Chapter 42

As Xu Xinyun and the others left voluntarily.

The private room was left with only Gu Jinnian, Wang Fugui, and Su Huaiyu.

With Su Huaiyu's domineering words, the room became unusually quiet.

A moment later.

Wang Fugui broke the silence, raised his cup, and said.

"Your Highness, Brother Su."

"We are gathered here by fate. Let me, your humble brother, offer a toast to both of you, hoping you will forget the unpleasantness from earlier."

Wang Fugui raised his wine cup with a smile.

"Brother Wang, you are too kind."

Gu Jinnian spoke, while Su Huaiyu took a direct sip, savoring the taste, and then said indifferently, "It's been watered down, but it's not too bad."

He was very straightforward, lacking any social skills, and seemed to know everything. How does he know everything?

Gu Jinnian glanced at Su Huaiyu, his interest in this person suddenly growing.

"Brother Su, you are truly witty."

Wang Fugui chuckled.

However, after a few rounds of drinks, he continued.

"Your Highness."

"How long have you been in the village?"

Wang Fugui asked.

"About half an hour."

Gu Jinnian calculated the time and answered.

"Half an hour."

"Oh, then it seems Your Highness doesn't know the secret of the second challenge yet."

Wang Fugui nodded.

"The second challenge?"

"I indeed don't know."

"Does Brother Wang know?"

Gu Jinnian replied, having no clue about the second challenge.

"I don't know either. This year, the Daxia Academy is under the charge of Mr. Wenjing, who has a peculiar personality. In previous years, the entrance to the Daxia Academy was mainly about essays and poetry."

"But under Mr. Wenjing, it has become strange and unpredictable."

Mentioning this, Wang Fugui felt a bit frustrated.

His family was wealthy, and he had been taught by many scholars since childhood. For this Daxia Academy, he even hired a great scholar at great expense to tutor him.

He had studied hard for ten years.

And now you tell me it's changed?

How could Wang Fugui not feel upset?

"There is always a way."

"Mr. Wenjing must have his reasons."

"There's no need to worry too much."

"Come, Brother Wang, let's have a drink."

Gu Jinnian raised his cup, a gentle smile on his face.

Wang Fugui nodded, drank in one gulp, and then looked at Gu Jinnian, continuing.

"However, Your Highness should be more cautious."

"Your humble brother enjoys making friends. I've been in the village for half a day and have met many people."

"But I've noticed that most of the young scholars have some grievances against Your Highness."

"Someone must be deliberately damaging Your Highness's reputation."

Wang Fugui mentioned this to make Gu Jinnian pay attention.

"Damaging my reputation?"

Gu Jinnian put down his cup and then said slowly.

"Those who are not envied are mediocre. Let them say what they want."

It's not that Gu Jinnian didn't care about his reputation.

On the contrary, he cared a lot.

He knew how important public opinion was.

However, the problem was, what could he do about it?

Could he tear out their mouths one by one?

To put it bluntly, wasn't Emperor Yongsheng powerful? Yet he was still cursed by many scholars.

Everything has two sides.

As long as you are in a high position, no matter what you do, there will be both praise and criticism.

Do you expect everyone to understand you? To tolerate you?

Dream on.

In Gu Jinnian's opinion, his uncle had a severe psychological issue. Because he was not the rightful heir, he placed great importance on public opinion.

He worked hard on everything, striving to create a prosperous era to show the officials and the people of Daxia that he, Li Yan, was a good emperor.

But this idea was very naive, purely a mental issue.

What good would it do to create a prosperous era? People will still criticize you. It's easy to erase someone's achievements with a few words.

One sentence: Yongsheng merely inherited the assets of the founding emperor.

And that could nullify his uncle's lifelong efforts.

So, if Gu Jinnian were in power, he would definitely rule with an iron fist.

What about the scholars? Kill them if they speak out of turn.

What about the feudal lords with armies? Do they even have a chance to rebel?

Focus on developing the livelihood of the people. Justice lies in the hearts of the people. When the people are well-fed and content, they will have a clear understanding.

Therefore, Gu Jinnian didn't care about his reputation because it was unsolvable.

"Your Highness is wrong."

"Justice lies in the hearts of the people."

"But it can't withstand someone fanning the flames, especially among these scholars."

