Master Dao hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Master Su, it's been a long time since I've seen you. It's an honor to have you here!"
"You've lost a lot of weight. Are you still in good health?"
After not seeing him for several years, Master Su noticed that his hair had turned quite white and his body was no longer as robust as it used to be.
"Thanks to you, we've finally made it through." Master Dao laughed heartily and ushered the man into the house. "There's a high-class inn in our county town. Why are you here in my cramped and humble abode instead of going there?"
Master Su waved to him, looked around the room, and smiled.
"Let me see where you live. It's simple and elegant, very nice."
Zhou Linzhao and Su Yunjin quickly brewed the tea and served it.
"Grandfather, please have some tea!"
Master Su picked up the teacup, blew on it, and took a sip. "Hmm, not bad, it's good tea!"
"The city lord had some of this new spring tea sent over as soon as it was made," Zhou Linzhao said reservedly.
He felt a little uneasy facing the stern-faced Master Su.
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
Lin Yinan strode in, a smile on her face, and greeted each of the teachers present.
"It is a great honor for us that Master Su could come to Longtan!"
Master Su looked her up and down and said with a smile, "Time really flies! In the blink of an eye, the little girl from back then has grown up so much. I heard you've become a mother?"
"We just had a baby girl last year."
"It's a pity my daughter-in-law is too short-sighted, otherwise you would be my granddaughter-in-law. My grandson is unlucky to have missed such a good marriage." Old Master Su joked, without any hint of disdain in his words.
He was not a pedantic person, and he repeatedly lamented the cruel twist of fate.
"Young Master Su is handsome and refined; he is sure to have a good marriage."
"I've heard that your husband's family is the Yun family, who have guarded Yanmen Pass for generations?"
"Exactly."
Master Su stared intently at her, his eyes sharp. "The loss of Yanmen Pass by the Yun family has led to the current situation of war raging across the Central Plains. They have truly failed the Emperor and the people of the world. Their crime deserves death!"
Lin Yinan's smile remained unchanged, but her gaze towards Master Su instantly turned cold.
"The Yun family, spanning three generations and numbering 100,000 soldiers, died at Yanmen Pass. Does Master Su mean that the Yun family, having been defeated, is unworthy to live in this world? Or do you believe that the Yun family alone could withstand the 300,000 iron cavalry of the mixed barbarian army?"
"Lord Lin, you flatter me. I merely feel that I should share your burdens and worries."
"What did Master Su believe were the factors that triggered this war?"
Master Su fell silent, as did the four members of the Su family, including Su Kunliang, and all the scholars present, including Master Dao.
"There's nothing wrong with saying that. The mixed Hu allied forces have long since established a powerful regime in the central and eastern regions, plundering the resources and interests of the Great Yan Kingdom, causing the Great Yan Kingdom to lose most of its territory and resources."
"The emperor of the Great Yan Kingdom was incompetent and tyrannical, blindly trusting treacherous and wicked people. The bureaucracy was corrupt, and taxes were too heavy, causing many people to go hungry and become homeless."
"Everyone knows the truth, yet they're blaming the Yun family for everything."
At this moment, Lin Yinan's sharp edge was fully revealed.
Master Su's eyes lit up as he listened, his eyebrows raised, and he asked with great interest, "Then do you think there is any way to break this deadlock?"
"No, dynasties always have to be updated," Lin Yinan said calmly.
Although the Great Yan Kingdom has never been mentioned in historical records, the trajectory of this civilization, spanning five thousand years, is no different from that of history. How could human beings possibly reverse it?
"Are you and the Yun family plotting to seize the world with your actions in the south?" Master Su asked again.
As soon as he asked the question, everyone in the room looked at Lin Yinan.
Lin Yinan's lips curled slightly as she glanced at everyone's faces, her voice clear and cold.
"I have no ambition to conquer the world; I only wish to live a peaceful life in a remote corner."
A hint of disappointment flashed in Master Su's eyes. With this woman's abilities and in alliance with the Yun family, they might not be unable to reach the pinnacle.
Lin Yinan took in the expression on his face and said calmly, "The South is mountainous and watery with complex terrain and sparse population in most places. To try to fight against the Central Plains cavalry is like throwing an egg against a rock."
Master Su was a learned man, and after listening to Lin Yinan's analysis, his anxiety finally subsided.
"Could it be that Master Su still intends to return to the Central Plains?"
"The Su family exhausted their ancestral savings, and nearly half of their clan members perished on the way, barely making it to Cangwu County. They can't go back." Old Master Su shook his head, his tone full of helplessness.
More importantly, nearly ten women of the Su family who reached marriageable age married into prominent families in Cangwu County last year.
The Su family has already established themselves in Cangwu County; the Central Plains is just a hometown they can never return to.
“Actually, there’s nothing the South doesn’t know. The reason I invited Master Su here is that I want to build an academy in Longtan,” Lin Yinan said, taking the opportunity to speak.
She didn't say "academy," but rather "college."
This college primarily focuses on teaching technical skills and crafts.
“I heard from my son that I came all the way from Cangwu County, and I even brought books copied by my clan’s disciples.” Master Su said, getting up to say, “While I’m still here, I’ll go and see your academy.”
Su Yunzhi quickly grabbed him, "Grandfather, you must be tired from your journey. You should rest for a while before you go."
“Young Master Su is right. Master Su, you should rest well today. I will show you around tomorrow,” Lin Yinan said with a smile.
Master Su was not a conservative person. He was dedicated to the education of the Su family, and he was not afraid of difficulties. He persevered and did his best. This spirit is very admirable.
"I'm an old man, I don't need much sleep anyway, so a little less sleep won't hurt me." Master Su didn't refuse everyone's good intentions, but just grumbled with some dissatisfaction.
The books were unloaded from the carriage outside the courtyard one after another. The servants who accompanied them came in to report, and Lin Yinan then instructed the guards to take the carriage to the livestock shed to feed the animals.
Lin Yinan took a look and found that the classics included: the Book of Changes, the Book of Documents, the Book of Poetry, the Book of Rites, the Book of Music, the Spring and Autumn Annals, the Classic of Filial Piety, and commentaries on the classics.
Historical books include official histories, chronicles, miscellaneous histories, geography, biographies, and so on.
With a wide variety of items, the Su family truly lives up to its reputation as a family of scholars who pass on knowledge and skills.
The following day, Lin Yinan led Master Su and his disciples to visit the papermaking workshop that Su Yunzhi was currently operating.
Master Su picked up the Xuan paper made by his grandson and looked at it from left to right, his face full of pride.
The disciples of the clan spoke to Su Yunzhi in hushed tones.
"Senior Brother Su, do you think Lord Lin would be interested in the things I made?"
“You can ask her later. City Lord Lin is very knowledgeable; she might find it useful!” Su Yunzhi understood his feelings about this junior brother in the clan who shared the same special interest as him. “Okay, I’ll ask her in a bit.”
Then they went outside the city to see the academy, which was still under construction.
While everyone was marveling at the vastness of the academy, Jiang Yikui, a disciple of Master Su, circled the academy several times and then went inside to watch the men digging ditches and ramming the ground.
After questioning the man in charge of the construction in detail, he frowned.
Lin Yinan had already noticed his behavior, so she asked, "Sir, has this man noticed anything amiss?"
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