Upon learning that Li Huai’gu was also visiting Mr. Yue Ming, Chen Yi folded his Oil Paper Umbrella and boarded the carriage to go to Guiyun Academy with him.

Li Huai’gu sized him up and asked with a smile, "Brother Qingzhou, have you already made a decision?"

Chen Yi nodded, feigning helplessness. "It’s better than waiting for my teacher to send a letter scolding me into going."

’He still remembered how Mr. Yue Ming had written to Mr. Ju Yi, who was all the way in Jinling, to persuade him to go to Guiyun Academy. It was the perfect excuse to use now.’

"And of course, Brother Fang Gui’s words of persuasion yesterday left me quite ashamed."

Hearing the teasing tone in his voice, Li Huai’gu couldn’t help but shake his head. "Brother Qingzhou, your way of thinking is truly different from others."

’In his opinion, any other Confucian scholar who received an invitation from a teacher would find it impossible to refuse. They would most likely accept on the spot. Chen Yi, on the other hand, not only didn’t accept the invitation but repeatedly declined it, his thoughts and considerations completely unlike those of an ordinary person. He couldn’t understand it and could only guess it was just his personality.’

Chen Yi glanced at him and changed the subject, asking:

"Brother Fang Gui, what made you decide to visit Mr. Yue Ming? You said yesterday that things were busy at the Governor’s Office."

Li Huai’gu gave a wry smile at his words. "There’s been a mishap at the office..."

Then, as if he’d thought of something, he asked, "Brother Qingzhou, have you heard any rumors lately?"

’News of this matter would surely reach the Dingyuan Marquis’s Mansion today. It would be useless for him to try to hide it, so he might as well ask for Chen Yi’s opinion.’

Chen Yi was a little surprised. "You’re referring to?"

Li Huai’gu didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he lifted the curtain to look around before leaning in and lowering his voice:

"The matter of the visitor from the Jing State Liu Family."

’Chen Yi immediately guessed that the mishap at the Governor’s Office he mentioned was likely related to the Liu Family.’

As his thoughts raced, he spoke bluntly, "I’ve heard a little. That Young Master Liu unfortunately passed away the night before last."

After speaking, Chen Yi pointed behind the carriage—in the direction of the Government Office. "Brother Fang Gui, since you bring this up, has the Governor’s Office made arrangements?"

Li Huai’gu nodded. "After I returned to the Government Office from Brother Yunfan’s residence yesterday, Lord Yang specifically summoned me."

"He ordered me to travel through the Three Towns of Iron Wall, Cang Lang, and Profound Armor within one month to collect this year’s summer grain tax. And..."

He paused, then said in a low voice, "And it’s a tax of two-tenths."

Chen Yi frowned inwardly, but his face remained calm. "An order from Left Envoy Liu?"

Li Huai’gu hummed softly in affirmation, then sighed. "That’s why I wanted to find our teacher and ask for his advice."

’The Liu Family has made its move.’

The thought popped into Chen Yi’s mind subconsciously.

But immediately after, he dismissed the idea.

’Not the Jing State Liu Family, but the Shu State Liu Family. Or rather, the doing of Left Governor Liu Hong from the Shu State Governor’s Office.’

’It was obvious. The incident happened the night before last, but Liu Jing’s body wasn’t discovered until yesterday morning. The earliest Liu Hong could have learned of it was early yesterday morning. And less than six hours had passed between that and Li Huai’gu receiving his mission to collect the grain tax from the Three Towns. In such a short time, not even an express courier or a carrier pigeon could have gotten the news to the Jing State Liu Family. From this, it wasn’t difficult to deduce—sending Li Huai’gu to the Three Towns was Liu Hong’s own decision.’

Thinking of this, Chen Yi breathed a small sigh of relief.

’If the Jing State Liu Family hadn’t made a move, there was still room to maneuver. Presumably, Liu Hong’s arrangement, giving Li Huai’gu only one month, was not only to declare his stance with the Liu Family faction but also to set a final deadline for the contest between the Xiao and Liu Families. Otherwise, he could have just sent a direct notice to the Three Towns and thoroughly enraged the Xiao Family.’

