The weak scholar in the end of ancient times

Chapter 130 He's actually quite nice.

Old Zhuo's fighting spirit was completely ignited and could not be extinguished.

His spirits improved day by day, and the lingering illness dissipated after the street brawls. His complexion became rosy, as if he had been reborn.

Others who traveled north to Xinzhou at the same time could only sigh in admiration upon seeing Lao Zhuo's condition, and some even wondered if Lao Zhuo was faking an illness.

How influential was Lao Zhuo's recovery from illness?
On the Zhuo family's side, the eldest son of the Zhuo family switched from a world-weary and dejected state to a "king of curiosities" mode.

Most of the Zhuo family members were scholars.

A scholar is not a weakling!
The Zhuo family members were not just bookworms; nearly half of them had experience in local governance or grassroots work. They went north to Xinzhou in search of survival, and they too harbored ambitions for advancement. With Old Zhuo's spirits lifted, the core spirit of the Zhuo family became clear!
Just as the alpha wolf returns, the pack also restores the familiar and adept group order they are in.

When the other people in Xinzhou saw the Zhuo family's group of shrewd and ambitious individuals, their sense of crisis soared, and they stopped visiting each other, chatting, listening to music, and drinking together as much.

The Shen family was the ones who felt it the most.

This incident made Madam Shen wary.

"It's still because my Shen family's foundation is not strong enough!"

Those powerful and wealthy families were wary of the Shen family, but not so much.

It's like a windfall has fallen from the sky, changing the Shen family's status. Otherwise, the Shen family, originally merchants, wouldn't even be qualified to sit at the table in Xinzhou.

Look at the Sheng family's caravan; behind them stand the scholars and gentry of the Sheng clan! Even in this chaotic world, their status and accumulated connections still allow them to play a pivotal role in connecting the upper and lower classes in the north.

What about the Shen family?
In the future, as long as the situation in the North remains unchanged, or the situation in Xinzhou improves, the Shen family will face even greater scrutiny.

Using relatives of the emperor to boost one's reputation—those officials are very familiar with that!
This incident also gave her a sense of urgency.

After much deliberation, Madam Shen realized she had to make some changes!

There's nothing wrong with reviewing the material; it doesn't need any changes. So, who has the problem?
Soon, the Shen family members were greeted by several gentlemen.

Madam Shen declared: "All members of the Shen family and relatives, regardless of age or gender, should take advantage of the free time they have now to read more books and learn more!"
What a disappointment!

The younger generation, led by the Shen brothers, are currently limited in their social skills as Wanfu Garden is not yet completed. They should take this opportunity to receive more literary and artistic training!

Although I knew my qualifications were limited before, I was also restricted by my position and neglected to teach them properly. Now I can find a good teacher.

Cen Tai Academy is still under construction, and the renowned teachers are currently available. Madam Shen has used her connections to invite them with a generous sum of money.

Learn! Everyone, learn!

Otherwise, you'll only be getting rejected later!
As a result, the smiles on the faces of the Shen family members, who had absolutely no talent in this area, vanished.

This day.

Wen Gu left the Zhao residence and encountered Uncle Shen.

However, Uncle Shen's destination was the Patrol Guard Division, and the two only met on the road ahead.

Uncle Shen looked distressed. He had studied with his teacher for two days and then volunteered to come to the patrol headquarters to take on a mission.

He used to avoid the guards whenever possible!
Uncle Shen seemed to have thought of something, and his steps toward the patrol headquarters paused. He looked at Wen Gu, and his shrewd eyes were faintly glistening with tears.

Uncle Shen pulled out several large bills and handed them to Wen Gu, saying sincerely, "Uncle has been very busy lately and can't take care of much else. Please take good care of yourself!"

You are the hope of our entire nation!
Although Wen Gu's surname is not Shen, half of his bloodline still belongs to the Shen family!

Giving money to a nephew for reviewing is perfectly acceptable; there's no need to overthink it. Who can say anything when an uncle gives his nephew pocket money? It's not a bribe.

So, Wen Gu went out for a trip and returned to Jingxingfang with a wealth of knowledge.

In addition to the "pocket money" given by Uncle Shen, he also brought back several wooden boxes from the Zhao residence, which contained a batch of newly made soaps and medicated soaps.

As the weather gets warmer, the soap made in Zhao's workshop has also been included in the welfare benefits for management personnel.

The soap-making recipe was originally proposed by Wen Gu, improved by Master Qingyi, and finally handed over to the Zhao family's workshop for production.

Therefore, Wen Gu doesn't need to wait for the monthly welfare distribution; when a new batch comes out from the workshop, he will always be reserved for some, including various new styles.

The artisans and pharmacists of this era should not be underestimated; under the reward system, each batch of finished products in the workshops was improved extremely quickly.

