Top Scholar

Chapter 115 Mr. Noble Righteousness
As they left Daonan Hall, Li Qiyu looked at the dejected Zhu Zihe and comforted him, "You should be content. Your parents completely forgot about me..."

Zhu Zihe scrutinized Li Qiyu for a while before recognizing him as Qiji's follower, and said with a wry smile, "I'd rather he had missed me too."

"Sigh..." The two sighed in unison, feeling a sense of shared misfortune...

Su Lu was filled with doubt and suspicion. He didn't know what had happened at Daonan Hall, so he couldn't understand where Magistrate Lu's murderous gaze came from.

Could it be that the county magistrate has a penchant for handsome young men? Su Lu had overheard his classmates gossiping and learned about some of the perverse fetishes of high-ranking officials, and that Magistrate Lu also had a somewhat bad reputation…

Wait a minute, Zhu Zihe is much younger than me. Could it be because he has powerful connections and can't be touched? Sigh, that might be it. Even my uncle, the commander-in-chief, can't protect his nephew…

Although he might be worrying unnecessarily, such a mistake could have lasting consequences, so to be on the safe side, he decided to leave the academy as soon as possible. If necessary, he'd take a couple of days off to ensure he had no future worries…

Just as he feared, Qian Shanzhang quickly chased after him, pulled him aside, and said, "Come with me, the magistrate wants to see you alone!"

"Huh?" Even Su Lu, who was mature beyond his years, was startled.

"What do you mean 'oh'? This is great news!" Headmaster Qian grabbed his hand and said with a smile, "By climbing up to the county magistrate, your future will be bright!"

Upon hearing this, Su Lu broke out in a cold sweat and tried to pull his hand back, saying, "I'm not going. I'm still young, I'm not at that stage yet."

"What, you don't like using connections?" Qian Shanzhang asked.

"Isn't that obvious!" Su Lu said, somewhat annoyed. "I, a man of integrity, would never ruin my reputation for the sake of my future!"

"Sigh...you're still too young and naive. You don't realize that what you're scorning now might be your only chance in life." Master Qian said earnestly, "When I was young, I also scoffed at the idea of ​​using connections. Later I realized, what's wrong with using connections? If you don't take this path, you can't get into the inner circle, understand?"

"It's not shameful to put aside your pointless pride and try to please the person who can decide your fate." He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go on, Magistrate Lu is practically obsessed with you! Don't let him down..."

"Is this just a matter of putting aside your pride?" Su Lu remained unmoved and said, "Even if I, Su Lu, starve to death, die of poverty, or jump off Mount Wumeng, I would never do such a thing!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

A hint of admiration flashed in Qian Huai-ren's eyes, as if he were seeing his stubborn younger self, but he sighed and said, "Alas, you'll regret this someday."

Su Lu didn't turn her head, but raised her hand and gave him the middle finger... unfortunately, he couldn't understand it.

"Su Lu, where are you going?!" At this moment, Zhang Yanqiu saw that he hadn't gone in yet, so he came out to look for him and saw Su Lu turn and leave.

"Sir." Hearing his most respected Mr. Zhang address him, Su Lu obediently stopped.

"Sigh, this child thinks he has to go through the back door and refuses to go in no matter what," Qian Huai-ren sighed.

"Of course!" Mr. Zhang said proudly, "All the students I've taught have a bit of pride!"

Then he said to Su Lu, "Don't worry, I'm not asking you to use connections. I'm the one who forwarded your 'phonetic symbols' to Magistrate Lu. He's very interested and wants you to go in and ask him about the details."

Su Lu then realized he had misunderstood something serious. His face immediately turned red, and he bowed deeply to Mr. Qian, saying, "This disciple misunderstood the headmaster's good intentions. Please punish me, headmaster!"

Fortunately, Mr. Qian couldn't understand his gesture, and he still said kindly, "It's alright, go inside quickly. Be a little more tactful in the future, and remember that blindly believing everything in books is worse than having no books at all."

"Yes, disciple will remember your teachings." Su Lu bowed again and quickly followed Zhang Yanqiu to the guest room of Daonan Hall.

But then Zhang Yanqiu stopped under the eaves.

"Sir, won't you come in with us?" Su Lu asked.

"I've said everything I needed to say." Mr. Zhang shook his head, his face hardening. "Talking to officials is torture for me. Are you going to continue torturing me?"

"This disciple dares not," Su Lu hurriedly replied.

"Go in quickly. Remember, a gentleman seeks harmony without uniformity, and is inclusive without being partisan." Mr. Zhang waved his hand, gesturing for him to go in.

After watching Su Lu announce his arrival and enter the main room, he stood there for a while, still feeling uneasy. Only after hearing loud laughter coming from inside did he turn around and leave.

~~
At this moment, Commander Ma and Commander Li also left Daonan Hall.

To be honest, Commander Ma was quite annoyed today. He was the top leader in this area, and he was not under the jurisdiction of the county, yet he was treated with the same respect as a commander, with a twenty-mile welcome and a banquet held in the streets. This was definitely giving Lu Zhaoye a lot of face!
But Magistrate Lu showed absolutely no respect! He skipped the luncheon and sent You Muyou to the dinner in his place. Commander Ma pleaded and begged, but to no avail, and had to leave dejectedly…

"He was quite accommodating yesterday," said Li Baihu, looking puzzled. "He went to the banquet as soon as he was invited, and only declined the entertainment program a little..."

"Looks like you really hurt your back." Commander Ma rolled his eyes at him and said, "Why did you do something so intense?"

"No, not really," Li Baihu whispered. "It's just playing the piano and singing songs, very civilized..."

