Zhang Shou, who had drunk a few more cups, fell asleep at his desk amidst the many well-known poems and songs. In his daze, he even heard the cheers and clinking of glasses from the nobles, the emperor's promise of some official position, and Zhu Ying's clear and pleasant laughter. But soon, even these sounds gradually disappeared from his ears.
It was not until he felt a sharp pain on his forehead that he suddenly woke up. When he looked again, he was no longer at the open-air banquet, but lying on a soft couch in a room.
He supported himself and sat up, looking around blankly, and after a while he looked away again, looking at the old man in front of him who was glaring at him with some surprise.
"Teacher? I seemed to be in the Imperial College before, and I even met the emperor... Am I dreaming?"
"What kind of dream is that? A daydream!" Ge Yong poked Zhang Shou's forehead twice with his index and middle fingers in anger. Seeing that he was still in a daze with his hands covering his forehead, he said unhappily, "You, the emperor specially held a celebration banquet for you in the Imperial College, but you, after three rounds of drinking, snored and slept like a log!"
Zhang Shou immediately said embarrassedly: "I didn't sleep a wink last night, so I fell asleep without noticing."
Ge Yong was speechless. He pulled his beard in annoyance, and then asked with a sullen face: "Yingying told me when she sent you here that you said in front of the emperor that on the night of August 14, everyone worked together and wiped out the 20 or 30 rebel troops in the Linhai camp. I want to ask you, is what you said true or false?"
"Fake." Zhang Shou blurted out these two words very straightforwardly.
Seeing that Ge Yong was immediately furious, he said sincerely: "Teacher, I know this is a crime of deceiving the emperor, but I said so at that time, Yingying agreed with me, so I knew that she should have said the same thing before. It's not that I want to share the credit with others. To be fair, except for Zhang Chen, although these people are noble, most of them are just children who are not valued at home."
"They usually go to the horse and horse arena, fight cocks and walk dogs. They are not doing their jobs and have no knowledge. If they continue like this, they may become a waste of food in the future, and they may even cause a disaster. But since they were able to stay in Cuiyunjian and even bite the bullet to learn arithmetic, even if they are not as talented as Lu Sanlang, they can still be saved in the end."
"In this case, using some merit to motivate them to make progress and using the emperor's affirmation and praise to exchange for their return should be effective. For a commoner, a prodigal son who returns only saves himself and his family. But for a nobleman, a prodigal son who returns not only saves himself and restores his family's reputation, but may also benefit more people, because if they do evil, they will bring disaster to the area, and if they do good, they will bring benefits to the area."
"Of course, I know that even if this is done with good intentions, it is actually wrong. So I want to write a letter of apology. Teacher, can you help me present it to the emperor?"
As soon as Zhang Shou finished speaking, he heard a noise. He turned his head and saw the curtain being lifted high, revealing a face he had never expected. After the initial shock, he didn't know what to say. He could only slip on his shoes and get off the bed. He smiled bitterly and bowed to apologize, saying, "I never thought that the emperor would actually eavesdrop."