Anyway, it was a round of free flattery, and he lavished it liberally.
He didn’t even notice him.
Scholar Hu breathed a sigh of relief.
That’s more like it, with someone taking the lead, things were much easier to handle.
Such was the familiar rhythm of doing things.
Scholar Hu had to admit that the world’s customs were getting worse and worse. Nowadays, even raw recruits were hard to find in the scholar forest.
Moreover, the Reconstruction Society was up to no good either, teaching all that practical knowledge for governing the world.
This kind of content was originally the domain of nobles, and if poor scholars got a hold of it, their descendants would have little advantage over those from a poor family once they became officials.
Additionally, the Reconstruction Society even encouraged scholars who had no hope in the provincial examinations to become clerks in the Government Office, or to serve as staff or stewards, offering free training specifically for these positions.
Especially for the roles of staff and stewards, experienced masters were invited to impart their knowledge.
This was also the result of Xu Qing asking Wu Xun’an’s Master Qian to come forward, leveraging his connections to seek retired professionals.
It could be said that although the Reconstruction Society was just a society, the content it taught was gradually becoming substantial, managed with even more dedication than some academies.
The things they were doing were even undermining the foundation of the nobles, so naturally, everyone was very unhappy about it.
Worse still, Xu Qing was very skilled in controlling public opinion, turning the lower-class scholars and many Reconstruction Society Members into his mouthpieces.
The most outrageous part was that the Reconstruction Society held a monthly literary meeting to discuss the major trends in the world, inviting scholars who enjoyed talking about current affairs to put themselves in the shoes of Cabinet members and the Six Ministers, to ponder the political affairs between heaven and earth.
This move resulted in many nobles’ good-for-nothing descendants becoming followers of the Reconstruction Society’s literary meetings.
After coming back, they would talk big in front of the elder generation, pontificating with gestures.
Alongside issues like switching rice cultivation to sericulture...
It was simply unbearable!
Thus, some nobles lamented in anguish, "If we do not resist, before long, Jiangning Prefecture will no longer belong to us."
Everyone was pushed to this.
Lei Juren was quite proud amidst all the compliments, but a sneaky look flashed in his eyes.
Amidst the bustling crowd, the guards such as Captain Wang came to invite the family heads to the parlor for a chat.
So everyone composed themselves, but as they passed by Lei Juren, someone still whispered, "Mr. Lei, don’t let us lose face for the lords of Jiangning Prefecture!"
Such flattering words went on and on.
Lei Juren responded to all of them with a proud nod.
He embodied the spirit of ’I shall proceed anyway, despite millions of people against me.’
Before long, everyone arrived at the Government’s parlor. To their surprise, there were papers with their names on each seat – a novelty that quickly helped them find their places.
They were even more relieved to have come.
Otherwise, their absence would have been obvious at a glance.
Because the parlor was large and the seats of the family heads were spaced far apart, it was actually not convenient to whisper to each other.
At that time, the servants began to serve tea.
With nothing else to do, everyone began to taste the tea.
To say that everyone was experienced in the world would be an understatement – the tea’s fragrance was refreshing and unique. Many even considered inquiring about the source of the tea afterwards.
After all, everyone was exploiting the local people, ultimately for the purpose of enjoying themselves and expanding their family wealth to bless future generations.
No one knew how long they had been waiting; the tea was half cold when someone finally came in from outside.
It was not Magistrate He who arrived, but Xu Jieyuan.
Scholar Hu and others stood up to greet him.
Xu Jieyuan indeed had an impressive memory; not only did he call out names but also thanked them for the congratulatory gifts sent.
The names and gifts were recounted flawlessly.
Seeing everyone acting so politely, Lei Juren felt rather embarrassed and said, "Greetings, Xu Jieyuan. I brought you an almanac."
The crowd laughed, "Mr. Lei, rest assured, Xu Jieyuan is not one to hold grudges."
Xu Qing smiled, "I remember, the almanac was bound with golden thread, and there was a talisman consecrated by the Heavenly Master Palace. You have my gratitude, Mr. Lei."
Only then did everyone realize that Lei Juren had brought something of substance.
Lei Juren smiled, "Glad you like it."
He, being a Military Scholar, didn’t qualify for the Jieyuan literary meetings, so this was only the second time he had met Xu Qing.
After everyone had exchanged greetings, they saw Xu Qing taking the main seat, which caused a stir in their hearts, and someone cautiously asked, "May I ask Xu Jieyuan, where is the Lord?"
Xu Qing’s smile disappeared at this moment, and he spoke indifferently, "This gathering is my own initiative and has nothing to do with the Lord."
The atmosphere in the parlor froze instantly, as if a wave of chill had arisen.
Some couldn’t help but give Lei Juren a meaningful look.
At this moment, Lei Juren seemed to be stupefied, staring straight ahead, completely ignoring others.
Thus, the atmosphere became awkward.
After a while, Mr. Ding coughed, and just like finding a savior, everyone said, "Mr. Ding, what would you like to say?"
Mr. Ding looked innocent; he just couldn’t help coughing.
He had to bite the bullet and say something, "Well, Xu Jieyuan is the treasure of Jiangning Prefecture, and I’ve often heard people say, ’Xu Lang of Jiangzuo is like a celestial star descending to earth.’ I deeply agree with this... cough cough... that is..." He kept coughing uncontrollably, mumbling a lot, and in the end, everyone only heard, "Xu Jieyuan summoned us, there must be profound reflections, Mr. Ding is all ears..."
Everyone was speechless; what exactly did you say after all that mumbling?
After hearing it, Xu Qing smiled and said, "Mr. Ding is indeed one of Jiangning’s esteemed elders, and your words are seasoned. But you’ve overpraised me; I am quite ashamed." As he continued, his gaze fell upon Scholar Hu, and he gestured with folded hands, "I often hear that Mr. Hu is a distinguished disciple of Mountain Master at Songyang Academy, I wonder if you have any insights to share today."