Just then, Li Huai’gu, seeing his silence, couldn’t help but ask, "If you were in my position, Brother Qingzhou, what would you do?"

Chen Yi snapped out of his thoughts. "Brother Fang Gui, I wouldn’t dare to speak carelessly."

’It seemed this matter was deeply troubling Li Huai’gu. But then again, it made sense. Li Huai’gu had been assigned directly to the Shu State Governor’s Office without any experience in the Hanlin Academy, so he had to figure many things out on his own. And since the matter involved the Xiao and Liu Families, it was normal for him to be unable to see the path forward clearly.’

Li Huai’gu gave another wry smile and cupped his hands. "I barely slept a wink last night."

Even with Yang Ye to back him up, he still didn’t dare to be careless, always worried about being drawn into some political vortex.

Seeing his serious expression, Chen Yi also thought seriously for a moment before speaking:

"Brother Fang Gui, you’re too close to the situation to see clearly."

Li Huai’gu looked confused. "Please, Brother Qingzhou, do not hesitate to enlighten me."

"I wouldn’t dare presume to enlighten you."

"In truth, this matter has nothing to do with you, Brother Fang Gui. You can simply follow the office’s orders and make the trip to the Three Towns."

"But, I..."

Before Li Huai’gu could speak, Chen Yi raised a hand to interrupt him. "The Three Towns are thousands of miles apart. It’s a long journey, and one month might not be enough time."

Li Huai’gu was taken aback. He lowered his head in thought for a moment, then said with sincere admiration, "Thank you, Brother Qingzhou."

’He now understood that Chen Yi was telling him not to rush, but to wait and see how things developed. As for whether he could actually collect the grain tax from the Dingyuan Army... the key didn’t lie with him at all. In the end, it would be decided by the Xiao and Liu Families.’

"No wonder Left Envoy Liu both set a time limit and demanded the maximum tax rate. He probably never thought I could complete the task."

Chen Yi nodded. "It certainly seems that way at present."

Li Huai’gu paused, then asked, "And if a letter from the office comes while I’m on the road..."

"Just accept it."

"Aren’t you worried about the Xiao Family, Brother Qingzhou?"

Chen Yi replied in a casual tone, "What’s there for a live-in son-in-law like me to worry about?"

"When the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up."

Li Huai’gu glanced at him, a trace of disbelief in his heart. ’Originally, he had only been grateful to Chen Yi because of the matter with Yun Xiang and Chen Yunfan. But after their recent conversation, he understood that Chen Yi was not as simple as he appeared on the surface. Whether it was their discussion about the recent imperial examinations at the Fengchun Building when they first met, or the subsequent rumors of his Poetry and Calligraphy... everything pointed to this fact.’

With this in mind, Li Huai’gu remarked with a sigh, "Brother Qingzhou, for you to marry into the Xiao Family is truly... a waste of your talents."

Chen Yi pulled aside a window curtain, watching the falling rain and the pedestrians outside.

"I think my current life is quite good. I’m very satisfied."

Li Huai’gu was struck speechless for a moment, then chuckled and didn’t pursue the topic.

In any case, he now had a clear path forward in his mind, and his mood had improved considerably.

"For what you’ve told me just now, Brother Qingzhou, I will certainly repay you generously in the future."

Chen Yi pulled his gaze away from the window to look at him, asking with a smile, "Can that be converted into silver?"

"They all say, ’Three years as an honest prefect yields a hundred thousand taels of silver.’ My demands aren’t high. Just give me ten thousand taels."

"...Brother Qingzhou, you’re joking."

Of course, Li Huai’gu couldn’t possibly take his words seriously. ’But the admiration and sentiment he had felt just moments ago all dissipated with that one joke. The friendship between gentlemen is as transparent as water. Brother Qingzhou must see it that way,’ he thought.

Not long after, the two of them arrived at Guiyun Academy.

With Li Huai’gu leading the way, they saved a lot of trouble, and their passage was unimpeded.

Upon entering the academy, Chen Yi was greeted by the sight of a garden landscape.

