The female anchor turned into the dean of an ancient academy

The night was deep, a bright moon hanging high in the sky, yet it couldn't illuminate Han Zhengxian's furrowed brow. He clutched a roll of bright yellow silk in his hand and hurried straight to Zhaoyin Academy. Linkang Prefecture's treasurer, Qiu Yiming, followed him all the way, not daring to breathe.

"Dean Cen! Dean Cen! I have something important to discuss with you!" Han Zhengxian didn't care about etiquette and shouted at the top of his voice in front of the academy gate.

"Lord Han? Why are you here so late?" The sleepy Cen Jiexiao hurriedly put on her coat, opened the door, and looked at Han Zhengxian, who was panting outside, with a puzzled look on her face.

"President Cen, this is a matter of great importance. I have no choice but to disturb you so late at night!" Han Zhengxian didn't have time to exchange pleasantries before handing the yellow silk to Cen Jiexiao. "This is the Empress Dowager's decree. Please review it."

Cen Jiexiao took the imperial edict and read it carefully in the moonlight. Her sleepy face was suddenly filled with astonishment and anger. "The Empress Dowager has gone crazy! Oh my god, she's either sick or... she must be sick!"

"President Cen, don't panic. Be careful, there are ears!" Han Zhengxian lowered his voice, his expression solemn. "This matter is indeed difficult and time is tight, but this East China Sea sacrificial ceremony is of great significance to the emperor. No mistakes can be made!"

"But Lord Han, do you know what this means to have 10,000 people release wishing lanterns on the surface of the Yuyang River at its mouth? How many ships can carry 10,000 people? Have you considered the water conditions of the river at that time? Not to mention that we only have seven days!" Cen Jiexiao was almost laughing at this ridiculous imperial decree.

"The Empress Dowager has decreed that at the East China Sea sacrificial ceremony seven days from now, ten thousand people must stand at the mouth of the Yuyang River and pray with wishing lanterns, praying for the Emperor's longevity and for the Great Zhou. With ten thousand people praying and ten thousand lanterns, the Great Zhou's national fortune will rise day by day!"

But Han Zhengxian wiped the sweat from his forehead again, and changed the subject, his tone full of helplessness and worry.

"But if this matter is not handled well, I am afraid that the emperor will rule the country in the future..."

"Isn't this obviously a way to make things difficult for us? The Queen Mother clearly wants to take this opportunity to make the Emperor lose his credibility in front of the people and ministers, so as to achieve her goal of controlling the government!" Cen Jiexiao stomped her feet in anger. After all, she was a well-known online writer in modern times. She had seen all kinds of conspiracies and tricks, and she saw through the Queen Mother's little tricks at a glance.

"Hush! Dean Cen, be careful with your words!" Han Zhengxian looked around nervously, fearing that someone might be listening. "For now, I just hope that Dean Cen can work with Linkang Prefecture to jointly undertake this matter. If there are any rewards in the future, I will definitely remember Dean Cen as the first one to be rewarded."

The first merit? Cen Jiexiao thought, it seems that the enthusiasm of the ancients in painting cakes is no less than that of modern bosses and leaders.

"This is a major matter concerning whether the emperor can rule the country smoothly. It is also a blessing for our Zhaoyin Academy to be able to contribute a little bit of our strength." Cen Jiexiao secretly wondered what else she could do. After all, she had made her choice before.

Han Zhengxian felt relieved after seeing Cen Jiexiao's attitude and affirmation. He more or less understood the ability and character of Dean Cen. Under her seemingly weak appearance, she actually had a very smart mind. Since she agreed to his proposal, she must have had a plan to deal with it.

"Then Dean Cen, do you have any good ideas?"

"Lord Han, mobilizing so many people and materials will cost a huge amount of money. Zhaoyin Academy certainly cannot afford it. You must support us financially." Although Cen Jiexiao's mind was full of those strange event planning in modern times, she was very clear about the basic cost issue as a "veteran".

"President Cen can rest assured. The expenses will be fully supported by the Linkang Prefecture's finances. Therefore, I brought the treasurer Mr. Qiu here. As long as President Cen needs funds, he only needs to submit the approval letter with Zhaoyin Academy's stamp to Mr. Qiu." Han Zheng first introduced the details of the funds and expenses, and at the same time indicated that Qiu Yiming was his own man and would do his utmost to cooperate with Cen Jiexiao's next actions.

Cen Jiexiao looked at the middle-aged man named Qiu Yiming in front of her and bowed proactively. Qiu Yiming also returned the greeting to show his respect.

Qiu Yiming was dressed in a simple, elegant long gown, with a moon-white belt around his waist. His figure was slender and upright. Although he had entered middle age, he did not look greasy at all, but instead had an air of maturity and stability.

"Treasurer Qiu, since you are Lord Han's man, let's not beat around the bush among us. The specific approval letter will be sent to the government office as soon as the academy has discussed it tomorrow. But I have a doubt. How long will it take for the funds to be in place? One day? Two days?" Sister Cen Xiao went straight to the point and directly raised the issue that concerned her most.

"President Cen, you can rest assured. After Lord Han took office, he abolished many old customs and practices, and only the core procedures are followed. At the same time, we have dedicated civil servants to be responsible for the approval process. Therefore, the fastest time for funds to be in place can be compressed to within two hours." Qiu Yiming introduced some core details of the process to Cen Jiexiao in a low and magnetic voice.

"What? Two hours!" Cen Jiexiao's surprised words made Han Zhengxian and Qiu Yiming suddenly confused.

Qiu Yiming seemed to have sensed something and quickly added, "President Cen, if you think the delay is a little longer, we can try to finish it in about an hour. After all, it has to go through several important reviews, signatures, and seals, which also takes time. I hope President Cen will be more understanding."

"No, you misunderstood, Mr. Qiu. I just feel that you are much more efficient than the 'certain parties A' I knew before, so I feel a little sad that the gap between people is so huge." Cen Jiexiao waved her hand and explained.

Han Zhengxian and Qiu Yiming probably realized that Cen Jiexiao was praising their work ability and efficiency, but they were just wondering what the "certain parties A" were!

"Master Han," Cen Jiexiao paused for a moment, observing Han Zhengxian's expression before continuing, "I have another favor to ask of you."

Han Zhengxian smiled heartily and said, "President Cen, we all share this honor. If you have any requests that are within my ability, please feel free to ask."

Cen Jiexiao pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Master Han, my plan may require the cooperation of all the businesses in Linkang Prefecture..."

"That's no problem," Han Zhengxian agreed without waiting for Cen Jiexiao to finish. "I'll write a letter right away. Take my handwritten letter and go find those businesses. If they don't cooperate, just tell me!"

Cen Jiexiao quickly waved her hands and said, "Master Han, you misunderstood. That's not what I meant. I've dealt with those businesses before, but..."

"What does Dean Cen mean? Just tell me directly." Han Zhengxian saw that Cen Jiexiao was hesitant to speak, and he became even more confused.

Cen Jiexiao took a deep breath and mustered her courage before saying, "I need to ask Lord Han for some power and a temporary, symbolic position."

Han Zhengxian was an honest and upright official. He was originally a little dissatisfied with those profit-seeking businessmen. Since Cen Jiexiao brought it up, he might as well let Cen Jiexiao suppress that group of people.