Confucian and Taoist Cultivation Starting from the Equipment Slot

The lights in the back hall of the county government office were still on.

Wang Zhongting leaned back in his armchair, toying with a jade thumb ring in his hand.

He had just seen off several local wealthy businessmen who had come to curry favor with him, and his mood wasn't too bad.

Although he didn't fully understand Song Zhiyuan's background at the banquet, he at least confirmed one thing.

The newly appointed dean of the Faculty of Arts will not openly side with the Xie family.

For him, this result was enough to satisfy the Wang family.

As for other things, he wanted to serve as a county magistrate for a few more years and enjoy the benefits of the cultural heritage.

A soft knock came from outside the door.

"Come in."

It was Zhou Wenyuan who came in.

He was still wearing the slightly worn blue long gown he wore at the banquet, and he was holding a lacquered tray with a pot of wine and two wine cups on it.

"Magistrate Wang was working late into the night, and Zhou took it upon himself to send over a pot of wine."

Wang Zhongting looked up at him and smiled.

Zhou Wenyuan is a talent he has discovered in recent years. He is capable, strong, and very intelligent.

Most importantly, you can understand his feelings in the smallest details.

If possible, he really wanted to pass the position of the next county magistrate to him.

Unfortunately, this is not something a mere county magistrate like myself can decide, and even the imperial court's words don't carry much weight.

"Zhou, the clerk, is quite thoughtful. But sending wine at this time, I'm afraid it's not just to help me relax."

Zhou Wenyuan smiled and did not deny it.

He sat down opposite Wang Zhongting, poured a glass of wine for each of them, and then spoke:

"During the banquet tonight, Mr. Zhou noticed a detail: the young instructor brought by Dean Song changed his expression when Mr. Wang took out the rubbing."

Wang Zhongting stopped playing with the jade thumb ring.

"Your expression changed?"

"It was only for a moment, but I, Zhou, am always observant, and I would never have misread that moment."

Wang Zhongting remained silent for a while, then sighed inwardly.

This is another troublesome matter; sometimes, this is the downside of being a capable person.

They can discover many details that ordinary people cannot.

He sneered, "What's so strange about an instructor from Shengtian Prefecture recognizing a few ancient characters? Didn't Song Zhiyuan recognize them himself?"

He tried to brush the matter aside, since it wasn't really their business anyway.

As a result, Zhou Wenyuan remained relentless.

"They are different. Dean Song 'identifies,' while Instructor Chen 'understands.' Identification is a skill, while understanding is an experience. Mr. Wang should understand the difference between the two better than I do."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhongting's eyes finally turned serious.

He could tolerate unexpected events, but he absolutely could not allow anything to go wrong in matters concerning the royal family's future.

The matter of carving stones is kept strictly confidential within the Wang family.

He only found out after he became the county magistrate.

Now, almost anyone knows about the existence of the stone carvings.

Isn't the secret that the Wang family has kept for so many years a joke?

Thinking of this, Wang Zhongting waved his hand.

"Have Ah Si keep an eye on that Instructor Chen. His concealment technique is one of the best in the county, so he won't be detected."

"If that guy surnamed Chen makes any unusual moves, let Ah Si handle it himself, there's no need to hold back."

Ah Si was a martial arts master of the eighth rank trained by the county government, specializing in handling shady matters.

Although martial artists of the same level cannot compare to scholars, it is different when they are in a different rank.

Only a minority can still kill opponents of a higher level.

Zhou Wenyuan lowered his eyes: "Yes."

Then, he lowered his head and left.

After he came out, he approached Ah Si and explained the details of the mission.

"Yes, sir! I will certainly not fail you!"

After listening, Ah Si turned to leave, but Zhou Wenyuan called him back.

"Wait! Keep this safe for now; it might come in a critical moment."

Zhou Wenyuan handed over a self-made talisman that read "War".

Ah Si took it and disappeared into the night.

……

Inside the Academy of Arts, Chen Zhuo was deep in thought when he heard footsteps behind him. It was Song Zhiyuan.

"Young friend Chen, come to the study."

Only one candle was lit in the study, making the light dim.

Song Zhiyuan sat behind his desk, laid the rubbing of the character "噬" flat on the table, and gently tapped the edge of the table with his fingers.

"The Wang family won't make a move tonight," he said bluntly. "At the latest, tomorrow. The Xie family won't survive."

Chen Zhuo sat down opposite him: "How did you make that judgment?"

"Wang Zhongting is not the kind of person who would drag out the final battle until the day after tomorrow."

Song Zhiyuan's gaze fell on the rubbing, and he analyzed it logically and with evidence:

"He did three things at the banquet today: tested my stance, demonstrated the Wang family's power to everyone, and extinguished the Xie family's last hope."

"He has done all three things, so he has no reason to wait any longer. Tomorrow, invite Xie Anshi to the tea shop. Either Xie Anshi will sign and hand over the mine on the spot, or we'll break off all relations."

Song Zhiyuan's tone was rarely flat; it was as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

"Would you help them?"

Song Zhiyuan remained silent for a while. The candlelight cast interplay of light and shadow on his face.

"I will help with the reasoning," he said.

Chen Zhuo didn't ask any further questions because he understood.

Song Zhiyuan will not take action for the sake of the Xie family; this is the path the Xie family chose themselves.

However, Song Zhiyuan would not stand idly by while the Wang family bullied others and indiscriminately killed innocent people.

His stance is not to take sides, but to stand on the side of reason.

Be careful tomorrow.

"Wang Zhongting looked at you several times at the banquet. You embarrassed the Wang family at the restaurant today, and he won't let it go easily."

"Although he won't do anything to you openly because you're a professor in the Faculty of Arts, it's hard to say what he might do behind the scenes."

Chen Zhuo nodded: "I understand."

Song Zhiyuan glanced at him but didn't say anything more.

Chen Zhuo got up to say goodbye, and as he reached the door, he suddenly heard a very soft sigh behind him.

He turned around and saw Song Zhiyuan looking down at the rubbing, a rare look of fatigue on his face.

"Mr. Song?"

"It's nothing." Song Zhiyuan waved his hand. "It's just that... some roads are much harder to walk than they look."

Chen Zhuo didn't know what he was referring to.

Is it a matter concerning the College of Arts, the Xie family, or something else entirely?

But he didn't ask; everyone has their own path to walk.

Chen Zhuo gently closed the door and walked into the courtyard.

Moonlight spilled onto the bluestone slabs, giving them a thin layer of silvery frost.

He was about to return to his room when he saw a small, thin figure sitting on the steps in front of his door, hugging his knees.

"Miss Gu?"

Gu Qing'e raised her head.

Chen Zhuo noticed that her eyes were a little red, but there were no tear stains on her face.

The light blue dress she wore looked rather thin in the night breeze.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I can't sleep."

Her voice was much softer than usual, lacking the air of a precocious child she had during the day: "I went to see my father just now, and I overheard him talking to Chen Tiansheng outside the door. He said... something might happen to the Xie family."

Chen Zhuo was silent for a moment, then sat down on the steps next to her.