On the bank of South Lake, there was a small courtyard within the academy.
After returning to the capital, Xie Nandu had been doing very little, almost shuttling between the library and her courtyard each day. She would leave during the day and return late at night. In the library, there were not many sword cultivation techniques. After reading through them for several days, she had pretty much finished reading everything.
Each swordsman had their own unique cultivation technique. Xie Nandu was probably following the path of observing a thousand sword techniques and cultivating one path. She even attempted to cultivate several different sword cultivation methods simultaneously to control a variety of flying swords. However, after thinking about it, she eventually gave up on the idea.
Returning to the courtyard this evening, the maidservant Liu Ye quickly approached and handed Xie Nandu a letter.
Without even looking at it, Xie Nandu said calmly, "Is it from Senior Brother again?"
She and that senior brother in the North had been exchanging letters frequently these days, even though most of the time it was her writing first and waiting a long time for a reply.
In fact, the frequency of the replies from the North let her know that the war was proving to be very difficult.
That senior brother never mentioned these matters in his letters, and Xie Nandu never asked as well.
It had been over half a month since the last reply.
Liu Ye shook her head and whispered, "No, Miss, this letter is from Rainwater Commandery."
Rainwater Commandery?
Xie Nandu furrowed her brows slightly, soon remembering who it was from.
She took the letter, sat down in a chair, and casually said, "Roast two sweet potatoes."
Liu Ye acknowledged and was about to get the sweet potatoes.
After a moment's thought, Xie Nandu suddenly said, "Never mind, I'll roast them myself."
She sat before the stove and pulled out the letter from the envelope.
It was a letter Chen Chao had written before entering the ruin, it was not too long.
Liu Ye started the fire, but at the same time, she was also paying attention to her mistress' expression. Xie Nandu had been very busy these days, not getting involved in the trivial matters of the Divine Capital. It seemed like she was wholeheartedly focused on her cultivation. But in reality, even she could tell that her mistress was not very happy when she had free time.
At the very least, she was feeling down.
Soon, Xie Nandu finished reading the letter and rubbed her palms together.
The fire in the stove had also started.
She picked up the two sweet potatoes and placed them on the stove, lost in thought.
Currently, the sky was filled with twinkling stars. It was already night.
Wei Xu stood by the lakeside, gazing at the starlight scattered on the lake, and was silent for a long time.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded by the lake. He turned his head and looked at the arrival.
The person gave a respectful bow to Wei Xu and said softly, "Mr. Wei."
Wei Xu nodded slightly and did not say anything.
The person did not speak either, just watching Wei Xu in front of him. Now, everyone in the Divine Capital knew that this seemingly ordinary scholar was very extraordinary. Since he had some requests, he naturally did not dare to be presumptuous.
In fact, even if he did not have any requests, just Wei Xu's status as a Nepenthe Realm cultivator made them even more cautious.
Wei Xu was silent for a long time, then walked toward the lakeside, not too quickly.
The person followed. After walking for a while, he gathered the courage to speak, "I've already asked Mr. Wei before coming here. It was only because Mr. Wei expressed interest that I dared to come. Now that Mr Wei has met me, you have to say something. Otherwise, I won't be able to give an account."
Wei Xu nodded, "Of course I know, but don't you all think it would be bad to discuss these matters in the academy?"
The man was prepared and took out a small bronze bell from his pocket. It was made of bronze and looked very simple and ordinary; just like the scholar.
However, everyone understood that the so-called ordinary was actually not ordinary at all, whether was it the scholar or this bell.
Wei Xu felt the isolation of the surrounding atmosphere and lamented, "The so-called most dangerous place is the safest place. You all seem to understand that quite well."
"But, Teacher is still in the academy at the moment, how can it be called safe?"
Wei Xu shook his head.
The man whispered, "The Dean should be in seclusion at the moment, after traveling south all the way. The Dean must have some thoughts and feelings. Now that he has returned, he naturally has some thoughts."
Wei Xu remained silent.
