Miss and farmhand

The village drinking ceremony was an annual banquet held by the government to entertain local literati and gentry during festivals. It is said that it can be traced back to several dynasties, with each dynasty having a slightly different focus. In this dynasty, it mainly focused on officials and scholars, reflecting a literary and educational atmosphere, so it was often held in village schools, and the scene was very grand.

People like Huang Xingtong do receive invitations from the village school, but they rarely go because they find it too noisy. In previous years, the invitations were usually given to Huang Xingyu, but this year he even handed over his position as headmaster, so he probably won't receive any invitations.

However, the "village drinking party" that Huang Chu mentioned did not refer to the one held at the village school, but rather to the village drinking party held in the county.

It was an event that Shen Jingzong organized himself to act as a go-between and curry favor with people because of the Jianshan Academy's reputation. Since it was held at the academy, Huang Xingtong, who couldn't refuse in previous years, could only fill in for Shen Jingzong. The event usually took place around the Lantern Festival, and the invitations should have arrived by then in previous years, but this year no one was waiting for it. Everyone thought that since the relationship had deteriorated to this point, they didn't want to make things awkward for each other.

However, Huang Xingtong said, "The invitation has been delivered; it was sent to the gatekeeper this morning, along with holiday gifts."

Absolutely breathtaking.

Huang Chu said, "If all officials have this kind of mentality, then when Father goes back, he will be like a lamb entering a tiger's den, and they will bully him."

Huang Xingtong disliked her for saying discouraging things, but everyone at the table knew his temper and laughed.

Huang Xingtong had to repeatedly assure his family that he was no longer the same person.

Before the fifteenth of the lunar month, he had just sent out some New Year's greetings and gifts when guests from afar arrived at his home.

……

Fewer people attended the village banquet this year, naturally because the headmaster of Jianshan Academy had changed. From the beginning, the academy was established using Huang Xingtong's name; many people only recognized him as a former Hanlin scholar. After the change, nobody cares who taught the students in previous years or who actually conducted the instruction—it doesn't matter. Only two types of people attend such social gatherings: those pursuing officialdom and fame, and those following academic trends. Huang Xingyu has neither.

Shen Jingzong had to cover it up himself, saying that the matter of Xiaoshidang was not over yet, the whole county was in mourning, and the government should set an example, so it was not appropriate to hold a grand celebration. He spoke very eloquently.

The atmosphere was more solemn than in previous years because there were fewer people and the space was more open. A word spoken could echo throughout the entire academy, so the guests dared not drink and talk freely.

In previous years, Shen Jingzong's village drinking party had a vulgar feel to it. All sorts of people came, making it lively and bustling. They would feast, sing, and play drinking games, claiming that they were in the Wei and Jin style. In the end, some people would even take off their clothes and dance, which was very ridiculous.

This year, things turned out alright; the quiet and dignified demeanor seemed quite convincing.

Huang Xingtong arrived after their sacrificial ceremony. Since he was already an outsider, he rushed over to eat, his purpose was very clear.

When Shen Jingzong saw him, he joked, "Why are you so late? We had reserved a seat for you in the main seat, but it was empty because you didn't come, and people were asking about it."

Someone will definitely ask, but the question isn't why the person who was supposed to be in the empty seat didn't show up; it's why the person sitting there is entitled to sit there.

Huang Xingyu heard it but pretended not to hear it.

Huang Xingtong and Shen Jingzong exchanged pleasantries: "How could I possibly accept this? I am a 'guilty criminal,' and I feel bad for my students. Naturally, I dare not sit down, so I can only shamelessly ask for a drink."

Huang Xingyu said coldly from the side, "Why bother so much? This year has been so quiet. The village school won't invite us either. They're still wary of the Xiaoshidang incident, which has implicated everyone."

Huang Xingtong smiled with pursed lips but didn't reply.

Seeing his reaction, Shen Jingzong had his own guesses, but he didn't say anything.

