My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 244 Good Priests and Bad Priests

Luoyang, East Gate.

A horse-drawn carriage slowly drove out of the city.

Several knights were stationed around the carriage to escort it.

Just as the carriage was about to reach the city gate, Li Xuanba, along with several trusted confidants, blocked its path.

"Li Xuanba requests an audience with the Chief Priest."

The driver didn't speak, but just looked at him silently.

"Let him in."

Yang Wang, who was inside the carriage, spoke up. The next moment, Li Xuanba stepped into the carriage and was about to bow when Yang Wang said, "No need for that, just sit down."

Li Xuanba carefully sat down opposite him, saying, "I heard that the Grand Master is leaving Luoyang, so I came here to see him off."

Yang Wang stared at him. "Did your grandfather send you?"

"No, I came here of my own accord."

"why?"

“When we encountered the assassins before, the chief priest protected me with all his might.”

"Just for this?"

"The chief priest is a good person."

Yang Wang paused for a moment, then looked at the little baby in front of him again, his eyes softening.

"From now on, you should no longer be called the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. Among the students of the Imperial Academy, you are the most talented. It's just a pity that your grandfather has also suffered misfortune. I'm afraid the Emperor's attitude towards you will change in the future."

"Here."

"Sigh, who could have imagined this?"

Yang Wang had always been a rather resolute person, but the emperor's order had completely shattered his pride. He suddenly began to doubt his past beliefs and the classics he had read.

But he didn't want to say these things to a child.

He pursed his lips and said seriously, "Although you are highly learned, you are not good at speaking. The debate on classics and the way you conduct yourself in society are completely different things. You should not always stay in the mansion to study and practice martial arts. You should also interact more with your friends and learn from them how to interact and make friends. Otherwise, when something happens to you, you won't even be able to find anyone to speak up for you."

Li Xuanba lowered his head and carefully wrote it down.

He said, “Master, the classmates all say that you are the best Master. Although you are strict, you have given everyone many opportunities to regain the knowledge they had forgotten. They also want to come and see you off, but they are all too old and are afraid that coming to say goodbye will cause you more trouble.”

Yang Wang said, "I understand, it's right that they didn't come. If you ask me, you shouldn't have come at all."

"Go back and study hard. Things in the world won't always be like this."

"I'm afraid I'll never have the chance to return to Luoyang."

"If I achieve fame and success in the future, I will definitely send someone to invite the chief priest to come."

"Hahaha~~"

Yang Wang laughed, "Good, good. If you become the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat in the future, send someone to find me, and I'll be your Minister of Works!"

As Yang Wang spoke, he had several of his own books brought out and gave them to Li Xuanba, after which he let Li Xuanba leave.

Yang Wang's carriage left the city gate and headed towards the countryside.

Yang Wang, however, was in a very good mood inside the car.

At least I'm still a good priest.

Imperial College.

The PhD students sat in the upper seats, while the teaching assistants maintained order.

Almost all the students had arrived, and they sat around the lecture platform. Li Xuanba was surrounded by the crowd, as they were used to sitting around him, even when it wasn't an exam.

Yang Hao has already left the Imperial Academy. He is old enough, and the Emperor has made new arrangements for him.

But the others remained, discussing the matter amongst themselves.

Most people actually liked Yang Wang quite a bit. Although he was strict and disciplined, at least during the time he served as the chief priest, everyone really started to study and their studies continued to improve.

Yuwen Rutong said in a low voice, "The reason we've gathered everyone here today is probably about the new chief priest."

“I asked my father, but even he didn’t know who the new chief priest was.”

"He said it might be a member of the royal family, but he didn't know who he was talking about."

Some people were worried, "What if an even stricter person comes? If they don't even allow cheating and insist on continuing the exam, won't all of us have to go home?"

"That's not necessarily true. Who would dare to drive us all away?"

Just as everyone was discussing this, a soldier ran in and reported the arrival of the new chief priest.

The PhD students were ready immediately.

The students all craned their necks out. The next moment, a man walked towards them, surrounded by the crowd. He was taller and stronger than Yang Wang, with a long beard and sharp eyes. He walked quickly, and the doctoral students bowed to greet him.

Yuwen Rutong's face immediately changed.

"How could it be him??"

Li Xuanba asked curiously, "Who is this?"

Yuwen Rutong looked at Li Xuanba with a hint of fear in his eyes, "It's the Duke of Chu."

