Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 599 Firing at Yu Gong
Xu Xuan had seen the rest of the things too many times; it was nothing more than the usual chorus of rewarding merit.

So he decided to leave quietly and conceal his identity.

Before leaving, I visited the Li family again.

Li Ji once carried the soul of a female cultivator from the East Sea, and his inner world had been opened, which was an incredible opportunity.

If one is willing to cultivate, the most difficult hurdle of the soul is almost not challenging.

To encounter such a powerful being who did not attempt to possess her body, did not nourish her incomplete state with his essence and blood, and even actively used secret methods to suppress the pressure on her soul so as not to harm the little girl, such luck is extremely rare.

After slaying the snake demon, all her last restraints disappeared, and her fortune gradually increased.

This is also the beginning of trouble.

Once you've experienced something extraordinary, it's hard to return to the world of ordinary people.

Even if they really want to return to the mortal world, the child's spiritual energy will actively attract some evil spirits and heretics.

The Father himself suffered greatly from this torment.

So he extended an invitation to the little girl, saying that if she encountered any trouble, she could seek help at Baoan Hall in Qiantang, and if she wanted to study, she could also go to Baoan Hall to learn.

Mr. Li immediately laughed it off, saying, "What's the use of a girl going to school? Especially since she has to go hundreds of miles away to study."

Li Ji's eyes lit up.

In fact, when the golden-armored deity asked her to slay the snake, he didn't guide her much; he just mentioned the beginning, and the little girl agreed on her own.

Even his decision to confess without his father's knowledge was made on his own initiative; he planned to deceive him first.

So she happily accepted the paper butterfly, and probably won't be able to wait more than a few days before contacting Baoantang.

After finishing the last bit of work, Xu Xuan and Sanqi jumped onto the carriage.

"Let's go, to Minzhong County."

The carriage started slowly, its wheels creaking softly as they rolled over the dirt.

Another convoy set off for Qiantang, laden with goods.

Just as they were about to leave Dongye County, Ji Rui suddenly spoke up: "Master Xu, Zhou Ju's continued presence in Dongye is more of a curse than a blessing."

The implication was that they were urging the teacher to do something to get that guy removed as soon as possible.

Zao and Ning Caichen largely agreed; they had almost been assigned to Zhou Ju's demon-slaying team. The thought of going deep into the mountains to play hide-and-seek with a snake demon was utterly daunting.

How could the human brain come up with such an outrageous decision? Even if you don't read military strategy books, you should at least read history books.

The three Qi, harboring resentment, watched longingly, all believing that Master Xu was not a good person who clearly distinguished between gratitude and resentment.

Mr. Xu opened his slightly closed eyes and asked, "What kind of person do you think I am?"
As the saying goes, a gentleman's capacity is boundless, his heart can embrace a hundred rivers. You've taught me so many principles, how come you haven't taken any of them to heart?

All I could do was snort coldly to express my dissatisfaction.

"Hmph, wait until you remember to make a move? By then it'll be New Year's Day."

"I had already planned this out."

Well, as the saying goes, "If you're prepared, you'll succeed; if you're not prepared, you'll fail." You can easily pull out dozens of contingency plans.

As expected, the disciples had not misjudged him.

Not long ago in Yangzhou, a shocking change was taking place in the officialdom, and a brave man took the initiative to publicly criticize it.

If you ask who he is, it is none other than Song Youde, the governor of Wu County, who is as brave as a tiger!
Keep in mind that Yu Gong was in Wu County; what fearless spirit that must have been!

A petition was sent to Yangzhou. The governor of Yangzhou was shocked after reading it and, on the advice of Prefect Lu, immediately sent it to the capital by express courier, causing a huge uproar in the court.

Even the Emperor of Jin asked whose general this was and how he could be so brave.

The high-ranking officials in the court looked at each other in bewilderment. This Song Qingtian had not yet taken sides. If anyone was going to argue, it would be through Yu Gong.

However, this petition was a fierce attack on Yu Gong.

What are we criticizing? We're criticizing their low moral character and their pursuit of fame and fortune.

He was concerned only with his own moral cultivation, but neglected his disciples. He allowed Zhou Ju to collude with the magistrate of Jiang Le County to disregard human life, worship wild gods, and arbitrarily impose corvée labor, conscripting the people of Dongye to hunt snakes in the mountains, which nearly led to a major disaster.

