Chapter 325 Long separation
The academy is much quieter than before.
It was afternoon when they returned to the academy. Old Qin was very excited to see the three people coming back. He even shook hands with the old man tightly for a long time before separating. However, the look he gave Zhao Yushuo was a little strange, as if he could not match this scholar whose memory had become blurred with the legendary Mr. Six.
The wolf girl smiled and greeted Lao Qin: "Why does it feel like there is no sound inside?"
Old Qin sighed, "That idiot from Xijing issued an edict to force the academy to make a statement. The chief priest said that everyone should go home first and wait until next spring when school starts. If they still want to come, they can come. Now, except for some who can't go back for the time being, everyone has left."
I don’t know if Wang Yuan and Ouyang Wen’s two good brothers have also left.
Zhao Yushu was somewhat puzzled: "The locals in Dongdu and those in the southeast who have already rebelled have also returned?"
"They have to go back. If they don't leave, it means that the academy has completely admitted that it is on the side of Dongdu. Then if the scholars from other places want to stay, it would be equivalent to signing a letter of surrender. Come on, we will go in first." The old man waved his hand and strode into the academy.
The glass world before my eyes shattered, and a group of senior brothers and sisters were already waiting.
Nearly a year after Zhao Yushu traveled through time, the academy finally had all its members together for the first time.
Gu Changfeng took the lead in performing a disciple salute, then walked over and patted Zhao Yushu on the shoulder: "Good job!"
Zhao Yushu blushed a little and scratched his head with a smile.
Ali also nodded slightly: "Well done."
The corners of Zhao Yushu's mouth curled up even higher.
Wei You gave a thumbs up: "Better than I thought."
"Hey Hey Hey."
Meng Yan handed over a handkerchief: "Wipe your snot bubbles."
······
Wen Jijiu held a small dinner party, and most of the guests were family members, including Boss Gu's wife and his sister-in-law who had cheated him out of twenty taels of silver.
Wen Wan kept her head down and pretended to be stupid from beginning to end. She turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to Mr. Liu's questions about silver needles, and just focused on eating.
"Li Jian came three times, and Li Tong came once, all to ask what the academy meant. People from the southeast have also come. I'm afraid half of the world is waiting for the academy to express its position. If we are determined to support Li Jian, at least Jiannan Dao will immediately submit to the Eastern Capital. By then, Chang'an won't even be able to afford to support its soldiers."
Jijiu had a headache: "You guys have been in Chang'an for so long, what do you think?"
Everyone looked at Zhao Yushu. Not only had he stayed in Chang'an the longest, he had also had interactions with the two new emperors.
Zhao Yushu hesitated for a moment: "First of all, I have to say that the prince, oh now the emperor, is not a good person."
Then he sighed: "The trouble is, Li Jian is not a good guy either. I heard with my own ears that he also planned to cooperate with the Liao Kingdom for the throne. To be honest, I originally planned to kill both of them."
The sound of people gasping for air was heard. Everyone knew that the old man was the craziest one. He acted without paying attention to details and did not have the demeanor of a master at all. He hated people who used evil means and had chopped many people when he became famous in his early years.
But someone like Zhao Yushu, who cut his troops all the way from the Eastern Capital to the southeast, and from the southeast to Chang'an, and who had already cut and wanted to cut people from the princes and nobles up to the level of kings, is even crazier than this old man!
Wen Jijiu opened his mouth and said, "If none of us stand, everyone will panic and think that we might want to support other princes."
Zhao Yushu was a little worried: "Must there be an emperor?"
The whole hall was silent.
"What should we do without an emperor?" Wei You had the most experience and immediately understood what Zhao Yushu meant.
"For example, I mean, for example, the people themselves elect people of high moral character and respect to raise their demands one level at a time, and then, there is such a group, they are all elected by the people themselves, such as the six ministers, they make decisions based on the needs of the people, instead of doing whatever the emperor wants..."
"No!" Before Zhao Yushu could finish, Wen Jijiu interrupted him, "Most common people have little knowledge and are easily coerced and bribed. Whoever has money and power will be promoted. Our academy can at least teach young scholars to be kind-hearted. When the emperor goes crazy, there will be someone to restrain him."
Zhao Yushu understood that the current level of people's enlightenment was not high, and it was too unrealistic to expect a big leap into the modern era.
"Then, is there any descendant of the Li family who is reliable? I met a scholar in Chang'an, the one who left with Master Zixiao. His character is pretty good, but he is not suitable to be the emperor."
There was another silence. If there really was such a person, everyone wouldn't be so worried.
There was a knock on the restaurant door and a page boy ran in.
Wen Jijiu frowned. If there was nothing important at this time, the book boy would not come to disturb him: "What's the matter?"
The book boy bowed and said, "Sir, the princess sent someone over."
"Princess? It's already late, why would she send someone here at this time?"
"Tell me, please invite Mr. Liu to come over for a chat."
Zhao Yushu left the banquet in great embarrassment amidst the strange looks of the crowd. He walked out of the academy gate and was driven by the old monk from Prince Fu's mansion.
"Mr. Liu, please get in the car."
Zhao Yushu nodded and stepped into the carriage. As expected, Li Tong was inside.
"Knowing that Mr. Liu is back, I should have paid him a formal visit tomorrow, but I can't wait."
"Are you asking about Prince Fu?"
Li Tong nodded silently.
"Prince Fu died together with the emperor in the painting of a thousand miles of rivers and mountains. Before his death, he was upright and had no regrets except for you."
Li Tong's eyes turned red. "My father said that when I was born, my aunt wrote to me, wanting to come back to see me. The letter was full of joy and expectation, but unfortunately the emperor did not allow it. We are both unlucky."
Zhao Yushu didn't say anything. Comforting people was his weakest skill.
"Li Jian wants to see you." Li Tong's emotional management is extremely strong. The tear lingered in her eyes for a long time but didn't fall. She turned around and started talking about business.
"I don't want to see him."
"Now that things have come to this, does the academy still have a choice?"
“The academy may not have a choice, but I always have a choice for myself.”
"Who do you want to choose?"
Zhao Yushu was silent.
"In fact, not making a choice is a choice in itself. Zhao Yushu, you are too clean to be a person of this world, but you are still a person after all. Even if you become a master of all arts one day, you are still a person of this world. You can't just kill someone because you think he is bad. If you do that, it won't be this world that will collapse first."
Zhao Yushu leaned his head against the carriage. "An emperor should at least not put his own interests above those of the people. I don't know if you have ever heard of this saying: The emperor is a boat, and the people are water. Water can carry the boat, but it can also overturn it. Li Jian obviously can't do that."
Li Tong sighed: "Which emperor doesn't want to be a saintly monarch? But once you sit on that throne, many things are beyond your control. My father is lucky. If he sat on the dragon throne, I'm afraid he would be the same as the emperor, and I would hate him."
Seeing that Zhao Yushu did not respond, Li Tong looked at him deeply and asked, "Will you stay in Dongdu?"
"I will stay for a while, and then I will go to the south to have a look."
"Will you come back?"
"meeting."