A winding stone path, flanked by lush flowers and trees, led to a secluded, tranquil place.

Archways connected the green-tiled roofs and white walls, offering faint glimpses of several wooden buildings with flying eaves.

It was just the Hour of the Rabbit, and many Confucian scholars dressed in the Guiyun Academy uniform were coming and going.

Whenever they saw the two, they would stop and offer a respectful bow.

Li Huai’gu returned each bow, and Chen Yi naturally did the same.

As they walked, Li Huai’gu began to explain:

"Guiyun Academy was built at the beginning of the Wei Dynasty, not long after the Barbarian Race had been driven out, when everything was waiting to be rebuilt."

"The Governor of Shu State at the time, Lord Gao Li, established a school on this site and even specially invited Mr. Honghai of Qinghe Academy to serve as its headmaster..."

Listening to his explanation, Chen Yi followed him deep into the academy to a courtyard, where he saw Mr. Yue Ming waiting for them outside the gate from a distance.

"Greetings, Teacher."

Mr. Yue Ming smiled and nodded, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then led them into his study.

"Qingzhou, if you hadn’t sent someone with a calling card yesterday, I would have gone to the Xiao Mansion to find you today."

As he spoke, he handed over a letter. "A reply from your teacher."

’Chen Yi winced inwardly. He hadn’t expected his words to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Mr. Yue Ming had actually written to Mr. Ju Yi.’

With that thought, he stepped forward, took the letter, and glanced over it. He saw that Mr. Ju Yi approved of him teaching at Guiyun Academy.

The letter also contained a few words of praise, saying he was quite knowledgeable.

After reading it, Chen Yi said with a look of resignation, "Since my teacher has given his approval, I can only obey."

Mr. Yue Ming laughed heartily. "You should have done so long ago."

Seeing this, Li Huai’gu, who was standing to the side, offered his congratulations to Chen Yi.

Afterward, Mr. Yue Ming told Chen Yi a bit about Guiyun Academy and the arrangements for his position.

Older people inevitably tend to be a bit long-winded.

Chen Yi didn’t pay much attention to the rest, only remembering one thing: "You only need to teach for four intensive days a month; the students will practice on their own the rest of the time."

Besides teaching, he would also need to take a day or two to grade and comment on the students’ Calligraphy practice books.

’All told, it was less than a week’s work, which was quite relaxed.’

When Mr. Yue Ming saw this was all he cared about, he couldn’t help but laugh and scold, "You truly are a lazy one."

"I am only teaching Calligraphy. Too many lessons would be counterproductive."

"I suppose you have a point..."

The three of them continued to chat for a while.

Li Huai’gu, remembering his purpose for coming, brought up the arrangement from the Governor’s Office and asked for Mr. Yue Ming’s opinion.

Mr. Yue Ming thought for a moment, then frowned. "Liu Hong’s arrangement, on one hand, is likely meant to put pressure on the Xiao Family."

"On the other hand, it also serves to show his stance to the Jing State Liu Family."

"In either case, it’s not aimed at you."

"However, this matter has far-reaching implications. Fang Gui, you must remember not to act rashly. Perhaps in a few days, there will be a turn of events."

Hearing him say the same thing, Li Huai’gu’s eyes widened slightly, and he was about to speak.

Seeing this, Chen Yi discreetly stepped on his foot, signaling for him to speak carefully.

Li Huai’gu understood. The smile on his face froze for a second. "I will remember my teacher’s instructions. I’ll go back and pack my bags now."

With that, he looked at Chen Yi. "Brother Qingzhou, would you like to go together?"

Chen Yi shook his head. "You go on ahead. I plan to stay at Guiyun Academy today."

’If he returned to the Xiao Mansion now, it would be difficult to find a good reason to come out again later, so he might as well just stay at the academy.’

Mr. Yue Ming was naturally delighted that Chen Yi could stay and immediately pulled him toward a side study:

"Come, come! On this joyous occasion, Qingzhou, why don’t you leave behind a piece of your calligraphy?"

Chen Yi: "..."

’He wasn’t even going to pretend anymore, was he? The contract for hiring the Instructor hadn’t even been signed yet.’