The wooden box in Wen Gu's hand contains the latest batch of products.

There are many types of medicated soaps, so let's pick up the sulfur soap on the far right.

For people of this era, sulfur was already an old acquaintance, with uses in roughly three areas—medicine, gunpowder, and alchemy.

In this chaotic world, sulfur is an even more important strategic resource.

Most people in Xinzhou value sulfur not for its military significance, but for its use in exorcising evil spirits.

There's a long-standing folk belief that sulfur can ward off evil spirits. Perhaps some people used to dislike the smell of sulfur, but now, they crave it!
This represents a sense of security!
After sulfur soap came out, the most direct result was that the price of sulfur soap in the black market of Xinzhou City remained high!
Many wealthy families would buy these goods at high prices and have the caravans deliver them to relatives and friends far away.

However, the proportion of sulfur soap in the new batch of products from the Zhao family's soap workshop has significantly decreased. This likely indicates an increased focus on military applications.

As the weather gets hotter, so does the crisis.

Wen Gu carefully put the wooden box away.

He has a lot of goods here, and the ones he doesn't need are given as rewards to the clerks and servants in the workshop.

With rewards in sight, the security officials in charge of the neighborhood patrolled several times a day, actively checking for potential safety hazards. The servants also fully utilized their initiative to get things done more efficiently.

At this moment, Zhao Mu and Zhao Kun came over and consulted with them, holding the blueprints.

The blueprints for the first phase of the shops have only just been completed, and the second phase is already in preparation. Having tasted success, fundraising this time is much faster than the first time, and there are even more family members supporting them.

"Do you have time? Could you take a look and see if there are any parts that need to be changed?"

Wen Gu took the drawings and looked at them: "The design is alright, but we still need to compare the details on-site."

With no other official business to attend to, Wen Gu and the others went to the land that the Zhao family had recently purchased to take measurements and discuss the matter on-site.

During this process, Wen Gu noticed that someone was observing them from not far away.

I only looked at the blueprints after the blueprint issue was mostly resolved.

Seeing this, Zhao Mu followed the gaze in that direction and raised an eyebrow.

"He Liu?"

The young man standing not far away had a handsome face and bright eyes, possessing both the elegance of a scholar and a just-right fortitude.

The first impression he gives is that he is very cultured, which is completely different from Lao He's arrogant attitude of "looking down on people even when he's in a sedan chair".

Zhao Mu introduced the other party to Wen Gu.

"He Mingyuan, the sixth son of the He family, is the second son of Master He and the sixth son in the He family."

Zhao Mu and He Mingyuan met at a small literary gathering not long ago. That's all.

Therefore, Zhao Mu thought that if He Liu and Wen Gu had a conflict, he would definitely side with Wen Gu!

He Mingyuan appeared quite calm; he had been observing Wen Gu the whole time.

The way Wen Gu interacted with the Zhao family was very casual, without any hint of flattery or fawning. The Zhao family members also showed no arrogance, a stark contrast to their aloof and haughty demeanor at the literary gathering.

Even Zhao Kun, who is usually as rough as a man, did not act arrogantly or domineeringly when he was whispering with a clerk from Jingxingfang.

It is said that the Zhao and Shen families are at odds, but Wengu is an exception. It acts as a buffer zone, closely connected to both sides, yet separating them to avoid conflict.

This Director Wen truly lives up to his reputation.

At this moment, Wen Gu was also looking at the sixth son of the He family.

The He family members are actually not bad-looking. In fact, the men are handsome and the women are beautiful.

This is a family that can use their good looks to secure titles and solidify their position!
When he was young, Master He was handsome, but now that he's older, coupled with his comfortable life and bad temper, he's become deformed and his appearance has changed, which is why Old Zhuo called him ugly.

When Lao Zhuo commented on the He family, he mentioned that among the younger generation of the He family, in terms of talent and character, only He Liu was relatively upright.

Uprightness and purity are the essence of propriety.

To receive such high praise from Lao Zhuo is already quite remarkable.

"Zhongzheng" doesn't refer to a pushover or a pushover, but rather to someone who has a good sense of propriety.

Wen Gu also collected some information about this sixth son of the He family.

Old He had many people in his harem, including both legitimate and illegitimate children, but only this one had some literary talent.

Therefore, Lao He placed high hopes on He Liu and sent him to an academy outside the capital city early on, to study under famous teachers and in a prestigious school, far away from the glitz and clamor of the capital. He was afraid that such a promising talent would be corrupted.

To put it another way, Old He was well aware of the true nature of the He family, a prominent family of imperial relatives in the capital.

At this moment, He Mingyuan saw that the matter here had been finished, so he walked over.

Wen Gu, Zhao Mu, and He Mingyuan, three scholars, engaged in a series of polite and formal greetings typical of intellectuals.

