The Great Seminary

Chapter 16 The Successor is Here

I arrived at the Xifang City Hall and slipped in for a look around.

Zhang Gui didn't meet Zhang Jiujiang, but met his friend's follower Zhang Chun.

This sharp-nosed and monkey-faced 'new upstart' of Kuroki Town had originally intended to use his rich social experience to engage in a palace fight with his master's 'old favorite' Zhang Gui.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Gui suddenly rose to prominence and became the head of a shop and even took charge of an entire market alone.

Zhang Chun suddenly realized that the "old favorite" was not an "old favorite", but half of his master.

When facing Zhang Gui again, he became more humble.

"Hey, you're here, it's so hot, I'll get you a bowl of iced milk to cool you down.

The Jiujiang official was rectified early in the morning. No, he should be called the elder of the Yan family now. In short, he was summoned by the town office.

He hasn’t come back yet.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Jiujiang ran into the yard in a panic. When he saw Zhang Gui, he immediately said breathlessly:
"I just went to Dongfang City to look for you but couldn't find you, so I thought you might come looking for me. Luckily, we met.

Dagui, I'm going back to my hometown."

"What?"

"Mr. Huaihe, the younger brother of Mr. Hexiang, is the principal of the Qingdou Academy, and he accepted me as a student.

It just so happens that there is another fleet heading back to the mainland today, so I have to leave immediately.

The two Fangshiyan Towns in my hands are now left to you to manage. He was promoted to the Elder of Foreign Affairs, which was a great achievement. It would only take a piece of paperwork to promote you to be the manager.

I had already signed the pledge when I left the town hall, and my words will be passed on.

I originally wanted to ask him to let you go back to your hometown, but then I thought about how Zhenzheng has accepted the appointment of the clan's foreign affairs elder, and everything will be peaceful from now on.

I went back to my hometown and went to Qingdou Academy. What can you do?

It would be better to manage dozens of people in Luan Ya and live a carefree life with delicious food and spicy drinks."

As he spoke, Zhang Jiujiang's eyes turned red, "You and I have been brothers for more than ten years, and we have never been apart for a long time.

After this farewell, I don’t know when we’ll meet again.”

These words were so sad that Zhang Gui also felt sad. Tears welled up in his eyes but he still managed to hold on:

"You're crying over such a small thing, Zhang Jiujiang, ah Zhang Jiujiang, you're such a loser.

Don’t you remember that we said we would do something big together in the future?

Since we are running a big business, it is impossible for everything to go as planned all the time.

Let’s say goodbye, and wait until you become a high official in the court in the future.

I have built a tremendous foundation on the Serpent's Head Island, and we can get together and have a good time.

By then, you and I brothers will join forces and be invincible.

Then we will repay Zhang Jiuqing's favor and slowly let this grandson know how powerful you, Zhang Jiujiang, are.

I have to repay him with consequences, so you can vent the anger that's been accumulating in your heart and live happily!"

Zhang Gui and Zhang Jiujiang, one is conceited about his talent, while the other feels that his talent is not appreciated.

Zhang Jiujiang often speaks in a quarrelsome manner. He is narrow-minded and will not apologize easily when he is offended. However, as long as Zhang Gui gives him a sweet treat or shows a little kindness, all the clouds will clear up immediately.

Zhang Gui is a man of great integrity and never offends people easily. He would take advantage of Zhang Jiujiang's good family background and wide network of contacts from time to time.

But at this moment, in broad daylight, for some unknown reason, he started cursing the most popular leader of the 'ninth generation' of the Pingyang Zhang family.

There was malice in his words.

Hot tears flowed down his face and overflowed.

Zhang Jiujiang on the opposite side also burst into tears, shaking his head with all his strength and saying:

"Zhang Jiuqing is a very vicious guy, you, don't offend him.

I'm not that petty. I'm not angry with him anymore because I was able to study at Qingdou Academy thanks to his kindness.

Really, your safety is the most important."

When these two friends were together, they each had their shortcomings, they would quarrel, they would sulk, and when the emotions got intense, they would hit and scold each other.

I've cursed and vowed to break up, and I've even spat in your face in anger.

But in the final analysis, they all kept a very simple sentence in mind:
"One life, two brothers." Zhang Jiujiang left, and Zhang Gui became the manager of the East and West Markets in Heimu Town.

