The Great Seminary

Chapter 296 Strange
Since the information had been gathered, those who relayed it upwards all felt it was 'truly difficult to understand'.

The missing clay thief died almost certainly in vain.

After chatting with Zhang Wunan and Zhang Qihui for a while, Zhang Gui, acting as if he were a humble and respectful person, leisurely left the main dock of Pingyang Town.

He went back to his own home.

The family spent the night happily staying up to welcome the New Year.

Early the next morning, he instinctively and willingly went to the gate of the Zhang family ancestral hall in Pingyang.

Standing beside the tall stele that reads "Civil officials dismount, military officials dismount" to avoid offending others.

They drank hot wine, which was contained in a leather bag and prepared with medicinal herbs such as ginseng, lingzhi, and dried whale heart.
While leisurely munching on 'pure meatballs' like eating melon seeds, they waited for the clansmen to gather.

Unexpectedly, the lowest-ranking priests in the ancestral hall recognized Zhang Gui while preparing incense and were startled.

He immediately reported this to his superior, the high priest.

The high priest hurriedly reported to his superior, the chief priest, who was also the clan's 'temple elder'.

However, the current head of the Zhang Family Ancestral Hall in Pingyang is old and frail and no longer cares about worldly affairs.

The chief officiant is the 'head of the household' of the ancestral hall.

So they made a quick decision and opened all eight doors of the ancestral hall ahead of schedule. Each door was seven feet wide and two zhang high, made of red locust wood.

He personally stepped forward and practically "welcomed" Zhang Gui into the ancestral hall, inviting him to have tea in the inner hall behind the main hall.

It gives people the feeling of "a new emperor, a new court".

However, on such a grand annual festival day, even if one wanted to curry favor...

The chief priests and high priests could not possibly spend their time leisurely drinking tea with Zhang Gui at this critical juncture when things were so urgent.

They could only send two junior priests to stand and serve.

They generously served cucumbers, melons, red dates, and tomatoes that were originally meant to be offered as sacrifices to the Zhang family ancestors.

This actually cheered up Zhang Gui, who was initially feeling uneasy.

Just then, another person entered the inner hall of the main hall.

His tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly upon seeing Zhang Gui, and he forced a smile:

"Brother Gui, you arrived at this grand ceremony even earlier than me. You are becoming more and more filial."

This Imperial Censor of the Eastern Guangdong Province of the Ming Dynasty, who was both the patron and the grandfather of his wife, and a veteran of three dynasties, lost the emperor's favor because his younger brother, Mr. Huaihe, defected to the enemy state of Yuanshan.

She looked much more haggard.

"The great power belongs to its own extraordinary world, yet it insists on putting most of its energy into the 'political struggle' approach."

Those self-proclaimed "true unicorns" of the court and the public—I think they're just plain brain-dead.

A thought flashed through Zhang Gui's mind, and he stood up, cupping his hands in a salute to Zhang Jiuqing, saying:
"Brother Jiuqing is too kind."

Actually, I just woke up early this morning, feeling utterly bored.

I went out for a walk, and somehow ended up outside the ancestral hall.

"That's because they are filial piety and came here early."

Zhang Jiuqing sat down in the armchair opposite Zhang Gui and first offered a compliment.

Then, unexpectedly, he asked bluntly:
"You should know that our old patriarch wants to run away, right?"

Zhang Gui was taken aback, then chuckled dryly, "Brother Jiuqing is certainly straightforward."

"As our elder and clan leader, he was able to abandon his country and family, betray his ruler and violate morality."

Am I not even allowed to speak out?

The people of Donghezhou uphold the principles of morality and ethics, and regard Heaven, Earth, ruler, parents, and teachers as their guides.

The character '君' (jun) appears only after '天' (tian, heaven) and '地' (di, earth).

Zhang Liuduo's relocation to the "underground realm" was theoretically tantamount to betraying his monarch and country.

Therefore, Zhang Jiuqing, as a junior, could never morally rival him.

They immediately occupied the absolute moral high ground and began to speak without any politeness.