The man continued, "No matter how powerful someone like the Dean is, there will come a day when he leaves the world. Mr. Wei would naturally have been the best successor in the past, but it's different now. The Dean has taken in the young girl from the Xie Family. Mr. Wei, do you not understand the relationship between the Xie and Wei families?"
Wei Xu said calmly, "As long as my junior sister and I are in this academy, we are naturally senior and junior siblings."
The man was indifferent, knowing that such an answer would not move Wei Xu. He then smiled and said, "If it were just this young girl from the Xie Family, I don't think Mr. Wei would have much of a problem. After all, she is still young, while the Dean is old."
Wei Xu did not speak.
"But during this trip south, it seems that the Dean not only met with old friends. There was a scholar in the Divine Capital back then who was similarly under the Dean's tutelage, but later on, he had no choice but to leave the Divine Capital. Mr. Wei must surely remember."
The man looked at Wei Xu, very indifferent.
Everyone knew that the dean followed the ways of the ancient sage and was only willing to accept 72 disciples in his lifetime. Among these 72 disciples, Wei Xu was naturally one of the most prominent. However, other than him, the other disciples were not of no threat to him.
Wei Xu asked, "Did Teacher go to see him?"
The man nodded and said calmly, "Indeed, from what I know, the expectations the Dean had for him in the past were no less than those for you, Mr. Wei. Now that the Dean has gone South to meet him again, what does it mean? Don't you understand, Wei Xu?"
Wei Xu did not speak, he just looked at the surface of the lake, his brow slightly furrowed.
The man continued, "A figure like Mr. Wei, who has served at the Dean's side for many years and stepped foot in that realm long ago, should be the next dean of the academy. If this position is to be given to someone else in the end, it would be unacceptable."
"Teacher naturally has his own judgment, why should I worry?"
Wei Xu was still very calm, seeming to be completely unconcerned about these matters. In fact, many years ago, the Dean praised Wei Xu, saying that he was remarkably composed during major events, a trait that was quite rare.
The man spoke frankly, "Actually, Mr. Wei understands. If you weren't worried, why would we be having this meeting?"
Wei Xu remained silent.
That person did not speak either.
In negotiations, the side that spoke more often would definitely fall into passivity. Wei Xu's silence might also be due to this thinking.
After an unknown length of time, Wei Xu slowly said, "Talk."
The man smiled slightly, he naturally knew that Wei Xu would eventually say those words.
They had expended so much effort, not just to exchange pleasantries with Wei Xu.
"We will do everything in our power to help you secure the position of Dean of the academy. But Sir must also help us with that matter. This world has never belonged to any one family. If everyone chooses him to sit on the throne, it's not for his descendants to suppress us, nor for him to do this kind of thing now."
The man sighed emotionally and said, "The previous dynasty shared the world with the literati and officialdom. What was the outcome? I believe Mr. Wei is well aware. In the even more distant dynasties, there were those who shared the world with scholars. What was the outcome? Mr. Wei has read historical books, you know it very well too." "It's just that even I find it strange. Our current Emperor has come up with such far-fetched ideas and chose to do so. No one will accept this."
Wei Xu murmured, "Sharing the world with the aristocratic families has been the norm for the past two hundred years."
The man nodded approvingly, "That's the point, this is a rule, and rules are made to be followed. Whoever wants to change these rules will have to pay the price."
The Great Liang Dynasty was able to rule the world not only by seizing the opportunity but also with the support of those aristocratic families. For many years afterward, the Great Liang Dynasty naturally reciprocated, sharing the world with these aristocratic families. However, the situation was currently quietly changing, and these people naturally could not accept it.
Wei Xu said, "It's not an issue for there to be changes sometimes."
When that man heard this, he furrowed his brow slightly and sneered, "If Mr. Wei were an ordinary scholar, saying such things probably wouldn't be a problem. But since Mr. Wei is from the Wei Family, saying these things is inappropriate."
The Wei Family was the only aristocratic family that could rival the Xie Family in the Great Liang Dynasty.
Wei Xu did not say anything more, just looked at the surface of the lake.
……
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