Finest Servant

Chapter 307 Her Surname is Xiao

A simple question about who should be the king of flowers had, surprisingly, provoked so much philosophy, even escalating to a discussion of statecraft. While unexpected, it aligned perfectly with the old man in the pavilion's intentions. Regrettably, the scholarly discourse from the reigning top scholar had been not only overshadowed by Xu Zhiqing, but also suppressed by Lin Wanrong. It was quite disappointing.

A smile lingered on Su Mubai's face, but it was strained. His gaze flickered towards Lin Wanrong, lost in contemplation.

Seeing Lin Wanrong take a seat to the left of Xu Zhiqing, the old man glanced at him and chuckled to the blind elder, "Little Wei, would you say that this Lin Wanrong is smart, or is he muddled?"

The blind old man jolted, replying, "This humble servant doesn't understand."

The old man softly smiled, "If we say he's smart, no one would deny it. However, such a smart man seems unable to guess who I am. How would you explain that?" Little Wei's heart lurched, too frightened to speak.

"If he truly doesn't understand, there's nothing to fear. What's worrying is when some people pretend to be confused despite their intelligence - their intentions..." The old man hummed lightly, his smile seeming both genuine and false.

Little Wei hurriedly said, "Master, you see right through everything. I believe Lin Wanrong is not intentionally hiding anything. I had many interactions with him in Jinling. Sometimes, he is extremely intelligent, knowing many unheard and unseen things. However, at times, he's terribly confused, unfamiliar with the bureaucracy, societal norms, and etiquette of our Great Hua. Even I don't understand whether this man is smart or confused."

"Smart or confused?" The old man softly repeated, and then burst into laughter, "This lad is quite interesting indeed. Whether he is smart or confused, it's hard to tell. Nevermind, it's rare to meet such an interesting character. If he understood everything immediately, it would be too boring. Let him continue being confused."

"Your Highness is wise," Little Wei responded reverently, his body breaking out into a cold sweat. His master was unpredictable; his words seemingly meaningful yet possibly meaningless. Nobody could guess what he was thinking. If he had any suspicion towards Lin Wanrong, it would be the end of everything.

"Su Mubai should have learned a lesson this time," the old man glanced at the reserved Top Scholar and sighed, "That's good as well. He won't get complacent just because he is the Zhuangyuan. Let him understand that there are always people better than him, and there's always more to the world."

Seeing the master mentioning Su Mubai again, the blind old man automatically fell silent. As expected, the old man continued, "Little Wei, although Su Mubai has the talent of a Top Scholar, he lacks experience. Keeping him in the Department of Education will only offer temporary success, not long-term growth. In your opinion, what position should I assign him to?"

Little Wei bowed and said, "This servant doesn't know. Su Mubai's knowledge and insight are rare. Moreover, he was personally mentored by Your Highness. Regardless of where he is placed, he can handle heavy responsibilities. He is a great talent for our country, this servant wouldn't dare to speculate."

The master glanced at him thoughtfully and sighed lightly. He paced around the pavilion, gazing at the leisurely white clouds on the horizon, "Little Wei, don't worry, just speak your mind, I won't blame you. You've been with me for over fifty years. If even you can't speak honestly, then who can be frank with me?"

Little Wei remained silent for a while before he slowly spoke, "In my humble opinion, what our Great Hua needs is not a Top Scholar, but—"

Before he could finish, the elder's expression darkened, and he huffed heavily. The blind old man hurriedly knelt down, thudding onto the ground. "This servant deserves death. I deserve death. Please forgive me, master."

The elder's face changed from gloomy to clear, silent for a long time before finally saying, "I asked you to speak. What crime have you committed? Get up quickly."

Little Wei knew his master very well, he remained kneeling on the ground, daring not to move. Seeing his stubbornness, the elder fell silent again. After a moment, he said, "This Su Mubai needs more training. If I send him to the provinces, I fear he will be corrupted by officialdom. If I leave him in the academia, it will only foster his arrogance. It is indeed a difficult problem."

Although he seemed to be consulting with the blind old man, Little Wei knew like a mirror that this was merely the master's monologue. He must have had everything planned already.

Sure enough, the elder paced for a few steps and spoke in a deep voice, "In a month's time, our Great Hua will be launching a full-scale military operation to fight a decisive battle with the northern nomads. The current court lacks good generals. Even if Li Tai had three heads and six arms, it would be hard for him to hold the fort alone. Su Mubai is not only a Top Scholar but also excels in military strategy and has some achievements. I plan to embed him within the army to gain experience and assist Li Tai, studying military strategy thoroughly. Little Wei, what do you think?"

Little Wei felt a chill in his heart. Indeed, the students personally trained by the master had an innate advantage. Although Su Mubai had suffered a temporary setback in today's state policy discussion, it didn't shake his foundation. In the master's heart, Su Mubai was still the top priority. Sending Su Mubai to the army, supposedly to assist Li Tai, was indeed to accumulate experience, even gradually taking over the military power. The intention was clear.