He became increasingly uneasy as he spoke, noting the stark contrast in Magistrate Lu's attitude towards him earlier. Moreover, when Magistrate Lu summoned the students earlier, he spoke briefly to everyone except his son, Qiyu… Was it intentional or accidental? Was there even a need to ask?
Li Baihu muttered to himself, "Could it be that Magistrate Lu's back injury really has something to do with me?" But how could he dare let the commander know about this? Otherwise, wouldn't that petty man hold a grudge against him for a year?
Just then, he saw Commander Su waiting outside Qingxin Gate, and he quickly changed the subject, saying, "Hey, Brother Su, I've heard that your nephew is amazing, but I didn't expect him to be this amazing!"

As expected, Commander Ma shifted his attention and laughed loudly at Su Youjin, saying, "Youjin, I really am old and blind, I didn't recognize gold inlaid with jade. I neglected your nephew last time!"

"Huh?" Su Youjin was taken aback and quickly asked, "What did Qiu-ge do?"

The two then vividly recounted to Su Youjin what they had seen and heard in Daonan Hall.

They sat there for a while, but no one paid them any attention. There was no way around it; scholars disliked warriors, and didn't even welcome them into the academy…

As a result, the sons of these military households stole the limelight, becoming treasures even to the county magistrate. The two officials, naturally feeling proud, were happy to embellish the story for their own amusement.

Su Youjin was dumbfounded, secretly overjoyed, but outwardly he kept pretending, saying, "This kid, doesn't he know how to behave? How could he steal the limelight from his classmate? I'll have a good talk with him when we get back..."

"I can't even praise you enough, why are you still talking!" Li Baihu laughed loudly, "I think your family is really going to produce a scholar!"

Before leaving, Commander Ma said with a smile, "You've got gold. Bring Su Lu home for dinner later."

"Yes, yes, yes." Su Youjin nodded hurriedly, but didn't leave, because his task today was to stay here, keep in touch with Commander Ma, and promptly hand over Magistrate Lu's orders...

Don't feel wronged. The fact that he's standing here proves that he's a favorite of the commander!

~~
Su Lu followed the attendant into the main room and saw that Magistrate Lu had changed into a Taoist robe and was lying on the couch, with Headmaster Zhu sitting next to him.

Only then was he completely relieved of his worries, and he bowed deeply, saying, "This junior pays his respects to my parents."

"Su Lu!" Magistrate Lu waved with a beaming smile and said, "Come, come and sit down."

"I wouldn't dare," Su Lu hurriedly replied.

"If the magistrate invites you to sit, then sit. There's no need to be so formal," Zhu Liu said with a smile. "Just now, you could feel the magistrate's appreciation for you, couldn't you?"

"Yes, I am deeply humbled. What virtue or ability do I have to earn your favor?" Su Lu said, feeling flattered.

"Haha, young man, no need to be modest. I'm not the only one who looks up to you." Magistrate Lu laughed. "Sit down quickly, it's too uncomfortable to look up at you like this."

"Yes." Su Lu then bent down and sat on the official's hat chair opposite the headmaster.

Magistrate Lu explained, "The reason I'm crawling to see you is because my back pain flared up on the way here, so I had no choice but to do this."

"This just shows how eager the county magistrate is to find talent." Zhu Liu flattered Qian Huai-ren even more skillfully than he had in private.

"Haha, hiss..." Magistrate Lu was about to burst into laughter when he put on the mask of pain again, it seemed that his 'backache' was really serious.

Actually, he was feeling better in the afternoon, but he got carried away and started walking around, which resulted in this situation.

"After hearing so much about your deeds from Brother Dejia and Friend Zhang, I am deeply moved," said Magistrate Lu after his servant had served tea to Su Lu.

"Especially the set of phonetic symbols that my friend Zhang presented to this county, it's simply amazing! I have to ask you to come and learn from it."

"My dear parents, you flatter me. Please feel free to ask me anything. I will answer whatever I know," Su Lu hurriedly replied.

"Did you really come up with this solution all by yourself?" Magistrate Lu asked curiously. "I don't doubt your abilities, but this phonetic symbol system is truly ingenious in simplifying complex concepts!"

“No.” Su Lu shook his head and said honestly, “I only started it. Mr. Zhang helped me complete most of the follow-up work.”

"Oh?" Magistrate Lu asked in surprise, "Then why didn't Zhang mention at all that this plan was related to him? He emphasized that it was all your achievement."

"Yes, that's what he said when he talked to me yesterday." Zhu Liu nodded.

"That's just how he is. A few days ago, he stayed up several nights in a row to help me complete this phonetic notation scheme, but he insisted on not signing his name on it." Su Lu said with great admiration, "But this phonetic notation scheme was indeed completed by the two of us together!"

"Excellent! Like teacher, like student; like student, like teacher!" Magistrate Lu exclaimed. "The teacher's noble character means he doesn't compete with his student for fame. The student's sincerity and integrity mean he never forgets his teacher's kindness."

As he spoke, he didn't forget to praise Zhu Liu, saying, "The headmaster has led the academy well, and the teachers and students in the academy are excellent."

"To receive the teachings of Confucius and Mencius and to learn the way of the gentleman, these are all things that should be done." Headmaster Zhu said with a faint smile, just like the cold-blooded headmaster who shouted "we do not educate people" half a year ago was someone else.

"Excellent! Truly worthy of being the 'descendants of Liao Weng,' prioritizing nurturing people over cultivating talent." Magistrate Lu praised him further before asking Su Lu:

"Young friend, what's your family situation like? What does your father do? I heard your family isn't well-off?"

(End of this chapter)