"Tsk."

Zhao Kun, standing nearby, felt a pang of sympathy. He was more inclined towards martial arts and was simply not used to this kind of intellectual stuff. He couldn't see anything sophisticated about it; he just thought these people were all pretentious.

Zhao Kun, whose aura clashed with He Da's, moved two steps to the side and quietly chirped crickets with him, leaving the three scholars some space.

Here, He Mingyuan explained his purpose.

He brought a gift today to apologize.

His own father stirred up trouble, but not only did he fail to achieve his goal, he also found himself in an even more embarrassing situation. However, the He family's current predicament—having made too many enemies—is not a good thing.

When Grandpa He came out in a sedan chair that day, He Mingyuan actually tried to stop him, but was turned away.

I came here today to apologize, and I was truly sincere and humbled.

Zhao Kun listened intently, his lips pursed, thinking to himself: What's the use of your apology? Your old man is probably still at home bastardly scolding you!
Thinking of the rumors about "He Meimei," Zhao Kun continued to suppress his laughter as he and He Da chatted about someone.

He Mingyuan sensed it and felt powerless. There was nothing he could do; he couldn't go against his father's wishes. Wen Gu, however, remained amiable, his eyes sincere.

"Sixth Young Master He, you flatter me!"

He didn't say whether he accepted the apology or not, nor did he mention the conflict between the He family and others. Instead, he looked at the sky and said, "I have some other matters to attend to..."

Upon hearing this, He Mingyuan sighed silently, bowed, and was about to take his leave.

But then Wen Gu said, "...I was just about to go to Cen Tai Academy. Would you like to come along, Sixth Young Master?"

He Mingyuan's farewell ceremony came to an abrupt halt halfway through.

My heart is pounding.

But was Wen Gu's remark just politeness? Or feigned politeness? Or... a genuine invitation?

By revisiting the previous point without embarrassing the other party, he extended another sincere invitation.

He Mingyuan felt ashamed: I was narrow-minded!
But he also pondered the meaning behind Wen Gu's words. His father had said that Wen Gu was a deep thinker and one should be wary of dealing with him.

only……

He Mingyuan hesitated, hesitated again, but finally gave in.

Zhao Mu and Zhao Kun had no interest in visiting the academy; they were busy with their shops.

When only the two of them remained in the open space.

Zhao Kun raised a question: "Is He Liu really that talented? To be honest, given the He family's style, I don't really believe it."

It's said that family values ​​shape children. The He family is full of mediocre people with crooked minds; how could they possibly produce a good one?

"Can different people be raised in the same nest?" Zhao Kun seriously doubted.

Zhao Mu smiled meaningfully and said, "It's not like there aren't ready-made examples."

Zhao Kun pondered for a moment and said, "That's true. Out of all the people in our Zhao family, only the one above us has emerged."

Leaving aside the Zhao family head's generation, even among their younger generation, only Young Master Zhao can be considered outstanding.

Zhao Mu held back for a long time, but still couldn't help but swear: "...I was talking about the Shen family!"

Who would accuse their entire clan of being "mediocre"?
Zhao Kun suddenly realized: "Oh, right, there's also the Shen family."

The Shen faction only produced one Wen Gu. The rest are just rubbish!
at the same time.

He family.

On the day of the street fight, the "fainted" Master He returned home and immediately summoned his retainers for a thorough analysis.

Now that I've figured out the cause and effect, let's think about those rumors circulating in the streets.

He was filled with hatred, lying in bed gritting his teeth.

"That bastard Wen Gu, I'll make him pay! This grudge must be avenged..."

Just as she was thinking about it, she suddenly learned that her most valued son had gone to the dangerous place of Jingxingfang, and she was so shocked that she almost rolled off the bed.

"Quick! Go check their hearts! My son is so kind-hearted, he's practically throwing himself into the lion's den!"

Before long, the trusted confidant who had been gathering information returned and told Master He that the Sixth Young Master had gone with Wen Gu to the Cen Tai Academy, which was under construction.

Master He was stunned, and after a long while, he managed to utter a sentence:
"Investigate further, report back!"

Unable to figure it out himself, Master He immediately summoned his retainers.

"We need to understand the purpose of reviewing the past before making any plans!"

They were all too aware of the significance that Cen Tai Academy represented in Xinzhou.

When it was impossible to conduct the imperial examinations openly and legitimately, Cen Tai Academy took on the responsibility of selecting talent. In the years that followed, the academy would certainly handle the crucial aspects of assessment and selection.

One of his followers said, "Mr. Hong founded the Cen Tai Academy branch to gather talented people and help the world. But there is also an extraordinary significance behind it."

Master He said, "Nonsense, of course I know that!"

