Chapter 1182: Lin Weide

Pine Mountain Academy was one of the most famous academies in Jiangnan. Other than the Imperial Academy, it was the academy that students yearned to enter the most.

Fan Zijin had once been a transfer student at Pine Mountain Academy, an opportunity he had obtained after exchanging a priceless ancient painting for it. From this, it could be seen how difficult it was to enter Pine Mountain Academy.

As a visitor, Mu Yangling easily entered, but nonetheless, it caused a commotion.

Lin Weide personally went to the entrance of the academy to welcome her, a treatment not even the Emperor received.

It was said that back then, Qi Xiuyuan had personally come to Pine Mountain Academy to invite Lin Weide to become an official. The final time he came, Qi Xiuyuan wasn’t even allowed to enter.

Though Mu Yangling had informed him in advance of her arrival, she did not expect him to welcome her personally.

To think a mere woman was held in higher regard than even the Emperor. Not only were the students baffled, but the teachers of the academy were also perplexed. They ran over to watch. Not minding Mu Yangling’s presence, they directly asked Lin Weide, “What do you mean by this?”

Lin Weide said arrogantly, “In my opinion, Madam Mu is better than the emperor.”

After saying that, he even bowed respectfully to Mu Yangling. “Xiude thanks Your Highness for your generosity.”

Lin Weide’s courtesy name was Xiude; by referring to himself by his courtesy name, it could be seen that he was respectful towards Mu Yangling and viewed her as an equal.

Mu Yangling raised her eyebrows and asked with a cheerful laugh, “Mr. Lin said that I’m better than the emperor. Could it be that Teacher Lin thinks that His Majesty doesn’t govern well and isn’t a good emperor?”

“No.” Lin Weide said seriously, “His Majesty is a wise ruler with a noble character that far surpasses Gaozong of the previous dynasty, and is almost comparable to Emperor Shizong.”

This was a very high evaluation because the Great Zhou’s Emperor Shizong was publicly acknowledged as a wise ruler. His talent was not inferior to Emperor Taizong of Tang. Furthermore, he had a legitimate claim to the throne, passed down to him by his adoptive father, so his morals were not inferior to Emperor Taizong of Tang’s. If he was spoken in the same breath as Emperor Taizong of Tang, didn’t that make Qi Xiuyuan a wise ruler?

“However, His Majesty is the ruler of the world. No matter what he does, it is his responsibility. One should only judge his actions as being appropriate or inappropriate.” Lin Weide continued, “But Your Highness is different. Your Highness donated the cattle farm, gave out high-yielding grain seeds, allowed your grain stores to help the people, opened a girls’ school with the Empress, and set up a newspaper office. All of which are meritorious deeds that Your Highness has no obligation towards. Therefore, the fact that Your Highness did accomplish all this speaks volumes about your character, and that’s why I said that you’re far better than His Majesty.”

In short, this world belonged to Qi Xiuyuan. So matter how well he performed, it’s his responsibility and there’s no need for people to praise him.

However, as a queen consort and a woman in the inner estate, Mu Yangling did not have this obligation. The fact that she did do so many good deeds for the people showed her noble character.

Therefore, Mu Yangling was far better than Qi Xiuyuan.

The onlookers nodded in agreement now that they understood why. It was only at this moment that they realized that the fierce-looking Queen Consort Rong had actually done so many good deeds. No wonder Teacher Lin, who was usually noble and aloof, would personally come to the door to welcome her.

Everyone sighed in admiration. Be it the teachers or the students, they all bowed respectfully to Mu Yangling to express their gratitude.

Mu Yangling closed her open mouth. At this moment, she felt that it was really pitiful to be the Emperor. If he did well, it was taken for granted. If he did a bad job, he would definitely be criticized by the civil servants and historians, perhaps even long after he passed.

“Thank you for praising me, Teacher Lin.” Mu Yangling said with a smile, “I’m here to invite you to be the Publisher of The Great Qi Times. I wonder if we can talk somewhere else?”

“Of course.” Seeing that Mu Yangling did not decline his praise, Lin Weide’s impression of her improved further. He took the initiative to take a step back and invite Mu Yangling to his house to talk.

