, the more she felt something was wrong. She was just bored, so why was Assistant Prefect Zheng talking as if she was about to die?
"You don't know?" She looked surprised and handed the book over.
"It's all over the place that you wrote this book, and your purpose is to promote my family's reputation."
When Prefect He heard this, he felt as if his vision had gone black. This was exactly what it meant to be sitting at home when trouble comes from nowhere.
She gripped Zheng Tongzhi's hand tightly, her voice trembling as she said, "This isn't me, I..." She was so wronged!
Zheng Tongzhi also said, "Of course I know it wasn't you, and all the officials and people of Zhangzhou Prefecture also know it wasn't you." The reputations of those two beasts are too well-known to be washed away.
She changed the subject: "But the people and officials in the other prefectures all think it's you."
She leaned closer and asked, "Lord He, have you offended that evil spirit again recently?"
Prefect He felt wronged. She had been staying at home all day, and didn't even dare to go out for fear of running into her. How could she have offended her?
She collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly, "What sins did I commit in my past life, or even the life before that, that Heaven would send Zhang Ting to punish me?"
"Heavens above, gods above, I, your faithful daughter, am willing to live a vegetarian life for the rest of my days and donate generously to incense offerings. Please take this god of death back."
However, Prefect He was not lying; she had indeed been behaving herself recently and had not offended Zhang Ting.
But Zhang Ting wasn't trying to mess with her.
However, when they drew lots to choose their surname that night, she drew the character 'He'. Heaven and earth have their own destiny, so you can't blame her, can you?
If anyone has to blame, it's Prefect He himself for being unlucky.
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