Jiang Ling was somewhat surprised. She watched as Zhao Tianqi's brows gradually furrowed. "Lord Zhao, are you saying that Qian Yu was in charge of Wu Xiucai's matter?"
Zhao Tianqi looked somewhat embarrassed. His eyes darted around as if he was trying to think of a reply. After a minute or two, Zhao Tianqi said, "To be honest, Qianyu kept asking me to find a teacher for your Lujia Village and build a school. But since your Lujia Village is under Duan Kang'an's jurisdiction, I couldn't very well interfere, could I?"
Jiang Ling didn't think there was anything wrong with Zhao Tianqi's words. The affairs of officialdom were not as simple as Zhao Qianyu thought. If Zhao Tianqi really took charge of this matter, it would be a slap in the face to Magistrate Duan, and the relationship between the two would probably continue to deteriorate.
“That’s absolutely right. If Lord Zhao really agrees to Qian Yu’s suggestion, things will be much more difficult to handle!” Jiang Ling said after thinking for a moment.
After hearing that Jiang Ling agreed with his opinion, Zhao Tianqi continued with relief, "Yes, that's exactly what I meant. But as you know, my son is notoriously stubborn. If I tell him to go east, he'll go west; if I tell him to beat a dog, he'll chase a chicken. Do you think he'll listen to me?"
"I've said everything I could and explained the reasons, and in the end, I could only say that I wouldn't help him and that he should handle it himself. But less than a week later, he brought over a down-on-his-luck gentleman!"
Hearing this, Jiang Ling almost burst out laughing. She suppressed a laugh and teased, "This child is quite adorable!"
"Ugh, what's so cute about it? It's infuriating!" Zhao Tianqi said, intending to slam his hand on the table, but he realized Jiang Ling was there and forcibly withdrew his hand.
Seeing that things were looking promising, Jiang Ling bid farewell to Zhao Tianqi and went to the academy to find Zhao Qianyu.
Zhao Qianyu was overjoyed to see Jiang Ling arrive. He grabbed Jiang Ling's hand and said in a spoiled tone, "Godmother! Godmother! You haven't come to see me in so long! Humph!"
Jiang Ling looked at Zhao Qianyu in front of her and smiled, saying, "Qianyu, how did you come to know that Scholar Wu?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qianyu frowned and looked at Jiang Ling, asking, "Is...is there something wrong with Scholar Wu?"
Jiang Ling shook her head and explained, "It's nothing. It's just that there's an old story about your Uncle Duan that's very similar to Wu Xiucai, so I came to inquire about it. I just went to your father's place, and he said that Wu Xiucai was someone you brought back for him!"
Upon hearing that Wu Xiucai was alright, Zhao Qianyu breathed a sigh of relief. He tapped his cheek and thought for a while before saying, "The other day I was strolling around when I saw a few people surrounding Wu Xiucai, who was setting up a stall, about to do something. I was curious, so I went over. It turned out that the man thought Wu Xiucai wrote well and insisted that Wu Xiucai trace the words on his memorial tablet."
"Scholar Wu said that the most important quality for a scholar is integrity, and he would rather starve to death than do such a thing. After hearing this, the man mocked Scholar Wu a few times. Scholar Wu got angry and started fighting with the man. As a result, several people behind the man tried to smash Scholar Wu's stall!"
"I was worried that Wu Xiucai would be bullied, so I used my status as the son of the county magistrate to temporarily intimidate the group. Seeing that they had made a fool of themselves, the group all left dejectedly. I noticed that the calligraphy on Wu Xiucai's stall was indeed quite good, and after inquiring carefully, I learned that he had passed the imperial examination and become a Xiucai. I thought that it would be a waste of his talent to just set up a stall and write calligraphy, so I asked him if he would be willing to go to Lujia Village in Pingxi County to become a schoolteacher."
"At first, Scholar Wu was firmly against it, but I shamelessly went to see him every day and invited him to drink every day. Finally, Scholar Wu agreed. And then... you know what happened next, Godmother!"