If he didn't even understand this, he wouldn't be alive today.

A few days ago, He Mingyuan actively participated in literary gatherings in order to make contact with Cen Tai Academy. However, the He family was new to the area and had not yet squeezed into the literary circle, so it was quite difficult for them to integrate.

The He family was ostracized by scholars and intellectuals before, and now it's even more difficult for them.

The retainer said, "But if Wen Gu could introduce us..."

Master He didn't believe it: "Is he really that kind?"

A while later, the informant sent back the latest news—

“Wen Gu did indeed take the Sixth Young Master to Cen Tai Academy. It was still under construction and somewhat rudimentary, but it had a strong cultural atmosphere. There was also a young master named He Wenyu, who shared the same surname and worked at the academy, who was very hospitable!”

Mr. He: !!!
Mr. He: ? ? ?
No, it's about Wen Gu...

What's his motive?

The retainer was very excited and wanted to persuade his master:
"Sir, we can turn hostility into friendship with Wen Gu..."

"What are you saying!" Master He roared. "What conflict?!"

The retainers dared not speak.

Master He exclaimed, "We're new here and don't know the rules, so there was a misunderstanding. There's nothing more to it!"

Retainer: "..."

Master He continued loudly, "The street fight was a personal matter between me and Lao Zhuo. What does it have to do with him?!"

Retainer: "..."

The old man's tone was still arrogant, but it sounded rather cowardly.

Master He had already sat up and was deep in thought by the bedside.

They did suffer some setbacks during this period, but it was the Zhuo family who stepped on them to get ahead. If you think about it carefully, you can still be more open-minded.

Let me console myself: black and red are still red!

I did make a fool of myself, but more importantly, can I gain something from this? That's the most practical thing!
As long as I can achieve my goal, what does it matter if I become a laughing stock in other people's eyes?
Besides, if word gets out about what happened last time, everyone will know who hit me.

The person who hit me was no ordinary person; he was a former powerful prime minister!

The person at the pinnacle of power in the eyes of ordinary people!
I was playing in a high-level match!
defeat?
In this city of Xinzhou, countless families have fallen. Back when Old Zhuo was vying for the position of Prime Minister, how many rivals did he defeat!
Who hasn't lost before?
It's just that our Lao He lost somewhat embarrassingly.

But in this day and age, what does losing face matter?
Master He asked, "I've heard a lot of rumors about Wen Gu lately. I've heard that he's a broad-minded person?"

The retainer wiped his sweat: "Uh...yes."

But the retainer also expressed his concern: "I wonder if Prime Minister Zhuo will try to stop us?"

Master He was very dissatisfied: "What is he stopping us from? Just because the Zhuo family is eating meat, does that mean others can't even have a sip of soup? That's outrageous!"

The retainer said, "In case..."

Master He slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "There's no 'what if'! If he really goes too far, I'll find a rope and hang myself at the gate of the Zhuo family's house!"

He'd already lost face and his reputation was ruined, so he was willing to go all out!

The He family only has one promising son, Liu'er, so he's willing to swallow his pride and get the whole clan involved to help him!
Over at the academy.

Wen Gu took He Mingyuan with him.

If you have a good family background and are talented, but your family won't let you leave the city, then go work at the academy... help out!

The academy is currently under construction, and there is a lot of work to be done but few people available.

At present, there are limited positions with official status, and some people are reluctant to come and work for free because of their status.

He Mingyuan, however, was very willing to stay!
He has no shortage of money or time; what he lacks is opportunity!

Having just finished processing a stack of documents, He Wenyu was delighted to have help. He touched the barely fading dark circles under his eyes and said warmly:

"We both have the surname He, maybe we were one family eight hundred years ago! What a coincidence!"

Hehehe, I have a helper!

Finish this quickly so you can go home!

In the evening, before the gates closed, He Mingyuan finally returned home.

Although he was clearly tired and his steps were slightly unsteady, his eyes were extremely bright.

Mr. He waited anxiously at home, and finally saw the person return safely, bringing good news.

He laughed heartily, "My son is indeed intelligent! Go ahead and do it. If anyone gets in your way, don't worry, your father will take care of it!"

As he spoke, Master He still harbored some concerns and tentatively asked, "Wen Gu... when you went there today, did he make any sarcastic remarks or take the opportunity to mock you?"

He Mingyuan said, "No!"

"Uh... is it possible that he was being sarcastic and you didn't understand?" Master He asked again.

He Mingyuan disagreed, saying, "Wen Gu is an upright and sincere person, not like what you think, Father!"

He wasn't blindly confident, explaining, "There are also renowned teachers like Mr. Hong present."

Master He was relieved; it seemed he really needed to change his prejudice against reviewing the past.
"He's actually a pretty nice person."

(End of this chapter)