Chapter 48: Let’s Try It

“What?” Zhao Fu Sheng was taken a back. “You really bought it?”

“Of course!” Zhang Ya Suo smiled proudly, feeling very satisfied in his heart.

After so many years, he finally got the upper hand in front of Zhao Fu Sheng.

“If you don’t believe me, you can go ask the county magistrate. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, if you dare to touch our village’s water today, I’ll go straight to the county magistrate and report you for leading people to rob!”

“Zhang Ya Suo, you… don’t go too far!”

Zhao Fu Sheng’s face turned pale.

But Zhang Ya Suo just sneered. “I’m not the one going too far, you’re the one refusing to be a good village head and instead trying to rob others!”

“Fine!” Zhao Fu Sheng raised a trembling finger. “Since that’s the case, no child from your village will ever be allowed to attend my village’s school again!”

“Zhao Fu Sheng!”

Now it was Zhang Ya Suo’s turn to lose his temper. “Why don’t you follow proper conduct? We’re talking about water usage, and you’re bringing up the children! Besides, when the county magistrate set up the school in your village, it was clearly agreed that everyone could send their children there!”

“So what?” Zhao Fu Sheng scoffed. “The school was built by the county magistrate, but the teacher was invited by me. I spent a lot of money hiring the teacher from the Qing Shan Academy in the city. Naturally, I have the right to select the students. What can the county magistrate do to me?”

“You’re outrageous!” Zhang Ya Suo couldn’t believe how shameless Zhao Fu Sheng was. He was so angry he was at a loss for words.

But considering that there were still two children studying at their village’s school, he couldn’t be too harsh with his words.

Was he really going to give half of the hard-earned water to Dong Gou Village?

Just as Zhang Ya Suo was struggling with this decision, a clear voice suddenly rang out: “The teachers from Qing Shan Academy have always taught for free. I wonder, Village Head, how much did you pay to invite someone from Qing Shan Academy?”

Hearing the voice, everyone turned and noticed two scholars standing outside the crowd, who had appeared without anyone noticing.

The older one was elegant and refined, with an air of nobility about him. The younger one seemed to be his attendant.

Behind them, about fifty meters away, a modest carriage was parked.

“Who are you? How do you know that the teachers at Qing Shan Academy teach for free?” Zhao Fu Sheng asked, his heart sinking, but he still forced himself to ask.

“I am Wei Jing Zhi, the principal of Qing Shan Academy,” the scholar answered calmly.

“What?”

“The principal of Qing Shan Academy?”

“That largest Qing Shan Academy in Yun Tong County?”

“Why is he here?”

“Yeah! Why has he come to our village? Did he get lost?”

“No, look at the attendant next to the principal. Doesn’t he look familiar?”

“Ah, I think I’ve seen him somewhere!”

“Wait, isn’t he the young man who came to find Madam Xiao a few days ago?”

The villagers of Yun Bian Village began to murmur among themselves, while Zhao Fu Sheng broke out in a cold sweat.

He never expected to run into the principal of Qing Shan Academy here.

It is said that this principal passed the imperial examination and became the top scholar at the age of seventeen, and by twenty, he had already become a scholar at the Han Lin Academy. For a long time, he was a favored person close to the emperor.

However, he was straightforward and disliked flattery, sycophancy, and forming factions for personal gain, which caused him to offend many officials in the capital.

Nevertheless, he did not care much for these matters and was not overly focused on his official career.

Later, his wife fell ill after childbirth and remained bedridden for many years. He then resigned from his official post and took his wife back to their hometown to nurse her back to health.

When the county magistrate learned that such an influential person had come to his jurisdiction, he frequently visited him, inviting him to establish a school to cultivate talent for the county.

Wei Jing Zhi did not refuse and readily agreed to the county magistrate’s request. He gathered a group of scholars and founded the academy.

However, Wei Jing Zhi did not personally teach, instead, he would regularly discuss academic matters with the teachers at the academy, who would then pass on their knowledge to the students.

Once, a wealthy family came with several carts of gifts, hoping to have their children become his disciples. However, the principal rejected them.

Some of those who were refused started spreading rumors about Wei Jing Zhi, claiming he was just seeking fame and did not truly care about teaching.

Nevertheless, Principal Wei did not mind these slanderous remarks. Every year, he would send two teachers from the academy to teach at village schools, with the academy covering the expenses, which were often higher than the salaries of the academy’s own teachers.

So, when Zhao Fu Sheng mentioned that he had spent a large sum of money to hire a teacher from Qing Shan Academy, the principal could not help but ask who he had hired.

“I… I might have remembered it wrong!” Zhao Fu Sheng broke into a cold sweat. “I’ll go back and ask in the village right away.”

With that, he turned and fled in a panic.

Although the principal had no official power, he was not someone anyone could offend. Teachers from Qing Shan Academy were hard to come by, and if he offended Wei Jing Zhi, the academy would no longer send teachers to the village. He would become a sinner in the eyes of the villagers.

Now, Zhao Fu Sheng hoped that he could run fast enough so that the principal would forget which village he was from.

However, as he turned to leave, Zhang Ya Suo called out, “Zhao Fu Sheng, are you still going to accept our children into your school?”

“No!” Zhao Fu Sheng gritted his teeth in anger.

“Fine, if you don’t accept them, we’ll send the children to another village to study,” muttered the village head under his breath. He suddenly realized that the person before him was the principal of Qing Shan Academy.

“Sir, Principal Wei, would it be possible for our children to attend your academy? Maybe you could reduce the tuition a bit?” Zhang Ya Suo was accustomed to negotiating prices.

After all, whether it was the county magistrate or the principal, both were wealthy individuals, and a small reduction in fees wouldn’t hurt them much.

“Do the children in your village have nowhere to study?” Wei Jing Zhi asked.

The village head took the opportunity to complain, “Yes! Our village is poor and cannot afford to build a school, but the children here are all intelligent and eager to learn. You know, a good horse needs a skilled rider. We have many talented children, but what we’re lacking is someone who can recognize their potential!”

Wei Jing Zhi replied, “If they truly have talent, they can study at the academy. However”

“However what?” The village head quickly pressed on.

He had not dared to hope too much when he first mentioned this, but he was surprised that Principal Wei was so easily agreeable.

“However, they must pass my assessment first.”

“Assessment… assessment?” The village head’s voice grew smaller.

There weren’t many children in the village who had received any formal education, so if there was an exam, the boastful words he had just said would all be exposed.

But since the principal had brought it up, he realized he couldn’t easily talk his way out of it. The village head thought to himself:

“Well, let’s give it a try. Even if just one child gets into the academy, that would be a big win for our village!”