Miss and farmhand

Huang Xingtong went and returned, saying, "Just as I expected, the magistrate only said I was making a fuss over nothing and didn't really take it to heart."

The three were slightly disappointed. Stone couldn't help but say, "They didn't even mention investigating?"

"They said they would send someone to the garrison to inquire, but the Zhou family business doesn't believe them at all. They did hear about what happened between you and your mother, and even advised me to keep a closer eye on you and not to lower myself to get involved in the merchants' affairs."

Stone was getting impatient. This was essentially having no effect, so he no longer cared whether or not to hold back his trump card.

"We still need evidence; he definitely won't believe it if he doesn't see evidence."

Huang Xingtong nodded, "I thought so too. But when I was at my wit's end, I got angry with him. He was so stubborn. I told him that you might have more evidence, and that this isn't just something children come up with on a whim. The magistrate then told me to come back and question you properly, and not to make a fuss. He told me to come back to him only if I really had evidence."

Therefore, the importance of that gift list has greatly increased, and all hopes are pinned on it.

The next day, Shi Tou accompanied Huang Xingtong to the county government office. Upon entering the main hall, they were taken aback to find Zhu Xiaoxu sitting in the guest seat, seemingly talking to the magistrate.

Upon seeing Huang Xingtong enter, he quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Sir. It's been a long time since I've seen you. I never expected to meet you here with the magistrate today."

Huang Xingtong assumed that since he had already told the magistrate yesterday that he would bring evidence today, the magistrate should know that this was an important matter and would not have received other people after knowing that he was coming. Even if the matter with Zhu Xiaoxu was equally urgent, since he had been informed and allowed to enter, Zhu Xiaoxu should have been asked to recuse himself at this time.

But the county magistrate didn't seem to be in a hurry at all.

Huang Xingtong nodded to Zhu Xiaoxu and said perfunctorily, "I have some urgent business to attend to, that's why I came to the magistrate's place."

He thought that after he said that, Zhu Xiaoxu would either know when to leave or the magistrate would ask him to stay away.

However, the magistrate still looked at Zhu Xiaoxu, feigning surprise and a hint of a smile, and said, "What's wrong? Brother Zhirong hasn't been going to the academy lately?"

Huang Xingtong frowned, wondering what this had to do with what they were about to discuss, when he heard Zhu Xiaoxu laugh and say, "It's been quite a while. I used to see you occasionally, or you'd be passing on some official correspondence, and we could exchange a few words. But lately, even those official correspondence have been handled by Master Huang. And because of what happened at the Huang residence a month ago, all because of the garden you were building, I've stopped going to your house to avoid suspicion. That's why I haven't seen you since."

Huang Xingtong was already displeased when he heard the commotion escalate to his home, and this only intensified his displeasure. Just as he was about to say something to the magistrate, he heard him say, "This won't do, Zhirong. You are the headmaster, and the academy is your duty. How can you be so negligent? The students can't even see you, yet you're meddling in all sorts of trivial matters that are none of your concern. This is truly unacceptable."

Huang Xingtong was stunned for a moment.

He was unwilling to make excuses for his laziness at work. He had indeed intentionally distanced himself from the academy environment. As for whether it was because of his argument with his elder brother Huang Xingtong or some other things that had accumulated over time, he was unwilling to bring them up one by one to explain in front of others.

He admits to being lazy and derelict in his duties, but he doesn't consider himself a good teacher.

However, the magistrate's mention of this at this time was clearly barbed.

In fact, people like Huang Xingtong are not isolated cases in this area.

The Jiangnan region is renowned for its literary culture, and this extends beyond this county. In other parts of the prefecture, there are many families like Huang Xingtong's, where three generations have produced officials in the capital who maintained their renown upon returning home. Huang Xingtong's roots are relatively shallow; he has few relatives in the countryside and doesn't even own land. He and Huang Xingyu only have a few acres of meager land and a small estate thanks to his wife Shen's dowry.

