Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 160 While eating, one person suddenly went missing.

Business dinners are bound to be unpleasant, unless you have no ulterior motives.

For example, Xu, who flaunts his food.

The price of food at Wangjiang Tower was nothing to Xu Jiaoxi's salary, but the menu prices for entertaining important figures were a bit of a strain.

Recently, monsters have been causing trouble in the waterways of Jiangnan, leading to a continuous rise in the price of aquatic products, and this kind of fresh fish is becoming increasingly rare.

It's a pity I just logged off my main account from Dongting Lake, otherwise I would definitely have gone there to see what was going on.

Yu Gong is another example of someone who flaunts his food; his age and status have allowed him to do as he pleases without overstepping the bounds of propriety.

I must say, this old man has quite an appetite; his muscular physique is no accident.

When the two of them simultaneously picked up the same dish, lightning flashed and thunder roared.

Due to social upheavals and ethnic integration during the Qin, Han and Three Kingdoms periods, as well as changes in furniture styles, both individual and communal dining systems coexisted in society at that time.

The practice of serving meals separately is a representative of a strict system of etiquette, which established rules that distinguished between the noble and the lowly, and between the old and the young.

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the social atmosphere was unrestrained, and the practice of communal dining gradually emerged. Wangjianglou boldly started this practice in its private rooms.

Of course, this does not mean that there are no etiquette rules for communal meals; at least the order of elders and superiors still exists.

The restaurant probably didn't expect anyone to be so bold.

Xu Xuan held the serving chopsticks, his eyes narrowing slightly. This old man across from him was not someone to be trifled with.

Before even entering the building, he made a preemptive move, even knowing his old nickname from when he first started out.

Although the nickname originated from the common people, he only actually said it out loud once.

He had mentioned his name when he threatened Jiang Shusheng during the job application assessment.

I never expected to be exposed today. Judging from the thoroughness of the intelligence preparation, it can be seen that most of the information has been figured out.

He truly deserves to be called a Confucian scholar who once led troops.

Xu sighed inwardly, then quickened his pace and snatched away the best part.

Dean Su broke out in a cold sweat and slammed the tableware he was holding over the table.

Magistrate Song almost crawled under the table; to be precise, he had just bent over.

Both of them made a dodging motion, but unexpectedly, Xu Xuan stretched forward and put the food into Yu Gong's plate.

"This is a very delicious product, a specialty of Qiantang."

"Please have Yu Gong judge for himself."

This constant back-and-forth movement almost caused Song and Su to strain their backs.

So you weren't just stubborn, you actually wanted to improve yourself.

That grandson of a man, Yu Gong, almost fooled this old man too.

Xu Xuan then ate while trying to ease the atmosphere, as he wasn't particularly skilled in classical texts and historical studies.

Let's chat about some interesting things in Qiantang, such as the enrollment of academies, or what we saw and heard at literary gatherings, etc.

He also added some dishes for his good friend and gave him a few meaningful glances.

This is a chance to make connections with important people. Why are you standing there like a wooden stake? Get back to the mindset you had a few days ago when you were calling out "that old man" and stand up straight!

Song Qingtian, shaking his fat, indicated that he usually ate little and didn't talk much, so there was no need to take care of him.

Former Dean Su remained dignified, though his head was bowed naturally. In the past, he liked to quote extensively and go on and on in his speeches, but today he seemed to be carefully considering every word he uttered, as if he had lost frame.

Yu Gong found it amusing; this young man was quite daring.

So I started to talk about something interesting.

For example, gossip about which high-ranking official in the court has a peculiar habit, or which person is always talking about him behind his back.

Upon hearing this, Song and Su felt an urge to plunge into West Lake; they couldn't stay at the dinner party any longer.

How will they survive if those important figures who were named find out about this?

"So you were sent to guard the border because the local garrison commander abandoned his post and fled, and that guy died later?"

"Oh, he was hacked to death by masked bandits, cut into three pieces!" Xu Xuan listened with great interest; it seemed that Yu Gong's Confucianism was quite retrogressive.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

The old man wiped his mouth and beard, put down his chopsticks, and his smile vanished. The air in the private room instantly froze.

The others immediately became serious as well; this was about to be the real test.

"I have decided to take over as the headmaster of the Jintian Academy."

It went straight to the point without any preamble.

After saying this, Song Youde inwardly cried out in despair, as in the blink of an eye, a formidable and wicked mother-in-law appeared above his head.

Unlike the other professors at the academy who retired and returned to their hometowns, this man, known for his violent temper, was quite anxious about becoming a county magistrate.

Dean Su's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he suddenly understood why he had come all the way from his hometown today.

really
“Su Wencheng, you were once a high-ranking official in the palace, holding the position of Grand Master of the Palace, in charge of remonstrance, and your salary was the same as yours.”

"While not speaking out loud during my duty, I at least earned a respectable reputation."

"How did you fall to this state after coming to Qiantang? The headmaster who pays homage to Heaven is supposed to perform the duty of education and moral guidance, but what about you?"

"What does Zhu Erdan's arrogance matter, or the failure of the literary conference? The real problem is the writing style."

Is failing the three sacrificial rites simply a matter of narrow-mindedness?

He threw a book at the other person.

Dean Su knelt down after only glancing at the document, and then fast-forwarded to the part where the suspect confessed to the crime.

"After returning, hand over all your property and then go to the education commissioner to request his dismissal and punishment."

Dean Su, pale-faced, bowed and agreed.

Two guards came in and took him away immediately.

Xu Xuan was completely dumbfounded. Was this his ability to solve cases? Where did he even begin to solve them?

Moreover, this senior official was still able to mobilize so much energy after resigning his post, so it was indeed reasonable for Emperor Jin to be wary of him.

At this moment, only three people remained in the private room, and Magistrate Song's legs began to tremble. This banquet was truly a trap.

"I only visited Jintian Academy once back then, and I had a good personal relationship with the previous headmaster."

"Students' initial understanding of principles comes from their parents, and secondly from their teachers."

"I learned the Confucian spear technique from the Imperial Court back then. Now that I think about it, things have really changed."

"I heard that Hanwen was a teacher at Jintian Academy in the city before he joined Chongqi, right?"

Xu Xuan was still pondering what the Confucian long spear technique was when he was suddenly called upon. He calmly replied, "Yes."

Sure enough, the next question they asked was about the story of Instructor Xu going down the mountain to subdue demons.

If one intends to continue in officialdom, then naturally one should speak freely and without reservation.

Unfortunately, he is now half a hermit, and his first thought is to stay out of these supernatural matters.

"You've misunderstood, sir. I only know a little about miscellaneous subjects, and I happened to lend a hand to repay Master Li's kindness. This is what every scholar should do."

Specifically, the victory was achieved through the personal command of our County Magistrate Song Youde at the front line and the courageous leadership of County Lieutenant Zhao Hu.

This is what we should do for the sake of Qiantang.

Right, Brother Youde?

Magistrate Song was still reeling from the sight of Dean Su being dragged away. Somewhat dazed, he stood up, picked up his cup, and downed three glasses in quick succession.

This guy, who trembles even when holding a wine glass, doesn't seem like someone who can personally go to the front lines.

Yu Gong felt that he had been treated perfunctorily by his juniors.

"Don't be nervous. This is my first time serving as the headmaster. I've heard that you are skilled in the art of reform. Could you tell me about it?"

(End of this chapter)