Yang Xuangan?
Li Xuanba hurriedly looked at the person. He had heard the name Yang Xuangan many times, but this was the first time he had seen him.

Yang Xuangan became the chief priest?

So, the sage has promoted him again?
Just as Li Xuanba was looking at the other person, Yang Xuangan suddenly looked at him.

The two looked at each other.

Yang Xuangan's eyes were somewhat cold, but Li Xuanba was not afraid.

"Greetings, High Priest!"

Everyone bowed and paid their respects, and Li Xuanba mingled among them.

Yang Xuangan strode over and sat in the seat of honor. The doctors stood around him, all with their heads down, feeling intimidated.

The Duke of Chu did indeed love the classics and had some knowledge of them. He also enjoyed associating with great Confucian scholars. So why was he chosen to serve as the chief priest?
Yang Xuangan shifted his gaze from Li Xuanba to the other noble disciples.

A flicker of joy crossed his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by sadness.

My uncle's final instructions were extremely important.

He sent his younger brother to contact Duan Wenzhen, the Minister of War, who spoke up in front of the emperor in time, rendering the evidence in Yang Wang's hands worthless. What was originally a very unfavorable situation for him turned into Yang Wang being in the wrong and him being framed.

Of course, he was indeed framed; he never attempted to assassinate Yang Wang.

Although he lost the extremely important position of Minister of Rites, at least he survived and came to this place he had always dreamed of. There were so many noble sons here, making it even easier to make friends.

He was overjoyed by this, but when he thought of his uncle's passing and the fact that he could no longer offer advice, he couldn't help but feel grief.

He slowly began to speak: “Gentlemen, I know that the Imperial Academy is filled with the most talented young people in the country. You are all the pillars of the nation’s future. I have been ordered to come here so that you can display your talents and realize your ambitions as soon as possible, and serve the Sage as soon as possible!”

“I have already suggested to the Emperor that we shorten the term of study for students of the Imperial Academy so that you may enter officialdom sooner.”

"I've heard about the assessment that Yang Wang previously designated. Assessments are not a reliable way to distinguish a person's abilities, so from now on, an assessment every three months will suffice."

Yang Xuangan first shared some of his new ideas, which garnered support from many people.

After Yang Xuangan finished explaining his many plans, he finally let the students leave. It was clear that he was not as strict as Yang Wang. He did not treat the students as his students, but as resources.

When dealing with students, you need to be strict; when dealing with resources, just think about how to make good use of them.

The students stood up, and Li Xuanba also stood up. Just as he was about to leave, a warrior stopped him. "The Grand Master wishes to meet with the Marquis of Bocheng."

Those students who were very close to him knew about the affair between the Li and Yang families, and they looked at him with some worry in their eyes. Many of them lowered their heads and pretended not to hear anything, and hurriedly left, unwilling to get involved.

But some did not leave.

Yuwen Rutong did not leave. He said loudly, "Xuanba, go ahead. We will wait here. I have heard that the Duke of Chu loves talented people the most, so he will certainly not make things difficult for us."

Li Xuanba was brought before Yang Xuangan by the warriors. Yang Xuangan was talking with several scholars when he saw Li Xuanba arrive, and he began to examine him carefully.

"Are you Li Yuan's third son?"

Yang Xuangan questioned.

"When the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy takes office, his first task is to examine the students and verify their identities. You are not someone who holds a position without doing any work; how could you not know who I am?"

Li Xuanba answered very obediently.

Yang Xuangan wasn't angry; instead, he was somewhat surprised. He stared at Li Xuanba and said, "This kid really has some quick wit."

He had just directly mentioned Li Yuan's name, which was a great humiliation. Li Xuanba also directly said "a person who occupies a position without doing any work," using the name of Yang Xuangan's father.

How old are you this year?

"eleven."

"Students at the Imperial Academy must be at least fourteen years old. How did you get in?"

"The sage took pity on him and ordered him to be summoned."

"Oh? I've never heard of this before."

The scholars remained silent, while Lu Shida frowned. The Duke of Chu had a great reputation and a very good public image, so why was he deliberately making things difficult for a little child today? This was so unbecoming of his status.

Li Xuanba was not afraid. He met Yang Xuangan's gaze and said, "If the Duke of Chu feels this is inappropriate, he can order my dismissal now."

"Hehe, I wouldn't make things difficult for a little kid like you. I was just testing you a few times."

"Go back now, and from now on, you must strictly abide by the regulations of the Imperial Academy."

(End of this chapter)