Lin Shikang has now gained a large following of admirers and is deeply respected by scholars. The emperor must also consider the consequences of stripping him of his title of Tan Hua (third-ranked scholar). After all, in the court, apart from those military officers who earned their titles through real battles, everyone else earned theirs through education.
If the emperor were to dismiss him at this time, it would be a slap in the face to scholars and a blow to the interests of scholars throughout the land, and those censors would certainly not let it go.
Censors were the most troublesome figures for the emperor.
"This Lin Shikang is really good at scheming. Now, even if the Emperor doesn't easily strip him of his third-place ranking, he'll probably be given an important position. In the original story, the Emperor really appreciated him."
Yang Cui couldn't help but sigh. Was his protagonist aura really that strong? Couldn't it be brought down?
Seeing Yang Cui's worried expression, Cen Xiao said, "His ability to scheme and plot might not be a good thing. You don't need to worry too much."
"Lin Rongguang, Lin Mingcai, and Ji Fenfang are all dead. Lin Chunmei is in jail, and the Lin family's reputation has plummeted. They will definitely pin this on me. With such deep hatred, they will never let me go. Lin Shikang is so cunning, and he has a high-ranking official as his backer. How can I not worry?"
More importantly, Kang Zha is the male protagonist of the original novel! How could the male protagonist of a book be weak?
Dao Ba couldn't hold back and blurted out, "What are you afraid of? Our master is..."
Before he could finish speaking, Dao San pinched him, and Dao Ba finally shut up.
Yang Cui knew that Cen Xiao's official position must be quite high, but since he didn't want to say, she naturally didn't ask.
"The censors are the most troublesome for the emperor. He is only a third-place scholar now, yet he can already win over so many students. If he were to hold a high position in the future, what would become of him!"
At this point, Yang Cui understood.
Those who have received favors from Lin Shikang will inevitably enter officialdom in the future, and will certainly be grateful for his kindness, thus helping him in his endeavors. Over time, Lin Shikang may well become the "leader" of the scholars.
Lin Shikang, a poor scholar who has no official position, is respected by scholars all over the country. If he is given an important position and becomes a high-ranking official, with students all over the world, coupled with his reputation in official circles, it will be difficult to move against him in the future.
Officials are mutually checked and balanced; the emperor cannot allow any one party to become too powerful, and he absolutely forbids the formation of cliques for personal gain.
It is even more impossible to allow people who "want to move but cannot" to exist.
Cen Xiao could tell from Yang Cui's expression that she had figured it out, and said, "Not to mention that Lin Shikang is unlikely to be given an important position, it is still unknown how long his Tanhua Study will last."
"Actually, I do hope that this academy can continue to operate. Although Lin Shikang's original intention was not to benefit society, at least those students from poor families can benefit."
Dao San was surprised that Yang Cui, a village woman, had such sentiments, and he felt more admiration for her.
——
Lin Shikang was busy running the Tanhua Academy and didn't have the energy to cause trouble for Yang Cui. The other members of the Lin family had also kept quiet recently because of Lin Shikang's instructions and hadn't caused any more trouble.
Without these people bothering her, Yang Cui lived a peaceful and comfortable life with her child in Anjia Village.
The first batch of ducks has grown up, but of course they can't be used directly for roast duck yet because they're not fat enough; they need to be force-fed.
However, Yang Cui doesn't handle the force-feeding of the ducks; once they're grown, they're sold directly to the Observatory, where the ducks are disposed of by them.
The first batch of ducklings consisted of 300 ducklings. Twenty-six died during the raising process, so Yang Cui sold 270. She kept three for herself as a reward for her three children. The three of them deserve much credit for raising these ducks. Finally, she gave one to Chen Sumei and her children as an incentive for the employees.
Chen Sumei was flattered and repeatedly declined.
“Take it if I give it to you. If you hadn’t worked so hard for me, I wouldn’t be able to do this so easily. Take it and give the kids some extra food, a little treat.”
Chen Sumei couldn't stop crying when she thought of her children. Yang Cui was most afraid of her like this, so she stuffed the duck into her hand and hurried back to her own home.
To celebrate the successful sale of the first batch of goods at home, Yang Cui made blood-soaked duck, sweet and sour fish, tiger-skin eggs, and fried chicken.
A table full of delicious dishes makes one's appetite soar.
Good food is no good without drinks, right?
Wine was placed in front of Yang Cui, Cen Xiao, Dao San, and Dao Ba, while each of the children had a bowl of sweet soup in front of them.
Yang Cui picked up her wine bowl and said with a smile, "Today our family successfully sold our first batch of goods. Here, I would like to thank our three great contributors. The little ducklings have grown into big ducks thanks to you three great contributors who dug earthworms every day. Come on, let's have a drink together."
Cen Xiao said sternly, "No manners! How can you, as their mother, clink glasses with them?"
"What does it matter? Children need encouragement too! Besides, our three children are all sensible and excellent!" Yang Cui said, then turned to her three children and said, "You are my pride! You are my capable little helpers! Our family will continue to work hard together!"
Upon hearing the words "our family," Cen Xiao felt a jolt in his heart, and the three children were also encouraged by Yang Cui's words, their morale soaring.
In addition, they found clinking glasses quite fun, so they happily picked up their bowls and clinked them with Yang Cui's, saying in unison, "Thank you, Mother (godmother), you've worked hard, let's all keep going as a family!"
"Good boy!"
Then Yang Cui gave out three more red envelopes: "These are your reward from your mother, please keep them safe."
The children were surprised to find that Yang Cui had prepared red envelopes for them.
Er Ya immediately returned the money to Yang Cui: "Mother, you keep the money, we don't want it."
Sanya: "Mother, let's save the money for my brother's education."
"I've prepared the money for Qiuqiu's schooling. This is a reward for you. Keep it yourselves. If Mom needs more money in the future, I'll borrow from you."
Sanya laughed and put the money into her pocket: "When my brother goes to school, I'll give him a calligraphy brush so he can take the imperial examinations and become a scholar."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Qiu felt a lump in her throat. The little girl vowed in her heart that she would study hard, make something of herself, and protect her godmother and sisters!
Yang Cui was drinking and eating celebratory food with the children, completely unaware that a pair of venomous eyes were watching her from the shadows!
But Cen Xiao, Dao San, and Dao Ba discovered it!
They are naturally more vigilant than the average person, and as people who live on the edge, they have a very strong sense of crisis.
Cen Xiao gave Dao San a look, and Dao San immediately knew what to do.
Using the pretext of convenience, he appeared silently behind the person he was spying on without alerting anyone, his large, gleaming sword pressed against her neck: "Who are you? What is your purpose in spying on me here?"
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