Chapter 46: Benefits and Harms

Mr. Zhong had just been about to speak when Deng Qing abruptly cut him off yet again, making Mr. Zhong's face flush crimson with fury as he stared at Deng Qing. But there was nothing he could do—a powerful dragon couldn't overpower a local snake. Clearly, Deng Qing had no intention of letting him speak, and this fellow was truly detestable.

But Mr. Zhong naturally didn't want to suffer such a silent defeat, so he glanced at Li Zisheng. Ultimately, the matter rested entirely on Li Zisheng's attitude; the key was for Li Zisheng to withdraw from the plan himself.

Now, as one of the main contestants in the competition, even if Li Zisheng had just made such grand vows, retracting now was still understandable. It was a perfectly normal occurrence.

Most importantly, the academy president wouldn't hold Li Zisheng's rudeness or retraction against him, for his original intention was good. With the heart to serve the country as the foundation, the president couldn't say anything further.

Mr. Zhong quickly shot a glance toward Li Zisheng.

However, Li Zisheng seemed to ignore him completely. Mr. Zhong's expression darkened further. At this moment, Li Zisheng was clearly in league with Deng Qing. Mr. Zhong naturally wouldn't lower himself to pull Li Zisheng directly in this situation, which would be considered an act of rudeness.

What was to be done? Mr. Zhong looked at Deng Qing and almost gnashed his teeth in rage.

"Very well, then let's proceed this way." The academy president seemed to have compromised. He looked at Li Zisheng and pondered for a moment before turning and leaving Deng Qing's tent. He returned to the academy to select the remaining nine scholars who would participate in the literary competition. This was no easy task. If they lost, they would bear a heavy burden of criticism. These officials' sons probably wouldn't want to do something that yielded no benefits. After all, this wasn't something that brought advantages; winning wouldn't bring much fame, and losing would ruin their futures.

Unlike the students from the Talented Hall, the Talented Hall students were mostly selected from commoners, and the only way for them to stand out was to elevate their own reputation. That required constantly participating in various literary gatherings and competitions, so that their fame could gradually increase and their literary reputation would also rise.

Therefore, the students from the Talented Hall had always eagerly sought out such competitions. The president valued these students highly, because in his eyes, only the Talented Hall students could be considered truly patriotic scholars.

The students in the Literary Hall and Martial Hall were not like those in the county school; they were truly sons of wealthy families, with their futures already guaranteed. They weren't like the Talented Hall students who worked diligently to benefit the academy in return.

They were merely using the academy as a stepping stone. These students were nothing but worms in the academy's belly, only harming the academy's reputation.

However, Li Zisheng might be absorbable into the Talented Hall, the academy president pondered to himself as he walked back.

Li Zisheng seemed to come from an ordinary background, and according to Deng Qing's introduction, he had been recommended by Zhang Duwei and directly joined the Talented Hall in the county school to participate in this state academy's literary competition. So his background was acceptable, but the president hadn't seen his actual learning and didn't know if he was as talented and quick-minded as Deng Qing described. If he was, with that loyal heart to serve the country, he could be directly absorbed into the top tier of the Talented Hall for advanced study. Who knows, he might even enter the National Academy directly, which would be a great achievement.

Deciding this in his heart, he would use this literary competition as a test to see if Li Zisheng truly had the chance to come to Lingzhou Academy for further studies.

Thinking this over, his expression brightened. The academy president's countenance gradually improved, his steps full of authority and presence. The image of the irritable president almost vanished instantly.

Deng Qing, in the tent, changed his expression and glanced at Li Zisheng.

Deng Qing had also made up his mind about Li Zisheng's proposal. If Li Zisheng didn't win this competition as claimed, his literary fame would be a minor matter, since he was just a young boy and wouldn't bear much responsibility. But as the main leader, he wouldn't be so lucky. By agreeing to this competition, he became the biggest responsible party, and any results would be blamed on him.

If they won, that was fine, but if they lost, his fate wouldn't be good. He had done similar things before, so one or two more wouldn't matter much. But the main thing was to guard against Ashina Zanghe, the leader of the Turks this time. This vicious old man had been praised by Taizong back then. During the destruction of the Turk army, how this old man survived was unknown. Taizong spared him seeing his talent. After all these years, this old man hadn't died yet, and now he appeared here, wondering what his purpose was. Was it really just to seek treatment as rumored?

No, that was impossible. This old fox had a mind like a deep well; just for treatment, he wouldn't go to such lengths. If they couldn't win, the Turk envoy couldn't even ask for treatment, maybe using it as an excuse, and there might be other intentions behind it, which was what he truly planned.

Watching Deng Qing ponder at the head of the table, Mr. Zhong knew he had nothing to say to him now. Seeing Deng Qing made him very angry.

He pulled Li Zisheng and prepared to leave.

Li Zisheng also knew that after proposing this, the attitudes of the three parties were crucial. Although the academy president seemed to resent him on the surface, it was clear he admired him greatly. As for Deng Qing, they were now on the same boat, each thriving or sinking together.

As for Mr. Zhong, he was the most dissatisfied, and he was probably the one among the three factions who resented him the most.

Logically, he and Mr. Zhong were on the same side and should stand together, but he had ignored his hints and reminders. That required a good explanation. If not handled well, the rift would develop here.

Li Zisheng followed Mr. Zhong to leave the tent, pondering in his heart how to explain this matter.