Seeing this, Zhang Gui sighed.

"Brother Jiuqing, to be honest, things have come to this point."

No matter how angry or cursing you are, it won't change anything. It's better to let the old patriarch "pass away sooner rather than later."

"But the key point is that not only is he unwilling to 'have children early,' he is also constantly looking for trouble."

That old lady Liulong, because her grandson went missing on a pleasure boat, has colluded with our old patriarch, who has sent countless ships to wreak havoc at sea.

Oh, and the Tao family of Zhehai, they actually set up checkpoints to investigate…”

“The Yuanshan army has not yet captured Jinlingdu, and the Ming Song state still exists.”

"Has the Tao family of Zhehai gone mad?" Zhang Gui blurted out upon hearing this.
"Are they also going to migrate their entire clan to the 'underground realm'?"

"Brother Gui, you are indeed quick-witted," Zhang Jiuqing replied with a gloomy expression.

"They just pack up and leave, not caring how messy the mess they leave behind is."

But those of us who stayed behind in our "homeland" are forced to take the blame.

The case involving thirteen ships of various sizes at sea, with a total of over 1,700 people whose fates are unknown, is already a huge one.

The incident didn't happen immediately because it was close to the New Year and the empty boat had been scattered by the wind and waves.

The Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice have already dispatched high-ranking officials to investigate this matter, just in case they pull up some mud while pulling up the radish…

Just then, a high priest came in to announce that the auspicious time was approaching.

Zhang Jiuqing had no choice but to shut his mouth and left the inner hall one after the other with Zhang Gui.

In the main hall.

The members of the Zhang family in Pingyang had already lined up in order of their status, lineage, and seniority.

High priests, and the chief priests have all taken their places.

When the clock struck midnight.

The family head, Zhang Liuduo, and Zhang Liulong appeared side by side before everyone.

This action is clearly contrary to etiquette and law.

Before any objections could arise, Zhang Liuduo had already unfurled the eulogy and was reciting it aloud:

"In the year of Jia Si, the season of spring begins, all trees compete in beauty, and all flowers are in full bloom."

With utmost respect, we offer this elegant music in remembrance of our progenitor…

The ritual must not be interrupted once it begins.

Zhang Gui stood behind Zhang Liuduo, sometimes bowing, sometimes standing still, thinking to himself:

"Zhang Liuduo really has a ruthless personality when it comes to doing things."

Since you've decided to leave, you're not going to leave any dignity behind, are you?

It's no wonder that such an extreme person, despite his talent and foresight, made one wrong step after another, ending up in this predicament.

It's true that character determines destiny.

And so the annual grand ceremony was completed, and it was already noon.

The meat was divided into portions.

The entire ceremony has officially concluded.

Zhang Liuduo and Zhang Liulong walked out of the ancestral hall side by side, still surrounded by a large group of clan members.

Those disciples who hadn't left naturally gathered around Zhang Gui and Zhang Jiuqing.

The once prosperous Zhang family of Pingyang was torn in two in just a few days.

Although he understood that this was a common occurrence among prominent families in a time of great strife, Zhang Jiuqing still couldn't help but grit his teeth.

He glanced at Zhang Gui, who remained unmoved, pushed through the crowd, and strode after Zhang Liuduo.

at this time.

A dozen or so men who looked like merchants and servants blocked Zhang Liuduo's way.

The fat man in the lead smiled at him before speaking and asked:

"Is it Lord Zhang Liuduo, who once served as the Assistant Educational Officer of Siyang County?"

They are just merchants, unless they are like the Rong family of Shuanghu, which has an "imperial aura" and should not be underestimated.

Otherwise, no matter how arrogant Zhang Liuduo was, he wouldn't have taken him seriously.

But the fat man's question was too strange; he wasn't asking if he was the 'head of the Zhang family of Pingyang'.

Instead, they asked him if he was 'the retired official who served as the Assistant Education Officer of Siyang County'.

This gave Zhang Liuduo a sudden tremor.

(End of this chapter)