The Prefect has gone out to meet Dean Zhang.
As soon as Dean Zhang met him, he distorted the facts and accused Su Li of being lawless, claiming she dared to defy the government office, disobeyed its orders, and even tore up the appointment letter—extremely arrogant.
The Prefect listened, stroked his beard, and wore an inscrutable expression.
Dean Zhang respectfully cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, that village girl Su Li actually dares to defy the government office, which means she is defying you!"
The Prefect just shook his head and waved him off perfunctorily.
Dean Zhang grew anxious, took out some silver notes from his sleeve, and quietly slipped them to the Prefect when no one was watching.
If this were in the past, the Prefect would have surely taken the bribe and handled the matter, easily dealing with a mere village woman.
But now, Su Li is protected by the Young Lord!
The Prefect intended to refuse righteously right away, but then remembered Li Yanhao's advice not to alert the enemy and to gather evidence against Dean Zhang. He thought, isn't bribing a government official itself evidence?
So the Prefect turned his eyes, pressed down the silver notes, and said, "Dean Zhang, what you say is a trivial matter. I've already taken note and will naturally help you handle it."
Dean Zhang, seeing the Prefect accept the bribe and promise to help, felt relieved. He hurriedly nodded and thanked him, then left the government office.
After leaving the office, Dean Zhang felt lighthearted, humming a tune proudly as he swaggered down the road, planning to deal with Su Li, install Zhang Zhuzi as the village head, shut down Haizi Academy, and transfer its students to his Qingmiao Academy to make a big profit!
The more Dean Zhang thought about it, the prouder he felt. Wandering about, he soon arrived at the entrance of Su Li's Qingya Vegetarian Restaurant.
Looking at the beautiful gate of Qingya Vegetarian Restaurant, Dean Zhang sneered sourly, "Pretentious stuff! Even I wouldn’t go in!"
Dean Zhang instinctively touched his money pouch. He had come to the vegetarian restaurant once when it opened but never managed to eat inside.
First, because the restaurant required a membership card, which he was not qualified for; second, because the prices were too high, and Dean Zhang felt it was a waste of silver for just one meal.
But now, thinking that Su Li, the owner of this vegetarian restaurant, was about to be dealt with by the Prefect, Dean Zhang felt extremely pleased.
He lingered at the entrance of the vegetarian restaurant for a while and saw Liu Hui and Zhang Bin, some former students, come out laughing and chatting.
Dean Zhang immediately turned to leave but was stopped by Liu Hui calling out to him.
Liu Ru was once a spoiled rich son and showed great disrespect to Dean Zhang. Later, after they transferred to the better Wutong Academy, they looked down on Dean Zhang even more as a poor scholar.
"Oh, Dean Zhang, what brings you to Qingya Vegetarian Restaurant? Are you here to eat? Why not come inside!?" Liu Hui smiled and blocked Dean Zhang's way.
Zhang Bin teased from the side, "Liu Gongzi, I guess Dean Zhang doesn’t have a membership card and isn’t qualified to eat inside? Dean Zhang, how about we treat you to a meal for old times’ sake, to let you see the world?"
Dean Zhang blushed deeply. Although he was a scholar, in a place like Qingmiao City, he was never going to get an official post. He would remain a scholar all his life, teaching to make a living, and could never compare to big families like the Zhangs and the Lius.
Liu Hui laughed heartily seeing Dean Zhang’s red face and said, "Dean Zhang, how many students does your Qingmiao Academy have left now? If everyone has run away, you might as well close it down. Come to Wutong Academy and see if you can... become a teacher there. But I guess the families wouldn’t look down on an old scholar like you; you’d probably only get a job as a gatekeeper! Hahaha!"