After deceiving the villain, I was forced to love him.

Chapter 59 Fengheng Academy 1

"Master Xue!"

As soon as Xue Fengshi arrived at his doorstep, Zhang Shan rushed up to greet him.

"Oh! My Lord Xue, you're finally back!"

"out..."

Zhang Shanli pulled Xue Fengshi into the carriage, saying, "Don't ask so many questions, just come with me."

Having rushed back to the capital at breakneck speed, Zhang Shan, who had almost thought he was about to lose his head, finally brought the person to Lu Jian just as the Shen hour was about to turn into the You hour.

"Your Majesty, Lord Xue has arrived," Zhang Shan said, still slightly out of breath.

Lu Jian pretended not to hear, "Announce."

After Xue Fengshi went inside, Zhang Shan immediately gave the other servants in the hall a look, signaling them to all come out, close the door, and stand guard at the bottom of the steps.

"My lord, I would like to pay my respects to Your Majesty."

"Get up."

"I wonder why Your Majesty has summoned me here?"

Lu Jian pulled a letter out of a stack of books. "Take a look at this first."

Xue Fengshi took the secret letter...

Gradually, a smile spread across his face, and he exclaimed with great delight, "Hahaha, good! Great!"

"Prefect Lin and Commander Li truly deserve to be called pillars of the nation; they have really relieved His Majesty of his worries!"

"However..." After thinking it over carefully, Xue Fengshi felt that something was not right.

"But it doesn't matter."

Xue Fengshi put the letter back and respectfully placed it back on the table in front of Lu Jian.

"Your Majesty, if I may be so bold as to ask, is He Jinzhan in the hands of the Wang family of Lincheng?"

You guessed so accurately!

But Lu Jian showed no surprise whatsoever.

He calmly explained, "Only by setting up a scheme involving a parent and child can I make He Shoufeng completely believe it."

"However, neither Prefect Lin nor Commander Li are skilled in this art, and the Baili family cannot get too involved, so I have resorted to this inferior strategy."

"..." Xue Fengshi nodded in deep agreement, clearly convinced once again.

He bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty is wise and far-sighted, and considerate in every aspect. It is I who have overstepped my bounds."

"It's alright, my dear minister is just trying to share your burdens."

"There are a few things that need to be done right now, and I'm afraid you'll still have to work hard."

Xue Fengshi, who was about to refuse, looked at Lu Jian's expectant eyes and changed his mind, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do my best."

Seeing Xue Fengshi's predicament, Lu Jian didn't simply dump all the mess on him.

"Although Baili has the ability to manage disasters, he is indeed not the most suitable candidate."

"..." Xue Fengshi was startled.

"Don't overthink it," Lu Jian said, genuinely not blaming him for meeting with Baili Ming in private.

I just wanted to remind him that "the people of the Southwest are incredibly brave and fierce, and they are divided into ethnic groups, and they hate dealing with powerful families the most."

"If we were to actually place members of the Baili family in the disaster relief team, or even appoint them to official positions to oversee disaster relief efforts, it would surely backfire."

Xue Fengshi understood this principle perfectly well: "But apart from the Baili family, who can withstand the coercion and temptation of those corrupt people?"

"Besides, no matter how prestigious the Baili family is, they are still His Majesty's subjects."

"As subjects, how can we not share Your Majesty's burdens?"

"Not wanting to share the burdens of the people?"

"Compared to the difficulties and reputation that Baili clan is concerned about, are the lives of those hundreds of thousands of people really so insignificant and not worth mentioning?"

"Does Your Majesty know that today when I went to Baili Prefecture, the bowl of tea that the steward casually served me could cover the expenses of an ordinary family for a long time?"

"..." Lu Jian looked at the priceless inkstone on his desk and didn't know what to say in response.

Good guy.

Is this kid targeting him?

Xue Fengshi held up two fingers. "Two years."

"The Baili family is considered a noble and respectable family among the high-ranking families. If even they are so extravagant, one can only imagine how much blood those corrupt officials have sucked from the people every day!"

"The disaster situation is already urgent. If such lucrative positions fall into the hands of these people, how will those people survive?"

When he got excited, Xue Fengshi knelt down and kowtowed heavily!

"Therefore, I request Your Majesty to issue an edict ordering the Baili clan to participate in disaster relief efforts."

"If anyone in the Baili clan suffers damage to their reputation because of this matter, I am willing to atone with my death!"

Like Baili Ce, once Lu Jian issued the imperial edict, Baili Ming had no choice but to agree whether he wanted to send people to provide disaster relief or not.

Alas, here we go again.

Lu Jian was also exhausted. This upright official was good, but he was just too much for people.

Lu Jian walked out from behind the desk, helped Xue Fengshi up, and kept repeating to himself, "This is a talent I personally promoted, I can't hit him, I can't hit him..."

"Fengheng Academy recruited a batch of students before the new year, and I think a few of them are quite good."

"Why don't you go and take a look too, Feng Shi?"

"His Majesty!"

“Hey,” Lu Jian interrupted him, patting his shoulder meaningfully, “Let’s go take a look first.”

(Laughs) "Let's see how it goes."

Damn it, if you don't give me face, I'll drag you out and kill you right now.

"...Yes." After thinking for a while, seeing that Lu Jian's smile was almost frozen, Xue Fengshi finally agreed.

He bowed and retreated halfway.

Lu Jian returned to his desk, picked up his pen, and began to write, his gaze sharp.

Not all wealthy and powerful people in this world are heartless and treacherous.

"Their wealth, their money and fame, were accumulated through the hard work of their ancestors."

“If it is acquired through proper means, in a legitimate way, and without violating etiquette and law, what does ten years matter?”

"..." Xue Fengshi was stunned on the spot.

By the time he came to his senses and tried to say something with a pale face, Zhang Shan had already closed the gates of Shangyang Palace.

She bowed respectfully to him without making a scene, saying, "Lord Xue, you should be leaving now."

"..."

Xue Fengshi remained silent for a moment, then withdrew one foot from the step, bowed his head in greeting, and withdrew.

......

Fengheng Academy was an institution of learning jointly funded by the upright officials of the imperial court.

Although the conditions were worse than those of the government-run Imperial Academy, the advantage was that it recruited students with genuine talent and learning.

It also frequently invites renowned scholars to give lectures, making it a highly regarded choice among students.

However, since it is a prestigious academy, it is inevitable that from the headmaster to the students, everyone will exhibit a bad habit of being "noble and upright."

So Xue Fengshi came in plain clothes the next day. As soon as he arrived at the mountain gate, he saw a group of students pushing and shoving two other students.

He immediately hid in the roadside bushes.

He has no other hobbies than watching people argue and fight.

Otherwise, why do you think he didn't say a word at the Kyoto government office last time?

Unfathomable?

Observe quietly?

No, no, no, it's because it was so wonderful that I didn't have time to speak.

"You barbarians from the southwest!"

"How vulgar and barbaric!"

"You...you...you're an insult..."

"Hahaha, you can't even say the four words 'disgraceful to culture,' what's the point of studying?"

"That's right, you should go back to your place as soon as possible."

"You, you shouldn't look down on people!"