Chapter 1612 – Seizing Nan Sheng, Killing An Huan (Twenty-Six)
This old acquaintance is none other than Lü Zheng, who shares a bit of a friendship with him.
This man’s surname is Fang, given name Zhi, courtesy name Buqu, a resident of Zhangzhou’s Dongmen County. In his youth, he traveled far to study at Langya County for several years.
“So, what great wind blew you here today?”
After tidying himself up a bit, Lü Zheng went in to receive guests, and upon entering, he saw a familiar face.
Fang Zhi smiled while adjusting his garments, standing up to bow to Lü Zheng. The two of them are now worlds apart; Fang Zhi is a reclusive schoolteacher living in the countryside, while Lü Zheng serves as a strategist under the warlords. He’s come with a mission today, so he doesn’t dare to provoke Lü Zheng.
“After several years of friendship, do I really need to be scrutinized to come visit you? Haha, after all these years apart, you seem to have become even more impressive.”
Though Fang Zhi has a square face that looks righteous, Lü Zheng is well aware that beneath such an upright exterior lies a rather unorthodox heart. They hadn’t been in touch for years, and given this unexpected visit, Lü Zheng couldn’t ignore the situation. Most importantly, Fang Zhi’s ancestral home is in Zhangzhou, which is currently under Jiang Pengji’s control.
Thus, Fang Zhi’s intentions seem intriguing.
Despite his suspicions, Lü Zheng didn’t reveal them. Instead, he followed Fang Zhi’s lead to reminisce about their days of youth.
For both Fang Zhi and Lü Zheng, the time spent studying was especially beautiful, even if it included some discord with Jiang Pengji; those are still memories of their youth. As they chatted, they began to discuss their respective situations with a heavy heart.
Not everyone who goes to Langya Academy is talented; for instance, Fang Zhi’s aptitude is quite mediocre. After finishing his studies, he returned home to work as a schoolteacher, making a small living from his students’ tuition. In these chaotic times filled with war, his small private school has also been affected; commoners are struggling just to survive, let alone have spare money to send their children to school. As a result, Fang Zhi found himself unemployed.
However, he didn’t feel particularly down about it.
Compared to the displaced refugees and the broken families in this chaotic world, at least he still has a small house to shelter him from the rain and enough food to eat. If worse comes to worst, he could always seek help from his schoolmates. Most graduates from Langya Academy are doing pretty well—some serve in the warlords’ camps, thriving like fish in water, while others are petty officials in small towns.
If Fang Zhi chose to rely on his fellow classmates, he could at least achieve a comfortable and respectable life.
The scholar clan forms a vast network of power through blood relations, while the bonds formed in the same academy create a more subtle yet significant hidden influence.
Thus, Fang Zhi remained composed.
But soon enough, that composure shattered.
Why?
Because he was living in a small rural town, where his house was built with the help of nearby villagers he paid, and it was of decent quality; however, no matter how good the quality, it can’t withstand the onslaught of a mudslide. Thankfully, when the mudslide struck, Fang Zhi had taken his wife and children out for supplies.
Apart from the kitchen’s chickens and ducks suffering, no one in the house was harmed.
He was lucky, but the nearby villagers were far less fortunate. The road to the outside world had been destroyed by the mudslide, isolating the village almost completely. With the mountainous area being barren and the weather getting colder, the food stored in the commoners’ homes wouldn’t last through winter; they’d need to clear the roads again. For this matter, Fang Zhi had to find help from outside and ended up running into military conscription.
Of course, Fang Zhi wasn’t recruited to fight, but he heard that the master of Zhangzhou was now his former classmate.
Fang Zhi: “……”
When did that happen?
Only a few months ago, it was still Yang Tao in power, wasn’t it?
News in the countryside moves slowly, and Fang Zhi doesn’t have the ability to get involved in the grand affairs of the world, so he hadn’t been very concerned, nor had he received timely news.
However, having his old classmate in power was certainly a good thing, so Fang Zhi shamelessly requested a meeting to ask for help in clearing the mountain road.
When Jiang Pengji learned it was one of the former f5 group members, she of course agreed.
However, their reunion didn’t unfold as others expected with joy.
No way, it was just awkward!
Lü Zheng only heard the next day that Jiang Pengji blew up the toilet, but he was there with her as a conspirator!
#How does one face an old classmate who’s now a warlord without feeling the awkwardness? It’s urgent!#
Fang Zhi felt awkward, while Jiang Pengji remained calm without revealing any emotions, casually asking Fang Zhi how he had been over the years.
Hearing that Fang Zhi’s private school had closed due to lack of students, she inquired, “Would you be willing to go to Wanzhou?”
Fang Zhi was confused.
“I’m currently teaching at Golden Scales Academy in Wanzhou. You have a solid foundation; why not apply to be a teacher?” Jiang Pengji suggested. “Staying here is peaceful, but it’s also a waste of time. Ordinary families can barely maintain their livelihood, let alone afford to educate their kids.”
Golden Scales Academy is one of Jiang Pengji’s most important projects, which she has been continually investing in and expanding over the years, always in need of solid and honest teachers. Fang Zhi was indeed mischievous in his youth, but his character wasn’t bad; just like his name suggested, he is upright and honest.
If Fang Zhi were to teach at Golden Scales Academy, Jiang Pengji could protect him and also relieve some pressure from Mr. Yuanjing.
After a moment of silence, Fang Zhi said, “What Lan Ting said makes sense… But…”
Jiang Pengji understood what he hesitated about.
Back in the day, the atmosphere at Langya Academy was excellent, and Mr. Yuanjing treated everyone equally, rarely did any students feel ignored or born inferior. Otherwise, Lü Zheng and a few other students from humble backgrounds wouldn’t have mingled so well with Jiang Pengji.
However, the time for studying is ultimately limited; once you leave Langya Academy, the advantages brought by one’s family background become glaringly evident.
Fang Zhi had also tried to become an official. First, he wasn’t suited for it and had little achievement in that field; second, he had no connections to secure an official position, so he could only go back to teaching in the countryside, hoping to help more ambitious farmers’ sons learn to read and write, hoping to change their fates.
Fang Zhi had no reputation, and the private school he ran was barely known.
The wealthy despised it, and the common people couldn’t afford it; ultimately, he ended up paying out of pocket, barely managing to get a few students.
Outside, the chaos of war raged, and the few students he had were called back by their parents to work in the fields to support the family.
“There’s still some time until Zhangzhou stabilizes; it’s fine for you to stay here. Can your wife and children endure it?”
Fang Zhi wasn’t one to be overly sentimental; though he was a bit juvenile in his youth, he had become more composed in middle age.
“Finding a place to settle in these chaotic times is already a luxury… Thankfully, with your support, Lan Ting, I do have intentions to head north…”
When classmates meet, there’s always a lot to talk about, especially about matters and people from their student days.
As they talked, Jiang Pengji suddenly remembered that Lü Zheng still owed her a debt.
In a muddle, Fang Zhi took on the task of collecting the debt for her.
When asked why, Fang Zhi replied, “Mostly people like a sense of closure; it’s easy to say ‘the world has changed,’ but hearing it strikes the heart.”
And thus began Fang Zhi’s long journey to find Lü Zheng.
