Chapter 879 – The Northern Overlord (16)
It turned out that Jiang Pengji’s judgment was indeed sound.
Mr. Yuanjing had come this time not to assist her; he was merely interested in that set of enlightenment teaching materials.
She wasn’t surprised by this outcome.
Yuanjing was a well-respected master in Dongqing, having taught many students over the decades and accumulated rich teaching experience.
With his involvement, the value of that set of teaching materials would reach another level, gaining acceptance and recognition from more people.
If the news of Mr. Yuanjing’s arrival in Wanzhou were to spread, it would attract even more students to gather in Wanzhou.
However, to avoid offending Mr. Yuanjing, Jiang Pengji had to forcefully suppress this tempting thought.
Since he was unwilling to engage in the struggles between feudal lords, she couldn’t take matters into her own hands.
“Sir, after your long journey, let me send someone to settle your baggage first.” After some small talk, Jiang Pengji noticed the weariness in Yuanjing’s brow and expressed her concern, “You traveled a long way from Langya County; why didn’t you bring a few attendants with you?”
“The old man doesn’t fuss over such things; there’s no need for so many people to serve me,” Mr. Yuanjing chuckled, adding, “If I were ten years younger, traveling alone wouldn’t be an issue. Now that I’m older, I’ve become more of a burden.”
To be fair, Mr. Yuanjing was quite a formidable person when he was young, wandering and fighting along the way.
Despite his amiable demeanor now, in his youth, he had a few bandit lives on his hands.
While speaking, unfamiliar footsteps approached from outside. Jiang Pengji looked toward the sound and saw a slightly plump young man standing outside.
When he met Jiang Pengji’s gaze, the young man froze for a moment before respectfully bowing.
“Jiang Pengji, it’s been a while. Why the formality?” Jiang Pengji smiled and said.
The young man’s surname was Tang, with the given name Yao and courtesy name Zu De.
He had a somewhat complicated relationship with Jiang Pengji.
Years ago, they had a bit of a conflict at the Jishan Hot Springs in the capital, where Tang Yao stood up for two of the dandy scholars who had offended Jiang Pengji.
Of course, that skirmish ended with Jiang Pengji decisively winning, and Mr. Yuanjing had given Tang Yao a small scolding.
Later, when Jiang Pengji went to Langya to pursue her studies, Tang Yao always looked at her with disdain. Though he didn’t deliberately seek trouble, he was always cold towards her.
Jiang Pengji sensed he didn’t mean any harm, so she didn’t take it to heart.
In Jiang Pengji’s memory, Tang Yao was a young man from a scholarly family who was proud of his lineage and worked hard to maintain that honor. From Tang Yao’s perspective, Jiang Pengji was an oddity in the aristocratic circle, a rebel.
With that considered, it made sense that Tang Yao didn’t like Jiang Pengji.
Tang Yao stood hesitantly outside, unsure of entering, his expression stiff, and he didn’t dare meet Jiang Pengji’s gaze.
Mr. Yuanjing found it amusing and called out, “Zu De, come here.”
After a brief hesitation, Tang Yao, not daring to disobey his teacher, walked steadily to Mr. Yuanjing’s side and sat down.
“Teacher…” Tang Yao bowed to Mr. Yuanjing, then turned to Jiang Pengji and managed to choke out three words, “Liu Xi is…”
Jiang Pengji smiled, “It’s been several years; Zu De, you’ve become much more composed.”
At this, Tang Yao’s expression twitched slightly, but he didn’t dare retort.
Mr. Yuanjing chuckled, “Don’t blame Zu De; he was startled.”
“Startled?”
Could it be that my face is really that ugly?
Mr. Yuanjing laughed and explained, “A few months ago, I received news that people claimed Lan Ting was a woman. Zu De wouldn’t believe it, insisting it was slander. Now that he sees Lan Ting in person, isn’t he bound to be shocked? Even as a woman, she’s still better than countless men.”
“Oh, is that so? If that’s the case, then it’s my mistake.”
Jiang Pengji recalled her three years at Langya and couldn’t help but smile wryly.
There were likely many others just as confused as Tang Yao.
During those three years of study, she thought she was serious about her education, but to others, she was still the epitome of ignorance.
In fact, some even said she was a vagabond who frequented brothels, spreading rumors that she had gotten an unknown courtesan pregnant.
Though these were mere rumors and lacked concrete proof, they nonetheless confirmed Jiang Pengji’s poor reputation in Langya.
Even after her departure from Langya, stories about her continued to circulate.
Until her true identity was made known, those people would be left with blushing faces.
Since Liu Xi was a woman, no matter how wild she had lived, she couldn’t have made anyone pregnant, and the rumors of those heartless men abandoning well-bred women were pure nonsense. Meanwhile, those who sought to tarnish her name suddenly fell silent, shutting their doors to guests.
Mr. Yuanjing said, “You also have your reasons for hiding; how can we blame you?”
If it weren’t for hardship, who would wish to live in concealment for over ten years?
Jiang Pengji smiled noncommittally.
To facilitate academic discussions between Mr. Yuanjing and Cheng Cheng, Jiang Pengji had arranged Mr. Yuanjing’s residence near the latter.
As Jiang Pengji had guessed, Mr. Yuanjing didn’t involve himself in Wanzhou’s political affairs at all. Even Tang Yao by Mr. Yuanjing’s side behaved himself, spending each day accompanying him to visit Cheng Cheng.
When these two education enthusiasts met, it was like thunder meeting lightning, sparking a scene of ideas colliding, where they seemed utterly absorbed, often forgetting to eat and sleep, as if they had met late in life only to find they had so much to discuss.
Jiang Pengji’s teaching materials spanned twenty-one volumes, but in Mr. Yuanjing’s eyes, something still seemed to be lacking.
Cheng Cheng held this educational heavyweight in high regard; if Mr. Yuanjing said something was missing, it must indeed have a shortcoming.
However, after days of discussion, they still couldn’t grasp that strand of inspiration.
Until Jiang Pengji happened to drop by.
Upon hearing their puzzled discussions, she deliberated and said, “The Six Arts of a gentleman are divided into rites, music, charioteering, mathematics, writing, and archery. Soldiers in the military camp have their own classification—like infantry, cavalry, archery, and crossbowmen… and so on. Thus, the teaching materials should also be meticulously categorized, distinguishing difficulty levels from simple to complex. If all content is mixed together and taught to students at once, it leads to confusion, and… even the teacher cannot distinguish which students excel in what. If you can’t determine that, how can you tailor your teaching to their needs?”
Mr. Yuanjing and Cheng Cheng felt a sudden clarity, as if they had broken through some bottleneck, with countless ideas bursting into their minds.
The two leaned in together, engrossed in their work, completely forgetting about Jiang Pengji, who was left sitting aside.
Jiang Pengji: “…”
Seeing the spark of unusual light in both of their eyes, she secretly felt anxious for the students who would use the materials later.
Ignored by both men, Jiang Pengji decided to leave.
Tang Yao stood up to see her off.
He deliberately lagged a step behind, following Jiang Pengji.
Just before entering, Tang Yao said, “Liu Xi, I have a question to ask.”
Jiang Pengji stopped and turned to him, “Zu De, please feel free to ask.”
“Liu Xi is a member of the prestigious Liu clan of Hejian, renowned for her reputation. Even the teacher praises you endlessly, saying you possess great talent, destined to help the world in the future. However, I’ve seen it firsthand, and there’s still something I’m unclear about.” Tang Yao looked at Jiang Pengji, “As a governor from a noble lineage, why do you associate with the lower classes? If this matter were to become known, are you not afraid of being laughed at and ridiculed by others?”