In the next few days, Zhang Yan promoted several new managers one after another, as if his power would not expire.

Everyone also knows that after Zhang Yan returns to his hometown and becomes the head of the Zhang family's foreign affairs department in Pingyang, he will definitely not care about Luan Ya's affairs anymore.

Otherwise, this increase would be meaningless.

After a few days, the merchants who had left Kuroki Town returned one after another, and the town became even more prosperous than before.

Soon, the Four Seasons Trading Company sent its owner Zhang Qitong with a large group of bodyguards to Heimu Town to replace Zhang Yan.

Zhang Qitong is the third son of Zhang Liuduo, the head of the Zhang family in Pingyang.

He was extremely intelligent since childhood and it is said that he began to learn mathematics at the age of five.

Once I was naughty and didn't do the homework that the teacher had given me after class, and was reported to the police by other students.

The teacher wanted to slap Zhang Qitong's hand to hold him accountable, but he said that he had done the homework, but accidentally dropped ink on the paper, so he had to tear up the homework.

But the answers were all remembered in my heart.

As he spoke, Zhang Qitong glanced at the exercises in the math book and began to recite them aloud. He memorized all the hundreds of equations and the answers without any mistakes.

The teacher knew that he was naughty and hadn't done his homework, but he couldn't punish him. He shook his head and cried, "He can calculate a hundred things at a glance. What can I do?"

From then on, Zhang Qitong became famous in the village and was called the "Hundred Calculations Boy".

Such a good child naturally pleased Zhang Liuduo very much, and he wanted to train another 'Mr. Siwei' for his family.

Unfortunately, several "elders in the temple" of the Zhang family in Pingyang did not think so.

When Zhang Qitong passed the imperial examination at the age of nineteen, he was no longer allowed to continue taking the imperial examinations.

Instead, he was sent to the general store of Four Seasons Trading Company to learn business skills.

According to the rules of aristocratic families, they are not afraid of external invaders, but only of internal strife.

Therefore, there is an order of succession for the head of the family.

Unless the eldest son is completely clueless and so cruel and tyrannical that he is not like a human being, he will definitely be the heir.

The most feared thing at this time is that among other heirs with similar status, some talented person will appear and disrupt the order of inheritance.

Aristocratic families are not nouveau riche.

The head of the family does not need to be a genius with extraordinary talent. He just needs to have normal intelligence, know how to use people well, and know how to advance and retreat.

At that time, the Zhang family of Pingyang produced Zhang Siwei, who was the revival leader and was certainly famous for a time.

But it was precisely because of his existence that the Pingyang Zhang family was retaliated against by Zhang Siwei's political enemies after his death.

From Pingyang Prefecture in Longjin Province, he rushed to Siyang County in Dongyuehai Province.

Although they were called the Pingyang Zhang family, they actually bought a lot of land in Siyang and built a large manor. After a hundred years of hard work, they finally created the Pingyang Town.

In the final analysis, it is just a memory of the hometown.

Therefore, although the Zhang family in Pingyang has ambitious young men, most of them hope that the family can produce another "Zhang Siwei".

But the experienced and wise elders who knew the importance of keeping one's abilities secret did not think so.
Especially since this possible second 'Zhang Siwei' is not yet the legitimate heir of the family, he may cause internal strife.

Zhang Qitong's greatest support is his father, Zhang Liuduo, the head of the Zhang family.

Because of the change of dynasties from Ming to Song, the new emperor "Hezheng" served as the crown prince for 29 years and became emperor at the age of 51.

He was determined to accomplish something big and make up for the wasted time, but instead he was too eager for quick success and instant benefits, and everything he did was absurd.

This kind of emperor is paired with an upstart minister who thinks he is a genius and is eager to make progress. The sum of one plus one is worse than zero. It is really terrifying.

So in the end, they tacitly agreed to cut off Zhang Qitong's official career.

But a biological son is always a biological son, and being partial is still being partial.

Moreover, Zhang Liuduo always felt extremely guilty towards Zhang Qitong because he had ruined his son's future in an irrational way.

This time, for some reason, Zhang Qitong was sent to such a remote place like Waiyeyang.

It's really strange.

(End of this chapter)