Hua Zhi suddenly felt a little silly for arguing about the Three Obediences and Four Virtues with a man of this era, and she became impatient.
At first she wanted to slap the Wei family in the face, but later she felt it was completely unnecessary. Now she felt that this forum was ridiculous. She had corrected the direction, but they insisted on turning her side and blaming her for everything. Everyone knew what they were up to. It was a complete disgrace to the name of the forum. She was unwilling to waste time here anymore.
"Master Wei, I have accepted the appointment. I will take my leave now."
Wei Chenze hurriedly tried to stop her, "Miss, please stay. This is how the Qing Tan Hui is. We have no intention of targeting you..."
"That's not what Qingtanhui is about!" Hua Zhi interrupted him coldly, "Qingtanhui is about learning, about statecraft, about the present and the future. Qingtanhui is about reviewing everyone's shortcomings, turning back those who have gone astray, and suppressing those who are cocky. It is about pouring cold water on those who are complacent, and clarifying the direction for those who are still confused about the future. Qingtanhui is about arguing with reason, a battle of quoting classics, a debate with red faces and thick necks, and a mutual appreciation of feeling that one has known each other for a long time. Qingtanhui is a place for discussion, not a banquet!"
Hua Zhi picked up the wine jar, sealed it, and poured the wine into the lake. "There should be no wine, no frivolity, no complacency, no distinction between high and low, and no dancing girls and singing girls at a Qingtanhui. Lord Wei, you shouldn't bring the officialdom tricks here, which shakes the young students' unstable minds and makes them learn to curry favor at an early age. I dare to ask, are the Wei family doing this to destroy people or to destroy Daqing!"
"You are talking nonsense, sir..."
"The Hua family's Qingtan Building only has a futon, a few buckets of coarse tea, a room full of students, and the scholar Hua Yizhen. The one who has no exit is this official, Lord Hua." Putting down the jar of wine, Hua Zhi turned around and walked out of the pavilion. She had really had enough of this crappy Qingtan Club. It was just a miniature version of the officialdom!
Hua Ling reacted a step too late and hurriedly chased after her. Zhu Ziwen and the others looked at each other and felt that the eldest girl had offended a lot of people today, but as people on the eldest girl's side, they were really happy.
Without any discussion, everyone stood up and left the pavilion. There was no point in having such a casual conversation!
I don't know where it started, but the students who were still sitting stood up and stood by the railing, looking at the woman who strode away. She had a very beautiful appearance and was even shorter than a maid, but those sonorous words seemed to still echo in their ears. Through those words, they could almost imagine what the Hua family's literary gathering looked like. If the atmosphere was like that, it must have been very pleasant. It is a blessing to have three or five close friends in life. If they were in that kind of atmosphere, they would have more than just three or five close friends.
It is for this reason that the Qingtan Club has such a great reputation, and it is also for this reason that those who have participated in it have such a high opinion of it and regard it as a great pleasure in their lives.
Yes, that's exactly what it should be called a leisurely conversation gathering. The Wei family's gathering was, as the eldest girl said, a banquet. The anger that had been aroused by the eldest girl's incomparable remarks was completely extinguished by these words. Some people bowed in the direction of the big pavilion and left, but most people stayed. They didn't dare to leave early and offend the Wei family or the Minister of Personnel who was in charge of the officials.
In the large pavilion over there, several people were kneeling on the ground, and the emperor was playing with a wine cup with an unpredictable expression.
The only one standing was Gu Yanxi, who was wearing a mask. He didn't care about the current situation at all. He followed the figure with passionate eyes until it disappeared. If possible, he really wanted to leave with it.
"Zhu Qing's family, Hua family's elegant conversation party is really as Hua Zhi said?"
Zhu Bowen, who was accompanying the emperor, replied respectfully, "Yes, I have been there several times, and it was the same every time. It is normal to miss the meal when the debate is heated."
The emperor had never been there, but he remembered that Hua Yizheng, who never took leave unless he was seriously ill, would always take leave on that day. He suddenly became a little curious about what the scene was like, "Has Hua Zhi been there?"
"Yes, I've been there twice, and each time I stayed as a tea servant." After a pause, Zhu Bowen continued, "No one else stayed in Qingtan Tower, only a few tea servants were left to serve."
"Wei Jing, have you ever been there?"
Without waiting for Wei Jing to reply, the emperor answered his own question, "Your family has never taken an imperial examination for generations. With Hua Yizheng's stubborn personality, he will definitely not invite you to go."
"..." After the emperor told him the truth, Wei Jing could only lower his head even lower. At this moment, he regretted it immensely. If he could go back in time, he would definitely not invite Hua Zhi to come!
The emperor stood up and walked to the side of the pavilion, and Gu Yanxi stepped forward to protect him.
Glancing at him, the emperor looked at the students in various pavilions who didn't know what to do. These people were the pillars of Daqing and the future of Daqing. Hua Yi could guide them onto the right path, while Wei Jing would only make them more confused.
The Hua family is truly irreplaceable.
The emperor was somewhat unwilling to accept this. The only one who was irreplaceable should be the royal family! But after listening to Hua Zhi's words, he had to admit this. Even Hua Zhi, a woman, had such an opinion, which showed that the Hua family had done a good job in this regard.
The emperor felt calm when he thought of that woman for the first time. No matter how wrong she was, she loved him in her heart. This made her better than many people. If she could earn more money for him and fulfill his wish as soon as possible, he could give her a good end, provided that Hua Zhi was telling the truth.
Turning around, the emperor looked at the person below him calmly, "Appoint Wei Jing as the Minister of Rites, and the Minister of Personnel will be temporarily replaced by the Left Vice Minister."
The transfer of the Minister of Personnel to the Minister of Rites seems to be a lateral transfer, but everyone knows that it is a demotion. The Ministry of Personnel is one of the three most powerful of the six ministries, how can the Ministry of Rites compare!
Wei Jing's heart was filled with turmoil, but he dared not show it on his face. He replied in a steady voice, "I accept your order and thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
"Let the children of the Wei family study more in the future. I am looking forward to their performance in the next imperial examination."
After leaving these words lightly, the emperor left with his hands behind his back. Wei Jing broke out in a cold sweat. The emperor was angry with the Wei family!
Huazhi! Huazhi!
After the people walked away, everyone stood up. Wei Jing looked at Zhu Bowen with a fake smile, "I wonder how Lord Zhu feels about having such a proud granddaughter?"
"Of course she is very proud." Zhu Bowen smiled more sincerely, "She is not interested in learning, and she likes to read miscellaneous books. If she really takes the exam, I am afraid she will not even pass. If the Wei family takes the exam, I think he will definitely pass. I am also looking forward to their success. Goodbye."
Wei Jing was extremely angry. Family members knew their own business. The few people in his family were smart enough, but none of them was good at studying. It was not that they were stupid, but the Wei family did not need them to settle down and study before. But now it was different. Since the emperor had made a promise, someone from the Wei family must be punished in three years. If they did well in the exam, it would be fine. But if they couldn't even pass the first level, the Wei family would be disgraced.
Hua Zhi! What a great Hua Zhi!