Many prominent local families' descendants returned to their hometowns and lived in seclusion in the countryside, undertaking large-scale construction projects to convert farmland into forest. The government was aware of this, but it was not allowed openly, so they would manipulate the situation. For example, they would obtain a nominal title within the official system, the most convenient one being an academy. Other connections would involve building temples or Taoist monasteries. Then, under the guise of these places, they would change the land use, building houses and gardens, claiming it was for the benefit of the local people, so the common people would not object.

This system is indispensable; once completed, the government will be happy to have such a place for local officials to indulge in refined pursuits. This is also beneficial to local officials. Although some land interests are sacrificed, the land in Jiangnan is stable and controlled by powerful local families, so the county magistrate can't really interfere much. However, the reputation gained from completing these projects will help him build connections with his superiors, become a performance indicator, and even provide a place to curry favor and receive superiors when they come to inspect.

Huang Xingtong's Jianshan Academy was of the same nature. Although for Huang Xingtong himself it was a private sanctuary where he could reflect on himself and be self-disciplined in his aversion to officialdom, he could not accomplish anything without the government's approval. Thus, his "withdrawal from the world" ironically became another form of "entering the world," and it has become a thorn in his side in his life to this day, a responsibility that he has to bear and that wears him down.

At the very least, there was a tacit understanding between the authorities and Huang Xingtong: both should know that Huang Xingtong's most important asset to Jianshan Academy in this whole affair was his reputation. His reputation in Beijing distinguished Jianshan Academy from other local academies and allowed it to become a place for pretentious intellectuals. In the years immediately following Huang Xingtong's return, many of his friends from Beijing visited, leaving inscriptions and paintings. Several of these works still remain at the county magistrate's residence today.

Huang Xingtong was just that kind of figurehead. Whether he personally participated in the academy's teaching and administrative affairs was actually unimportant. It was because he enjoyed interacting with young people and liked energetic youths that he had lingered at the academy to some extent. But now it seems he has given up as well, completely handing the academy over to Huang Xingyu and no longer going there himself.

Huang Xingtong, the county magistrate, and even Zhu Xiaoxu were all well aware of this relationship. Therefore, Huang Xingtong couldn't understand why they were specifically choosing this topic at this time.

He vaguely sensed something was amiss. Shi Tou, who was listening nearby, was furious and wanted to immediately interrupt those ridiculous remarks. He was about to pull out the gift list when Huang Xingtong grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

The magistrate glanced at him, raised an eyebrow, and said, "What, trying to cause trouble? Who is this?"

Huang Xingtong said, "It's the student I mentioned yesterday who followed Zhou Jiachuan."

He sensed something was amiss and, in order to prevent this from happening and to protect the stone, he directly referred to it as a student.

Zhu Xiaoxu laughed upon hearing this: "I didn't notice, Brother Shi is here too."

The magistrate remained displeased, coldly eyeing Shi Tou: "Him? He can also become a student at Jianshan?"

Zhu Xiaoxu and the county magistrate echoed each other, saying, "They are not students of our academy, but rather students of the teacher. They were brought into the academy to study for a few days and then stopped coming."

"If you're a student, why aren't you here? Studying isn't something to be taken lightly."

"I can't really say that, Brother Shi is studying the Three Character Classic by himself and doesn't talk to us much. But Brother Shi is indeed impressive. He's only been here for two days, but he threw a paper out of the classroom, which startled everyone."

They spoke rapidly, one word at a time, leaving no room for onlookers to interject. Huang Xingtong and Shi Tou were completely bewildered by the sudden turn of events when they heard the magistrate slam his hand on the table and exclaim, "Such a thing has happened! So you were indeed trying to cause trouble just now. Brother Zhirong, I won't even ask why you're neglecting your students at the academy and instead becoming close to such a person. What is the meaning of bringing such a person to my courtroom?"