After the two protagonists left, the onlookers did not disperse. They gathered in groups of twos and threes to talk. “Queen Consort Rong looks so young, but she’s actually done so much for the country and the people. Could it be that Queen Consort Rong was only taking the credit for King Rong’s efforts?”

“That’s impossible.” A student immediately retorted. “I heard that Her Highness’s family was poor when she was young, so she yearned for a cow. That’s why she built the cattle farm after she had the means. That’s Her Highness’ dowry and there’s no mistake about that. The Harvest Grain Store was also set up with Her Highness’s dowry. Although King Rong is a boor, he’s still a man. I doubt he’d use his wife’s dowry.”

“That’s right. As for The Great Qi Times and the girls’ school,” the student replied with disdain. “Would a martial artist like King Rong come up with such an idea? I believe it was all Her Highness’s efforts.”

“How is King Rong a martial artist? He conquered half of the country alone, defeated West Xia and Great Jin to recover a large piece of our territory. Even if he’s not good at literature, he’s still a general who has done plenty for the people of the country. How can you insult him like this?”

A few students immediately argued in defense of Qi Haoran. Indeed, no matter when or where, as long as Qi Haoran was involved, quarrels were inevitable.

Meanwhile, Lin Weide had already brought Mu Yangling to his accommodation.

Pine Mountain Academy occupied a large mountain range, so they were generous in giving benefits to the teachers.

Lin Weide’s accommodation alone occupied a large area of the premises. Not only was there a stream flowing down from the mountains, but there were also plenty of plum trees. At this moment, green fruits were growing on the plum trees.

The servants of the Lin family hurriedly set up seats and a short table under the tree. It was obvious that Lin Weide intended to have a long talk with Mu Yangling.

Mu Yangling couldn’t help but smile when she saw the setup. She knelt on the seat and looked around. “Teacher Lin, didn’t you say that this is your accommodation? Why don’t I see a house?”

Smiling, Lin Weide pointed into the depths of the plum forest. “The straw hut is inside. If Your Highness is interested, you can go and take a look.”

Mu Yangling blinked and asked, “It can’t be a real straw hut, right?”

Lin Weide smiled smugly and said, “As the academy is poor, it’s not good to spend too much. A straw hut is sufficient.”

Indeed, scholars were pretentious. Mu Yangling looked at the green plums above her head and asked, “This plum forest rivals ten straw huts.”

Lin Weide laughed. “I didn’t expect Your Highness to be more thrifty than me. Although this plum forest costs a lot, it makes for magnificent scenery in the academy. It’s not a loss considering we get to admire the plum trees every year, as well as taste the delectable plums. But when it comes to accommodation, it only needs to be passable and doesn’t have to be opulent.”

This was a classic example of choosing style over comfort.

But Mu Yangling liked it!

Lin Weide poured a cup of tea for Mu Yangling and asked with a smile, “I heard from my wife that Your Highness invited her to be the Editor-in-Chief of The Lily Times?”

“That’s right.” Mu Yangling stared at Lin Weide, waiting for him to continue.

“Then how does Your Highness plan to handle the relationship between The Great Qi Times and The Lily Times?”

“Two independent newspapers. Of course, I’ll be happy if The Great Qi Times is willing to help The Lily Times.”

This meant that The Lily Times would not attach itself to The Great Qi Times, and The Great Qi Times also couldn’t interfere in The Lily Times’ decision making.

However, Lin Weide heaved a sigh of relief. Since neither his mother nor his wife was an ordinary woman, he had never underestimated women. He was glad to hear that he wouldn’t have to interact with a group of women in his work.

Pleased to hear that, Lin Weide’s impression of Mu Yangling improved further and forged a sense of closeness. He thanked her and said, “Thank you for speaking up for me at the entrance of the academy just now, Your Highness. I will gladly accept the position of Publisher at The Great Qi Times.”

Lin Weide was not a fool. He knew that The Great Qi Times could not escape the control of the Imperial Court, and his relationship with the Imperial Court had always been a little delicate.

This was because he had once mocked the imperial court, turned down the Emperor’s repeated invitations to become an official, and even mocked some officials.

By questioning him at the entrance of the academy, it might appear as if Mu Yangling was making things difficult for him. But in fact, she was giving him a chance to explain to the Emperor.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.