Seeing Little Wei dared not answer, the elder said, "Don't think I'm being partial. I have just said, opportunities are equal. If this Lin San is willing to join the army and assist Li Tai, I will not treat him unfairly. Whether it's him or Su Mubai, whoever accomplishes great deeds will be the hero. The vast territory of our Great Hua must not fall into the hands of mediocrity."

Join the army? Would this young man be willing to? Little Wei shook his head helplessly. Last time, he had to put in quite an effort to persuade Lin San to befriend Xu Wei and help him eradicate the White Lotus Sect. That was a guaranteed profitable deal with a ten to one return. Now it was about facing the barbarians with real swords and arrows, a world apart from eradicating the White Lotus Sect. Would this young man be willing to go?

The elder looked at a few people in the garden, his gaze falling on Xiao Yuruo. After a long silence, he sighed, listlessly waving his hand, "I'm a bit tired today. Let's call it a day." As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his sleeve and left the pavilion, his bodyguards quickly surrounding him.

—---

Lin Wanrong sat outside for a while, hearing no movement inside. Gradually growing impatient, he was about to get up when he saw Miss Xu's calm face, looking at him with a radiant smile.

"Miss Xu, although I don't care much, I'm still an unmarried man with a strong sense of shame. Your staring at me tarnishes my reputation, so I ask that you respect yourself," Lin Wanrong said righteously.

Xu Zhiqing bit her lip to suppress her laughter and replied, "You are quite something. You can mock and ridicule me just now, and I didn't even bicker with you. How come I offend you just by looking at you?"

He wasn't offended at all, Lin Wanrong chuckled, about to respond, when suddenly the curtains were lifted, and several small palanquins emerged from the pavilion in a single file, quickly disappearing into the distance. He didn't even catch a glimpse of the elder.

He left already? Lin Wanrong was startled, wondering who this mysterious and hurried person was.

Su Mubai, seeing that the people in the pavilion had departed, hastily made a fist salute to Xu Zhiqing and said, "Miss Xu, I must take my leave." Xu Zhiqing gave a slight nod, and the Top Scholar Su glanced at Lin Wanrong before quickly departing.

"Eldest Miss, do you really not know who this man is?" Lin Wanrong laughed, "He seems quite smitten with the Madam. Perhaps she or you have mentioned him before."

Xiao Yuruo shook her head and replied, "Mother rarely talks to me about matters in the capital. I have no idea who this distinguished person is."

Was he genuinely clueless or just pretending? Xu Zhiqing gave Lin San a puzzled look, then shook her head with a smile, finding him rather peculiar.

"Miss Xu, do you recognize this elder?" Xiao Yuruo asked eagerly, noticing Xu Zhiqing's amused expression.

Xu Zhiqing smiled and nodded, "Yes, I suppose you could say that. Miss Xiao, you've met a distinguished person today."

"A distinguished person?" Xiao Yuruo grabbed Xu Zhiqing, urgently asking, "Sister, what do you mean by a distinguished person? Can you clarify?"

Noticing that Lin San was eavesdropping, Xu Zhiqing gave a restrained smile and said coyly, "A distinguished person is just that - distinguished. I dare not speak of his identity — doesn't your family have a bold one? Let him ask, and he'll know."

Xiao Yuruo blushed, just about to speak when a group of monks of varying ages approached from a distance. The one leading them was draped in a bright red kasaya, with white eyebrows and beard, appearing to be a venerable monk. When the group reached them, the monk bowed, announced his Buddhist name, and said with a smile, "I am monk Huikong, the abbot of this temple. Greetings, kind donors."

"Master Huikong?" Xu Zhiqing quickly put her hands together, solemnly saying, "Disciple Xu Zhiqing pays respect to the master. My father, Xu Wei, once received your guidance in chess and has cherished it all these years. On behalf of my father, I thank you for your kindness."

The venerable monk smiled, "So the little donor is indeed the daughter of Mr. Wenchang? My apologies for the oversight. Those small skills are not worth mentioning, I am flattered that Mr. Wenchang has remembered them. Might I ask, Miss Xu, which one of you is Mr. Lin San?"

‘Me?’ Lin Wanrong was taken aback. It couldn't be that he had to pay for stepping on the peonies in the garden, right? ‘Damn, trying to get money from a tightwad? No way!’

He chuckled and said, "Master monk, you're looking for Lin San? Oh, I saw him leaving just now, probably went to the toilet — Master, what do you need him for? He didn't do anything, I can vouch for him."

The venerable monk looked at him with a faint smile, "That's unfortunate. I came here to deliver a message to him."

A message? Lin Wanrong was taken aback. Could it be a Bodhisattva had sent him a message through a monk? Damn, this was weird.

"Well, Master, who wants to send a message to Lin San? Oh, I'm Lin San's older brother, Lin Er. You can pass the message to me just the same," Lin Wanrong said with a snicker.

The master nodded slightly, "That would suffice. The female donor who wished to pass a message to Mr. Lin goes by the surname Xiao."

"Surname what?" Lin Wanrong felt as if a needle had pricked his behind, causing him to jump up abruptly.

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