Just as Wang Mang mined jade in Lantian, Zhou Ju now catches snakes in Dongye. Relying on their prestige of ruling the country, they run rampant in Yangzhou, and no one can subdue them.

Although Song was not a Confucian scholar, he understood some of the principles of the sages. How could such a perverse person continue to harm the people?

Life is what I desire, and righteousness is what I believe in.
The petition was written in a long and eloquent style, brimming with emotion, full of allusions and historical references—a skillfully crafted short essay. Most importantly, it was incredibly audacious; it skipped the official duties and went straight to the position of Emperor Dingguo.

It's clear that Xu was deeply involved when he ghostwrote for Song Xian.

Emperor Jin looked at Jia Chong first. The matter of Jianye was indeed a huge taboo. We, the emperor and his minister, had already discussed it. We agreed to proceed slowly, didn't we?

Aren't you afraid that old man will come back and punch you if you flip the table like that?
Jia Chong was dumbfounded. No, it wasn't me.

Then my mind went blank. Could it really be me?
Having done so many bad things, I'm starting to lose confidence.

Then she confirmed that it wasn't me.

I was waiting for Zhou Ju to make a mistake before I could use a series of powerful countermeasures, such as a combination of suppression and attack, or diverting the trouble eastward—these were incredibly clever court strategies. How could I possibly be so brutal?

Who would have thought that before anyone even made a mistake, some hothead would grab a knife and stab someone. And it was the kind of stabbing where he didn't care about anything else, just wanted to get his kicks first.

He was also panicking; if he were identified as the mastermind at this point, he would be in serious trouble.

After much mutual suspicion, someone still dared to offer a suggestion.

"Could it be that Song Youde really couldn't stand by and watch?"

Although no one believed that a fat man with questionable character had suddenly come to understand the righteous path, the opportunity had been presented to him, so why not take advantage of it?

So he sent a letter to Yu Gong, hoping that the other party would give an explanation or make some excuses.

To everyone's surprise, the old man was quite stubborn and readily admitted it.

A teacher is one who instructs students in matters and enlightens them on virtues.

Teachers should not only impart skills, but also cultivate character. If students deviate from moral standards, teachers need to reflect on whether they have fulfilled their role in "imparting moral guidance."

I know I was wrong, and my student was even more wrong. So let's remove Zhou Ju from his position as prefect and send him to Qiantang for a re-education.

As for Song Youde, Yu Gong said he would find an opportunity to have a good talk with him.

The court officials were even more frustrated. All the schemes they devised were no match for a single petition from Fatty Song.

Are all upright people like this, or are we just overthinking things?

However, one thing is certain: this Prefect of Wu Commandery is definitely not one of Yu Gong's men, so we can keep a close eye on him.

The phrase "simplicity resides in the emperor's heart" appeared in Song Youde's life.

Dongye County soon received the imperial decree, and Zhou Ju was dismissed from all his posts and immediately escorted to Qiantang.

Zhou Ju could not accept it, but he had no choice but to.

When he relinquished his position as prefect, he felt resentment, confusion, anger, and a sliver of secret joy.

These past few months have been filled with so many ups and downs, it's really exhausting.

And my neck hurts a lot, as if it's bearing an unbearable weight, and it's also a little crooked.

"That's all."

"Relearning is good, even with a teacher."

Thinking of this, his body suddenly felt numb as he sat in the carriage, and his once proud and upright figure became somewhat hunched.

It was as if I could see fists the size of sandbags and deafening roars.

On this day, he once again recalled the fear of being dominated by the Confucian knight-errant.

This is not the worst.

"No, I am, I am a hero."

"Young Master Xu said he has connections, and the new prefect is pulling strings. Do you understand?!"

On the other side, Xiao Kalami, the magistrate of Jiang Le County, could not accept this outcome. "Zhou Ju and I are clearly irreconcilable enemies. Why is the east wind falling and the west wind being abandoned as well?"

Your court disputes are so inexplicable! I don't understand, I don't accept them, I refuse to...
What's worse, Xu Xuan made some wonderful promises before he left, such as that the position of Prefect of Dongye should not be left vacant and that a capable person should be chosen to replace him.

He also took most of his personal wealth, implying that he had connections in higher positions.

This is a scam!
Overwhelmed by extreme joy and sorrow, he went insane.

(End of this chapter)