Jiang Ling knew that although Zhao Qianyu was a bit unruly, he would never lie to her. Thinking this, Jiang Ling nodded and said to Zhao Qianyu, "Okay, I understand. Qianyu, come over sometime. I'm going back now! If you need anything and are embarrassed to tell your dad, just tell me!"
Zhao Qianyu watched Jiang Ling leave with an excited expression.
Lujia Village, school.
"Mom! Why are you here!" Jiang Suihe was very excited when she saw Jiang Ling and rushed into Jiang Ling's arms, acting coquettishly.
Jiang Ling patted Jiang Suihe's forehead and said softly, "You're all grown up now, why are you still acting like a child with your mother? Aren't you ashamed in front of so many people!"
Jiang Suihe stuck out her tongue and made a face.
"Suihe, you go home first. Wu Xiucai and I have something to talk about!" Jiang Ling said to Jiang Suihe after peeking into the school.
"Scholar Wu, are you available now?" Jiang Ling walked to the school door and gently knocked on the open door.
Wu Xiucai looked up toward the sound and, seeing that it was Jiang Ling, walked over enthusiastically: "Please come in, Madam! Please come in!"
“Scholar Wu, you don’t need to be so polite to me. Everyone calls me Yaojie’s mother, so you can call me that too!” Jiang Ling pulled up a chair and sat down next to Scholar Wu.
Wu Xiucai nodded and looked at Jiang Ling. "An... Yaojie's mother, did you come to see me for something?"
"To be honest, Scholar Wu, do you know our magistrate, Duan Kang'an?" Jiang Ling said, glancing at Scholar Wu's eyes from time to time.
As Jiang Ling had predicted, Wu Xiucai's expression immediately changed drastically upon hearing the name "Duan Kang'an." His previously confident gaze vanished, replaced by panic and evasiveness.
"Duan Kang'an? Yao Jie's mother, you're joking. He's a county magistrate, after all. I'm just a poor scholar, how could I possibly know him!" As he said this, Wu Xiucai didn't even dare to meet Jiang Ling's gaze, his eyes wandering as he looked out the window.
"Scholar Wu, your name is Wu Mingsheng, right?" Judging from Scholar Wu's state just now, Jiang Ling was certain that the person in front of her was lying, so she continued to ask.
Wu Xiucai scratched his head, deliberately feigning a blank expression as he looked at Jiang Ling. "Wu Mingsheng? Yaojie's mother, I'm afraid you're mistaken. My name is Wu Yueyi. By the way, who is Wu Mingsheng? I heard Magistrate Duan mention him at the last Suihe celebration banquet!"
Jiang Ling was somewhat helpless. This guy was really stubborn. Jiang Ling looked at Wu Xiucai with resentment and said, "Wu Xiucai, if you really are Wu Mingsheng, then let me tell you, I have heard about your situation. I know you are innocent! I also sympathize with you! But running away like this is not a solution, is it?"
Wu Xiucai laughed, actually trying to cover up his embarrassment. "What do you mean by 'escaping'? I am not Wu Mingsheng, so how can I escape? It's getting late, and you must be busy, so I won't say any more!"
After saying this, Wu Xiucai picked up the Analects on the table and began to study it seriously.
Looking at Wu Xiucai's appearance, Jiang Ling felt a headache coming on. She didn't say much, but sighed heavily and said to him, "Wu Xiucai, I don't care if you're Wu Mingsheng or Wu Yueyi. Your coming to Lujia Village is an honor for us, and nurturing Jiang Suihe is my honor. I hope you'll stop running away. Lujia Village is truly wonderful; believe me, you can stay here forever! If anyone slanders you again, everyone in Lujia Village will help you!"
"Scholar Wu, you should get some rest! I'll be leaving now!"
With that, Jiang Ling left the school without looking back.
Jiang Ling had only taken a few steps when a slightly hurried voice came from behind her.
"Yaojie's mother, wait a minute!"
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