Behind Huang Xingtong was a short, handsome man with a long beard who spoke quickly and without restraint: "The village school? Didn't we get invitations to go?"

Huang Xingyu's expression changed.

Huang Xingtong and Shen Jingzong seemed to be competing to see who could keep their expressions up longer. The two of them smiled at each other, but it was the same fake smile with the corners of their mouths pulled back, a mask that seemed impossible to break even if you hit it with a stick.

Huang Xingtong laughed and said, "Yes, the invitation was sent to me as usual. Did you forget to tell them about my resignation? Did you make a mistake?"

Shen Jingzong laughed as well: "Probably. The subordinates are lazy and unreliable. Plus, it's far away."

Everyone knows how that's possible; such personnel transfers are reported immediately.

But they still recognize the original person. What's the point of sending an unknown scholar to the village school? He'll be taking the imperial examination next year; he can't even get past the threshold. How can they possibly invite him?

Shen Jingzong even suppressed the reprimands from his superiors, who said they were making a scene and allowing a group of students to cause trouble and dismiss a good headmaster. The students were simple-minded and kind-hearted, but easily swayed by emotions. It was hard to say whether they were incited by someone with ulterior motives to do something foolish. Instead of helping to suppress and admonish them, the government was held hostage by a group of students, resulting in this kind of thing that broke the heart of a good teacher.

Shen Jingzong knew perfectly well that his student wasn't exactly a saint by nature, and his teacher wasn't much better. It was just that this matter was intertwined with the Zhou family's affairs at sea, which threw him off balance. In retrospect, he realized he had handled it poorly, which led to him now having to keep someone like Huang Xingyu by his side, someone who brought him shame.

He swallowed his anger. With a forced smile, he asked, "And who is this? Zhi Rong didn't even introduce you."

"Oh, this is the newly appointed Governor of Zhejiang, Zhao Yuze."

Shen Jingzong and Huang Xingyu were so shocked that they forgot to bow and stood frozen in place.

Zhao Yuze waved his hand, "Why are you trying to scare me? I'm just here for a free meal. I didn't get enough to eat at your house the other day, and your southern dishes weren't satisfying with their small portions." Zhao Yuze was from Shandong. "Official matters can wait. Just consider myself here to bask in your glory and admire your Jiangnan culture, which makes us Central Plains men look bad."

Zhao Yuze was not actually born in the same year as Huang Xingtong. He was two cycles older than Huang Xingtong and entered officialdom earlier, about ten years behind him. However, they happened to be under the same teacher when they passed the imperial examination, so they had a bond as fellow students.

However, Zhao Yuze was transferred to a post outside the capital the following year while Huang Xingtong was in the capital. He had offended people at court, and their friendship lasted only a year. Furthermore, they didn't get along at the time. Zhao Yuze disliked his junior brother from Jiangnan, as the top three in the imperial examinations that year were all from the south, putting him ahead of them. Being young and hot-tempered, he was often verbally abusive and had several heated arguments with Huang Xingtong. After his time away gaining experience, he toned down his behavior, becoming closer to his junior brother and even willing to joke about it.

When he said that, Shen Jingzong and Huang Xingyu dared not take his official position lightly and insisted on pulling him to move up to a higher seat. But the Shandong man was not joking with them, so he didn't budge, and Zhao Yuze sat comfortably with Huang Xingtong at the lower seat.

While nervous, Huang Xingyu was indignant: "This is too unruly! The governor himself actually sat down with him. What must the governor think? I can't control him, but Lord Shen, aren't you going to stop him? You're just letting him act so recklessly, disgracing the officialdom of Jiangnan."

Shen Jingzong didn't give him a single word or glance, his face turning bright red.

Huang Xingyu may be stupid, but he's not. Zhao Yuze's words clearly indicated that he'd been there for several days, and the governor had come to the county, yet he, the county magistrate, was completely unaware. It would be a laughing stock if word got out!