"For example, just now, Xu Xinyun, who comes from a modest family, dared to challenge Your Highness. This is unusual."

"Your humble brother may not be the best at studies, but I am good at human relations."

"Normally, even if someone is dissatisfied with Your Highness, a mere son of a county magistrate would not dare to defy the grandson of a national duke."

"There must be something fishy going on."

Wang Fugui said.

He didn't like Xu Xinyun, not because of his character, but because he was foolish.

Plus, Gu Jinnian was a prince, so he naturally wanted to curry favor, which is why he said these things.

"Something fishy?"

Gu Jinnian nodded. He had a hunch and understood what Wang Fugui meant.

"What do you think, Brother Su?"

Gu Jinnian turned to Su Huaiyu, who had strong observational skills, to ask.

"Just the inferior nature of scholars."

"Ultimately, it's the fault of those in the court."

"These scholars all want to emulate famous scholars, showing off their integrity."

"But they are all cowards. When faced with real issues, they shrink back."

"Plus, they know Zhang Yun, so it's normal for them to criticize."

"Ultimately, someone is deliberately damaging your reputation."

"According to me, find some evidence, and I can get him sentenced to death. It shouldn't be hard."

"But his father is a great scholar, so the Ministry of Justice might not handle it. Your grandfather would need to step in."

"But it's complicated."

"If you want to cut off the root, I know some desperate people who can do the job, but the price is steep, at least 100,000 taels of silver."

Su Huaiyu's words were sharp.

And his words made everyone silent.

Especially Wang Fugui, who wanted to leave.

After all, Su Huaiyu's words were extremely disrespectful.

Hiring someone to kill a great scholar? So easily?

Can't you show some respect for great scholars?

Gu Jinnian was also silent.

Indeed, this guy had some issues. A normal person wouldn't dare say such things.

"Never mind, since it's over, let's not dwell on it."

"The important thing now is the second challenge."

"Brother Su, do you know the secret of the second challenge?"

Gu Jinnian didn't want to continue this topic.

If it got out, it would be a big deal. If someone with ill intentions found out, it would be very effective.

Now, let's think about what the second challenge is.

Hearing Gu Jinnian's words, Su Huaiyu calmly took out a token from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"Entering from the south gate, you can obtain a Heavenly Token."

"The second challenge is to find an Earthly Token. If you didn't enter from the south gate, you need to find two tokens."

"As for the third challenge, I'm not sure."

Su Huaiyu answered.

"An Earthly Token?"

Gu Jinnian was surprised. He had a Heavenly Token, but he didn't expect the second challenge to be about finding a second token.

"So that's how it is. But where are these tokens?"

Wang Fugui was envious, looking at the token in Su Huaiyu's hand, he couldn't help but ask.

"The test site is in Xiaoxi Village."

"So these tokens are within the village."

"Heavenly Tokens are easier to find, hidden in various corners. With careful observation, they are not hard to get."

"Earthly Tokens are in the hands of the villagers of Xiaoxi Village."

"But after a few hours of investigation, not every villager has an Earthly Token. To obtain an Earthly Token, you can use several methods: steal, force, or make a deal, giving silver directly."

"Or help them with something."

Su Huaiyu answered.

"I see."

"I don't have a token yet. If you don't mind, I'll go look for one."

Wang Fugui was a bit anxious.

He had been in the village for half a day and couldn't figure out the secret, not expecting it to be like this.

"No need."

However, Su Huaiyu shook his head and then took out a cloth bag from his pocket, opening it.

Instantly, Heavenly Tokens and Earthly Tokens appeared, like raindrops.

Falling on the table.

Gu Jinnian and Wang Fugui were stunned.

Good grief.

Did you collect all the tokens?

What kind of person are you?

"Brother Su, how did you get so many tokens?"

Wang Fugui was flabbergasted.

His voice trembled.

"I was bored, so I collected them."

"Also, I don't know what the third challenge is. If I can't pass it, I might as well stop everyone at the second challenge."

"To reduce my pressure."

Su Huaiyu said seriously.

At the same time, he kept eating the delicious dishes.

This kind of thinking.

Gu Jinnian called him a genius.

Since I can't be sure about the third challenge, I'll make sure no one passes the second challenge.

Encircling Wei to save Zhao, you've mastered it.

Su Huaiyu.

Forever the god.